Another awesome week of back to back games in the bubble and we are getting closer to the finals, which begin on September 30. Before then, we would see teams scramble to dominate their conference and eventually earn a spot for the final 2. So here goes match predictions for Thursday games.
The first game on our lineup is Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets. The Raptors look set to claim their second consecutive NBA championship as they have won their 3 games against the Nets so far and need 1 more game to progress to the conference semi-finals. As we mentioned last week, the fire from winning last year’s title would be their driving force this time around and things are already looking good for them. If all goes well, they may end up not playing Thursday’s game against the Nets as they may win their 4th game on Sunday or Tuesday. Given the way the Nets have performed, it is highly unlikely that they win both Sunday and Tuesday’s games.
The second game of the evening is Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics have things in control with a three-game lead over the 76ers and they just need one more game to head to the next round, something which they should get effortlessly. The Celtics have faced no difficulty in the bubble so far and the 76ers have not proved to be a challenge to be much of a challenge. With two games before Thursday, the Celtics are likely to qualify for the next round without having to face the 76ers.
For the third game of the night, we have the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks. It seems as if Kawhi Leonard is trying to prove that he can win a championship with another team after helping the Raptors win it last year. But Luka Doncic is also determined to prove a point with his side as he seems the biggest difficulty the Clippers would face. The Clippers have the lead after winning 2 games but things do not still seem very sure for them. It is going to be a real struggle for the two teams leading up to Thursday, with two games before then. The Clippers have a better team with more support for Kawhi. This could just earn them the needed lead against the Mavericks to progress to the next round.
Lastly, we watch the Denver Nuggets take on Utah Jazz. One thing we know is that Jazz is more prepared. The Nuggets have to be careful of Donovan Mitchell who is never scared of scoring as many points as he can. The Jazz leads with two games. The only game the Nuggets won had to go into overtime which does not inspire much faith that they can really take down Jazz on any level.
