The Memphis Grizzlies are standing under the tough-luck cloud at the moment, having lost three straight games inside the final five seconds. And things got even darker on Tuesday as the team announced that Jaren Jackson Jr. has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left ankle sprain with no clear timetable for his return.
The Grizzlies say Jackson, who was injured during the first quarter of the loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, is considered “week-to-week” and that “further updates will be provided as appropriate.”
Jackson, who was just selected to his second All-Star team, is having an outstanding season. With Victor Wembanyama out for the season, Jackson Jr. is a top candidate for Defensive Player of the Year (provided he meets the NBA’s 65-game requirement to be eligible), and he has been doing work on the offensive end as well.
Jackson leads the Grizzlies in points (career-high 22.7), steals (1.3) and blocks (1.6) per game. He’s been Memphis’ best player as Ja Morant has had a relatively down season, and this is a bad time to be losing your best player with less than six weeks to play and the Grizzlies fighting to stay in the West’s top four seeds. Memphis, 38-23, trails the No. 3 seed Denver Nuggets by one game and leads the No. 5 seed Houston Rockets by one game.
A week ago things looked better before the Grizzlies lost those aforementioned threes games in the final seconds. First it was the New York Knicks’ OG Anunoby burying the game-winning 3-pointer with five seconds left. Then De’Aaron Fox hit a jumper with two seconds left to lift the San Antonio Spurs. Caris LeVert finished a Euro-step layup at the buzzer off a Dyson Daniels steal for the Hawks to conclude the trio of buzzer bummers for Memphis.
Let’s hope Jackson Jr. can get back in relatively short order, and that the Grizzlies can hold the fort down until then.
It’s safe to assume that Jackson Jr. will be out at least a week, meaning he’ll miss games vs. Oklahoma City, Dallas and New Orleans. Following that, the Grizzlies play Phoenix, Utah and Cleveland.
The Los Angeles Clippers hit the road looking to snap a two-game losing streak when they take on the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday at the Footprint Center. Los Angeles is 32-28 overall and 13-18 on the road, while Phoenix is 28-33 overall and 17-13 at home. The Clippers lost back-to-back games to the Los Angeles Lakers, with the most recent being a 108-102 loss on Sunday. The Suns are also looking to bounce back from a 116-98 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 2. Norman Powell (hamstring), Ben Simmons (knee) and Derrick Jones Jr. (groin) are out for Los Angeles, while Bradley Beal (calf) is questionable for Phoenix.
Tipoff in Phoenix is at 10 p.m. ET. The Suns have won each of the last four meetings between the teams, including all three matchups this season. The Clippers are favored by 3 points in the latest Clippers vs. Suns odds via SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 223 points. Before locking in any Suns vs. Clippers picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer simulation model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 20 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-107 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 18-10 (64%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Suns vs. Clippers and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:
Suns vs. Clippers spread: Clippers -3 Suns vs. Clippers over/under: 223 points Suns vs. Clippers money line: Los Angeles -151, Phoenix +126 Suns vs. Clippers picks: See picks at SportsLine Suns vs. Clippers streaming: FuboTV (Try for free) Why the Suns can cover The Suns have had a disappointing season, but they are still one of the most explosive offensive teams in the NBA. The Suns average 113.8 points and 14.2 3-pointers per game this season. Phoenix is also 3-0 against the Clippers this season.
Veteran Kevin Durant continues to produce at a high-level for the Suns. The 15-time NBA All-Star is averaging a team-high 26.7 points per game this season, to go with 6.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Devin Booker continues to be one of the top shooters in the NBA and enters this matchup averaging 26.0 points, 6.9 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game. See which team to pick here.
Why the Clippers can cover The Clippers are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture and currently trail the Golden State Warriors by 0.5 game in the race to avoid the Play-In games. The Clippers hold the No. 7 seed in the West entering this matchup. Los Angeles has also performed well against the number this year, going 31-28-1 ATS thus far.
The Clippers will be without leading scorer Norman Powell, but still have plenty of firepower. Veterans James Harden (21.6 points, 8.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds per game) and Kawhi Leonard (17.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game) continue to produce at a high level. Center Ivica Zubac is averaging a double-double at 15.4 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. See which team to pick here.
How to make Clippers vs. Suns picks The model has simulated Suns vs. Clippers 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over on the point total, projecting 227 combined points. It’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Clippers vs. Suns, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Suns vs. Clippers spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
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We’ve got another exciting Western Conference matchup on the NBA schedule as the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans are set to tip at 10:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles is 38-21 overall and 23-7 at home, while New Orleans is 17-44 overall and 6-25 on the road. Both teams will enter tonight’s matchup full of confidence. The Pelicans are 4-1 in their last five games, while the Lakers have won six straight.
