Washington Wizards at Milwaukee Bucks (ESPN)
The Wizards (22-31) head to Milwaukee to face the Bucks (39-13) at the Fiserv Forum on Thursday (all times AEST).
The Bucks are one of the standout teams in the league and currently hold the NBA’s best record.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is putting together an MVP calibre season and has shown no signs of slowing down following 30 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists against the Nets on Tuesday.
Giannis’ fellow All-Star Khris Middleton is once again putting together a season of consistent performances and his been an excellent contributor on both sides of the ball.
The Wizards will head into their first game following the news of John Wall’s torn achilles after a fall in his home.
The star point guard was already sitting out the season after undergoing surgery for an injury to his left heel, but is now unlikely to return to the court until 2020.
Bradley Beal has had to pick up the slack in Wall’s absence and is averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists as a result.
No team has really had an answer to the Greek Freak this season and with the Wizards getting used to life without Wall, the Bucks would be likely to continue their winning ways.
Tip: Milwaukee -8.5 - $1.55.
San Antonio Spurs at Golden State Warriors (ESPN)
The defending champions, Golden State (37-15) will host San Antonio (32-23) as they continue to build on their momentum with DeMarcus Cousins in the fold.
Cousins has played just seven games since his return from injury, but has hardly put a foot wrong in that time, adjusting perfectly to the Warriors system of ball movement.
Cousins has averaged four assists a game since his return, helping the Warriors to lead the league with 29.3 a game.
The Spurs have had an up and down year but have been well led by DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. While they are likely to be a playoff team, the time of the championship calibre Spurs sides has passed.
Aside from their two stars, the Spurs have struggled to get consistent performances out of their players. The likes of Rudy Gay and Marco Bellinelli have been average at best, while offering little to nothing on defence.
The offensive weapons at the Warriors disposal should easily overpower a team in the bottom ten in defensive rating, especially at home in the Oracle Arena.
Tip: Golden State Warrior to win @ $1.50.
Denver Nuggets at Brooklyn Nets
The Nuggets (37-16) will travel to Brooklyn to face the Nets (28-27) at Barclays Centre.
Denver are coming into the game following a stunning blowout loss to the Pistons in Detroit, which saw a relatively underwhelming performance from the team’s superstar Nikola Jokic.
Jokic has been incredible this season averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and has been rewarded with his first All-Star berth.
The Nets have surprised many this season to sit in sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Following the injury to Caris LeVert, D’Angelo Russell has come into his own, averaging almost 20 points and 6 assists on his way to becoming an All-Star for the first time.
The Nets are currently on a three-game losing streak and with the Nuggets looking to bounce back following their loss to Detroit they will need to play well to defend home court.
Tip: Denver to Win @ $1.78
