Mavericks Host Nets Looking To Bounce Back
The Dallas Mavericks will host the Brooklyn Nets at American Airlines Center on Tuesday night.
The Mavericks (11-11) are coming off a loss against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Mavericks with 29 points and seven rebounds, in 31 minutes. Jalen Brunson followed up with 15 points, three rebounds and eight assists, while Dorian Finney-Smith chipped in 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. The Mavericks shot 34 percent from the field, including 15-of-43 from deep.
The Nets (16-7) are coming off a loss against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. Kevin Durant led the Nets with 28 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks, in 38 minutes. LaMarcus Aldridge followed up with 20 points, seven rebounds and a steal, while James Harden added 14 points, seven rebounds, 14 assists and a steal. The Nets shot 41 percent from the field, including 8-of-25 from deep.
The Mavericks (11-11) are coming off a loss against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Mavericks with 29 points and seven rebounds, in 31 minutes. Jalen Brunson followed up with 15 points, three rebounds and eight assists, while Dorian Finney-Smith chipped in 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. The Mavericks shot 34 percent from the field, including 15-of-43 from deep.
The Nets (16-7) are coming off a loss against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. Kevin Durant led the Nets with 28 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks, in 38 minutes. LaMarcus Aldridge followed up with 20 points, seven rebounds and a steal, while James Harden added 14 points, seven rebounds, 14 assists and a steal. The Nets shot 41 percent from the field, including 8-of-25 from deep.
Spurs Look To Bounce Back At Home
By Dan Bruno
The San Antonio Spurs play host to the New York Knicks at AT&T Center on Tuesday evening.
This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Spurs (8-14) as they are coming off a loss in Phoenix on Monday night. The Spurs got out to a good start in the contest and led by seven points after one quarter. However, they lost control in the second, where they were outscored by 10, so that they trailed by three, at halftime. The hosts added another six points to their advantage through the third and the Spurs trailed by nine, heading into the final frame. They made a push in the fourth, but they could not come through in crunch time, as they fell short for the road loss. The Spurs had six players score in double digits in the contest, led by Dejounte Murray, who finished with 17 points, six rebounds, 14 assists and two steals. Jakob Poeltl totaled 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and a block, while Bryn Forbes chipped in 15 points, off the bench. The Spurs will look to bounce back as they return home to kick off a five-game home stand, with the hopes of adding to their, 4-6, home record.
Meanwhile, this marks the first game of a three-game road trip for the Knicks (11-12), as they will be looking to put an end to a three-game slide and add to their, 6-4, road record. Julius Randle leads the team, averaging 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists, per game. R.J. Barrett is averaging 14.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists, while Derrick Rose is averaging 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists, per game. Alec Burks is expected to continue to get the start at point guard, while Immanuel Quickley picks up key minutes off the bench, as Kemba Walker remains ousted from the rotation. The Knicks are averaging 106.5 points per game, but they are giving up an average of 107.3 points against.
This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Spurs (8-14) as they are coming off a loss in Phoenix on Monday night. The Spurs got out to a good start in the contest and led by seven points after one quarter. However, they lost control in the second, where they were outscored by 10, so that they trailed by three, at halftime. The hosts added another six points to their advantage through the third and the Spurs trailed by nine, heading into the final frame. They made a push in the fourth, but they could not come through in crunch time, as they fell short for the road loss. The Spurs had six players score in double digits in the contest, led by Dejounte Murray, who finished with 17 points, six rebounds, 14 assists and two steals. Jakob Poeltl totaled 14 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and a block, while Bryn Forbes chipped in 15 points, off the bench. The Spurs will look to bounce back as they return home to kick off a five-game home stand, with the hopes of adding to their, 4-6, home record.
Meanwhile, this marks the first game of a three-game road trip for the Knicks (11-12), as they will be looking to put an end to a three-game slide and add to their, 6-4, road record. Julius Randle leads the team, averaging 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists, per game. R.J. Barrett is averaging 14.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists, while Derrick Rose is averaging 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists, per game. Alec Burks is expected to continue to get the start at point guard, while Immanuel Quickley picks up key minutes off the bench, as Kemba Walker remains ousted from the rotation. The Knicks are averaging 106.5 points per game, but they are giving up an average of 107.3 points against.
Lakers Renew Rivalry with Celtics
The Los Angeles Lakers play host to the Boston Celtics at Staples Center on Tuesday.
The Celtics (13-11) got off to a nightmarish start but enter this matchup winning 11 of their last 17 games. That's a lengthy streak of success, and it's turned around a surprisingly poor start. The one thing holding them back is health. Jaylen Brown has been in and out of the lineup due to a hamstring issue all year and it's been even tougher with Al Horford and Robert Williams missing some games as well. What that has done is allow Jayson Tatum and Dennis Schroder to gel. The German point guard was actually a bargain for Boston in the offseason, and he's proving why he took down Sixth Man of the Year just two years ago.
The Lakers (12-12) simply can't get anything going, but it's not like they're playing terribly either. They haven't had a streak longer than three wins or three losses at any point this season, which is truly shocking for a team that's filled with superstars. Fans were panicking when LeBron James landed in COVID protocols last week, but it appears that it was a false-positive test, with LeBron suiting up in the team's most recent loss. He's been in and out of the lineup all season and it paints a clearer picture of why this team can't find any consistency. In any case, this team has all the talent in the world and will surely be in the thick of things for the remainder of the season, no matter what sort of drama they face.
These teams played back on November 19, with Boston dominating, 130-108. With that said, these clubs have split the last four season series against one another.
The Celtics (13-11) got off to a nightmarish start but enter this matchup winning 11 of their last 17 games. That's a lengthy streak of success, and it's turned around a surprisingly poor start. The one thing holding them back is health. Jaylen Brown has been in and out of the lineup due to a hamstring issue all year and it's been even tougher with Al Horford and Robert Williams missing some games as well. What that has done is allow Jayson Tatum and Dennis Schroder to gel. The German point guard was actually a bargain for Boston in the offseason, and he's proving why he took down Sixth Man of the Year just two years ago.
The Lakers (12-12) simply can't get anything going, but it's not like they're playing terribly either. They haven't had a streak longer than three wins or three losses at any point this season, which is truly shocking for a team that's filled with superstars. Fans were panicking when LeBron James landed in COVID protocols last week, but it appears that it was a false-positive test, with LeBron suiting up in the team's most recent loss. He's been in and out of the lineup all season and it paints a clearer picture of why this team can't find any consistency. In any case, this team has all the talent in the world and will surely be in the thick of things for the remainder of the season, no matter what sort of drama they face.
These teams played back on November 19, with Boston dominating, 130-108. With that said, these clubs have split the last four season series against one another.