LeBron James’ matchup against his old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, is by far the marquee game on the upcoming NBA schedule.
The Cavs, led by All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, are one of the hottest teams in the league, winning seven games in a row.
And they will look to extend their win streak to eight in a row as they take on James’ Lakers, who are second from bottom in the Western Conference.
Elsewhere, the Utah Jazz will look to continue their surprising start as they face the Clippers, while the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors battle for fifth place in the East.
Read on below as SBOTOP previews all four games on the NBA slate.
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Los Angeles Lakers
There was some speculation last season that Ohio native LeBron James could make another return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had rebuilt with a promising young core. But LeBron stayed with the Lakers, while the Cavs struck a deal to acquire All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.
That decision is turning out to be a terrific one as the Cavs have made a brilliant start to the season. With Mitchell averaging 31 points and 7 assists per game, Cleveland are 7-1, winning seven games in a row.
The Cavs were without both starting guards, Mitchell and Darius Garland, in their last game against the Detroit Pistons, but they still ran out comfortable 112-88 winners. Mitchell and Garland are both questionable to play against the Lakers, so stay tuned to the NBA 2022 updates on their status.
As for LeBron and the Lakers, they dropped to 2-6 as their two-game winning streak was snapped in a 130-116 loss to the Utah Jazz last time out.
Russell Westbrook continued his mini-renaissance as he led the team with a season-high 26 points. The former MVP is averaging close to 19 points in four games since moving to the bench after returning from a hamstring injury.
However, James is not looking as impressive. The 37-year-old is averaging a mere 18.5 points while shooting 38 per cent in the first two games of November. James is dealing with a foot issue, but he is expected to play against his old team.
Chicago Bulls @ Toronto Raptors
The Bulls returned to .500 at 5-5 as their two-game win streak was snapped in a 123-119 loss to the Celtics. But DeMar DeRozan put up a valiant effort with a season-high 46 points. DeRozan is having another strong season with 25.6 points per game.
Running mate Zach LaVine has been underwhelming thus far, though. The 27-year-old is averaging 20.7 points as he continues to be bothered by his knee.
The Bulls will look to get back on track against the Raptors, who are just 0.5 game ahead of them in the standings. Toronto also lost their two-game win streak in a close 111-110 defeat to Dallas.
With point guard Fred VanVleet out, OG Anunoby starred with a season-high 27 points, while Pascal Siakam added 18, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Siakam is having a sensational season, averaging nearly 25 points, with 9 rebounds and 7.7 assists.
However, Siakam is doubtful to play against Chicago with a groin injury, while VanVleet remains questionable to return due to his back injury.
That will put more pressure on Scottie Barnes to orchestrate the offence. The second-year forward had his first career triple-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in the loss to the Mavs.
Washington Wizards @ Memphis Grizzlies
The Wizards were on the receiving end of a thorough beating as they lost to the Brooklyn Nets, 128-86. That was Washington’s fourth defeat in their last five games as they dropped to 4-5 on the season.
Bradley Beal had 20 points in a losing effort, while big man Kristaps Porzingis had a double double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
And the NBA 2022 betting odds will not back the Wizards to get a win against the 6-3 Grizzlies, who crushed the Charlotte Hornets 130-99 last time out.
Dillon Brooks had 23 points to lead eight Grizzlies with 11 or more points. Ja Morant, who saw his streak of consecutive 20-point games snapped as he finished with just 12, will be keen to bounce back against the Wizards.
Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Clippers
The surprising Jazz are not slowing down. Utah smoked the Lakers 130-116 as they improved to 7-3, which is third in the West.
Lauri Markkanen continued his breakout season with 27 points and 13 rebounds against LA. The Finnish forward is now averaging 22 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
Markannen will look to keep his hot streak going against the Clippers, who have now won three consecutive games after beating the Spurs 113-106.Paul George, who kicked off this current win streak with his dramatic game-winner against the Rockets, has been instrumental to the Clippers’ success. He’s averaging 31.7 points while shooting 58 per cent from the field over the three games.
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