November 1st NBA Game Previews

The Indiana Pacers will host the San Antonio Spurs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday evening.

The Pacers (1-6) have been one of the most disappointing teams in the first few weeks of the season but will try to bounce back in this one. They're coming off a 97-94 loss against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, a result that extended their losing skid to four games. Domantas Sabonis had 22 points for the Pacers but also added 14 rebounds, three steals and two assists, while Caris LeVert mustered 15 points in his return to action. Chris Duarte had 12 points, six assists and six rebounds, while Myles Turner had a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, but he also chipped in with five blocks and four assists. The Pacers have gone 1-2 at home this season.

The Pacers are listing Malcolm Brogdon and Kelan Martin as game-time calls, both are dealing with hamstring injuries. Isaiah Jackson (knee) and T.J. Warren (foot) are both out.

The Spurs (2-4) were also riding a four-game losing skid after winning the season opener, but they got back to winning ways Saturday when they pulled a huge 102-93 upset win over the reigning NBA champions, the Milwaukee Bucks. Dejounte Murray led the way for the Spurs with 23 points, nine assists, five rebounds and three steals, in 37 minutes. Derrick White followed up with 17 points, four assists, two rebounds and a block, while Keldon Johnson totaled 12 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. The Spurs shot 41 percent from the field, including 7-of-31 from long range. The Spurs have gone 1-2 on the road this season.

Doug McDermott (knee) and Zach Collins (foot) are both out for the Spurs.

The Portland Trail Blazers take on the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Monday night.

The Trail Blazers (3-3) went into Charlotte on Sunday night looking to extend a winning streak to three games, but they were upended by the Hornets, 125-113. C.J. McCollum led the Trail Blazers with 25 points, adding eight assists and two rebounds. Anfernee Simons poured in 19 points. Norman Powell and Damian Lillard posted matching 14-point tallies, with Lillard also dishing out 12 assists. Jusuf Nurkic generated a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double that also included one assist, two steals and one block.

The Trail Blazers come into Monday's game without any injuries to report.

The 76ers (4-2) opened the season dealing with some adversity, but after a 1-1 start, they've come back to notch three victories in their last four games. Philadelphia's most recent success came at the expense of the Atlanta Hawks, which they toppled by a 122-94 score on Saturday night. Tobias Harris led the way with 22 points, adding 11 rebounds and four assists. Joel Embiid furnished 19 points, five boards, two assists and one block. Tyrese Maxey provided 16 points, three assists, one steal and one block, while Seth Curry poured in 15 points.

The 76ers will remain without Ben Simmons (personal) for Monday's contest.

Monday's game marks the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The Trail Blazers swept the two-game 2020-21 season series from the 76ers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on Monday night.

The Cavaliers (3-4) have already had an interesting season despite the fact it's only seven games old in their case, as Cleveland has three wins over 2020-21 postseason participants but has now lost two straight to such clubs as well. Their most recent stumble came Saturday night, when they fell to the Phoenix Suns by a 101-92 score. Cedi Osman led the way for the Cavaliers with 20 points, adding three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kevin Love provided an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double off the bench. Darius Garland and Lauri Markkanen posted 11 points apiece while dishing out five and two assists, respectively. Collin Sexton managed 10 points.

The Cavaliers will list Isaac Okoro (hamstring) and Kevin Pangos (personal) for Monday's contest.

The Hornets (5-2) have brushed off their couple of stumbles to put together an impressive first two-plus weeks of the new season. Charlotte enters Monday night's matchup having just posted a 125-113 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night. LaMelo Ball paced the Hornets with 27 points, complementing them with nine rebounds, seven assists and one steal. Kelly Oubre, Jr. furnished 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Miles Bridges delivered 19 points, nine assists, six rebounds and one block. Terry Rozier made his return from an ankle injury and turned in 14 points, five assists, two rebounds and one steal. Gordon Hayward supplied 12 points and five boards.

The Hornets will head into Monday's contest without any injuries to report.

Monday's game marks the second of four meetings between the teams this season. The Hornets notched a 123-112 victory over the Cavaliers on Oct. 22.

