The Boston Celtics have proved to be the best team in the NBA regular season, and they pretty much have the Eastern Conference in a chokehold. Boasting the best record in the league (51-14), they are still the NBA 2024 odds favourites to win the chip when the season is done and dusted.
The Celtics will have a familiar adversary visiting TD Garden to test their 29-3 record at home, as Kevin Durant and the rest of the Phoenix Suns will pay a visit to try and have a crack at the mighty Boston Celtics in Beantown.
This will be a rematch of their March 10 tie at Footprint Center, where the visiting Celtics cruise past the banged-up Suns, thanks to the heroics of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
This time, the Phoenix Suns big three are all expected to play, while Boston will be without their big man, Kristaps Porzingis, due to a hamstring injury, and Jaylen Brown, who is currently considered day-to-day as he continues to fend off back problems.
The Celtics vs Suns matchup will surely take up the majority of the real estate on tomorrow’s marquee, but there are other notable contests that will feature in tomorrow’s NBA slate.
The Bulls, Bucks, Thunder, Rockets, and Trail Blazers will play host to the Clippers, 76ers, Mavericks, Wizards, and Knicks, respectively. So, read more below as SBOTOP gives more in-depth previews of some of the notable matchups tomorrow.
LA Clippers @ Chicago Bulls
Is it time to sound the alarm in the Clippers locker room? Now that the postseason is fast approaching, the Clippers stars have been in and out of the lineup due to injuries or load management. They are 5-5 in their last 10 and have slipped to the fourth spot in the West.
Tyronn Lue’s men have remained relatively healthy for the most part of the season, and they’ve proven to be a worthy adversary in the postseason if they stay healthy.
The Clippers have lost two in a row since their triumph over the Bulls at Crypto.com Arena. James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook are all either out or considered day-to-day for their rematch against DeMar DeRozan and the Bulls at the United Center.
Without Lonzo Ball, Patrick Williams, and Zach LaVine, most of the scoring responsibilities fall on the shoulders of their proven veteran, DeMar DeRozan. The 34-year-old stood up to the challenge and seemed like he took a gulp from the fountain of youth, as he recently dropped 46 points, leading the Bulls to a 131-129 overtime win over the Pacers.
The matchup between Paul George and DeMar DeRozan will be the one to watch during this tie. Both players boast their two-way capabilities and are considered two of the best two-way players in the league.
Philadelphia 76ers @ Milwaukee Bucks
The 76ers continue their campaign without their MVP, Joel Embiid, but fortunately, their All-Star, Tyrese Maxey, is back on the floor after missing some time due to a concussion. With their top contributors in street clothes, the Sixers have fallen to the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference and may have to fight for a spot in the postseason in the Play-In Tournament.
Meanwhile, the Bucks are currently wrestling with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second spot in the East. Both boast a 42-24 record and are 9.5 games behind the unreachable Celtics. So, a win against the struggling Sixers at Fiserv Forum could help the Bucks cement their status as the biggest threat to the Celtics in the East.
Dallas Mavericks @ Oklahoma City Thunder
The Dallas Mavericks are fresh from a 109-99 win against the Warriors at American Airlines Arena, improving their record to 38-28. But their win against the ailing Warriors came at a hefty price.
Luka Doncic played 30 minutes and tallied 21 points, nine assists, and three rebounds. But the Slovenian prodigy headed to the locker room during the fourth quarter before the team announced that he was ruled out for the remainder of the game due to some soreness in his left hamstring.
“We’ll see. I know he left the game with a sore hamstring,” Mavs head coach Kidd said about Luka’s status. “We’ll have a better answer tomorrow.”
The Mavericks will be on the tail end of a back-to-back against the Thunder in Oklahoma, so Luka’s availability against SGA and the Thunder is still up in the air. Expect the Mavs to lean on their savvy veteran, Kyrie Irving, to lead them past the vigorous Thunder outfit and dazzle with some NBA 2024 highlights to boot.
Meanwhile, the Thunder will be salivating for a win after conceding the top seed in the Western Conference standings. Despite SGA’s 30-point performance yesterday at Paycom Center, OKC still fell short to the Pacers, forcing them to slip down the standings.
With that loss, OKC have been overtaken by the defending NBA Champs, the Denver Nuggets, as the number one seed in the West. With a 45-20 record, the Thunder are just a half game below the summit, and they could take back the top spot in the West if they manage to win against the Luka-less Mavericks.
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