December 14th NBA Game Previews

The San Antonio Spurs take on the Phoenix Suns at Arena Ciudad de Mexico on Saturday afternoon.

The Spurs (9-15) check into Saturday's game in the midst of one of their better stretches of a rough season, as they've prevailed in three of their past five games. However, their most recent time on the floor was a loss, as they dropped a 117-109 decision to the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime on Thursday night. DeMar DeRozan paced the Spurs with 21 points, complementing them with four rebounds, four assists and two steals. LaMarcus Aldridge managed an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included three assists and one block. Derrick White registered 17 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Patty Mills and Lonnie Walker generated matching 10-point tallies off the bench.

The Spurs will come into Saturday's game with a clean bill of health.

The Suns (11-13) have been a bit more successful than usual of late, as they'll come into Saturday's Mexico City showdown with a 3-3 mark over their last six games. However, Phoenix's most recent contest resulted in one of those losses, as they dropped a 115-108 decision to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. Frank Kaminsky paced the Suns with 24 points, adding five rebounds, three assists and one steal. Ricky Rubio provided 22 points, eight assists, one rebound and one steal. Devin Booker generated a 15-point, 10-assist double-double that also included five rebounds. Kelly Oubre, Jr. managed 14 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks and one steal, while Aron Baynes and Cameron Johnson posted 12 and 11 points, respectively, while pulling down five rebounds apiece.

The Suns will list Booker (forearm) as questionable for Saturday's game. Johnson (hip), Dario Saric (back) and Baynes (calf) will carry probable designations.

Saturday's game marks the first of three games between the teams this season. The Spurs won the four-game 2018-19 season series by a 3-1 margin.

The Brooklyn Nets take on the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night.

The Nets (13-11) continue their mostly solid play despite some key backcourt injuries, and they'll check into Saturday's game with four victories in their last six contests overall. One of those two losses came their last time on the court, however, as Brooklyn dropped a 113-108 decision to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. Spencer Dinwiddie led the way with 24 points, complementing them with six assists, five rebounds and one steal. Jarrett Allen generated a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included two assists and one block. Theo Pinson totaled 12 points, while Garrett Temple poured in 11 points.

The Nets will be without Kyrie Irving (shoulder), Caris LeVert (thumb), Nicholas Claxton (hamstring) and Wilson Chandler (suspension) on Saturday.

The Raptors (16-8) have enjoyed a strong start to their title-defense season overall, but they'll come into Saturday's contest in one of their poorer stretches of the season. Toronto has dropped four of its last five games, with its most recent stumble coming against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. Pascal Siakam led the way for the Raptors with 24 points, adding four rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal. Norman Powell tallied 22 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal. OG Anunoby provided 13 points, seven boards, two blocks and one steal. Terence Davis led the bench with 10 points.

The Raptors will list Fred VanVleet (knee) as doubtful for Saturday's game, while Stanley Johnson (groin) is likely to carry the same designation. Matt Thomas (finger) will remain out.

Friday's game marks the first of four meetings between the teams this season. The Raptors won the four-game 2018-19 season series by a 3-1 margin.

The Los Angeles Clippers take on the Chicago Bulls at United Center on Saturday night.

The Clippers (20-7) continue to roll along, as they'll enter Saturday's game with four straight wins, and six of their last seven overall. Their most recent success came at the expense of the Minnesota Timberwolves, which they outlasted by a 124-117 score Friday night. Paul George led the way with 46 points, adding seven assists, five rebounds and two steals. Kawhi Leonard followed with 42 points, supplementing them with 11 rebounds and two assists Montrezl Harrell was the only other double-digit scorer, posting 18 points and adding four rebounds off the bench.

The Clippers are likely to be without Patrick Beverley (concussion), Lou Williams (calf), Landry Shamet (ankle) and JaMychal Green (back) for Saturday's game after all missed Friday's contest.

