Starting Lineups: Dec. 30
The Toronto Raptors making a visit to the Portland Trail Blazers highlights a busy night in the NBA on Tuesday, which will see 20 teams in action.
Toronto, the top team in the Eastern Conference, will end its 2014 year on the road against the Western Conference's second-best squad. It'll be no easy task for the Raptors, as Portland is 14-2 at the Moda Center, and is expected to get LaMarcus Aldridge back in the lineup following a two-game absence.
The matchup features the NBA's second-highest scoring team in Toronto - averaging 108.5 points per game - versus one of the Association's stingiest defenses. Portland is holding opponents to 96.5 points, good for third-best in the NBA.
In other action, Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy will make his return to Orlando for the first time since the Magic fired him, while the Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls will look to stay hot. The Suns enter Tuesday winners of six straight games - and will be in tough on the road versus the Anthony Davis-led New Orleans Pelicans - while the Bulls take a seven-game winning streak into a home matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.
The Washington Wizards versus the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies against the injury-riddled San Antonio Spurs, and a battle of two of the East's top teams in the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks also highlight what should be an exciting night in the NBA.
Cleveland will have to get by without LeBron James, who is sitting out on his 30th birthday due to knee soreness.
Here are Tuesday's projected starting lineups:
Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic, 7 p.m. ET
| Position | Pistons | Magic |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Brandon Jennings | Elfrid Payton |
| SG | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Victor Oladipo |
| SF | Kyle Singler | Tobias Harris |
| PF | Greg Monroe | Kyle O'Quinn |
| C | Andre Drummond | Nikola Vucevic |
Cleveland Cavaliers at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m. ET
| Position | Cavaliers | Hawks |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Kyle Irving | Jeff Teague |
| SG | Matthew Dellavedova | Kyle Korver |
| SF | Mike Miller | DeMarre Carroll |
| PF | Kevin Love | Paul Millsap |
| C | Tristan Thompson | Pero Antic |
Cavaliers SF LeBron James (knee) will not play
Cavaliers F Shawn Marion (ankle) will not play
Cavaliers C Anderson Varejao (foot) will not play
Cavaliers PG Kyrie Irving (knee) will return
Hawks C Al Horford (illness) will not play
Phoenix Suns at New Orleans Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET
| Position | Suns | Pelicans |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Goran Dragic | Jrue Holiday |
| SG | Eric Bledsoe | Tyreke Evans |
| SF | P.J. Tucker | Luke Babbitt |
| PF | Markieff Morris | Anthony Davis |
| C | Alex Len | Omer Asik |
Pelicans SF John Salmons (personal) will not play
Brooklyn Nets at Chicago Bulls, 8 p.m. ET
| Position | Nets | Bulls |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Jarrett Jack | Derrick Rose |
| SG | Sergey Karasev | Jimmy Butler |
| SF | Joe Johnson | Mike Dunleavy |
| PF | Mason Plumlee | Pau Gasol |
| C | Brook Lopez | Joakim Noah |
Nets PF Kevin Garnett (rest) will not play
Bulls PG Kirk Hinrich (hamstring) will not play
San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies, 8 p.m. ET
| Position | Spurs | Grizzlies |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Cory Joseph | Mike Conley |
| SG | Danny Green | Courtney Lee |
| SF | Marco Belinelli | Tony Allen |
| PF | Tim Duncan | Jon Leuer |
| C | Tiago Splitter | Marc Gasol |
Spurs SF Kawhi Leonard (hand) will not play
Spurs PG Tony Parker (hamstring) will not play
Grizzlies PF Zach Randolph (knee) will not play
Washington Wizards at Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 p.m. ET
| Position | Wizards | Mavericks |
|---|---|---|
| PG | John Wall | Rajon Rondo |
| SG | Bradley Beal | Monta Ellis |
| SF | Paul Pierce | Chandler Parsons |
| PF | Nene Hilario | Dirk Nowitzki |
| C | Marcin Gortat | Tyson Chandler |
Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets, 9 p.m. ET
| Position | Lakers | Nuggets |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Ronnie Price | Ty Lawson |
| SG | Kobe Bryant | Arron Afflalo |
| SF | Wesley Johnson | Wilson Chandler |
| PF | Ed Davis | Kenneth Faried |
| C | Jordan Hill | Timofey Mozgov |
Minnesota Timberwolves at Utah Jazz, 9 p.m. ET
| Position | Timberwolves | Jazz |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Zach LaVine | Trey Burke |
| SG | Shabazz Muhammad | Rodney Hood |
| SF | Andrew Wiggins | Gordon Hayward |
| PF | Thaddeus Young | Derrick Favors |
| C | Gorgui Dieng | Enes Kanter |
Jazz SG Alec Burks (shoulder) will not play, out for season
Toronto Raptors at Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. ET
| Position | Raptors | Trail Blazers |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Kyle Lowry | Damian Lillard |
| SG | Terrence Ross | Wesley Matthews |
| SF | James Johnson | Nicolas Batum |
| PF | Amir Johnson | LaMarcus Aldridge |
| C | Jonas Valanciunas | Joel Freeland |
Blazers PF LaMarcus Aldridge (illness) will play
Raptors SF Landry Fields (concussion) will not play
Philadelphia 76ers at Golden State Warriors, 10:30 p.m. ET
| Position | 76ers | Warriors |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Michael Carter-Williams | Stephen Curry |
| SG | Tony Wroten | Klay Thompson |
| SF | Robert Covington | Harrison Barnes |
| PF | Nerlens Noel | Draymond Green |
| C | Henry Sims | Marreese Speights |
76ers SF Luc Mbah a Moute (calf) will not play
76ers SG Hollis Thompson (illness) will not play
HEADLINES
- Pacers erase 17-point deficit, take Game 1 over Knicks in OT
- How the Pacers rallied from 14 down in the final 3:14 vs. Knicks
- T-Wolves' Edwards fined $50K for using profane language in interview
- Gilgeous-Alexander named MVP over 3-time winner Jokic
- What's next: Where the Warriors and Nuggets go from here