Christmas is coming in two days, and that means a full day of NBA basketball. Today, I’ll be making my predictions for the five games.
The Knicks and Spurs match up in the first game of the day. The Knicks have won three straight games and 8 of 10.
Karl Anthony Towns is giving the Knick frontcourt firepower they haven’t had in a long time. He is shooting 46 % from three and grabbing 14 rebounds a game, both career highs. On the other end, he has to deal with Wemby’s length and versatility.
Those two could cancel each other out, possibly coming down to other pieces. The Knicks have Mikal Bridges as their third option and OG Anunoby as their fourth option.
They are too deep to lose this game and should win by at least 10 points.
The Timberwolves and Mavericks match up in the second game of the day. I like Ant, but he is too athletic to shoot 45% from the field. I know he has talked down on the team in the media, but he needs to look in the mirror, improve his efficiency, and learn to score more off the ball instead of isolations.
I could say the same about Donicic; his field goal percentage is 4 percent lower than two seasons ago. He is the best player in the game and has many pieces around him. Kyrie and Klay are household names, but PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, Naji Marshal, and those other guys can ball.
The Mavs are 8-2 in the last 10, and this should be an easy game for them, especially at home.
Philly and Boston play the third game. Philly has been injured, and they have sucked this year. They have won six of their last nine games, but the Celtics are tough, and most think they will come out of the East.
I won’t waste my time going too deep evaluating this matchup. The Celtics are definitely winning.
The Lakers and Warriors matchup in the fourth game of the night. The Lakers are my squad, winning three straight and 7 of 10. The Warriors, on the other hand, are 3-7 in the last 10.
The last time I watched the Warriors play, they had a bunch of guys out there that no one had ever heard of, like Lindy Waters III. It seems like Kerr is a little desperate and playing too many guys.
And everyone was excited about the Dennis Schroder pick-up, but he has stunk it up in the last few games. He might be more motivated to go against the Lakers, though.
Conversely, the Lakers have the two best players in the game in Lebron & AD. The Warriors don’t have anyone that can match up with them. Both guys should get 30 in this game.
I know the Laker’s defense is questionable, and they have inconsistent scoring with Knecht and DLO, but this should be an easy win if the Lakers can hit a high percentage of their threes.
The last game of the night is the Nuggets and Suns. A lot of people feel like the Nuggets have fallen off.
On the other hand, people feel like the Suns are underachieving, although that is mainly due to injuries.
When you have Jokic, you have a great chance to win every night. In the last 10 games, the Nuggets have gone 6-4 while the Suns have gone 4-6.
The Suns have lost to the Pelicans, Pistons, and Pacers in the past few weeks. It doesn’t seem like they can guard anyone on the perimeter, and they don’t have any big that can make Jokic work on the defensive end.
The Bradley Beal trade looks like a dud so far. It reminds me of the Westbrook-to-Lakers trade when a team wants a third star so bad they don’t consider how all the pieces will fit.
The Nuggets should win a close game on the Suns home floor.
