The New Orleans Pelicans are surprisingly on top of the NBA’s Western Conference. They are riding a red-hot six-game winning streak, the most recent of which came against the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns will now be seeking some revenge over the Pelicans, particularly young star Zion Williamson, who ruffled some feathers with his late-game dunk.
Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Lakers will look to snap their latest losing skid in Detroit, while the surging Sacramento Kings pay a visit to the streaking Knicks in New York.
Read on below as SBOTOP previews three of the most intriguing matchups in the upcoming round of NBA games.
Phoenix Suns @ New Orleans Pelicans
The West-leading Pelicans improved to 17-8 after a 128-117 win over the Suns, their sixth straight victory. Young superstar Zion Williamson had one of his best games of the year as he had a season-high 35 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
However, Zion’s 360-degree dunk at the end of the game lit a fire from under the Suns, who found the dunk disrespectful. That late drama will now add a bit more spice to what was already a hotly anticipated game.
The Pelicans were without starting forwards Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones during the first game against Phoenix due to injury, and both will also miss the second meeting. But the Pelicans bench, led by Jose Alvarado, stepped up big against the Suns as they combined for 56 points.
As for the Suns, they had big games from Chris Paul (24 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) and Deandre Ayton (25 points, 14 rebounds), but Devin Booker (14 points, 5-17 FG) and Mikal Bridgers (11 points, 4-12 FG) both struggled.
And the bad NBA 2022 news for Phoenix is that Booker is questionable to play against the Pelicans due to a hamstring injury. Cameron Payne is likely to get the start should Booker be unavailable to play.
Los Angeles Lakers @ Detroit Pistons
After going on an encouraging run of five wins in six games, the Lakers are in the midst of another losing streak. They have lost three games in a row, although two of those were without red-hot superstar Anthony Davis.
Davis made his return in their last game against the Philadelphia 76ers and had 31 points and 12 rebounds, but the Lakers still lost 133-122 in overtime.
Sixth man Russell Westbrook is in a bit of a slump, averaging just 12.5 points and shooting 38 per cent over his last six games.
Meanwhile, LeBron James is still not shooting all that efficiently. He is shooting a mere 44 per cent from the field in his last four games and is shooting 46 per cent on the season, by far his worst percentage since his rookie season.
But the NBA 2022 odds will have LeBron and the Lakers significantly favoured to get back on track against the Detroit Pistons, who are in last place in the East at 7-21.
The Pistons are still without young star Cade Cunningham, who remains sidelined with a shin issue. Although, they surprisingly picked up big wins over the Mavs and Heat thanks to 30-point explosions from veteran Bojan Bogdanovic. But the 33-year-old has since cooled off in losses to the Pelicans and Grizzlies.
Betting Tip: LA Lakers Asian Handicap -5.50 @ 1.92
Sacramento Kings @ New York Knicks
The Sacramento Kings, who have the longest active playoff drought in the NBA at 16 seasons, are suddenly in the thick of the West playoff picture. They are currently in 14-10 – fifth in the West – amid a run of four wins in their last five.
The Kings knocked off the Cavaliers 106-95 last time out despite being without star point guard De’Aaron Fox. Fox is questionable to play against the Knicks with his foot injury, while rookie Keegan Murray is also questionable with a thumb issue.
If Fox remains out, the Kings offence will continue to centre around Domantas Sabonis. The big man is the Kings’ leader in assists this season with 6.5 per game along with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
On the other side, the Knicks are creeping back up the East standings thanks to a three-game win streak over the Cavs, Hawks, and Hornets, which have come by an average of 18 points.
Julius Randle has been red-hot with back-to-back 30-point games and is averaging 27 points per game in December.
Randle’s scoring is making up for the fact that Jalen Brunson is in a major slump at the moment. The point guard is averaging just 14.4 points on 33 per cent shooting over his last five games.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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