NBA Game Previews & Picks for Weekend 16/04 – 18/04/2021

Welcome to our first of many weekly selected NBA game previews and best picks for this weekend 16/04 – 18/04/2021. Go to the live odds under each NBA game preview and be sure to claim the top welcome bonuses fom our top recomended NBA betting sites for betting on the games. Good luck!

Los Angeles Clippers @ Philadelphia 76ers

These two teams don't get to face off against one another very often, but it should be the game of the night.

Rondo has made the game ten times easier for their two superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, making them more efficient and dangerous on both ends of the floor. This could make things difficult for the 76ers, though they have a potential MVP candidate in Joel Embiid dominating in all areas of the floor.

Philadelphia also did a phenomenal job of signing great shooters in the offseason like Danny Green and Seth Curry to help stretch the floor for Simmons and Embiid. This will make for a star-studded clash of top teams in each conference right now, though the Clippers have the edge heading into this one due to their success after acquiring Rondo.

[su_panel border=”4px solid #cc0000″ radius=”3″]But don’t doubt the 76ers in this game, they can very well win with a fantastic performance from Embiid.[/su_panel] Get NBA OddsGet NBA Odds

Memphis Grizzlies @ Chicago Bulls

While this matchup won’t catch your eye immediately, it should make for a great duel of two teams who are battling for the final spot in the postseason in their conferences.

The Memphis Grizzlies started the year off really slow but have since turned things around behind dazzling games from Ja Morant and Jonas Valanciunas. The two of them have been outstanding offensively and defensively and have allowed their role players to get more separation because opposing teams have to double team them.

Memphis plays with a lot of heart and energy that many teams aren’t able to match due to age differences, though the Bulls may have a chance too. They are going to be without their star young guard Zach LaVine in this contest due to health and safety protocols so it will be down to Nikola Vucevic and company to get the job done for Chicago.

Patrick Williams has been terrific though on the starting lineup and is bound to pick up more touches now that LaVine isn’t going to be on the court, just like Coby White who will more than likely step into the starting lineup.

[su_panel border=”4px solid #cc0000″ radius=”3″]Chicago may not have a good-looking record, but their roster is filled with both young talent and veteran playmakers, they could end up surprising Memphis if they come out hot.[/su_panel] Get NBA OddsGet NBA Odds

San Antonio Spurs @ Phoenix Suns

This game is crucial to the San Antonio Spurs and yet not that important to the Phoenix Suns.

[su_panel border=”4px solid #cc0000″ radius=”3″]They have now dropped out of the top seven seeds in the western conference and are on the verge of falling even further down the play in tournament at the end of the season.[/su_panel]

DeMar DeRozan has been good this year but he hasn’t been able to impact the team as much as he would like too, just like Dejounte Murray, who has also been good but not great. They will have to take that next step in this matchup if they want to take down a Suns team that is second in the western conference and could quite possibly be the best team in that conference right now.

The addition of Chris Paul has worked wonders for this young roster, especially guys like Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton, who now have a lot less pressure on their shoulders than they did last season. It lets them play loose and fast just like the rest of their young players on the team.

[su_panel border=”4px solid #cc0000″ radius=”3″]People like Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson aren’t familiar names, but they have been crucial to the team’s success off the bench, just like Jae Crowder. Phoenix is really good, and it will take a lot for San Antonio to knock them off.[/su_panel] Get NBA OddsGet NBA Odds

Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Lakers

The Utah Jazz are the other phenomenal team in the western conference, holding onto the best record throughout the entire league with their fantastic play.

The team is almost exactly the same as they were last season and that seems to be working out for them, their chemistry is off the charts which is making them a solid defensive team in return.

Then on offense you have Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley who have done a great job at distributing the ball and scoring on high efficiency. There just aren’t many weaknesses for Utah all around, but the Los Angeles Lakers certainly have a few coming into this game.

The loss of both Anthony Davis and LeBron James has severely hurt the Lakers. They still have some great scorers on their team like Dennis Schroeder and Andre Drummond, but the team just doesn’t have the star power to get past good teams.

They have only been able to knock off the lower seeded teams but have struggled mightily to contain great NBA players without their two best players.

[su_panel border=”4px solid #cc0000″ radius=”3″]It will be very hard for them to take down the Jazz as not many teams have been able to this year, especially when they are shorthanded, but you never know what is going to happen with this Los Angeles team.[/su_panel] Get NBA OddsGet NBA Odds

Golden State Warriors @ Boston Celtics

The Golden State Warriors have been on a tear lately and it isn’t because of great team play but rather the excellence of Steph Curry.

