My Pre-Game Predictions For Today’s Games – 1.31.21
It’s another day of NBA basketball, and we have 6 games on the schedule today. I will be giving my pre-game predictions for all of the games today, and predict a winner.
LA Clippers vs New York Knicks
The Clippers have been one of the best teams in the league, led by their All-Stars in Kawhi and PG, both of whom have been excellent. They have an excellent supporting cast that fits them really well, and they are one of the best shooting teams in the league. They face a tough Knicks defense, but a lackluster Knicks offense.
The Knicks have been surprisingly good, mainly because of their defense that has been excellent this season. But their offense, their offense has been bad. In losses, the Knicks score less than 100 points. They have to get going on offense to win, meaning they need scoring from their bench. One way to get more scoring is starting rookie Immanuel Quickley. I get Elfrid Payton is a better game-manager, and as much as Tom Thibodeau loves his veterans, Quickley should be starting.
Final Verdict: If the Knicks can’t score, they stand no chance. As good as their defense has been, the Clippers are very good on offense. They have two of the best wings in the league, and a cast of shooters that are hitting their shots more often than not. This should be a win for the Clippers.
Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets
The Jazz are the best team in the league right, winning their last 11 games, 10 of them being blowouts. The Jazz have been torching teams, their last two games without All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic struggling. I keep expecting the Jazz to go cold, but it hasn’t happened in nearly two weeks, as they have been on absolute fire. The Jazz are also good defensively, which makes them such a good team. Donovan Mitchell is again questionable, but I’m confident that the Jazz can at least remain competitive without their best player playing.
The Nuggets have been getting some wins, but their defensive woes continue. And even though the numbers from last season to the start of this season are similar, they just seem to have taken a step back, a lot of that having to do with the loss of Jerami Grant. Nikola Jokic has been great, but Jamal Murray has been sub-par. They need JaMychal Green, MPJ, and Morris to score off the bench. But again, defense is the problem for the Nuggets.
Final Verdict: The Jazz are going to shoot 3’s, and I don’t really think Denver can rely on the Jazz missing too many 3’s. The Nuggets are decent at defending the 3, but the Jazz are the hottest team in the league. They will need Jokic to dominate his matchup with Gobert down low, and they need some Bubble Jamal Murray magic to win. But the Nuggets defense is just such a question mark, and I think that Utah gets another win here.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Indiana Pacers
The 76ers have been good, but they desperately need Joel Embiid to play. They are 0-4 when he doesn’t play, and 14-2 when he does play. I think that says it all. Embiid has been so good this season. Embiid leads the NBA in free throw attempts per game at just under 10, as he has been dominating teams. Tobias Harris and Seth Curry have been very good complimentary pieces, but Ben Simmons has been good. The 76ers need him to be aggressive, in addition to everything else he does. The 76ers just need Embiid to be on the floor to win.
The Pacers have been so good this season, but they’ve had a few bad losses recently, including one where they led the Hornets torch them most recently. Indiana has talent offensive talent with Brogdon and Sabonis, but their defense, even with Myles Turner down low, hasn’t been great. If the Pacers can be aggressive on defense like they have been at times this season, they are a very good all-around team.
Final Verdict: If Embiid plays, I’d favor the 76ers just because of how good Embiid is and how much better Philly is when he plays. If he doesn’t end up playing, I would likely take Indiana. If Embiid doesn’t play, they need Simmons to score more, something that hasn’t happened when Embiid isn’t on the floor. Simmons has averaged just 12.3 points per game without Embiid this season, something that has to improve if Philly is without their MVP candidate. This all depends on if Embiid plays or not. If he does, give me Philly. If not, I’ll take the Pacers.
Orlando Magic vs Toronto Raptors
Offense has been the death of the Magic this season. They just can’t shoot the ball. They rank in the bottom-3 of the NBA in terms of offensive rating, as they just can’t score. The Magic have to be able to hit some 3’s to win the game, otherwise their spacing becomes horrible and it becomes much harder for them to score.
The Raptors have a very talented Big 3 featuring 3 guys who are all All-Star caliber players, but all 3 of them rarely play well at the some time, and somebody is always having an off night, which the Raptors haven’t really been able to afford because of their limited depth. The Raptors need their Big 3 to play well, as they set the tone for the rest of the team. Without Powell and OG Anunoby, they are going to need to dig deep in this game to win.
Final Verdict: The Raptors have been the better team this season, and although they have their flaws, the Magic are just a mess on offense, as they just can’t shoot and don’t have much depth. While the Raptors don’t have much depth either, they are better coached and their Big 3 has the talent to win, even if not all 3 of them have got things going. Interior defense against Nikola Vucevic will be a problem, but I think that the Raptors can still win.
Brooklyn Nets vs Washington Wizards
We all know the Nets story by now. Historically good offensive talent and one of the best offenses in the league, but a poor defense. Offense overshadows the defense, but defense is still a problem. That’s been the Nets since the James Harden trade. Signing a guy like Iman Shumpert does help their defense, but I doubt even the Nets poor defense can lose to the Wizards. James Harden is questionable, but just KD and Kyrie is enough.
#freebradleybeal
Final Verdict: The Nets might be a bad defensive team, but just their offense, possibly without James Harden, will be enough to beat the Wizards. Nothing Bradley Beal can do can help them win, as the Russell Westbrook trade has been a bust thus far, as he has been terrible this season. Should be an easy win for the Nets.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves
The Cavs have a great defense, but they are terrible offensively. It takes a bad defense for the Cavs offense to be good, as even though they have talent, they just can’t score. In losses, the Cavs average a measly 92.2 points per game. They have to score to win, and lucky for them, the T-Wolves have a bottom-5 defense, and they allow better than 117 points per game.
The T-Wolves struggle on offense and defense, as they are just a mess. D’Angelo Russell hasn’t terrible this season, but without Towns he hasn’t been what I expected him to be. Anthony Edwards has been getting better and Malik Beasley is solid, but the T-Wolves struggle on the interior, and the Cavs have Drummond and Jarrett Allen down low.
Final Verdict: This is a game the Cavs will likely win, because they are excellent when they play poor defenses, and the T-Wolves are a poor defense. The T-Wolves have been a mess without KAT this season, as it’s been a pretty abysmal season for Minnesota. The Cavs should be winning this season.
Game Of The Day
There aren’t a lot of great games today, but Jazz vs Nuggets is probably the best one. The best and hottest teams in the league vs a solid Nuggets team, a rematch of their 1st round series thriller this past season. Should be a very good game.
What Are Your Predictions For The 6 Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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