ShotQuality Wire

PREVIEW: The Charlotte Hornets will travel to Indianapolis to face the Indiana Pacers at 7:00pm Eastern at Gainbridge Fieldhouse , bringing two struggling franchises together in a matchup that tells vastly different stories about their respective seasons. Charlotte enters with a 4-10 record and sits 1-6 on the road, while Indiana struggles at 1-13 with a 1-5 home mark. The Pacers' collapse has been dramatic and direct, stemming from Tyrese Haliburton's season-ending Achilles injury that occurred during last year's Finals run. Without their superstar point guard, the team has leaned heavily on Bennedict Mathurin and Pascal Siakam, though Mathurin has...

PREVIEW: The Houston Rockets (36-21, third in the Western Conference) travel to face the Orlando Magic (31-26, seventh in the Eastern Conference) in a matchup that features two teams moving in opposite directions. The Magic boast a strong home record at 18-10, while the Rockets have struggled somewhat on the road with a 16-14 mark. Orlando ranks sixth in the NBA with 51.8 points in the paint , giving them a significant interior advantage that they'll look to exploit against a visiting Houston squad. Unfortunately, neither team has available ShotQuality data for this contest, making it harder to assess their...

PREVIEW: The Lakers (34-23) are back on the road for the next two games, starting on Thursday when they play against the Phoenix Suns (33-26). The Lakers are sitting in sixth place and just three games above the play-in category, specifically where their next opponent, the Suns, are currently slotted. After an embarrassing loss to the Celtics, the Lakers lost to an Orlando Magic team without arguably its best player in Franz Wagner and their top perimeter defender in Jalen Suggs. It will help that the Suns' best players, namely Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks, are ruled out for this...

PREVIEW: The Miami Heat visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday at 7 p.m. EST in Eastern Conference action , with significant playoff implications hanging in the balance. Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers face off against Bam Adebayo and the Heat , two squads separated by seeding but united in their desperation for wins down the stretch. Philadelphia enters riding a two-game winning streak with fresh momentum after routing the Pacers and Timberwolves , while Miami comes off a disappointing loss to Milwaukee. The 76ers are favored by 2.5 points according to oddsmakers , reflecting their status as the home team with...

PREVIEW: The Minnesota Timberwolves, sitting fifth in the Western Conference with a 36-23 record, square off against the Los Angeles Clippers, who occupy tenth place at 27-30. Kawhi Leonard continues to be the Clippers' engine, shooting 49.4% from the floor while averaging 28.0 points per outing. Anthony Edwards remains Minnesota's offensive catalyst, putting up 29.6 points along with 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists nightly. Los Angeles has built a strong defensive identity, ranking ninth in the NBA by holding opponents to just 112.6 points per game while limiting teams to 46.7% shooting. The Timberwolves have surged in recent action, posting a...

PREVIEW: The New Orleans Pelicans visit the Utah Jazz on Thursday at the Delta Center at 8:00 p.m. Utah looks to end its three-game slide when the Jazz play New Orleans. New Orleans has been on a more promising trajectory heading into Utah, picking up their second straight win Tuesday by beating Golden State 113-109. Unfortunately, both teams arrive without complete shot quality data available, limiting our ability to assess their precision from the field in pregame analysis. Injuries are afflicting the Utah Jazz and shortening the rotation of available, healthy players ahead of this matchup, with two starters, Jaren Jackson...

PREVIEW: The Chicago Bulls travel to face the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday night at Moda Center, with tipoff set for 10:10 p.m. ET. Chicago sits at 4-6 in the last 10 games with a 1-game winning streak after mercifully ending that brutal 5-game slide. Portland sits at 4-6 in their last 10 games, riding a 3-game losing streak. Both squads have leaned heavily toward high-scoring affairs, with neither team able to consistently lock down defensively as they prepare for this Pacific Northwest showdown. Bulls games have gone over 8 times and under just twice in the last 10, while Trail Blazers...

PREVIEW: The Dallas Mavericks face the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on April 16, 2025 , in a pivotal play-in tournament matchup with significant playoff implications. Sacramento enters this contest fresh off a victory over the Phoenix Suns and holding the ninth seed , while Dallas finished tenth in the West with a 39-43 record. The winning team advances to face either Golden State or Memphis in the tournament's final stage , making this a do-or-die scenario for both franchises. Sacramento's home-court advantage could prove decisive in this matchup , given the Kings' familiarity with their home environment against...

PREVIEW: The San Antonio Spurs, sitting at 42-16 and second in the Western Conference, will look to extend their 10-game winning streak when they visit the Brooklyn Nets, who sit at 15-42 in 14th place in the East. San Antonio arrives on the second night of a back-to-back after a fourth-quarter comeback against Toronto, facing short rest against a struggling Brooklyn squad. The Spurs boast an impressive 21-10 record on the road , positioning them well for success in this matchup. Meanwhile, the Nets have struggled mightily at home with an 8-20 mark and are just 10-28 in games decided...

PREVIEW: The Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards meet Tuesday in an Eastern Conference battle at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. The Hawks have won 7 of their last 9 games, going 6-3 against the spread , but Atlanta is only 1-3 ATS in its last 4 home games , suggesting some vulnerability when defending their own court. The Wizards almost had their now 14-game losing streak come to an end Saturday; however, they were edged 121-120 at the Chicago Bulls while covering as a 12.5-point road underdog . Despite the narrow defeat, this matchup presents a fascinating clash between...