NBA Games Today: Pelicans vs Spurs in playoff decider, Ja Morant takes on the Raptors in key clash, Clippers face Nets | August 9th
The NBA games today will see several inter-conference battles that can make or break the playoff hopes of the teams involved. The NBA games today will surely be entertaining, but it will be tough to match yesterday, which saw two games go to overtime.
Yesterday’s NBA match-ups generated some nail-biting finishes and left fans on the edge of their seats. The Dallas Mavericks stunned the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime 136-132, while the Utah Jazz lost to the Denver Nuggets 134-132 in double overtime.
The most noteworthy individual performance of the night was Luka Doncic, who had a never-seen-before stat line of 36 points, 19 assists and 14 rebounds. The 21-year-old Dallas Mavericks phenom continued his dominant run in the bubble and showed the NBA that he deserves to be in the MVP conversation.
The NBA games today are instrumental for deciding playoff seeding and we hope to witness more closely contested games.
NBA Games Today - All you need to know
OKC Thunder vs Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards were the first team to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and don’t have much to play for. The Oklahoma City Thunder are desperately attempting to reclaim the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference after handing the Memphis Grizzlies their first win in the NBA bubble.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are favoured to win this match-up and get back into form prior to the playoffs, as they look to prevent the Washington Wizards from achieving their first win since the restart. Billy Donovan’s side are also entering this match with more confidence as they just witnessed two members of their organisation nominated for the NBA awards.
The Washington Wizards entered the bubble with low expectations as they were missing key pieces, and are unlikely to show up against a confident Oklahoma City Thunder team.
Toronto Raptors vs Memphis Grizzlies
The Toronto Raptors could use a victory against the Memphis Grizzlies in order to solidify their spot as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Memphis Grizzlies are fresh off their first win since the NBA restart and are looking to get some momentum going in order to protect their spot as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
Despite their poor performances and terrible luck, the Memphis Grizzlies have been able to keep games competitive till the end and have only lost one match-up by double digits in the NBA bubble. The Toronto Raptors had entered the NBA bubble with the most menacing defense in the league, but they underperformed against the Boston Celtics and are looking to make a comeback to inspire confidence.
New Orleans Pelicans vs San Antonio Spurs
This game is equally important for both the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs as it decides who will be eliminated from playoff contention.
The San Antonio Spurs currently have a 4-2 record in the NBA bubble and are looking to replicate their recent performance against the Utah Jazz to push them past the finish line. The New Orleans Pelicans have not performed well since the restart and have been carried by rookie sensation Zion Williamson throughout their time in Orlando.
The San Antonio Spurs have the ideal combination of young talent and veteran leadership that will help them control them game against the young and inexperienced New Orleans Pelicans. The San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Pelicans have both struggled defensively down the stretch and this match-up will likely be a high scoring affair that will go down to the wire.
Also read: New Orleans Pelicans vs San Antonio Spurs Prediction & Match Preview - August 9th, 2020
Boston Celtics vs Orlando Magic
The Boston Celtics would like to continue their impressive run in the NBA bubble and hand the Orlando Magic their fourth straight defeat. After their win against the Toronto Raptors, the No. 2 seed could very well go to the Boston Celtics if everything goes their way.
The wheels have fallen off the bus for the Orlando Magic and they need to bounce back with some impressive performances to look like a serious contender in the playoffs. The Orlando Magic have managed to stay competitive for the first three quarters of every match-up, but they have lost steam in the final stretch and have been botching leads.
This Eastern Conference battle will surely provide entertainment as we will get to witness Jayson Tatum go up against Evan Fournier.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have been defying the odds, and put up an impressive performance against the Orlando Magic without Ben Simmons. They are looking to beat the Portland Trail Blazers and extend their winning streak to four games. The Portland Trail Blazers are coming off a tough loss against the LA Clippers and will be looking to regain the momentum they had prior to that match-up.
The fact that Damian Lillard is currently engaging in an online feud with some members of the LA Clippers will not help the Portland Trail Blazers, who have been looking to find their footing since the restart. This game is especially important to the Philadelphia 76ers as a win could see them overtake the Miami Heat as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Sacramento Kings vs Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have established themselves as comeback kings and have won games against the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks after trailing at the half. The Houston Rockets could use a win against the Sacramento Kings in order to pull ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are only a game behind.
The Sacramento Kings have only had one good game in the NBA bubble and it is imperative that they get back on their feet in order to preserve any hope of making the playoffs. The Sacramento Kings will benefit from the fact that the Houston Rockets have been atrocious on the defensive end of the floor, consistently allowing points the paint.
De’Aaron Fox will definitely need his supporting cast to show up in order to win against the formidable Houston Rockets.
LA Clippers vs Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets ought to be content with how they have performed in Orlando considering that they have been missing several star players. The LA Clippers are fresh off an impressive win against the Portland Trail Blazers which they were able to pull off without Kawhi Leonard. Even though the Brooklyn Nets have started to look like a complete team over their last few match-ups, they are likely to lose against the LA Clippers.
The LA Clippers have let very few teams show them up throughout the regular season and are looking to assert their dominance over the Eastern Conference 8th seed. The Brooklyn Nets would like to utilize this game to reassess the troubles that they have been facing from the charity stripe and the defensive end of the floor, and will hope to leave the NBA match-up looking like a better team.
Also read: 'I'm getting personal with it. I don't care' - Damian Lillard's sister and Paul George's girlfriend involved in expletive-filled spat | NBA 2019-20