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NHL notebook: Bruins activate G Gustavsson
By The Sports Xchange

Boston Bruins goaltender Jonas Gustavsson was activated off injured reserve on Thursday after being cleared from a recent heart incident.
Gustavsson experienced an elevated heart rate during a game against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 26 and transported to a hospital. Tests performed were negative.
The level of concern was high as Gustavsson has previously been diagnosed with a heart condition. He has undergone three minor procedures with the most recent one occurring in 2011.
In a corresponding move, the Bruins assigned goaltender Malcolm Subban to Providence of the American Hockey League.

--The Los Angeles Kings activated forward Kyle Clifford from injured reserve before their game against the Anaheim Ducks.
The 6-foot-2, 206-pound Clifford missed 24 games after suffering an upper-body injury in early December.
In 26 games earlier this season for the Kings, Clifford had three assists and 28 penalty minutes.

--The New Jersey Devils activated defenseman John Moore off injured reserve, the team announced.
Moore was sidelined with a lower-body injury.
He returned to practice on Wednesday. Moore has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 43 games.

--Winnipeg Jets forward Alexander Burmistrov was fined $2,000 by the NHL for embellishment.
According to NHL Rule 64, a warning and then fines are assessed to players and teams that repeatedly dive and embellish in an attempt to draw penalties.
Burmistrov was cited for the second time this season on Jan. 26 after he drew a tripping penalty on Coyotes defenseman Michael Stone at 7:45 of the third period.

--The Washington Capitals recalled defenseman Aaron Ness from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, the team announced.
Ness, 25, has two assists in eight games with the Capitals this season. He signed with the team as a free agent last summer.

--The Detroit Red Wings recalled defenseman Jakub Kindl from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League.
Kindl played in 23 games for the Red Wings earlier this season and had five points (two goals, three assists).

Preview: Penguins (25-17) at Lightning (28-18)

Date: February 05, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Sidney Crosby's resurgence and a four-game winning streak have the Pittsburgh Penguins back in the playoff mix, though the assignments are about to become considerably tougher.

Minus Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins embark on a tough two-game trip beginning with Friday night's showdown with a Tampa Bay Lightning team that's yet to lose at home in the new year.

Pittsburgh's highly skilled offense has come alive with 17 goals during the club's longest unbeaten stretch since a six-game run Oct. 24-Nov. 6. Crosby's return to dominance has ignited the surge, though Malkin - the Penguins' leader in goals (23) and points (49) - has played a key role by recording a hat trick against Vancouver on Jan. 23 and contributing two assists in a 6-5 win over Ottawa in Tuesday's return from the All-Star break.

Malkin won't be available for this game or Saturday's matchup at Atlantic Division-leading Florida, however, with the All-Star center missing the trip to rest a lower-body injury.

"He's going to rehab it over the weekend. We're going to evaluate him when we get back and go from there," coach Mike Sullivan told the Penguins' official website.

Malkin's absence further reduces the options at an already thin center position. Nick Bonino hasn't played since Jan. 12 due to a hand injury and Eric Fehr will miss approximately a month with a lower-body injury sustained Tuesday.

With Malkin out, Pittsburgh (25-17-7) will rely even more heavily on its top line of Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist as it attempts to halt a three-game road skid that includes a 5-4 overtime defeat to Tampa Bay on Jan. 15. Hornqvist had a goal and two assists in that game while Kunitz did the same against Ottawa after missing the previous two with a lower-body injury.

Crosby was the biggest difference-maker Tuesday, however, scoring three straight goals to rally the Penguins from a 4-3 deficit and record his first natural hat trick since December 2010. The two-time Hart Trophy winner has eight goals and six assists over an eight-game point streak and a league-high 14 goals since Dec. 26.

'I think he's doing the same things; he's going to the right areas and the puck is going in,' Kunitz said. 'The confidence thing obviously for everybody on the ice when he gets going, gets everybody going.'

Tampa Bay (28-18-14) can counter Pittsburgh's high-powered attack with a defense that's yielded 20 goals over a 9-1-0 stretch and 13 over seven consecutive wins at Amalie Arena. Ben Bishop has allowed three in his last three home outings after a 24-save effort in Wednesday's 3-1 win over Detroit, which moved the second-place Lightning two points ahead of the Red Wings in the Atlantic.

