February 9th NBA Game Previews

The Boston Celtics take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Sunday afternoon.

The Celtics (36-15) check into Sunday's game as one of the hotter teams in the league, as they've notched nine of the last 10 games. Their most recent success came at the expense of the Atlanta Hawks, which they toppled by a 112-107 score on Friday night. Jayson Tatum paced the Celtics with 32 points, supplementing them with six assists, four rebounds and two blocks. Enes Kanter turned in a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double that also included one block. Langford matched Kanter's scoring and also posted five rebounds and one steal. Kemba Walker registered 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. Marcus Smart and Brad Wanamaker scored nine points apiece.

The Celtics will list Kemba Walker (knee) and Gordon Hayward (foot) as probable for Sunday's game. Jaylen Brown (ankle) and Daniel Theis (ankle) will both be listed as questionable, while Robert Williams (hip) will remain out.

The Thunder (32-20) come into Sunday's contest just as hot as their opponents, as they've also notched nine victories over their last 10 contests. Oklahoma City's most recent success came versus the Detroit Pistons, which they bested by a 108-101 score Friday night. Chris Paul led the Thunder with 22 points, complementing them with seven assists, six rebounds and one block. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander followed with 21 points, two rebounds, one assist and two blocks. Danilo Gallinari supplied 19 points, nine boards and four assists. Dennis Schroder poured in 18 points, while Steven Adams furnished 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one block.

The Thunder will continue without Andre Roberson (knee) for Sunday's game.

Sunday's game marks the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The Celtics swept the two-game 2018-19 season series from the Thunder.

The Atlanta Hawks play host to the New York Knicks at State Farm Arena on Sunday evening.

The Hawks (14-39) have dropped six of their last 10 games and are coming off a loss in Boston in their most recent outing. This marks their first game back home after a short road trip, as they look to get back on track and improve on their 8-17 home record. Trae Young (ankle) missed the last contest and remains questionable for action on Sunday. De'Andre Hunter (ankle) is also questionable for action, while Clint Capela (heel) will remain sidelined and Cam Reddish (concussion) is doubtful to play. John Collins has been playing great lately, averaging 24.4 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks, over the last 10 games. Kevin Huerter is averaging 14.4 points, while shooting 39.2 percent from long range, over the last 10 games. The Hawks average 109.4 points per game, but they are giving up an average of 118.2 points against, which is second most in the league.

Meanwhile, the Knicks (17-36) have won six of their last 10 games, including their last four in a row. This marks their second game of a back-to-back, as they are coming off a hard-fought win in Detroit on Saturday. The Knicks have won their last three road games and look to keep building on their 9-18 road record. Julius Randle leads the Knicks with 19.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Elfrid Payton has been playing well lately and is averaging 11.8 points, 9.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals, over the last 10 games. The Knicks average 104.5 points per game, which is third lowest in the league, and they are giving up an average of 111.5 points against. They average a league-best 11.9 offensive rebounds per game, but they are shooting 33.6 percent from long range, which is third worst in the league.

The Chicago Bulls take on the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday evening.

The Bulls (19-34) check into Sunday's contest in the midst of another underwhelming stretch of play, as they've dropped five of their last seven games, including four straight. Their most recent stumble came versus the New Orleans Pelicans, which edged them by a 125-119 score on Thursday night. Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 22 points, complementing them with three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Chandler Hutchison furnished 16 points, eight boards, one assist and two steals. Adam Mokoka posted 15 points in just five minutes. Coby White supplied 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Ryan Arcidiacono turned in 13 points, four rebounds and four assists. Thaddeus Young and Shaquille Harrison delivered 11 points apiece while pulling down six and three rebounds, respectively.

The Bulls will list Denzel Valentine (hip) as doubtful and both LaVine (neck) and Daniel Gafford (ankle) as questionable for Sunday's game. Tomas Satoransky (ankle) and Hutchison (shoulder) will both carry probable tags. Kris Dunn (knee), Otto Porter (foot) and Lauri Markkanen (pelvis) will remain out.

The 76ers (32-21) come into Sunday's contest having just snapped a four-game losing streak with a 119-107 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. Furkan Korkmaz led the 76ers with 34 points, complementing them with six rebounds, four assists and one block. Ben Simmons followed with a 22-point, 10-assist double-double that also included four rebounds, three assists and one steal. Tobias Harris totaled 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Al Horford and Joel Embiid posted 10 points apiece while recording eight and 10 rebounds, respectively.

The 76ers will list Alec Burks (trade acquisition), Glenn Robinson (trade acquisition), Horford Achilles) and Embiid (neck) as questionable for Sunday's game.

Sunday's game marks the second of three meetings between the teams this season. The 76ers own a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 100-89 win Jan. 17.

The Memphis Grizzlies take on the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on Sunday evening.

The Grizzlies (26-26) have shown considerable improvement in recent weeks, and they'll come into Sunday's contest with a 6-2 record over their last eight games. However, one of their two losses during that span came their last time on the court, as they fell by a 119-107 score to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night. Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 15 points, adding six assists and three rebounds. Jonas Valanciunas generated a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included one assist, four blocks and one steal. Tyus Jones delivered 13 points, seven assists, one rebound and two steals. Brandon Clarke totaled 11 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal.

