Denver Nuggets (21-15) at Memphis Grizzlies (17-16)
The Nuggets resume their season after the All-Star break and they'll be looking to continue their winning momentum. In a 4 game road-trip, the Nuggets successfully won all 4 games and that has kept them within reach of the top 4 in the West. Like many teams this season, the Nuggets have struggled to maintain a healthy squad but it does look better at the moment as they should only be missing Gary Harris for this clash. In terms of matchup, the Grizzlies have struggled with power forwards and point guards. So look for a big game by Murray and Porter Jr.
Memphis kicked off the second half of the season with a comfortable 127-112 win over the Wizards, which was mostly driven by Valanciunas. With a nice matchup against Washington, he finished with 29 pts and collected 20 rebounds. However, Denver has been a tough defence to play against this season in terms of points allowed and the Grizzlies still have a losing record at home (8-11)
Denver look tough to beat here. They've won all of their last 4 road games, have a healthy squad now and their tough defence should be the key against the Grizzlies. So we'll be backing the Nuggets to cover
Stadium Record
The Grizzlies have lost 2 of their last 3 at home. Denver holds a 3-3 record at this venue in the last 6 meetings.
Head to Head Record
Denver has won 7 of the last 10 meetings since 2017.
Best Bet
Miami Heat (19-18) at Chicago Bulls (16-19)
The Heat have turned things around lately with 8 wins in their last 10 and now sit 5th in the East. In their win on Friday, Jimmy Butler led the charge with 27 pts and 11 assists. There's no doubt Jimmy will extra motivated on Saturday as he meets his former team in Chicago. However, the Heat are missing Bam Adebayo with injury, which is good news for the Bulls as they've struggled to stop Centres this season.
Meanwhile, Chicago come off a disappointing 127-105 loss against the 76ers who were missing Embiid and Simmons. So their defence will need to improve against the likes of Jimmy Butler. But in good news, Markkanaen returned from injury with a team high 23 pts.
Keeping it simple here and backing the in-form Heat against the inconsistent Bulls. As mentioned, Chicago got smashed by an undermanned 76ers team on Friday and Jimmy Butler should prove a handful for their lacking defence.
Stadium Record
The Bulls have been poor at home this season with a 7-12 record. Miami has won 5 of their last 6 at this venue.
Head to Head Record
This is the first meeting since 2019 and the Heat have won 8 of the last 10 meetings since 2017.
Best Bet
Indiana Pacers (16-19) at Los Angeles Lakers (24-13)
The All Star break likely came at the right time for the Pacers after 5 defeats in their last 6 games, which sees them drop to 10th in the East. So getting back on track will most likely start with their defence, which has struggled to contain superstars. As a result, LeBron James will be the key man defensively for the Pacers, especially with Anthony Davis. The Davis injury should also give Sabonis more freedom around the rim.
Similarly to the Pacers, the Lakers have struggled lately with just 2 wins in their last 8 games as they miss Anthony Davis to injury. However, LeBron has a great matchup against the Pacers and should be fresh after the All Star break. Schroder also comes off 28 pts in his last outing and Harrell should get more minutes with Gasol / Davis sidelined.
Considering the Pacers have a good record against the Lakers and they do have a winning road record (9-8), we like their chances of covering the underdog line. At the moment, the Lakers are undermanned around their front court and the likes of Sabonis and Turner should give the Lakers plenty of headaches defensively.
Stadium Record
The Lakers have struggled at home lately with a 2-4 record. The Pacers have lost 4 of their last 5 here.
Head to Head Record
Indiana has a good record against the Lakers with 7 wins in the last 10 meetings and that includes 3 straight victories since 2019.
Best Bet
