The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the biggest surprises of the current NBA season. They are up in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and have won three games in a row despite losing star rookie LaMelo Ball for the season.
The Hornets will now put their winning streak on the line as they take on former Hornets guard Chris Paul and his Phoenix Suns, who remain second in the West.
Elsewhere, the Blazers and Raptors meet just days after making a major trade, while the new-look Nuggets take on the high-flying Hawks.
Read on below for SBOTOP’s preview of this four-game Sunday night schedule in the NBA.
Phoenix Suns @ Charlotte Hornets
The Suns bounced back from their shock loss to the Orlando Magic by beating the Toronto Raptors, 104-100. Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul both had 19 points for the Suns, who improved to 2-1 in their current four-game road trip and are 4-1 in their last five games.
Ayton has had an underwhelming season thus far, but he has upped his scoring output of late, averaging close to 21 points over his last four games. Ayton’s emergence has added another weapon to the Suns’ already impressive, well-balanced offence.
The Suns could be in for a shootout when they take on the high-flying Hornets, who have now won three games in a row after beating the Miami Heat, 110-105. Sixth man Malik Monk exploded for a season-high 32 points and Terry Rozier added 26 points and 11 assists.
Monk and fellow guard Devonte Graham has stepped up in the absence of star rookie LaMelo Ball, who suffered a season-ending wrist injury last week. Monk is averaging over 20 points over his last two games, while Graham is averaging 18.5 points.
Betting Tip: Charlotte Hornets Asian Handicap +5.50 @ 2.06
Portland Trail Blazers @ Toronto Raptors
Just days after being traded for each other, Norman Powell and Gary Trent Jr. will get to face their former teams as the Blazers take on the Raptors.
Powell had a brilliant debut for the Blazers as he scored 22 points in Portland’s 112-105 win over the Magic. The Blazers finally got centre Jusuf Nurkic back in that game after his lengthy injury layoff, but superstar guard Damian Lillard sat out due to some knee pain.
But after a few days off, Lillard — who is having another great season averaging 30 points per game — is expected to return to the lineup to take on the Raptors.
As for Toronto, they immediately went back to losing ways against the Suns after snapping their disastrous nine-game losing streak by beating the Nuggets. Trent Jr. had a rough debut, scoring just eight points on 4-of-11 shooting in 31 minutes.
Meanwhile, Kyle Lowry had 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting as he surprisingly stayed in Toronto after much speculation that he would be dealt by the trade deadline.
However, there is good news for Toronto as Pascal Siakam is playing well after his heated altercation with head coach Nick Nurse.
Atlanta Hawks @ Denver Nuggets
The high-flying Hawks ended their two-game losing skid by getting a blowout win over the Warriors. John Collins erupted for a career-high 38 points on 14-of-19 shooting with 12 rebounds to lead the Hawks.
Clint Capela also continued his impressive play in Atlanta with 18 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. The big man has been a big reason for the Hawks’ marked defensive improvement this season.
However, Capela and the Hawks will have their hands full as they take on MVP front-runner Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
After their shock loss to the struggling Raptors, Jokic helped the Nuggets bounce back as he scored 37 points in a 113-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray also combined for 48 points for the Nuggets, who will get new acquisition Aaron Gordon in the lineup for the first time. Gordon will provide some much-needed defensive versatility to the Nuggets and will likely be tasked to slow down Collins.
Betting Tip: Denver Nuggets Asian Handicap -4.50 @ 1.94
Orlando Magic @ Los Angeles Lakers
The struggling Lakers finally snapped their four-game losing streak by beating the Cavaliers, 100-86. Montrezl Harrell had a team-high 24 points off the bench, while Dennis Schroder added 17 points and 17 assists.
The Lakers did not bring in any reinforcements during the trade deadline as they await the return of injured superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, they are reportedly the front-runners for All-Star big man Andre Drummond.
But even without Drummond, the Lakers will like their chances of picking up another win as they take on the depleted Magic. Orlando made massive NBA 2021 news during the deadline as they traded away their top three players in Gordon, Nikola Vucevic, and Evan Fournier in order to begin another rebuild.
Although, they almost defied the NBA 2021 odds and gave the Blazers a decent fight in their first game since the trades. Rookie forward Chuma Okeke impressed with a career-high 22 points, and veteran forward James Ennis added 18.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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