Milwaukee (11th place in the East) enters this game on an unpleasant streak of four consecutive losses. Their performances seem inconsistent, as before that they could boast one of the best forms in the NBA. However, I see this matchup as an ideal opportunity for a fresh start.

Utah (14th in the West) belongs among the weakest teams in the league and their situation is tragic. Apart from yesterday’s win against Washington, they had a streak of seven consecutive losses. Their results have certainly been strongly affected by major absences. Kessler, Markkanen, George, Jackson, Collier and several others will not play today against the Bucks. And these are not just role players – five of them are among their best players. Today, Utah will essentially field their “Utah Jazz B” team against Milwaukee.

The head-to-head matchups also slightly favor the Bucks, as they won the last two meetings by 15 and 23 points.

In the first game we will back the struggling Warriors. For a long time they have been missing their star players — Curry, Butler, and now also Moody. As a result, their performances have suddenly worsened and they currently have just one win from their last six games (ironically, it was against Houston).

Minnesota is not in the best form either, having lost three games in a row, but those games were against Orlando, the Lakers, and the Clippers. Before that, however, they had a five-game winning streak, beating opponents like Portland, Denver, and Toronto. Additionally, today Golden State will play with a full lineup. Head-to-head matchups also favor Minnesota, as they have won 6 of the last 7 meetings.

In the second game, one of the favorites, the New York Knicks (3rd place), faces a team from the bottom of the standings. The Knicks have had inconsistent form, winning only 2 of their last 5 games. However, those losses came against the Clippers, Lakers, and Oklahoma, which is understandable. On the other hand, they beat Denver by an incredible 39-point margin. Before that, they also defeated Toronto, the Bucks, and even the very strong San Antonio.

Indiana, however, has lost 11 games in a row. During this streak they also lost to teams of similar level — Sacramento, Memphis, and Washington twice. This does not look good for them. The reason for their poor results is the absence of key players. They will be missing Siakam, McConnell, and Furphy due to a long-term knee injury. At least they can be happy that Nembhard has returned.

Aside from Hart’s absence, the Knicks come into this game with an excellent lineup. Head-to-head games have long been balanced, but considering the current form and absences, the Knicks are clear favorites.

This is a matchup between two teams from the bottom of the standings that no longer have much chance of improving their position. Both teams have been dealing with injuries throughout the season, which is reflected in their results.

Dallas has lost 7 games in a row, where their only real chances were against Memphis and Sacramento. Recently they were also very close against Orlando, when they led for most of the game, but with the score at 113–114 Orlando scored the final basket. However, they can at least be satisfied with their lineup now, as they should have it almost fully available today.

Memphis has lost its last 5 games in a row and didn’t even come close to winning against Brooklyn. They also lost yesterday to Philadelphia by 10 points, despite Philadelphia missing several of their best players. The Grizzlies are still dealing with major absences, as Aldama, Caldwell-Pope, and Pippen will not play today, and Spencer, Coward, and Clayton are questionable. These are significant losses to be able to deliver a reliable performance.

H2H matchups look significantly better for Memphis, but that makes sense because under normal circumstances they are the better team. Today, however, they are far from their usual lineup.

Barcelona goes into the second leg in a better position, mainly thanks to home advantage and strong current form. The first match ended 1:1, with Barca equalizing in stoppage time, but at home they are currently very strong and on an excellent run of results. Newcastle is also in form, dangerous on the counterattack, and capable of playing well away, but they are missing key players. In this type of second leg, quality, experience, and home pressure are often decisive, so backing Barcelona to advance makes solid sense. Barcelona could decide the tie in regular time or even in extra time.

Liverpool at home must open up the game since they are trailing 0:1 from the first match, so we can expect a higher tempo, more chances, and pressure from the start. Galatasaray also has no reason to just defend passively. That’s why a total of 2 to 5 goals is exactly what we expect from this match. Liverpool is the favorite to win, but Gala is strong enough to make the match competitive.