Injuries helped derail a once-promising season for the Orlando Magic, who are losers of nine in a row. The Magic will try to take advantage of another team that just had a key player go down with an injury when they host the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.

Two of the top three teams in the NBA square off on Thursday, when the Houston Rockets visit the Boston Celtics. Houston owns the second-best record in the league and will be looking to halt a three-game slide when it takes on the Celtics, who possess the third-best mark.

The fast-rising Minnesota Timberwolves seek their sixth consecutive victory when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. Offseason acquisition Jimmy Butler has helped spur the improvement, and he scored a season-best 39 points in Wednesday's 128-125 overtime win over Denver.

Kawhi Leonard is showing signs of hitting his stride and looks to make more progress when the San Antonio Spurs host the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Leonard has played in just five games after suffering a quadriceps injury prior to the campaign but scored 21 points in a season-high 26 minutes of Tuesday's 109-97 victory over Brooklyn.

The Portland Trail Blazers did not want to go into a long break with a four-game losing streak, so they pulled out a 95-92 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday to snap the slide. Finally back in action on Thursday, the Trail Blazers will host another team hoping one win can change its fortunes in the Philadelphia 76ers.