NBA
Chicago @ Orlando - ESPN 7 p.m.
A pair of furious second-half rallies have the Magic's winning streak at four heading into Friday night's visit from the Central Division-leading Bulls, who hope to put a second-half collapse behind them and avoid their sixth straight loss in Orlando. While Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard are clearly two of the league's top players, much of the success for the Bulls and Magic hinges on how Luol Deng and Jason Richardson, respectively, perform. Chicago is 23-5 when Deng scores 19 points or more, while Orlando is 18-5 when Richardson contributes at least 11 points. The teams have split their previous two meetings this season, both in Chicago.
Oklahoma City @ Atlanta - FSN South 7:30 p.m.
The league's leading scorer Kevin Durant is doubtful, but the Thunder are 3-1 this year without him in the lineup. The Hawks certainly won't miss facing Durant. He's averaged 30.8 points in his last four meetings with the Hawks, the last three of which were Thunder victories. He scored 33 in a 103-94 win over Atlanta on Dec. 31. Atlanta plays nine of its next 10 at home, where it's won 15 of 19. The Hawks, however, have gone 1-6 in their last seven home games against Oklahoma City.
Miami @ San Antonio - ESPN 9:30 p.m.
Miami leads the Southeast Division and is second in the Eastern Conference behind Boston. However, the Spurs own the best overall record and a 5 1/2-game cushion over Dallas in the West. Despite its star-studded lineup, Miami is only 14-16 against teams at or above .500. The team is 0-2 to start a stretch of 11 consecutive games versus teams with winning records, including five against current division leaders and two against San Antonio. The Spurs have had little trouble prevailing when hosting the Heat, taking 21 of 23 all-time. They pounded Miami 108-78 in the most recent meeting in San Antonio in 2009.
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