The Toronto Raptors are fresh off one of their best performances of the season, a 145-127 win against the Golden State Warriors – despite being down four rotation players – in which Immanuel Quickley dropped a career-high 40 points and 10 assists.

Now, they’ll be shorthanded and on short rest as they take on the Sacramento Kings, who are 14th in the Western Conference and, like the Raptors, on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Kings, led by a 2018 All-Star team of Zach LaVine, Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, had shown some signs of life earlier in January despite an injury to Domantas Sabonis, winning four consecutive games – the first three of which came against the Rockets, Lakers and Knicks. But the 12-32 Kings have come back down to earth with consecutive losses.

The game is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on TSN.

Here are some storylines to follow.

A new start(ing lineup)

Thanks to a flurry of injuries, and aided by the team’s deep roster, head coach Darko Rajakovic has started a different five-man lineup in eight consecutive games. Last night’s new unit included Gradey Dick, who was making his first start of the season. Unlike the Warriors, Sacramento has a fair bit of size; All-Star center Sabonis is back, though he’s played on a minutes restriction off the bench since returning. 7-foot-1 rookie Maxime Raynaud has started in his place. The Raptors went super small against Golden State, starting Quickley, Jamal Shead and Dick together, alongside Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes. They may opt for a bigger lineup tonight – but with Jakob Poeltl still out, and Collin Murray-Boyles likely out with his thumb injury, it’s slim pickings.

Former Raptor report

The Sacramento Kings are bad in many respects. But there’s one advanced statistic according to which they are a top team in the NBA: Rate of Any Player That were Openly Raptors (RAPTOR). The main driver of their high RAPTOR rating is DeMar DeRozan, the 36-year-old who is Toronto’s all-time leading scorer and co-built the We the North era with Kyle Lowry. DeRozan’s numbers are down a bit this year, though his efficiency is up: He’s average 19 points, 3.3 rebounds and four assists on 50.8% shooting and a 35.9% clip from three. Meanwhile, former Raptor Precious Achiuwa has been starting for the Kings, and is averaging 7.6 points and 5.5 boards, while Dennis Schröder is averaging 12.7 points and 5.6 assists off the bench. The Raptors’ “Former Kings report” includes Garrett Temple, who played in Sacramento on a 10-day contract in 2010.

Worth a shot?

Thanks to some paltry shooting efforts, the Raptors have found themselves stymied by zone defenses as of late, leading to somewhat of a roster construction crisis (though things would certainly look a bit different with Walter and Barrett healthy). That crisis seemed like a distant memory last night, when the Raptors shot 21/34 from behind the arc. Will their shooting juice continue on the second night of a back-to-back? Will tired legs prevail? And, importantly, will Kings coach Doug Christie dare the Raptors to find out by running a zone defense?

The New York Knicks will try to break out of their four-game slide tonight as they host the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden.

New York may well finally get a win tonight, but my Nets vs. Knicks predictions and NBA picks still like Brooklyn to cover the spread.

Nets vs Knicks prediction

Nets vs Knicks best bet: Nets +11.5 (-110)

The New York Knicks are currently in freefall, having lost four straight and nine of their last 11. Despite comments made earlier this month by owner James Dolan, this has looked more like a team that has to fight to stay out of the play-in tournament than one that’s on its way to the NBA Finals.

Coming off an embarrassing loss to the Dallas Mavericks in which they trailed by as many as 30 points, the Knicks have one of their best chances to snap out of their funk against the 12-29 Nets. New York has beaten the Brooklyn Nets in each of their last 12 meetings, and the Nets have lost seven of their last eight.

But even if the Knicks can manage to get back in the win column tonight, covering a large spread may be another story.

New York hasn’t covered as a double-digit favorite since December 5, and the Knicks have managed to lose outright in their last two games as a 10+ point favorite. 

It’s hard to blow teams out when you’re playing as poorly on the defensive end as the Knicks, who are giving up 114.9 ppg on the year. With this many points on the board, I’m taking the Nets to cover.

Nets vs Knicks same-game parlay

The Knicks have also been struggling on the offensive end, scoring 101 points or less in three of their last four games. Combined with Brooklyn’s own offensive struggles, the Under looks like a good play tonight.

Still, I’ll take center Nic Claxton to hit his personal Over at 10.5 points, as he is averaging 12.8 ppg and has hit this total in each of his last two games.

Nets vs Knicks SGP

• Nets +11.5
• Under 220.5
• Nic Claxton Over 10.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Eager about Egor

The Knicks are allowing opponents to shoot 37.5% from 3-point range, and Egor Demin has hit at least three shots from deep in five of his last seven games.

Nets vs Knicks SGP

• Nets +11.5
• Under 220.5
• Nic Claxton Over 10.5 points
• Egor Demin Over 2.5 threes

Nets vs Knicks odds

• Spread: Nets +11.5 | Knicks -11.5
• Moneyline: Nets +460 | Knicks -620
• Over/Under: Over 220.5 | Under 220.5

Nets vs Knicks betting trend to know

The Knicks are 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Knicks.

How to watch Nets vs Knicks

Nets vs Knicks latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Three years and nearly 1,700 minutes of professional basketball since playing his last game for the Alabama men’s basketball team, Charles Bediako will once be a part of the Crimson Tide program — not as a coach, a graduate assistant or a student manager, but as a player.

Bediako, a 6-foot-11 center who played at Alabama from 2021-23 before moving on to the G League, has been granted a temporary restraining order by a Tuscaloosa County (Alabama) Circuit Court judge that makes him immediately eligible to compete for the Crimson Tide.

The order will remain in effect for 10 days or until a hearing takes place. A hearing on the preliminary injunction is currently scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 27.

