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NBA Game Previews for Tuesday, Feb. 9



New Jersey (4-46) at Cleveland (41-11), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: LeBron James believes the Cleveland Cavaliers will benefit down the stretch if he can keep his teammates involved. He’s only going to have more players to try and include offensively over the next two months. Delonte West is expected to be the first of the Cavaliers’ banged-up players to return as they try to set a league mark for consecutive wins this season in a matchup with the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday night. Cleveland (41-11) has the league’s best record and an 11-game winning streak, tying Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers for the longest this season. Clearly, James deserves much of the credit.

Chicago (24-25) at Indiana (18-33), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: Indiana’s Conseco Fieldhouse isn’t normally considered an intimidating arena for visitors. For the Chicago Bulls, though, it’s been a house of misery for more than a decade. Coming off an important victory, the Bulls look to pick up a rare win in Indiana on Tuesday night when they face the Pacers. After winning the final five contests of a seven-game road trip to move over .500 for the first time since Nov. 19, Chicago (24-25) followed up that impressive surge with three straight losses. The Bulls managed to snap out of that funk with Saturday’s 95-91 win over Miami to move into sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Minnesota (13-38) at Philadelphia (19-31), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Philadelphia 76ers may have taken Minnesota lightly last month. They certainly can’t overlook the Timberwolves now. Enjoying their best stretch of the season, the 76ers return home Tuesday night to face a Timberwolves team that has every reason to be confident as it tries for a sweep of the season series. Philadelphia (19-31) has won a season-high four straight after losing five of its previous seven. The 76ers haven’t won five in a row since a seven-game run Jan. 6-17, 2009... The Wolves have won four in a row, one shy of their longest winning streak from last season. The current streak includes a 109-102 victory over Memphis on Saturday night and a 117-108 win at Dallas the previous evening.

Washington (17-32) at Charlotte (24-25), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: Tyson Chandler doesn’t want to get in the way of any cohesion the Charlotte Bobcats may have. In that case, the veteran big man seems to be returning at an ideal time. Losers of three straight, the Bobcats certainly don’t have much to lose by working Chandler back into the lineup in a matchup with the lowly Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. Chandler participated in his first full practice Monday after missing more than a month due to a stress reaction in his left foot, and he says it’s possible he could get some time against the Wizards (17-32)... Washington was scheduled to host Atlanta that evening, but the game was postponed due to a blizzard in the Mid-Atlantic region. The teams will make up the game March 11.

Houston (27-23) at Miami (24-27), 7:30 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: Dwyane Wade is struggling with his shooting touch and the losses are mounting for the Miami Heat. The superstar guard had no such trouble with his shot in Houston just over three weeks ago. Wade hopes to bounce back from another disappointing performance and help the Heat avoid losing their sixth straight Tuesday night when they host the Rockets. Miami (24-27) is eighth in the Eastern Conference but hasn’t played like a playoff-caliber team lately, losing seven of eight. Frustrated with the way things are going, Wade said the effort is “lagging” following Saturday’s 95-91 loss to Chicago... The Rockets, who haven’t been swept in a season series by the Heat since 2005-06, arrive in Miami following Saturday’s 102-95 loss to Philadelphia. Houston (27-23) scored 19 in both the third and fourth quarters to allow the 76ers to come back from a 13-point deficit.

Sacramento (16-34) at New York (19-31), 7:30 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Sacramento Kings are enduring a dismal stretch on the road. A visit to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks may help them break out of that slump. Sacramento looks to continue its recent strong play over the Knicks in New York and snap an 11-game road losing streak Tuesday night. The Kings opened a three-game trip Sunday afternoon and lost 115-104 to Toronto, falling to 3-22 away from home with their sixth straight defeat overall. Sacramento has dropped 20 of 23 since being a surprising one game under .500 in late December... The Knicks (19-31) return home after losing 113-106 to Cleveland on Saturday night, allowing LeBron James to score 47 in losing for the fifth time in six games.

