The NBA All-Star Teams were announced on Thursday night, and to no one’s surprise both the Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors are represented. Kevin Durant was the favorite to be named NBA MVP before suffering a sprained MCL that has sidelined him for the last two weeks, while Golden State was the only team that had two starters named to the All-Star Team in Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins. These two teams are currently the favorites to win the title per the most recent NBA futures odds, so this could be a preview of the NBA Finals in the summer.
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Golden State had some trouble earlier this month. The Warriors lost six of nine games between January 5 and January 20 before turning it on over the last week. They have won four straight games following their comeback win over Minnesota on Thursday night, but they still trail the red-hot Phoenix Suns by three games.
The loss of Kevin Durant has really hurt the Brooklyn Nets. They are unlikely to finish with the best record in the Eastern Conference at this point, and there is an outside chance that they don’t finish in the top four in the conference standings either. Brooklyn is 6-10 over its last 16 games and has lost three in a row heading into Sunday night’s tilt.
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The return of Klay Thompson has not made much of an impact for the Warriors yet. A lot was made about Thompson’s return and what it would mean for Golden State, but he has yet to rediscover the form that made him so great after two major injuries. In eight games, Thompson is averaging 15.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.8 APG, and he is making just 41.2% of his field goals and 36.8% of his threes.
Steph Curry might be in line to win his third NBA MVP though. Curry is currently one of the four frontrunners for the award alongside Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokuonmpo and Nikola Jokic. He broke the all-time three-point record earlier this season, but Curry hasn’t been as efficient as we have seen in the past. Curry is making just 41.8% of his field goals and 37.7% of his threes.
Golden State’s role players have been great though. Lottery pick Jonathan Kuminga has yet to pan out and James Wiseman has yet to take the floor this year, but Andrew Wiggins is finally living up to his potential in the Bay Area and Draymond Green is back to his old self after a very disappointing 2020-21 campaign.
Brooklyn isn’t in dire straits, but the preseason favorite to win the Eastern Conference isn’t in a great spot either. Kevin Durant is out for at least another two weeks, so he won’t be able to take the court against the team he won multiple titles and NBA Finals MVPs with a few years ago. Kyrie Irving won’t be allowed to play either due to San Francisco’s restrictions against players that are not vaccinated.
That means we will see a lot of James Harden in this game. Harden is still averaging close to a triple-double per game, but his efficiency numbers aren’t what they were in previous years. He is making just 42% of his field goals and 33.7% of his threes, and his main impact is his ability to get to the free throw line.
The Nets have not had a lot of good production from their role players. Joe Harris has been out for over two months, but Patty Mills and LaMarcus Aldridge have done what they can to make this team competitive.
Brooklyn Nets at Golden State Warriors Free Pick
This is a bad matchup for Brooklyn. Golden State has the best defense in the NBA, and the Warriors will be able to shut down Harden and the Nets. They held the Nets to just 99 points in Brooklyn earlier this season with Durant and Harden on the floor, and their task will be even easier with Durant out.
Nets at Warriors Best Bet: Golden State Warriors
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