New Orleans at Cleveland

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THE STORY: Even without one of their best players, the Cavaliers continue to find ways to win. The same can’t be said of the New Orleans Hornets, who travel to Cleveland on Wednesday. The Cavaliers have won each of their last two games in the final seconds and on the shoulders of rookie Kyrie Irving. The Hornets are playing their third consecutive road game in as many nights, dropping the first two at Oklahoma City and Indiana. The Hornets are 2-2 on this five-game road trip that will take them to the All-Star break.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Comcast, Fox Sports Ohio

ABOUT THE HORNETS (7-25): Star guard Eric Gordon is expected to be sidelined at least another five weeks after revealing Tuesday he had arthroscopic surgery last week to repair cartilage damage and remove debris from the knee. Gordon has not played since Jan. 4 and admitted Tuesday he first felt pain in the knee while a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, before the blockbuster trade that sent him to New Orleans.

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (13-17): Irving is quickly gaining a reputation as a clutch closer with a calm demeanor. The top overall pick in last summer’s draft sank a pair of free throws with less than a second remaining to beat Sacramento on Sunday, then came back to score 17 points without a turnover in the fourth quarter Tuesday to rally the Cavaliers from a 17-point deficit to beat the Pistons.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. Irving and Alonzo Gee combined to score 30 of the Cavaliers’ 35 points in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s win over the Pistons.

2. The Hornets actually have more wins on the road (four) than at home (three) this season.

3. The Cavaliers have rallied from a double-digit deficit to win a game five times this season.

PREDICTION: Cavaliers 98, Hornets 89. CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$   

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Orlando at New Jersey

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THE STORY: The Orlando Magic travel to New Jersey for the second of three meetings this season with the Nets on Wednesday. The Magic have won eight straight and 15 of the last 18 games with the Nets. Orlando cruised to a 94-78 victory over New Jersey in the season series opener Dec. 29. The Magic are playing the first game of a back-to-back and will travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks on Thursday. This is New Jersey’s final contest before the All-Star break.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SunSports (Orlando), YES (New Jersey)

ABOUT THE MAGIC (21-12): Orlando has won five of its last six games and is 9-3 in February. Dwight Howard recorded his East-leading 26th double-double of the season in Monday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The center is averaging 20.4 points, 14.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in his last seven games against the Nets. Guard Jason Richardson has missed the last two games with a chest virus, but should return for Wednesday’s contest. He’s averaging 12.2 points per game.

ABOUT THE NETS (10-24): Center Brook Lopez made his season debut with nine points in 22 minutes on Sunday as the Nets dropped their sixth straight at home to the Bucks. Coach Avery Johnson rested Lopez on Monday to get him ready for a physical matchup with Howard. Deron Williams scored a season-high 38 points in Lopez’s absence to lead New Jersey to a 100-92 victory over the Knicks. Williams has scored 25 points or more in six straight contests.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. The Nets haven’t dropped seven in a row at home since a 14-game slide Jan. 29-March 22, 2010.

2. The Nets are second in the NBA with 300 made three-pointers. New Jersey is shooting .356 (300-842) from downtown.

3. The Magic rank last in the league in free-throw percentage (.656) and fast break points per game (7.97).

PREDICTION: New Jersey 92, Orlando 88. CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$    

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Milwaukee at Chicago

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THE STORY: The Chicago Bulls proved that they can win with Derrick Rose not in the lineup. Now that last year’s MVP is healed from back spasms, the Bulls will go for a seventh consecutive win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. Rose finished with 26 points and 13 assists in the last meeting between the Central Division foes, a 113-90 win by Chicago on Feb. 4, but his back tightened up that night and forced him to miss five games.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports North, Comcast Sports

ABOUT THE BUCKS (13-19): The Bucks have felt the impact of missing two key big men. Center Andrew Bogut remains out with a broken ankle and now Drew Gooden has missed three straight with a sprained wrist. The good news is Ersan Ilyasova has taken advantage of his extended playing time, averaging 19.3 points and 16.7 rebounds with Gooden sidelined. Milwaukee has dropped five of six, including a heartbreaking 93-90 loss to Orlando on Monday in which they led late.

ABOUT THE BULLS (26-8): Rose returned from the five-game absence to score a game-high 23 points in a 90-79 win over Atlanta on Monday. “He felt he was 100 percent and he could go. He was cleared medically to do it,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We’ll just go from there. He said he felt well out there.” Rose has averaged 30 points and 11 assists in the three previous meetings with the Bucks. Center Joakim Noah has been absent on the offensive end, totaling five points on 2 of 8 shooting his past two outings.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. The Bucks seem to go as point guard Brandon Jennings goes. They are just 4-12 when he fails to score 20 points.

