Philadelphia 76ers @ Orlando Magic
The 76ers (9-6) head to the Amway Centre to take on the Magic (6-8), and Steve Clifford’s team will be no walkovers.
The Magic have won four of their past six games and despite not having a prolific floor general, rank sixth in the league in assists at 24.6 per game.
The frontcourt of Nikola Vucevic (averaging 18.0 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game this season) and Aaron Gordon (16.5 points, 8.2 rebounds) has been a handful for opposition defences with their ability to stretch the floor.
Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross are stroking from downtown, averaging a combined 5.8 makes from beyond the arc over the past week.
The Sixers are not tracking as well as they would like, so much so that they traded Robert Covington and Dario Saric to the Minnesota Timberwolves for All-Star forward Jimmy Butler.
Butler will make his debut for the Sixers in this one and how he meshes with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will be interesting
Don’t expect it to all come together straight away for Brett Brown’s team, and it would be no great surprise if the Magic steal one here.
But three All-Stars are better than none.
Tip: Philadelphia – 5.5 @ $1.87
New Orleans Pelicans @ Minnesota Timberwolves (ESPN)
The Pelicans (7-6) head to Minnesota (5-9) in an enthralling contest between two vying Western Conference playoff contenders.
New Orleans have gotten their season back on track, winning their past three games after a six-game skid.
The visitors will hope to have Nikola Mirotic (20.6 points, 2.3 triples, 11.7 rebounds) back, who has been playing at an All-Star level this season but missed their last two games with an ankle injury.
Anthony Davis is coming off a monster game in the Pelicans’ win over Toronto, putting up 25 points, 20 rebounds and swatting two shots.
Davis’ battle with Karl-Anthony Towns is the matchup to watch here, with the Wolves centre coming off his own dominant performance against the Nets, filling up the stat sheet with 25 points, 21 boards and two blocks.
Whichever big man gets on top of the battle could go a long way in securing their team the win.
The likely debut of Covington and Saric gives the home team a boost and seeing how Tom Thibodeau integrates them into the rotation will have huge ramifications on the result.
Look for the Wolves to zip the ball around and give the new guys plenty of touches.
Tip: Timberwolves to win @ $1.96
Portland Trail Blazers @ Los Angeles Lakers – ESPN
The Blazers (10-3) take their four-game winning streak to LA (7-6) in the second game of a back-to-back ESPN showcase.
Portland have won seven of their past eight games, having claimed the scalps of Indiana, Houston, Milwaukee and Boston within that stretch.
Damian Lillard has to be in the MVP discussion, averaging 26.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists, playing a more well-rounded game and shooting the ball at a career-high 46 per cent clip.
Lillard is listed as a game-time decision due to a knee injury after sitting out Wednesday’s practice, but is probable to suit up.
The one game Portland dropped in their past seven? To LeBron James’ Lakers at the Moda Centre.
The Lake Show is finally starting to take shape, and the addition of Tyson Chandler for help on the boards and defensive end looks to be a good move.
Luke Walton is still putting all the pieces of the puzzle together, but most importantly, is learning how to win.
A win against the Blazers could install some real confidence into this group and ignite their season, but the value lies with the visitors.
Tip: Blazers - $2.39