Detroit (17-32) at Milwaukee (23-26), 8 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Milwaukee Bucks have climbed back into playoff contention. They’re looking to take advantage of a favorable two games before the All-Star break against two of the NBA’s worst teams. The Bucks can record their first eight-game home win streak in six seasons Tuesday night when they meet the Detroit Pistons. Milwaukee (23-26) has won five of six to move within percentage points of Miami for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks, who have finished last in the Central Division the previous three seasons, are also one game behind Chicago and Charlotte... The Pistons, meanwhile, have won two of their last eight games - both against the lowly Nets. Swedish rookie Jonas Jerebko made all nine shots for 20 points to lead the way in a 99-92 win at New Jersey on Saturday.

Atlanta (32-17) at Memphis (26-24), 8 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: Trying to end a three-game losing streak, the Hawks will look to Josh Smith for continued production on both ends of the floor. The sixth-year forward was not selected along with Johnson and Horford as an All-Star reserve for Sunday’s game in Dallas, but Hawks coach Mike Woodson understands Smith’s value to his team... While Atlanta looks to keep pressure on Orlando, the Grizzlies (26-24) are trying to make a run at their first playoff appearance in four seasons. Memphis, though, has lost three straight and five of six following a 15-4 stretch from Dec. 18-Jan. 27. “We’re going through a little adversity right now,” Mike Conley told the Grizzlies’ official Web site following Saturday’s 109-102 loss at Western Conference-worst Minnesota.

Dallas (32-19) at Denver (34-17), 9 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Denver Nuggets were getting by well enough with Carmelo Anthony out of the lineup, but couldn’t overcome playing with both he and Chauncey Billups in street clothes in their last contest. The Dallas Mavericks would certainly prefer to see the All-Star duo on the bench again. Both Anthony and Billups are questionable for the Nuggets’ game Tuesday night against Dallas, which tries to become the first visiting team in three years to win twice in a season at the Pepsi Center in a battle of division leaders... The Mavericks had lost four of five heading into their second meeting in six days with Golden State on Monday. Dirk Nowitzki battled foul trouble and was limited to 15 points, but Jason Terry scored a season-high 36 and Drew Gooden and Josh Howard combined for 49 off the bench to lift Dallas to a 127-117 victory.

Oklahoma City (29-21) at Portland (30-23), 10 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: While Kevin Durant is in the midst of one of the league’s best scoring streaks in several years, teammate Russell Westbrook could make a strong run at something that’s been accomplished just four times in NBA history. Durant, Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder go for the franchise’s first six-game winning streak in five seasons Tuesday night when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers. Durant, third in the league with 29.7 points per game, has scored at least 25 in 24 consecutive games - the longest such streak since Allen Iverson’s 27-game run in 2000-01... Portland visits Phoenix on Wednesday night to close the first half of its season. “That’s our goal - to try and get these next two. Just try to carry some momentum into the All-Star break strong and try to fight for position,” LaMarcus Aldridge told the Trail Blazers’ official Web site after Saturday’s 99-82 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. “The West is pretty close right now.”

Utah (31-18) at Los Angeles Clippers (21-29), 10:30 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: One month ago, the Utah Jazz were simply trying to move into the top eight in the Western Conference. A remarkable run now has them believing they can capture the second seed for the playoffs. The Jazz look to extend their season-high winning streak to nine and continue their dominance over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night at Staples Center. Following a two-point loss at Memphis on Jan. 8, Utah dropped to 19-17 and sat in 10th place in the West. The Jazz, though, have since won 12 of 13 to pull within two games of Northwest Division-leading Denver for the conference’s second seed... The Clippers are coming off Saturday’s 98-81 loss to San Antonio in their first game since Mike Dunleavy resigned as coach and was replaced on an interim basis by Kim Hughes. Los Angeles didn’t look much different under Hughes, losing for the 11th time in 15 games.

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