The Detroit Pistons limped into their Christmas break with a five-game losing streak and a series of nagging injuries to key players. The Pistons will try to come out of the two-day break strong when they host the Washington Wizards on Thursday.

The Brooklyn Nets seek a fifth straight win over their in-city rival when they host the New York Knicks on Thursday. The Nets are coming off a 122-112 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in the opener of their two-game homestand, riding Spencer Dinwiddie's 39 points to their 11th win in the last 16 games.

The Memphis Grizzlies are hoping two days off for a Christmas break can help the team forget about some of the breakdowns on the defensive end that occurred during a 145-115 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. The Grizzlies will try to get things right when they visit the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.

Star point guard Luka Doncic will likely return from a four-game absence when the Dallas Mavericks host the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. Doncic, who suffered an ankle injury against the Miami Heat on Dec. 14, went through a full practice on Tuesday and displayed he is nearly ready to rejoin the Mavericks.

A pair of teams desperate for a victory meet Thursday in Sacramento as the Kings host the Minnesota Timberwolves. Sacramento followed up a 4-1 stretch with four straight losses, a streak that continued with Monday's 113-104 loss to Houston in the opener of a three-game homestand.

Portland star guard Damian Lillard looks to bounce back from an awful shooting performance when the Trail Blazers visit the Utah Jazz on Thursday at Salt Lake City. Lillard was 6-of-21 shooting and missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts as Portland suffered a 102-94 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.