NOH @ WAS: Two teams going nowhere might produce an entertaining show. John Wall and Greivis Vasquez are solid floor generals, Nene and Anthony Davis are both playing well and the difference could be at SG, where Eric Gordon can light it up, but Bradley Beal has missed the last five games with an ankle injury. Meaningless in real life, this game does have some fantasy sleepers.
LAL @ IND: It’s hard to imagine how L.A. can beat the Pacers without Kobe Bryant (ankle) but the guess is, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash will have big individual performances. Metta World Peace will also try to raise his game, Jodie Meeks should get a start and Antawn Jamison is in line for extra minutes. Indiana won’t show them any mercy, and in his best form of the season, Roy Hibbert can slow down Howard, allowing David West and Paul George to handle the bulk of the scoring.
CLE @ DAL: It might be tough for the Mavericks to regroup 24 hours after a devastating road loss. The math is not good; they are three games behind the 8th-place Lakers with 18 to play and must also leapfrog the Jazz. At least they catch Cleveland without Kyrie Irving (shoulder) which makes them less dangerous. Dion Waiters is the focal point, Shaun Livingston the new PG and they need Tristan Thompson to play well up front to beat anyone.
PHO @ ATL: It’s still hard to believe that the Hawks won on Wednesday without Josh Smith (knee) or Jeff Teague (ankle) and there haven’t been any updates yet on either injury. If they can’t go, Devin Harris is a strong PG option and bench players like Ivan Johnson and John Jenkins will get extra run. Phoenix isn’t very good, but I’m still touting Jermaine O’Neal as the new starting C, expecting Markieff Morris to go back to the bench. Goran Dragic is capable of big numbers and Wes Johnson now owns the starting SG job.
MIN @ HOU: Compared to Minnesota’s devastating bad luck with injuries, the Rockets are healthy. James Harden has a sore foot and Omer Asik a groin strain, but they both played last game. Rookie Donatas Motiejunas stepped up with 19 points to solidify his role at PF. Several T-Wolves are nearing a return; Andrei Kirilenko (calf) and Nikola Pekovic (abdominal strain) are closer than Kevin Love (hand) and Chase Budinger (knee) but for now it’s the Ricky Rubio show and not much else.
ORL @ OKC: Inspired by the return of Mr. Howard, the Magic played very well in front of a frenzied crowd on Tuesday, but lost. They have no such motivation on the road tonight, though Jameer Nelson, Nikola Vucevic and Tobias Harris are useful fantasy performers and Arron Afflalo has been on a roll for a month. You know the drill with the Thunder — Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant actually put up bigger numbers when the opponent plays well; others get more shots in blowouts.
MIA @ MIL: It’s weird how a 20-game win streak magnifies pressure. Every opponent gets sky-high against the Heat, forcing them to play their best. The Bucks will be no exception. Monta Ellis and Larry Sanders are must-starts, and you can roll the dice on Brandon Jennings, who has been inconsistent since the arrival of J.J. Redick. Obviously Miami doesn’t want to lose, but with a huge lead in their division and the conference, their only real motivation is keeping the streak alive. One of these nights, that won’t be enough.
MEM @ DEN: What a matchup. The wide-open, high-flying Nuggets against the masters of crawlball. Memphis uses defense and its big men to grind out victories; Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph play extremely well together. They have won 14 of 15, and Denver is even hotter, taking ten straight, and winning their last 14 home games to improve to 29-3 at the Pepsi Center. Ty Lawson is the engine and anyone can have a big scoring night. Their bench is the not-so-secret weapon; Wilson Chandler and Corey Brewer seem to take turns getting hot.
CHI @ GSW: Losers of their last five road games, the Bulls were truly awful in Sacramento on Wednesday and I’m expecting them to play with more intensity tonight. That doesn’t mean they will win, as the Warriors are clinging desperately to a playoff spot. Stephen Curry and David Lee can get their numbers against even the best defensive teams and Andrew Bogut matches up well with Joakim Noah. After a few quiet games, Jarrett Jack came to life on Wednesday and could have another big night.