2. Chicago should enjoy an advantage on the boards. The Bulls are grabbing 45.4 rebounds per contest, second in the NBA.

PREDICTION: Bulls 106, Bucks 91. CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$     

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Philadelphia at Houston

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THE STORY: An offense that has gone into a deep freeze has sent the Philadelphia 76ers into a four-game spiral heading toward the All-Star break. The Sixers will look to avoid a fifth consecutive defeat Wednesday night when they visit the Houston Rockets – an opponent they have dominated in recent years. Philadelphia scored 24 second-half points in a loss to Dallas last week and managed 10 first-quarter points in a defeat at Memphis on Tuesday. “We’ve been in a little funk offensively,” swingman Andre Iguodala said.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSP, FSH

ABOUT THE 76ERS (20-13): Philadelphia scored only 76 points against a Memphis squad that had lost in Houston 24 hours earlier. One silver lining is that PG Jrue Holiday appears to have righted himself. After back-to-back games in which he scored a combined six points on 1-of-17 shooting, Holiday had 20 points Sunday and netted a team-high 22 Tuesday. Rookie center Lavoy Hawkins scored a season-high 14 points, but he had little help inside with Elton Brand (thumb) sitting out and Spencer Hawes (Achilles) sidelined indefinitely.


ABOUT THE ROCKETS (19-14): Houston has won two straight and three of four on its current six-game homestand. Leading scorer Kevin Martin may be getting back into a groove after a dismal six-game stretch earlier this month in which he was held to four points or fewer four times. He has scored in double figures in four straight games, including 22 in the win over Memphis. Point guard Kyle Lowry is coming off 32- and 24-point performances that included nine assists in each game.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. Philadelphia has failed to score 100 points in 16 consecutive games.

2. Houston has lost seven of eight to the Sixers, including the last four at home. The Rockets haven’t beaten Philly in Houston since Jan. 29, 2007.

PREDICTION: Rockets 98, Sixers 94. CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$  

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Could Tony Parker be on the move by Thursday night? (AP Images

Utah at Minnesota
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

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THE STORY: The Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz each sit one game below .500. Only one of them can go into the All-Star break even. The Timberwolves won three straight to reach .500 but were edged 103-101 in overtime at Denver on Monday. The Jazz were once one of the surprise teams in the Western Conference but are now on the verge of falling alone into the Northwest Division basement. Utah is 3-9 in February and has allowed an average of 100.8 points over that span.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southwest Plus (Jazz), FS North (Timberwolves)

ABOUT THE JAZZ (15-16): Utah beat Minnesota 108-98 on Jan. 21, pushing its record to 10-5. Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson combined for 44 points and 21 rebounds in that one and C.J. Miles poured in 18 points off the bench. Things have fallen off quite a bit since. Millsap and Jefferson have been consistent performers in the frontcourt but the defense has been a problem. The Jazz’s only win in the last five games came at home to the lowly Washington Wizards, who still managed to put up 100 points in the 114-100 decision.


ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (16-17): Kevin Love has only had two games this season in which he did not record a double-double. One was a 15-point, eight-rebound performance at Utah, in which he shot 5 for 21 from the floor and 1 for 7 from 3-point range. Love had another off night on Monday, shooting 7 for 23, as Minnesota had its winning streak snapped. The Timberwolves shot 36 percent and were outrebounded for one of the few times, 57-50 at Denver. Minnesota has not been more than one game over .500 at any point this season and head West for a four-game road trip immediately following the All-Star break.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. Utah has taken six of the last seven meetings.

2. Jazz guard Raja Bell (adductor) missed Monday’s game and will be a game-time decision Wednesday.

3. Love has averaged 15.6 points and 11.4 rebounds in 13 career games against Utah.

PREDICTION: Timberwolves 110, Jazz 99.  CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$   

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L.A. Lakers at Dallas

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THE STORY: After an easy 103-92 victory over Portland on Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers got together for a players-only meeting, emphasizing that they must only worry about their jobs and not off-court distractions. The Lakers, just 5-11 on the road, will try to head into the All-Star break with momentum, playing a tough back-to-back at Dallas on Wednesday and at Oklahoma City on Thursday. “I think we just have to go (on the road) and play with confidence and get rest,” center Andrew Bynum said. “We get rest, we’re good.” Dallasalready has momentum, winning seven of eight after beating Boston 89-73 on Monday.

