The Lakers controlled Game One of this series from the early minutes of the game. Denver shot only 35% from the floor, while the Lakers shot 50%. Andrew Bynum had a rare triple-double involving blocked shots.
It will be the final game of the NBA regular season on TNT Thursday night. The Golden State Warriors will host the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in this one.
It’s the final night of the NBA regular season. I think the common question among NBA fans when they saw the TNT Thursday night schedule for the final night was “How on earth are the Charlotte Bobcats on national television?”
This is a battle of two teams who are battling for playoff positioning.
The Chicago Bulls overtime win last Thursday over the Miami Heat gave them a bit of cushion at the top of the Eastern Conference.
The Phoenix Suns started the season slowly, but they have played much better down the stretch. Phoenix currently sits in a tie with Houston for the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoff standings.
Boston just finished a back-to-back-to-back scheduling spot Sunday. The Knicks had a difficult fourth quarter Sunday afternoon and they dropped a tough home game to the Miami Heat.
These are the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. There is a good likelihood that they’ll meet up in the playoffs with a lot at stake. Derrick Rose re-injured his ankle Sunday and missed the Bulls last game.
Until someone knocks them off, the Dallas Mavericks are still the defending NBA Champions. Dallas has struggled all year, and they aren’t even guaranteed a playoff spot quite yet.
The Miami Heat finished the first half of the season on a nine-game winning streak. Not only were the Heat winning those games, they were blowing everyone out of the water.
After a nice comeback win in Philadelphia last night, the Oklahoma City Thunder own the best record in the NBA at 28-7.
Two straight weeks Jeremy Lin has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Linsanity has hit the NBA in a big way!
The Lakers had been lacking a signature win in the first half of the year until last night.
The Portland Trail Blazers will be playing their final game of three consecutive games in three nights, aiming to end their three-game home losing streak, returning from Golden State to host the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time this season at the Rose Garden on Thursday night.
Derrick Rose hasn’t played for a little over a week, and he is expected to miss this game as well.
8:00 PM EST on TNT
NBA Gambling Odds from BetOnline
NBA Betting Favorite: Off
Over/Under: Off
Still, the Celtics will have a difficult game against the Bulls in Chicago. Kevin Garnett missed last night’s game for the Celtics, and he is questionable for this one. These teams have split their last six meetings with each other. Boston beat the Bulls 95-91 on Sunday, so Chicago will be looking for revenge in this one.
Boston has benefited nicely from the return of point guard Rajon Rondo. Rondo is arguably the team’s best player at this point, and he is the facilitator for the offense. Rondo averages 9.8 assists per game. Paul Pierce leads the Celtics in scoring at 17.8 per contest. Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and Kevin Garnett all average about 14 points per game. Brandon Bass is out until the end of the month, and that is a significant loss for the Celtics in the paint. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Boston has been winning with defense of late. Last night’s loss to Detroit was unexplainable, and Boston will have to play much better if they expect to win this one on the road.
The Bulls miss Derrick Rose in a big way, but this is still a decent team without Rose. Luol Deng put up 23 points Tuesday against Sacramento, and he seems to be fully healthy once again.
Chicago has no shortage of quality big men with Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson, and Omer Asik. Kyle Korver and C.J. Watson are both shooting it very well from deep this year for the Bulls, but it is much more difficult for them to get open looks without Rose in the lineup.
The Bulls are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, and they will need to control the glass to win this game.
The Bulls are 10-1 at home, and the Celtics are notoriously bad on the back end of a back-to-back. I think Chicago will dominate in the paint and win this one.
Prediction: Chicago 91 Boston 87
Minnesota actually got above .500 for a brief time a few days ago, but the Timberwolves have lost three straight since.
