I'm curious to see how the Kevin Durant debut goes tonight for the Phoenix sun's.
Curious here too but not the match that would excite me. The Hornets are just too weak against a super-stacked Suns to give us an exciting game. We will see the true power of the Suns when they go against stronger teams like Bucks, Celtics, or Kings. Not the reason but fans blame him again for their defeat since they think that Westbrook is the curse of the team that's why they are losing. Maybe Coach Ty Lue didn't find yet the best people who can work well since Westbrook is just newly added on the rooster. They need to be more efficient especially on last quarter to win their games.
Fans are the worst. They are too quick to judge. We should give him a chance to blend in with his new team. He is performing well even with all this criticism. They still got 18 regular season games to figure it out because even if they bash WB, the Clippers are going to the playoffs. He should just keep on working and become better to help Clippers in the playoffs. |
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Charlotte Hornets vs Phoenix SunsThe Charlotte Hornetss (20-43) will host the visiting Phoenix Suns (33-29) at Spectrum Center tonight. Kevin Durant is expected to play tonight and make his debut with the Phoenix Suns. The Suns should win with ease. Suns key injuries: Landry Shamet (foot) out Hornets key injuries: Lamelo Ball (ankle) out, PJ Washington (foot) doubtful New York Knicks vs Brooklyn NetsThe New York Knicks (36-27) will host the visiting Brooklyn Nets (34-27) tonight at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks are shooting great and won their last 3 games after the All-star. The reverse is with the Nets. Their shooting percentage has dropped and they lost their last 3 games since the All-Stars. Nets key injuries: Ben Simmons (knee) out Boston Celtics vs Cleveland CavaliersThe Boston Celtics (44-18) will host the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers (39-25) tonight at TD Garden. These two teams will go head-to-head and it is hard to be confident on which team will win. I am betting on the home team to be better. Celtics key injuries: Mike Muscala (Knee) questionable Milwaukee Bucks vs Orlando MagicThe Milwaukee Bucks (44-17) will host the visiting Orlando Magic (26-36) tonight at Fiserv Forum. I do not expect an upset with the Bucks at full strength. They are 26-5 at home and this game should be another win for the Bucks. Magic key injuries: Jonathan Isaac (hamstring) questionable Bucks key injuries: Wesley Matthews (calf) out 
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Tundra just got eliminated from the LIMA Major.
Aster. after a poor performance yesterday against Gaimin Gladiators, was able to hold their ground in the lower bracket against Tundra, the defending TI champion. It is a full series, going to the 3rd map. Funny, that a Monkey King was in position 4 in this match but was actually looked like the one carrying Tundra. Ultimately, the double carry line up of Aster, TA and Drow, was able to carry the team to a win. They will move forward and will face the winner between EG and Beastcoast.
Tundra is now exiting the Lima Major as #9 in the tournament. They will not bag any cash money or DPC points. I think Tundra is still very strong, but this is not their patch. Hopefully, in the next Major, the patch will be more favorable to them.
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Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami HeatThe Philadelphia 76ers (39-20) will visit the Miami Heat (32-29) tonight at Wells Fargo Arena. The 76ers are coming from a devastating loss against the Celtics. This is their comeback game after that loss. Heat key injuries: Tyler Herro (rib) questionable, Nikola Jovic (back) out, Kevin Love (knee) probable, Kyle Lowry (knee) questionable 76ers key injuries: Dewayne Dedmon (hip) out New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics The New York Knicks (35-27) are hosting the visiting Boston Celtics (44-17) tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Celtics are coming from a nailbiter win against the Philadelphia 76ers, 110-107. The Knicks is on a 5 game winning streak.Knicks are defending their home and playing good basketball but I think Celtics still has the upper hand in this match, even without Jaylen Brown. Celtics key injuries: Jaylen Brown (personal) out, Derrick White (ankle) probable 
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Big game for the Knicks tonight against the Celtics. At this point in the season if they want a 4 or 5 spot they need to win games lime this at home. Don't think many people are giving them a shot but I think they keep theor streK up here tonight and beat the celts at home. The Knicks don't match up well against Philly and the Bucks but I actually think they match up well against the celts. Maybe I'm wrong and they get blown out but they way they have been playing defense lately this one shoukd at least be a tight game. Can't wait season is heating up finally.
That is a hard call. The Celtics are 20-10 on the road this season. Jaylen Brown is out due to personal reasons, but Celtics have proven that they can win even without Brown through the leadership of Jayson Tatum. They have a very good rotation and bench players. I am taking the Celtics on this game. But even though they have won that game, it doesn't hide the fact that they are still getting down at that big lead. They can't expect to have that big comeback as always. That's an impressive win they did but not all the time, luck will come to them.