"This was a big game, one of the bigger ones of the year, if not the biggest," said Bishop, 5-1-0 with a 1.59 goals-against average over his last six starts. "We're going to enjoy this for a couple of seconds and get ready for Friday."

Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist to continue his offensive surge. The 22-year-old Russian has matched Crosby with 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists) in 24 games since Dec. 5.

The Lightning went 2 for 3 on the power play and are 5 of 18 over the last four games after a 2-of-21 showing through the previous eight.

Pittsburgh is 6 of 16 during the win streak and has converted 27.1 percent of its chances since Sullivan replaced Mike Johnston as coach Dec. 12. Tampa Bay has killed 20 of 21 short-handed situations over its past six, however.

Preview: Hurricanes (23-21) at Jets (22-25)

Date: February 05, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

The Carolina Hurricanes' three-game Canadian trip got off to an inauspicious start, but a visit to Winnipeg could help them get back in the win column and revive an inconsistent offense.

Before playing their first road game in nearly three weeks, the Jets look to avoid their worst record on a homestand of at least six games Friday night against the Hurricanes.

After surging into the All-Star break riding a 7-2-1 stretch to pull within a point of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot, Carolina returned to action Wednesday with a 4-1 loss to Calgary. The Hurricanes (23-21-8) allowed the Flames to go 2 for 4 with the man advantage after killing 23 of 24 penalties in their previous nine games.

'We're not going to make any excuses,' captain Eric Staal said. 'We came here a couple of days early to make sure we were ready to go, but obviously we didn't have the game we wanted and we have to be better next game - everybody.'

Improving their play in Winnipeg shouldn't be a problem as visitors have regularly bested the Jets (22-25-3).

Winnipeg is 1-4-0 on this homestand, which began Jan. 18, and the franchise has never finished one of this length with fewer than two victories. The 2013-14 Jets and 2006-07 Atlanta Thrashers hold the franchise's worst record for a homestand this long at 2-3-1.

The Jets, 2-6-0 at home in 2016 after previously going 11-5-1, squandered a number of quality scoring opportunities in a 5-3 loss to Dallas on Tuesday in their only game since the break.

"We're getting scoring chances, it would be one thing if we're not getting shots or not doing anything out there," center Bryan Little said. "We're right in it. We hit two or three crossbars and four breakaways, it's just a matter of bearing down and putting the puck in the net."

The Jets also have to do a better job at keeping their opponents' shots out of the net, as their 3.11 goals-against average in nine games since Jan. 10 is one of the worst marks in the league. Rookie Connor Hellebuyck has started 11 consecutive games for Winnipeg, which has allowed opponents to go 4 for 16 on the power play during the homestand and is among the league's worst on the penalty kill (77.2 percent).

Facing a team having problems defensively will be welcomed by the Hurricanes, who lost 3-1 in both meetings with the Jets last season but haven't faced them this season.

Carolina's offense has been hit-or-miss in the last six games, scoring five goals apiece in two home wins but totaling three in the other four.

Jeff Skinner has notched one of his team-leading 18 goals in the last seven games and Justin Faulk has been stuck on 14 since Dec. 27, as his goalless stretch has now reached 16 contests.

Little is also in the midst of a slump, tallying one goal in the last 15 games and no points in five straight.

"I've been through it before. I'm a little better handling it now than I was when I was younger," he said. "It doesn't make it easier. It's still frustrating. You want to help your team and you want to score goals and contribute. I definitely have a more positive mind-set when I was younger, though."

Dustin Byfuglien, tied with Little for the team lead with 15 goals, has helped pick up the slack with four goals in the last three games.

Preview: Blue Jackets (20-28) at Flames (22-24)

Date: February 05, 2016 9:00 PM EDT

While one win doesn't necessarily signal the start of a turnaround, the Calgary Flames are desperate for positives right now.

Playing without another key defenseman certainly wouldn't qualify.

Calgary tries to put together consecutive victories for the first time in over a month Friday night when it hosts the league-worst Columbus Blue Jackets.

One the same day they learned they could be without defenseman Dennis Wideman for the next 20 games due to a league suspension, the Flames (22-24-3) ended a three-game skid Wednesday with a 4-1 win over Carolina. Sean Monahan had his first career four-point performance on a goal and three assists, and Mark Giordano and Johnny Gaudreau scored 38 seconds apart in the second period.

