December 10th NBA Game Previews

The Indiana Pacers will host the Dallas Mavericks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday evening.

The Pacers (11-16) are coming off a win over the Knicks on Wednesday. Three players topped 20 points for the Pacers, led by Chris Duarte, with 23 points, three rebounds, six assists and a steal, in 30 minutes of action. Myles Turner followed up with 22 points, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal, while Domantas Sabonis totaled 21 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and a block. The Pacers shot 53 percent from the field, including 10-of-27 from long range. Indiana has now won two games in a row.

The Mavericks (12-12) are coming off a strong win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday. They were led by Luka Doncic, tallying 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Kristaps Porzingis amassed 19 points and four rebounds. Reggie Bullock registered 15 points, two rebounds and four assists, while Jalen Brunson led the bench with 10 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

The Sacramento Kings take on the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on Friday night.

The Kings (11-14) have had more than their share of struggles this season, but they'll enter Friday's contest on an upswing in the form of four straight wins. Their most recent triumph unfolded Wednesday night, when the outlasted the Sacramento Kings by a 142-130 score. De'Aaron Fox led the Kings with 33 points, adding three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell each posted 18 points, with the former adding 11 assists. Terence Davis and Harrison Barnes generated matching 16-point, five-rebound, three-assist tallies.

The Kings will be without Richaun Holmes (eye) for Friday's game.

The Hornets (14-13) have hit the skids again during what has been an up-and-down season, with their latest struggles prompted by the absence of multiple players due to health and safety protocols. Charlotte's most recent stumble, its fifth loss in the last six games, came Wednesday night in a 110-106 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers. Gordon Hayward led the Hornets with 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting, five rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a block. Kelly Oubre followed up with 22 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Miles Bridges totaled 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.

The Hornets are projected to remain without LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Ish Smith, Mason Plumlee and Jalen McDaniels due to COVID-19 protocols.

Friday's game marks the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Kings own a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 140-110 win Nov. 5.

The Atlanta Hawks will host the Brooklyn Nets at StateFarm Arena on Friday night.

The Hawks (13-12) are coming off a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. Trae Young led the Hawks with 29 points, seven rebounds, 11 assists and two steals, in 36 minutes. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot followed up with 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting, while Danilo Gallinari added 20 points, five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block, off the bench. The Hawks shot 44 percent from the field and knocked down 25 three-pointers.

The Nets (17-7) didn’t have Kevin Durant due to rest Wednesday and it showed, as they suffered a surprising loss to the Houston Rockets. James Harden finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals, but he also committed eight turnovers. Patty Mills had 12 points, and those two were the only Brooklyn starters that scored in double digits. Cam Thomas had 18 points off the bench, while Paul Millsap contributed 10 points, six rebounds and three assists off the bench too. The Nets shot 39.3 percent from the field.

The New York Knicks take on the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Friday night.

The Knicks (12-13) check into Friday's contest in the midst of an extended stretch of sub-par play that erased what had been a strong start to the season. Most recently, New York has dropped four of the last five games, with a 122-102 loss to the Pacers its latest stumble. R.J. Barrett led the way with 19 points, complementing them with three assists and two rebounds. Julius Randle furnished 18 points, eight boards, two assists, two steals and one block. Alec Burks poured in 15 points, while Obi Toppin supplied 13 points.

The Knicks will list Nerlens Noel (back) as probable for Friday's game.

The Raptors (11-14) have hardly been the picture of consistency themselves, losing four of the last six games. Their most recent stumble came Wednesday night, when they dropped a narrow 110-109 decision to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Gary Trent led the Raptors with 24 points, supplementing them with four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Pascal Siakam generated a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double that included five assists. Fred VanVleet finished with 19 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and one steal. Scottie Barnes registered 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal. Chris Boucher posted 11 points and seven rebounds.

The Raptors will list Precious Achiuwa (shoulder) and Justin Champagnie (knee) as questionable for Friday's game, while Goran Dragic (personal), Khem Birch (knee) and OG Anunoby (hip) will remain out.

Friday's game marks the second of four meetings between the teams this season. The Raptors hold a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 113-104 win Nov. 1.

The New Orleans Pelicans play host to the Detroit Pistons at Smoothie King Center on Friday evening.

This marks the second game of a two-game home stand for the Pelicans (7-20), which began with a loss to the Nuggets on Wednesday. The Pelicans will be looking to bounce back and add to their, 3-9, home record in order to put an end to a two-game slide. Jonas Valanciunas continues his strong play, averaging 18.9 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. Brandon Ingram leads the team, averaging 22.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists, while Devonte' Graham and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are averaging 13.6 points each. The Pelicans are averaging just 103.7 points per game, which is fourth fewest in the league. On the other end, they are giving up an average of 110.4 points per game, while allowing opponents to shoot an average of 47.6 percent from the field, which is second highest in the league.

Meanwhile, the Pistons (4-20) have let things get out of hand, as their current losing streak has reached 10 games. They will look to get back on track and end the slide, but their, 2-10, road record indicates that they may have a tough time in New Orleans. Jerami Grant leads the team, averaging 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Cade Cunningham is averaging 15.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.3 steals, while Saddiq Bey is averaging 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game. The Pistons are averaging only 99.8 points per game, which is second fewest in the league, while they are shooting a league-worst average of 41.0 percent from the field.

