Hardwood Heat and Highlights: This Week’s Unmissable NBA Matchups
by Devesh Jaganath | by Cydias Aujard
Mile High vs. Beantown: Nuggets and Celtics Set for Massive Showdown
Wednesday’s blockbuster matchup in the NBA will come from Ball Arena, where the Denver Nuggets will be playing host to the defending champions. Joe Mazzulla’s side are the favourites to win the NBA title again this season, currently priced at 2.10 with Bet365, but they have seen their dominance at the top of the betting boards slashed owing to a few underwhelming performances in recent weeks.
The Celts are in second place in the Eastern Conference and have split their last 10 games five wins and five losses, some way off the win streaks that the Cavs and OKC are currently riding. Next up for the C’s are the Nuggets - the only side in the NBA that they didn’t beat last season. Michael Malone’s men are 4-1 in their last five and enter this match off the back of a resilient victory over the Spurs, in which Nikola Jokic notched up a massive 46 points. Denver barely laid a finger on the champs in Abu Dhabi during the preseason, but they’ve come a long way since then and cannot be ruled out of this one just yet, even as 2.80 underdogs.
Take a look at our experts' Nuggets vs. Celtics forecast for this battle of the heavyweights.
Luka-less Mavericks to Tackle LeBron’s Lakers
Including the Christmas game in which he got injured, the Dallas Mavericks have gone a dismal 1-6 without Luka Doncic and have also slipped from fourth to sixth in the Western Conference. On top of that, the Mavs have had to deal with the absence of Kyrie Irving due to a back issue for three of their last four matches, and without their star duo, Dallas suffered four double-digit losses in the last week alone, which is one more than they had conceded since the start of the 2024-25 season.
Doncic is expected to miss at least another four weeks as he continues his recovery and Irving remains questionable, which certainly does not bode well for the Mavericks’ chances against a Lakers side that is 7-3 in their last 10 - the second-best record in the conference over the period. Additionally, JJ Redick has almost a full roster at his disposal with Austin Reaves playing a much bigger role this season, relieving the burden on LeBron James to carry the offence. The Lakers also have the rest advantage with the Mavs having faced the Grizzlies on Tuesday, and they are therefore unsurprisingly installed as favourites here at 1.50 with most bookies.
Check out our Mavericks vs. Lakers forecast right here!
Cavaliers vs. Thunder: Titanic Clash of the Conference Leaders
Thursday brings us the most highly anticipated match of Week 12 in the NBA between the league’s second-best offence versus the NBA’s top defence this season! The Cleveland Cavaliers completed a four-game sweep on their road trip across the West before returning home with a solid win against the Hornets. Kenny Atkinson’s men are now on their second double-digit win streak of the season (10) and three of their top four players have averaged 20+ points during that period.
Standing in Cleveland’s way though is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are currently riding an incredible 15-game winning run and another victory in this match will see them post the longest streak in the league across the last two seasons. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is staking his claim as this season’s MVP, averaging a whopping 33.1 points on a true shooting percentage of 66.4% over the team’s active win streak. After downing both the Knicks and Celtics over the weekend, OKC are 11-0 against Eastern Conference opposition and could be tremendous value if they are installed as the road dog in this match.
Grizzlies Face Rockets in a Battle of the Western Dark Horses
This weekend in the NBA will get underway with a battle of two of the most improved teams in the league this season, as the Houston Rockets prepare to invade the FedEx Forum to tackle the Memphis Grizzlies. The young Rockets continue to defy expectations by racking up wins despite many around the league still anticipating them to receive a reality check. Houston are second in the West (23-12) and the next few weeks could be telling since they have the league’s toughest schedule in January. They will play 13 of their next 17 on the road, including three here in Memphis, and if they can notch up a few quality wins, it will be worth keeping an eye on this side for the remainder of the season.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies have returned to prominence this season but they have dropped three of their last five games since Ja Morant sustained a shoulder injury. However, Memphis still have a winning record without their All-Star (10-7) and is one of the few teams in the NBA with a top-five offensive, defensive, and net rating. Additionally, Taylor Jenkins’s side are 15-4 at the FedEx Forum to date, which is the second-best home record in the West behind OKC’s 17-2. While Morant is unlikely to return in time for this match, the Grizz is a team that deserves more credit and respect for their efforts over the first few months of the season and cannot be counted out of this one.
SportyTrader’s basketball experts will be providing all their in-depth NBA forecasts for this week’s matches the day before tip-off, so be sure to check them out for a little help with your wagers!
Bet on the NBAHeadline Fixtures in Week 12 of the 2024-25 NBA Season
All times are BST
- Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers - (American Airlines Center | Jan 8, 00:30)
- Denver Nuggets vs. Boston Celtics - (Ball Arena | Jan 08, 03:00)
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. OKC Thunder - (Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse | Jan 9, 00:00)
- Milwaukee Bucks vs. San Antonio Spurs - (Fiserv Forum | Jan 9, 02:30)
- Orlando Magic vs. Minnesota Timberwolves - (Kia Center | Jan 10, 00:00)
- Memphis Grizzlies vs. Houston Rockets - (FedEx Forum | Jan 10, 01:00)
- Indiana Pacers vs. Golden State Warriors - (Gainbridge Fieldhouse | Jan 11, 00:00)
- NY Knicks vs. OKC Thunder - (Madison Square Garden | Jan 11, 00:30)
- Dallas Mavericks vs. Denver Nuggets - (American Airlines Center | Jan 12, 20:00)
- NY Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks - (Madison Square Garden | Jan 12, 20:30)
Don’t forget, you can get all the latest NBA Odds and follow all the NBA Livescores this week right here on SportyTrader!
