Several playoff chasers will try to gather as much wins as they can in order to sneak into the NBA postseason – either via the play-in tournament or moving up to at least the sixth spot in their respective conferences.
That will be the case for the games between the Wizards-Pacers, Spurs-Blazers, Thunder-Warriors, and Grizzlies-Raptors.
Elsewhere, the Sixers, Nuggets, and the Jazz aim to solidify their top positions by trying to top the Pistons, Nets, and Rockets.
Here at SBOTOP, we examine tomorrow’s matches in this preview.
Washington Wizards @ Indiana Pacers
The Wizards can complete a regular season sweep against the Pacers tomorrow.
Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook have been keys to the Wizards’ fortunes since they have been putting up monster numbers.
Russell Westbrook is currently tied with Oscar Robertson in career triple-doubles (180) and he can be the outright leader in the said category – to which the Big O approves.
Meanwhile, the Pacers have been on the wrong end of the NBA 2021 news this past week.
Recent reports bared that head coach Nate Bjorkgren was on the hot seat. And in their loss to the Kings last Wednesday, Goga Bitadze and assistant coach Greg Foster got into a shouting match.
The Pacers have lost four of their last six, making them the underdogs in this matchup.
Detroit Pistons @ Philadelphia Sixers
The Sixers need one more win to secure the top overall seed in the East playoffs, so they should go hard against the Pistons at home.
Philadelphia are fresh from an ugly win against New Orleans, but they remain unfazed since Detroit are the weaker team on paper.
Joel Embiid remains a dominant force for the Sixers, which should give Dwane Casey and co. a major headache.
On the other hand, the Pistons get a welcome boost as Jerami Grant is expected to return tomorrow.
The combo forward has missed 10 of their last 13 games due to a sore knee, and his absence coincided with the Pistons’ emphasis on youth movement.
Memphis Grizzlies @ Toronto Raptors
Similar to the Pistons, the Raptors are heading into tank mode.
Lowry is missing his second straight game after sitting out their loss against the Wizards – a loss that effectively ended the Raptors’ play-in NBA 2021 odds.
VanVleet, on the other hand, is being held out as maintenance for his hip injury earlier in the season, while Anunoby (calf), Boucher (MCL), and Watson Jr. (knee) have issues of their own.
As for the Grizzlies, they are coming from a brutal defeat against the Pistons and they’ll need this win to move into eighth in the West standings.
Brooklyn Nets @ Denver Nuggets
The Nets aim to snap their skid when they pay a visit to the Nuggets.
Brooklyn are losers of four straight, which is their longest skid of the 2020/21 season, and now they’ve fallen down to third in the East standings.
The Nets are hopeful that James Harden will rejoin Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving soon for them to gel just in time for the playoffs. The 2018 MVP has yet to play since March 31 because of a hamstring strain.
As for the Nuggets, they’ll continue to lean on Nikola Jokic’s MVP form as well as Michael Porter Jr.
Houston Rockets @ Utah Jazz
The Jazz are aiming to finish the regular season with the best record in the league and a win over the Rockets will put them closer to their goal.
The Rockets have an uphill climb since the Jazz are firing on all cylinders even without Donovan Mitchell. Houston aren’t expected to win especially since they have 13 players on their injured list.
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have to make the most of their six-game homestand to close out the regular season with a playoff berth.
They’re currently eighth in the West with a 34-33 record, but their margin of error is small as the Grizzlies and Spurs are lurking right behind them.
Look for Golden State to cruise past the Thunder since the latter doesn’t offer much resistance on the defencive end. Ultimate Warrior Steph Curry should have no trouble in getting his numbers tomorrow.
OKC have been awful for the last month since they’ve only won once in their last 19 games.
San Antonio Spurs @ Portland Trail Blazers
Portland aim to strengthen their playoff berth hold when they take on San Antonio.
The Blazers are coming off of a big win over the Lakers, which effectively puts them at the sixth spot in the Western Conference.
The Terry Stotts-mentored squad have really come to life over the past seven games especially after last night’s win. Look for them to get another W since the Spurs have struggled with consistency all season.
Prior to their victory over the Kings, the Spurs were on a five-game losing streak.
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