A four team deal between Houston, Brooklyn, Indiana & Cleveland has been the talk of the NBA. James Harden is now a Brooklyn Net.
76ers look deep, #1 team in East led by Joel Embiid: Philly has a solid veteran squad with plenty of playoff experience. Joel Embiid averaged 40 PPG in two big wins vs Boston.
Bucks still just a good regular season team at the moment, lost big games against top teams: The Bucks are 2nd in the East, but have lost all their matchups to current playoff teams. Lost games to Lakers, Jazz, Celtics & Nets.
Jayson Tatum returns tonight, Celtics have tough schedule ahead: Jayson Tatum is back tonight vs the Bulls. Boston’s next 10 games consist of teams like both LA squads, Utah & Phoenix.
Indiana trades Oladipo in return for Caris LeVert, Jeremy Lamb playing well since returning: Caris LeVert is now on the Pacers, but out with a kidney issue. Veteran scorer Jeremy Lamb returned from injury on the 20th and scored 22 points vs Orlando in his second game back.
Nets get Harden, team defense still a problem: Brooklyn finally gets James Harden after many off-season rumors. Defense is still a concern though, they let up 147 points vs Cleveland on Wednesday.
Collin Sexton has developed into a top scorer, Cavs adds pieces in trade from Brooklyn: Collin Sexton went off for 42 points in a recent win. Jarrett Allen & Taurean Prince were recently sent over from the Nets.
Hawks still haven’t played with a full team yet, notable names have missed time: Despite the lack of a full roster early on, Atlanta is #7 in the East at 8-8. Bogdanovic, Gallinari, Rondo, Dunn & Okongwu have all missed time.
Knicks will keep playing hard, future looks bright with rookies Quickley & Toppin: New York has proven they can beat anyone if teams aren’t focused. Immanuel Quickley & Obi Toppin are showing great signs for the future.
Toronto starting to pick it up, hard fought win over Indiana on Sunday with guys out: The Raptors are playing much better as of late. Bench players like Stanley Johnson, DeAndre’ Bembry & Yuta Watanabe played well in their last win.
Lauri Markkanen shooting efficiently early on, Bulls will continue to be up & down: Chicago’s Lauri Markkanen is shooting 47.5% from the field. The Bulls are competitive when healthy.
Wizards play first game since January 11th, still have a bunch of players out: Russell Westbrook is back from injury. Key guys like Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija & Davis Bertans will miss time.
Gordon Hayward scores 39 in win, Detroit’s Jerami Grant averaging 24.3 PPG: Charlotte’s Gordon Hayward is close to being a 50-40-90 player early on. Jerami Grant had 32 points in a recent loss to Atlanta.
Miami & Orlando have dealt with unfortunate circumstances all season, falling in East: Jimmy Butler has missed a bunch of time for Miami & Markelle Fultz is out all year for Orlando. Both teams can’t find a rhythm.
Both LA teams look impressive, the West Finals fans wanted last year may finally happen: The Lakers & Clippers look ready to dominate the West again. A battle of LA West Finals matchup could be possible if they can stay healthy and earn top seeds.
Utah Jazz on 8 game winning streak, Clarkson & Ingles have been polished off the bench: The Jazz have a team full of vets with great basketball IQ’s. Jordan Clarkson & Joe Ingles are both shooting over 40% from three.
McCollum & Nurkic remain out, Portland needs bench to step up: The Trail Blazers lost two starters and need their bench to play well. Damian Lillard is very capable of leading this group with CJ & Nurk out.
Denver & Memphis go on winning streaks after inconsistent starts, key players return: Experience is something both of these teams have that results in wins. Michael Porter Jr & Ja Morant are back playing for their clubs.
Phoenix is 4-6 in last 10 games, dealing with bench injuries: The Suns lost two very winnable games to Denver in OT last week. Phoenix is currently lacking bench scoring with Dario Saric & Cameron Payne out.
San Antonio’s Murray records triple-double, vets & young players have nice chemistry: Dejounte Murray is averaging an impressive 14.6 PPG/7.1 RPG/5.4 APG. The Spurs are a balanced group.
Dallas has many different players contributing, Luka putting up MVP numbers: The Mavs have 6 guys averaging double-figures in points. Luka Doncic will need to keep playing amazing for Dallas, as they’re only #9 in the West.
Golden State continuing to grind, Curry passes Reggie Miller: The Warriors have two winnable games against Minnesota coming up. Stephen Curry now only trails Ray Allen in all-time 3 pointers made.
Rockets finally move on from Harden, get Oladipo in trade: Houston traded James Harden and now have Victor Oladipo. DeMarcus Cousins had 28-17-5 in their last win.
OKC & Sacramento either get blown out or play great, not sure what to expect on nightly basis: Both of these teams struggle very badly when their top players can’t get going. Offense can be a major problem, two clubs that depend on their starters quite a bit.
Pelicans going through a bad stretch, bench ppg ranks last in the NBA: New Orleans doesn’t look confident right now. Lacking scorers off the bench.
Towns out with COVID-19, Timberwolves youngsters gaining quality experience: Karl Anthony-Towns tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Young players like Anthony Edwards, Naz Reid, Jarrett Culver, Jarred Vanderbilt & Jaden McDaniels are learning a lot early on.
