After the disappointment of not being reunited with Kyrie Irving during the NBA trade deadline, LeBron James heads to Irving’s new home as the Dallas Mavericks host the Los Angeles Lakers.
Meanwhile, there will be a rematch of the 2021 NBA Finals in Milwaukee, although it may not feature a couple of marquee stars.
But there will be a big-time battle in the West, with the Nuggets and Clippers both looking to bounce back after tough defeats.
Read on below as SBOTOP previews the five most noteworthy matchups from the upcoming NBA schedule.
Phoenix Suns @ Milwaukee Bucks
This rematch of the 2021 NBA Finals will be missing a lot of star power as the Suns will still be without trade deadline acquisition Kevin Durant as he continues to recover from his knee injury. Meanwhile, the Bucks could be missing talisman Giannis Antetokounmpo, who left their most recent game with a knee injury of his own.
But despite the absence of those two superstars, this game will still be one to watch. Jae Crowder will face Phoenix for the first time after sitting out the entire season while he was on the Suns.
Meanwhile, the Bucks – who are riding a 13-game winning run – will be confident in their ability to contend without Giannis. Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez have had big games recently in Giannis’ absence, while Khris Middleton is returning to his best.
Los Angeles Lakers @ Dallas Mavericks
After losing their first three games together, Dallas’ new dynamic duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving finally got their first win as they thumped the struggling Spurs 142-116.
Doncic led the way with 28 points, 10 assists, and 7 assists, while Irving added 23 points and 6 assists. The two have been averaging 60 points per game since coming together.
Next up for the Mavs are the Lakers, who beat the defending champion Warriors 124-111 in their first game back from the All-Star break.
LeBron James was left disappointed that the Lakers lost out on Kyrie, but LA did make a huge deal for D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbilt.
Beasley had 25 points and 7 3-pointers in the win over the Warriors, but Russell suffered an ankle injury in that game and is unlikely to play against the Mavs, which will be a significant blow to the Lakers’ NBA 2023 betting odds of victory.
Toronto Raptors @ Cleveland Cavaliers
The Toronto Raptors are turning their NBA 2023 results around. They have won a season-high four games in a row and seven of their last eight games after a close win at Detroit yesterday afternoon.
Granted, most of their wins have been against struggling teams, most of whom are below .500. Nevertheless, their confidence will be high as they play the second night of a back-to-back against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavs are also in a bit of a slump as they’ve now lost three games in a row. After his 40-point explosion in the All-Star game, Donovan Mitchell has been misfiring in his last two games. He’s gone just 15 of 39 in his last two games, including 4 of 17 on 3-pointers.
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Golden State Warriors
The Timberwolves and Warriors are currently 7th and 8th in the West and hoping to lift themselves out of the play-in tournament spots.
The Timberwolves, who are expecting All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns back soon, have dropped three of their last four games after losing to the lowly Hornets.
As for the Warriors, they snapped a two-game losing skid with a 116-101 victory over the Rockets. Klay Thompson had the hot hand as he dropped 42 points on 12 made 3-pointers.
LA Clippers @ Denver Nuggets
The Clippers came out on the wrong end of the second-highest scoring NBA game in history as they lost 176-175 to the Sacramento Kings.
Kawhi Leonard had a brilliant game with 44 points on 16 of 22 shooting. Paul George added 34 points and 10 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook had 17 points and 14 assists on his Clippers debut.
The Clips will look to get back on track against the West-leading Nuggets, who suffered a 112-94 defeat to the second-place Grizzlies yesterday.
Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic had 15 points on 7 of 11 shooting, but the rest of the team went just 29 of 78 (37 per cent).
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