It’s the penultimate night of the NBA regular season, and just one more playoff spot is up for grabs. The Detroit Pistons still have their destiny in their own hands in their quest to make it back to the postseason.
But if they falter, the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat can still creep into that last seed in the East. SBOBET NBA fans should be in for a treat as they get to witness how this exciting race for the final playoff place unfolds.
Charlotte Hornets @ Cleveland Cavaliers (7:00 GMT+8)
The Hornets’ playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. Despite winning their last three games — including a win over the eighth-seeded Pistons — the Hornets still need to win both of their remaining games and hope Detroit drop one of their last two contests.
The Hornets should at the very least hold up one half of their part of the bargain as they take on the Cavaliers, who have now lost their last nine games in a row.
Betting Tip: Charlotte Hornets -7.50 @ 1.88
Memphis Grizzlies @ Detroit Pistons (7:00 GMT+8)
The Pistons have made things much harder for themselves after losing each of their last four games. They followed up their loss to the Thunder with a 13-point loss at home to the Hornets. Blake Griffin (16 points on 5-of-18 shooting) wasn’t the only one off his game as the Pistons shot just 37 per cent as a team.
The Pistons can still get into the playoffs if they win their final two games. But are hardly a slam dunk to snap their losing skid against the Grizzlies. With Delon Wright recording back-to-back triple-doubles against the Mavericks, the Grizz are still playing hard even with their season winding down and won’t make things easy for Detroit.
Boston Celtics @ Washington Wizards (7:00 GMT+8)
The Celtics are picking up injuries at the wrong time. Jaylen Brown just returned after missing a few games with a bad back. And now, Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart both picked up injuries in their defeat to the Orlando Magic last time out.
With the playoffs just around the corner, the Celtics will most likely sit those two against Washington as a precaution even if they are capable of playing. That’s obviously promising news for the Wizards, who could use a win after suffering losses to two of the worst teams in the league: the Bulls and the Knicks.
Philadelphia 76ers @ Miami Heat (7:30 GMT+8)
Despite four consecutive losses, the Heat still have a shot to make it into the postseason. But they need a lot of things to go their way. Not only do they have to win their last two games — starting with their game against the 76ers — but they also need the Hornets to lose at least one of their last two games and the Pistons to lose both of theirs.
Beating the Sixers at home is pretty realistic, though. Philly have lost three of their last four games, which includes their epic shootout against the Bucks. And since they’re already locked into the No. 3 seed, they likely won’t be all that fired up to beat the Heat.
New York Knicks @ Chicago Bulls (8:00 GMT+8)
With the worst record in the league secured, the Knicks are finally starting to win some games. They’ve now won two of their last four outings after rallying in the fourth quarter to beat the Wizards.
The first of the Knicks’ two wins came against the Bulls, who have decided to sit their best players for the remainder of the season. That should open the door for the Knicks to pick up another W before the end of the season.
Betting Tip: New York Knicks +2.00 @ 1.89
Toronto Raptors @ Minnesota Timberwolves (8:00 GMT+8)
The Raptors’ NBA 2019 results have been pretty impressive of late. They’ve won six of their last seven games, with their only loss coming to the Hornets after another Jeremy Lamb game-winning 3-pointer.
But despite having nothing left to play for, the Timberwolves are still playing hard. Don’t expect them to make things easy for Toronto.
Betting Tip: Toronto Raptors -6.50 @ 1.83
Golden State Warriors @ New Orleans Pelicans (8:00 GMT+8)
After winning five in a row and seven of their last eight games, the Warriors have now claimed the No. 1 seed in the West. So does that mean they’ll put their foot off the gas against the Pelicans? Perhaps.
The Anthony Davis-less Pelicans have racked up the L’s late in the season. They’ve won just three of their last 15 games, two of which coming against the Sacramento Kings. But it’s not hard to imagine that even they can keep it relatively close against the Warriors, who could be in chill mode ahead of the playoffs.
Phoenix Suns @ Dallas Mavericks (8:30 GMT+8)
Even without Luka Doncic in the lineup, the Mavericks have remained fairly competitive over their last few games. The likes of Trey Burke and Salah Mejri, in particular, have been taking advantage of their increased playing time of late.
And while the Suns do have a win in their three games without Devin Booker, the rest of their roster is much less reliable than the Mavericks’ reserves. The fact that the Mavs will be on their home floor will also be a significant advantage for them, as they’re 23-17 at the American Airlines Center this season.
Denver Nuggets @ Utah Jazz (9:00 GMT+8)
The Nuggets have yet to secure the No. 2 seed in the West, and it’s fair to wonder how much they even want it. They rested the likes of Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap, and Jamal Murray in their loss to the Blazers last time out.
The Jazz recently had their seven-game losing skid snapped by the Lakers and will likely be looking to bounce back. If the Nuggets rest their stars once again, it’s safe to say the Jazz should like their chances of getting the W in their home finale.
Houston Rockets @ Oklahoma City Thunder (9:30 GMT+8)
No matter how high the Rockets’ NBA 2019 betting odds get, they just continue to blow past them. They’ve now won six games in a row, five of which have come by over 20 points.
The No. 2 is still within sight for the Rockets, so they will likely keep their foot on the gas as they visit their possible first-round opponent — the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After going on a disastrous skid in recent weeks, the Thunder have finally begun to right the ship by winning their last three games. OKC also need to continue winning to hold onto the No. 6 seed over the Spurs and the Clippers, so this could be a tighter contest than the Rockets have been used to of late.
Portland Trail Blazers @ LA Lakers (10:30 GMT+8)
Those plucky Lakers are still throwing some hard punches. Despite missing most of their top players, they’ve now won two games in a row against two playoff teams in the Clippers and the Jazz.
That makes them an intriguing play against Portland. The Blazers finally got CJ McCollum back against the Nuggets, but they were far from convincing against a Denver team which sat out its top three scorers.
Betting Tip: LA Lakers +9.00 @ 2.02
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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