Wednesday11/28/2018 ... Comps / Bonus Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Requests Etc

Orlando Magic vs. Portland Trail Blazers Preview and Predictions 11-28-2018
BY GRACENOTE


After two lopsided losses on the road, the Portland Trail Blazers were much closer in their return home but still wound up on the wrong end of the score. The Blazers will try to snap their three-game losing streak when they continue the homestand against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

Portland lost by 43 at Milwaukee and by 28 at Golden State to finish a six-game swing before its misery continued with a 104-100 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. "I think we're just hitting a rough patch," point guard Damian Lillard told reporters. "Early on, everybody's body was fresh, everybody's mind was fresh. The bounce was going our way, everything was happening right for us and (we) were winning games. But, also, we did a lot of things to put ourselves in position to win games, a lot of simple things on both ends of the floor. We just haven't been as sharp at those things at either end of the floor. It's too spotty." The Magic gave the Warriors a much better game before falling 116-110 on Sunday. Nikola Vucevic scored 30 points and hauled in 12 rebounds as Orlando fell to 1-2 on its current six-game road trip.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Orlando), NBCS Northwest (Portland)

ABOUT THE MAGIC (10-11): Forward Aaron Gordon missed all six of his shots in 22 scoreless minutes at Golden State before exiting with a back issue that has him questionable for Wednesday, and his absence allowed the Warriors -- particularly Kevin Durant -- to go off. "(Not having Gordon) screwed up our rotations and the group that we had out there in the third quarter, that wouldn't have been the group (on the floor)," coach Steve Clifford told the media after Durant went for 49 points. "That's really, to me, where the game got away." Vucevic did his best to keep Orlando close while reaching the 30-point plateau for the fourth time in seven games.

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (12-8): The loss of center Jusuf Nurkic to a shoulder injury hurt Portland's chances in the second half against Los Angeles, but he has been removed from the team's injury report and is expected to suit up Wednesday. The 24-year-old had five consecutive double-doubles prior to the three-game losing streak. Lillard, who had 41 points in a win at Orlando earlier this season, is averaging 28.8 points and six assists over his last five games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Vucevic had 24 points and 11 rebounds in the earlier loss to Portland.

2. Blazers PF Al-Farouq Aminu is 2-for-18 from 3-point range over his last three games.

3. Portland has won four straight meetings.

PREDICTION: Trail Blazers 116, Magic 108

San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Preview and Predictions 11-28-2018
BY GRACENOTE


The Minnesota Timberwolves look for a season-high fourth straight win when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. Minnesota has won six of eight games with improved chemistry since trading disgruntled guard Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Timberwolves recorded a 102-95 road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday and can get back to .500 with a win over the Spurs. "We have a long way to go, but we keep improving," Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after the win. "We're still not playing as well as we can. We can't be satisfied." The Spurs pushed their mark back to .500 by edging the lowly Chicago Bulls 108-107 on Monday. San Antonio is 2-1 on a four-game road excursion but is just 4-7 overall away from home this season.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (San Antonio), FS North (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE SPURS (10-10): San Antonio is 9-0 this season when power forward LaMarcus Aldridge scores 20 or more points and 1-10 when he doesn't, and he tallied 11 points in the fourth quarter against Chicago to reach 20 in Monday's win. "I just got touches," Aldridge told reporters afterward. "I touched it a little bit more and kind of found my rhythm and once I felt good I was trying to keep going." Shooting guard DeMar DeRozan scored 21 against the Bulls and he has 20 or more in eight of the past nine contests and 16 overall.

ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (10-11): Forward Robert Covington scored a season-best 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting against the Cavaliers for his best showing in seven games with Minnesota. The strong game occurred two days after his worst as he was a dreadful 1-of-18 shooting - including 10 misses from 3-point range - while scoring four points against the Bulls on Saturday. "The second that clock hit zero, that game was out of my mind," Covington told reporters of the woeful effort. "That's what happens when you're a shooter."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Spurs have won 14 of the past 15 meetings, including a 112-108 triumph in the season opener for both teams on Oct. 17.