The Lakers are favored by 8.5 points in the latest Pelicans vs. Lakers odds via SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 229 points. Los Angeles’ over/under for total team points is 118.5, while New Orleans’ is 109.5. Before entering any Lakers vs. Pelicans picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 20 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-107 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It’s also an outstanding 18-10 (64%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on New Orleans vs. Los Angeles. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:
Lakers vs. Pelicans spread: Lakers -8.5 Lakers vs. Pelicans over/under: 229 points Lakers vs. Pelicans money line: Lakers: -356, Pelicans: +282 Lakers vs. Pelicans picks: See picks here Lakers vs. Pelicans streaming: FuboTV (Try for free) Why the Lakers can cover The Lakers extended their winning streak to six games with a 108-102 victory over the Clippers on Sunday. The Lakers’ success was spearheaded by the efforts of Luka Doncic, who almost dropped a double-double with 29 points and nine assists, and Dalton Knecht, who went 7-for-10 from the field to finish with 19 points.
LeBron James also had a productive performance in the win, racking up 17 points, nine assists, five rebounds, two steals and one block. James enters tonight’s matchup averaging 24.8 points, 8.6 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game. The Lakers are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games and 4-1 ATS in their past five games played in March. See which team to pick here.
Why the Pelicans can cover The Pelicans walked away with a 128-121 win over the Jazz on Sunday. The victory continues a positive trend for New Orleans in their matchups with Utah as the Pelicans have now won five in a row. The Pelicans’ win came from a few key players the Lakers will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kelly Olynyk, who almost dropped a double-double with 26 points and nine boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Zion Williamson, who finished with 24 points and nine assists.
The Pelicans have now won five of their last seven meetings against an opponent from the Western Conference. Offensively, the Pelicans are scoring 111.0 points per game on average. See which team to pick here.
How to make Lakers vs. Pelicans picks The model has simulated Lakers vs. Pelicans 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
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The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas on Tuesday to win the NBA Cup, but for Milwaukee, the victory symbolized something far more meaningful than $500,000 per player. It was the ultimate signifier that Giannis Antetokounmpo is in Milwaukee to stay, because the Bucks are a winning team and can contend.
Whether or not Milwaukee has any chance against the Boston Celtics is another matter entirely, but the point is, the Bucks franchise has moved well beyond the scary phase it was in to start the year, when things looked so bad that Giannis trade rumors were everywhere.
For weeks, there was significant buzz that the title-hungry Antetokounmpo might request out, possibly to the Golden State Warriors.
All of the sudden, Golden State’s plan to eventually bring in Giannis was falling into their lap. The Warriors had dreamed of acquiring Giannis since parting ways with KD, assuming that a Curry-Giannis pairing would be the next phase of the dynasty.
It never seemed plausible, and then suddenly it was during a short window of time earlier this season.
Now, the window has closed. The next time Giannis will be available to anyone not named the Bucks will be the summer of 2027 at the very earliest. Antetokounmpo has a player option for the 2027-28 season.
By then, Curry will be 39 years old.
Could a Giannis-Curry pairing have been one of the most dominant duos in the history of the NBA. We’ll never know.
Now that the Milwaukee Bucks have fully recovered (as evident by their NBA Cup victory), Giannis will surely remain wearing a Bucks uniform until 2027, when he’ll be faced with a player option for 2027-28.
LeBron James will be 42 years old at that point and probably retired, meaning the Lakers will be desperate to build around a new franchise player.
Yes, Anthony Davis will still be around, but he’ll also have a player option to decide about in 2027.
It’s not difficult to imagine Giannis going in a new direction by then if he still hasn’t won a second title with the Bucks (Damian Lillard will be 36 at that point, by the way).
Even if AD were to opt into the final year of his deal, the Lakers could ostensibly sign Giannis to a massive new deal of his own and have AD-Antetokounmpo be their dominant duo.
Giannis would be attracted to playing in a big market after years in Milwaukee. He’d probably consider joining the Golden State Warriors, but their championship window with Stephen Curry will have passed by then.
The New York Knicks aren’t a plausible destination, either, as they are tied to Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby money through 2028-29 (Karl-Anthony Towns has a player option in 2027-28, like Giannis and AD).
LeBron’s retirement will leave a gaping void, and Giannis would be one of the few players who could even attempt to fill that void in Hollywood.
Among the potential options they could look into, Bleacher Report floated Sacramento Kings shooting guard Keon Ellis as a top trade target for them.
Ellis has risen through the ranks through his time with the Kings. This season, he’s shooting 40.7% from three, which has been the norm since he entered the NBA.
With Jared McCain out indefinitely, Ellis would be a good fit for the Sixers. He would provide the much-needed shooting they lost during the offseason.
The Kings likely won’t trade Ellis straight-up to the Sixers Sacramento is in a similar spot as Philadelphia. Although the Kings haven’t started as badly as the Sixers, at 13-14, they haven’t started as well as they would have liked.
It’d be hard to envision them trading Ellis unless they are getting an upgrade for him. It’s hard to see the Sixers trading someone who the Kings would see as an upgrade that is paid along the same money as Ellis.
