The Milwaukee Bucks and the Greek Freak play the hottest team in the NBA when they take on the Utah Jazz, who won 16 out of their last 17 games. The big game this weekend features Kevin Durant playing the Golden State Warriors for the first time as a member of an away team when the Brooklyn Nets arrive for a Saturday night showdown.
The NBA weekend tips off with a fun matchup between Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans visiting Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Philadelphia 76ers are in the middle of a West Coast road trip, and the top team in the Eastern Conference will face a high-noon showdown in the Arizona desert on Saturday against the Phoenix Suns.
| NBA Friday |
- New Orleans Pelicans at Dallas Mavericks
- Milwaukee Bucks at Utah Jazz
- Oklahoma City Thunder at Denver Nuggets
- Memphis Grizzlies at LA Lakers
| NBA Saturday |
- Philadelphia 76ers at Phoenix Suns
- Houston Rockets at NY Knicks
- Brooklyn Nets at Golden State Warriors
| NBA Sunday |
- San Antonio Spurs at Charlotte Hornets
- Memphis Grizzlies at Sacramento Kings
- LA Lakers at Denver Nuggets
Two of the youngest teams in the league will go at it on Sunday when the up-and-coming Sacramento Kings host Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies.
On Sunday night, the LA Lakers and Denver Nuggets cap off the weekend in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals.
Friday: Luka vs Zion, Greek Freak vs Spida
New Orleans Pelicans (11-13) at Dallas Mavericks (12-14)… The Mavs finally got off the schneid and ended a losing streak thanks to a league-leading seventh triple-double of the season by Doncic. The Pelicans recently had a five-game winning streak snapped off. The Mavs are fade material with the second-worst record against the spread at 10-16.
Milwaukee Bucks (16-9) at Utah Jazz (20-5)… The Greek Freak vs Spida sounds like a sequel to a Godzilla franchise. The road-weary bucks have been away from home for over a week, but still have two more games before their western swing comes to an end. The sizzling Jazz and their three-guard offense have the best against-the-spread record in the NBA at 18-7. The Jazz are 7-3 against winning teams, while the Bucks are just 3-5. According to advanced metrics, the Jazz are the only team in the NBA with an offensive and defensive rating in the top five.
Oklahoma City Thunder (10-14) at Denver Nuggets (13-11)… OKC appeared in a league-high eight close games (decided by three points or less) this season, but they still have a 5-3 record. The Thunder struggled with a 3-9 record against winning teams. The Nugs love to beat up on bad teams with an 8-1 record against teams below .500. The high-octane Nuggets went over more than any other team in the NBA with an 18-6 clip.
Memphis Grizzlies (10-10) at LA Lakers (20-6)… LeBron James posted a triple-double and led the Lakers to six-straight wins, even though Anthony Davis missed a couple of games with tendonitis. The Lakers have the second-best defense in the league, allowing 105.2 ppg. The under is 17-9 for the Lakers this season.
Saturday: Sixers/Suns Showdown, Durant vs Curry
Philadelphia 76ers (18-8) at Phoenix Suns (15-9)… These are two of the best teams against the spread, with the Sixers (14-10-1) visiting the Suns (15-9). The Sixers are unbeatable at home but vulnerable on the road. This will be their third of four games on a western swing.
Houston Rockets (11-13) at NY Knicks (11-15)… The slumping Knicks lost back-to-back games to the Miami Heat, and have dropped seven out of their last 10 games, including three games that got away in the closing minute. Derrick Rose makes his MSG debut after the Detroit Pistons traded him earlier this week. The Knicks have the best defense in the league, allowing 103.9 ppg. They also have the best under record in the NBA at 18-8.
Brooklyn Nets (15-2) at Golden State Warriors (14-12)… The Warriors lost to the Nets in Brooklyn in the season opener, and KD scored 22 points in the win. The Nets have the third-worst defense in the league, allowing 117.5 ppg, yet who needs to play defense (ho-hum, James Harden) when you jack up 120.4 ppg, for second-best in the NBA? It’s no surprise that the over is 19-8 for the Nets this season, for the second-best over/under record in the NBA. Steve Nash’s Nets posted a 7-3 record against winning teams. However, they suck on the road with a 4-7 away record. The Nets are also only 11-16 ATS and ranked fifth-worst in the league.
Sunday: Lakers/Nugs Rematch, Morant vs Fox
San Antonio Spurs (14-11) at Charlotte Hornets (12-14)… This gets my vote for the sleeper game of the weekend. LaMelo Ball continues to improve with every game and now has the inside track for Rookie of the Year. He’s averaging 21.7 points and 6.3 assists per game in February, including a torrid 48.8% clip from 3-point range. Pops is doing a bang-up job with a Spurs team comprised of non-marquee names.
Memphis Grizzlies (10-10) at Sacramento Kings (12-12)… Ja Morant vs De’Aaron Fox is another game you don’t want to miss on Sunday. The Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings are exciting, yet inexperienced .500 teams jockeying for a spot in the playoffs.
LA Lakers (20-6) at Denver Nuggets (13-11)… Ready for a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals? The Nugs are 0-2 in close games, but 5-10 against above .500 teams. Nikola Jokic and company crush bad teams though, with an 8-1 record. Hopefully, AD will be able to suit up for this throwdown against the Joker and Jamal Murray. Random stat: The Lakers are 3-0 in overtime this season, but they’re 4-2 in close games this season.
