It was a busy Christmas period in the NBA, with Ja Morant dragging the Grizzlies into the conversation at the top of the Western Conference with their recent NBA results. History-making back-to-back buzzer beaters from DeMar DeRozan and some fine form saw the Chicago Bulls emerge as front-runners in the East.
We’ve previewed the upcoming 2022 fixtures and made six NBA result picks that could help you win some money this weekend. Place your bets at Bet777.be – the best place for online bets and live betting on the NBA.
Toronto Raptors vs Utah Jazz
Donovan Mitchell continues to lead the way for the Jazz from his basketball position shooting guard, supported by the versatility of Bojan Bogdanovic and the in-paint dominance of Rudy Gobert. Utah are still within sight of the top two seeds in the Western Conference and will be eyeing up the top spot in 2022. The Raptors have shown glimpses of quality but are too inconsistent to mount a real challenge towards the top.
Prediction: Utah Jazz
Chicago Bulls vs Washington Wizards
A run of 8 straight wins saw Chicago climb to the summit of the Eastern Conference rankings. DeMar DeRozan is on fire, leading the way with points per game and breaking history with consecutive buzzer beaters. Nikola Vucevic is also proving invaluable from his basketball position at centre, not only contributing 15.9 points per game, but registering nearly 10 defensive rebounds in each game too. The Bulls are on the charge.
Prediction: Chicago Bulls
Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks
After spells on the sideline for Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavericks finally look set to go on a run with their two key men. The latter is averaging 20 points from his basketball position centre, whilst Doncic is running games from guard. Luka is not only putting up 25 points per game, but is also averaging 8.5 assists and 8 rebounds, highlighting how well-rounded his game is. With the Slovenian and Latvian partnership back on track, there aren’t too many teams that can cope with the Mavs, and this has shown in their NBA results of late.
Prediction: Dallas Mavericks
LA Lakers vs Atlanta Hawks
Despite the struggles of the Lakers this campaign, Lebron James is continuing to assert himself in the conversation of greatest of all time. In a win over Houston, LBJ became only the third player in history to join the 36,000 point club, and he’s not done yet. James registered 30+ points in 7 straight games, but the Lakers still managed to lose 5. It’s difficult to see how they could mount a challenge for the Championship, but if everything clicks, they have an unstoppable roster.
Prediction: LA Lakers
Charlotte Hornets vs Milwaukee Bucks
Although Giannis is crucial in most of what Milwaukee do from his basketball position at power forward, you can’t overlook the value of his teammates. Whilst the Greek international is averaging 27.8 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday are pivotal in creative roles, combining for over 11 assists between them each game. They will all need to stay fit if the Bucks are to retain their title, but they are capable of beating the best on their day.
Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks
Phoenix Suns vs Miami Heat
Both of these sides are heavily reliant on their star players in big games. Devin Booker is having another impressive campaign for the Suns from his basketball position at shooting guard, averaging 23.6 points, largely thanks to the creative capacity of Chris Paul who is making nearly 10 assists in every fixture. Miami tend to win whenever Jimmy Butler plays well, but the small forward has struggled with injuries this season. This should be an exciting match-up, but Phoenix are favourites to get the job done at home.
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