Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers enter this one a very solid 38-21 after a home win over Miami last time out. Tobias Harris appears to be fitting in very well with his new side, dropping 23 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Fan favourite Boban Marjanovic also stepped up in Joel Embiid’s absence, dropping 19 points and 12 boards of his own.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers make the trip to Philly at a solid 35-23 after a convincing road win over Brooklyn last time out. It was Bosnian big man Jusuf Nurkic that led the way here, dropping an impressive 27 points and 12 rebounds. CJ McCollum also had a stat stuffing night with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Prediction: 76ers -2
Whilst Embiid is out for this one, I still think the Sixers are comfortably the better team here. They’ve been stellar at home all season, whilst Portland are just 11-15 on the road. Expect Ben Simmons to control this one, with Butler, Harris, and Boban playing strong supporting roles.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks enter this one at 19-40 after a narrow loss to the Pistons last time out. Trae Young continues to impress, dropping 30 points and 10 assists in the defeat. He is forming a nice combination with young big man John Collins, who had 19 points and 6 boards of his own.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns enter this one at a dismal 11-49 after yet another loss last time out, this time to the lowly Cavaliers. Devin Booker again led the way in this one, dropping 30 points and 7 assists. Kelly Oubre has also proved to be a solid mid-season addition, adding 23 points of his own.
Prediction: Hawks -2.5
Despite an emotional loss last night, I think the Hawks are comfortably better than this Phoenix side. The Suns have lost 17 games in a row and appear to have no interest in worsening their lottery odds. Expect a big night from Young and Collins en route to a home win and cover.
Miami Heat
The Heat enter this one at 26-31 and on the edge of the playoff picture out East. Shooting Guard Josh Richardson has been their main man all season, averaging 17.5 points and 4 assists per game. Dwyane Wade has also been very solid in his final season, averaging over 14 points and 4 assists.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons enter this one at 27-30 after a tight comeback win over Atlanta last night. Andre Drummond was a man among boys in this one, pouring in 26 points, 21 rebounds, and 5 steals. Reggie Jackson also had a very stellar performance, adding 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Prediction: Heat -3.5
Off such an emotional win last night, I wonder how much energy the Pistons will have here. This is a huge matchup in the East playoff race and I expect the depth and versatility of Miami to prove too much here.