Tonight in the NBA: January 9th
With a strong slate of 10 games on the docket for tonight, there certainly isn't a shortage of games to watch.
Headlined by a marquee East vs West matchup involving the Bucks and Rockets, the majority of the remaining matchups involve either exciting young teams, or established star-power. It is safe to say that a good night of NBA basketball will be in store.
Philadelphia 76ers @ Washington Wizards - 4pm PT
The 76ers and Wizards square up again in their second meeting in as many days. Although this matchup is on the road for Philadelphia this time around, don't expect the result to change too much.
Despite a slow start in last night's matchup, the Sixers figured out the Wizards before long and didn't look back. For all of the recent turmoil surrounding the Sixers, things are even worse for the Wizards. Missing star point guard John Wall, Bradley Beal simply does not have enough help around him to keep this Wizards team afloat.
Expect another Philadelphia drubbing. The Wizards are simply not built to compete with the Sixers.
Indiana Pacers @ Boston Celtics - 4pm PT
Both teams sit at the top of the Eastern Conference and both are down an important big man. Unfortunately for Indiana, Myles Turner is a bit more crucial to their game plan compared to Aaron Baynes and the Celtics.
Furthermore, the Pacers are coming off an oddly hard-fought win on the road in Cleveland last night and will likely be tired against a well-rested Celtics squad.
Give me a rested Brad Stevens Celtics team at home against a tired Pacers squad any day of the week.
Atlanta Hawks @ Brooklyn Nets - 4:30pm PT
Coming into the season, both the Hawks and Nets were expected to be bottom-feeders in the midst of a rebuild. While the Hawks have looked that part, the Nets have been one of the surprise feel-good stories of the season.
Even after losing budding star Caris LeVert for an undisclosed amount of time, the Nets have found a way to tread water and still find themselves flirting with a .500 record. If the season were to end today, the Nets would actually make the playoffs!
The Hawks are on the latter end of a back to back coming off an unexpected effort against the Raptors in which they came up just short. Despite the strong showing, the Hawks will be tired and undoubtedly the underdog in this matchup. Brooklyn in 9-1 this year when considered the favorite, so expect them to add to that number and pick up an easy win over the Hawks.
Milwaukee Bucks @ Houston Rockets - 5pm PT
The pride of the Eastern Conference takes on the hottest team in the NBA in what is the marquee matchup on the evening. The Bucks are scorching hot behind the outstanding play of MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo and have gone an impressive 8-2 over their last 10 games.
As impressive as the Bucks have been, the Rockets have looked even better. Also going 8-2 over their last 10 games, the Rockets have beaten the who's who of the NBA while clawing their way back up the western conference. An MVP candidate in his own right, James Harden has been the catalyst behind their recent run as he has been putting up scoring numbers matched only by NBA legends Kobe and MJ.
This game should be an absolute belter and it should be fun to watch the two MVP frontrunners duke it out on the court. That being said, give me the scorching hot Houston Rockets in a back and forth affair.
Cleveland Cavaliers @ New Orleans Pelicans - 5pm PT
These two teams matched up just a few days ago in Cleveland and to say the game was ugly would be an understatement. The middling Cavs were absolutely thrashed by the Pelicans' three-headed monster of Davis, Holiday, and Randle. Cleveland are coming into this affair on the tail end of a back to back, having lost a hard fought battle with the Pacers last night.
Expect the Cavaliers to be a bit worn down and entirely overmatched once again. With minimal presence down low, look for the duo of Davis and Randle to eat once again as the Pelicans cruise to a blowout.
San Antonio Spurs @ Memphis Grizzlies - 5pm PT
This matchup pits the red-hot Spurs against the struggling Grizzlies. Winners of their last five games, the Spurs are beating teams in classic Gregg Popovich fashion by playing staunch defense combined with a patient, team-first approach on offense.
On the flipside, the Grizzlies haven't picked up a win since December 26th. More than that, they have barely been able to keep themselves within single digits of their opponents.
Expect San Antonio to steamroll the Grizzlies en route to a 6th straight win.
Phoenix Suns @ Dallas Mavericks - 5:30pm PT
With Phoenix and Dallas, we get a matchup between two squads loaded with exciting young talent. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, many of those exciting young stars are questionable for the matchup.
The Maverick's Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. are questionable alongside the Sun's Devin Booker. Assuming the absolute worst and that none of them suit up, this game still has plenty of young talent to keep an eye on.
Particularly the Sun's De'Andre Ayton and De'Anthony Melton. Ayton has quietly had a superb year manning the 5 spot for the Suns while Melton has emerged as a defensive minded, off-ball compliment to Devin Booker and the rest of the Sun's offense-first backcourt.
If Smith Jr. and Doncic both sit for this game, the Suns might have a chance to sneak this one out. However, it seems likely that Doncic plays as he was able to practice leading up to the game. If he does, he should be able to propel the Mavs past a Suns squad that will be a bit run down from their valiant come from behind win last night against the Kings.
Orlando Magic @ Utah Jazz - 6pm PT
The rebuilding Magic sprinted to a fast start before beginning their inevitable regression to the mean. Going only 3-7 through their last 10 games, the Magic are finally starting to play like the team they are on paper.
Meanwhile, the Jazz have had a disappointing season in their own right. Expected to contend towards the top of the Western Conference, sophomore Donovan Mitchell has struggled thus far and the Jazz have lacked the punch to take out better teams in the NBA.
Utah still plays stingy defense and feasts on inexperienced, young squads though. Expect the Jazz to win this handily at home.
Chicago Bulls @ Portland Trail Blazers - 7pm PT
The 2018-2019 season has not been kind to the Bulls. Granted they are in the midst of a rebuild and likely hoping for a good draft pick, but still, they are struggling. Baby Dirk (Lauri Markkanen) has been a bright spot since his return from injury and Wendell Carter Jr. has shown flashes of being a force down low, but this team is still years away from competing for a playoff spot. Portland, on the other hand, brings one of the NBA's best offenses to the party behind the elite scoring of Damian Lillard.
Portland should bury this young Bulls team at home. Expect an onslaught of 3's from Lillard as the Blazers coast to a comfortable home win.
Detroit Pistons @ Los Angeles Lakers - 7:30pm PT
The Pistons are another team that started hot before hitting a major road bump about 15-20 games in. Going just 3-7 over their last 10, it would be safe to say the Pistons are far from playing their best basketball of the season at this point. That said, the Lakers are struggling for now as well. Down veteran leaders LeBron James and Rajon Rondo, the Lakers have barely been able to tread water. After dropping 3 straight games, the Lakers pulled out a gritty, much-needed win against a surprisingly good Mavericks team.
The Lakers have been demolished up recently, but the return of Kyle Kuzma to the lineup and improved play from Ball and Ingram had them looking once again like a competent NBA team. This won't be an easy one, but look for the Lakers to grind out a tough win at Staples Center.
All in all, a great slate of games today where we either get an exciting young team or some superstar talent (and in some cases both!). Check back in tomorrow for another preview of the day's games.