Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers (ESPN)
The Nets and Sixers open up ESPN’s Friday double-header at Wells Fargo Centre (all times AEST).
Brooklyn had won four of their last five coming into the All-Star break, most recently ousting the Raptors 101-91 at home. Caris LeVert led the way in that one with a team-high 20 points, adding seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. Jarrett Allen chipped in 10 points and 13 rebounds.
The Nets could be without Kyrie Irving for the rest of the season, with the star guard set to see a specialist this week after aggravating the shoulder injury that caused him to miss 26 games earlier in the campaign. He is out indefinitely.
Kenny Atkinson’s team sits seventh in the East at 25-28.
Philly will be hoping to turn their poor fortunes around from the first half of the season for a team that many predicted would come out of the East. They currently occupy the East’s fifth seed at 34-11, trailing the fourth-placed Heat by 1.5 games.
The Sixers won three in a row leading into the break and are 25-2 at home this season.
Brett Brown’s team are 2-1 against the Nets in their earlier meetings this season.
Tip: Philadelphia to win @ $1.28.
Memphis Grizzlies at Sacramento Kings
The Grizzlies face off with the Kings in Sacramento in a Western Conference matchup.
Memphis were one of the major surprise packages in the first half of the season, being one of the youngest and most experienced teams in the league yet sitting in the playoff picture. Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr have led the way and shown future All-Star potential, while Jonas Valanciunas has had a strong presence inside.
The Griz are currently eighth in the West at 28-26 and must continue their good form, with a number of Western rivals breathing down their neck.
Conversely, the Kings have been largely underwhelming this season, currently sitting 13th in the West and 6.5 games behind Memphis. Injuries have largely crippled their season, with Marvin Bagley and Richaun Holmes both still sidelined. The pair could miss the rest of the campaign.
It will be intriguing to see how coach Luke Walton manages Buddy Hield in the second half of the season, who had been coming off the bench in the lead into the break. There is talk that Hield will request a trade at the end of the season if he stays in a reserve role.
These teams are 1-1 against each other this season, each winning on their home floor.
Tip: Memphis to win @ $1.91.
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors (ESPN)
The Rockets and Warriors close out the ESPN double-header at the Chase Centre.
Houston will look to make a charge for a top four seed in the second half of the season, currently sitting fifth in the West at 34-20. They trail the Jazz by two games.
The Rockets are at full strength outside of Eric Gordon, who is questionable for this one with a shin problem. It will be interesting to see how Houston’s ultra-small ball line—up functions after dealing Clint Capela at the trade deadline, leaving the 6-foot 5 PJ Tucker as the team’s starting centre.
The Warriors will look to salvage something out of their disastrous campaign, currently sitting dead last in the West with a league-worst 12-43 record. Andrew Wiggins will get all the shots he can handle after getting acquired from Minnesota just at the trade deadline for D’Angelo Russell.
Golden State will also get a good look at the likes of Damion Lee, Marquese Chriss and Ky Bowman down the stretch to see if they have a future with the team. Steph Curry (left hand) remains out and will be re-evaluated later this month, while Klay Thompson (ACL) is likely to miss the entire season.
These teams are 1-1 against each other this season, each winning on their home floor.
Tip: Houston to win @ $1.20.