2. Minnesota SF Andrew Wiggins is averaging 6.7 points on 8-of-37 shooting over the past three games.

3. San Antonio backup PG Patty Mills scored 17 points against the Bulls and is 19-of-29 shooting while averaging 14 points over the past four games.

PREDICTION: Spurs 109, Timberwolves 105

Washington Wizards vs. New Orleans Pelicans Preview and Predictions 11-28-2018
BY GRACENOTE


The New Orleans Pelicans are nothing if not streaky, and right now they are streaking in the wrong direction. The Pelicans will try to pull out of their latest funk and snap a four-game slide when they host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

New Orleans won its first four games, dropped the next six and won six of the following seven before beginning the latest slide, and could not overcome their defensive shortcomings in a 124-107 home loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday. The Pelicans, who fell at Washington 124-114 on Saturday, allow an average of 117.6 points and let the struggling Celtics shoot 49.5 percent from the field while knocking down 19 3-pointers. New Orleans will have to figure out a way to defend the perimeter against the Wizards, who got 68 points out of backcourt partners John Wall and Bradley Beal in a 135-131 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday. "You watched a lot of high-level players play at a high level," Washington coach Scott Brooks told reporters after watching Beal and Wall combine with Houston starters James Harden and Eric Gordon to score 158 points. "Amazing players all had great games, and the role players played like stars in their roles."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Washington, FS New Orleans

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (8-12): Beal and Wall were both strong on Monday but the difference in the game was the play off the bench of power forward Markieff Morris, who finished with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting in 41 minutes. "I give Markieff (Morris) a lot of credit," Brooks told reporters. "He's stepped up. It's not an easy thing to accept, but that's what he does. He's a team guy, he made the adjustment and he's played well in that role. He's playing his best basketball off the bench. He's an important part of our team and he made a lot of big plays tonight." Morris is averaging 16.3 points in four games off the bench after posting 9.7 points in 15 games as a starter.

ABOUT THE PELICANS (10-11): New Orleans believes some of its problems on the defensive end stem from allowing teams extra possessions with turnovers on the other end of the floor. The Pelicans surrendered 32 points off 22 turnovers on Monday. "I thought the turnovers we had tonight were really simplistic plays that we just didn't make," New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. "So, I don't think we were trying to do anything really difficult or hard. They just played the passing lanes and we made some tough decisions - some bad decisions."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pelicans star PF Anthony Davis (hip) returned from a one-game absence on Monday and recorded 27 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

2. Wizards C Dwight Howard (glute soreness) sat out the last four games and is day-to-day.

3. Washington took the last six in the series.

PREDICTION: Pelicans 134, Wizards 125

Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks Preview and Predictions 11-28-2018
BY GRACENOTE


The Milwaukee Bucks don't lose often, and it's become a surprise when they don't go off for 120 or more points. The Bucks, who lead the NBA in scoring at an average of 121 points, will try to avoid dropping back-to-back games for the first time this season when they host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.

Milwaukee followed up a 135-point outburst in a win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday with a 110-107 setback at Charlotte on Monday. "We're a talented team, we've played really well up to this point, but we've just got to be consistent," Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon told reporters. "Tonight, we didn't have a slow start like we've been having, but we let them back into the game and then we dug ourselves a hole we couldn't really climb out of." The Bulls dropped their third straight on Monday, falling just short in a 108-107 setback to the Spurs but could have some help on the horizon in the form of forward Lauri Markkanen (right elbow), who is expected to participate fully in practice on Tuesday for the first time this season. "If he has soreness, we'll slow it down a little bit," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters. "But he has passed every hurdle to this point. He has been medically cleared. He has done a lot of one-on-zero workouts, strength workouts, non-contact portions of practice, a controlled two-on-two and a full two-on-two with teammates."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

ABOUT THE BULLS (5-16): Markkanen should provide some offensive support for guard Zach LaVine, who collected 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on Monday but was off the mark on a go-ahead 3-point attempt in the final seconds. "I'm a confident shooter," LaVine told reporters. "I have made a lot of shots like that. I could have had an opportunity to go to the hoop. I didn't want them to double-team. That's why I called the pick away. I'm going for the win regardless. That's my confidence. I'm trying to get some energy, trying to get this (team) on a streak." LaVine is averaging 25.7 points but is shooting 30.2 percent from 3-point range.

