2024 NBA Season

[goinmerry]

The Lakers are doing very well in the last games, they are doing everything they can to make it to the playoffs. The team is playing much better than they were at the beginning of the season, both their individual and team performances have increased a lot. If they continue like this, they have a chance to be successful in the playoffs.
Anthony Davis plays very well and takes charge of the team, hope he will do that in playoffs too

Yes, Lakers is being always the most mentioned candidate team to play at the play-in tournament and others even give up for them seeing in the playoffs. But with how they are showing on their recent games, it now gives hopes for the Lakers fans to see their team surviving for the playoffs spot.

No choice but to be consistent on their remaining games as the competition on the lower tiers at the Western Conference is really close that every remaining games should be a must win as much as possible.

[dwyane36]

Let's just face it. Even if they reach the playoffs, the Lakers are in no condition to be competitive in the playoffs. They will be knocked out in the first round. Davis can be very competitive but he is a glass cannot. You cannot rely on him to be consistently available since he is very fragile. Even if Lebron stays healthy during the playoffs, his age prevents him to carry the team like he used to.

Of course, the current Lakers roster doesn't look like a championship contender. And if they make the playoffs, they'll have a tough time because their opponent in the first round will probably be either the Nuggets or the Grizzlies. However, I don't agree with you on LeBron. He averages 29 points per game this regular season, and I think he is still able to carry the team during the playoffs despite his age.

[tabas]

The Lakers are doing very well in the last games, they are doing everything they can to make it to the playoffs. The team is playing much better than they were at the beginning of the season, both their individual and team performances have increased a lot. If they continue like this, they have a chance to be successful in the playoffs.
Anthony Davis plays very well and takes charge of the team, hope he will do that in playoffs too

I agree. When they were not performing well, many thought that they would be out on this stage but when they're proving us wrong. The consistency really is the key and they still have the chance to get on the playoffs. While many of us really have been losing the encouragement, they just shown that they can cope up with the situation. Now, what they need to have is to avoid injuries although this is unpredictable and could happen especially to AD and hopefully he's there when they needed him most for the next games to come.  Yes, it's unavoidable to get some injuries but I'm sure that the team will manage to preserve him for that if ever there's already the window being seen for the playoffs.

[boltz]

Heat vs Mavs tonight and oh , this looks very interesting because both team needs the W and I don't see either of them backing up. With this , I do think we will have a tight battle with maybe low score because I do see both defenses putting up the work.

Heat are having 3 straight loses , while Mavs have a 4 lose streak , a win and another lose in their last 6 games.

Surprisingly or not , bookies do see Mavs as favors with odds being @1.78+. 

[jakelyson]

Let's just face it. Even if they reach the playoffs, the Lakers are in no condition to be competitive in the playoffs. They will be knocked out in the first round. Davis can be very competitive but he is a glass cannot. You cannot rely on him to be consistently available since he is very fragile. Even if Lebron stays healthy during the playoffs, his age prevents him to carry the team like he used to.

Of course, the current Lakers roster doesn't look like a championship contender. And if they make the playoffs, they'll have a tough time because their opponent in the first round will probably be either the Nuggets or the Grizzlies. However, I don't agree with you on LeBron. He averages 29 points per game this regular season, and I think he is still able to carry the team during the playoffs despite his age.

Hopefully, you are right with your take on Lebron because the Lakers need that. I do not see that Lebron could still carry his team even though he averages 29 points. The real carry of the team is Davis when he is healthy. If he gets injured, Lebron will not be able to carry this team.

Heat vs Mavs tonight and oh , this looks very interesting because both team needs the W and I don't see either of them backing up. With this , I do think we will have a tight battle with maybe low score because I do see both defenses putting up the work.

Heat are having 3 straight loses , while Mavs have a 4 lose streak , a win and another lose in their last 6 games.

Surprisingly or not , bookies do see Mavs as favors with odds being @1.78+. 

The Mavs are favored in this game because Bam and Kyle are questionable to play tonight. But if Bam plays, that will rapidly change. I made a bet on Mavs and hoping the Heat will preserve him for the upcoming games. The Heat is a defensive team which is the weakness of the Mavs but hopefully Luka and Kyrie will be able to abuse the absence of Bam in the paint. I am expecting the Mavs to force it to be a scoring game because they have the advantage in that type of game.

