The NBA rolls into the last week February and we are set for a cracking day of matches headlined by the Los Angeles Clippers taking on the Brooklyn Nets
We’ve also focused our attention on the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers match as well as the Boston Celtics and New Orleans Pelicans.
boston@ new orleans
february 22nd 7:30am
The New Orleans Pelicans welcome the Boston Celtics to the Smoothie King Arena on Monday morning.
A four game homestay for the Pelicans has resulted in two losses thus far against the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns, while the Celtics begin the first of their three game road trip following a 121-109 victory against the Atlanta Hawks.
Second year player Zion Williamson has played beyond his age this season averaging 25 points per game and his aim will be to use his powerful frame to trouble the Celtics in the paint.
Williamson has managed 18.6 points per game inside the paint this season and that means Tristan Thomas, Daniel Theis and Robert WIlliams will need to be on song defensively.
The Celtics do rank sixth in the league for points conceded highlighting its adept nature in the backcourt but it’s in the offence where the Pelicans will find an edge.
Ranked the seventh best team for points per game the Pelicans bury 114.6 on average this season.
Jayson Tatum will attempt to make sure the offensive numbers for the Celtics can compete with the Pelicans tonight as he continues to pile on the points and keep his season average at 25.8 per game.
He toiled away valiantly in the win against the Hawks not only in the front court where he managed 25 points and six assists, but defensively too, notching up six rebounds and three blocks.
Despite there being a decent gap in the standings between these two teams and their respective conferences, the Pelicans come up outsiders in this one.
The last six road trips for Boston have only bared fruit on two occasions and the home form of the Pelicans in February had been strong prior to the two losses to genuine playoff contenders in the form of the Suns and Trail Blazers.
Suggested Bet: New Orleans head to head at $2.12
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: New Orleans Pelicans head to head
Leg 2: ZIon Williamson points scored over 24.5
Leg 3: Total points scored under 230.5
Combined odds = $6
philadelphia @ toronto
february 22nd 11:00am
Fresh off his best career performance, Joel Embiid will try to inspire the Philadelphia 76ers against the Toronto Raptors at the Amalie Arena in Florida.
Embiid was unstoppable in the 112-105 triumph against the Chicago Bulls as he almost broke the boxscore on his way to an incredible 50 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals.
He now only trails Bradley Beal as the highest scoring players in the NBA this season and now it’s up to the Raptors to find a way to stop him and the 76ers from going to 21-10.
Toronto found it tough enough to quell Embiid the first time they met this season when the 76ers were victorious 100 to 93 at the Wells Fargo Centre on December 30 last year.
A poor final quarter is what cost the Raptors in the game.
With scores tied heading into the final quarter, the 76ers went to work late and Embiid finished with 29 points and 16 rebounds.
The Raptors home away from home has had with it a mixed bag of results which sees them sitting with a 6-6 home record and 15-15 season record.
From points scored and conceded per game point of view, the Raptors and 76ers actually fare quite evenly.
The Raptors edge ahead defensively conceding only 110.5 points per game whereas the 76ers concede 111.5.
Meanwhile, the 76ers have the advantage offensively by scoring 114.5 points per game to date this season while the Raptors have managed 113.2.
Offensively, Toronto has a very even contribution from the likes of Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell, Pascal Siakim and Fred VanVleet and it has led a resurgence in recent fixtures.
Toronto does face its toughest opponent in the Atlantic standings today, but are more than capable of making this a fight to the end.
Suggested Bet: Toronto Raptors to cover the point spread +2.5 at 1.91
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Toronto to cover the point spread
Leg 2: Joel Embiid under 28.5 points
Leg 3: Joel Embiid over 11.5 rebounds
Combined odds = $8
BROOKLYN @ LA CLIPPERS
february 22nd 12:00Pm
A potential NBA Final rehearsal will play out at the Staples Centre tonight as the Los Angeles Clippers play host the Brooklyn Nets.
This shapes up as one of the games of the season with both star studded squads in purple patches of form coming into match.
The Clippers have managed to win 10 of their last 11 games while Nets, despite being without Kevin Durant for a handful of games, have five wins in a row following a three-game slump.
A win against the Clippers would make it a clean sweep at the Staples Centre after a 109-98 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
The acquisition of James Harden continues to be proven a masterstroke as he 23 points and 11 assists in the win.
Harden, who is averaging a league high 11.3 assists per match, is the man who will move the ball around for the Nets in an attempt to break down the Clippers backcourt.
The Nets, however, will be with Durant who was a major contributor the first time these two teams met this season.
Durant hit 28 points and hauled in nine rebounds in the 124-120 win over the Clippers on February 3, but he will miss this game as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury which has kept him out for over a week.
His omission will open the door for the Clippers who showed how far it can go this year after comfortably accounting for the inform team of the NBA the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
The return of their pivotal players Kawhi Leonard and Paul George was welcomed with open arms as their pair ensured the Clippers kept their spot in second-place of the Western Conference.
Leonard hit 29 points, five rebounds and four assists in the 116-112 win against the Jazz while George returned with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.
This match is loaded with offensive and defensive armoury the US Defence Force would be jealous of.
Brooklyn has averaged an incredible 121.3 points per game which ranks them first in the NBA by a long, long way.
But the Clippers will look to put the clamps down in defence.
It will hold fort with a backcourt who have only conceded 108.7 points per game which is the fifth best record in the league.
Suggested Bet: Los Angeles Clippers win at $1.31
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Los Angeles Clippers win
Leg 2: Total points scored under 235.5
Leg 3: Kyrie Irving over 24.5 points scored
Combined odds = $4.6
