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.

If you look at Atlanta’s recent games, you might think I’ve gone crazy. Atlanta has won 11 games in a row. However, their opponents didn’t really test them much – the only serious ones were Orlando, Milwaukee, and Portland. The rest of the wins were almost expected.

Houston hasn’t been doing well lately, but their opponents were different. They lost twice to the Lakers, Denver, and the Spurs, which are top teams. On the other hand, they managed to beat Toronto and Portland. The H2H matchups clearly favor Houston. Out of the last five games, Houston won four and lost once in overtime. The last three wins were by 22, 18, and 9 points. I’d like to try this odds and test Atlanta’s form.

These are two top teams, but not with their current lineups. Golden State is missing Curry, Butler, and Moody long-term, which is a big weakness. At the moment, the team is being led by Podziemski, but understandably their results are poor. However, it’s not as catastrophic as it seems – they are still able to keep games relatively competitive.

Detroit is currently getting good results (they even covered the spread tonight), but they’ve been without Cunningham for two games already. The team is still being carried by Duren alongside Harrison and Robinson. I still think that productivity is more evenly distributed in Detroit’s case, and even without Cunningham they can deliver a decent performance. The absences on the Warriors’ side are more critical.