PREVIEW: The Atlanta Hawks visit Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks on Friday night, just six days after their last meeting in New York. The Hawks will have center Kristaps Porzingis available for this contest, and may be at full strength if Trae Young can play. Atlanta excels at high spacing on offense and good passing (both ranked first), while the Knicks feature efficient three-point shooting ranked fourth and strong offensive rebounding at 29.7 percent. In their previous matchup, Atlanta nearly overcame an eighteen-point deficit but trailed for much of that game. The Knicks possess an elite offense...

PREVIEW: The Brooklyn Nets travel to Capital One Arena on Friday at 7:00 PM EST to face the Washington Wizards , bringing contrasting momentum into this matchup. Brooklyn enters fresh off a 120-96 home loss to the Houston Rockets , looking to avoid consecutive defeats, while Washington arrives riding recent confidence after sneaking past Milwaukee in a 114-113 road victory . The Nets' defensive identity has become their calling card this season, as they rank second in defensive rating over the last 15 games while operating at one of the league's slowest paces . However, Brooklyn's shot quality numbers reveal...

PREVIEW: The Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks meet Friday with tipoff from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee set for 8 p.m. ET. The Hornets rank fifth in three-point attempt frequency while allowing opponents quality three-point looks from distance, a defensive vulnerability that ranks 30th in the league. Milwaukee counters with efficient three-point shooting ranked second and strong rim defense ranked sixth, though the Bucks struggle with offensive rebounding that ranks 29th. The Bucks have won the last two matchups against Charlotte, including a 147-134 overtime victory at home and a 123-113 win on the road. The Hornets have been exceptional offensively over...

PREVIEW: The Denver Nuggets will attempt back-to-back victories on their seven-game road trip when they visit Cleveland tonight, coming off a win in their first contest without Nikola Jokic. The Cavaliers have established themselves as massive 13-point favorites, reflecting Denver's depleted roster situation. Denver's offensive prowess remains their calling card, ranking first in efficient 3-point shooting while demonstrating solid ball movement ranked second league-wide. The Nuggets will be without several key contributors, including Jokic, Jonas Valanciunas, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Cameron Johnson, forcing their role players to shoulder significant offensive responsibility. Cleveland has emerged from their recent struggles, defeating Phoenix...

PREVIEW: The Memphis Grizzlies visit the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Friday night , with both teams looking to shake off recent struggles heading into this Western Conference matchup. Los Angeles has dropped four of their last five games and gone just 1-5 against the spread across their previous six , while Memphis has covered the spread three times despite dropping two straight and four of six. The Grizzlies rank ninth in defensive rating at 112.7 and 13th in offensive rating at 116.5 over the last ten games, while the Lakers sit 20th offensively at 113.3 and a...

PREVIEW: The Golden State Warriors will host the Oklahoma City Thunder at 10 p.m. ET in what could be a first-round preview, given that Oklahoma City currently holds the West's first seed and Golden State the eighth seed. Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green will all sit out for the Warriors , creating a dramatically different landscape for this matchup. The Warriors are hot, having won five of their last six games , but they'll face significant lineup disruptions against one of the league's most dominant defensive units. Oklahoma City has gotten back to its traditional ways, blowing out the...

PREVIEW: The Orlando Magic arrive at the United Center as a defensive force allowing the fewest three-point attempts in the league, ranking first with just a 37.1% three-point attempt rate while maintaining solid defense against rim attacks. Fresh off a clutch road victory where Paolo Banchero hit the go-ahead layup with 7.5 seconds remaining against Indiana, Orlando looks to build momentum during the final leg of their three-game road trip. The Magic are approaching full health after welcoming back point guard Jalen Suggs from a seven-game hip injury absence, and he contributed 11 points and three assists in his return....

PREVIEW: The Portland Trail Blazers bring their offensive rebounding prowess (ranked 2nd in OREB%) and quick tempo attack to New Orleans , where the Pelicans rank first in attacking the rim but struggle defensively in that same area (ranked 27th). Portland enters this matchup as the healthier squad with several key players out, while New Orleans deals with injuries to Herb Jones and Dejounte Murray. The Trail Blazers sit at 14-20 and have won five of their last nine games, while the Pelicans occupy last place in the West with an 8-27 record. New Orleans dominated Portland in their last...

PREVIEW: The Sacramento Kings will look to snap a three-game losing stretch when visiting the Phoenix Suns on January 2, 2026 , with the Suns favored by 12.5 points. Sacramento has been without Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis for an extended period and will be on the second leg of a back-to-back after falling 120-106 to the Boston Celtics at home. The Kings rank 29th in three-point shooting frequency at just 34.4% of their shots from deep, while defensively they struggle mightily, ranking 28th in defending three-point shooters and 30th against attacking the rim. Offensively, Sacramento scores just 109.2 points...

PREVIEW: The San Antonio Spurs (24-9) travel to face the Indiana Pacers (6-28) on Friday night, with the Spurs looking to extend their three-game road winning streak. San Antonio will be without Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell due to injury, forcing the team to lean on depth that has proven resilient all season. The backcourt pairing of De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle remains formidable, with Julian Champagnie coming off a 36-point explosion against the Knicks. Defensively, the Spurs rank second in limiting attacks at the rim while ranking third in rebounding, though they struggle significantly against three-point shooting, ranking 27th...