My Pre-Game Predictions For Today’s Games – 2.13.21
It’s another day of NBA basketball, and we have 5 games today. I will be giving all my pre-game predictions, and choose a winner for each game.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Phoenix Suns
The 76ers shouldn’t have lost their last game to the Blazers, but they only lost because of their very poor 3-PT deficits. The 76ers are a team that doesn’t shoot a lot of 3’s, and they aren’t anything special shooting them. The 76ers allow teams to shoot 37% from 3, so it can be a mix of them not making 3’s and other teams torching them. But don’t get mistaken, they are very good. Joel Embiid is an MVP candidate and Ben Simmons might be the best perimeter defender in the league. The 76ers are good, but if they have a weakness it’s their 3-PT shooting and defense of the 3-PT line.
The Suns won a thrilling game against the Bucks, as their defense was good against everybody except Giannis. The Suns have been solid on both ends this season, as they are a good matchup with the Suns. Deandre Ayton will another tough matchup with Joel Embiid, so he’ll have to be aggressive on offense. Devin Booker and Chris Paul both have to be aggressive, as sometimes one of them is kind of passive. They should both be aggressive, putting a lot of pressure on the 76ers defense. The Suns have to be able to make 3’s and stretch the 76ers defense, or this will be a tough game.
Final Verdict: I am taking the 76ers in this game. Joel Embiid is a matchup nightmare for anybody, and he is clearly better than Deandre Ayton. Ben Simmons will have the task of locking down the perimeter, something he’s capable of doing. The 76ers should be winning this game.
Indiana Pacers vs Atlanta Hawks
The Pacers have been struggling lately, but got a much needed win against the Pistons. The Pacers went from being very good on both ends of mediocre. Over the past two weeks Sabonis and Brogdon have struggled shooting and the offense sputters, and their defense has been poor. The Pacers will have to tighten things down on both sides of the ball, especially on defense against the Hawks.
The Hawks got smoked by the Spurs yesterday, as it was basically Trae Young on his own. Young has to continue to be aggressive, but others guys have to score. Capela and Collins have a tough matchup with Myles Turner down low, but they have to be able to score. Streaky guys like Reddish, Huerter, and Gallinari will have to fill in for De’Andre Hunter who is going to be out for a while. The Hawks can be good, but they need most players to get going.
Final Verdict: I do think the Pacers will win this game. I think that if they force anybody other than Trae Young to score, they have a good chance. Myles Turner will have his hands full with the Hawks frontcourt, so he’ll need some Sabonis help. But if they can force other guys to make shots, I like their chances.
Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks
The Rockets have slowed down considerably lately, and a lot of that has to do with injuries. They are going to be without Christian Wood for a while, and guys like Oladipo and Wall have battled injuries. Oladipo is out for this game, and PJ Tucker is questionable. So the Rockets are missing two key guys, and even thought the Knicks aren’t a high-scoring team, this will be a tough game.
The Knicks suffered a big loss, as Mitchell Robinson will be out for a few weeks with a fractured right hand. This is a big hit to the Knicks interior defense, which will be tested by John Wall in this game. The Knicks will have to rely on their defense, and hope that new addition Derrick Rose can add some scoring with guys like Randle and Barrett.
Final Verdict: I think the Knicks will win this game. The loss of Mitchell Robinson is big, and their defense will take a hit but the Rockets are missing nearly 40 points of offense, and the Knicks defense is good. They just need their offense to produce somewhat consistently throughout this game and they can win.
Brooklyn Nets vs Golden State Warriors
The Nets have been up and down with the addition of James Harden, mainly due to poor effort on defense. Yes they don’t have great personnel especially down low, but if they tried they would be decent at times and not terrible. But they have their Big 3 back and healthy, a nightmare for every single team. But defense will be their key. If they can’t slow down the Warriors, it might have to be a shootout.
The Warriors have meshed into a nice team, and have quietly become a solid team around Steph. Andrew Wiggins has turned into a defensive stud, and will have the task of trying to guard KD. Draymond is everywhere, and Curry is an MVP candidate again. The Warriors have a really solid group, they just have to make sure they can shoot 3’s, and at least don’t get blown out when Curry isn’t on the floor. Still no Wiseman or Looney, but that’s fine since Jordan isn’t playing for the Nets.
Final Verdict: I am going with the Nets. Both of these teams don’t have a center, something that will hinder both defenses a bit, but the Nets can’t go much worse than they already were. They have so much offense, and they will be able to score. They have to make sure Steph doesn’t get going, look for a lot of Bruce Brown in this game. This game is good, two smaller teams, but I am going with the Nets.
Miami Heat vs Utah Jazz
The Heat have been able to string together some wins, as even though they aren’t 100% healthy they’ve been recovering from that poor start. Just Jimmy Butler being back does a lot for the Heat on both ends, as he’s so important to them as their leader. Still no Dragic or Bradley, but Herro is back for some added offense. The Heat are very poor at defending the 3, allowing teams to make an average of 15.2 3’s per game on 37% shooting, which might be a problem against the Jazz.
I don’t even think it’s fair to call the Jazz the hottest team in the league. I mean they are 17-1 in their last 18 games, but they’ve sustained their level of hot-shooting for so damn long. The Jazz are the best shooting teams in the league, as they just have so many shooters. Rudy Gobert anchors a great defense, and he will have a battle with Bam Adebayo down low. The Jazz will likely be able to shoot well from 3 in this game due to the Heat’s poor 3-PT defense, so this is a favorable matchup for the Jazz.
Final Verdict: I think that the Jazz will win this game, as they will likely be able to shoot the 3-ball well, which is something they do regularly anyway. The Heat are short-handed, and the Jazz might be without Mike Conley which still hasn’t proven to slow them down, and I think that the Jazz can shoot their way to a win in this game.
Game Of The Day
I think that the first game of the day, Suns vs 76ers will be very good. Both teams are evenly matched and both well coached teams on both ends, making for a very good game.
What Are Your Predictions For The Games Today? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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