My Pre-Game Picks For Today’s Games
It’s a busy day of NBA action, and we have 10 games on the schedule today. I’m going to preview every single game, and give some analysis on each matchup, predicting the winner for each game.
Brooklyn Nets vs Cleveland Cavaliers
The Nets are 2-0 in the James Harden era, their most recent win coming against the Bucks. Harden and Durant have fit together perfectly, as they seem to be having no chemistry issues. The Nets offense has been producing, but their defense has been questionable. They need Deandre Jordan to be better down low, or they need to make a move for the better defensive center. Kyrie Irving has missed the last 7 games for, some reason, but he’s back in action today. Irving is talented, and nobody is denying that. But how will he fit in with Durant and Harden? The two of them have already worked very good together, so can Kyrie add to the harmony, or just mess things up? We’ll just have to wait and see as Brooklyn takes on the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavs are been managing to stay around 0.500 with a record of 6-7, even though their offense hasn’t been great. Their young backcourt of Garland and Sexton have missed time with injuries, and the Cavs offense, which is the worst in the league, hasn’t been able to produce. The Cavs haven’t played since January 15th, so they might be a bit rusty. Garland remains out, while Sexton returns to the lineup. While the Cavs defense has been very good, they don’t have anybody to try and stop the Nets offensive powerhouse. This will be a tough game for the Cavs, and likely a loss.
Final Verdict: The Cavs are just too short-handed in this game to win. The Nets are title contenders, and even though they might fall off a bit with Kyrie returning, the Nets still have a massive advantage.
Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers
The Celtics have been dealing with Covid over the past week, and they’ve been depleted because of it. But they’ve been getting guys back, and even though they got smacked by the Knicks last time out, they are still good. Without Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown will have to play like an All-Star. Kemba Walker is back, as he slowly tries to work himself back. The Celtics are getting healthier, but they face a tough task with Joel Embiid and the 76ers.
The 76ers are another team that has been hit hard by Covid, but they’ve got most of their key guys back. Harris, Simmons, and Joel Embiid are all playing. They are still without Seth Curry, but they have their 3 best players back. Ben Simmons doesn’t really have a role with this team, as he has struggled to score. He is a good defender and passer, but he just kind of clogs things up on offense, as defenses really don’t have to guard him outside the paint. But I do expect the 76ers to be better on offense with Embiid down low, as he has playing very well this season.
Final Verdict: The 76ers are the healthier team in this game, and they should be winning. When they were at full strength like they are right now, they were dominating everybody, as their offense was so good. The 76ers should dominate down low as the Celtics interior defense is poor, and this should be a win for the 76ers.
Dallas Mavericks vs Indiana Pacers
The Mavericks are another team, that has just been plagued by injuries. Their best defenders have all been hurt, and Luka Doncic just hasn’t had enough weapons to win. Kristaps Porzingis has been getting better and back into game form, but they are still missing a lot of key guys. They are still missing Powell, Kleber, Finney-Smith, and Richardson for this game. It’s tough for the Mavs to win with such little help, as Luka can only do so much. And while short-handed, the Pacers get to face a very good Indiana team.
The Pacers got stomped on by the Clippers, as their defense against PG and Kawhi wasn’t very good. Myles Turner has a hand fracture, although it’s not thought out to be serious, and Turner was playing in practice. Turner means to much to this team down low, as he is the best shot-blocker in the NBA right now. The Pacers offense has been very good led by Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon, both of whom have been playing like All-Stars. Jeremy Lamb is playing for the first time in 11 months, as he provides some scoring off the bench. The Pacers are very good, and they are a tough team to beat, as they are very mechanically sound.
Final Verdict: The Mavericks are still very short-handed, and Luka Doncic, who has already been doing so much, just likely won’t be enough. Indiana is a very good team, and they will be looking to be a lot better than they were against the Clippers. Should be a win for Indiana.
Miami Heat vs Toronto Raptors
The Heat have been hit hard with Covid, and they’ve struggled, as they are under 0.500. They haven’t been as good, turning the ball over a lot, and their defense hasn’t been great. I still think of them as good, and when healthy they can be very good, but it hasn’t been a smooth start for the defending Eastern Conference Champions. Avery Bradley and Jimmy Butler remain out, as the Heat again find themselves short-handed.
The Raptors started off very slow, but they’ve been picking things up. They have some very talented pieces on offense, but Chris Boucher off the bench has been their real driving force. He is so good, and along with their Big 3 of VanVleet, Lowry, and Siakam, the Raptors have been getting better. Their defense hasn’t been great this season, especially down low where they are weak at the center position. If Toronto can play some defense, and their offense can get going, they are a tough team to beat.
Final Verdict: I wish that the Heat were healthy for this game, as it would be very good. But the Heat are again missing some key guys, and the Raptors have been rolling. Now, the Heat can definitely keep things competitive, as they always give it their all and make it tough for teams, but I still think that Toronto will win this game.
Detroit Pistons vs Atlanta Hawks
The Pistons have shown flashes of being a decent team this season, but they are just so inexperienced. Jerami Grant has been breaking out this season, as he has easily been their best player. Blake Griffin has been a shell of his former self, as he hasn’t looked like the same player. The Pistons are still developing young guys like Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey. This Pistons team is still rebuilding, and they will be rebuilding for a while. The one key for the Pistons is to not start off slow, and they can remain competitive in games.
