NBA Weekly Preview: Week 20

Summary

The National Basketball association is back from an eventful all-star weekend, something which revitalized the love for the sport and the competitive aspect.

There has to be a different gear for these thirty-two teams to follow in this final part of the 2022-2023 season.

Only a limited number of games are left in the regular season, which has come by so fast.

Not counting the ability to make the playoffs, it might be the last few months of play for many of these players.

Now is the time to truly show what your team is made of, and the leadership carried out.

Superstar players start to return to form at this time of year and want to be as sharp as they can before the playoffs.

Make no mistake, there is still everything up for grabs for every single team in the league, and no one has technically run away with the #1 spot in everyone’s heads.

The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets are the current front-runners, and they have played it great thus far.

Let’s get into some of this week’s best bets on Stake.com/sports.

Match Betting Previews

Denver Nuggets versus Cleveland Cavaliers - Thursday, February 23rd

Denver Nuggets fans are going to be elated to have their team return to action this upcoming Thursday.

The Nuggets are currently the sole possessors of the number one seed in the Western conference, and they will try to do the same in the second half.

Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are both yet to click at their highest levels this season, and it still has been scary for most opponents.

Denver boasts a ton of depth within their squad, but players who know their roles.

Nikola Jokic is playing at an MVP level and has a great case for another trophy in three years.

Regardless, his focus will be on gaining the #1 seed in the playoffs and making his path to a title easier.

Nikola has the talent and his team is well equipped to beat most; his Cavaliers game will be a great test of where they can land and how good they’ve been.

Cleveland and Donovan Mitchell were in sync with his all-star performance this past Sunday.

The scoring machine has done exactly that for the Cavs, and he finally feels like he has a plethora of talent around him, enough to win a chip.

Cleveland has not looked this good since the King James days, and there are multiple reasons why.

Take Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, as well as Darius Garland.

These players have been developing right before our eyes and they could be superstars in the near future.

They have all reasons to be excited, and I would be as well.

Prediction - Cleveland Cavaliers ML at home and a great match to follow, over on points!

Sacramento Kings versus Los Angeles Clippers - Friday, February 24th

A Pacific division battle takes place in an important Friday game between the Kings and Clippers.

Sacramento was one of the bigger surprises in the first few months of the season but aims to remain the same.

Consistency and work ethic have been common themes for the Kings throughout their games, and they are poised to make the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade.

Sacramento has been revitalized and they will love to get away from home and take on a testy matchup versus the Clippers.

Los Angeles is once again Russell Westbrook’s land.

The Clippers signed the veteran ex-Laker for the rest of this foreseeable season, and some fans will have mixed feelings on the move.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have a ton of help at this point, and they will need to cash in during the second half of the year.

NBA Championship runs are expected by most analysts surrounding this team, and they will have to prove to the rest that they are able.

Prediction - Bet on the Kings ML in an underdog special versus the Clippers.