NBA Predictions

New Orleans Pelicans – Utah Jazz: stats without the strain at Smoothie King Center The end of the schedule throws up some odd matchups. Louisiana gets a game with nothing on the line. The summer lottery hangs over this one like a cloud. Defenders will be MIA in the paint. Expect points, pace and plenty…

Boston Celtics – Charlotte Hornets: tactical tune-up at TD Garden The old Massachusetts coliseum hosts a clash with very different stakes tonight. The home side is fine-tuning for the spring finish. North Carolina’s outfit is scraping around for a direct playoff berth. The gap in experience will matter on the floor. The tempo should rise…

Brooklyn Nets – Milwaukee Bucks: pure cynicism at Barclays Center This basement scrap pits two teams with absolutely nothing left to play for. With no real stakes on the line, it’s basically an open-air practice session. The Milwaukee Bucks turn up at a New York side already set up to lose. The pace will do…

Toronto Raptors – Miami Heat: a trench war at Scotiabank Arena Scotiabank Arena hosts a huge game in the battle for Eastern Conference seeding. Toronto set a brutally slow pace at home. Miami arrive knowing they’ll need a serious tactical reset. The standings pressure will squeeze the life out of individual flashes. Defence comes first.…

Indiana Pacers – Minnesota Timberwolves: a wild ride in the Midwest With the home side playing for nothing, this one turns into a pure statistical lab. Indianapolis are already looking ahead to the next lottery. The Minnesota Timberwolves are scrambling to get back to anything like their best before the spring push. Defence has gone…

Washington Wizards – Chicago Bulls: the clash of the hopeless at Capital One Arena This basement battle pits two broken teams against each other. With nothing on the line, this one feels more like a lab experiment than a game. The Chicago Bulls face a capital-city franchise in full collapse. The tempo should be ugly-fast.…

Houston Rockets – Milwaukee Bucks: a one-sided rout brewing at the Toyota Center The Toyota Center hosts a badly lopsided clash tonight. Houston are at home; Milwaukee are falling apart. The Texans have tightened into a collective you can bet on. The Wisconsin franchise is stuck in a full-blown institutional mess. Their defensive breakdown points…

Toronto Raptors – Sacramento Kings: scoreboard set to light up at Scotiabank Arena Scotiabank Arena hosts a wildly uneven clash tonight. Toronto welcomes Sacramento. The Ontario side are humming on offense. The California outfit are stuck in a miserable road slump. Both teams love to push the pace, so this one will open up fast.…

Memphis Grizzlies – New York Knicks: smothering scheduled at the FedExForum The FedExForum hosts a mismatch from the first whistle. Memphis plays host to New York. The Tennessee franchise is busy self-destructing. The Knicks are tightening their grip on the playoffs. The athletic gap points to a genuine road drubbing. Thibodeau’s defense will squeeze out…