The Atlanta Hawks will host the Washington Wizards at StateFarm Arena on Monday evening.

The Hawks (3-3) are 2-0 at home this season but are looking to bounce back following their most recent game, one that ended with a 122-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers -- a defeat that pushed their losing streak to two games. Cam Reddish was the high-point man for the Hawks with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting, in 20 minutes off the bench. Trae Young added 13 points and 10 assists, while Clint Capela tallied 11 points and 12 rebounds. Bogdan Bogdanovic was the only other player to score in double digits for the Hawks, with 13 points. The Hawks shot 38 percent from the field, including 8-of-22 from deep.

The Hawks are close to being at full strength for this game, as their lone absentee will be Onyeka Okongwu (shoulder).

The Wizards (5-1) are coming off a 115-112 double-overtime win over the Boston Celtics the last time out. Bradley Beal carried Washington on offense and posted 36 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists, while both Montrezl Harrell and Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in with 20 points. While Harrell recorded 14 rebounds as well, Dinwiddie contributed nine boards and four assists. Kyle Kuzma had an impressive double-double of 17 points and 17 rebounds, while no other Washington player scored in double digits in this one. That win over Boston pushed Washington's winning streak to three contests while scoring at least 115 points in each of those contests.

The Wizards won't have Thomas Bryant (knee), while several other players are questionable. The list includes Rui Hachimura (not injury related), Daniel Gafford (quadriceps), Anthony Gill (calf) and Cassius Winston (hamstring).

The Boston Celtics play host to the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden on Monday evening.

The Celtics (2-4) are coming off consecutive losses in a home-and-home series with the Wizards and will be looking to end the two-game slide, while they are also still searching for their first home win of the season, with an 0-2 home record. Jayson Tatum leads the team, averaging 26.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. Jaylen Brown is averaging 26.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while Dennis Schroder is averaging 14.2 points, 6.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals. The Celtics are averaging 113.8 points per game, which is fifth most in the league, but they are giving up a league-worst average of 118.3 points against. They are averaging 24.8 assists per game, which is seventh most in the league, but they have had some trouble taking care of the ball, as they are giving up an average of 15.0 turnovers per game.

Meanwhile, the Bulls (5-1) are one of the hottest teams early in the season, with only one loss in six games. This marks their first game of a two-game road trip, as they will look to build on their 2-0 road record. Zach LaVine leads the Bulls with an average of 25.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. DeMar DeRozan has been great for his new squad, averaging 23.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists, while Nikola Vucevic is averaging 15.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. The Bulls are averaging 106.7 points per game, and they are shooting an average of 45.2 percent from the field. On the other end, they are holding opponents to an average of 98.8 points per game, which is third fewest in the league. They are also holding opponents to 43.0 percent shooting, which is seventh lowest in the league.

The New York Knicks play host to the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden on Monday evening.

The Knicks (5-1) have won three in a row and stand as one of the hottest teams in the league to start the season. They will look to keep rolling and build on their, 2-1, home record. Julius Randle has been off to a great start, averaging 20.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks, in 37 minutes per game. RJ Barrett is coming off one of the best games of his career, as he poured in 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting, including the game-winning bucket in New Orleans on Saturday. Barrett is averaging 17.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists, while Evan Fournier has been solid for his new team, averaging 17.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. The Knicks are averaging 117.0 points per game, which is second most in the league, while they are holding opponents to an average of 109.8 points per game.

Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a three-game road trip for the Raptors (4-3), as they will be looking to improve on their already impressive, 2-0, road record. The Raptors are on a roll as they have won three in a row and will bring the momentum into New York to face off against the one of the top teams in the East. Rookie, Scottie Barnes has been fantastic early in his NBA career, averaging 18.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists, in 35 minutes per game. Barnes has already logged two double-doubles, including a 21-point, 12-rebound outing in the Raptors most recent contest. OG Anunoby has been the Raptors' leading scorer so far, averaging 18.0 points per game, but he is shooting an underwhelming 39 percent from the field. Fred VanVleet is averaging 17.0 points, 7.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. The Raptors are averaging 103.7 points per game, which is ninth fewest in the league, but they are holding opponents to an average of 99.7 points per game, which is fifth fewest in the league.