The Hawks started off so well, and now they have cooled down. Their offense led by Trae Young was one of the best in the league, and then Trae Young stopped being aggressive. He was shooting less shots, free throws, and the Hawks struggled because of it. But after a win, maybe the Hawks can get back on track. I know that they are still injured, but they have a lot of guys that can play. If Trae Young can be aggressive and lead this offense like he did last season, the Hawks will be a dangerous young team in the Eastern Conference.
Final Verdict: The Hawks are the more talented team, and the only way that the Hawks can lose this game, is they hurt themselves. If Trae Young isn’t initiating things offensively, then this team will struggle. I really don’t see the Pistons overperforming and winning this game. Will the Hawks play like what we saw from the start of the season, or will they play down to competition? We’ll have to see.
Orlando Magic vs Minnesota Timberwolves
The Magic have plummeted since starting the season 6-2. Their offense was very good to start the season, and now they’ve lost their last 6 games. In those 6 games, they’ve scored over 100 points just once. It’s been tough going with all of their injuries. Nikola Vucevic has been doing most of the scoring, with Aaron Gordon and Terrence Ross providing some help. But other than that, their isn’t much scoring on the roster. Cole Anthony has struggled to shoot in his rookie season thus far, and Evan Fournier continues to be out with a back problem. The good thing for the Magic is that they play another bad team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves have been abysmal this season, especially without Karl Anthony Towns down low. Towns has been an anchor on offense for this team, and there’s a steep fall off on offense when he’s not playing. D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley are really the only reliable scorers on the team, as they just don’t have a lot of depth. Anthony Edwards hasn’t been shooting the ball very well this season, as he’s been sub-par to start this season. Even with all their struggles, this is a winnable game for the T-Wolves.
Final Verdict: Both these teams are very bad on offense, as they just haven’t been able to put things together. But both these teams have bottom-10 defenses in the league, so one of their bad offenses might get going. This is a terrible game all-around, but I think that Minnesota will win.
Phoenix Suns vs Houston Rockets
The Suns didn’t play for a while, and it showed on MLK Day against the Grizzlies. They were good for stretches, and mediocre the rest of the game. Their late-game execution was poor, as they squandered a winnable game. DeAndre Ayton hasn’t been that involved in the offense, as Mikal Bridges has become the 3rd option. Devin Booker is still getting adjusted to working with Chris Paul, as he hasn’t been the same. The Suns are best when they are out in transition, we saw that last season when they were 9th in pace. But this season with a 35-year old Chris Paul, they are 28th. There’s nothing they can do about that, but they’ll have to be better in the half-court to win games.
The Rockets offense looked very good against the Bulls, as Victor Oladipo had 32 points in his debut with the team. This roster has some good players like Christian Wood, Eric Gordon, and Oladipo, but they aren’t very deep. John Wall remains out, as they haven’t been full strength since the trade. This Rockets team is fun to watch, but they aren’t really a good team.
Final Verdict: The Suns have the better roster, and the better overall team. Now, I don’t know how in tune the Suns are due to lack of games played over the past few weeks. But I still see the Suns getting back to what they were doing and win this game.
Sacramento Kings vs LA Clippers
It’s pretty easy to explain the Kings. They have a lot of young talent and one of the best offenses in the league. But they have easily the worst defense in the league. Like they are on a different level of bad. The Kings defense just kind of negates anything they do on offense, and it makes it so hard for them to win. They have some talent, with guys like De’Aaron Fox who has been excellent this season. But their defense is just so bad.
The Clippers have been shooting historically well to start this season, on pace to be one of the best shooting teams of all-time. They have their two All-NBA wings in PG and Kawhi, who have been excellent this season. Marcus Morris has been getting better off the bench, as he gets into the flow of things. The Clippers have been very good this season, and their offense should have no problem against this Kings defnese.
Final Verdict: The Clippers offense is really good, and the Kings defense is really bad. That’s all I really need to say. The Kings don’t have anybody to try and defend Kawhi and PG, and the Clippers will be able to do whatever they want. Should be an easy win for the Clippers.
Memphis Grizzlies vs Portland Trail Blazers
Game postponed due to Covid.
San Antonio Spurs vs Golden State Warriors
The Spurs have been quietly one of the best teams in the league, as their collection of youth and veteran players has been meshing nicely. DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge have been good, solid veterans presences. Young guys like Lonnie Walker and Dejounte Murray are explosive at times, creating a very unique mesh. The Spurs are well-coached and solid on both ends. They just need to hit their outside shots and space the floor, and they can win.
The Warriors hatched an impressive comeback against the Lakers, as they just never gave up. Kelly Oubre has been getting much more consistent alongside Curry and Wiggins in the scoring department, a big boost for Golden State. Draymond Green does so much on both ends with his versatility. James Wiseman has been good, although he usually has a tough defensive assignment every night. The key for the Warriors is offense outside of Curry. Curry makes so much room for everybody else, they just have to hit the shots and make plays.
Final Verdict: Both these teams are evenly matched, and this should be a good game. I am giving the edge to the Warriors because they have the more dynamic offense. Really wouldn’t be surprised with any result from this game.
Game Of The Day Prediction
I think that the Spurs vs Warriors game will be good. Both of these teams are pretty good on both ends, and there are a lot of good players in this game. I think it will be a pretty close game.
Another game I think will be good will be Grizzlies vs Blazers. These teams were involved a lot with each other in the bubble, meaning Memphis might want revenge on the short-handed Blazers. But don’t sleep on Damian Lillard, as he has carried this team before, and nobody would be surprised if he did it again.
What Are Your Predictions For The Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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