NBA Weekend Preview, Top Games, NBA Finals and MVP Odds

We are less than a month away from the NBA trade deadline and we could see a flurry of moves due to so many teams being in contention this year in both conferences. Ben Simmons is the most notable name that has been included in trade discussions this year as it looks like a certainty that he will be shipped out before the deadline.

Sixers President Daryl Morey has stood firm on his requests to get an impact player in any trade that involves Simmons and no teams to this point have given in to Morey’s demands. With the deadline nearing we should finally get a resolution as having a player of Simmons caliber sitting out for an entire season makes little sense for either party. Be sure to head over to our Betting Offers page to get a full list of promotions and sign-up bonuses if you want to get in on the NBA action this weekend.

Top Games this Weekend

Heat vs. Sixers

The Heat are one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NBA this year and are only one game back of the Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings. Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler give the Heat a nice balance of experience combined with a young roster that has nearly 10 players averaging close to double figures. The Heat made a run to the finals two years ago without Lowry and could make another run this year. The Sixers are 21-9 with Joel Embiid in the lineup this year and Embbid is a player to keep an eye on in the MVP race if he keeps up his current play.

Lakers vs. Nuggets

The Lakers and Nuggets came into the year with high expectations but have started off slow and look like they will be in contention for one of the play-in games if they don’t start playing better basketball. The Lakers have been without Anthony Davis the last several weeks and have been playing a little better without him than they did with him in the lineup. Lebron James is averaging close to 30 points a game but the Lakers still look like they are a few players away from being in a position to compete with the top teams in the West. Keep an eye on the Lakers at the deadline and don’t be shocked to see players like Russell Westbrook, Carmello Anthony, and even Anthony Davis up for discussion to get traded out of LA.

Check out Fanduel for the latest NBA odds:

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NBA Standings Update

East

The Bulls have been one of the big surprises out of the East

1. Bulls 27-13
2. Heat 27-15
3. Nets 26-15
4. Bucks 27-17
5. Sixers 24-17
6. Cavs 25-18

West

1. Suns 32-9
2. Warriors 31-11
3. Grizzlies 30-15
4. Jazz 28-14
5. Mavericks 23-19
6. Nuggets 21-9

The NBA is deeper than ever before this year especially in the East where only a couple of games separate the top seed from the 6th seed Cavs. I have a feeling we will see these six teams bouncing around in the standings down the stretch.

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NBA Finals Odds

• Get the Nets +260
• Warriors +460
• Bucks +700
• Suns +800
• Jazz +1200

The Nets and Warriors are still the favorites to win the title this year despite dropping some games over the last couple of weeks. The Bucks seem like a great value at +700 as they dominated the Warriors early in the week and present a tough matchup with a healthy Giannis for any team in the league.

MVP Odds

Keep an eye on Ja Morant in the MVP race

Former teammates Steph Curry and Kevin Durant are still the favorites to take home the MVP this year but keep an eye on players like Ja Morant, Joel Embiid, and even Lebron James. Curry and Durant have had injury issues in the past couple of years and are such big favorites that any slump they or their teams go through will give players that are on less talented teams a chance to boost their odds significantly in the back half of the season. Morant is one that I think can realistically win the award this year if he can lead the Grizzlies to one of the top 4 spots in the West and continues to play at the level he has been over the last month.

• Steph Curry +133
• Kevin Durant +220
• Giannis Antetokounmpo +750
• Nikola Jokic +1400
• Ja Morant +2500
• Lebron James +3000
• Joel Embiid +3000

If you need a refresher on all of the different types of betting lines that are available for NBA games head over to our Betting Tips page for a detailed breakdown.