Jazz and 76ers Tangle in Philly
The Utah Jazz takes on the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.
The Jazz (17-7) have had some ups and downs this season, but they're firmly on an upswing going into Thursday night's interconference matchup. Utah has now forged five consecutive victories, with their most recent success a 136-104 throttling of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night in which they hunkered down on both ends during the second half and scored 76 points over the final two quarters. Donovan Mitchell paced the Jazz with 36 points, complementing them with five rebounds, two assists and one block. Bojan Bogdanovic turned in 21 points and five boards. Jordan Clarkson supplied 18 points, three rebounds, one assist and one block. Rudy Gobert generated a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double that included one block. Joe Ingles furnished 11 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
The Jazz will likely list Hassan Whiteside (groin) as no better than questionable for Thursday's contest.
The 76ers (14-11) are on a strong stretch of play themselves, as they'll come into Thursday having won four of the last five games. Their most recent triumph came Wednesday night, when they toppled the Charlotte Hornets for the second straight contest by a 110-106 score Wednesday night in which they kept their hosts at bay despite a late push over the last two minutes. Joel Embiid led the way with 32 points, adding eight rebounds, four assists and one steal. Seth Curry furnished 23 points, eight assists, four rebounds and one steal. Tobias Harris totaled 18 points and six rebounds.
The 76ers will come into Thursday's game without any short-term injuries to report.
Thursday's game marks the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Jazz holds a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 120-85 win on Nov. 16.
The Jazz (17-7) have had some ups and downs this season, but they're firmly on an upswing going into Thursday night's interconference matchup. Utah has now forged five consecutive victories, with their most recent success a 136-104 throttling of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night in which they hunkered down on both ends during the second half and scored 76 points over the final two quarters. Donovan Mitchell paced the Jazz with 36 points, complementing them with five rebounds, two assists and one block. Bojan Bogdanovic turned in 21 points and five boards. Jordan Clarkson supplied 18 points, three rebounds, one assist and one block. Rudy Gobert generated a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double that included one block. Joe Ingles furnished 11 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
The Jazz will likely list Hassan Whiteside (groin) as no better than questionable for Thursday's contest.
The 76ers (14-11) are on a strong stretch of play themselves, as they'll come into Thursday having won four of the last five games. Their most recent triumph came Wednesday night, when they toppled the Charlotte Hornets for the second straight contest by a 110-106 score Wednesday night in which they kept their hosts at bay despite a late push over the last two minutes. Joel Embiid led the way with 32 points, adding eight rebounds, four assists and one steal. Seth Curry furnished 23 points, eight assists, four rebounds and one steal. Tobias Harris totaled 18 points and six rebounds.
The 76ers will come into Thursday's game without any short-term injuries to report.
Thursday's game marks the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Jazz holds a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 120-85 win on Nov. 16.
Grizzlies Host Lakers on Thursday
The Memphis Grizzlies play host to the Los Angeles Lakers at FedEx Forum on Thursday.
The Lakers (13-12) have struggled to find their footing this season, but winning five of their last eight games is an encouraging sign. The nature of the most recent victory is the most promising sign, dominating the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. The 117-102 final scoreline makes that game look closer than it was, with Los Angeles outscoring Boston in the middle quarters, 60-42. It was one of the first games where LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook all played well together, and that's obviously the most important thing as we advance. Having a threesome like that makes them one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA, and the wins will keep flowing if the recent form continues.
The Grizzlies (14-11) enter this matchup winning five of their last six games, losing to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday in their most recent outing. They actually had a double-digit lead right before the half in that game but collapsed in the second half. The numbers in the five-game winning streak are extraordinary, with Memphis never trailing in any of those. Holding the lead for five straight games is an absolute miracle, and it's a testament to how good these roles players are around Ja Morant. The superstar point guard is dealing with a knee issue, and it's really encouraging to see these young guys play so well in his absence.
These teams played back on November 21, with Los Angeles prevailing, 121-118. That gives the Lakers seven wins in their last eight matchups with the Grizzlies, dating back to 2019.
