The Charlotte Hornets have put a mid-December funk behind them and look for their fifth victory in six games when they host the Miami Heat on Thursday. Charlotte's four-game losing streak raised concerns, but it has responded by averaging 113 points over its last five contests.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are more than just Russell Westbrook, but the superstar point guard is the relentless engine driving them forward. Westbrook will try to follow up another triple-double and lead the Thunder to a fifth consecutive win when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.

The Boston Celtics own the third-best record in the Eastern Conference and believe they can contend with anyone when the roster is healthy. The Celtics will get a chance to prove that when they visit the defending-champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.

The Utah Jazz snapped a three-game slide on Tuesday but needed a late 3-pointer to pull out a 102-100 triumph over the lowly Los Angeles Lakers. The Jazz will try to decide things sooner when they return home and host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.

DeMar DeRozan is the leading scorer in Toronto history and looks to add to his total when the Raptors visit the defensively challenged Phoenix Suns on Thursday. DeRozan scored 29 points in Wednesday's 121-111 loss to Golden State to raise his career output to 10,290 points, surpassing Chris Bosh (10,275 from 2003-10).

The Dallas Mavericks aren't winning many games this season but they hold a recent mastery of the Los Angeles Lakers. Dallas is looking for its 12th consecutive win over the host Lakers on Thursday, and the streak includes a 109-97 win in Los Angeles on Nov. 8.