Wednesday night features a number of intriguing NBA matchups. Inter-conference play will be featured heavily. Let’s see which games offer the best matchups and who has the edge going in these NBA predictions.
Five NBA Predictions for Wednesday Night’s Slate
Golden State Warriors vs. Indiana Pacers
This is truly anyone’s game. The Warriors are shockingly bad on the road this season, with a 2-12 record. The Pacers are 8-6 at home and generally healthier coming into the game. Chris Duarte remains for Indiana, Andrew Wiggins is out, and Draymond Green is day-to-day for the Warriors. Stephen Curry vs. Tyrese Haliburton will be the matchup to watch in this one. Haliburton is the future of the NBA at point guard. Give the Pacers and standout rookie Bennedict Mathurin the edge in this one.
Prediction: Pacers squeak by the Warriors.
Sacramento Kings vs. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors had played well despite dealing with multiple injuries. However, back-to-loses in Orlando have this team below .500. O.G. Anunoby, Otto Porter, Precious Achiuwa, and Juancho Hernangomez are all listed as out for this game, so the raptors will be short-handed yet again. De’Aaron Fox leads the Kings in scoring and is shooting over 50% from the floor. Domantas Sabonis has been phenomenal up front, averaging 11.4 rebounds per game, which is fifth-best in the league as of writing. Sabonis also leads Sacramento with 6.4 assists per contest.
Matchup predictors seem to favor the home team in this one. Let’s go against the grain as long as the Raptors are without their leading scorer.
Prediction: Kings win a close one in Toronto.
NBA Predictions: New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls
These two teams come in on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum following Monday’s games. The Knicks are riding high, having won four straight games by double digits. Chicago, however, lost a tough game in overtime to the Atlanta Hawks.
Demar DeRozan leads the Bulls in points and assists per game, while Nikola Vucevic is averaging a double-double in points and rebounds. For New York, Julius Randle leads the way in scoring and rebounding. Jalen Brunson, who is listed as day-to-day, paces the Knicks with 6.3 assists per game. The predictors again lean heavily towards Chicago, so consider this another hot take.
Prediction: Knicks continue their double-digit winning streak in Chicago.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Dallas Mavericks
Unlike the previous matchups, there’s a spread available for this one at the time of writing. The hometown Mavericks are two-point favorites here. Cleveland is coming off of a disappointing loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Donovan Mitchell played well, but Darius Garland shot 7-22, and both players struggled from beyond the arc.
The Mavericks are the Luka Doncic show. The MVP candidate leads his team in points, rebounds, and assists per game. Doncic dropped 38 in the last win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tim Hardaway Jr. has been playing well of late and could rise to fill part of the void left by the departure of Brunson last offseason.
Both teams have played the Thunder in the last three days, with Cleveland winning by eight and the Mavericks by seven. Let’s ride with the home team in this one, although Cleveland is the better overall team.
Prediction: Dallas holds homecourt in a slim win over the Cavaliers.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. LA Clippers
Injuries have had a significant impact on both of these teams. For Minnesota, the loss of Karl-Anthony Towns has forced them to pivot from the game plan created when they traded for Rudy Gobert. In the short term, this has led to a boost in production for Anthony Edwards and DeAngelo Russell, who have stepped up in Towns’ absence.
The Clippers, on the other hand, are as healthy as they’ve been in some time. Sadly. Norman Powell is out and has yet to be given a timeline for returning to action. With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George healthy, this team could make a large leap in the standings. They just knocked off the best team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics, earlier this week.
The Clippers are six-point favorites in this one. They could easily cover.
Prediction: The healthy Clippers take down the Timberwolves.
More NBA Predictions
For more NBA predictions, news, and analysis, follow the Last Word on Hoops on Twitter.