The Houston Rockets play host to the Milwaukee Bucks at Toyota Center on Friday evening.

This marks the fourth and final game of a home stand for the Rockets (8-16), where they have gone, 3-0, so far, as part of their current seven-game win streak. They will look to keep rolling and add to their, 7-5, home record. Christian Wood leads the team, averaging 16.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. Eric Gordon has been playing well and is averaging 14.4 points on 48 percent shooting, including 44 percent from long range, while Jae'Sean Tate is averaging 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Jalen Green (hamstring), Danuel House (ankle) and Kevin Porter (thigh) are all expected to remain sidelined. The Rockets are averaging 105.5 points per game, while they are giving up an average of 111.5 points per game, which is fifth most in the league.

Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a four-game road trip for the Bucks (16-10), which began with a loss in Miami on Wednesday. They will be looking to bounce back from the loss and add to their, 7-6, road record. Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to lead the team, averaging 27.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. Jrue Holiday is averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.3 steals, while Khris Middleton is averaging 18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. The Bucks are averaging 110.3 points per game, while shooting an average of 45.1 percent from the field. On the defensive end, the are holding opponents to averages of 106.6 points on 43.3 percent shooting, which is third lowest in the league.

The Cleveland Cavaliers travel to Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on Friday.

The Cavaliers (14-12) looked to be in big trouble when they lost Collin Sexton (knee) for the season, but they've been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA since then. In fact, Cleveland comes into this matchup winning five of their last seven games, beating some of the best teams in the NBA. What's also fascinating is the fact that they've never traded off wins and losses in three consecutive games. That's the definition of a streaky team, and they'd need a win here to keep that going after beating the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday in their most recent outing. What's really changed this club is the development of Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. Those two have been playing at All-Star levels all season long, and it'll be fascinating to see how those two look with Sexton next season.

The Timberwolves (11-14) won seven of eight before a recent slide, entering this matchup losing four straight games. It's easy to see how they lost when looking at the competition, facing four teams that are all expected to finish Top-4 in their conference. That's a good indicator of where this club is at right now in general, beating up on the bad teams but struggling with the elite. That's actually an encouraging sign when looking at past years, though, because this Minnesota club looks like they could compete for a play-in spot. That's something this fanbase has been dying to see, and it's all possible because of youngsters like Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards.

These teams split their season series last year, with the home team winning both outings. That followed up a split in 2019, with the road team winning both of those.

The Oklahoma City Thunder play host to the Los Angeles Lakers at Paycom Center on Friday evening.

This marks the first game of a four-game home stand for the Thunder (8-16), as they will look to build on the momentum of two straight wins and add to their, 4-7, home record. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the team averaging 21.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.0 steals, in 35 minutes per game. Luguentz Dort is averaging 17.5 points and 4.0 rebounds, while Josh Giddey is averaging 10.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game. The Thunder are averaging a league-low 99.3 points on 41.2 percent shooting, and they are giving up an average of 108.0 points on 44.7 percent shooting. However, they do a good job on the glass, as they average 45.6 rebounds per game, which is ninth most in the league.

Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Lakers (13-13), as they are coming off a loss in Memphis on Friday. They got out to a good start in the contest with a, 29-25, lead after one quarter, but the hosts grabbed a six-point lead by halftime. The Lakers reclaimed the lead early in the third, but they fell apart in the second half and fell behind by a game-high 16-points with just under six minutes left. Anthony Davis was the high-point man for the Lakers, with 22 points, eight rebounds, a steal and a block. LeBron James logged a triple-double, with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals and two blocks, while Avery Bradley and Talen Horton-Tucker chipped in 10 points, each. The Lakers will look to bounce back from the loss and improve on their, 4-6, road record.

The Phoenix Suns play host to the Boston Celtics at Footprint Center on Friday.

The Celtics (13-13) have been playing much better recently but a back-to-back in Los Angeles put them right back to .500. If getting blown out by the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday wasn't painful enough, they took another loss against the Clippers on Wednesday. That's a tough two-game stretch for anyone, but it's really difficult when you're missing 25 points from Jaylen Brown. With that said, they did have 11 wins in their previous 17 games before that, and a return from Brown could get them right on track. What's also becoming clear is that this is no longer one of the elites in the Eastern Conference, and that surely has Boston fans disappointed.

The Suns (20-4) had their 18-game winning streak snapped earlier this week, but they bounced back by grabbing a win over the San Antonio Spurs in their most recent game on Monday. That means they have 19 wins in their last 20 games, earning them the best record in the NBA. Many people thought their Finals run last season was a fluke, but a run like that has quieted those skeptics. What makes the most recent run even more encouraging is the fact that they're doing it without Devin Booker. The sharpshooting wing is currently dealing with a hamstring issue, but there's no need to rush him back when Chris Paul has his soldiers playing like this.

These teams typically play two-game season series, with these teams splitting each of the last three years. The road team has prevailed in four of those six games.