[Slow death]

Miami Heat - Dallas Mavericks

Heat comes to this game with 40 wins and 37 losses, and in the last 10 games they managed to get 5 wins and 5 losses, and to make their situation even worse, they had 3 consecutive defeats, on the other side their opponent the Mavericks has 40 losses and 37 wins, and in the last 10 games they managed to get only 3 wins and 7 losses, in their last game they lost against the 76ers. in my opinion this is a very difficult game to predict who will win because both teams are with bad results

New Orleans Pelicans - Los Angeles Clippers

Pelicans come to this game with 39 wins and 38 losses, and in the last 10 games they have 7 wins and 3 losses, they also come to this game with a victory against Denver, on the other side there is the Clippers who come to this game with 41 wins and 37 losses, and in the last 10 games they had 6 wins and 4 losses, with the aggravating factor that they lost in their last game. in my opinion the Pelicans have a better chance of winning the game

Charlotte Hornets - Toronto Raptors

Hornets come to this game with 26 defeats and 52 wins and in the last 10 games they lost in 6 games and only won in 4 games, also coming from a defeat, on the other side we have the Raptors who come to this game with 38 wins and 39 defeats , and in the last 10 games they won 6 games and lost 4 games. with the aggravating factor that comes from a defeat, in my opinion the Raptors will win this game

[goinmerry]

Heat vs Mavs tonight and oh , this looks very interesting because both team needs the W and I don't see either of them backing up. With this , I do think we will have a tight battle with maybe low score because I do see both defenses putting up the work.

Heat are having 3 straight loses , while Mavs have a 4 lose streak , a win and another lose in their last 6 games.

Surprisingly or not , bookies do see Mavs as favors with odds being @1.78+.  

Let's define low scoring game in the current NBA right now. Lower than 100 points? Total of around 200 points?

I do see that both Mavericks and Heat will just play on their usual without putting up much heavily impact on defense but rather will focus on their offense.

Mavs maybe being favored on that game because Bam Adebayo is out for the Miami Heat and that's a big hole to be filled.

[Dave1]

Heat vs Mavs tonight and oh , this looks very interesting because both team needs the W and I don't see either of them backing up. With this , I do think we will have a tight battle with maybe low score because I do see both defenses putting up the work.

Heat are having 3 straight loses , while Mavs have a 4 lose streak , a win and another lose in their last 6 games.

Surprisingly or not , bookies do see Mavs as favors with odds being @1.78+.  

Let's define low scoring game in the current NBA right now. Lower than 100 points? Total of around 200 points?

I do see that both Mavericks and Heat will just play on their usual without putting up much heavily impact on defense but rather will focus on their offense.

Mavs maybe being favored on that game because Bam Adebayo is out for the Miami Heat and that's a big hole to be filled.

Probably total will be under 229 for me to see the game as low scoring.

So far though, the Heat is leading at the end of the 3rd quarter, 102-96, so I guess in my book this won't be a low scoring game. But it might get interesting in the 4th quarter as the Heat is leading throughout the entire game and Mavs doing the catching up again.

Luka might end up in another triple double, but what's important is for them to win this game.

[EFS]

There were a lot of empty seats, I guess ticketholders in Miami have better things to do at Saturday night.
Strong game from Heat. Butler was perfect. Zeller made extra contribution to the game. Mavs have big problems in defense and backcourt rotation. Heat won after three losses in a row and secure their seventh place but Mavs risked their play-in chance. They didn't commit a foul at the end of the match when there was a 6-point difference and that shows the psychological disintegration of the team. They need miracles now even if they won all last four games.

[LogitechMouse]

There were a lot of empty seats, I guess ticketholders in Miami have better things to do at Saturday night.
Strong game from Heat. Butler was perfect. Zeller made extra contribution to the game. Mavs have big problems in defense and backcourt rotation. Heat won after three losses in a row and secure their seventh place but Mavs risked their play-in chance. They didn't commit a foul at the end of the match when there was a 6-point difference and that shows the psychological disintegration of the team. They need miracles now even if they won all last four games.

TBH, I didn't expect Zeller to play like that. He's very efficient with 20 points on 9/13 shooting, and the Heat won against the struggling Mavericks on their home.

Like many of us think, the Mavericks really is a good team in terms of offense, but what will you do with offense if you have that kind of defense. Luka had 42, Hardaway Jr. had 31, and Irving had 23, but it doesn't matter because 5 players on the Heat scored more than 15 points, and that's without Bam Adebayo as well.

They lost 7 on their last 10 games. After the trade deadline, the young Thunder team are playing better than them. Just imagine how awful they really are in terms of their performance in every game after acquiring Kyrie. A team like the Thunder who doesn't have any all-star aside from SGA are now in the last spot in the play-in tournament. I don't know if it's only me, but the Thunder exceeded my expectations for them this season. Though the Mavericks on the other is only 1 game behind them, with 4 games left for the Mavericks, I will not be surprised anymore if they will not clinch even the play-ins anymore. If they will, they will be eliminated immediately.

As for the Heat, there is a high chance that they might secure the 7th seed because they are 3 games above the 8th seeded Hawks, and they might try and go to 6th spot and put Nets to 7th if they will play better in their final games since they're only 1.5 games behind.

