Basketball Page 8 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Magic eager to raise intensity level vs. Trail Blazers
The Orlando Magic will attempt to put up an improved performance when they conclude a four-game road trip with a visit to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.,Orlando is 1-2 on the trip and fell apart in the second half on Monday night when it lost 120-97 to the Golden State Warriors. The 23...

Depleted Grizzlies piece together lineup for matchup vs. Jazz
For the Memphis Grizzlies, the impact of repeated injuries is taking its toll on the team's season.,The Grizzlies have dropped three of their past five games, including a 119-103 loss Monday night at Oklahoma City, and will head to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.,Memphis was o...

West's best square off as surging Spurs host Thunder
The San Antonio Spurs will return home with a six-game winning streak in hand but will have to play even better to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.,The game will be the first of a home-and-home set for the Western Conference leaders, with the follow up on Christmas Day in Oklahoma Ci...

Mavericks face tall task vs. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
A couple weeks ago, it looked as if the Dallas Mavericks were starting to turn their season around after a tumultuous start. ,The Mavericks won five of six games, including victories against contenders such as the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets. ,Since then, however, the Mavericks have lost thre...

Teams on losing streaks collide as Bucks face Pacers
A pair of sinking foes will meet up in Indianapolis on Tuesday when the Indiana Pacers face the Milwaukee Bucks.,Milwaukee dropped its third straight game and fifth in its past six tries on Sunday when a 40-point second half doomed the Bucks in a 103-100 setback against the Minnesota Timberwolves. W...

Cavs' Darius Garland rediscovering form ahead of Pelicans' visit
The past two games are too few to declare that Darius Garland is back to his All-Star form, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are optimistic that is the case.,The 25-year-old point guard has put together a stretch where he looks like his pre-toe-surgery self, averaging 31 points and nine assists over 31.5...

Hornets put focus on ball retention against Wizards
The Charlotte Hornets have lots of areas to fix in a short timeframe. After losing Monday night, they return home for a Tuesday night game against the Washington Wizards.,The Hornets fell 139-132 to the host Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday despite LaMelo Ball's 23 points, including six 3-pointers. Whi...

NBA roundup: Nuggets top Jazz, tie team 3-point mark (24)
Jamal Murray scored 27 points for the host Denver Nuggets, who opened the game with a 19-0 run on their way to a 135-112 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.,Nikola Jokic contributed 14 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists for the Nuggets, who shot 24-for-46 from deep to tie a franchise record for ...

Jalen Duren's sharp shooting helps Pistons take down Trail Blazers
Jalen Duren scored 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting and collected 10 rebounds to help the Detroit Pistons post a 110-102 victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.,Ausar Thompson recorded 18 points, 12 rebounds and three steals as the Pistons notched their eighth victory in the past...

Stephen Curry, Warriors blow out Magic to avenge earlier loss
Stephen Curry went for a game-high 26 points, Quinten Post contributed three hoops to a 19-2 flurry bridging the third and fourth quarters, and the Golden State Warriors ran away from the Orlando Magic for a 120-97 victory Monday night in San Francisco.,Jimmy Butler III chipped in with 21 points and...

Thunder brush aside Grizzlies, maintain perfect home mark
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points as Oklahoma City remained the NBA's only team with a perfect home record, as the Thunder posted a 119-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.,The Thunder improved to 14-0 at home while shake off a season-worst run of two losses in three games. The Grizz...

Nuggets match team mark with 24 treys, crush Jazz
Jamal Murray scored 27 points for the host Denver Nuggets, who opened the game with a 19-0 run on their way to a 135-112 win over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.,Nikola Jokic contributed 14 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists for the Nuggets, who shot 24-for-46 from deep to tie a franchise record for ...

Pelicans surge in 4th quarter, dump Mavs for 5th straight win
Zion Williamson compiled 24 points and nine rebounds off the bench, helping the streaking New Orleans Pelicans rally for a 119-113 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Monday.,Derik Queen added 19 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Pelicans, who won their fifth straight game -- the...

Jaylen Brown nets 31, Celtics take advantage of ice-cold Pacers
Jaylen Brown tossed in a game-high 31 points and added nine rebounds to help the Boston Celtics overcome a 20-point deficit and defeat the visiting Indiana Pacers 103-95 Monday night.,Indiana, which led by 20 early in the third quarter, was held to 34 points in the second half and 13 points in the f...

Cavs share scoring duties in victory over Hornets
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and Darius Garland and De'Andre Hunter each had 27 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 139-132 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.,Dean Wade added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers, and Ga...

After stunning Lakers, Clippers set sights on Rockets
After recording their most impressive win of the season, the Los Angeles Clippers look to carry the momentum into a matchup against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday in Inglewood, Calif.,Kawhi Leonard scored 32 points and James Harden added 21 to help the Clippers snap a five-game losing streak with a ...

Suns, Lakers square off for third time this month
Western Conference rivals clash for the third time this month when Phoenix hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.,The Suns split the first two games with the Lakers, winning 125-108 in Los Angeles on Dec. 1 before losing 116-114 in Phoenix on Dec. 14. The Suns managed to overcome Luka Doncic's 38-...

Fast-rising Knicks visit surging Timberwolves
Two of the NBA's hottest teams and one of its hottest players match up Tuesday night in Minnesota when the Timberwolves host the New York Knicks.,Knicks star Jalen Brunson is coming off a season high 47-point effort in a 132-125 win Sunday over the Miami Heat. In his last five games, including the K...

Raptors, Heat hope to end losing ways in Eastern tilt
The Miami Heat have lost two straight games and seven of their past eight games.,The Toronto Raptors have also lost two straight games in addition to dropping six of their past eight games.,On Tuesday night, both teams will try to earn a win as Toronto visits Miami.,The Heat, who lost a 132-125 road...

After combining for 302 points, what will Bulls-Hawks II produce?
The Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks look at things differently after playing the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season.,But the evaluation following Sunday's 152-150 Chicago victory can't last long since the same two clubs meet again Tuesday in Atlanta to complete the season series.,Both teams...