Who Plays Tonight in the NBA?
Keep up with the latest NBA games by checking out our blog post on who is playing tonight.
Eastern Conference
The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers are facing off tonight in what is sure to be an exciting game. These two teams have been dominant in the Eastern Conference all season and are currently the top two seeds. The winner of this game will likely have the conference’s best record.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of the league’s original eight teams, the team play their home games at TD Garden, which they share with the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Boston Bruins. The Celtics are one of the most successful teams in NBA history; as of 2019, they have won a record 17 NBA championships, which accounts for 24% of all NBA championships ever won by a single franchise.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Barclays Center. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City; the other is the New York Knicks. The team was established in 1967 as a charter franchise of the NBA’s rival league, the American Basketball Association (ABA). They played four seasons in New Jersey as the New Jersey Americans, before relocating to Long Island, New York, in 1968 and changing their name to the New York Nets. During this time, the Nets won two ABA championships (in 1976 and 1977).
The Nets were purchased by Theodore JR eventually selling them to a Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov who promised to make them an NBA title contender. In 2012, after 4 lackluster seasons under Prokhorov’s watch Which included them just missing out on making the playoffs in his first year as owner, they finally made it back to the postseason led by All-Star guard Deron Williams and All-Star forward Brook Lopez. However, they would be swept by their crosstown rivals, Knicks in round 1. After that disappointing loss, Billy King decided to splurge on free agents giving massive contracts to role players such as Kris Humphries which would come back to bite them later on down road due to luxury tax penalties
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association, as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team is owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan, who bought majority ownership in the team in 2010. The Hornets play their home games at the Spectrum Center in Uptown Charlotte.
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are a professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They play in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Bulls compete in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference with the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division. The team began play in 1970 as an expansion team and won their first Eastern Conference Championship in 2007. They have reached the NBA Finals five times, winning the championship in 2016.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons are a professional basketball team based in the Detroit metropolitan area. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division and plays its home games at Little Caesars Arena.
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first established in 1967 as a member of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and became a member of the NBA in 1976 after the ABA–NBA merger. They play their home games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The team is named after Indiana’s history with the Indianapolis 500’s pace cars and with the harness racing industry.
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are one of the most popular teams in the NBA, and they have a long history of success. They play in the Eastern Conference, and their games are often televised nationally. The Heat have won three NBA titles, and they have appeared in the Finals five times.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks play in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and plays its home games at the Fiserv Forum. The Bucks compete in the NBA as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division.
Western Conference
The Golden State Warriors will take on the Houston Rockets in the first game of the Western Conference Finals tonight. The Warriors are the reigning champions and are looking to repeat. The Rockets are the #1 seed in the West and are looking to dethrone the Warriors. This should be a great series.
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the American Airlines Center, which it shares with the National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars.
The Mavericks were founded in 1980 as an expansion team, and won three division titles during the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, they qualified for the NBA Finals for the first time, losing to the Miami Heat in six games. In 2006, they returned to the Finals led by Dirk Nowitzki and defeated the Shaquille O’Neal-led Heat in six games to win their first NBA championship. They followed up their success by winning five division titles from 2007 to 2012 and captured their second NBA championship in 2011 by defeating the Miami Heat for a second time in six games during that year’s Finals, becoming only one of two teams (the other being Draymond Green’s 2017–18 Golden State Warriors) to beat James’ teams back-to-back Finals.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Nuggets play their home games at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The team was founded in 1967 as part of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and joined the NBA in 1976.
The Nuggets have reached the playoffs ten times since joining the NBA, but have never advanced past the second round. The team’s last playoff appearance came in 2013, when they lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first round.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was founded in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors, a charter member of the Basketball Association of America (BAA). In 1962, the franchise relocated to San Francisco and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when its name was changed to the current Golden State Warriors.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are a professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Center, located in Downtown Houston. Throughout their history, the Rockets have won two NBA championships and four Western Conference titles. Their closest rivals are the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. The Clippers play their home games at Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles, an arena they share with fellow NBA team the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL), and the Los Angeles Aztecs of Roller Derby.