[danherbias07]

And I'm gonna say this someone tell me I'm wrong.  Brunson was the best steal in free agency in the last 10 years.

Dallas declined extending him 4 years for $55mil mid season last year 😂

Best steal! No doubt about that! It could've been a better Mavericks if they just gave him the contract, now I bet they are regretting what they have done.
But, this may be the best place for Brunson too, because I doubt his skills will be magnified at this level if he is still in the shadow of Luka Doncic.

Crucial games will happen in the Western Conference as every win or lose might change their positions for a play off spot or the play-in tournament.

The Pelicans winning against the Clippers is a big one! Brandon Ingram's monster game came out just when they needed a hero. But, it gets harder on their next 4 games left.
Kings, Grizzlies, Knicks, and last but not least Timberwolves, who are also forcing their way in after losing twice.

The Warriors, on the other hand, might see themselves standing in the safe spot at 5th if ever the Nuggets will just rest Jokic and their stars.
Next to it is the Thunder and then the Kings which I think will be given by Coach Brown as a thank-you for Steve Kerr. 
We are getting near the playoffs, expect a more intense game especially if both teams are in vital positions.

[LogitechMouse]

Heat vs Mavs tonight and oh , this looks very interesting because both team needs the W and I don't see either of them backing up. With this , I do think we will have a tight battle with maybe low score because I do see both defenses putting up the work.

Heat are having 3 straight loses , while Mavs have a 4 lose streak , a win and another lose in their last 6 games.

Surprisingly or not , bookies do see Mavs as favors with odds being @1.78+.  

Let's define low scoring game in the current NBA right now. Lower than 100 points? Total of around 200 points?

I do see that both Mavericks and Heat will just play on their usual without putting up much heavily impact on defense but rather will focus on their offense.

Mavs maybe being favored on that game because Bam Adebayo is out for the Miami Heat and that's a big hole to be filled.

Right now, the Miami Heat are the lowest with only 108.7 however, they scored 129 points on this one against the Mavericks.
With this, it shows how atrocious the defense of Mavericks are. They allowed a low-scoring team like the Heat to score 129 points. I mean that's awful if you will ask me.

I put my bet on the Mavericks because Adebayo will not play, and I expect Kyrie and Luka to step up offensively. Well, Luka step up as he scored 42 points, but Irving only scored 23 points, and yes Hardaway stepped up offensively and scored 31 points, but still their defense is one of the worst. I will never put my bet on the Mavericks from now on at least on their remaining games whether it will be on their home, or on the road.

And I'm gonna say this someone tell me I'm wrong.  Brunson was the best steal in free agency in the last 10 years.

Dallas declined extending him 4 years for $55mil mid season last year 😂

I wonder what the Mavericks are feeling right now that they let Brunson out, they let Dorian Finney-Smith, and Spencer Dinwiddie out as well, and let Kyrie Irving in. As to what you said, I can't remember any trade that happened in the last 10 years that are far better than this one, but I guess you're right. Many doubted the Knicks as well because of this trade, and I hope those bashers will stop bashing the Knicks right now.

[yazher]

The Pelicans winning against the Clippers is a big one! Brandon Ingram's monster game came out just when they needed a hero. But, it gets harder on their next 4 games left.
Kings, Grizzlies, Knicks, and last but not least Timberwolves, who are also forcing their way in after losing twice.

I think at this point, they won't gonna let their spot be taken and will continue to hold it until the play-in tournament because at that rank they only need to win one game and will gonna enter the NBA playoff this season. It's gonna be hard for the Lakers to race against them in these remaining games and it will be more intense games in these last few matchups because anything can still happen and if they messed up, they will find themselves in the spot of the Mavs and lose their chance to compete I'm the playoffs series.

[Pamadar]

Probably total will be under 229 for me to see the game as low scoring.

So far though, the Heat is leading at the end of the 3rd quarter, 102-96, so I guess in my book this won't be a low scoring game. But it might get interesting in the 4th quarter as the Heat is leading throughout the entire game and Mavs doing the catching up again.

Luka might end up in another triple double, but what's important is for them to win this game.

But it was a loss for Mavs. Luka did the usual numbers but was unable to carry his team for a win. Not sure what's happening with them after the trade but seems that they are not blending well, (Kyrie and Luka)

On the other side, Butler's performance comes out knowing that his co-superstar Bam is not around, him and the rest
of the Heat bring the fight up to the last seconds, didn't allow the Mavs to snatch the game away from them!

[btc_angela]

Probably total will be under 229 for me to see the game as low scoring.