'It can get frustrating when you're getting chances and they're not going in,' said Monahan, who had three points in his previous 14 games. 'But I try to focus on the little things and when I'm playing my best, I'm winning faceoffs, playing well in my own zone and that's when you generate the most offense.'

Gaudreau finished with a goal and an assist, extending his home point streak to five games. He's tallied 18 of his 21 goals and 36 of his team-leading 49 points at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Calgary won for only the third time in 10 games (3-6-1) and improved to 3-5-0 in its last eight at home since a franchise-record 11-game win streak there.

'After that tough road trip we had where we don't succeed and produce like we want to,' Monahan said, 'you get that (All-Star) break and you refresh your mind and you refresh your legs and you just put it behind you and get going again.'

Already without Wideman, the Flames now face the potential absence of defenseman TJ Brodie, who left early in the second period Wednesday after taking a slap shot off his knee. Brodie, who averages a team-high 25:08 of ice time and ranks fifth with 25 points, didn't practice Thursday.

"It would be a real challenge for us," center Matt Stajan told the team's official website. "No one is going to replace TJ Brodie. We'd have guys that would have to step up and guys are up for the challenge. It would be as a team."

The Flames have already seen the negative effect Brodie's absence can have. They went 2-7-0 without him in the first nine games of the season while he was sidelined with a broken right hand.

If Brodie is unable to play, Jakub Nakladal would likely make his NHL debut.

Columbus (20-28-5) rallied for a 2-1 shootout victory at Vancouver on Thursday for its third win in four games. Alexander Wennberg scored the lone goal in the tiebreaker to make a winner out of Joonas Korpisalo, who was outstanding with 37 saves.

It was a bounce-back performance after the Blue Jackets returned from the All-Star break and allowed four second-period goals in a 5-1 loss at Edmonton on Tuesday.

That was the only game in his last seven starts that Korpisalo surrendered more than two goals. The rookie is 5-1-1 with a 1.95 goals-against average during that span.

'He's unflappable as far as his mental toughness,' coach John Tortorella said. 'Just a great experience for him as far as what he is doing for the club and for him as far as his confidence.'

If Korpisalo rests, Anton Forsberg would make his first appearance since a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Jan. 12.

Calgary ended a three-game series losing streak with a 4-2 victory at Columbus on Jan. 21 behind a pair of goals from Sam Bennett. The Flames are 0-1-4 in their last five home games against the Jackets.

Preview: Coyotes (24-21) at Ducks (24-18)

Date: February 05, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

Any unruliness in the Pacific Division has been tamed and order is being restored as the season wears on, much of it having to do with Arizona cooling off and Anaheim heating up.

For the Ducks, that's probably an understatement having won a season-best five straight heading into Friday night's contest with the visiting Coyotes.

Anaheim (24-18-7) won once in its first 10 games but hasn't lost consecutive games since just before the Christmas break, going 12-3-1 since with 2.81 goals per game. In Thursday's 4-2 win over division-leading Los Angeles, the Ducks jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the second period with one old name and two new highlighting the action.

Ryan Getzlaf finished with a goal and an assist, giving the long-time Anaheim center 11 points in his last 10 games and tying him with Corey Perry for the team points lead with 34. It was Getzlaf's first even-strength goal since a 4-1 win in Carolina on Nov. 16.

"In the history of this team, if he's playing the way he can, like he was tonight, then usually the rest of the team follows suit," coach Bruce Boudreau said.

David Perron had a goal and two assists in his sixth game with the club, and there's been no adjustment period with the forward notching three goals and five assists in that time. Perron had been limited to 16 points in 43 games with Pittsburgh prior to his Jan. 16 trade.

And then there's Ryan Garbutt, who scored for a second straight game and has three points in four contests since his trade from Chicago on Jan. 21. The forward was traded from one team's hot streak to another, amounting to him being a part of 16 straight wins, though that's just the second-longest active streak behind Aaron Ekblad's 17-gamer for Florida.

