Orlando held on for a 115-111 victory against Phoenix on Wednesday, as their defence turned it on in the clutch for the win. After leading by as many as 16 points in the first quarter and taking a 70-56 lead into the main break, their buffer had disappeared by three-quarter time. They locked down Phoenix in the final five minutes though, conceding just four points to win the game to take a half-game lead over Miami and Charlotte for the #8 seed. Jalen Suggs was Orlando’s best, with 20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals, along with six turnovers. Paolo Banchero had another tough shooting night but finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Desmond Bane top-scored with 21 points on a sub-par 53.8% TS%.
Atlanta did what they needed to do on Tuesday, beating an undermanned Boston team 112-102. They were made to sweat somewhat in the fourth, as a 21-point lead was quickly reduced to just eight points with 2:40 to play, but that was as close as the visitors would get, as Atlanta made it 16 wins from their last 18 games. There were some key absences on Boston’s side, as Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta sat the game out, and Atlanta took advantage with their best defensive effort in over two weeks. Onyeka Okongwu had an excellent two-way showing, with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block while Dyson Daniels was excellent again defensively, with 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Jalen Johnson had 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists and CJ McCollum had 14 points and six assists to close out the visitors.
Both teams will be scrapping for a win here, with plenty to play for in terms of playoff seeding, and that has me favouring the hosts. The likes of Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr will be good defensive matchups for McCollum and Okongwu, and they have some size to throw on Johnson, which will really limit Atlanta’s offence. As home underdogs, Orlando are the go.
Miami pulled off a 14-0 run late in the fourth to steal a win from Philadelphia on Tuesday. Down 103-107 with 3:20 on the clock, Miami needed to turn up the heat to get the win in this contest, and they did exactly that, with back-to-back threes from Tyler Herro proving to be the difference-maker in a 119-109. Importantly, it was a relieving return to some defensive form for Erik Spoelstra’s side after a horror run of defensive performances in their seven prior games, in which they went 1-6. Their 110.1 defensive rating on Tuesday saw them control the game down the stretch and Bam Adebayo was a big factor, holding Joel Embiid to a poor shooting night, while contributing 23 points, 16 rebounds and six assists of his own. Herro dropped 30 points, three assists and two blocks and Pelle Larsson had 20 points and 10 boards as he continues to carve out a role.
A #1 seed finish has all but been ruled out for Boston after a 102-112 defeat in Atlanta on Tuesday. A horror 22-36 third quarter saw them enter the final period on the back foot and before long, the hosts’ lead got out to 21 points, which was too much for Boston to come back from. It was a rough offensive night for Boston, as Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta sat out, finishing with just a 104.1 offensive rating, as both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White struggled for efficiency. Brown went 9/29 from the floor and White shot just 3/12 for an awful night from the two stars, and Payton Pritchard couldn’t come to the rescue, with just 16 points. Luka Garza had an impressive night, with 20 points and nine rebounds and Boston will take some solace in threatening Atlanta in such a bad offensive night, but the loss ended up being a costly one.
Tatum and Queta are set to return on Thursday and that’s bad news for Miami. The hosts are going to struggle to score against this full-strength Boston defence and we’ll almost certainly see an improved offensive showing from the visitors, especially with Tatum back in the fold. Boston are 24-14 ATS on the road this season and are my pick here.
Golden State’s three-game win streak came to a crashing end on Monday, losing to Denver 93-116. It was quite the collapse from Golden State, who went from being up 49-36 late in the second quarter to being down 74-86 at the end of the third, as their offence dried up and their defence provided little resistance. There was no comeback left in GS and that saw them end with a 102.3 offensive rating and a 126.4 defensive rating, with just Brandin Podziemski and Kristaps Porziņģis having performances of note. Podz ended with 23 points, two steals and one block and Porziņģis had an efficient 23 points, but rough nights from De’Anthony Melton and Gui Santos in particular saw Denver run away with the win.
San Antonio made it nine wins on the bounce on Tuesday, coasting past Chicago in a 129-114 triumph. The visitors were able to stay within arm’s length for much of the first half, but San Antonio put together a 23-7 run just before halftime to make it a 61-45 lead, and there was no looking back. Victor Wembanyama was unstoppable in this contest, with 41 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in a dominant display, and Stephon Castle was almost as impressive with 21 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. Dylan Harper and Julian Champagnie each had 13 points and Keldon Johnson added 15 as SA notched up another elite offensive night.
San Antonio are still within reach of the #1 seed and will be gunning for another win on Thursday, which is almost guaranteed given GS will be without Porziņģis, Melton and Quentin Post, while Santos is questionable. This game is going to be a blowout from the beginning and even at this big line, I have to side with the visitors.