The franchise was founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves, one of three expansion teams to join the NBA that year. The Braves moved from Buffalo, New York to San Diego, California in 1978 and became known as the San Diego Clippers. In 1984, The Clippers moved to Los Angeles. Through much of its history, the franchise failed to see significant regular season or playoff success; they never finished a season above .500 until 1993–94, when they finally made it to second round of playoffs for first time since 1976–77 season started. They had terrible times through 70s and 80s finishing near bottom most seasons resulting in 1-17 record in 1979-80 season which at time was NBA worst ever single season record.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league’s Western Conference in the Pacific Division. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, an arena shared with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. The franchise began with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team, the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League (NBL). The new team began playing in Minneapolis, calling themselves the Minneapolis Lakers in honor of Minnesota’s nickname, “Land of 10,000 Lakes”.[7][8] Initially a member of the NBL, the Lakers won the 1948 NBL championship before joining the rival Basketball Association of America, where they would win five of the next six championships, led by star George Mikan.[9][10] After struggling financially in the late 1950s following Mikan’s retirement, they relocated to Los Angeles before the 1960–61 season.[11]
Led by Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, Los Angeles made radical roster changes after struggling to compete against teams built around dominant big men such as Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain,[12][13] acquiring All-Star center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar while trading away homegrown stars such as Walt Hazzard and Gail Goodrich.[14][15] The franchise enjoyed considerable success in early 1970s under head coach Bill Sharman but failed to make significant playoff appearances between 1971 and 1979.[16] After missing playoffs for nine consecutive seasons from 1979–80 to 1987–88,[17][18] they finally returned under Jerry West’s leadership but failed to advance beyond Conference Finals.[19][20] Between 1995 and 1999 (a period coinciding with O’Neal leading them) led by O’Neal and another Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant,[21] who drafted young players such as Eddie Jones and Derek Fisher while trading for Shaquille O’Neal and Robert Horry[22][23], it won three additional championships by securing two back-to-back titles starting with 2000–01 NBA season.[24][25] As recently as 2002–03 season when O’Neal co-authored 72 wins regular season record,[26][27] it appeared poised to capture an unprecedented fourth title before being upset by eventual champion San Antonio Spurs.
Roster Last Update: October 28th
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The Grizzlies play their home games at FedExForum. The team is owned by Robert Pera. The Grizzlies are currently the only team in the major professional North American sports leagues based in the city of Memphis.
Founded as the Vancouver Grizzlies, they shares with the Toronto Raptors which joined NBA in 1995, as an expansion team that same year. After the 2000–01 season ended, due to mounting financial losses, retracting ticket sales and unenthusiastic fans, Franchise owner Michael Heisley announced that the team would be relocated to Memphis effective for the 2001–02 season. Home games were played at General Motors Place for their first five seasons and then at Rogers Arena for one more year before returning to GM Place, now known as Rogers Arena, until moving to FedExForum permanently in 2004.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team played its home games at the Target Center from 1989 to 2020. On March 25, 2020, the team announced that they would play their home games at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul until at least 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Timberwolves were founded in 1989 as an expansion team, and played their first regular season game on November 3, 1989. The team has been through some rebuilding since missing the playoffs in 2005; between 2006 and 2016, they had only two winning seasons and won only one playoff series.
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays their home games in Smoothie King Center.
The Pelicans were established as the New Orleans Hornets in the NBA’s expansion season of 1988–89. Originally owned by original Hornets owner George Shinn, the then-Hornets franchise relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In 2013, the franchise underwent rebranding to become the Pelicans, changing their colors from teal and gold to blue and gold.
The team’s name change from Hornets to Pelicans was announced on April 18, 2013. Their new logo was unveiled on June 18 during a press conference at Smoothie King Center. The name “Pelicans” was chosen for its Louisiana roots and because it is an easily identifiable bird within the State with its long beak making it distinct among other birds. The Pelican also symbolized that with time and determination, toughness can overcome hardship and tragedy as New Orleans has done several times throughout its history.
Other games
The Portland Trail Blazers take on the Houston Rockets in one of the most highly-anticipated games of the season. These two teams are among the best in the Western Conference, and they will surely put on a great show tonight. In addition to this game, there are several other great matchups taking place around the league.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards
The Atlanta Hawks take on the Washington Wizards tonight at 7:00 PM EST. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trail Blazers
The Oklahoma City Thunder are in action tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers. The game is set to tip off at 10:00 pm ET and will be televised on ESPN.
The Thunder are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference with a record of 44-34. They are coming off a loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. The Trail Blazers are in third place in the conference with a record of 49-28. They have won four straight games and are coming off a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
In their last meeting, the Thunder defeated the Trail Blazers 114-112 on February 11th. Russell Westbrook led the way for Oklahoma City with 24 points and 12 assists. Damian Lillard had 28 points and 10 assists for Portland in the losing effort.