We can't still say that the Lakers made a wise move if they will always experience being down a big lead.
If in their next game, the same situation will happen, the chance of getting into the playoffs is still slim.
They have to win almost all of their remaining games to have a chance for the playoffs. They rose in the ranking. They are now 12 in the West, 2 games away from the Pelicans to clinch a Playin spot. That 27-point comeback shows they have the tenacity to win. Hopefully, it can help them clinch a playoff spot as well. |
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I had to laugh at that "Westbrook curse" comment hehe. I mean they lost to the top team in the West in overtime with the reigning MVP having another highlight performance. Sacramento wasn't a bad team either. I'm not exactly fan of the guy and I've been critical of him before but that comment was uncalled for. WB also played decently in both games. I think they will sort it out pretty soon and they'll have a good run pretty soon.
It will probably take some time before the trio will mesh together completely to win. It is actually a good thing that they are pitted against good teams early. They are exposed early on to what they need to do to win, especially how Westbrook will help them win. They acquired him to make a push for the finals and he is performing. Maybe they just need to adjust a little something here and there, but I like how they are playing. |
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Team Aster won over Beastcoast in their tie breaker match. Beastcoast dropped to the Lower Bracket while Aster is now in the Upper Bracket. Group stage is now over and the rankings are settled. Both EG and Shopify Rebellion ended up third on their respective groups. I am not very aware how the matches are lined in the playoffs, but I think there is a high chance that EG and Shopify will meet each other. Anyone excited to see these two teams fight each other? Here is the final ranking after the Group Stage:  |
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Oklahoma City Thunder vs Sacramento KingsThe Sacramento Kings (34-25) will visit the Oklahoma City Thunder (28-31) tonight at Paycom Center. The Sacramento Kings should win but we cannot underestimate the power of playing at home. Thunder key injuries: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle) Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers (33-29) will visit the Denver Nuggets (42-19) tonight at Ball Arena. The Nuggets have beaten the Clippers 5 straight times and 8 of the last 9 times they have played. They are coming from a back-to-back games though and lost terribly against the Grizzlies. Clippers key injuries: Ivica Zubac (calf) out Nuggets key injuries: Cole Gillespie (leg) out, Aaron Gordon (ribs) out, Zeke Nnaji (shoulder) out 
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Looks like we will not have a tiebreaker in Group A of Lima Major 2023. Evil Geniuses and Team Spirit are ruthless against their respective opponents, TSM and Execration. TSM and Execration are on the verge of getting swept in their match. They need to get at least 1 win to force a tiebreaker against Tundra, but I do not think it is happening.
Good thing for Tundra, they do not have to go through a tiebreaker but they are still in a bad position. They will start in the lower bracket in the playoffs. Their games will all be an elimination game. That is tough.
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Those are both some risky picks.
In hindsight, it is risky but I believe it was a good pick at the time. I was wrong. Both picks lost.
Here's my bet for today: New York Knicks vs New Orleans PelicansThe New Orleans Pelicans (30-30) will visit the New York Knicks (34-27) tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks beat the Washington Wizards yesterday 115-109. This is the first time both team will meet each other this season. Pelicans key injuries: Zion Williamson (hamstring) out Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics The Philadelphia 76ers (39-19) will host the visiting Boston Celtics (43-17) tonight at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers are playing the best in their home with a 24-8 record and Boston are coming off from overtime against Indiana Pacers. This could mean disaster for Boston but I believe in their resiliency. Celtics key injuries: Danilo Gallinari (knee) out 76ers key injuries: Dewayne Dedmon (hip) out  |
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Westbrook though, he got a pretty decent stats in the game today even if he's still adjusting to the team. He got 17 points with a 53.8% FG and 1/4 3PA which is 25% beyond the arc. Like as expected, he's just there to open up a spot for the main guys but he's not really restricted to shoot the ball whenever he got an opening.
Overall, he did a great job. The problem with the Clippers is their defense. Imagine, they allowed the Kings to score 176 points in double overtime. I mean, if there was good defense, no way a team would reach even 150 points in two overtimes. I guess they need to carefully look at their defense as that has been their problem so far, in my opinion. This is actually the future of NBA. We are already familiar with games reaching 130+ points, especially games played by offensive heavy teams. It is just a matter of time before 150 points in 4 quarters are regular scoring. A really disturbing stats for the Clippers. They have a very high turnover this game, 25. I think it is not very Clippers to make that many turnovers. The eastern conference is getting a breather with the loss of KD. I don't think Brooklyn can sustain its ranking and will soon get replaced by the other teams.