The Bulls (9-18) have had a much rougher go of it than their opponent this season, and they'll enter Saturday's contest having dropped four of their last five games. Chicago's most recent stumble came versus the Charlotte Hornets, which toppled them by an 83-73 score Friday night. Zach LaVine and Ryan Arcidiacono led the way with matching 12-point tallies, with LaVine adding eight rebounds. Lauri Markkanen and Thaddeus Young followed with 10 points apiece while pulling down four and five rebounds, respectively. Wendell Carter, Jr. mustered just six points but also hauled in 11 rebounds.

The Bulls will likely list Chandler Hutchison (shoulder) as questionable at best for Saturday's game, while Otto Porter, Jr. (foot) and Cristiano Felicio (wrist) will remain out.

Friday's game marks the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The Clippers swept the two-game 2018-19 season series from the Bulls.

The Memphis Grizzlies play host to the Washington Wizards at FedEx Forum on Saturday evening.

This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Grizzlies (8-17), as they are coming off a tough home loss against the Bucks on Friday night. Despite a monstrous 43 points from Jaren Jackson Jr., the Grizzlies fell short in their 11th home loss of the season. They are 3-11 at home, while this marks their second game of a three-game home stand. The Grizzlies are averaging 26.3 assists per game, which is fifth most in the league. They are averaging 109.0 points per game but are giving up an average of 116.0 points against. Ja Morant (back) leads the team in scoring and assists per game but did not play on Friday and remains questionable for action on Saturday. Jaren Jackson Jr. is averaging 17 points and five rebounds per game, while Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, the Wizards (7-16) this marks the second game of a three-game road trip, which began with a loss in Charlotte on Tuesday. The Wizards have dropped three in a row and eight of their last 10 games. They have dropped their last four road games and are 3-10 on the road. Bradley Beal has had some huge games despite the Wizards' struggles and is averaging team highs with 27.4 points and 7.0 assists per game. Davis Bertans has stepped up lately, averaging 19.0 points, while shooting 48.5 percent from long range over the last 10 games. The Wizards are without Thomas Bryant (foot), which has resulted in more minutes for Bertans and Moritz Wagner, who is averaging 10.5 points and 7.1 rebounds over his last eight games. Rui Hachimura is averaging 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds over his last 10 games.

The Dallas Mavericks play host to the Miami Heat at American Airlines Center on Saturday.

The Heat (18-7) suffered a rare loss in their most recent game, albeit coming at the hands of a dominant Los Angeles Lakers squad. That's a team that not many clubs have beaten this year and it's more indicative of how good the Heat have been with that fixture coming down to the final shot. Prior to that, Miami won six of their previous seven games, battling for a Top-4 seed in the Eastern Conference. The thing that makes this club scary is their depth. While many NBA people know about Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, players like Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro, Goran Dragic and Duncan Robinson have been huge surprises for this team this season. As long as this team can stay healthy, they're likely looking at homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs and are definitely a candidate to land an All-Star at the trade deadline with all of these pieces.

The Mavericks (17-7) were expected to be one of the most improved teams in the league this season with Kristaps Porzingis returning from his knee injury but no one could have anticipated them being this good. What makes that even more strange is the fact that Porzingis has struggled at times this season. It's all about Luka Doncic and it's truly horrifying for the rest of the league to see this kid playing the way he is. We're talking about a 20-year-old who's averaging 30.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game. That would be impressive in a rec league or in China but for a 20-year-old to do that in the NBA is truly remarkable. That's why this club is in prime position for a playoff berth and in even better shape for a bright future. The future is now though, with Dallas entering this matchup winning 11 of their last 13 games.

Miami has swept each of the last two season series over Dallas, winning 14 of their last 16 games over them in total.

The Milwaukee Bucks play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Fiserv Forum on Saturday evening.