[su_panel border=”4px solid #cc0000″ radius=”3″]Just to give you an example for how great he has been, in the past two games, Curry has totaled 95 points on ridiculous high efficiency from the floor for his team.[/su_panel]

Their rookie James Wiseman was just ruled out for the entire year similar to how Klay Thompson has missed the whole 2021 campaign, leaving the team with Kelly Oubre and Andrew Wiggins as the role players outside of Draymond Green and Curry.

They better come ready to play because it is only a matter of time before Steph has a smaller outing that the team can’t come back from. It is even more likely now that Boston will have their two lengthy forwards Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum on him most of the game. Both of them have been fantastic for Boston this year and should be ready to help their team pull away with a victory.

[su_panel border=”4px solid #cc0000″ radius=”3″]All they would need is a decent performance from Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart and we could see the Celtics extend their winning streak while simultaneously snapping the Warriors streak.[/su_panel]

This is going to be a sneaky good game on Saturday.

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Brooklyn Nets @ Miami Heat

At this point, who knows who will be active for the Brooklyn Nets in this game. Sadly, they just lost Lamarcus Aldridge, he recently announced that he is going to be retiring from the league after having an irregular heartbeat during his last game on the court.

That leaves the Nets with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Blake Griffin, all of whom have suffered various injuries that have made them miss time. Though it honestly doesn’t matter who will be active as long as one of them can get on the court, that will give Brooklyn a fighting chance against a Miami team that always makes life difficult.

Victor Oladipo may be back from his injury but if not, the team will still have Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to lead their young guys through a grueling stretch of games.

However, the team is more than likely going to need more than just great performances from them, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson will need to shoot the ball very well to get a win here, especially if Brooklyn gets Durant and Irving on the court at the exact same time.

[su_panel border=”4px solid #cc0000″ radius=”3″]It should also be noted that this game may end up being completely different as well. The Nets could opt to rest all of those four players and just rely upon their bench players to try and get a win if they like their chances while the Heat could also rest a few of their players due to playing a ridiculous number of games in a small number of days.[/su_panel] Get NBA OddsGet NBA Odds

Portland Trail Blazers @ Charlotte Hornets

Here is another game that may not get that much media attention but could be very fun to tune into. The Portland Trail Blazers have been on a really big cold streak lately, the team has gotten healthier overall, but it seems they have gotten worse.

They try and make up for that offensively which keeps them in games but at some point, you have to defend at least a little bit.

The backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum always gives the Blazers a chance though, and neither of them have had a great game in a while so they are due for one sooner rather than later.

As for Charlotte, they may have a lot of their young guys out for this matchup, but their team is so fun to watch that it may not matter. Terry Rozier and Devontae Graham have formed a nice backcourt duo in the absence of Lamelo Ball, and they have gotten great play out of a few youngers guys that aren’t even well known around the league.

[su_panel border=”4px solid #cc0000″ radius=”3″]They play with intensity and energy and could turn this game into a shootout due to the Blazers bad defense.[/su_panel] Get NBA OddsGet NBA Odds

New Orleans Pelicans @ New York Knicks

The New Orleans Pelicans may not be in prime position to make the postseason in the western conference, but this team will be good within a few years.

Zion Williamson just doesn’t even seem like he is from this planet, he is dropping 20 plus points in almost every single game this season while doing so at a ridiculously high rate.

Nobody has been able to put a stop to him this year and it doesn’t seem like it will happen this season. Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram have also combined for excellent backup to Zion, with Ball shooting nicely from behind the arc and Ingram taking a lot of pressure off of Zion on the offensive end.

The Knicks have locked it down defensively this year, which is funny considering how bad their offense is. Guys like RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle have been key for New York throughout this interesting 2021 NBA season and will need to play at their primes in this one as well.

Robinson will likely not play but the Knicks aren’t in a position to worry about that just yet, the rookie Immanuel Quickley has been phenomenal in just a small number of minutes this year and could easily make up for the absence of Robinson on the offensive end.

[su_panel border=”4px solid #cc0000″ radius=”3″]Each of these teams are very young, which could make for a fun and entertaining game of basketball, although it could also feature a lot of mistakes and turnovers. This game is truly a tossup.[/su_panel] Get NBA OddsGet NBA Odds

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