The Brooklyn Nets are still hot on the heels of the Boston Celtics for top spot in the East and the best record in the NBA. The Nets will look to stay close to the Celtics as they take on the Miami Heat, who may have a couple of star players missing.
Meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers will look to prolong the Phoenix Suns’ losing skid as the Memphis Grizzlies try to extend their winning streak against the Utah Jazz.
Read on below as SBOTOP previews the three most interesting games from the NBA’s upcoming nine-game slate.
Brooklyn Nets @ Miami Heat
After having their 12-game winning streak snapped by the Chicago Bulls, the Brooklyn Nets bounced back with a 108-102 win over the New Orleans Pelicans to keep pace with the Boston Celtics at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving struggled from the field as they combined to shoot just 15-of-48, but they did still score 52 points to lead the Nets to victory.
Durant went just 9-of-26 from the field, which is his worst shooting game of the season. He is shooting an incredibly efficient 56 per cent on the season and will be keen to get back on track against the Miami Heat.
Speaking of the Heat, they are starting to heat up. They have gone 5-2 in their last seven games and went 3-2 in their recent five-game road trip.
They beat the Phoenix Suns 104-96 in the last game of that West road trip as Victor Oladipo scored a season-high 26 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Oladipo averaged 19 points during that road trip to provide the Miami bench a much-needed offensive boost.
However, the Heat could be without Bam Adebayo (21.8 PPG) and Tyler Herro (21.1 PPG), who are both questionable to play against the Nets due to a thigh bruise and back spasms, respectively. Adebayo and Herro are two of the Heat’s three leading scorers this season, and their absence would significantly diminish their NBA 2023 odds of beating Brooklyn.
Utah Jazz @ Memphis Grizzlies
The Utah Jazz suffered another setback as they lost to the Chicago Bulls last night, 126-118. It was Utah’s sixth defeat in their last seven games as they have gone from being the best in the West to barely clinging on to a play-in spot.
Despite the Jazz’s recent dip in NBA 2023 results, Lauri Markkanen continues to play at a very high level. The Finnish forward had a career game with 49 points against the Houston Rockets, which helped the Jazz snap their five-game losing skid. And he had a team-high 28 points in a losing effort against the Bulls.
Over his last 10 games, Markkanen is averaging 30.4 points on 53 per cent shooting from the field and 43.5 per cent on 3-pointers.
Markkanen and the Jazz must now take on the hottest team in the NBA, the Memphis Grizzlies, on the second night of a back-to-back.
With star point guard Ja Morant leading the way, the Grizzlies have a league-best five-game winning streak going at the moment. Morant has had three 30-point games in those five wins and is averaging 28 points and 8.8 assists during the win streak.
However, Morant is listed as questionable to face the Jazz due to right thigh soreness. But if Morant does miss out, Memphis have arguably the best backup point guard in Tyus Jones ready to step in.
Jones has already made five starts this season and is averaging 20.6 points on 55 per cent shooting with 8.4 assists and 2.0 steals.
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Phoenix Suns
The Suns continue to sink down the West standings. They have dropped down to 20-20 (eighth in the West) amid a five-game losing skid.
The Suns have been beset by injuries this season, with superstar Devin Booker, Cameron Payne, and Cameron Johnson all still out.
And now, Chris Paul is questionable to play against the Cavs due to a hip injury, and his absence would leave Phoenix woefully short in the backcourt. Duane Washington Jr played 25 minutes against Miami and scored 13 points on just 5-of-18 shooting.
The Suns’ injury situation is good news for the Cavs, who are keen to bounce back after losing 121-108 to the Denver Nuggets, which snapped their three-game winning streak.
Leading scorer Donovan Mitchell missed that game due to rest and is still listed as day-to-day. He did play in the Cavs’ 90-88 win over the Suns last week. He struggled with his shot (6-20 FG), but he still had a decent all-round game with 20 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Point guard Darius Garland, who missed that first meeting with the Suns but played in the loss to Denver, is questionable once again due to a thumb injury.
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