This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Bucks (23-3), as they are coming off an impressive, comeback win in Memphis on Friday, where they trailed by five to start the fourth but rallied back for their 17th consecutive win. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way with 37 points and 11 rebounds in the win, while Khris Middleton followed up with 26 points. Eric Bledsoe (leg) left the game after 16 minutes of action and remains questionable for action on Saturday. The Bucks are the highest-scoring team in the league, as they average 120.9 points per game. They are shooting 48.5 percent from the field, which is second best in the league. This marks the first game of a three-game home stand for the Bucks, who have won nine in a row at home and are 12-1 at home.

Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a three-game road trip for the Cavaliers (6-19), which they kicked off with an impressive win In San Antonio on Thursday. Kevin Love led the way with 30 points and 17 rebounds, while Collin Sexton added 28 points and Jordan Clarkson added 25 points, in the win. The Cavs are 3-9 on the road this season. They have dropped eight of their last 10 games and sit second last in the East. Collin Sexton leads the Cavs with 17.8 points per game. Kevin Love is averaging 16.4 points and a team-high 10.8 rebounds, while Jordan Clarkson is averaging 14.3 points, in 23 minutes per game. The Cavs are averaging 20.7 assists per game, which is third fewest in the league, while Darius Garland leads the team with 2.8 assists per game. They are averaging a league-low 3.2 blocks per game.

The Denver Nuggets play host to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Pepsi Center on Saturday.

The Thunder (11-13) come into this matchup winning five of their last seven games, getting them one game below .500. They actually had a chance to reach that .500 threshold in their last game but took a one-point defeat at the hands of the Sacramento Kings. That shows just how much better this team is performing right now and it's about time with the talent that this roster possesses. The thing that the hot streak definitely has done is slow down the trade discussions. Everyone seemingly believes that veterans like Danilo Gallinari, Chris Paul and Steven Adams won't hang around but they're proving that this core can get it done. That pairs beautifully with a young stud like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who's leading the team in almost every usage statistic. Dennis Schroder has developed into a nice spark off the bench too and they're actually one acquisition away from being one of the most dangerous teams in the west, if they choose to go that route instead.

The Nuggets (15-8) come into this matchup losing five of their last seven games which is easily their worst stretch of the season. In fact, they were 13-3 before that poor run, losing many of those games on the road. What's even more concerning about that is the fact that each of their last four wins has come against teams below .500 while almost all of the losses have come against teams above that threshold. That says a lot about where this team is at, as they can dominate any bad team but struggle with the good ones. That has to make fans worried about the playoffs but it's hard to argue that this isn't one of the most dangerous regular season teams in the NBA.

Denver has won eight of its last nine games over Oklahoma City. Prior to that, the Thunder won 13 of their previous 15 games over the Nuggets.

The Detroit Pistons travel to Texas to face the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Saturday.

The Pistons (10-15) have playoff aspirations this season but it's been pretty much the same results as past years. This is a club who's been hovering below .500 for seemingly a decade now and it's a wonder why they're this poor with one of the best frontcourts in the NBA. Andre Drummond has developed into one of the best centers in the league while Blake Griffin is a perennial All-Star in his own right. With that said, Griffin has been slightly disappointing this season and this club won't vie for a playoff berth until he starts playing better. What makes that even more imperative is the fact that he leads the team with a usage rate north of 30 percent, playing the de facto point guard in the absence of Reggie Jackson. Many people didn't think Jackson's absence was a big deal but that's certainly not the case when looking at the roster.

The Rockets (17-8) come into this matchup winning six of their last eight games and it's amazing just how good this offense is right now. That was on full display Friday night, shooting over 50 percent from three-point range in a victory against the Orlando Magic, James Harden had another 54 points in that game on 19-of-31 from the field, tying a career-high with 10 three-pointers. That now gives him 109 total points over the last two games on 39-of-64 from the field. That's efficiency at its finest and it's scary to think how good he could be if he keeps up this sort of shooting. One thing to consider here is the fact that Russell Westbrook will sit this game out for rest, only adding more to Harden's plate.

These teams have actually split each of the last three season series against one another, with the home team prevailing in the last four meetings.