LeBron James made it known that he doesn’t want to miss the NBA playoffs for the second straight time, so their last 23 games will make or break their 2022-23 campaign.
After the All-Star break, the Lakers are scheduled to host the Warriors, who are still without their star point guard, Steph Curry.
Elsewhere, the Cavaliers, Pacers, Magic, Sixers, Raptors, Mavericks, Jazz, and Kings are also going to host the Nuggets, Celtics, Pistons, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Spurs, Thunder, and Blazers, respectively.
Without further ado, allow SBOTOP to preview the top four games to look forward to on another busy day in the Association.
Denver Nuggets @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Denver has the best record in the Western Conference (41-18), and they plan to stay there. It’s also important to note that they have been virtually unbeatable at home with a 27-4 record.
The Nuggets beat the Cavaliers last January as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray took advantage of Donovan Mitchell’s absence. Jokic had 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Murray scored 18 in his first back-to-back games since his knee surgery.ban
Jokic continues to make a strong case for why he should win his third straight MVP this season. Not only is he putting up big numbers, but he is basically the main reason why they’re winning a lot of games.
The same goes for Mitchell, although he’s not a top MVP candidate, so his arrival will help them a lot on Friday.
After a brief slump earlier this month, Mitchell has settled back into a groove over the past week, with averages of 33.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game over his final four games before the All-Star festivities.
Boston Celtics @ Indiana Pacers
It is indeed getting tight at the top of the Eastern Conference, so every game counts from here on out.
The Celtics are on top with a 42-17 record, but that’s just one win ahead of the second-seeded Bucks, who are the hottest team in the league right now with 12 consecutive victories.
Despite losing to Indiana in their previous encounter, Boston enters this game on a high because of the superb All-Star performances of their two franchise players, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Tatum dropped 55 points – a record for the most points by a single player in the All-Star game – to lead Team Giannis to a 184-175 win over Team LeBron. Brown, meanwhile, led Team LeBron in scoring and rebounds with 35 points and 14 boards.
The Pacers also have an All-Star of their own in Tyrese Haliburton, who recorded 18 points and three assists for Team LeBron. Haliburton has been their best player this season, and he’ll be supported by the likes of Buddy Hield, Myles Turner, and Bennedict Mathurin.
Memphis Grizzlies @ Philadelphia Sixers
The Sixers are also aiming to make a run for the top berth in the Eastern Conference, but they still have a long way to go. They’re currently the third seed with a 38-19 record, and they’ll host the Grizzlies, who are the second seed in the Western Conference.
Both of these teams were well represented in Salt Lake City, as Ja Morant and Joel Embiid were named All-Stars once again, and they produced several NBA 2023 highlights.
This looks like a tight match on paper, but topping the Sixers is going to be a tall task for the Grizzlies, given their struggles since the Shannon Sharpe incident. Philadelphia has the second-longest active winning streak behind Milwaukee, with four consecutive games.
Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers
The NBA 2023 odds don’t offer a positive outlook on the Lakers’ chances of returning to the playoffs, but a win over the defending champions is a good start.
The Lakers recently paraded their revamped lineup after a busy trade deadline, and it gave them a much-needed win against the Pelicans to improve to a 27-32 record, although they’re still 13th in the Western Conference.
Golden State has lost three of their last four matches before the All-Star break. They’ve been horrible without Steph Curry this season, and the bad news is that they don’t have a target date for his return just yet.
Curry suffered partial tears to his ligaments on his left leg when his knee collided with McKinley Wright IV’s earlier this February. The two-time league MVP also sustained a shoulder injury last December, which sidelined him for more than a month.
The Warriors are also fighting for a playoff spot this season, like the Lakers. With a 29-29 record, they are in ninth place in the Western Conference.
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