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT THE LAKERS (19-13): Backup guard Steve Blake had his best game of the season against Portland, scoring 17 points and making five of six 3-pointers. “The way that Steve Blake shot the ball tonight, he was extremely efficient,” Lakers coach Mike Brown said. “If those guys can continue doing that and running the team and then defending the way they did tonight, that’s all we need from our point guard spot.” In his last five games against Dallas, NBA leading scorer Kobe Bryant has missed all 16 of his 3-point attempts.


ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (21-12): Much has been made about Pau Gasol possibly being traded by the Lakers, but don’t look for the Mavericks to do the same with Lamar Odom. Yes, Odom was acquired in a trade before the season, but has largely been a disappointment. He averages 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds, about half of his career averages. Dallas seeks its fifth consecutive home victory and has limited its last four home opponents to 85.8 points per game and 38.9 percent shooting.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. The Lakers have won 11 of the last 14 regular-season meetings with the Mavericks, including three in a row.

2. Dallas guard Jason Terry has averaged 24 points in the last five home games against the Lakers.

3. In a 73-70 victory Jan. 16, the Lakers held the Mavericks to their lowest scoring game in series history.

PREDICTION: Mavericks 96, Lakers 91.  CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$   

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Denver at L.A. Clippers

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THE STORY: Denver has had little to be happy with this month, but the Nuggets were thrilled with a 103-101 overtime win against Minnesota on Monday. Denver will try to extend the Clippers’ losing streak to three games Wednesday at Los Angeles. The Nuggets are battling injuries throughout the lineup and could be without Nene (calf injury), Danilo Gallinari (ankle), Rudy Fernandez (back) and Ty Lawson (ankle). The Clippers fell at Golden State 104-97 on Monday for their second consecutive loss.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Altitude (Nuggets), Prime Ticket (Clippers)

ABOUT THE NUGGETS (18-15): Help could be coming for the depleted Nuggets. They could see the return of former forward Wilson Chandler. He watched Monday’s game with Nuggets executive Masai Ujiri. Chandler is playing in China, but must await his team’s approval as well as clearance by FIBA, the governing body. “Hopefully we get something done,” Chandler said. “Watching (the NBA) on TV and coming to the game today, it makes you miss it.” Also helping would be more efforts like the one sixth man Al Harrington provided, scoring a season-high 31 points.


ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (19-11): Chris Paul took much of the blame for Monday’s loss at Golden State, and is eager to avoid the first three-game losing streak since signing with the Clippers. He noted that despite the Nuggets’ struggles, they beat the Clippers by 21 at Staples Center on Feb. 2. “I think it’s great that we’re mad about losing. I think that’s a good thing,” Paul said. “The bad part about that is that we did lose. So we’ve got to correct some things and we’ve got to come out tomorrow night and give a good showing against Denver. We owe those guys.”

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. The Clippers are 5-14 in their last 19 games against the Nuggets and have not won a season series since 2005-06.

2. The Nuggets are 10-1 this season and were 28-1 in 2010-11 when outrebounding and outshooting the opposition in the same game.

3. In their 112-91 victory Feb. 2, the Nuggets outshot the Clippers 65 percent to 37 percent from the field in the third quarter to pull away after trailing by 13 in the first quarter.

PREDICTION: Clippers 103, Nuggets 98. CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$    

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North Carolina Central at Indiana

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THE STORY: No. 24 Indiana closes out its non-conference schedule with a game against North Carolina Central. The Hoosiers, who are 3.5 games behind Big Ten leader Michigan State, are eliminated from the regular season championship discussion with only three conference games left. Even so, the break in Big Ten action comes at a good time for Indiana, which is coming off a 78-66 loss to Iowa. TheHoosiers will use their game against the Eagles to sort things out before they resume conference play on the road at Minnesota on Feb. 26.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, BTN.com.

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL (14-12, 8-5 MEAC): After a 3-4 start in MEAC play, North Carolina Central has won five of its last six. That includes back-to-back victories, a 71-56 win over South Carolina State on Feb. 13 and Saturday’s 71-66 road win over North Carolina A&T. The Eagles have won three straight on the road, but are just 4-9 away from home overall. Against teams from BCS leagues, they are 0-3 with two losses coming by a combined 31 points. Dominique Sutton, a senior transfer from Kansas State, averages a team-high 16.3 points and 7.6 rebounds.


