Minnesota Timberwolves at Philadelphia 76ers
Two of the remaining four undefeated teams face off at the Wells Fargo Centre in an inter-conference blockbuster.
The Timberwolves have been one of the major surprise packages in the early goings of the 2019-20 campaign, defeating the Nets and Hornets on the road and Miami at home behind a high-octane offence (121.3 points per game).
Karl-Anthony Towns is playing at an MVP level and was named Western Conference Player of the week, averaging 32 points on a 52.5 per cent clip, 13.3 rebounds, five three-pointers, five assists, two blocks and three steals.
Jeff Teague finally looks healthy and could be set for a bounce back season, coming off an impressive performance against the Heat with 21 points and eight assists.
The Sixers haven’t really got going yet despite boasting a 3-0 record, coming off narrow road wins against the Pistons and Hawks.
With a host of new players, Brett Brown is still working out how to best utilize his pieces and they will take some time to get rolling. But they look set to have one of the toughest defences in the league behind the nucleus of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Al Horford and Josh Richardson.
All eyes will be on the battle of the star big men in this one as towns and Embiid go head to head. Embiid returned from an ankle injury against Atlanta on Tuesday (all times AEST) in a big way, putting up 36 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block.
Tip: Philadelphia -2.5 @ $1.50
Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics (ESPN)
The Bucks head to Boston in a huge Eastern Conference clash.
After dropping their season opener to the Sixers, the Celtics have gone on to win their last two against the Raptors and Knicks.
Star recruit Kemba Walker exploded against New York, posting a season-high 32 points on 64 per cent shooting with seven triples.
Jayson Tatum has started his campaign off in strong fashion, averaging 20.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and three steals per game. However, the rising forward shot is shooting just 34.4 per cent from the field, so there is even further upside in his game.
The Bucks are 2-1 with wins over Houston and Cleveland and narrowly going down to Miami at home.
They look set to be one of the best two-way teams in the league again, averaging 121.5 points per game and conceding 118.0 points through the first three games.
Reining MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has taken off right where he left off last season, averaging 24.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, nine assists, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks.
Tip: Milwaukee to win @ $1.74
LA Clippers at Utah Jazz (ESPN)
The Jazz and Clippers close out ESPN’s double-header in an exciting Western Conference battle in Utah.
The Clips have looked like the heavyweight team in the league in the opening week, boasting a 3-1 record, including convincing wins over the Lakers and Warriors. And this has been without star forward Paul George.
Doc Rivers’ team is leading the league in scoring (125.0 points per game) and Kawhi Leonard is playing out of his skin (averaging 27 points, 6.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists. 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks). It’s scary to think how good this team can be when George returns.
Utah have looked good in their first four hitouts, picking up wins over the Thunder, Kings and Suns and losing to the Lakers on the road.
Donovan Mitchell looks primed to take his game to another level, averaging 24 points at a 51.4% per cent stroke. Bojan Bogdanovic has been shooting the lights out, averaging 23.7 points with 3.3 triples and looks to be one of the recruits of the season.
Mike Conley is struggling and you have to wonder if he’s carrying an injury, averaging just 7.8 points on a dismal 20 per cent clip. The veteran will get it together at some point and make this Jazz outfit even better.
Tip: Utah +3.0 @ $1.66
