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The Washington Wizards and New York Knicks will cap off their NBA preseason when they meet at the Capital One Arena in DC on Saturday morning.
Washington are 1-3 in the preseason, managing only to beat the Raptors at home last weekend, while the Knicks have been flawless at 4-0 and will look to maintain their unbeaten record heading into the regular season.
We say: Knicks to win by 5+ points
It is well-known that the Wizards are in the midst of a major rebuild, but the concern for Washington fans is that the preseason has arguably created more questions than answers about what to expect from the franchise this season.
The Knicks, meanwhile, look like one of the most improved sides this season, and that was underlined by their 111-105 victory over the Hornets in midweek, where all five of their expected regular season starters were given the night off.
With the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges all expected to return for this final preseason matchup, we feel the Knicks should be too strong for the unsettled Wizards in this one.
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The second match on Saturday morning’s NBA preseason card will see the Philadelphia 76ers make a trip to the Kia Center in Florida to face the Orlando Magic.
Owing to their match against the Pelicans being called off due to concerns over Hurricane Milton, Orlando have played only twice in preseason and lost both matches, while the Sixers have played four times and split the results 2-2.
We say: Magic to win by 2+ points
After a disrupted preseason, Saturday is the last chance for Jamahl Mosley to try different player combinations in a non-consequential setting, while it will also give fans a chance to see the type of impact Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could have on the Magic this season.
We have yet to see the 76ers at full strength with Joel Embiid and Paul George both missing preseason through injury, while Jared McCain is now also likely to sit out this match after taking a nasty fall against the Nets on Wednesday.
With the visitors short-handed and the hosts set to play in front of their home fans for the first time in preseason, we are going with the Magic to notch up the victory in this match.
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The Brooklyn Nets will wrap up their preparations this weekend when they welcome the Toronto Raptors to the Barclays Center for their final exhibition match of the NBA preseason.
Brooklyn have played three matches over the last couple of weeks but only managed one win over a stuttering Wizards, while the Raps have split their four preseason games 2-2.
We say: Raptors to win by 3+ points
On a night when 76ers’ stars Joel Embiid and Paul George were sidelined, the Nets struggled to get out of their own way, and their inability to take care of the basketball in possession was evident, with Dennis Schroder looking overwhelmed, which led to the PG committing five turnovers in the match.
Meanwhile, Darko Rajakovic and co will arrive in Brooklyn feeling very good about themselves after beating the Celtics 119-118 in a preseason thriller on Wednesday, and with Immanuel Quickley expected to return to action for this match, we are going with the Raps to edge the result.
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The Memphis Grizzlies and the Miami Heat draw the curtains on their 2024-25 pre-season campaign when they go head-to-head at the FedExForum Arena on Saturday.
This will be the first meeting between the two sides since their clash in the off-season NBA Summer League final on July 23, when the Heat picked up a hard-fought 120-118 victory in overtime.
We say: Grizzlies to win by 2+ points
Irrespective of the result on Saturday, there have been lots of positives for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Miami Heat in pre-season and they will both look to close out the campaign on a positive note.
Buoyed by their impressive display against the Indiana Pacers, the Grizzlies return to home court on Saturday with sky-high spirits and we are tipping them to come away with another close win against the Heat.
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The Chicago Bulls’ final preseason matchup will come from the United Center in Illinois, where they will be taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the early hours on Sunday morning.
Chicago have played four matches in the preseason and have recorded two wins and two losses, while the Cavs have played and lost all three of their exhibition matches so far.
We say: Bulls to win by 4+ points
While Coby White led the Bulls with 23 points in their win over the Timberwolves last time out, the spotlight on the night belonged to Lonzo Ball, who made his return to the hardwood for the first time since January 14, 2022.
Ball wasted no time getting stuck in either, draining his first shot in just 43 seconds on the court and went on to finish with 10 points, one assist, one rebound, one block and a steal in the 125-123 victory.
Indeed, there are still questions about the Bulls defence, but they are looking very impressive at the other end of the court, and we fancy them to end the preseason with a victory over the unsettled Cavs in this one.
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The Portland Trail Blazers will look to sign off the NBA preseason on a high note when they welcome the Utah Jazz to Moda Center on Saturday morning.
Portland have only played two games in the preseason, losing the first to the Clippers before beating the Kings, while Utah also beat Kings last time out to improve their record to 3-1.
We say: Jazz to win by 3+ points
Portland are another side in the midst of a major transition, but the issue is that they have yet to find a proper replacement for Damian Lillard and are quite clearly missing a true leader on the court.
While few are expecting the Jazz to set the league alight this season, what has been evident in the preseason is that they have prioritised team cohesion rather than standout individual performances.
Utah just seem to be more settled than the Blazers at this moment, and they have a clear gameplan, which we feel will lead them to a win here, provided they can deliver on it.