ABOUT THE BUCKS (14-6): Milwaukee suffered through a rare poor shooting effort while connecting at 41.1 percent from the floor on Monday, and swingman Khris Middleton was the worst of the bunch at 4-of-18 from the floor. Middleton, who averages 19 points on 45 percent shooting and connects at 41.2 percent from 3-point range, stretches the floor for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo still managed to reach the 20-point plateau in his 14th straight game on Monday and is averaging 26.8 points and 13 rebounds.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Bucks SG Donte DiVincenzo (knee) returned from a five-game absence on Monday and scored eight points on 3-of-3 shooting in 11 minutes.

2. Bulls PG Ryan Arcidiacono scored a career-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting in Monday's setback.

3. Middleton and Antetokounmpo scored 23 points apiece in a 123-104 home win over Chicago on Nov. 16.

PREDICTION: Bucks 132, Bulls 112

Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets Preview and Predictions 11-28-2018
BY GRACENOTE


The Houston Rockets' backcourt is capable of lighting up the scoreboard, but it's also capable of giving up a lot of points. The Rockets will try to keep up their pace while turning things around on the defensive end when they host the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.

Houston star James Harden went off for 54 points on Monday while backcourt mate Eric Gordon sprang for 36, but the Wizards' backcourt tandem of John Wall and Bradley Beal combined for 68 points, making it an NBA record 158 total points for the opposing backcourts in a 135-131 overtime win for Washington. "We tried everything on Harden," Wizards coach Scott Brooks told reporters. "We absolutely tried to take it out of his hands early, take it out of it late. Keep our hands out of his shooting pocket. We tried the switch, we tried the show. He was playing at a high, high, high level, and his step-back 3s (were on)." Harden and company should get a stiff test from the Mavericks, who earned their sixth win in the last seven games by knocking off the Boston Celtics 113-104 on Saturday. "We've gained an identity as a defensive team and that's a really important thing for us," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. "We are a defensive team first and we play off of our defense."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Dallas), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (9-9): Dallas is 7-2 since a 2-7 start and is not looking to go back after finally reaching .500. "It means a lot," small forward Harrison Barnes told reporters of getting back to even. "I think after the way we started, things were tough. We were trying to do the right thing, but we couldn't get together, couldn't do it as a cohesive unit. But since then I feel like we've bounced back, and we've been in the right direction." Barnes is leading the charge on the offensive end and averaged 24 points in the last two games while going 10-of-15 from 3-point range in that span.

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (9-10): Houston was above .500 before dropping its last three games and surrendered an average of 122.7 points in that span. "It's frustrating, but I think every team has experienced a three-game losing streak, so we'll figure a way to get out of it and go back home and have a chance to redeem ourselves," Harden told reporters. Harden is on a tear offensively and is averaging 40.8 points and 10.2 assists over the last five contests, though he is also committing 7.8 turnovers in that stretch.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Rockets PG Chris Paul (sore left leg) sat out the last two games and is day-to-day.

2. Dallas PG Dennis Smith Jr. (wrist) sat out Saturday but returned to practice on Monday and is day-to-day.

3. Houston took the last eight in the series.

PREDICTION: Rockets 116, Mavericks 113

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Preview and Predictions 11-28-2018
BY GRACENOTE


The Oklahoma City Thunder are winners of 12 of their last 15 games but remain unsatisfied with their individual performances. Thunder star Russell Westbrook will find out if some extra work on his shot paid off when the Thunder host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Westbrook went back to the court to shoot in full uniform after going 1-of-12 from 3-point range in a 105-98 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday and continues to search for ways to improve. "I'll look at the film and see and figure out how I can be better," Westbrook told reporters. "But each game, in a loss, I figure out a way to make sure that my guys are ready to play, and I come back and improve some part of my game and read the game." The Cavaliers came up short in their quest for a third straight win and fell 102-95 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday but feel they are on the uptick. "We're going in the right direction," Cleveland swingman Kyle Korver told reporters. "We had a tough stretch. We've got to keep on bringing the same juice, we've got to keep on getting better, keep on learning, keep on building our chemistry and all these things."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cleveland), FS Oklahoma