Now, this scenario would be interesting if the Kings decided to trade Ellis as part of a separate mega deal to a team that would be of little use to him. That would open up the opportunity for a trade.
However, for this to come to fruition would take many moving parts.
The Nuggets clearly need some sort of roster shakeup. They’ve recently experimented with plugging Russell Westbrook into the starting lineup, but more drastic changes are required.
New reports indicate that Denver is at the point where they’re willing to take a risk on a two-time All-Star guard that everyone has steered clear of on the trade market over the last year-plus.
Forbes Sports’ Evan Sidery reported late on Tuesday evening that the Nuggets might be bringing aboard Chicago Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine.
“The Nuggets are showing significant trade interest in Zach LaVine,” Sidery said.
“Denver would likely send Michael Porter Jr. and Zeke Nnaji to make salaries work with the Bulls.”
“A potential early blockbuster forming in NBA trade season.”
Such a trade would be a huge turning point in the Nuggets’ recent history as a franchise. Mere months ago, Denver viewed Porter Jr. as one of their franchise cornerstones. After selecting Porter Jr. in the lottery of the 2018 draft, the Nuggets won a title with Porter Jr. playing a key role and they gave him a massive new deal.
Now it looks like they are ready to move on from Porter Jr.
LaVine’s $138 million owed over this season and two more seasons is difficult to swallow, but Denver might feel that he’s the guy that Michael Porter Jr. isn’t — a reliable third scoring option behind Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray to solidify the Nuggets’ offensive excellence.
And with the way LaVine has looked recently, the Nuggets might be onto something.
Jokić, Murray, LaVine, and Aaron Gordon is an impressive core, with great depth surrounding it comprised of Westbrook, Christian Braun, and rising assets Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther.
Add in an upgrade to DeAndre Jordan at backup center, and there’s no reason the Nuggets can’t get back to the NBA Finals this year.
“The Golden State Warriors are reportedly active in trade discussions as they look to maximize their chances of contending for a championship during All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry’s prime,” Newsweek’s Ricardo Klein wrote Sunday.
“Recent reports suggest a potential trade with the Brooklyn Nets to acquire guard Dennis Schröder and a second-round draft pick in exchange for De’Anthony Melton and three second-round picks.”
“However, a more ambitious trade scenario could completely reshape the Warriors’ title aspirations: a blockbuster deal to bring Phoenix Suns All-NBA power forward Kevin Durant back to the Bay Area.”
“This hypothetical trade would reunite Durant with Curry, forming a duo that once led Golden State to two consecutive NBA titles in the late 2010s.”
“Despite being several years removed from their dominant run, both players remain among the league’s elite.”
“Durant, despite dealing with injuries this season, has been as productive as ever when on the court, averaging 26.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game.”
“He is also shooting 53 percent from the field and a blistering 44 percent from three in 14 appearances.”
“For the Warriors, Durant’s addition would provide an undeniable upgrade to their roster. Pairing him with Curry—alongside key contributors such as Draymond Green—would instantly make Golden State a frontrunner in the Western Conference.”
“While the proposed trade would require the Warriors to part with valuable assets, this scenario keeps players like Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis in the fold, ensuring they retain depth and flexibility.”
The Warriors were virtually unbeatable when Durant was a member of the organization.
The slender, 6-foot-11 offensive mastermind, who has a knack for adjusting on the fly, guided the Warriors to two championships during his three-year stint with the franchise.
If the Texas product had avoided a devastating Achilles injury during the 2019 postseason, there’s a good chance the Warriors would have secured three consecutive NBA titles.
While it’s been a few years since Durant has played alongside Curry and Green, it’s reasonable to assume the trio would have minimal issues rekindling the chemistry that set them apart from other organizations.
However, with the Suns expecting to compete for a championship, Durant will likely stay put this season.
The Nuggets are seeing if they can’t pry coveted wing Cam Johnson away from the Nets for Porter Jr., along with another of Brooklyn’s wings to make the money match Porter’s big contract.
“The Nuggets and Nets have held exploratory talks around a potential trade featuring Michael Porter Jr. for Cam Johnson,” Sidery said.
“Denver would also be trying to acquire another wing on Brooklyn’s roster in the same deal: Dorian Finney-Smith or Bojan Bogdanovic.”
Johnson is being sought after by the Golden State Warriors, among other Western Conference contenders, so if the Nuggets were able to sneak in and snag Johnson, it would be a double-win.
Finney-Smith has been mentioned as a favorite target of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Both the Lakers and Warriors are looking on and hoping with all their might that this Nuggets-Nets deal doesn’t go anywhere.
Porter Jr. is owed approximately $116 million over the next three seasons (including the current season), which represents around 25 percent of the league cap per year.
Unless the Nets think Porter Jr. is better than virtually everyone else thinks he is, this deal is unlikely to get done.
