Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics (Wednesday, 12am)
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Kicking off Wednesday's NBA preseason action, we will see the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics go toe-to-toe for the second time this week, though this time they meet at Scotiabank Arena.
These two faced off on Monday morning when the Celts claimed a 115-111 victory, which took their preseason record to 4-0, while that result marked the Raptors' second defeat in three matches so far.
We say: Celtics to win by 7+ points
Despite resting their starters, five Boston players scored in double digits in the victory at TD Garden, including Drew Peterson (23), Lonnie Walker IV (20), Payton Pritchard (19), Jordan Walsh (16) and Neemias Queta (12).
Having now suffered back-to-back defeats in the preseason, the cracks are starting to appear for the Raptors, who despite facing arguably a third-string Celts, still found themselves down 69-37 at halftime and with a mountain to climb in the second period.
While the Raps cut the gap to four points by the final buzzer, losing to a side that were without seven of their eight top players does not inspire much confidence in their chances in this one.
New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Hornets (Wednesday, 12:30am)
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The New York Knicks and the Charlotte Hornets intensify preparations for the 2024-25 NBA campaign when they go head-to-head at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
This will be the second meeting between the two sides in pre-season, with Miles McBride dropping 22 points to inspire the Knicks to a 111-109 victory when they squared off in the first exhibition game on October 6.
We say: Knicks to win by 5+ points
With Ball set to return to action here, we expect an improved Charlotte Hornets side to pose a sterner challenge than they did when they suffered defeat against the Knicks a fortnight ago.
However, Thibodeau's men have already hit their stride, notching three wins from three to start pre-season, and we fancy them to edge out the Hornets at the Madison Square Garden.
Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs (Wednesday, 12:30am)
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The third match in the early hours of Wednesday morning comes to us from the Kaseya Center in Florida where the Miami Heat will be taking on the San Antonio Spurs in their third preseason fixture.
The Heat lost to the Hornets in their opening match of the preseason before beating the Pelicans on Monday, while the Spurs bounced back from a loss to the Thunder to beat Orlando and Utah in their last two matches.
We say: Heat to win by 2+ points
Miami have been a bit of a mixed bag in the preseason, but they were able to send out their preferred starting lineup of Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic and Bam Adebayo last time out, which will be a seen as a major positive having been unable to do so last season due to injury issues.
The Spurs moved to 2-1 with a win over the Jazz on Monday and did so without the services of Victor Wembanyama, who has only featured once in preseason, scoring 11 points in the win over Orlando last week.
While San Antonio have certainly looked like a better side this year, preseason matches can be deceiving, and this one will represent their toughest challenge since it is their first on the road.
With Wembanyama likely to return we expect the Spurs to put on another good performance but feel that the Heat will edge them to a slender victory.
Houston Rockets vs. New Orleans Pelicans (Wednesday, 1am)
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The Houston Rockets will be playing their first home game of the NBA preseason on Wednesday morning when they welcome the New Orleans Pelicans to the Toyota Center.
Houston have won one and lost one of their two matches on the road so far, while the Pelicans took down the Magic in Louisiana last week before falling to the Heat in Miami on Sunday.
We say: Pelicans to win by 3+ points
After a 19-game improvement in Ime Udoka's first season, and with a roster largely unchanged from last year, the Rockets look like a side ready to mount a serious challenge for a playoff spot this season.
As for the Pels, all indicators suggest that their season will depend on how far Zion Williamson can take them, and the early signs show that he is ready to embrace the expectation after putting up 13 points on 50% shooting from the field in just 17 minutes of the first half against the Heat.
With this being the exhibition finale for New Orleans, we are expecting them to deliver a big performance before commencing preparation for their regular season opener against the Bulls on October 24.
Utah Jazz vs. Sacramento Kings (Wednesday, 2am)
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The Utah Jazz will be looking to bounce back from their Monday night loss on the road when they return to the Delta Center to face a stuttering Sacramento Kings.
Utah were denied a third consecutive NBA preseason victory by the Spurs on Monday night, while the Kings have lost all three of their warm-up matches to date.
We say: Jazz to win by 4+ points
After notching up back-to-back wins in their first two games of the preseason, the Jazz delivered a fairly sloppy performance against the Spurs on Sunday, committing a shocking 22 turnovers which contributed to 24 of San Antonio's points on the night, and ultimately led to their defeat.
However, the Kings have arguably been one of the most disappointing teams during the preseason, and their crushing 105-85 loss to the Trail Blazers saw them manhandled and bullied into 27 turnovers that led to 33 points, which was almost a third of their own scoring.
While the Kings undoubtedly have the better side on paper, you simply cannot back them with any confidence at this moment, so we are giving this result to the hosts in this one.
Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (Wednesday, 2am)
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The Denver Nuggets will be hoping to pick up their first win of the NBA preseason when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Ball Arena on Wednesday morning.
Denver lost their two Abu Dhabi games to the Celtics at the start of preseason and fell to the Suns on Monday morning, while the Thunder have split their two preseason games so far.
We say: Thunder to win by 3+ points
The Nuggets have not found top gear as yet this season, and are coming into this match off zero days rest, while OKC last played on Thursday and have had time to refine their tactics.
With a few new faces in the squad, there are a few growing concerns around the Nuggets' preseason performances which may take some time for them to address, so we are going for the Thunder to edge the result in this one.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors (Wednesday, 3am)
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In the first of two pre-season encounters between the sides three days apart, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors will go head-to-head at the T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday.
Both teams came out on top against Eastern Conference opponents last time out as the Lakers edged a close game against the Milwaukee Bucks, while the Warriors emphatically got the better of the Detroit Pistons.
We say: Warriors to win by 7+ points
The Warriors are in scintillating form at the moment, and their ability to knock down shots all around the team will pose a stern test to the Lakers.
We can see Steve Kerr's men going on another rampage from beyond the arc to claim a fifth victory on the bounce.
Devesh Jaganath
