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After their second preseason matches were cancelled due to concerns over Hurricane Milton, the Miami Heat and New Orleans Pelicans will return to the hardwood this week to face off at Kaseya Center on Sunday night.
The Heat suffered a 111-108 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in North Carolina in their first preseason game, while the Pels pulled off a 106-104 victory over the Magic at home in Louisiana.
We say: Pelicans to win by 3+ points
Miami’s preseason opener against the Hornets revealed both promising signs, such as Bam Adebayo‘s evolving offensive game that included making two three-pointers on his way to 13 points, as well as a few concerns, particularly Terry Rozier‘s inefficient shooting which could hinder the side’s offensive flow since he is expected to be their main scorer this season.
The Pelicans, on the other hand, got their preseason started with a victory thanks to a stellar performance by Zion Williamson, and excellent contributions from the bench, with Jordan Hawkins contributing 18 points and Malcolm Hill adding 11 in just eight minutes on the court.
Even without star player Brandon Ingram, the Pelicans showcased strong teamwork and an efficient offensive strategy, especially in their three-point shooting, and we feel they will be able to grind out another win in this one.
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Arguably, the most highly anticipated match of the day will come from Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks will be playing host to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.
It has been just over two weeks since the news first emerged about the Timberwolves trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, and this match will likely see at least two of those players take to the court against their previous teammates.
We say: Knicks to win by 2+ points
KAT has already played both preseason games for the Knicks and seems to have settled into life in New York swimmingly, as he led his new team to a commanding 117-94 victory over the Wizards last Thursday, top-scoring with 25 points, two assists and 12 rebounds.
While Randle is still working his way back to full fitness, DiVincenzo has slotted into the Timberwolves setup almost seamlessly, and the combination between himself, Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid looks an exciting prospect this season, as we saw in the win against the Sixers over the weekend.
This looks like a very even contest on paper, but with Randle’s participation in doubt and Rudy Gobert listed as questionable, the Timberwolves’ frontcourt is not as strong as they would have hoped for this match, so for that reason, we are giving the edge to the hosts to nick the result.
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In the final match on Sunday night, we will see the Sacramento Kings look to notch up their first preseason victory when they welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to Golden 1 Center.
The Kings will be fairly confident in their chances of getting their first win here too, given they beat this opponent in all three matchups last season and have not lost to them since October 2022.
We say: Kings to win by 5+ points
While the Kings went down to the Warriors in both their preseason fixtures so far, what was evident in those games is that their starting five were excellent, as they won the first half in both matches while each starter scored over 12 points on Saturday.
The Blazers posted a record of 16-25 on the road last season and suffered another away defeat to the Clippers on Saturday, with key man Scoot Henderson putting up just 13 points from 16 shots in 30 minutes on the court.
Indeed, there are concerns about the Kings’ depth this season, but that will improve with the likes of Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter set to return soon. We feel the home side will put on a much better showing here and are backing them to get the W in this match.
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In the early hours of Monday morning, our attention will shift to the Chase Center where the Golden State Warriors will be out to defend their perfect preseason record against the Detroit Pistons.
The Warriors are 3-0 in preseason so far, securing victories against the Clippers and back-to-back over the Kings, while the Pistons are 2-1 coming into this match following a big win over the Bucks and splitting their two games against the Suns.
We say: Warriors to win by 7+ points
Steve Kerr has encouraged his players to “let it fly” this season, and the Warriors are embracing it, following up a 28 three-pointer game on Thursday night by hitting 13 of 34 from beyond the arc in the 109-106 victory over the Kings on Saturday.
Meanwhile, after a dismal 17-65 record last season, there is much more optimism for the Pistons this term, particularly with the addition of Tobias Harris, who combined with Cade Cunningham to excellent effect in the blowout victory against Phoenix over the weekend.
However, while Detroit shot 48.8% as a team in their last win, they only managed 26.5% from the three-point line, and we feel that will be the determining factor here against the Warriors, who are on fire from downtown.
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The final curtain of Monday’s action takes us to Ball Arena in Colorado, where the Denver Nuggets are returning from their NBA Abu Dhabi Games to face the Phoenix Suns in their first home game of preseason.
Denver are 0-2 after dropping both games against Boston last week, while the Suns now have a 2-1 record, having beaten the Lakers in their opening match before splitting their two games against the Pistons.
We say: Nuggets to win by 3+ points
Following a disappointing playoff exit despite high expectations, and posting back-to-back losses against the Celtics in the Middle East, questions are being raised about the Nuggets’ roster changes, especially the departures of key players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown.
However, the Suns enter this match short-handed as well, with Mike Budenholzer confirming on Saturday that all of Devin Booker, Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen and Josh Okogie are set to sit out this trip to Denver.
Still, having only dropped seven matches at home last season, and following those losses to the Celts, the Nuggets will be determined to notch up a victory here as they look to build momentum heading into the regular season, and we feel they will be able to overcome the depleted Suns in this one.
