Detroit picked up where they left off after the All-Star break, with a couple of wins on the trot since their return to action. Most recently was a 126-110 thumping of Chicago, running away with the win on the back of a 44-26 third quarter. That made for a lead as big as 28 points in the fourth, as they turned on the jets with Jalen Duren looking particularly sharp in his first game back from suspension. The big man had 26 points and 13 rebounds in his 29 minutes on the floor, while Cade Cunningham needed just one more board for a triple-double, with 18 points, nine rebounds, 13 assists and three blocks. Tobias Harris shot well again for 18 points, six boards and four steals and Paul Reed was efficient with 15 points and nine rebounds.
San Antonio picked up their eighth win on the bounce on Sunday, beating Sacramento 139-122. SA were leading most of the way but it wasn’t until the fourth quarter where they really got comfortable, with a 33-9 run giving them a 131-103 buffer. It was an utterly dominant two-way performance from Victor Wembanyama, with 28 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and four blocks, while deterring plenty of Sacramento’s looks on the inside, while Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox each had an efficient 18 points to help the hosts get the win.
Detroit are still without Isaiah Stewart but their defensive pressure is going to cause some wobbles for San Antonio’s backcourt and Wembanyama. Duren also presents as an interesting defensive matchup against Wemby, and I fancy the East’s best team at home here.
Memphis slipped back to losing ways with a 120-136 loss to Miami on Sunday. Miami always looked somewhat in control in the first half, before really taking the game by the horns with a 26-39 third quarter to hand Memphis another loss. Still without Ja Morant (elbow), as well as a slew of other first-team players, Memphis were out of their depth in this matchup. GG Jackson II impressed with 28 points on 11/17 shooting, to go with nine rebounds, while Jaylen Wells missed just three shots for 25 points and two steals. Scotty Pippen Jr had perhaps his best offensive game since returning from injury, with 18 points and six assists in 21 minutes, but the team’s woeful defence let them down. Their 134.0 defensive rating was their third-worst of the season so far, as Miami got a whopping 43 shot attempts at the rim to down the visitors.
Sacramento are looking every bit like the worst team in the league of late, now with a 12-46 record. Now riding a 16-game losing streak after a 122-139 loss to San Antonio on Sunday, Sacramento are in full tank mode, and their miserable 134.3 defensive rating on Sunday was a good display of that. The visitors were dominated on the glass 35-48 and allowed a sky-high 63.1% eFG%, and there were few positives on the offensive end to make up for it. Malik Monk dropped 19 points and six assists, Maxime Raynaud had 16 points, 12 rebounds and one block and Keegan Murray and DeMar DeRozan each had up-and-down 20-point nights.
This game presents a genuine chance for Sacramento to snap their 16-game losing run, and I fancy their chances of doing so. A slew of Memphis’ top players are still out and I expect their defence to struggle against the likes of DeRozan and Monk, meaning Sacramento should come out on top here.
Houston threw away an 18-point fourth quarter lead on Sunday, losing to New York 106-108. A disastrous 15-33 fourth quarter was the visitors’ undoing, as their offence went stagnant in the clutch, not for the first time this season and they had no answer for the hosts’ scoring barrage. Amen Thompson proved his worth again on the defensive end, being given plenty of assignments and finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and one block to be a +5 in 41 minutes. Kevin Durant was the only other starter with a positive +/-, being a +15 on the back of 30 points on an iffy 51.6% TS%, as well as six rebounds and three assists, while Jabari Smith Jr posted 21 points and one block. Alperen Şengün was solid with 16 points, six rebounds, six assists and three blocks but he went ice cold in the fourth, with one point and two turnovers to contribute to quite the collapse.
Utah achieved their desired result in their tank-off against Memphis on Saturday, losing 114-123. With Lauri Markkanen (illness), Jaren Jackson Jr (knee), Keyonte George (ankle), Jusuf Nurkić (nose) and Walker Kessler (shoulder) still out, this was a terrible squad that Tuomas Iisalo had at his disposal and it showed as they collapse in the fourth. Taking an 88-87 lead into the final period, Utah gave up a 6-21 run to start the fourth and they had no response from there. Isaiah Collier impressed with 24 points, five assists, four steals and two blocks and Kyle Filipowski had 20 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks, but another sub-par offensive night from the team left Utah short.
Markkanen is probable and George is questionable for Tuesday’s game, meaning Utah might be getting two of their top dogs back, but either way they are going to struggle against this Houston defence. The hosts have the tools to slow both down if they suit up, and Utah may well have a fair bit of defensive success themselves against a Houston team that is 23rd in offence in 2026, making the under my play.