There’s a new Laker in town in Andre Drummond, and the All-Star big man is all set to make his debut for his new team. But Drummond and co. will face a tough first test as they host two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, who are eager to end their recent losing streak.
Elsewhere, James Harden will look to further strengthen his MVP credentials when he hosts his former team, the Houston Rockets. Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings will be keen to extend their respective winning streaks away from home.
Read on below as SBOTOP gets you all caught up with all 10 games on the NBA schedule.
Portland Trail Blazers @ Detroit Pistons
The Blazers are having a blast in their four-game East road trip. They’ve won all three games thus far to pull into a tie with the fifth-placed Nuggets in the West. CJ McCollum is getting back to his best after his long injury lay-off, while Jusuf Nurkic is also ramping up since returning last week.
Portland should fancy their chances of sweeping their road trip in Detroit. The Pistons ended their four-game losing skid by beating the Raptors. Jerami Grant has struggled recently, scoring just 16 points combined over his last two games. But rookies Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart are playing well and keeping them competitive.
Betting Tip: Detroit Pistons Asian Handicap +6.50 @ 1.89
Miami Heat @ Indiana Pacers
The Heat finally snapped their six-game losing skid by beating the Knicks the other night. Jimmy Butler led the way with 27 points while Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 18 rebounds. Kendrick Nunn, who missed the game due to a sprained ankle, is questionable to play. Meanwhile, former Pacer Victor Oladipo won’t make his Heat debut in Indiana due to illness.
As for the Pacers, they lost ground on the Heat for the eighth seed in the East after losing to the Bradley Beal-less Wizards. Prior to that game, though, the Pacers had gone 4-1 in their previous five games. That includes back-to-back wins over the Heat in Miami.
Betting Tip: Miami Heat Asian Handicap -2.00 @ 2.00
Houston Rockets @ Brooklyn Nets
Rockets GM Rafael Stone may claim he doesn’t regret trading James Harden, but many Houston fans may disagree, especially given how well Harden is playing in Brooklyn. The Nets star has been on a tear of late, with back-to-back games of 38 or more points to bolster his case to win MVP.
The Nets, who could have new recruit LaMarcus Aldridge ready to make his debut, will expect to add another win against the struggling Rockets. Houston, who have won just twice since Feb. 5, lost their first meeting to the Nets earlier in March by 18 points, with Harden picking up a triple-double of 29 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds.
San Antonio Spurs center LaMarcus Aldridge blocks Brooklyn Nets guard Landry Shamet in an NBA match at the AT&T Center
Dallas Mavericks @ Boston Celtics
The Mavericks ended a recent two-game slide in emphatic fashion by thumping the Thunder by 21 points. Luka Doncic had 25 points in just 28 minutes after missing both defeats due to a sore back.
Doncic and the Mavs now set their sights on the struggling Boston Celtics, who dropped to just 4-7 in their last 11 games with a 115-109 home defeat to the Pelicans. Jaylen Brown missed the Pelicans game due to a hip issue and is questionable to play. Meanwhile, Evan Fournier struggled mightily in his Celtics debut, going 0-of-10 from the field.
Utah Jazz @ Memphis Grizzlies
The Jazz are still playing extremely well. They blew out the Cavs by 39 points last time out to extend their current winning streak to six games. However, they will be without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell (25.7 PPG) for their trip to Memphis due to personal reasons.
Mitchell’s absence is good news to the Grizzlies, who just suffered back-to-back defeats at Utah with Mitchell scoring 35 points in both games. Grizzlies star Ja Morant had 32 himself in one of those games, but that was only the second time he’s reached over 15 points in his last nine games.
Toronto Raptors @ Oklahoma City Thunder
The Raptors’ struggles continue. They lost to the last-placed Pistons last time out, which is Toronto’s third loss in a row and 12th in their last 13 games. Gary Trent Jr. has struggled with his shot since arriving from Portland, while Kyle Lowry has also suffered a dip since the trade deadline passed.
But Toronto have a terrific opportunity to get back on track when they face the Thunder, who have also lost three in a row. Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is out for a while with a foot injury, while forwards Lu Dort and Darius Bazley are also still unavailable.
Betting Tip: Toronto Raptors Asian Handicap -7.00 @ 1.87
New York Knicks @ Minnesota Timberwolves
The Knicks’ season-high three-game win streak came to a halt last time out at the hands of the Heat. RJ Barrett, who had scored over 20 points in all three games, had a rough game with just eight points on 4-of-12 shooting. Alec Burks also struggled after six straight games of 19 or more points.
Burks and the Knicks will look to bounce back against the Timberwolves, who still have the worst record in the league (11-36) after back-to-back losses to the Rockets and Nets. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards gave Brooklyn a scare, Malik Beasley is still struggling since returning from his suspension.
Betting Tip: Minnesota Timberwolves +4.00 @ 1.87 Asian Handicap
Sacramento Kings @ San Antonio Spurs
The Kings have clawed their way back up the West standings thanks to a five-game winning streak. De’Aaron Fox has been absolutely fantastic, averaging 34 points on nearly 62 per cent shooting over those five games.
Fox led seven Kings in double figures in their 17-point win over the Spurs last time out and they will look to sweep the two-game series in San Antonio.
Dejounte Murray had 23 points to lead the Spurs, who have now lost five of their last six games as they dropped to eighth in the West.
Betting Tip: Sacramento Kings Asian Handicap +2.50 @ 1.95
Milwaukee Bucks @ Los Angeles Lakers
The struggling Bucks lost their third game in a row as they were blown out by the Clippers. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points on his return from a one-game absence, but the Bucks just couldn’t stop the Clippers, who went 19-of-34 on 3-pointers.
The NBA 2021 betting odds should favour the Bucks to pick up a win against the Lakers despite LA’s recent two-game win streak against the struggling Cavs and Magic.
The big NBA 2021 news is that new acquisition Andre Drummond will start on his debut for the Lakers. Drummond, who has not played since mid-February, is averaging 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds this season.
Chicago Bulls @ Phoenix Suns
The Bulls’ big trade is not paying off just yet. They are 0-2 since trading for All-Star Nikola Vucevic and have now gone 1-6 in their last seven games. Zach LaVine’s shooting slump continues as he has hit well under 40 per cent of his shots in his last five games.
The Bulls will be hard-pressed to end their losing streak when they take on the Suns, though. Phoenix improved to 6-1 in their last seven by beating the Hawks last night. Devin Booker led a balanced Suns attack with 21 points, while Dario Saric and Jae Crowder had 20 and 19 points, respectively.
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