November 12th NBA Game Previews

The Oklahoma City Thunder takes on the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.

The Thunder (4-6) have been unable to find any measure of consistency through their first 10 games, as their record illustrates. They're still looking for their first road win, although their most recent defeat came at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks by a narrow 121-119 margin on Sunday evening. Dennis Schroder led the Thunder with 25 points, supplementing them with six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander furnished 22 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals. Chris Paul registered 17 points, five boards, five assists and one steal. Gallinari and Nerlens Noel generated matching 14-point tallies, with Gallinari also pulling down seven boards and Noel dishing out six assists. Mike Muscala managed 12 points, three rebounds and three assists.

The Thunder will list Andre Roberson (knee) as out for Tuesday's game, while Steven Adams (knee) will carry a questionable tag.

The Pacers (6-4) come into Tuesday's contest as one of the hottest teams in the league, having notched all six of their wins in the last seven contests. Indiana's most recent success came at the expense of the Orlando Magic, which they toppled by a 109-102 score on Sunday evening. Domantas Sabonis led the way with a 21-point, 16-rebound double-double that also included seven assists, one steal and one block. Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. Warren generated matching 19-point tallies, with Brogdon also dishing out eight assists and pulling down six rebounds. Doug McDermott produced 18 points, six boards and one assist. T.J. McConnell supplied 12 points, eight assists, three rebounds and one block.

The Pacers will continue to be without Victor Oladipo (knee), Edmond Sumner (hand), Jeremy Lamb (ankle), Myles Turner (ankle) and Goga Bitadze (concussion) on Tuesday.

The two teams split the 2018-19 two-game series. Tuesday marks the first meeting of the season for Oklahoma City and Indiana.

The Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night.

The Cavaliers (4-5) arrive in Philadelphia with two straight victories, their first such streak of the season. Their most recent success came against the New York Knicks, which they dominated by a 108-87 margin on Sunday night. Collin Sexton led the way with 31 points, adding three assists, two rebounds and one steal. Kevin Love and Jordan Clarkson put up 17 points each, with Love also pulling down eight rebounds. Darius Garland supplied 12 points, six assists, three rebounds and one steal.

The Cavaliers project to be without Ante Zizic (foot), John Henson (hamstring) and Dylan Windler (lower leg) in Tuesday's game.

The 76ers (6-3) had gotten off to a perfect 6-0 start before hitting the skids for three games, but they snapped that unwanted streak with a 114-106 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday evening. Joel Embiid led the 76ers with 18 points, complementing them with nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Furkan Korkmaz followed with 17 points and supplemented them with three boards, one assist and one block. Al Horford provided 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and one steal. Tobias Harris delivered 14 points, seven boards, five assists, two blocks and one steal. Trey Burke tallied 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Josh Richardson registered 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists and one steal.

The 76ers are scheduled to be without Horford (rest) for Tuesday's game. Meanwhile, Ben Simmons (shoulder) has been upgraded to questionable, while Shake Milton (knee) is doubtful.

The 76ers won the three-game 2018-19 season series between the teams by a 2-1 margin. Tuesday's game marks the first of four meetings for Cleveland and Philadelphia this season.

The Miami Heat play host to the Detroit Pistons at American Airlines Arena on Tuesday evening.

This marks the first game back home after a three-game road trip for the Heat (6-3), where they went 1-2, with a win in Phoenix and losses in Denver and L.A. (Lakers). The Heat will be looking to stay undefeated at home, where they are 3-0, so far. Jimmy Butler leads the Heat with 19.3 points, 5.5 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Bam Adebayo is averaging 12.8 points, a team-high 9.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Goran Dragic is averaging 16.6 points on 47.5 percent shooting, including 45.3 percent from long range. The Heat are shooting 37.8 percent from long range, which is fifth best in the league. They are earning 27.7 free-throw attempts per game, which is third most in the league.

