The New York Knicks put in work on defense en route to a pair of wins but wilted on that end in Thursday's loss to the Washington Wizards. The Atlanta Hawks, who visit the Knicks on Sunday afternoon, can punish defenses from several angles and should be motivated to bounce back after their six-game winning streak came to an end on Friday at Charlotte.

The Brooklyn Nets are where other teams go when they want to get their offenses back in gear, and the Portland Trail Blazers could use a tune up. The Nets will try to hold an opponent under 124 points for the first time this week when they host the Trail Blazers on Sunday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are very tough to beat when Russell Westbrook is getting help scoring, and the last two games saw him embrace a second offensive threat in the backcourt. Westbrook and Victor Oladipo will try to lead the Thunder to a third straight win when they host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

Sacramento Kings coach Dave Joerger needed 13 regular season games with his new team before deciding that his best lineup was DeMarcus Cousins and four smaller, quicker players. The Kings will unveil the new lineup when they host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

Gordon Hayward has suddenly found himself in a slump, and he's pulled the Utah Jazz down with him. Hayward and the Jazz will try to emerge from a funk and snap a three-game losing streak when they visit the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the best stories in the early season and look to add another chapter when they host the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night. The Lakers have won six of their last nine games after putting a scare into San Antonio before losing Friday but likely will be without their leading scorer D’Angelo Russell, who was rested in the last game because of knee soreness.