Mavericks Take On Raptors On Saturday
The Toronto Raptors will host the Dallas Mavericks at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.
The Raptors (9-9) are coming off a 112-98 loss against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, and that loss means Toronto has now lost two games in a row. Gary Trent led the Raptors with 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting, three assists and three steals, in 31 minutes. O.G. Anunoby followed up with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Chris Boucher logged 12 points, 16 rebounds, a steal and a block. The Raptors shot 35.6 percent from the field, including 7-of-29 from deep. The Raptors have also gone 2-3 in their last five contests, but if they want a good chance to turn things around, that’ll come at home since they’ve gone 6-2 at Scotiabank Arena.
Several players have been listed as game-time calls for Saturday, with the list including Otto Porter (toe), Pascal Siakam (groin), Fred VanVleet (illness), Justin Champagnie (back), Scottie Barnes (knee) and Dalano Banton (ankle). Precious Achiuwa (ankle) is out.
The Mavericks (9-8) are coming off a 125-112 loss against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, and that means Dallas has now lost two games in a row and three of its last four. During that loss against the reigning Eastern Conference champions, Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 42 points, complementing them with nine assists and eight rebounds. Christian Wood generated a 26-point, 12-rebound double-double that included two assists. Spencer Dinwiddie supplied 15 points, four boards, four assists and one steal. Dorian Finney-Smith registered 10 points, three rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal. The Mavericks have gone 1-5 on the road as well.
Maxi Kleber (back) is a game-time call for Saturday’s contest.
The Raptors (9-9) are coming off a 112-98 loss against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, and that loss means Toronto has now lost two games in a row. Gary Trent led the Raptors with 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting, three assists and three steals, in 31 minutes. O.G. Anunoby followed up with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Chris Boucher logged 12 points, 16 rebounds, a steal and a block. The Raptors shot 35.6 percent from the field, including 7-of-29 from deep. The Raptors have also gone 2-3 in their last five contests, but if they want a good chance to turn things around, that’ll come at home since they’ve gone 6-2 at Scotiabank Arena.
Several players have been listed as game-time calls for Saturday, with the list including Otto Porter (toe), Pascal Siakam (groin), Fred VanVleet (illness), Justin Champagnie (back), Scottie Barnes (knee) and Dalano Banton (ankle). Precious Achiuwa (ankle) is out.
The Mavericks (9-8) are coming off a 125-112 loss against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, and that means Dallas has now lost two games in a row and three of its last four. During that loss against the reigning Eastern Conference champions, Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 42 points, complementing them with nine assists and eight rebounds. Christian Wood generated a 26-point, 12-rebound double-double that included two assists. Spencer Dinwiddie supplied 15 points, four boards, four assists and one steal. Dorian Finney-Smith registered 10 points, three rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal. The Mavericks have gone 1-5 on the road as well.
Maxi Kleber (back) is a game-time call for Saturday’s contest.
Thunder and Rockets Set for Conference Showdown
The Oklahoma City Thunder takes on the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Saturday night.
The Thunder (8-11) came into a Friday night date with the Chicago Bulls looking to snap a three-game losing streak, and they managed to do so with a hard-fought 123-119 overtime win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 30 points, adding eight rebounds, seven assists and one block. Darius Bazley furnished 17 points, three boards and two blocks. Aleksej Pokusevski delivered 15 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Luguentz Dort supplied 12 points, five rebounds and two steals. Josh Giddey generated a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double that included nine assist and one block. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl matched Giddey's scoring and also recorded three rebounds and two steals.
The Thunder will remain without Mike Muscala (finger) for Saturday's game.
The Rockets (4-14) also went into a Friday night home matchup against the Atlanta Hawks with back-to-back losses, but they were able to pull off a rousing 128-122 comeback victory. Jalen Green paced the Rockets with 30 points, complementing them with five rebounds and five assists. Kenyon Martin Jr. posted a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double that included two assists and one steal. Jabari Smith matched Martin's scoring and added nine boards, one assist, one steal and one block. Garrison Mathews finished with 20 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kevin Porter Jr. generated a 12-point, 10-assist double-double that included seven rebounds and one steal.
The Rockets will likely list Eric Gordon (groin) and Alperen Sengun (groin) as game-time decisions at best for Saturday's contest. Jae'Sean Tate (ankle) is expected to remain out.
Saturday's game marks the first of four meetings between the teams this season. The Rockets won the four-game 2021-22 season series from the Thunder by a 3-1 margin.
The Thunder (8-11) came into a Friday night date with the Chicago Bulls looking to snap a three-game losing streak, and they managed to do so with a hard-fought 123-119 overtime win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 30 points, adding eight rebounds, seven assists and one block. Darius Bazley furnished 17 points, three boards and two blocks. Aleksej Pokusevski delivered 15 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Luguentz Dort supplied 12 points, five rebounds and two steals. Josh Giddey generated a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double that included nine assist and one block. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl matched Giddey's scoring and also recorded three rebounds and two steals.
The Thunder will remain without Mike Muscala (finger) for Saturday's game.
The Rockets (4-14) also went into a Friday night home matchup against the Atlanta Hawks with back-to-back losses, but they were able to pull off a rousing 128-122 comeback victory. Jalen Green paced the Rockets with 30 points, complementing them with five rebounds and five assists. Kenyon Martin Jr. posted a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double that included two assists and one steal. Jabari Smith matched Martin's scoring and added nine boards, one assist, one steal and one block. Garrison Mathews finished with 20 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kevin Porter Jr. generated a 12-point, 10-assist double-double that included seven rebounds and one steal.