Meanwhile, this marks the second night of a back-to-back for the Pistons (4-7), who have dropped two in a row. This marks the first game of a three-game road trip for the Pistons, who are 1-4 on the road this season. Blake Griffin made his first appearance of the regular season in the Pistons' last contest and finished with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting, seven rebounds and six assists, in 24 minutes of action. It will be a great boost for the Pistons to have Griffin back in the lineup, as they have been dealing with multiple injuries through the early season. Andre Drummond is averaging team-highs with 21.2 points, 18.0 rebounds 2.1 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. Luke Kennard has had a great start to the season and is averaging 18.0 points 4.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. The Pistons are shooting a league-best 39.6 percent from long range.

The Chicago Bulls play host to the New York Knicks at United Center on Tuesday evening.

The Bulls (3-7) have dropped three of their last four games, including two at home and are 1-3 at home this season. Zach LaVine leads the team with 19.5 points per game but has been quiet in his last two outings. He is shooting 42.6 percent from the field, including 36 percent from long range. Lauri Markkanen has not topped 20 points in a game since an impressive 35-point performance in the first game of the season but is averaging 14.2 points per game, which is second most on the Bulls. Wendell Carter Jr. is averaging 12.8 points and team-highs with 9.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. The Bulls are averaging 9.6 steals per game, which is fourth best in the league. They are averaging 105.4 points per game, which is sixth lowest in the league.

Meanwhile, the Knicks (2-8) are 1-5 on the road as they dropped their first five road games before coming up with a win in Dallas in their most recent road contest The Knicks are the second lowest scoring team in the league, as they average 99.2 points per game. They are shooting a league-low 41.7 percent from the field but are shooting a solid 35.9 percent from long range. Marcus Morris leads the Knicks in scoring with 18.1 points per game, while R.J. Barrett is averaging 15.5 points per game. Julius Randle is averaging 15.5 points and a team-high 10 rebounds per game. Kevin Knox III has shot well to start the season, shooting 43.9 percent on 4.1 three-point attempts per game. He is averaging 10.3 points and 3.4 rebounds, in 23 minutes per game.

The Denver Nuggets play host to the Atlanta Hawks at Pepsi Center on Tuesday evening.

The Nuggets (7-2) have won four in a row. They are 3-1 at home this season and have won two in a row at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets are averaging 103.3 points per game, which is fourth lowest in the league, but are holding their opponents to an average of 110.3 points per game, which is also fourth lowest in the league. Jamal Murray is leading the team in scoring, with 18.8 points per game. Nikola Jokic is averaging 16.7 points and team-highs with 9.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Will Barton is averaging 14.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals, in 32 minutes per game. Michael Porter Jr. has played the last five games for Denver and is averaging 5.8 points on 58 percent shooting, and 2.6 rebounds, in 9.6 minutes per game.

Meanwhile, the Hawks (3-6) have dropped three in a row and are coming off a loss in Portland in their most recent contest. This marks the second game of a five-game road trip for the Hawks, who are 1-2 on the road. Trae Young leads the Hawks with team-highs of 26.2 points, 8.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Jabari Parker is averaging 17.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game and will continue to see an increased role with John Collins (suspended) out of the lineup. No other Hawks player is averaging double digits in scoring. The Hawks are averaging 104.4 points per game, which is fifth lowest in the league. They are shooting 29 percent from long range, which is second worst in the league.

The Los Angeles Lakers travel to Arizona to play the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Tuesday.

The Lakers (7-2) had a ton of expectations coming into the season and they've lived up to most of them thus far. While they did lose to the Toronto Raptors in their most recent game on Sunday, that marked their first loss since the opener. What's made this team so scary is their defense, with the Lakers owning the best defensive efficiency rating in the NBA. That's truly amazing with how bad this team has been on that end of the floor over recent years and the altering of the roster is surely the reason why. It's easy to point to Anthony Davis and say that's the reason but the additions of Avery Bradley, Danny Green and Dwight Howard shouldn't be overshadowed either. That doesn't even include LeBron James, who's playing with serious effort on that end of the floor while also leading the NBA in assists.

