Week 17 of the NBA season is just around the corner. We put forth our top five predictions, with a special focus on LeBron James and breaking records, as well as the latest on the trade deadline day and the worrisome Warriors.
Thursday 2 February 2023 11:37, UK
Week 17 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.
You know it's coming, now all that remains is figuring out the maths. Yes, we do mean LeBron James shattering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time points record and it could happen in the span of the next seven days.
Here's where it gets a little tricky. James is 89 points out, if he scores 29 points a game, he could break the record against Oklahoma City next Wednesday. What's a little more realistic is notching 22 points a game and doing it on Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
There have been a few especially bold people to suggest he could do it in two games - and we'd be lying if we hadn't entertained the thought ourselves - but the Los Angeles Lakers have been resting their big stars in recent contests for a possible play-in push, and it's likely James will be a part of that.
The trade deadline is set to finalise on February 9, and if your team haven't done their business, you might want to keep your eyes glued to our live tracker blog.
Will the Dallas Mavericks find someone to support Luka Doncic, or are they condemning Spencer Dinwiddie for a season of despair? Will the Denver Nuggets offload Bones Hyland as he continues to confuse fans on Twitter? Is Jae Crowder going to finally be freed by the Phoenix Suns? These are all the questions we'll look to answer in the next few days.
Brandon Ingram might be back from a two-month absence, but it's a very different Pelican's side he's returning to.
For starters, there's no Zion Williamson, despite him being picked for the All-Star roster, and his team have lost eight straight games, falling out of the top four in the Western Conference standings. Quite the homecoming.
It warrants a mention that even with their talisman intact, the Pelicans didn't have the greatest clutch record through December. Things have definitely taken a turn for the worse since the New Year.
The league's worst offence now faces the Mavericks and the Lakers this week, which could very well be another two defeats to add to the list.
Stephen Curry is back, and yet there still seems to be some kinks for the Golden State Warriors to iron out that have nothing to do with their star player.
Sure, bench minutes have been better. Kevin Looney, Jonathan Kuminga and Jordan Poole have all looked resurgent in recent fixtures, as evident in the victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday.
And yet, there still seems to be an inability to finish in clutch moments, or in Poole's case, to finish at all (much to Curry's delight).
With the Nuggets and the Mavericks next on the schedule, the Dubs will need to find consistency in their attack if they are to make a late run to the playoffs.
For so long, the Celtics remained uncontested atop their Conference. And yet, as both Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo have proved of late, they aren't the only team in the East looking to secure top spot.
Enter, stage-right: the Milwaukee Bucks and their five-game win streak. They have Khris Middleton back in defence and it's made a world of difference. Giannis is firing away triple-doubles on a whim, and Jrue Holiday has put up some crucial points to share the spoils.
The Philadelphia 76ers may have had their form disjointed by the Orlando Magic last week, but they too are in the mood to shake the standings up. Embiid's taken the All-Star snub pretty heavily, notching a 47-point performance on Tuesday against the Nuggets and then another 28 on Thursday over the Brooklyn Nets.
Joe Mazzulla's team should rightfully be wary of what's to come in week 17 when the Celtics face both of these teams.