The Rockets will likely list Eric Gordon (groin) and Alperen Sengun (groin) as game-time decisions at best for Saturday's contest. Jae'Sean Tate (ankle) is expected to remain out.
Saturday's game marks the first of four meetings between the teams this season. The Rockets won the four-game 2021-22 season series from the Thunder by a 3-1 margin.
Spurs, Lakers Clash In Second Of Back-To-Back Meetings
By Dan Bruno
The San Antonio Spurs play host to the Los Angeles Lakers at AT&T Center on Saturday evening.
This marks the second of back-to-back meetings between the Spurs and Lakers in San Antonio, after the Lakers came out on top in their matchup on Friday night. The Lakers got out to a strong start in the game and led 33-21 after one quarter. They stayed in control through the second and added another six points to their advantage to make it an 18-point game by halftime. The Spurs turned it up a notch in the third and outscored the visitors 34-20 to cut it to a four-point game heading into final frame. The Lakers reclaimed dominance in the fourth and rallied to the finish to close out the road win, while this marks the seventh straight loss for the Spurs.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal, in 35 minutes. LeBron James followed up with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block, while Lonnie Walker added 18 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals. Meanwhile, Tre Jones led the Spurs with 19 points, two rebounds, five assists and two steals, in 33 minutes. Devin Vassell followed up with 18 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal, while Keldon Johnson added 15 points, nine rebounds and two assists.
Patrick Beverley (suspension) will remain sidelined for the Lakers, while Doug McDermott (ankle) and Josh Richardson (ankle) are listed as questionable for action for the Spurs.
This marks the second of back-to-back meetings between the Spurs and Lakers in San Antonio, after the Lakers came out on top in their matchup on Friday night. The Lakers got out to a strong start in the game and led 33-21 after one quarter. They stayed in control through the second and added another six points to their advantage to make it an 18-point game by halftime. The Spurs turned it up a notch in the third and outscored the visitors 34-20 to cut it to a four-point game heading into final frame. The Lakers reclaimed dominance in the fourth and rallied to the finish to close out the road win, while this marks the seventh straight loss for the Spurs.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal, in 35 minutes. LeBron James followed up with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block, while Lonnie Walker added 18 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals. Meanwhile, Tre Jones led the Spurs with 19 points, two rebounds, five assists and two steals, in 33 minutes. Devin Vassell followed up with 18 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal, while Keldon Johnson added 15 points, nine rebounds and two assists.
Patrick Beverley (suspension) will remain sidelined for the Lakers, while Doug McDermott (ankle) and Josh Richardson (ankle) are listed as questionable for action for the Spurs.
Suns Host Jazz on Saturday
The Phoenix Suns play host to the Utah Jazz at Footprint Center on Saturday.
The Jazz (12-9) had a tough task with a road game in Golden State on Friday, and they never really had a chance in that lopsided loss. The Warriors held the lead for all but one minute, giving the Jazz their sixth loss in their last eight games. Those are the struggles everyone expected to see at the beginning of the season, but a 10-3 start had everyone fooled. The direct correlation with the poor stretch was an injury to Mike Conley. The veteran is out for the next 2-3 weeks with an Achilles issue, and this club is really missing his veteran presence. There's still plenty of young talent on this roster, but leadership is lacking with Conley sitting on the bench.
The Suns (11-6) have one of the best home records in the NBA, posting a 9-1 record at Footprint Center this season. That's the 64-win team we saw last season, and it has the Suns battling for the top spot in the Western Conference, Many people thought this team would regress after a quick exit in last year's postseason, but that's obviously a fallacy created by the media. This is the same old Suns, and it's been impressive watching them dominate without Chris Paul. The Point God has been out for two weeks with a foot issue, but there's some thought he could return in the coming days. Cameron Payne has been phenomenal filling in for him, flirting with 20 points and 10 assists as the team's starting point guard.
These teams played one of the best games all season on November 28, with Utah prevailing, 134-133. With that said, the Suns won seven of their previous eight games in this series before that.
The Jazz (12-9) had a tough task with a road game in Golden State on Friday, and they never really had a chance in that lopsided loss. The Warriors held the lead for all but one minute, giving the Jazz their sixth loss in their last eight games. Those are the struggles everyone expected to see at the beginning of the season, but a 10-3 start had everyone fooled. The direct correlation with the poor stretch was an injury to Mike Conley. The veteran is out for the next 2-3 weeks with an Achilles issue, and this club is really missing his veteran presence. There's still plenty of young talent on this roster, but leadership is lacking with Conley sitting on the bench.
The Suns (11-6) have one of the best home records in the NBA, posting a 9-1 record at Footprint Center this season. That's the 64-win team we saw last season, and it has the Suns battling for the top spot in the Western Conference, Many people thought this team would regress after a quick exit in last year's postseason, but that's obviously a fallacy created by the media. This is the same old Suns, and it's been impressive watching them dominate without Chris Paul. The Point God has been out for two weeks with a foot issue, but there's some thought he could return in the coming days. Cameron Payne has been phenomenal filling in for him, flirting with 20 points and 10 assists as the team's starting point guard.
These teams played one of the best games all season on November 28, with Utah prevailing, 134-133. With that said, the Suns won seven of their previous eight games in this series before that.