The Suns (6-3) might be the biggest surprise in the NBA and some believe that they should be 8-1. The reason for that is because two of their losses were one-point defeats at the hands of the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz. Those are two of the best teams in the Western Conference and narrow losses to teams like that further proves how much this team has grown. Much like the Lakers, it's all about the revamped roster. With Ricky Rubio handling the ball, Aron Baynes holding down the paint and Kelly Oubre playing with vigor, this team has a whole new identity. That doesn't even include Devin Booker, who's easily the best player on this team. That core doesn't even consider their top-pick from last season, with DeAndre Ayton still serving his 25-game suspension. Look our for this team when he returns next month if they can all gel once he returns.

Los Angeles won the four-game season series, 3-1, over Phoenix last year and has won seven of their last nine games over them in total.

The Brooklyn Nets travel to Salt Lake City to play the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Tuesday.

The Nets (4-5) just suffered their first non-competitive loss of the season on Sunday, taking a 138-112 beatdown at the hands of the Phoenix Suns. Those 138 points allowed are downright embarrassing and it exemplifies the major issue with this team. Brooklyn currently sits 29th in points allowed and that's not good enough for a team who was expected to see some major growth this season. The good news is that Kyrie Irving has taken this team on his shoulders and playing some of the best basketball of his career. That's evident when you see that he's averaging 30 points and 7.2 assists per game. If they can get that Irving to show up when Kevin Durant returns next season, this will surely be one of the scariest clubs in the NBA.

The Jazz (7-3) have traditionally been one of the best home teams in the NBA over the last three decades and this season is no different. In fact, Utah is currently 5-0 at Vivint Smart Home Arena and there's a good chance they'll maintain one of the best home marks in the NBA throughout the year with the roster they've put together. Bojan Bogdanovic has been the most valuable addition thus far, adding a much-needed shooting presence to this team. He actually hit a game-winner on Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks and it's scary to think this elite defense is adding offensive pieces. That doesn't even consider Mike Conley, who's struggled in his first three weeks with the Jazz. If they can get him playing up to his capabilities, this will be arguably the best team in the Western Conference.

Utah swept their two-game series over Brooklyn last season, winning each game by 16 points or more. That gives the Jazz eight wins over their last 10 meetings with the Nets.

The Sacramento Kings play host to the Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center on Tuesday.

The Trail Blazers (4-6) got a much-needed win in their last game, as that snapped an ugly four-game losing streak. This team hasn't had many four-game losing streaks in the Damian Lillard era and it was way too close to becoming five. In fact. Portland had to defeat the Atlanta Hawks in overtime in their most recent outing on Sunday. The composure from Portland in that OT was impressive though, outscoring Atlanta 19-8. That's the sort of runs that this team has been waiting for all season long and one has to wonder if this is the same club that attained the three-seed in the west the last two seasons. Lillard is definitely doing all he can, leading this club with 33 points and 6.8 assists per game. C.J. McCollum and Hassan Whiteside are also performing well but they simply need more from their role players if they are to get out of this slump.

The Kings (3-6) got off to a nightmare start when they lost their first five games but three wins over their last four is hopefully a sign of things to come. The thing that makes this early-season start really disturbing is the fact that this club appeared to be on the uptick last season. They improved their win total by over 10 games between 2018 and 2019 but the regression this season is obviously a distressing sign. Growing pains like that are commonplace with a young team and one has to wonder how much Luke Walton has to do with this poor start. The injury to Marvin Bagley III certainly doesn't help either, as it's too early to judge where this young and volatile team is headed.

Portland won the first meeting between these teams, 122-112, on October 25. That marked the Trail Blazers sixth win in their last seven meetings with the Kings.