The Ducks may be chasing their first six-game winning streak since last January, but the season series held true to the storyline of the first few months. All three games were played before Anaheim got it together, resulting in three wins for the Coyotes after the Ducks had gone 8-0-2 over the previous two seasons. Arizona's Anthony Duclair has scored five goals in the season series, including a hat trick in a 4-0 win in Anaheim on Oct. 14.

That's a level of scoring Arizona (24-21-6) hasn't seen much of lately, though Thursday's 5-4 home overtime loss to Chicago was a step in the right offensive direction. Even so, the Coyotes have been limited to 16 goals over a 2-5-2 span that's seen them fall from second in the division to fourth, now a point behind the Ducks with Vancouver just two back.

Jordan Martinook score for a second straight game and added an assist on Shane Doan's game-tying goal in the third period, but Arizona was unable to hold either of its leads.

"We were able to battle back and tie it in the third period, but I want that extra point," Doan said.

The Coyotes had Louis Domingue in goal against the Blackhawks, so Anders Lindback could face Anaheim. Lindback has only made three starts and two relief efforts since allowing nine goals in two games in mid-December, but he's gone 1-1-0 with a 2.36 goals-against average in those games.

Against the Kings, Ducks All-Star John Gibson won his third straight game. No. 2 Frederik Andersen has won his last four while going 4-0-1 with a 1.67 GAA in his last six.

Grand Salami - February

The Grand Salami in pro hockey is decided by adding up all the goals scored in every game scheduled for that particular day. You can wager on 'over' or 'under' the Grand Salami total. The total is set by adding up all listed 'over/under' odds for each game on that particular day.

Note: The Grand Salami will have no action if any game is suspended or cancelled before the regulation time of three twenty minute periods. Also, regardless of the number of goals scored during the shoot out portion of the overtime, the final scored recorded for the game will give the winning team on more goal than its opponent based on the score at the end of regulation time.

*The majority of sportsbooks do not put out a total on the Grand Salami when there is only one game on the card. For tracking purposes, we will continue to show the 'over/under' for goals and combined goals scored on days with just one game.

NHL GRAND SALAMI
Date No. of Games Total Goals Combined Goals Scored Result
2/1 No games scheduled - - -
2/2 12 64.5 75 OVER
2/3 3 16 15 UNDER
2/4 12 64.5 77 OVER
2/5 4 - - -
2/6 12 - - -
2/7 3 - - -
2/8 4 - - -
2/9 12 - - -
2/10 3 - - -
2/11 9 - - -
2/12 7 - - -
2/13 10 - - -
2/14 5 - - -
2/15 7 - - -
2/16 8 - - -
2/17 3 - - -
2/18 11 - - -
2/19 5 - - -
2/20 9 - - -
2/21 6 - - -
2/22 4 - - -
2/23 9 - - -
2/24 4 - - -
2/25 10 - - -
2/26 5 - - -
2/27 9 - - -
2/28 7 - - -
2/29 6 - - -

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews

After a very entertaining new format in the All-Star Game, the NHL is back in action on Tuesday night. The Washington Capitals enter the second half of the season with an NHL-best 74 points. They have a 15-point lead over the second-place New York Rangers in the Metropolitan Division and an 11-point lead over Atlantic-leading Florida for the East's top seed in the playoffs. The Caps are +400 favorites to win the Stanley Cup and +175 for the East title. Tampa Bay is next in the East at +550.

Defending Cup champion Chicago leads the Western Conference with 70 points. The Blackhawks, led by Hart Trophy favorite Patrick Kane, are three ahead of the No. 2 team in the West and Central Division, Dallas. Chicago is +500 to win a fourth Cup this decade and +275 for the West, with Pacific-leading Los Angeles second at +350.

Of course, this is also Super Bowl week, Dportsbooks have a couple of NHL props to go with the game. You can bet total shots on goal by Washington's Alex Ovechkin on Super Bowl Sunday at home against Philadelphia in an NBC national TV game against the total touchdowns scored in the Super Bowl. Both options are -120. Ovechkin usually leads the NHL in shots and does this season with 234, 29 more than No. 2 Brent Burns, a Sharks defenseman. Ovechkin averages about 5.1 shots per game. He has eight shots in two games this season against the Flyers. I rather doubt there will be more than five touchdowns in the Super Bowl with two very good defenses. I'd take Ovechkin there.

