The Los Angeles Lakers’ hopes of making the NBA play-in tournament are fading quickly as a six-game losing streak has seen them drop to 11th in the Western Conference.
And now, they must face off against their budding rivals in the Phoenix Suns, who have a chance to sweep the season series against LA.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls will continue their battle for playoff seeding in the East when they meet at the United Centre.
Read on below as SBOTOP previews all the games on the NBA’s massive 12-game slate.
Philadelphia 76ers @ Indiana Pacers
The 76ers’ chances of climbing up to the No. 3 seed in the East have been handed a huge boost thanks to a two-game win streak coupled with the Bucks losing two in a row.
Joel Embiid had another huge game with 44 points and 17 rebounds to lead Philly to victory against the Cavs. However, James Harden – who had a strong start to his time in Philly – had another rough shooting game and is now making just 31.5 per cent of his shots over his last three games.
Harden will look to snap his shooting slump against the tanking Pacers, who have now lost seven straight games.
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Orlando Magic
The Cavs’ end-of-season slide continued with their defeat to the Sixers, their sixth loss in their last eight games. They are now in seventh and look destined for the play-in tournament.
But on the bright side, Caris LeVert is playing much better of late, averaging 18.5 points and 6.5 assists over his last two games.
LeVert and the Cavs will like their chances of picking up a confidence-boosting win when they face the East-worst Magic, who have lost six games in a row, the last three of which have been by 13 or more points.
Houston Rockets @ Brooklyn Nets
The Nets may have already clinched a play-in berth, but they are at risk of being the 10th seed after losing back-to-back games to the Bucks and Hawks. Kevin Durant scored a career-high 55 points against Atlanta, but it still wasn’t enough.
But the NBA 2022 betting odds will overwhelmingly favour Brooklyn against the West-worst Rockets, who have lost four in a row. Although, Rockets rookie Jalen Green is finally producing NBA 2022 highlights on a consistent basis and has scored 30 or more points in each of those four losses.
Charlotte Hornets @ Miami Heat
The Hornets are looking likely to face the Nets in the play-in tournament unless they make a late run. But they have lost two of their last three games, including a 30-point blowout against the Sixers, and will now face the East-leading Heat.
After suffering a four-game slide, the Heat have now won four games in a row to move two games ahead atop the East. The Heat blew out the Bulls in their big East showdown, then handled the Raptors last time out despite Jimmy Butler sitting out. Max Strus and Victor Oladipo combined for 43 points and went a sizzling 13-of-18 on 3-pointers.
Atlanta Hawks @ Toronto Raptors
The Raptors’ loss to the Heat snapped their impressive five-game winning run. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam both had 29 points in a losing effort. Meanwhile, rookie Scottie Barnes remains remarkably consistent and is averaging 16.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists over his last 10 games.
The Raptors will now look to avoid starting a losing skid as they face the red-hot Hawks, winners of their last five games in a row. All-Star point guard Trae Young has been instrumental to their success and is averaging 30.8 points and 11.6 assists during the win streak.
Milwaukee Bucks @ Chicago Bulls
The Bucks need to bounce back as back-to-back losses to the Clippers and Mavericks have seen them lose ground at the top of the East standings. Giannis Antetokounmpo remains as consistent as ever, but Khris Middleton had another rough game against the Mavs (11 points on 3-of-14 shooting).
The Bucks will be hoping for a better game from Middleton against the Bulls, who are still battling the Raptors for the No. 5 seed. Zach LaVine broke out of his mini-slump with 33 points while DeMar DeRozan had 26 after averaging nearly 40 points in his previous three games.
Washington Wizards @ Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wizards’ surprising two-game win streak came to a screeching halt as they suffered a crushing 42-point loss to the Celtics. Kristaps Porzingis co-led the Wiz in scoring with 17 points, but he shot just 5-of-15 from the field.
Porzingis will look to bounce back in his marquee matchup against fellow unicorn Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves, who picked up back-to-back wins over the Nuggets and Rockets to end their four-game road trip on a high. The resurgent (19 PPG over his last 10 games) Anthony Edwards led the way with 33 points against the Rockets, his first 30-point game since mid-February.
Portland Trail Blazers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder defied the NBA 2022 odds by blowing out the NBA-best Phoenix Suns by 21 points last time out. Backup centre Olivier Sarr had a career game with 24 points to lead OKC to the shock win.
OKC will like their chances of getting a winning streak going as they take on the tanking Trail Blazers, who have lost seven games in a row, including back-to-back defeats to the Spurs by an average of 20 points.
San Antonio Spurs @ Denver Nuggets
The streaking Spurs are looking set to make the play-in tournament. They’ve won two games in a row – both at home to the Blazers – and six of their last seven, with their lone loss coming by one point against the No. 2 seed Grizzlies.
But San Antonio will have their hands full against the Nuggets, who have won four of their last five after taking care of the Lakers last time out. Nikola Jokic had another monster game with 38 points, 18 rebounds and 6 assists.
Memphis Grizzlies @ Utah Jazz
The Grizzlies just keep rolling even without Ja Morant. Their win streak is up to seven in a row after edging the full-strength Suns. Dillon Brooks, who had a team-high 30 points, is averaging 18.7 points since returning from injury.
Memphis will now take on the slumping Jazz, who are in danger of dropping into the play-in tournament after losing six of their last seven games.
New Orleans Pelicans @ Sacramento Kings
The Pelicans saw their three-game win streak come to an emphatic end as they were crushed by 19 points by the Clippers. CJ McCollum, who has been on fire of late, had an off-night with 19 points on just 7-of-18 shooting.
McCollum will be keen to get back on track against the Kings, who have had a hard time containing opposing guards of late.
Los Angeles Lakers @ Phoenix Suns
The Lakers are just lost at the moment. They’ve lost their last six games in a row, with LeBron James sitting out their last game against the Nuggets due to an ankle injury.
It remains to be seen whether James will make his return against the Suns, who are suddenly on a two-game losing skid after falling to the Grizzlies and Thunder. Devin Booker sat out their loss to OKC, but he will likely return to try and complete their season sweep of the Lakers.
The Suns have won their first three games against LA by an average of 19 points. That includes their 29-point beatdown of LA after Anthony Davis’ controversial comments about their playoff matchup last year.
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