The Celtics have yet to shake off their doldrums, and they’ll square off against a familiar opponent tomorrow. Boston will fly West to visit Dallas in their first matchup since the 2024 NBA Finals, where the former won in five games to secure their record 18th championship. The Joe Mazzulla-coached squad is second in the Eastern Conference with a 31-14 record. The Celtics are not aiming to secure the top seed, but they need to be more consistent in their upcoming games.
Elsewhere, the Pacers, Nuggets, Heat, Pelicans, Pistons, Raptors, Rockets, Kings, Sixers, Jazz, Lakers, Wizards, and Bucks, will visit the Spurs, Timberwolves, Nets, Hornets, Magic, Hawks, Cavaliers, Knicks, Bulls, Grizzlies, Warriors, Suns, and Clippers, respectively.
We have a jam-packed slate in the Association tomorrow, and SBOTOP will preview the top three matches on the schedule, along with their NBA 2025 odds.
Denver Nuggets @ Minnesota Timberwolves
The Nuggets are on a four-game winning streak, and they’re keen to make it five straight at the expense of the Timberwolves, who ended their title defence last season during the Western Conference semifinals.
Nikola Jokic has been awesome during the Nuggets’ winning streak. The Serbian international has recorded a triple-double in five consecutive matches, including against the Kings, where he had a monstrous line of 35 points, 22 rebounds, and 17 assists on 12-for-19 shooting from the field and 9-for-10 from the charity stripe. No wonder he’s Top 2 in the latest NBA MVP ladder. He received help from his fellow starters, as Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray, and Russell Westbrook had 21, 20, 18, and 18 points.
The Timberwolves have had an uneven campaign, but they’re coming off a narrow win against the Mavericks to end their two-game slide. Jaden McDaniels played big in the victory, leading the team with 27 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and three blocks on 10-for-18 shooting from the field.
If Minnesota beat Denver, it’ll likely be on the back of a superstar-caliber performance from Anthony Edwards, but the two-time NBA All-Star is questionable due to an illness. If Edward is ruled out, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert will need to pick up the slack.
Betting tip – Denver Nuggets Asian Handicap -4.00 @ 1.88
Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks
The Celtics are coming off their worst defeat (so far) in the 2024-25 campaign, as they suffered a 117-96 loss against their age-old rivals, the Lakers, last Thursday. Many analysts chalked it up as them being tired since it was their second game in two days.
Kristaps Porzingis was the brightest spot in the defeat, as he put up a team-high 22 points, seven rebounds, and two assists on 9-for-16 shooting from the field. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 33 points, and Boston didn’t get much else from the others, such as Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Payton Pritchard, and Al Horford.
The Mavericks are the underdogs in this contest because they’ve had the injury bug for a while. Luka Doncic (calf) and Dereck Lively II (ankle) are out for several weeks, while Kyrie Irving is dealing with a nagging back issue and Klay Thompson is questionable due to a sprained ankle.
However, Dallas snapped their two-game losing streak with a confidence-boosting victory over the top-seeded Thunder last Thursday. Spencer Dinwiddie stepped up by producing a team-high 28 points on 11-for-14 shooting. Kyrie Irving and PJ Washington combined for 46 points.
Betting tip – Boston Celtics Asian Handicap -8.00 @ 1.93
Los Angeles Lakers @ Golden State Warriors
The Lakers and the Warriors will meet for the second time tomorrow, and fans at Chase Center will get their dose of NBA 2025 highlights. Los Angeles won last Christmas, as Austin Reaves scored the game-winning layup. Stephen Curry and LeBron James put up vintage performances, combining for 69 points.
The Lakers are on a two-game winning streak after beating the Celtics. Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James combined for 67 points in the blowout victory.
The Warriors, meanwhile, ended their two-game slide with a double-digit win over the Bulls last Thursday. It was a balanced effort for Golden State, as seven players scored double-digit points, with five coming off the bench.
Stephen Curry notched 21 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and five three-pointers on 8-for-19 shooting from the field. Quinten Post came out of nowhere and dropped 20 points, Gui Santos, Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody, Dennis Schroder, and Brandin Podziemski had 19, 16, 11, and 10 points, respectively.
Betting tip – Los Angeles Lakers Asian Handicap -1.50 @ 1.98
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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