The Minnesota Timberwolves play host to the Orlando Magic at Target Center on Monday.

The Magic (1-6) have been one of the worst teams through the first two weeks, grabbing just one win through seven games. What makes that victory even crazier is the fact that it came on the road against a New York Knicks team that looks as dangerous as anyone. That means this club could easily be winless, taking defeats against bad teams like the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons in their last two games. That won't get it done, and sitting 26th in scoring is yet another blemish on this team's record. It's actually a slight improvement on their average last year, but that's a telling issue on where this team needs to improve. The sad thing is that they've rid themselves of guys like Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier, making the uphill battle as steep as ever.

The Timberwolves (3-2) should be 4-1, but they absolutely collapsed against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. That 93-91 loss was hard-fought throughout, but Minnesota led for the majority of that loss. They also went on to miss two layups in the final three seconds, with both of those being game-tying opportunities. The one silver lining with that defeat is the fact that they continue to play great defense. This club has been near the bottom of every defensive statistic for years now but their 104 points allowed is one of the best marks in the NBA. That's a testament to this young core taking on some new priorities in the offseason, and it has them in their best spot in quite some time.

These teams split their two-game season series last year, with the road team winning both outings. With that said, Orlando has won four of the last five meetings between these clubs.

The Memphis Grizzlies play host to the Denver Nuggets at FedEx Forum on Monday.

The Nuggets (4-2) had a really tough back-to-back on Friday and Saturday, grabbing two huge wins over the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves. The first game was a 30-point blowout over Dallas, but the 93-91 win in Minnesota on Saturday was a nail-biter. Denver actually trailed for most of that game and rode a 24-18 fourth quarter to their comeback win. They actually faded two missed layups in the final three seconds of that game to escape with a win, and it certainly has this club riding high. Nikola Jokic is the one who continues to carry, averaging 24 points, 14.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Those are the sort of averages that made him the Nuggets first-ever MVP last season, and he looks in line for more votes this year.

The Grizzlies (3-3) could easily be 5-1, but they enter this matchup losing three of their last four games. A matchup with a tough Miami team on Saturday marked their first blowout of the season, but narrow losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers have this team scratching their heads. Those were games that the Grizzlies should have escaped with victories, but late-game execution really let them down. It's certainly no fault of Ja Morant's, though, with the stud point guard leading the NBA with 28.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game. That has him as one of the breakout players of the season, and it's scary to think what this team will look like when Dillon Brooks (hand
0 returns here in the next couple of weeks.

These teams played three times last season, with Denver sweeping the season series. With that said, two of those were decided on the final possession. That gives the Nuggets seven wins in their last eight meetings with the Griz.

The Los Angeles Clippers play host to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center on Monday.

The Thunder (1-5) had low expectations coming into the season, and they've lived up to those so far. They have just one win through six games, getting it over a dysfunctional Los Angeles Lakers team. They actually had to overcome a 25-point deficit in that victory, and that's been a huge issue all season. The other five losses have all been decided by eight points or more, with the Lakers game being the only competitive one of the bunch. It'd be easy to blame it on a rebuild, but this team has too much talent to be losing games like that. Wins and losses are no real concern for this organization though, because building for the future is the only real goal management has right now.

The Clippers (1-4) were expected to be one of the better teams in the west, but early results are not encouraging. They have just one win through five games, grabbing their one win in a blowout victory over a struggling Portland Trail Blazers team. What's really discouraging is the fact that they're playing so poorly despite Paul George posting monster numbers. Everyone anticipated that he'd step up in the absence of Kawhi Leonard, but most people thought the role players would do more, too. Guys like Reggie Jackson, Terance Mann, and Ivica Zubac have all been way too inconsistent, and it has fans wondering if this is even a playoff team. In any case, this club still has a lot of talent, and this is a great opportunity for them to right the ship.

These teams played three times last season, with Los Angeles winning two of the three games. That gives the Clippers six wins in their last eight meetings with the Thunder in total.