The Charlotte Hornets aim to snap their second long losing streak in three nights when they host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. The Hornets, who ended a 16-game skid against Miami with a 96-89 win Wednesday, look to snap a streak of six straight home losses to the Hawks. Atlanta, which dug out of a 17-point hole Wednesday at San Antonio before falling 94-92, has dropped its first two road games by a combined nine points.

The Orlando Magic look to build upon an emotional first win of the season when they return home to take on Minnesota on Friday. Tobias Harris' jumper at the buzzer lifted the Magic to a 91-89 victory at Philadelphia on Wednesday, snapping an eight-game losing streak dating to last season and a 12-game slide on the road. Harris continues to emerge as the primary contributor for a young Orlando team that had lost its first four this season by an average of 11.3 points.

Free-agent signee Pau Gasol has been a consistent force through the first five games while many of his Chicago Bulls teammates have taken turns missing games with injuries. Gasol is averaging a double-double as the Bulls look for their fifth victory in six games to open the season when they visit the winless Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Gasol recorded season highs with 22 points and 14 rebounds as Chicago beat Milwaukee 95-86 on Wednesday for its third consecutive victory.

Teams in desperate need of a win meet Friday when the Indiana Pacers visit the Boston Celtics. The undermanned Pacers who started last season 11-0, won their opener against Philadelphia but have dropped four straight since. The Celtics tore apart Brooklyn in their opener, and were blown off the floor in the first half at Houston and Dallas before a late turnover by rookie Marcus Smart led to a 110-107 loss to Toronto on Wednesday.

The New York Knicks are struggling, and Carmelo Anthony’s shooting woes are a big part of the problem. Anthony will try to snap out of his funk and help the Knicks avoid a three-game slide when they visit the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. The Nets got off to a hot start offensively but suffered through a letdown at home on Wednesday, going cold just at the wrong time while being outscored 9-0 in the final minutes of a 98-91 setback.

The Detroit Pistons finally have a victory in hand and they’ll try for two in a row when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night. The Pistons edged the Knicks 98-95 on Wednesday night, getting 23 points and 18 rebounds from power forward Greg Monroe, who was starting his first game after sitting out the first two due to a suspension. Detroit is still shooting a league-worst 39.3 percent from the floor while averaging a league-low 89.5 points.

The Toronto Raptors host the Washington Wizards on Friday with both teams trying to earn their Eastern Conference-leading fifth victory. The Raptors have won two games in a row, including a 110-107 triumph over the Boston Celtics, and look to avenge a triple-overtime loss to the Wizards in their last meeting on Feb. 27. Toronto aims to stay unbeaten at home as it begins its longest homestand in franchise history with the next seven games at Air Canada Centre.

The Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder have established a nice rivalry on the strength of three playoff meetings in the last four seasons, but they are on very different paths early in 2014-15. The Grizzlies continued the best start in franchise history and remained one of three unbeaten teams in the NBA with a 102-91 victory at Phoenix on Wednesday, improving to 3-0 on the road. Mike Conley had 24 points and 11 assists in the triumph, which began a three-game road trip for Memphis.

The Sacramento Kings look to improve on their best start in 13 years when they visit the Phoenix Suns on Friday. The Kings are 4-1 for the first time since 2001-02 and are displaying that their success may be more than simply a fast start. “We’ve been fighting and we’ve been playing with the confidence that we can beat anybody,” forward Rudy Gay told reporters after the team’s fourth straight win, a 131-109 trouncing of Denver.

The Utah Jazz are coming off a dramatic victory and are getting strong production out of building blocks Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors. The Jazz will try to take advantage of the momentum when they host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. The Mavericks are enduring the second night of a back-to-back after getting run off the floor in the second half of a 108-87 loss at the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.

Early signs of unrest are plaguing the Cleveland Cavaliers as they enter Friday’s road contest with the Denver Nuggets. The addition of LeBron James hasn’t led to a smooth on-floor transition and standout guard Kyrie Irving isn’t meshing well with James during a 1-3 start. “There’s a lot of bad habits been built up the past couple years,” James told reporters. “When you play that style of basketball, it takes a lot to get it up out of you.”