Miami Heat (16-12) at Philadelphia 76ers (15-13)
The Heat will be without Jimmy Butler again as they meet the 76ers in Philadelphia. Miami comes off a disappointing 105-94 loss against the Cavs on Tuesday. However, PJ Tucker had arguably his best game for the Heat, scoring 23 pts and Lowry added 22. The pair will be important for the Heat on Thursday as their starting lineup continues to struggle with injuries.
Joel Embiid was a late out against the Grizzlies on Tuesday and as a result, the 76ers struggled without him in a crushing 126-91 defeat. The 76ers are now 3-8 without Embiid on the court so they'll be hoping he can return on Thursday from a rib injury. They also have other injury issues with Steph Curry's shoulder. So they'll need Tyrese Maxey to continue his shooting form after scoring 23 pts against the Grizzlies.
There's a lot of injury concerns for both sides, especially Embiid for the 76ers. We're going to assume he doesn't play through a rib injury in a regular-season game and that should give the Heat a good chance of covering as the road underdog. They've also covered in 4 of their last 6 against Philly.
Stadium Record
Philadelphia has been average at home with a 2-5 in their last 7 games. The Heat have struggled here with a 1-5 record.
Head to Head Record
In the last 10 meetings, both sides have won 5 games against each other.
Best Bet
Los Angeles Lakers (15-13) at Dallas Mavericks (14-13)
The Lakers have won their last 2 against the Magic and Thunder. But the Mavericks will pose a much tougher challenge. Without Anthony Davis against the Magic, LeBron took control of the offence as he recorded a triple-double, the 101st of his career. Davis is questionable with a knee injury at the moment so LeBron will likely need to produce similar numbers against Dallas.
While Luka Doncic has missed the last few games, the Mavericks have stepped up in his absence. They have smashed the Hornets 120-96 and Thunder 103-84 in back to back games. Kristaps Porzingis comes into this matchup after scoring 24 pts / 13 rebounds in just 24 minutes against the Hornets. So if Davis is out, look for Porzingis to take over this contest.
The Mavericks have proven they can win without Doncic and they've had a good recent record over the Lakers. Meanwhile, Los Angeles probably won't risk a knee injury with Davis.
Stadium Record
The Mavericks have struggled at home with a 1-5 record. The Lakers have won just 4 of their last 14 in Dallas.
Head to Head Record
Dallas have won both meetings in 2021 but the Lakers are 7-3 since 2018.
Best Bet
Los Angeles Clippers (16-12) at Utah Jazz (19-7)
The Clippers shocked the Suns last time out with a huge 111-95 victory. What's more impressive is they did it without Paul George. They've now won 4 straight games and should take a lot of confidence to Utah, even if George can't suit up.
Utah have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA with 7 straight wins and come off a successful 4-0 road trip. In fact, they've won their last 3 games by 25, 22 and 32 pts. So they'll be looking for that run to continue against the Clippers and get revenge for their playoffs defeat last season.
Both sides have been in winning form of late and that sets up an intriguing clash, especially defensively. The Jazz haven't conceded over 100 points in their last 2 games and they should be able to shut down the Clippers without Paul George. So we do like the Under, which is 4-2 when these two sides meet in Utah.
Stadium Record
The Jazz have won 13 of their last 18 at home. Los Angles have a poor 1-7 record in their last 8 games in Utah.
Head to Head Record
The Clippers beat the Jazz 4-2 in last year's Western Conference finals.
Best Bet
