Week 16 of the NBA season is just around the corner. We put forth our top five predictions, with a special focus on the sinking Dallas Mavericks, Wishful Washington Wizards and the cruising Philadelphia 76ers.
Sunday 29 January 2023 12:22, UK
Week 16 of the NBA approaches, and with it our top five predictions of what will unravel, who to keep an eye on, and which team might be in a spot of bother ahead of the playoff and play-in picture.
No Kevin Durant, no problem. At least that's how it must seem in Kyrie Irving's world. The Brooklyn Nets forward has scored 30 or more points in six straight games in the continued absence of his partner-in-crime.
With LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on the cards on Monday night, they'll need a similar performance from Irving if they are to defeat them. Expect that to be the case, if the Lakers recent performances are anything to go by.
Yes, they do score a lot, they have James to thank for that as he continues to average beyond 30 points in a sizzling 12-game streak. The return of Anthony Davis also emboldens that. However, they also hold one of the league's worst turnover rates, and this makes it easy for transitional teams like the Nets to shine.
No Luka Doncic, all the problems - that much is clear to anyone who's been watching the Dallas Mavericks this season.
If it wasn't already obvious that there needs to be more to this franchise than a one-man bandwagon, it must be now. Indeed, they've dropped seven of their last 10 games without him, and that number could grow if Doncic is forced to miss more time after picking up a recent ankle injury in the 99-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Perhaps the Mavs will be looking to snap up someone in the dying moments of the trade period to provide him more support than just Spencer Dinwiddie?
Or perhaps we'll be damned to watch them suffer without him, just as the Denver Nuggets did without Nikola Jokic last season.
The answers will be offered when the Mavericks next play, on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons.
If you haven't already heard enough about Kyle Kuzma - from himself really, more than anyone else - well, here's some more you should be tuning in to.
The Washington Wizards guard enjoyed consecutive games with 30 or more points before a more subdued outing against the Pelicans on Sunday.
The Wizards have won their last five games in a row with Kuzma leading the charge. Whether this bolsters the argument for him to sign a contract extension is seemingly irrelevant, the 28-year-old has his eyes allegedly set on a move in the summer.
But back to this week - the Wizards face the San Antonio Spurs, the Detroit Pistons and the Portland Trail Blazers, all beatable opposition. The Spurs and Pistons have been statistically averaging as the worst teams in the league while the Blazers are fresh from defeat to the Toronto Raptors.
The stage is set for the prospective star to continue making his case on the court in Week 16.
It's a one-two punch that's getting harder to get up from for opponents who face off against the Los Angeles Clippers duo.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are enjoying themselves. They're scoring for fun and driving their team up the standings on a five-game winning streak.
On Saturday, the pair impressively racked up 32 and 33 points, shooting an impressive 52.5 per cent from the field, and 48.7 per cent from threes.
They are starting to cement their names as one of the NBA's most fiery frontcourt duo, and this week's opposition might want to bear that in mind. In the firing line are the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Chicago Bulls, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the New York Knicks.
Expect more of the same.
Joel Embiid may have been wrongfully snubbed in the 2023 All-Star roster, but he's not letting that disappointment sully his mood, or his abilities.
Just this weekend, he put up a scorching 47 points and 18 rebounds against the Nuggets in an MVP-clash with Jokic. 'The Joker' picked up his routine triple-double, but it was his opponent that left the court with the widest grin.
The Sixers have now won seven in a row, and eight of their last nine, including a hefty win over the Nets on Wednesday. With Embiid and James Harden combining for the points, this week's clashes with Orlando Magic, the Spurs and the Knicks seem like fixtures that'll get them edging closer to usurping the Boston Celtics atop the Eastern Conference.