You can also wager the total number of goals in the Carolina vs. Montreal game on Sunday vs. total catches by Panthers tight end Greg Olsen. Both are -120. The Habs beat the Hurricanes 3-2 in the only meeting this season on Dec. 5 in Raleigh. Montreal is 10th in the NHL in scoring at 2.7 goals per game and Carolina 23rd at 2.4 per game. Olsen is easily Cam Newton's favorite target and has had six catches in each playoff win thus far. I'd say he's good for at least that many again. I'd definitely take him on that prop.

Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, Friday: The Lightning were playing their best hockey when the break hit, winning eight of their past nine. They also ended Chicago's NHL-best 12-game winning streak. I still say the Bolts will take the Atlantic Division title unless they actually do trade superstar Steve Stamkos (more on that later this month). Tampa Bay finished with the best January points percentage (.818) in the NHL. The Lightning scored three or more goals in seven of 11 January games. Pittsburgh closed the first half on a three-game winning streak. The Lightning won the lone meeting thus far, 5-4 in overtime in Tampa on Jan. 15. Vladislav Namestnikov completed a hat trick in overtime.

NBA notebook: Spurs' Ginobili out 4-6 weeks
By The Sports Xchange

San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili will be sidelined four to six weeks after undergoing surgery for a testicular injury on Thursday.
Ginobili was injured during Wednesday's victory over New Orleans when he took a knee in the groin area from Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson.
Ginobili, 38, is averaging 10 points off the bench.
Spurs center Tim Duncan (knee) is also ailing and has missed six of the past seven games.

--Former NBA All-Star Jayson Williams was charged with drunk driving related to an incident on the night of Jan. 26 near Delaware, N.Y.
Williams, who served more than a year in prison for the 2002 accidental shooting death of a limo driver, crashed his vehicle in the upstate town located about 95 miles northwest of New York City.
Reports state that Williams hit a utility pole along a rural road. Williams, 47, told police he swerved to avoid hitting a deer.
Williams played nine NBA seasons, the last seven with the New Jersey Nets. He retired in 1999.

--Houston Rockets forward Terrence Jones will miss Thursday's game against the Phoenix Suns after being involved in a car accident.
Jones was hospitalized overnight on Wednesday after the accident. It occurred as he was on the way to the airport to catch the team's flight to Phoenix.
The team hasn't yet divulged what injuries Jones suffered.

--The Sacramento Kings assigned rookie forward Duje Dukan to the Reno Bighorns of the D-League, the team announced.
Dukan has recently been sidelined with a bruised bone in his lower leg.
Dukan is averaging 13.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in nine games for the Bighorns.

---The Miami Heat re-assigned forward/center Jarnell Stokes to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat announced.
Stokes has played in six NBA games this season for Miami and Memphis, averaging a combined 1.0 points and 2.5 minutes in those six games.

Preview: Heat (28-22) at Hornets (24-25)

Date: February 05, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

A recent surge has helped the Miami Heat survive the NBA's most miserable road stretch this season, though they will likely still welcome the final game with open arms.

The Heat finish a grueling month-long stint with Friday night's visit to the Charlotte Hornets, who may again be without their leading scorer.

Miami's current stretch that dates back to Jan. 8 would be considered one monster road trip if not for home contests on Jan. 19 and 31. The rest of the 29-day period is filled with 14 road games.

The Heat (28-22) opened 2-7 but have won five of their last six games, including victories in four of five away from home. They close a three-game road trip at Southeast Division foe Charlotte before playing five of six at home.

The latest trip started with Tuesday's 115-102 loss at Houston that snapped Miami's season-high four-game winning streak. The Heat surrendered a season-high point total as the Rockets shot 52.4 percent, but they returned to their winning formula in Wednesday's 93-90 victory at Dallas.

Miami held the Mavericks to 39.1 percent shooting.

"It was a much better response to who we want to be on the road," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Coaches love these kind of games. Our confidence was in our feeling that we could get stops on the other end. That has to be who we become every single night."

The Heat are 14-1 when allowing 90 points or fewer, and 18-1 when opponents shoot 41 percent or worse.

Hassan Whiteside's presence in the middle helps. With Whiteside sidelined for six games due to a left hip injury, opponents averaged 98 points - up from the league's second best mark of 95.8 - but he immediately made an impact in his return against Dallas with 10 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in 17 minutes. Whiteside leads the league with 163 blocks.