The Lakers (13-12) have struggled to find their footing this season, but winning five of their last eight games is an encouraging sign. The nature of the most recent victory is the most promising sign, dominating the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. The 117-102 final scoreline makes that game look closer than it was, with Los Angeles outscoring Boston in the middle quarters, 60-42. It was one of the first games where LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook all played well together, and that's obviously the most important thing as we advance. Having a threesome like that makes them one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA, and the wins will keep flowing if the recent form continues.
The Grizzlies (14-11) enter this matchup winning five of their last six games, losing to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday in their most recent outing. They actually had a double-digit lead right before the half in that game but collapsed in the second half. The numbers in the five-game winning streak are extraordinary, with Memphis never trailing in any of those. Holding the lead for five straight games is an absolute miracle, and it's a testament to how good these roles players are around Ja Morant. The superstar point guard is dealing with a knee issue, and it's really encouraging to see these young guys play so well in his absence.
These teams played back on November 21, with Los Angeles prevailing, 121-118. That gives the Lakers seven wins in their last eight matchups with the Grizzlies, dating back to 2019.
Spurs Look To Bounce Back At Home
By Dan Bruno
The San Antonio Spurs play host to the Denver Nuggets at AT&T Center on Thursday evening.
This marks the second game of a five-game home stand for the Spurs (8-15), as they look to break a two-game slide and add to their, 4-7, home record. Dejounte Murray leads the Spurs, averaging 18.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Jakob Poeltl is averaging 12.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 blocks, while Derrick White is averaging 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.1 steals, per game. The Spurs are averaging 106.7 points per game, while shooting an average of 46.5 percent from the field. On the other end, they are giving up an average of 108.3 points per game and allowing opponents to shoot 45.8 percent from the field. Keldon Johnson (ankle) and Devin Vassell (thigh) are both listed as questionable for action.
Meanwhile this marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Nuggets (12-12), as they are coming off a hard-fought win in New Orleans on Wednesday evening. The contest got out to a high-scoring start, as the Nuggets led, 35-33, after one quarter. They rallied to a game-high 12-point lead in the second quarter and held on to a seven-point lead at halftime. They stayed strong and maintained a three-point edge heading into the final quarter, but after a back-and-forth quarter, the contest required overtime. However, the Nuggets took control in the extra period, outscoring the hosts by six, to close out the road win. Nikola Jokic led the way with 39 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and a steal, while Will Barton followed up with 20 points, three rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block, and Monte Morris chipped in 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals. The Nuggets will look to build off the win, as they face the six game of a seven-game road trip, with the hope of building on their, 5-8, road record.
This marks the second game of a five-game home stand for the Spurs (8-15), as they look to break a two-game slide and add to their, 4-7, home record. Dejounte Murray leads the Spurs, averaging 18.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Jakob Poeltl is averaging 12.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 blocks, while Derrick White is averaging 13.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.1 steals, per game. The Spurs are averaging 106.7 points per game, while shooting an average of 46.5 percent from the field. On the other end, they are giving up an average of 108.3 points per game and allowing opponents to shoot 45.8 percent from the field. Keldon Johnson (ankle) and Devin Vassell (thigh) are both listed as questionable for action.
Meanwhile this marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Nuggets (12-12), as they are coming off a hard-fought win in New Orleans on Wednesday evening. The contest got out to a high-scoring start, as the Nuggets led, 35-33, after one quarter. They rallied to a game-high 12-point lead in the second quarter and held on to a seven-point lead at halftime. They stayed strong and maintained a three-point edge heading into the final quarter, but after a back-and-forth quarter, the contest required overtime. However, the Nuggets took control in the extra period, outscoring the hosts by six, to close out the road win. Nikola Jokic led the way with 39 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and a steal, while Will Barton followed up with 20 points, three rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block, and Monte Morris chipped in 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals. The Nuggets will look to build off the win, as they face the six game of a seven-game road trip, with the hope of building on their, 5-8, road record.