NBA Weekend NBA Preview, Games to Watch, Standings Update, Finals Odds

The NBA trade deadline is less than four weeks away and we could see more trades this year than ever before with so many teams in contention for the playoffs this year. The Sixers are a team to keep an eye on as they have been without Ben Simmons all year and will likely try to move him to get another impact player.

Up to this point, no team has been willing to meet Sixers GM trade demands, but with the Sixers playing well and the deadline nearing, the Sixers will likely move Simmons in the next month and get another impact player to their team that is only 3 games out of first place in the East.

Another team to keep an eye on at the deadline is the Lakers, who now sit in the 7th seed and will likely be looking to upgrade their roster that has not played at the level they hoped heading into the season.

Anthony Davis has been a disappointment over the last couple of years and in a Western Conference that likes to push the tempo the Lakers could look to move Davis for a couple of wing players that would add youth and athleticism to an older Lakers roster. If you are just getting caught up on the NBA action head over to our NBA strategies page.

Top Games this Weekend

Heat vs. Sixers

Embiid and the Sixers are on a roll over the last few weeks

The Heat are a team that has been creeping near the top of the East all season long and now finds themselves in the 2 seed only one game behind the Bulls. Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler give the Heat the experience to a young, deep, and athletic Heat roster that has nearly 10 players scoring in double figures.

The Heat made a run a couple of years ago to the NBA finals and could make a return trip this year if they keep up their current pace. The Sixers are 8-2 in their last 10 and are a serious threat in the East as well if Joell Embiid can stay healthy. The Sixers are 21-9 with Embiid on the court and have beaten most of the top teams in the East and West throughout the year. Keep an eye on this game this weekend as we could be getting an early NBA Eastern Conference Finals preview.

Lakers vs. Nuggets

The Lakers and Nuggets are off to slow starts this year and look like they both should be able to get into the playoffs but will hope to avoid the play-in games. The Lakers have gotten a big boost from Malik Monk over the last month with Anthony Davis being out and have improved their pace of play significantly.

Lebron James is having a monster year averaging 29 points per game but free-agent signings Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony have been a bit of a disappointment so far. It is tough to ever count out a Lebron James team so don’t be surprised if the Lakers make a big trade that reboots their roster and helps them contend in the second half of the season.

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NBA Standings Update

Eastern Conference

The Bulls are still in first despite a couple of tough losses last week

1. Bulls 27-13
2. Heat 27-15
3. Nets 26-15
4. Bucks 27-17
5. 76ers 24-17
6. Cavs 25-18

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Western Conference

1. Suns 32-9
2. Warriors 31-11
3. Grizzlies 30-15
4. Jazz 28-14
5. Mavericks 23-19
6. Nuggets 21-9

As you can see both conferences have 6 teams that are fairly close to one another in records which should make for a very entertaining postseason later in the year. The Cavs are the biggest surprise in this group of contenders as not many people had them in consideration as a possible contender early in the year.

NBA Champion Odds

• Get the Nets +260
• Warriors +460
• Bucks +700
• Suns +800
• Jazz +1200

The Nets and Warriors are still the heavy favorites to win it all but both have dropped some games in recent weeks to teams that make you wonder if both teams will come back to earth down the stretch. The Bucks dominated the Warriors early in the week and I think are a great value at +700 as well as the Heat at +1500 if you want to take a shot on a big risk/reward play.