The NBA returns from its Thanksgiving break with a huge 14-game slate that sees the league-best Boston Celtics taking on the Sacramento Kings, who have been one of the surprises of the season.
Meanwhile, two of the top young stars in the NBA collide as Zion Williamson leads the New Orleans Pelicans against draft-mate Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Read on below as SBOTOP previews five of the most intriguing matchups in the NBA’s loaded 14-game schedule.
Sacramento Kings @ Boston Celtics
After seeing their nine-game losing streak snapped, the Boston Celtics bounced back to beat Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, 125-112.
Jayson Tatum came out on top in the battle of early MVP candidates as he had 37 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Celtics, who have the best record in the NBA at 14-4.
The Celtics continued their impressive offensive performance in the early going. They lead the NBA in offensive rating at 118.2 on the back of red-hot 3-point shooting. They went a sizzling 17-of-34 from beyond the arc against the Mavs.
Boston will now look to outgun the Sacramento Kings, who surprisingly have the second-leading offence in the league. Although, Sacramento finally cooled off in a 115-106 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks, which snapped their seven-game winning run.
De’Aaron Fox, who has had a great start to the season averaging nearly 26 points and shooting 55 per cent from the field, had his worst shooting game of the year as he went just 7 of 20.
Brooklyn Nets @ Indiana Pacers
The Brooklyn Nets are back on track. They beat the Toronto Raptors 112-98 last time out, their third win in four games.
Kyrie Irving is back from his recent suspension and is back to producing NBA 2022 highlights. He scored 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting against the Raptors in just 28 minutes.
But the biggest development for Brooklyn is the resurgence of Ben Simmons. The 26-year-old is averaging 14.6 points, 7 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.6 steals. in his last five games.
The Nets will look to keep their strong run going against the Pacers, who were thumped 115-101 by the Timberwolves which saw their five-game win streak come to an end.
The Pacers’ starting lineup shot disastrously save for Myles Turner. The big man, who has been linked with a move to the Lakers, had 31 points (12-of-17 from the field and 7-of-9 on 3-pointers), 7 rebounds, and 4 steals in a losing effort.
Rookie Benedict Mathurin also continued his remarkably consistent scoring. He scored 21 points off the bench and is averaging 19.3 points per game this season.
New Orleans Pelicans @ Memphis Grizzlies
The Pelicans are closing in on the top of the West. New Orleans have won five of their last six games, all of which have by double digits.
They comfortably beat the struggling San Antonio Spurs despite missing point guard CJ McCollum, who is dealing with an illness. Zion Williamson stepped up and scored a season-high 32 points with 11 rebounds in McCollum’s absence.
The in-form Pelicans will face a stiff road test as they take on Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. However, the Grizzlies are in a bit of a slump, losing four of their last five games. That includes a 113-102 defeat to the Pelicans.
Jaren Jackson Jr, who was making his season debut, had a rough game with just 7 points on 3-of-14 shooting. But he has made much progress, scoring over 20 points in each of his last two games.
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Milwaukee Bucks
The Cavaliers are on another long streak. After going on a long winning streak to start the season then losing five in a row, the Cavs have extended their current winning run to four games with a 114-96 win over the Blazers.
Backcourt stars Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland led the way with 58 points combined on 10-of-19 shooting on 3-pointers. Meanwhile, big man Jarrett Allen added 24 points and 13 rebounds.
Mitchell, Garland and the Cavs will be gunning for their fifth win in a row when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks were the last team to beat Cleveland a few weeks ago. Brook Lopez burned the Cavs for 29 points on 7-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
However, the Bucks have been up and down this season. They are just 3-5 in their last eight games, including a 118-113 loss to the Bulls last time out. Jrue Holiday had a 14-point, 11-assist performance in his third game back after missing a couple of weeks.
Denver Nuggets @ LA Clippers
Despite winning just two of their last five games, the Nuggets are just a half-game back of first place in the West. After their shock loss to the lowly Pistons, Denver bounced back with a 131-126 overtime win over Oklahoma City.
Reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic was brilliant with 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists, while Aaron Gordon added 31 points and 8 rebounds. But it was Bruce Brown who made the difference for Denver with a triple-double of 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists as he got the start in place of Jamal Murray.
Murray, who is dealing with conditioning issues, could make his return against the Clippers, who are just a half-game back of the Nuggets in the West standings.
LA saw their three-game win streak come to an end as they lost 124-107 to the Golden State Warriors. Although, the Clippers were without both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
George has missed the last 2.5 games with a hamstring strain, and his potential return would be a huge boost to the Clippers’ NBA 2022 betting odds against Denver.
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