Los Angeles Clippers (39-18) at Philadelphia 76ers (38-17)
The Clippers are fire on at the moment after 7 straight wins and that's despite missing Kawhi Leonard for their last 3 games. However, he's expected to return from a foot injury in Saturday's primetime matchup. In his absence, Paul George has been stepping up, highlighted by 30+ points in 4 straight. So the Clippers superstar duo will be the key factor against the 76ers.
Philadelphia also come into this primetime home game with impressive form after 3 straight wins, which includes a 123-117 victory over the Nets last time out. Joel Embiid dominated the contest with 39 points and he should be hard to stop again in this one, especially with Ibaka out injured.
With two of the best teams in the NBA on show, this should be a close contest for the 4 quarters. Leonard returning for the Clippers should give them a boost and with George on fire, we're expecting the Clippers to push the 76ers all the way.
Stadium Record
The 76ers are 16-4 in their last 20 at home. Los Angeles holds a 1-4 record at this venue.
Head to Head Record
The two sides met last month in LA and the Clippers came away with a 122-112 victory. However, the 76ers have won 6 of the last 10 meetings.
Best Bet
Portland Trail Blazers (31-23) at San Antonio Spurs (26-27)
Portland will be looking to get out of a slump on Saturday after 4 defeats in their last 5 games. That includes a heartbreaking 1 point loss in their last game against the Celtics. Lillard comes off 28 pts in that game and he'll get a good matchup against the Spurs defence. The Spurs have also struggled with centres so Nurkic/Kanter should be able to take advantage.
The Spurs will enjoy a home game after 5 straight road games where they lost 3 of 5. They're just outside the top 8 in terms of the West standings so getting wins over teams like the Trail Blazers will be the key as the playoffs near. This should be a good matchup for their offence as Portland has struggled to contain points agianst shooting guards and power forwards. So look for DeRozan, Murray and White to take advantage.
Both sides are struggling to get wins at the moment so we're expecting a fast paced game with little defence from either side. The Over also has a good record in this matchup as it's 8-2 and the Spurs are 5-1 against the Over on their home court.
Stadium Record
The Spurs are 1-4 in their last 5 home games. The Trail Blazers also hold a 1-4 record at this venue.
Head to Head Record
In the only meeting of the season, the Spurs crushed the Trail Blazers on their home court 125-104. But since 2018, the head to head is locked at 5-5.
Best Bet
New York Knicks (29-27) at Dallas Mavericks (30-24)
The Knicks are confident at the moment after 4 straight wins and they'll be looking to overturn a recent loss against the Mavericks on their home court. That mainly starts with Julius Randle who struggled in the game, shooting 5 of 20 from the field. While as a team, the Knicks shot just 36% from the field. But they're looking in better form at the moment and should give the Mavs a close contest.
After a 113-95 defeat against the 76ers, the Mavericks rebounded with a 114-113 win over the Grizzlies, thanks to a game winning shot by Luka Doncic. In the Mavericks last 3 games, Doncic has scored 29+ pts and put up 26 pts in the last clash with the Knicks. So as usual, the Mavericks offence will revolve around their superstar on Saturday.
After the previous meeting totalled just 185 points in early April, it's hard to look past the Under. The Under also has a great record at this venue recently (10-1) and it's also 9-1 when the Mavericks play the Knicks.
Stadium Record
The Mavericks hold an 11-5 record in their last 16 at home. New York has struggled at this venue with a 5-15 record.
Head to Head Record
The two teams met at the start of the month and the Mavericks won a low scoring affair, 99-86.
Best Bet