The Grizzlies will likely list recent trade acquisitions Gorgui Dieng and Jordan Bell as questionable for Sunday's game. Grayson Allen (hip) and Justise Winslow (back) remain out.

The Wizards (18-32) are currently in the midst of a modest upswing in an otherwise forgettable season, as they've won three of their past four contests. Their most recent success came against the Dallas Mavericks, which they edged by a 119-118 score Friday night. Bradley Beal paced the Wizards with 29 points -- including a game-winning layup -- supplementing them with eight assists, five rebounds and one steal. Davis Bertans contributed 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Rui Hachimura registered 17 points, six rebounds, one assist and two steals. Ish Smith and Shabazz Napier turned in 14 points apiece, with Smith also totaling six rebounds and six assists.

The Wizards will be without Thomas Bryant (foot) for Sunday's game. Jerome Robinson (trade acquisition) will likely be listed as questionable.

Sunday's game marks the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Grizzlies own a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 128-111 win Dec. 14.

The Utah Jazz travel to Texas to face the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Sunday.

The Jazz (33-18) pulled off a huge win on Friday, coming back from a double-digit deficit to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers. It was actually one of the most controversial games of the season, with Utah getting a fortunate no-call of a blatant goaltend by Rudy Gobert that would have tied the game in the final seconds. The refs already acknowledged that they missed that call and Utah is fortunate to have escaped with that win. What makes it even more important is the fact that it snapped a four-game losing streak. Ending a losing streak by the fortune of the refs is certainly nothing to be proud of but they'll take it any way they can get it. Prior to that losing streak, Utah was one of the best teams in the league over the last two months and maybe this is the sort of thing that can get them back to that.

The Rockets (33-19) are trying to revolutionize the NBA with small-ball and if the first two games are any indicator, results are going to be volatile. In the first game without Clint Capela, Houston shocked the basketball world by beating the Los Angeles Lakers on the road. They followed that up with a 36-point loss against the Phoenix Suns on Friday and that makes it really hard to figure out just where this team is at right now. They did have to play that defeat without Russell Westbrook for maintenance purposes though and that's surely a major reason why they struggled in the second half of a back-to-back set. In any case, they became the first team since the 1950s to play nobody above 6'6" in that win over the Lakers and it makes the Rockets must-watch television over the final months of the season.

These teams have played once this season, with Houston prevailing, 126-117, on January 27. That gives the Rockets three-straight victories over the Jazz in total.

The Cleveland Cavaliers play host to the Los Angeles Clippers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Sunday evening.

The Cavs (13-39) have dropped nine of their last 10 games, including their last five in a row. They have dropped 11 in a row at home and have a 6-21 record at home. However, they will have a new look coming into Sunday's contest, as Andre Drummond will debut with the team, after coming over at the trade deadline. Drummond has been a beast this season, averaging 17.8 points, 15.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. The Cavaliers average a league-low 3.2 blocks per game, but having Drummond in the paint should help boost that number. Collin Sexton has been playing well, averaging 23.5 points, 3.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals, over the last 10 games. Kevin Love has also been playing well, averaging 20.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists, over the last 10 games.

Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Clippers (36-16), as they are coming off a blowout loss in Minnesota on Saturday evening. Despite Paul George and Kawhi Leonard both playing well, the Clippers could not keep up with the Timberwolves, as they were on fire from beyond the arc. This marks the second game of a four-game road trip for the Clippers, as they look to get back on track and build on their 14-11 road record. Kawhi Leonard leads the Clippers with 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. Paul George is averaging 22.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Lou Williams continues to provide off the bench, averaging 17.3 points, 4.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds, in 29 minutes per game, over the last 10 games. The Clippers are averaging 115.5 points per game, which is fifth most in the league, while they are holding their opponents to an average of 109.5 points per game.

The Portland Trail Blazers play host to the Miami Heat at Moda Center on Sunday.

The Heat (34-17) have so many question marks coming into this game. Whether it's injuries or acquisitions, about half of this roster may or may not play. The players that we're unsure of include Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder, Andre Iguodala and Meyers Leonard. The good news is that this is one of the deepest rosters in the NBA and they'll still be able to send out guys like Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo, Derrick Jones Jr, Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn if they all end up sitting. While that might make things tough now, it's scary to think how good this team will be down the line with all of those guys back. Another huge goal for this team is to land homecourt in the playoffs and falling to fourth in the east is putting that in jeopardy.

The Trail Blazers (24-29) are battling for a playoff spot in the west and a heartbreaking loss on Friday has players and fans steaming. Portland had to go into Utah and play with just seven players and lost by just three points. It's the nature of the defeat that drives people crazy though, with the refs missing a blatant goaltend call in the final seconds that would have tied the game. That happened to be Damian Lillard's lay-up that was illegally goaltended and the refs admitted to their mistake shortly after the controversial defeat. A loss is a loss though and fans just have to hope that it won't alter any playoff hopes down the line.

These teams played their first meeting on January 5, with Miami prevailing, 122-111. That gives the Heat three-straight wins in this series which actually snapped a five-game winning streak for the Trail Blazers prior to that.