NBA Wednesday Night: 5 Things To Look Out For In Tonight’s Games

There are ten exciting games going on across the league tonight for fans to enjoy throughout the evening. At 7:00pm the 6-6 Indiana Pacers will be on the road to face the 4-10 Orlando Magic. The 7-7 Miami Heat will be on the road to face the 8-7 Toronto Raptors. Later in the evening, the 2-12 Houston Rockets will be on the road to take on a 8-5 Dallas Mavericks team. 

The Eastern Conference has some big time matchups happening tonight, including the top four teams all playing each other. At 7:30pm, the number one seed Boston Celtics will take on the three seeded Atlanta Hawks. This games will be nationally televised on ESPN. Milwaukee has the two seed in the Eastern Conference and the Bucks will be facing the Cleveland Cavaliers who round out the top four. These powerhouse teams in the East have been beating up on each other early one.

NBA betting sites have the Celtics and Bucks at (+550) to win the Finals this season.

Peep the updated NBA standings after tonight's action!

📲 https://t.co/6FlAliik3X pic.twitter.com/bi3I7ohBMJ

— NBA (@NBA) November 16, 2022

5 things to look out for in tonight’s games

1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs Washington Wizards 

The Oklahoma City Thunder come into tonight’s game with a 6-8 record, which is fourth in the Northwest Division. It’s been a tough stretch of games as the team has lost five of their last seven. Tre Mann (back) and Darius Bazley (ankle) are both ruled out for tonight’s game. OKC has an extremely young team and are still learning how to play as a team. Through the good and the bad, they still have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who leads the team in points, assists, and steals per game this season. He’s lead his team in scoring in 12 of their first 14 games.

Taking on the Thunder tonight are the Washington Wizards who have been trending upwards as of late. They’ve won five of their last seven games to be second in the Southeast Conference behind the Atlanta Hawks. Brady Beal has only played nine games this season as he deals with an injury. Kristaps Porzingis is leading the team is points, rebounds, and blocks per game. Washington will host the Thunder tonight at 7:00pm.

2. Boston Celtics vs Atlanta Hawks 

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics are the number one seed in the East right now and have an 11-3 record. The team has won seven games in a row and are firing on all cylinders. Tatum seems to get better each season and is having another dominant year for Boston. He averages (31.9) points, (7.4) rebounds, and (1.4) blocks per game. Additionally, reigning DPOY Marcus Smart leads the team in assists (7.1) and steals (1.1) per game this season. Boston has not let the outside noise get to them and they look ready for the playoffs right now.

Hosting the Celtics tonight are the Atlanta Hawks who are 9-5 and are the third seed in the East. They are also first in the Southeast Division. The Hawks have won five of their last seven games including two tough wins against the Milwaukee Bucks who only have three losses on the season. Trae Young and Dejounte Murray have been an outstanding one-two punch for Atlanta this season. They will have a tall task at hand trying to beat the Celtics tonight, but they’ve already shown some impressive wins this season.

ATL bound 😏 pic.twitter.com/lCuSY1mDmy

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 15, 2022

3. Cleveland Cavaliers vs Milwaukee Bucks

The Cleveland Cavaliers started the season with an 8-1 record and have lost four in a row since then. In their last game, Darius Garland has 51 points and 6 assists which lead the team, but they lost 129-124 to Minnesota. Tonight, they have a matchup with a top two team in the Eastern Conference. Donovan Mitchell was a great offseason addition to the Cavs as he leads the team in points, assists, and steals per game. Mitchell is a game-time decision to play tonight and center Jarrett Allen (ankle) will not suit up for the game.

Milwaukee comes into tonight’s game with a 10-3 record and have lost three of their last four games. Two of those losses came in weeks span and were to the Atlanta Hawks. The Bucks started the season 9-1 and will try and get back on track tonight vs Cleveland. Jrue Holiday (ankle) is questionable, Pat Connaughton (calf) is questionable, and Grayson Allen (ankle) is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the team in points (31.3) and rebounds (11.8) per game.

4. New York Knicks vs Denver Nuggets 

The New York Knicks are 4-3 in their last seven games and are third in the Atlantic Division. Last night they team fought back in the second half to beat the Utah Jazz on the road, 118-111. New York has 39 bench points in yesterday’s game and only played a nine man rotation. Their offense in carried by three separate players. Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, and RJ Barrett all average at least (18.9) points per game or better. It will be a tough game for the Knicks tonight in a back-to-back vs the Nuggets.

Denver has won five of their last six games and are second place in the Northwest Division. The Nuggets have a huge advantage over the Knicks tonight in terms of being fresh for tonight’s game. This will be the second of a five game road trip for the Knicks. Denver hasn’t played since Sunday and will be well rested for their matchup with New York tonight. Nikola Jokic and Bones Hyland are listed as out because of  (health and safety protocols). Ish Smith (calf) and Aaron Gordon (illness) is listed as questionable to play.

Gameday Info ℹ️#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/87Hr0JqzjW

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) November 16, 2022

5. Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns

The Golden State Warriors have had a average start to the season after winning the NBA Finals last season. They are 6-8 this season and have lost five games in a row during a stretch, but are 3-1 in their last four games. Steph Curry is having another impressive season for the Warriors and his name will always been in the MVP conversation. Curry is averaging (31.5) points, (6.6) rebounds, and (6.4) assists per game. This is the highest rebounding average that Curry has had in his career.

Taking on the Warriors tonight are the Phoenix Suns who come into the game with a 8-5 record. They are first place in the Pacific Division. After starting 8-1 the Suns have lost four of their last six games. Chris Paul (heel) is questionable for tonight’s game and Landry Shamet (concussion) is out for this game.