After struggling for most of the season, the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors are suddenly the No 5 seed in the Western Conference.
The Warriors have risen up in the standings thanks to a three-game home winning streak, coupled with the Clippers going on a three-game losing skid. And the champs will look to make things worse for Russell Westbrook and co. when they host the Clippers at Chase Centre.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the struggling Dallas Mavericks will be desperate to pick up a much-needed win as they host the Philadelphia 76ers, who may be without superstar Joel Embiid.
Read on below as SBOTOP previews all four games on the upcoming NBA slate.
Toronto Raptors @ Washington Wizards
The Raptors and Wizards are one game apart in the standings as they battle for a spot in the play-in tournament.
The Raptors, who are ahead in ninth, are on a roll of late, with eight wins in their last 10 games. They bounced back from a blowout loss to the Cavs by beating the Bulls last time out.
Pascal Siakam led the way with 20 points and 8 rebounds. The All-Star forward has been in fantastic form, averaging just under 27 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5 assists in the last 10 games.
Siakam will look to keep his strong run going against the Wizards, who snapped their two-game losing skid with a close 119-116 win over the Hawks.
Bradley Beal had a season-high 37 points in the win. The 29-year-old had a fabulous February as he averaged just under 27 points on 53 per cent shooting.
Philadelphia 76ers @ Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks’ much-hyped Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving partnership is putting up points, but it is struggling to deliver the wins at the moment.
The Mavs dropped to 1-5 since the Doncic-Irving duo began playing together after a 124-122 defeat to the Pacers. Doncic had 39 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists while Irving had 16 points on just 7 of 18 shooting.
The losing skid has seen the Mavs fall to the seventh spot in the West, a half-game behind the Warriors and Clippers.
Forward Maxi Kleber is close to returning from his torn hamstring, which will be a big boost to the Mavs’ struggling defence. But he may not be back for this upcoming matchup against the 76ers.
The Sixers snapped their two-game losing skid as they smashed the Miami Heat 119-96 despite missing Joel Embiid. The All-Star big man sat out with a sore left foot, and it remains to be seen whether he will play against the Mavs.
Tyrese Maxey scored a team-high 27 points in his first start since Jan. 21, while Paul Reed stepped up in Embiid’s absence with 16 points and 14 rebounds off the bench.
Indiana Pacers @ San Antonio Spurs
After a disastrous run of NBA 2023 results, the Pacers ended February strong. They won three of their last four games, and their one loss was a close overtime defeat to the Celtics.
All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton scored 32 points in their win over the Mavs as he continues to return to the form he flashed before his injury. Meanwhile, big man Myles Turner had a marvellous month as he averaged 21.4 points on 57 per cent shooting (44 per cent on 3-pointers) with 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 10 games.
However, Haliburton is questionable to play due to a calf strain, which will impact the Pacers’ NBA 2023 betting odds of beating the Spurs, who are second from bottom in the West.
San Antonio finally snapped their disastrous 16-game losing skid as they beat the Utah Jazz 102-94 last time out. Keldon Johnson had a team-high 25 points on 12 of 19 shooting, but he too is questionable due to a foot strain.
LA Clippers @ Golden State Warriors
The Clippers are still winless since signing Russell Westbrook. After two tough overtime losses against the Nuggets and Kings – No 1 and No 3 in the West – the Clips lost 108-101 to the Timberwolves last time out.
Westbrook is averaging 16 points and 9.3 assists in his three games, but the Clips’ defence has seen a considerable drop since his arrival.
After scoring 77 total points on a sizzling 28 of 41 from the field in two games against the Nuggets and Kings, Kawhi Leonard finally cooled off as he had 23 points on 7 of 19 shooting against the Wolves.
Leonard will look to get back on track against the Warriors, who have now overtaken the Clippers for the 5-seed in the West thanks to a three-game win streak.
Golden State came back from 23 points down to beat the Blazers 123-105 last time out. Jordan Poole led the way with 29 points, while Klay Thompson and Donte DiVincenzo combined for 44 points.
Poole is probable to play despite a knee bruise, although Andrew Wiggins remains away from the team due to a personal issue.
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