Basketball

Utah Jazz (4-1, second in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (3-2, seventh in the Western Conference) Denver; Friday, 9 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Western Conference foes Denver and Utah square off.

Charlotte Hornets (2-2, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Orlando Magic (0-5, 15th in the Eastern Conference) Orlando, Florida; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Orlando heads into the matchup against Charlotte after losing five straight games.

Houston Rockets (1-4, 13th in the Western Conference) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (4-1, first in the Western Conference) Portland, Oregon; Friday, 10 p.m.

Miami Heat (2-3, 10th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (2-2, ninth in the Western Conference) San Francisco; Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Warriors -7.5; over/under is 225.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Damian Lillard left the Portland Trail Blazers' game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night because of a strained right calf, but he says the injury is not serious.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Bam Adebayo scored 18 points and the Miami Heat snapped Portland's four-game winning streak with a 119-98 victory on Wednesday night.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lauri Markkanen had 24 points and nine rebounds to help the Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets 109-101 on Wednesday night. Jordan Clarkson scored 20 points — hitting five 3-pointers — and had six assists for Utah.

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 31 points and 13 rebounds, Jamal Murray hit a big 3-pointer and the Denver Nuggets kept the Los Angeles Lakers winless with a 110-99 victory Wednesday night. The Lakers dropped to 0-4 under new coach Darvin Ham.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash says he wants to see Ben Simmons regain “that joy of playing the game” as the three-time All-Star tries to bounce back after missing all of last season.

CHICAGO (AP) — Zach LaVine scored 28 points, including a key 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter that sparked the Bulls to a 124-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.