Philadelphia 76ers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (Saturday, 12am)
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The Philadelphia 76ers will head on the road to Iowa on Saturday to face the Minnesota Timberwolves at Wells Fargo Arena in the second of their six preseason games.
Both sides put in impressive performances in their pre-season openers, with the Timberwolves beating the Los Angeles Lakers 124-107, while the 76ers coasted to a 139-84 win over the National Basketball League's New Zealand Breakers.
We say: Timberwolves to win
Philadelphia's "big three" - Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George - will be a key feature this season, but only the latter two are expected to take the court on Saturday in Minneapolis, with Embiid reportedly not making the trip with the team.
For Minnesota, this match will likely mark the pre-season debut of Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, as neither player participated in the Timberwolves' preseason opener last Friday against the Lakers.
With Edwards and Randle back in action for Minnesota, Embiid sitting this match out for Philadelphia, and George and Maxey set to play only their first game together, we feel the Timberwolves will come out on top in this one.
Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors (Saturday, 12am)
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Just five days after facing off in their pre-season opener in Montreal, the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors are set to meet again this weekend, this time at the Capital One Arena in DC.
In front of a sellout crowd attending the 2024 NBA Canada Series last week, the Raptors delivered a commanding performance, leading from the first basket to the final buzzer to claim a 125-98 victory.
We say: Raptors to win
With all of Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, Ja'Kobe Walter and Bruce Brown sitting out the opening match for various reasons, rookie guard Jamal Shead quickly became a crowd favourite, finishing the night with 10 points on 4-6 shooting, along with four assists and three steals.
Washington followed up their first pre-season match with another defeat to the Knicks (117-94) in midweek, and aside from the performances of the number two pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Alex Sarr, there has been very little about the Wizards to get excited about so far.
With this being their first home game of the preseason, Brian Keefe's side is expected to put in a better showing, but we do not feel it will be enough to earn their first win.
Phoenix Suns vs. Detroit Pistons (Saturday, 3am)
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The third match on Saturday's jam-packed preseason schedule will see the Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns lock horns in a rematch at the Footprint Center in Arizona.
Detroit lost to this opponent at the Breslin Center on Wednesday night 105-97 to fall to 1-1 for the pre-season, while that victory was the Suns' second in the space of two days following a 118-114 win over the Lakers on Monday.
We say: Suns to win
The Pistons' overall execution lacked in 2023-24, resulting in just 14 wins all season, and that was the case again in last week's defeat, as they posted a 28% shooting percentage in the second quarter and 30% in the third, which saw the Suns go on an 18-0 run to take complete control.
Key to Phoenix's success in preseason has been the stellar play of Kevin Durant, who led the team with 21 points in the last match, and while both Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen are ruled out for this match, the trio of Bradley Beal, Devin Booker and KD should be able to power the Suns to another victory in this one.
Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings (Saturday, 3am)
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The penultimate match of the day will come to us from the Chase Center where the Golden State Warriors will be looking to follow up with another big performance against the Sacramento Kings.
Despite Klay Thompson's departure, there has been plenty of offseason discussion about Golden State aiming to become a greater threat from beyond the arc this season, and on Wednesday, that talk was backed up by action.
We say: Warriors to win
The Warriors attempted an incredible 52 three-pointers against the Kings in midweek, compared to just 30 shots from inside the arc, but they were not just tossing them up carelessly - most were quality attempts, as shown by their 53.8% success rate.
In the end, Steve Kerr's men ran out 10-point winners and also set a three-point record with 28 made, surpassing their regular season record of 27, which they have reached twice in the past.
Now at the Chase Center for the first time in pre-season, carrying a 2-0 record and solid momentum, we fancy the Warriors to keep their unbeaten record intact in this match.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Portland Trail Blazers (Saturday, 3:30am)
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The final curtain of Saturday's pre-season matches takes us to the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle where the LA Clippers are set to take on the Portland Trail Blazers.
Portland will begin their four-game exhibition schedule this weekend, while the Clippers have been a mixed bag over their first two matches, having lost their opener 91-90 to the Warriors before beating the Nets 115-106 on Wednesday.
We say: Clippers to win
A key focus of the Trail Blazers' training camp over the past two weeks has been increasing their speed of play, and Saturday's game will provide the first chance to assess the progress of that initiative.
For the Clippers, the off-season was something of a disaster, as they watched Paul George, the player they traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a handful of first-round picks for, leave in free agency to sign with the 76ers. Additionally, they lost Russell Westbrook to the Nuggets.
However, re-signing James Harden, who, despite a decline in scoring over recent years, remains one of the league's most dynamic playmakers, and his performance against the Nets was extremely impressive as he led the team with 14 points, along with four rebounds and a couple of assists.
With two games already under their belt, we are going for the Clippers to get the W in this one.
Devesh Jaganath
