20: Potential Playoff Preview in OKC tonight

By Michael De Leon | Apr 07, 2021, 4:33pm

Contents

Marquee Matchups

There are six games around the NBA tonight. Here are the ones you should be keeping your eyes on.

New York Knicks (20-45) at Atlanta Hawks (20-46)

As I said in the last Hawks game, while this features two teams with terrible records who do not have a postseason in their future, it gives NBA fans a chance to take a closer look at some of the young exciting NBA talent.
When they played each other last month, it was a high-scoring affair, and one Atlanta won 140-135 as Trae Young went off with a 48-point, 13 assist game.
While the Knicks have a better record, the Hawks have won nine of their last 12 home games and the Knicks are not very good on the road this season.

Utah Jazz (41-23) at Oklahoma City Thunder (40-24)

There is currently just one game separating the Jazz and Thunder in the Western Conference Standings. If the playoffs started today, they’d face off in the first round with the Jazz having the fourth seed.
The Thunder have been on a bit of a hot streak lately, winning eight of their last 10 games and their last three consecutive.
The Thunder got the better of the Jazz in their last matchup in December, winning 104-90 and Dennis Schroeder notched 27 points.

Denver Nuggets (43-21) at Dallas Mavericks (39-27)

This is another potential first-round matchup as the Nuggets currently sit in third place in the West and the Mavs are in 7th.
Dallas has lost their last two games, including their game last night against the San Antonio Spurs in the first game of a back-to-back.
The Mavericks have relied heavily on Luka Doncic the last few games, and even with 30+ point efforts, it has not been enough. They’ll need more out of their supporting cast against a tougher opponent in the Nuggets.

New Orleans Pelicans (28-36) at Sacramento Kings (28-36)

The Pelicans and Kings have identical records and are in a three-way tie with Portland for ninth place in the West. A win tonight gets either team within striking distance of Memphis for the eighth seed.
The Pelicans have won their last two games, while the Kings will be entering tonight’s matchup having lost their last game.
Lonzo Ball was a difference-maker in New Orleans’ last matchup in January against the Kings. He had 24 points and 10 assists in a 117-115 win.

Today’s Lineups

Top Predicted Performers

• Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

Trae is a flamethrower and against a weak defense in the Knicks, look for him to have a solid fantasy night. In two games against the Knicks this season, Young is averaging 45 points and has hit 50 percent of his threes.

• Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans

Zion is still relatively available on the cheap for just $7.3k on FanDuel. Grab him while you can at this rate. He has a projection of 36.4 points against the Kings.

Potential Duds

• Terry Rozier, Charlotte Hornets

Rozier has a tough matchup tonight. He has a 30.1 point projection for $6.1k. With Jimmy Butler on him, it could be a rough night.

Michael De Leon

Michael is Chief Editor at Lineups.com. He has decades of combined experience in traditional print journalism and online media and is the publisher of the Project Spurs Network, which includes 13 team-specific sports media sites and the flagship ProjectSpurs.com. He is also the creator of the first Spurs podcast and the longest-running sports podcast on the internet, the Spurscast, and was formerly the host of the News 4 San Antonio Sports Roundtable.