Most fans will presumably be focused Wednesday night on the Chicago Bulls' attempt to thwart the Miami Heat's 27-game win streak on national television, but a loaded slate should provide action across the country.
NBA schedule 2013: Bulls look to stop streaking Heat; Nuggets visit San Antonio
All eyes will be on Heat-Bulls, but Wednesday night’s slate is loaded with quality games for the NBA fan.
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With 14 different games going on, we’re almost guaranteed to coax at least a few good contests out of this one. Here’s a quick rundown on the big games on this week’s final night before the NCAA Tournament gears up again Thursday:
7 p.m. ET, Miami Heat (56-14) vs. Chicago Bulls (38-31)
The big game of the night, Miami goes for a 28th consecutive win while the Bulls look for their third straight. The last time these teams played back on Feb. 21, the Bulls mustered just 67 points while committing 26 turnovers as Miami extended its present win streak to nine games. Bulls star big man Joakim Noah is a game-time decision for the contest, which will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
7:30 p.m. ET, Memphis Grizzlies (47-23) vs. New York Knicks (43-26)
After allowing John Wall to pile up 47 points in their last game, the Grizzlies are likely planning a much stronger effort this time around. One of the league's great defenses, Memphis doesn't typically give up those kinds of performances; the last 40-point game against Memphis pre-Wall was by Russell Westbrook in the 2011 playoffs. New York has won five in a row behind a red-hot J.R. Smith, which means he's probably due for a clunker soon.
8 p.m. ET, Indiana Pacers (44-27) vs. Houston Rockets (39-31)
This should really be one of the best games of the night. On one side, you have the run-and-gun, let’s-see-if-we-can-outscore-you Rockets. On the other side, you have the Pacers, a team that wins by slowing things down, pounding the boards and making offenses miserable. Wednesday night, we’ll get to see which style wins out as the Pacers visit Houston for their second game of the season. Back in January, Indiana defeated the Rockets at home, 105-95.
8:30 p.m. ET, Denver Nuggets (49-23) vs. San Antonio Spurs (53-17)
The Nuggets badly need wins in order to secure homecourt advantage for the postseason. Unfortunately, they're a pretty mediocre team on the road, and Wednesday night's match-up provides one of the league's most dominant teams on its own court. With point guard Ty Lawson still labeled a game-time decision, the Nuggets will likely need some of their athletes to step up in San Antonio.
10:30 p.m. ET, Brooklyn Nets (41-29) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (33-37)
The second nationally-televised game of the night pits the streaking Nets against a volatile Blazers squad. March has been a kind month to Brooklyn, which has won seven of its past 10 games, but inconsistency continues to plague Portland. The Blazers have posted a decent 7-6 record this month, but they haven’t been able to string together more than two consecutive wins since early January.
Here are the other games on Wednesday’s slate:
7 p.m. ET: Atlanta Hawks (39-32) vs. Toronto Raptors (26-44)
7 p.m. ET: Milwaukee Bucks (34-35) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (27-43)
7 p.m. ET: Orlando Magic (18-53) vs. Charlotte Bobcats (16-54)
7 p.m. ET: Boston Celtics (36-34) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (22-47)
8 p.m. ET: Los Angeles Clippers (48-23) vs. New Orleans Hornets (25-46)
8 p.m. ET: Washington Wizards (26-44) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (52-19)
8 p.m. ET: Los Angeles Lakers (36-35) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (25-44)
9 p.m. ET: Phoenix Suns (23-48) vs. Utah Jazz (35-36)
10:30 p.m. ET: Sacramento Kings (25-46) vs. Golden State Warriors (41-31)
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