ABOUT INDIANA (20-7, 8-7 BIG TEN): The Hoosiers have won three of their last four games, but their recent setback against the Hawkeyes exposed their rebounding weakness, as Iowa racked up 16 offensive rebounds. Indiana needs to limit its opponent’s second-chance opportunities if it hopes to make a deep run in the conference and NCAA tournaments. Offensively, however, the Hoosiers have been efficient. Led by Cody Zeller’s 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds, Indiana averages 78 points and shoots 49.1 percent from the field.

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1. Indiana already has eight more wins than it had in 2010-11. No other major-conference school has shown that much improvement.

2. North Carolina Central is 0-25 against major-conference teams since 2007-08.

3. Indiana is 2-0 all-time against the Eagles, including a 72-56 victory on Nov. 23, 2010.

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West Virginia at Notre Dame

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THE STORY: Riding an eight-game win streak all the way to a No. 18 national ranking,Notre Dame takes aim at a season sweep of West Virginia after rallying for a 55-51 victory in Morgantown, W.Va., on Feb. 8. The Fighting Irish had made just 2 of 18 3-point shots in the game before hitting three straight during a late 11-0 run to seize control of the game. Including that setback, West Virginia had lost five of six before posting a 66-48 win at rival Pittsburgh last Thursday.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2, ESPN3 (web).

ABOUT NOTRE DAME (19-8, 11-3 Big East): Since losing star forward Tim Abromaitis to a season-ending injury in November, the red-hot Fighting Irish have found surprising success by slowing the pace of the game. Their 61.1 possessions per contest in conference action are the second fewest among Big East teams, and they are allowing a league-best 58.7 points against conference opponents. Junior PF Jack Cooley (12.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.5 bpg) leads the Big East in field-goal percentage (61.8) and has posted four consecutive double-doubles, a run that began with a 21-point, 12-rebound effort at West Virginia.


ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (17-10, 7-7): Senior F Kevin Jones has carried the load inside for the Mountaineers, leading the Big East in scoring (20.4) and rebounding (11.3). He and junior PF Deniz Kilicli (11.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg) pace a frontcourt that has West Virginia ranked second in the Big East in rebounding margin (plus-6.0). Senior G Truck Bryant is tied for seventh in the league with 16.7 ppg, but he is shooting just 31.3 percent on 192 3-point attempts (most in the Big East) and 36.2 percent overall. Bryant was held scoreless in the home loss to Notre Dame earlier this month.

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1. Notre Dame holds a 26-12 lead in the all-time series despite losing four of the last five meetings before this season.

2. The Fighting Irish are 16-2 against the Mountaineers at home, winning 11 consecutive meetings in South Bend dating back to 1987.

3. Jones ranks second nationally with 18 double-doubles, trailing only O.D. Anosike of Siena (20).

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South Florida at Syracuse

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THE STORY: South Florida is still looking for a signature victory, but the Bulls have won four straight as they visit No. 2 Syracuse. The Bulls’ defense, which has allowed an average of 49.3 points the last four games, will face the ultimate test. Syracuse scores almost 77 points per game and shoots 47.6 percent from the field, both best in the Big East. The Orange are third in the nation in steals (9.9) and play solid defense. The key might be the battle between South Florida’s talented freshman point guard Anthony Collins and Syracuse’s senior floor general Scoop Jardine.

TV: 7 p.m. ET; Big East Network, ESPN3.com

ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA (17-10, 10-4 Big East): The Bulls have not lost since a humbling 30-point defeat at Georgetown on Feb. 4. Collins has been a big reason, averaging 11 points and 6.2 assists the last six games. He was named the Big East rookie of the week after a career-high 22 points at Pittsburgh on Sunday. Victor Rudd has also raised his game, averaging 12 points and six rebounds the last three games. Augustus Gilchrist is the only double-figure scorer (10.5). South Florida allows 58.2 points per game, best in the Big East.

ABOUT SYRACUSE (27-1, 14-1 Big East): The Orange have won seven straight since their lone loss at Notre Dame, but had tough battles in six of them. Syracuse can clinch at least a tie for the Big East regular-season title with one more victory and is off to the best 28-game start in the program’s history. The Orange have a productive and balanced offense. Kris Joseph (14.0) and Dion Waiters (12.0) average in double figures and six are scoring at least 7.9. Sophomore center Fab Melo has averaged 10.8 points and 2.8 blocks the last five games.

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1. South Florida has set a team record for Big East wins in a season with four games left.

2. Jardine has had seven assists or more in eight games this season and averages 5.0.

3. Syracuse has won eight of nine meetings. The only win for the Bulls was Feb. 13, 2008 in Tampa.

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