Preview Roundups
April 05, 2016
New Orleans at Philadelphia 7:00 PM ET
The New Orleans Pelicans possess their first winning streak in well over a month and have a great chance to extend it to three when they visit the reeling Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. A 106-87 win in Brooklyn on Sunday gave the Pelicans their first set of consecutive victories since a two-game spurt Feb. 19-21, which involved a win over the 76ers.
Charlotte at Toronto 7:30 PM ET
The Charlotte Hornets have clinched a playoff spot but are still battling over seeding in a tight scrum in the Eastern Conference. The Toronto Raptors, who host the Hornets on Tuesday, are above that fray and appear locked into the No. 2 spot in the East after Charlotte offered them no help on Sunday.
Detroit at Miami 8:00 PM ET
The Detroit Pistons look to build off perhaps their biggest victory in the last seven seasons when they visit the Miami Heat on Tuesday to start a two-game trip to the Sunshine State. The Pistons, who play at Orlando on Wednesday, won 94-90 at Chicago on Saturday to increase their lead over the ninth-place Bulls to two games in their quest to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2008-09.
Phoenix at Atlanta 8:00 PM ET
Amid a stretch run loaded with Eastern Conference teams fighting for playoff positioning, the Atlanta Hawks have one outlier on the schedule. That would be Tuesday night's visit from the Phoenix Suns, who present the rested Hawks with a great chance to break back into the win column.
Chicago at Memphis 8:00 PM ET
The Chicago Bulls have dealt with injuries to key players all season but will get absolutely no sympathy from the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies, who host the Bulls on Tuesday, set an NBA record when they used their 28th different player of the season on Sunday but have still managed to hang onto the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference.
Cleveland at Milwaukee 8:00 PM ET
The Cleveland Cavaliers are close to wrapping up the No. 1 seed for the
Eastern Conference playoffs and can move closer when they visit the
Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Cleveland, which has won three consecutive
games, holds a 3 1/2-game lead over the second-place Toronto Raptors
with five games remaining.
Oklahoma City at Denver 9:00 PM ET
The Oklahoma City Thunder hit a bump in what's been a torrid stretch and
attempt to get back on track when they visit the Denver Nuggets on
Tuesday. Oklahoma City dropped a 118-110 decision to the Houston Rockets
in the opener of a four-game trip and it marked only the second loss in
11 games for the Thunder.
San Antonio at Utah 9:00 PM ET
The Utah Jazz are fighting for a Western Conference playoff spot and it
can't be a good feeling to see the San Antonio Spurs coming to town for
Tuesday's contest. The Spurs have walloped the Jazz three times this
season with the average margin of victory being 26.7 points.
Portland at Sacramento 10:00 PM ET
The Portland Trail Blazers missed an opportunity to pull into a tie for fifth place in the Western Conference with a loss on Sunday and will try to bounce back when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. The Trail Blazers are a half-game behind the fading Memphis Grizzlies and are playing their final road game against the Kings before finishing up with three at home.
Minnesota at Golden State 10:30 PM ET
The Golden State Warriors bounced back from their first home loss in over a year in impressive fashion and remain on track to break the record for wins in a single season. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who visit the Warriors on Tuesday, are not putting up much of a fight of late and will have to find more points if they hope to hang with Golden State.
L.A. Lakers at L.A. Clippers 10:30 PM ET
The Los Angeles Clippers are closing in on their fourth consecutive
50-win season and receive a nice gift from the schedule makers with
back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Lakers, beginning Tuesday at
the Staples Center. The Clippers have won the past nine meetings against
the Lakers, scoring an average of 114.1 points to win by an average of
21.5 points.