Charlotte (24-25) has not had much luck scoring against Miami during a 3-19 stretch in this series. The Hornets have averaged 90.5 points during that time, though they have split the last six games while winning three in a row at home.

They failed to reach 100 points in this season's first two meetings, but won the second 99-81 in Charlotte on Dec. 9 - fueled by Nicolas Batum's triple-double of 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Batum has missed four games over the last two weeks with a toe injury, but the Hornets have won all four during a 5-2 stretch.

He was back in the starting lineup for Wednesday's 106-97 win over Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland to open a four-game homestand, though it was the absence of Kemba Walker that was of higher interest to the Hornets.

Walker missed his first game of the season with a sore left knee, and he is listed as questionable for Friday. He leads the Hornets with 20.2 points per game.

Jeremy Lin helped pick up the slack against the Cavaliers, finishing with 24 points, eight assists and five rebounds, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 11 points and 13 boards in his third game back from offseason shoulder surgery.

'Kemba, honestly, is irreplaceable. We all know that,' Lin said. '(But) we feel like if everyone can chip in a little bit, we can try to make up for his absence.'

Walker cut off a reporter's question at Friday's practice when asked if he will sit out the final four games before the All-Star break.

"No," he said. "No. I mean, no. No."

Preview: Pacers (26-23) at Hawks (29-22)

Date: February 05, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Paul George might be in a shooting slump, but even his recent form has been better than his games this season against the Atlanta Hawks. Yet those uninspiring performances have garnered the Indiana Pacers a pair of home wins.

Even with strong showings from George or others, the Pacers have struggled in Atlanta for more than a decade heading into Friday night's meeting.

The Indiana wins this season have come despite its top scorer being limited to 20 points on 20.0 percent shooting, including a 111-92 victory Jan. 28 in which George was 2 of 11 and 1 of 7 from 3-point range. It was the first game on the Pacers' current run of winning three of four, which coincides with George's latest round of offensive struggles.

The forward scored 17 points on 6-of-18 shooting in Wednesday's 114-100 win in Brooklyn, and while a stretch of averaging 14.5 points and shooting 30.5 percent isn't personally encouraging, the Pacers (26-23) enjoying success regardless could be a positive.

Against the Nets, it was C.J. Miles stepping up with 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting in 22 minutes off the bench after being limited to 4.4 points per game on 24.0 percent in his previous seven, seeing his minutes dwindle to a mere 11 in Monday's 111-106 overtime home loss to Cleveland.

"It's great," coach Frank Vogel told the team's official website. "That's who he is, he goes in and out. He slumps at times, but it usually comes back around and when he gets going, he's pretty unstoppable. He had a great performance."

Monta Ellis has averaged 20.5 points in the last four games, and emerging rookie center Myles Turner has scored 16.6 in his past nine while starting the last four. The Pacers' top draft choice didn't play more than 23 minutes in his first 18 games while averaging 5.9 points.

"If C.J. gets hot like he was in November, I get hot like I was in November, Monta continues to play well, Myles steps up and continues to play at a high level like he's doing, we get Ian (Mahinmi) back from injury, we get (Rodney) Stuckey back from injury, this team can be pretty scary," George said.

The Hawks (29-22) have won 16 of the last 18 regular-season meetings in Atlanta with two wins last season by an average of 14.5 points. George missed both as he rehabbed from his severely fractured leg.

Atlanta is looking for a third straight win after Wednesday's 124-86 victory in Philadelphia, and combined with a 112-97 home win over Dallas two days prior, the Hawks have shot 52.3 percent and hit 24 of 55 (43.6 percent) from 3-point range.

The bench scored 80 points against the 76ers - the team's highest total since 1987-88 - and Atlanta improved to 10-2 when its reserves top 40. In the consecutive wins, those players have shot 57.1 percent. In the preceding three losses, 33.3 and 18.5 from beyond the arc.

"The bench, more often than not, has been really good for us," said coach Mike Budenholzer, whose reserves rank fifth in field-goal percentage (45.2) but 20th in points (34.2). "They tend to do it with their defense. They have a real disruptive way about them and it leads to good offense, and our whole team feeds off of that."