So far though, the Heat is leading at the end of the 3rd quarter, 102-96, so I guess in my book this won't be a low scoring game. But it might get interesting in the 4th quarter as the Heat is leading throughout the entire game and Mavs doing the catching up again.

Luka might end up in another triple double, but what's important is for them to win this game.

But it was a loss for Mavs. Luka did the usual numbers but was unable to carry his team for a win. Not sure what's happening with them after the trade but seems that they are not blending well, (Kyrie and Luka)

On the other side, Butler's performance comes out knowing that his co-superstar Bam is not around, him and the rest
of the Heat bring the fight up to the last seconds, didn't allow the Mavs to snatch the game away from them!

Jimmy Butler performance though, and just like any other superstar, he rose again to the occasion and lead the team in both offense and defense, shooting high percentage and the didn't eve had any turnovers.

Unfortunately, there's no more Luka magic in the second half of the season.

They will have to take about it, the management and Luka on what to do on the current lineup and see where their weak spots are and try to patch it up next year.

[AHOYBRAUSE]

Slowly the discussion will come up if Kyrie is actually a winner.

Before lebron returned to the Cavs they were really bad ( obviously without Kyrie they wouldn’t have won that chip though), in Boston he didn’t win anything, we all know what happened in Brooklyn also.

No doubt he is super talented but it seems that’s not enough.

Teams pay him a lot or trade previous assets for him just to get disappointed, this rental ( I doubt he will sign with the Mavs) was one of the worst deals for them in this era. Front office panicked to get Luka a co star and it totally failed .

[Jating]

Heat vs Mavs tonight and oh , this looks very interesting because both team needs the W and I don't see either of them backing up. With this , I do think we will have a tight battle with maybe low score because I do see both defenses putting up the work.

Heat are having 3 straight loses , while Mavs have a 4 lose streak , a win and another lose in their last 6 games.

Surprisingly or not , bookies do see Mavs as favors with odds being @1.78+. 

And Bookies are wrong and most likely those who love to bet on the underdog had their money for the winner, Miami Heat. Just good to see the despite being snub by the NBA and not getting into the All Star this year or even in 1st or 2nd selection, Jimmy Butler proves everyone wrong when he had a monster game against the Dallas team which might not make it to this year because of their poor performance in the last stretch of the season.

While Lakers, Pelicans and Timberwolves and OKC are going to fight it out till the last game to see who will be in the play-off or who will be in the play-in.

So still a lot of good games ahead of us.

[stadus]

I love the New York Knicks somehow finding a way to steal a win against the strong Cavaliers in their home and without Julius Randle.
Jalen Brunson, 48 monster points! Is he really that small? Who else can score that much at 6'1?!

I actually didn't saw that coming because that specific game was hard to imagine for the Knicks, without Randle who tries to force his way through the opposing team's defense, they will really have a hard time. But, that's not what happened and I was surprised because Brunson proved that he can still give the team another win without Randle. For him, it seems that it's no biggy, really.

Who else can score that much at 6'1?!

Allen Iverson? The man is rumored to be 5'11 even if he was listed to be 6 flat.

[wheelz1200]

I love the New York Knicks somehow finding a way to steal a win against the strong Cavaliers in their home and without Julius Randle.
Jalen Brunson, 48 monster points! Is he really that small? Who else can score that much at 6'1?!

I actually didn't saw that coming because that specific game was hard to imagine for the Knicks, without Randle who tries to force his way through the opposing team's defense, they will really have a hard time. But, that's not what happened and I was surprised because Brunson proved that he can still give the team another win without Randle. For him, it seems that it's no biggy, really.

Who else can score that much at 6'1?!

Allen Iverson? The man is rumored to be 5'11 even if he was listed to be 6 flat.

Iverson was one of the best players ever at that height and being a scorer.  The dude always seemed to be crashing the paint no matter who was in the middle.  I loved watching him play.  Even as a knick fan I couldn't but love the dude.  Was the best mix of street ball and pro and he changed the game.

[freedomgo]

The frustration of Luka towards the call of the referees definitely affects his performance. Add also the fact that they are one of the worst defensive teams right now. Their highest place that they can get at this moment is at least the play-in tournament. Good luck with them, and I hope they will get better players in the off-season.

Yes, it was really evident. We can see that it wasn't his confidence to shoot that was impaired, it was his performance, and they got a massive pressure from the management to create a better outcome because they are looking forward to seeing the opposite way because they acquired Kyrie to help Luka. I don't know what's with the management, but I'm sure they know that they aren't that good in defense anymore and that is the consequence for getting an All-star caliber.

With their loss earlier against the Clippers against the Heat, their tunnel to participate in the play-in becomes more and more smaller as days goes by. I'd choose the Jazz over the Dallas right now to participate in the post-season games because they certainly got more chances to reach further and it's not impossible to happen.