They are not the team to beat in the East anyway. It is still Boston, the Bucks, and the 76ers. Even with KD and Irving on the lineup, in a playoff series, I will still pick Celtics and Bucks over Brooklyn. The Nets did KD a favor by trading him to the Suns. Now Suns have a bigger advantage over their opponents in the West, at least on paper. |
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What really surprised is that Shopify Rebellion exist while EG team is still active too. I thought EG rebrand to Shopify.  The best of 2 in group stage is designed to make a quick result. Why would they not exist? They are not connected to EG except for the fact that the roster is the previous EG roster before EG went to South America. They are a new organization now. 2 Chinese teams are already surely out for the Dota 2 Lima major's group stages.
For group A --> Ehome
For group B --> Knights
Not much expectation from these two teams anyway. What I do not expect is Tundra, the defending TI champion, dropping into the 6th spot. And they can be eliminated if either TSM or Execration can sweep their next matches. TSM is against EG while Execration will be against team Spirit tomorrow. They are against strong teams but they can at least get a draw which will put them into a tiebreaker against Tundra. One fatal mistake and Tundra can be out of the tournament. |
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Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat
The Miami Heat (32-27) will visit the Milwaukee Bucks (41-17) tonight at Fiserv Forum. This is their last match for the regular season with Miami winning 2 out of 3 meetings. Heat key injuries: Tyler Herro (knee) probable, Kyle Lowry (knee) out Bucks key injuries: Giannis Antetokoumpo (wrist) doubtful, Pat Connaughton (calf) doubtful Chicago Bulls vs Brooklyn NetsThe Brooklyn Nets (34-24) are going to face the Chicago Bulls (26-33) tonight at United Center. The Nets are coming from a win against the Miami Heat 116-105 last Wednesday. While the Bulls lost to the Bucks last Thursday 112-100. Nets key injuries: Ben Simmons (knee) questionable Bulls key injuries: Lonzo Ball (knee) out, Goran Dragic (knee) questionable, Javonte Green (knee) out 
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Are you guys watching the Philippines vs Lebanon game now? It's a great game for the Philippines; they are leading by double digits already, and I really like this lineup. There's no need for Brownlee to carry the team because his teammates have international experience and can really help the team get better. The defense and ball movement are impressive so far. If they can maintain a 20-point lead in the first half, it will be hard for Lebanon to come back in the second half, in my opinion.
By the way, the spread before the game was -7.5, so looking at the game now, it will easily be covered.
I was not aware that today was the game against Lebanon. I only caught the last few minutes of the game when I turned the TV on. I was glad that they won the game with a good lead against Lebanon. This is good for the team. They have another game on Monday against Jordan, which I think they can easily win as well.
Not sure if this is correct but I think we are already part of the FIBA World Cup 2023 as we are the host of the group and final phase.
Yes, we are automatically qualified since we are hosting the next FIBA World. But we still should not take the qualifiers lightly since they will give our players a good experience in international competition, especially the young ones. We should start saving money for the games since all of the biggest basketball players will be in our country. It is our chance to meet them in person. Gilas Pilipinas shows us a good play and a good win, they are improving a lot like in the movement of the ball they are very good all I see for miles now is unselfishness which is pretty good if they have this. And also the big guys Junmar fajardo and Justin brownlee doing good as well and for sure malonzo will happy for his play 2 hand dunk by malonzo is the best highlights for this game. Now gilas defeated lebanon and they show us who they are.
Hopefully, they can continue to do so in FIBA World. PBA has shortened conferences to give way for Gilas to practice and blend well. That is a great opportunity to redeem themselves since they are heavily criticized in the recent events they competed, especially the coaches. |
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Maybe it's time for that Westbrook "thing-y" to move on I guess?
I just want to ask a question regarding the Westbrook's previous team, the Lakers.
With only 23 games remaining, and with their better roster now compare to where it was before trade deadline, do you think that the Lakers will clinch the playoffs this regular season? What is the ceiling for this new Lakers roster this season?
I mean they have a chance. They are on the 13th seed right now, but the are only 5 games behind the 4th seeded Clippers. That's how tight the Western Conference right now. This is the tightest competition that I've ever seen in the Western Conference. For me, I see them clinching to a play-in spot and the highest that they might probably get is the 8th seed.
