After finally getting his wish to move out of Minnesota, Jimmy Butler is now set to make his debut for the Philadelphia 76ers when they visit the Orlando Magic.
Butler is expected to be the final piece for the Sixers to transform them from pretenders to legitimate title contenders. The 29-year-old All-Star swingman will team up with the young duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to form a new ‘Big Three’ in the East.
Meanwhile, Jimmy’s former team—the Minnesota Timberwolves—starts a new era in the NBA with their young core of Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns, alongside new acquisitions Robert Covington and Dario Saric.
Here’s the full SBOBET preview of the upcoming games in the league:
Philadelphia 76ers @ Orlando Magic (November 15, 08:00 GMT+8)
The sight of Butler, Simmons and Embiid playing on the same side is plain scary. Imagine Simmons taking the ball-handling duties while Butler and Embiid lead the scoring and anchor the defence.
Butler is undoubtedly an upgrade over Covington, though the main concern is if the All-Star forward can immediately adapt to the Sixers’ playing style—something which rarely happens.
However, they will be happy to know that they will be playing an Orlando team that lost to the Washington Wizards, unarguably one of the most dysfunctional teams in the league right now.
Betting Tip: Philadelphia 76ers Asian Handicap -6.00 @ 2.00
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Washington Wizards (November 15, 08:00 GMT+8)
The Cavs seem to be finding their stride under new coach Larry Drew. After getting their first win against the Atlanta Hawks earlier this month, they now got their second after taking down the Hornets and limiting them to just 89 points.
Tristan Thompson and Jordan Clarkson are leading the team (and their youth movement), and after their performance against Charlotte, it’s not wrong to expect bigger things from them once again.
ICYMI! Final #NBA Scores
Cavaliers 113-89 Hornets
Nuggets 99-109 Rockets
Warriors 110-103 Hawks#ThisIsWhyWePlay pic.twitter.com/FeEDrLZsaW— SBOBET (@SBOBET) November 14, 2018
Washington are 2-3 at home, though they have won back-to-back matches recently.
Miami Heat @ Brooklyn Nets (November 15, 08:30 GMT+8)
Caris LeVert‘s injury dampened the spirit of the Nets, though they will find some solace from the fact that the 24-year-old rising star will be able to return this season.
Still, missing the player who is developing to be their “Mr. Clutch” is a huge blow to the team. LeVert is averaging a team-high 18.4 points and has already hit two game-winners for Brooklyn.
Miami have lost three in a row now, though it should be remembered they beat the San Antonio Spurs last week. Besides, Goran Dragic appears to have finally found his groove as he scored 22 in a losing effort versus Philadelphia.
Chicago Bulls @ Boston Celtics (November 15, 08:30 GMT+8)
Chemistry is the biggest concern for the Celtics right now. They have a star-studded lineup composed of Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but they are just 7-6 through 13 games and have struggled more often than not.
Boston’s first-half offence leaves much to be desired, and it’s concerning that they trailed in their past three matches against the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers—winning once in the process.
Fortunately for the Celtics, they’ll be playing a more inconsistent Bulls team that has been relying too much on Zach LaVine. Not to mention that the Cs will be playing at TD Garden where they have only lost once this campaign.
Detroit Pistons @ Toronto Raptors (November 15, 08:30 GMT+8)
Besides Butler’s debut, another storyline that is sure to grab the NBA 2018 news headlines is the return of Dwane Casey to Toronto to face his former team.
Casey won the 2017-18 Coach of the Year award after leading the Raptors to the best record in the East. Nonetheless, his failure to get over LeBron James and the Cavs ultimately led to his dismissal. Now, Casey is with the Pistons who are currently ninth with a 6-6 record.
Unfortunately for Casey, the Raptors are brimming with confidence today. While they lost to the New Orleans Pelicans recently, they remain the No.1 team in the league. Kawhi Leonard is also playing great alongside Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka.
On the other hand, Detroit have been hot and cold in the past few weeks, winning two and losing three of their last five. Blake Griffin has been abysmal for the team as well and averaged eight points in their last two outings.
Betting Tip: Toronto Raptors -10.50 @ 2.04.
New Orleans Pelicans @ Minnesota Timberwolves (November 15, 09:00 GMT+8)
It’s a brand new day in Minneapolis, and hopes are high that they can turn their season around now that Butler is out.
Covington and Saric are no All-Stars, but they should bring more balance to a team that is leaning to make Wiggins and Towns their leaders and faces of the franchise.
The Timberwolves are up for a massive test though. The Pelicans are riding a three-game winning streak, with All-Star centre Anthony Davis coming off an impressive 25-point outburst in their win over the Raptors.
Memphis Grizzlies @ Milwaukee Bucks (November 15, 09:00 GMT+8)
Defence remains the Grizzlies’ ultimate weapon. They are allowing opponents to score a little over 100 points, which is the best in the league.
Marc Gasol has been the heart of the team’s defence, keeping Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid in check as Memphis beat the Denver Nuggets and Sixers respectively. Moreover, Mike Conley has awakened offensively and put up 56 points in his last two starts.
Giannis Antetokounmpo will be the usual threat he is for the Bucks, but Milwaukee might need the others to step up if they want to stop the rising Grizzlies.
Betting Tip: Memphis Grizzlies Asian Handicap +9.50 @ 1.94.
New York Knicks @ Oklahoma City Thunder (November 15, 09:00 GMT+8)
Russell Westbrook will sit out his fifth straight game due to an ankle injury, but that doesn’t mean the Thunder are missing him. In fact, it’s the complete opposite as they lost just once in their past four outings without the star point guard.
The Knicks pose little to no threat, and that’s especially the case after their encounter with the Magic that saw all of their starters fail to score more than eight points—AGAINST THE ORLANDO MAGIC!
Utah Jazz @ Dallas Mavericks (November 15, 09:30 GMT+8)
Two consecutive wins got the Mavericks back on track, but they face
a difficult test when they host the Jazz.
The Mavs already played the Jazz twice this season, and they lost both by an average of 12 points. Dallas particularly struggled from deep when playing Utah, shooting below 35 percent.
Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert led the Jazz in the two contests, while Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews struggled to make their shots.
San Antonio Spurs @ Phoenix Suns (November 15, 10:00 GMT+8)
The Suns still can’t find their stride. They have now lost four straight, three of which are by more than 15 points.
Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton are the only bright spots for the Suns; however, their efforts are not enough to lift the team out of mediocrity.
Although the Spurs are also coming off a defeat, it’s clear they are the better team. They have LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan, anyway. Furthermore, they already rout Phoenix by 30 points in their first meeting this year.
Betting Tip: San Antonio Spurs -5.00 @ 1.98.
Portland Trail Blazers @ Los Angeles Lakers (November 15, 11:30 GMT+8)
One streak will end when the Blazers visit Staples Center to take on the Lakers.
Portland have won their last four while the Lakers are unbeaten in three, and both teams will hope that the momentum will swing in their favour when they play.
The NBA 2018 odds have LeBron James and Co. winning this one, but the Blazers should never be counted out. Not after they beat the likes of Bucks, LA Clippers and Celtics.
The primary concern for the Blazers, however, is the status of scoring leader Damian Lillard. The 28-year-old is putting up 26.0 points on a nightly basis for the Blazers, but he is doubtful for this game due to a right knee injury.
If Lillard misses the fight, the match-up is the Lakers to lose.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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