The Hawks are seeking a return to consistency from leading scorer Paul Millsap, who's been held to 9.8 points on 33.3 percent shooting in his last four games dating to an ankle injury suffered against Indiana. He was limited to four points in 13 minutes and has averaged 10.6 points and shot 39.8 percent in the last nine meetings.

Preview: 76ers (7-42) at Wizards (21-26)

Date: February 05, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

With their margin for error lessening with each mounting loss, the Washington Wizards need to take advantage of every remaining opportunity to extend their postseason streak.

They should have one when the NBA-worst Philadelphia 76ers visit Friday night.

Losses in seven of nine has Washington (21-26) near the bottom of a logjam of teams with a reasonable chance of earning the Eastern Conference's five playoff spots for non-division winners. The Wizards fell five games below .500 for the first time this season following Wednesday's matchup with league-leading Golden State, which received 51 points from Stephen Curry and went 20 of 42 from beyond the arc against the NBA's worst 3-point defense en route to a 134-121 win.

Washington can still take some positives from its eighth defeat in 10 home games, as it trailed the Warriors by just two when John Wall picked up his fourth foul midway through the third quarter, sparking a 22-13 Golden State run over the remainder of the period. Wall finished with a season-high 41 points and 10 assists and the Wizards scored 24 points off 18 takeaways while shooting 50.5 percent.

"I think we've just got to take the way we competed (Wednesday) and do that the rest of the season, whoever we play, (and) we'll give ourselves a lot of chances to win games," Wall said.

The Wizards have allowed 118.2 points per game over a 1-5 stretch, though their season-long defensive problems should be less of an issue against Philadelphia (7-42), the league's lowest-scoring team at 94.8 points per game. Washington is 17-5 when permitting 104 points or less, a mark the 76ers haven't reached in regulation in their last five road outings.

Philadelphia averaged 87.0 points and shot 35.7 percent in losing three of four to the Wizards last season. It owns the league's worst road record at 3-23 and is riding a three-game skid following Wednesday's 124-86 home loss to Atlanta.

After taking Golden State to the wire in a 108-105 defeat Saturday, the 76ers were never competitive in a game the Hawks led by as many as 43. Philadelphia committed 24 turnovers that led to 29 points and permitted 62 points in the paint as Atlanta scored at will.

'I just feel like we didn't come out with much energy on both sides of the ball ... I don't think anyone played that well," coach Brett Brown said. "As a group, we did not have much."

The 76ers' weakness in guarding the interior could provide a favorable matchup for Marcin Gortat, who's shooting 65.6 percent from the field over his last four. The center averaged a team-leading 17.3 points and 10.8 rebounds in the 2014-15 season series, highlighted by shooting 10 of 11 for 23 points to go with 14 boards in a 106-93 home win April 1.

Philadelphia has lost three straight in Washington and six of seven overall meetings.

Wizards coach Randy Wittman is expected to return to the bench after missing two games due to the death of his brother.

Preview: Clippers (32-17) at Magic (21-27)

Date: February 05, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers attributed a puzzling loss to the NBA's "silly season," and Chris Paul felt losing a winnable game could be damaging.

They have another such contest to start a four-game trip Friday night when they face a struggling Orlando Magic team that continues to endure tough luck.

Los Angeles (32-17) had a four-game win streak snapped with Wednesday's 108-102 home loss to Minnesota, which had lost 12 straight on the road and 14 in a row in the series. The Timberwolves shot 50.6 percent, becoming the first team in seven games to make at least half of their shots against the Clippers.

"Yeah, they happen, they happen and this is the silly season, the four or five games before the All-Star break so we have to be careful with that," Rivers said.

The Clippers were assessed three technical fouls, with one on Paul and two that forced the ejection of Austin Rivers.

It was just their second loss since the beginning of December to a team which currently has a losing record.

"This was a must-win for us, like every night is, and this can't happen so as a captain that's on me," said Paul, who had a team-high 22 points.

"We're already without 32, without Blake (Griffin), so games like this, winnable games, we gotta win 'em."

Los Angeles fell to 15-4 since it last played with Griffin. Reserve Jamal Crawford scored 21 and DeAndre Jordan had 15 points and 18 boards.