They have a chance to make it to the playoffs, but it is very slim though. They are now 3 games behind the warriors who are sitting at number 10 in the west. I do not think the top 8 in the west are going to drop their game and move down the rank. But I am expecting the Jazz to drop from their current rank so maybe the Lakers can take that spot if they continue to win. I saw their game against the Warriors and the new roster looks good though it is against a depleted Warriors. Let's see if they stay the same against a more competitive and complete team. Maybe the Lakers can do it but that is only if they all stay healthy. |
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PSG.LGD is not in a good placement in the Lima Major. It's obvious that they are having tons of troubles when it comes to their picks and what strategies they need to employ in order to get a more comfortable game. Honestly, I was expecting that they'll be miles ahead of GG when it comes to group stages being the LGD that I used to know, but it seems that they are not that cohesive yet as a team and they still have a lot of internal struggles to resolve especially in hero picks.
v Gaimin Gladiators are actually good even in the regionals. I watched their games and Quinn, and the crew was actually on point every time. Doing well in Lima is just the continuation of what they have started early in the season. I know they will finish strong in this major. It is too early to say that LGD has problems since it is too early in the tournament. We are just not used to PSG starting weak but maybe they can finish strong this time. |
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I cannot blame these bettors anyways. There's a reason why the Lakers have been trying hard to unload Westbrook even before the start of the season due to his declining stats. Westbrook is really not that bad of a player, but his $46 million salary this year made him bad. The Clippers made a huge gamble because if Westbrook performs well, they will have the advantage of re-signing him again and they can also let him go next season if he becomes unwanted. At least the Clippers' gamble is only good for a year although still very costly.
Not costly at all. His contract is veteran minimum since the Jazz bought him out already. The Clippers are taking very little risk while giving a chance to Westbrook to showcase his strength when not under heavy criticism by fans. Maybe he will improve Clippers, maybe not. But this is his chance that he still deserves a good contract in NBA. It's gonna be a wild wild west again this time. Everyone for sure have eyes on the Western conference. The Suns may never make a huge impact on Durant acquisition for the remainder of the season, but come playoffs, they will definitely be one of the hardest if not the hardest team to beat in the West.
Imo, they are not just really strong on papers, but they could make it work this time, most probably.
Hopefully then can blend together because they really are one of the teams you need to watch out this season. They are already a contender team before they acquire Durant. And now that they have him, they are more dangerous. What I only see the problem will be is their defense. But if they can fix that, they are the team to beat and maybe Durant can finally get his 3rd ring. |
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So many games playing simultaneously in Lima Major it is hard to follow all the games. First-day matches of Lima Major seem even and unpredictable. BetBoom was the 3rd favorite before the start of this event but was zeroed out by Shopify Rebellion. I have a feeling that they won't be in the upper bracket. Entity though they faced lower teams, at least it build their momentum leading to their series today against Shopify Rebellion.
No early bets for now as the tendency of 1-1 are still very possible. I am just planning to bet on 2nd maps once those favorite teams lose their 1st maps. Maybe this is the safest while still observing.
Team Liquid is the only thing predictable. They are showing that they are still in their best form. They are at the top of their group and tied with Entity. It won't be long though. They have taken Map 1 of their series against Entity. They won easily in just 28 minutes. I think it is good to bank your bet on Team Liquid. I think Team Liquid is the strongest team right now in Lima. Hopefully, they can carry their momentum until the finals. |
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I hope that Coach Ty Lue already said to Westbrook that you must not shoot the ball, and just focus on assisting and playmaking.
What kind of strategy is that? WB is not Ben Simmons. He is still good for 15 Points, 6 rebounds per game. He is not afraid to shoot and that is a good thing. He is still 41 FG%. Clippers have a good roster of shooters and that will open up the lane for WB to drive hard into the basket, which is his bread and butter. Maybe he can take less 3's since there are other outside shooters in the Clippers but WB is still good for perimeter shots. Probably he can give some quality minutes on the floor and he will be given more chance let's say closing a game because he has that experience. But we don't what him to be the closer like shooting from the outside as it might be painful to watch.  Getting quality minutes from Westbrook is easy, but given that he is a former MVP, I think starting him is necessary. I don't think so. It will depend on his performance. I think it is better to start Mann and let WB come from the bench. Being a former MVP does not translate to an automatic starter. If he can show that he deserves to start then I believe the coach will start him. Ty Lue is experienced enough to handle Westbrook. |
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Well, the game was done between Execration and Tundra. And as I've said, Tundra as the TI champs doesn't mean that they won't lose to any team.
The series ended with a 1-1 and that's actually a good start with Execration. The Lima major has officially kicked and I've missed some games right now, I'm watching Entity versus Geek Slate. 50 minutes in the game yet the kill/death score is 7-12 in favor of Entity.
Even PSG.LGD has lost a map against EG and they ended up draw in the series. LGD is now playing against TSM and they are on the verge of losing again. TSM have a very large lead , 23K in net worth. It will be hard to comeback to that but it is still doable. I think LGD will lose a map against TSM. Group A has a lot of Draw matches today while Group B have more sweep. I think I'll be betting draw on Group A tomorrow. I forgot that today is the start of Lima Major that is why I do not have any bets placed but turned out lucky for me since my prediction is way off. Will start to bet tomorrow. |
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