New York made it three wins on the trot on Tuesday, beating Atlanta 108-105 to tighten their grip on the #3 seed. It was a hard-fought win from Mike Brown’s side, who were really tested by this surging Atlanta team, but New York’s quality became evident in the clutch, holding Atlanta to just three points in the final 1:40 to break the 102-102 deadlock and win the game. Brunson scored 14 of NY’s final 16 points in another dominant takeover down the stretch, as he finished the night with 30 points, 13 assists and two steals, but he had some shooting woes in the first half, going 2/8 from the floor, which meant he finished the night with just a 51.6% TS%. Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and one block in an efficient night for the big man, while OG Anunoby had some big moments in his 22 points and two blocks.
Boston have secured the #2 seed in the East, following their 113-102 win over Charlotte on Wednesday. The 2024 champions were too good when it mattered most, turning an 80-87 deficit into a 106-94 lead with a 26-7 run across the third and fourth quarters. Payton Pritchard hit three three-pointers in that run to come to life after a slow start to the game, but it was Jaylen Brown who was the key piece to this win. The star forward had 35 points, nine rebounds and three assists in the win, while Jayson Tatum had 23 points and four assists to continue to build on his strong return to play. Neemias Queta controlled the interior with 12 points, five rebounds — all offensive — and one block to help Boston win that battle and record an important win.
With their playoff seed locked in, it’s looking like Boston may well rest some key pieces on Friday, with Brown, Queta, Derrick White and Sam Hauser listed as questionable. I wouldn’t be surprised to see all four sit this game out, and with New York as just 3.5-point favourites at home, that makes them the clear bet.
Houston kept their top-three hopes alive on Wednesday with a 119-105 victory in Phoenix. There were plenty of shaky moments in Houston’s performance, especially early in the piece as they trailed 5-26 midway through the first quarter, but they kept their cool to get back into the game by halftime, before dominating the fourth quarter to run away with the win. A 20-6 run early in the fourth set up a 101-90 Houston lead, as Amen Thompson got to work to cap off an impressive showing of 22 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and one block. It came as Houston absolutely dominated on the offensive glass, with 24 offensive rebounds — tying Phoenix’s defensive rebound total — to generate 37 second chance points. That was the biggest factor in the win, with Thompson snatching up six o-boards and Şengün seven, as Houston bullied their way to victory.
Philadelphia have lost their last two games to dramatically decrease their chances of a top-six finish, currently sitting in eighth with just three games to play. They still have a mathematical chance of finishing as high as the #5 seed but the 7-8 seed is looking much more likely, especially following their 102-115 loss to San Antonio on Tuesday. They were given a golden chance to pick up a road win, as Victor Wembanyama played just 16 minutes before succumbing to a rib injury, but Philly’s offence never really got going, before hitting a brick wall in the fourth with just 17 points to allow the hosts to cruise to victory. It was a woeful shooting night from Nick Nurse’s side, with a 44.3% eFG%, as Paul George, VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey combined to go 17/46 from the floor. Joel Embiid was impressive offensively, going 16/19 from the free throw line to record 34 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, but was almost invisible in the fourth with just three points and one turnover, as Philly failed to mount a comeback.
This game will be a high-level contest and with both teams entering the game essentially fully healthy, I expect to see two free-flowing offences. We have seen real improvement from Houston on that end of late, and with Embiid set to suit up, Philly will be in for a big offensive night against the hosts’ iffy interior defence. The over has hit in the last seven games between these teams and is 8-2 in Houston’s last 10 games.
Golden State did just enough to beat Sacramento on Wednesday, in a 110-105 victory. It appeared as though Sacramento were throwing the game away late on, inexplicably intentionally fouling Seth Curry with over three minutes to play, and Golden State were happy to use that opportunity to hit the lead, with Steph Curry and Brandin Podziemski then hitting a pair of threes to ice the game. Steph was a bit rusty in this contest, going just 5/12 from the field and giving up three turnovers, finishing the night with 17 points and two assists, but Golden State were effective enough defensively, with a 111.7 defensive rating, to leave Chase Center with the dub. Charles Bassey added some real value off the bench on that end, with two steals and two blocks to go with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Gary Payton II had 12 points and three steals. De’Anthony Melton led the scoring with 21 points and five assists and Podziemski dropped 20 points.
The Lakers rested LeBron James against Oklahoma City on Wednesday, meaning that Los Angeles were without their big three against the defending champions, and the game went about as expected, with OKC storming to an 87-123 win. It was never particularly close between the two teams, especially in the second half, where the Lakers were limited to just 40 points as the margin started to get ugly. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was one of LA’s worst offensive games of the season, with a miserable 88.6 offensive rating, courtesy of 17 turnovers and a 49.1% eFG%, with Luke Kennard and Rui Hachimura being the only two players to show much competence. Kennard had 10 points and nine assists and Hachimura went 7/10 from the field for 15 points and five boards, but the likes of Deandre Ayton (1/4 FGs) and Jake LaRavia (1/7 FGs) never threatened, leaving LA in a deep hole and with their chances of a top-three finish taking a hit.
LeBron is set to return on Friday, and Marcus Smart is questionable, potentially bringing two big ins to the Lakers. For Golden State, Steph Curry is questionable and Porziņģis is again out, meaning they may well be without their star power again. That’s going to make their offence a grind, and I don’t see LA’s being much better with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves still sidelined. With a relatively high 225.5 total points line, the under is my bet.