The Clippers next face an Orlando team that is 2-14 since the start of January, with no NBA team posting a worse record. That doesn't mean that the Magic (21-27) are pushovers.

They fell 117-114 at Oklahoma City on Wednesday after failing to score over the final 2:31 and losing on Kevin Durant's 3-pointer with a half-second left. That wasted Victor Oladipo's 37 points, one shy of his career best.

"It's just heart-breaking really, honestly," Oladipo said.

Orlando has lost 10 of 11 with three of those defeats in overtime and three others by seven points or fewer.

"Just because you go through the experience doesn't mean you learn," coach Scott Skiles said. "You hope you learn from it."

The Magic are allowing an average of 112.3 points in their last seven games, including 12 quarters in which they have given up at least 30. Their opponents in the last three games are averaging 33.0 first-quarter points.

"We've just gotta do a better job defensively, especially coming out in the first half, they were scoring at will at one point," Oladipo said.

One bright spot has been the recent production from rookie Mario Hezonja, who has posted efforts of 16 and 17 points within the last three games for his highest-scoring performances.

Hezonja did not see action the last time these teams met Dec. 5. Orlando blew a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter in a 103-101 road loss.

Crawford scored 16 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter that night while Paul sat out with a rib injury. Oladipo scored a team-high 24 in the Magic's fourth straight loss to L.A.

Preview: Celtics (29-22) at Cavaliers (35-13)

Date: February 05, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

Gaining confidence and in search of a test, the Boston Celtics are getting one of their biggest of the season Friday night.

The surging Celtics visit the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers for the first time since being swept in last year's playoffs.

Boston (29-22) has won 10 of 13, averaging 110.5 points after putting up 100.5 during a 6-9 stretch.

Defense was vital to the Celtics' seventh win in eight tries Wednesday, yielding 37.6 percent shooting on their way to beating Detroit 102-95.

Their attention, however, quickly turned to Cleveland (35-13), which beat them 89-77 in Boston on Dec. 15.

"They're No. 1 in the East right now, they're playing very well, so I'm interested to see how we go out and play against them," center Tyler Zeller told the team's official website. "We've got our work cut out for us, (but) we're playing well, and hopefully we can keep doing it."

The Celtics had season lows in points and field-goal percentage (32.2) in the first meeting while going 9 of 32 from 3-point range.

"I haven't seen them a lot since our game, but they handled us here," coach Brad Stevens said. "Obviously they have a few of the better players in the NBA, so it's going to be a heck of a challenge."

LeBron James is fifth in the NBA with 24.9 points per game, while Kevin Love is among the reboundings leaders with 10.6. They combined for 44 points and 15 boards in December.

James averaged 27.0 points in the playoff series, which saw Love (shoulder) get hurt in Game 4 and miss the rest of the Cavs' run to the NBA Finals.

Kyrie Irving missed this season's meeting with the Celtics recovering from knee surgery stemming from his injury in the finals. The guard has shown no lingering effects while averaging 25.0 points over the last four games.

Irving is averaging 22.9 points in 15 games against Boston, including a combined 56 in two home postseason contests.

Cleveland is trying to bounce back from Wednesday's 106-97 loss at Charlotte that ended a five-game winning streak. James, Love and Irving accounted for 61 points, but the Cavaliers were outscored 33-17 in the third quarter, two days after overcoming a 30-15 third to beat Indiana 111-106 in overtime.

They're shooting 12 of 42 during the third quarter in the last two games.

"We're (terrible) in the third quarter right now," James said. "We need to figure it out. I don't know what it is. I know coach (Tyronn Lue) and the coaching staff are trying to pinpoint what the case may be.

"We're doing a good job of playing great basketball in the first half, but our third quarters are pretty awful right now. We've got to figure that out."

The Celtics' Isaiah Thomas is averaging 12.4 points on 30.9 percent shooting over his last five regular-season meetings with the Cavs, making 3 of 15 shots in December.

Thomas' career-high 21.4 points per game is a big reason why he'll make his All-Star Game debut Feb. 14.

He's not putting too much importance on this matchup.

"It's the biggest game just because it's the next game," Thomas said. "No matter if we play Cleveland or somebody else, the next game is always the most important.

"We gotta go in there and handle business. We know it's gonna be probably a hostile environment. They're a great team, but we're not going to back down from anybody."