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (4-15): Cleveland had a chance to notch its first three-game winning streak of the season on Monday and came away from the loss proud of the way it competed. "It shows a lot of growth," guard Rodney Hood told reporters. "When they stretched it from eight to 12 points at times we could have just gave in, but we didn't, we kept fighting. We'll be in that position and hopefully we'll hit a couple more shots and hopefully make a couple more plays on the defensive end and maybe win the game. This is how the NBA works. I think this is a good learning curve for us and we'll see what happens next time we're in that position." Hood scored 20 points in the loss and is averaging 18 over the last three contests.

ABOUT THE THUNDER (12-7): Westbrook downplayed his shooting woes and is focusing on the other end of the floor, where Oklahoma City dug itself a deep hole by allowing the Nugget to score 63 first-half points on Saturday. "You miss shots you usually make, it's fine," Westbrook told reporters. "We made them the other night, but tonight we didn't make 'em. But for us, we've still got to defend. We're not a team that leans on our offense and that's the reason we're the No. 1 defensive team in the league, because we defend at a high level." Westbrook still managed a triple-double with 16 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds on Saturday - his second in the last three games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Cavaliers SG David Nwaba (knee) sat out Monday and is day-to-day.

2. Thunder C Steven Adams recorded a double-double in four of the last five games.

3. The visiting team took the last three in the series, with Oklahoma City earning a 95-86 victory at Cleveland on Nov. 7.

PREDICTION: Thunder 109, Cavaliers 97

Utah Jazz vs. Brooklyn Nets Preview and Predictions 11-28-2018
BY GRACENOTE


Consistency has been a major issue for the Utah Jazz, who will try to find a more even approach when they begin a three-game road trip at the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. One day after routing Sacramento 133-112 on the road, the Jazz returned home to suffer a 33-point loss to the Indiana Pacers on Monday, part of the team's 2-6 swoon.

Included in that stretch is a solid win at Boston and a 50-point loss at Dallas, making for a bewildering ride for a team that hoped to be contending in the Western Conference. "The way we play, the way we practice, the things we do behind the scenes that none of you guys see -- we know we're doing the right things," forward Joe Ingles told reporters Monday. "... Our guys are professionals, we know what we need to do to get ready for a game, but we haven't been able to translate that very often over to the actual games." The Nets had an inconsistent effort of their own in a 127-125 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday, building a 20-point lead before collapsing late and losing on a last-second 3-pointer. The result gave Brooklyn four straight losses at home, including the first two games on its current four-game homestand.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet (Utah), YES (Brooklyn)

ABOUT THE JAZZ (9-12): Utah tied for the NBA lead in scoring defense (99.8 points allowed per game) last season en route to 48 wins, but it is giving up an average of 110 points during the 2-6 stretch. "Winning games is getting stops," forward Jae Crowder told reporters after the Pacers shot 58.3 percent from the floor in Monday's rout. "I don't remember the last time we had three stops in a row." It didn't help matters that the Jazz were operating without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who has missed two straight games due to bruised ribs and remains day-to-day.

ABOUT THE NETS (8-13): D'Angelo Russell bounced back from a difficult night against Minnesota on Friday to score a season-high 38 points in the loss to the 76ers. He shot 16-of-28 from the field and also had eight rebounds, eight assists and just one turnover, but the outstanding individual line meant little after the painful finish. "It's tough, we played 45 minutes of that game and lost it to that one shot, but we gave ourselves a chance," Russell told reporters as his team fell to 3-6 at the Barclays Center.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Nets SG Allen Crabbe missed all four of his shots in 25 scoreless minutes Sunday and is shooting 30.6 percent from the field on the season.

2. Jazz C Rudy Gobert averages 15.8 points and 12.5 rebounds on the road.

3. The teams split two meetings last season as the home team won both games.

PREDICTION: Jazz 111, Nets 109

Monday Morning Caddie

Blues -115

Penguins +105