REQUIRED READING: Football season is over. Here's what you missed so far in college basketball

The decision, which was first reported by AL.com, comes one day after Bediako filed a request to Tuscaloosa Circuit Court for a temporary restraining order and/or preliminary injunction.

Bediako has already enrolled at Alabama and could return to action for the Crimson Tide as soon as Saturday, Jan. 24, when it hosts Tennessee. He is not listed on the team's official roster.

"The University of Alabama supports Charles and his ongoing efforts to be reinstated for competition while he works to complete his degree," the school said in a statement released on Wednesday.

Coach Nate Oats’ team is 13-5 this season and ranked No. 17 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

The NCAA had previously denied Bediako's request for additional eligibility and expressed disappointment with the judge's ruling in a statement Wednesday.

"These attempts to sidestep NCAA rules and recruit individuals who have finished their time in college or signed NBA contracts are taking away opportunities from high school students," the statement read. "A judge ordering the NCAA let a former NBA player take the court Saturday against actual college student-athletes is exactly why Congress must step in and empower college sports to enforce our eligibility rules."

As a sophomore in 2022-23, the Brampton, Ontario native averaged 6.4 points, six rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game for an Alabama team that earned the No. 1 overall seed to the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where it lost to eventual national runner-up San Diego State in the Sweet 16. That season, Bediako was named to the SEC all-defensive team.

Following the season, he declared for the NBA Draft, but was not selected. He instead joined the San Antonio Spurs on a two-way deal and over the next three seasons played in 82 games in the G League for three different teams. He has averaged 4.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in 16 games this season for the Motor City Cruise, the Detroit Pistons’ G League affiliate. He played for the Cruise as recently as Jan. 17, when he had four points and three rebounds in a 127-103 win against the Birmingham Squadron.

To this point, he has never played in an NBA game.

He becomes the latest G League player to join the college ranks, a group that also includes London Johnson at Louisville, Thierry Darlan at Santa Clara and Abdullah Ahmed at BYU. The trend that has drawn public criticism from coaches across the sport, most notably Michigan State’s Tom Izzo.

REQUIRED READING: College basketball's biggest surprises, disappointments so far this season

Charles Bediako stats

Since leaving Alabama, Bediako appeared in 82 G League games across three seasons with the Austin Spurs, Grand Rapids Gold and Motor City Cruise.

Here’s a look at his stats from his professional career:

• 2023-24 (Austin): 5.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 14.6 minutes per game
• 2024-25 (Grand Rapids): 9.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game
• 2025-26 (Motor City): 4.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 15.1 minutes per game

Charles Bediako college stats

In two seasons at Alabama, from 2021-23, Bediako averaged 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 19.4 minutes per game while shooting 67.3% from the field and 48.8% from the free-throw line.

Charles Bediako age

Born on March 10, 2002, Bediako is 23 years old.

Charles Bediako draft

After his sophomore season, Bediako entered the 2023 NBA Draft, but was not picked. He signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs and joined their G League affiliate in Austin, Texas.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alabama's Charles Bediako granted temporary restraining order, immediately eligible

It burns a little, this one. Yeah. To blow that lead. Against this opponent, in their building. It burns. No two ways about it. I’d love to breeze through this and move on to the next, but goodness. We’re probably going to have to sit with it for a minute. Because that was about as bad as it gets.

At some point, you can’t keep waving this stuff away. We’re far enough into the season now that a team’s identity starts to take shape, and the uncomfortable truth with this group is that inconsistency is still the defining trait. It’s not a simple problem, and there are plenty of reasons to stay encouraged. But it’s hard to ignore how often effort, focus, and execution fail to show up together for long stretches.

The Spurs have now lost twelve games this season in which they held a double digit lead. Twelve. That’s 80% of their losses (including the NBA Cup Finals that doesn’t actually count). I know the modern NBA has warped our sense of what actually constitutes a “safe lead,” and that a ten-point cushion can disappear in the blink of an eye, but twelve losses like that starts to feel endemic of a bigger problem. It feels like a team that lacks discipline. One that relies on raw talent to bludgeon its way through games instead of smart players executing a plan to efficiently put opponents away. It’s not sustainable. It might allow them to stumble their way through to a perfectly fine regular season and a fun playoff berth for the first time in a while, but it’s a recipe for a quick and likely embarrassing exit.

I think that’s why it scares me.

(Well, scared is the wrong word. The Spurs are fine. They’re ahead of schedule by almost every metric, and I don’t want to minimize that. We’re all having a blast watching this team exceed expectations and punch above their weight. It’s fun. We’re having fun, I swear. We shouldn’t lose sight of that. Anyway, back to losing sight of it.)

I’m scared of what’s going to happen to this team in the playoffs. We can all feel that coming, right? The Spurs will likely continue to have their ups and downs, but as the season draws to a close and the cream rises to the top, the schedule will be full of way more games like the one Monday night against the Jazz. They’ll play hard against inferior opponents, stumble over their feet, and ultimately pull out more wins than losses. We’ll have fun. We’ll watch the boys bang that silly drum in the middle of the court, and we’ll cheer and dream about what’s to come.

They’ll be a high seed, probably two, three, or four. There will be expectations. Words like “dark horse” and “contender” are going to get thrown around. The noise is going to get loud and the lights are going to get bright. That first round is going to be here before we know it, and it’s going to be a team like Houston or Minnesota or maybe even Denver with a fresh and rested Nikola Jokic. It’s going to be a team that’s hungry. One that’s been living in the playoffs recently and knows exactly what those battles feel like and what they require. They’re going to see a team like the Spurs swanning into the playoffs riding a wave of goodwill after their first decent season in forever, and they are going to be ready to hunt.

The little things the Spurs keep getting wrong in these games, the inefficient scoring from their star players, the three point volatility, and the deer in the headlights fourth quarters are all going to get exposed on the biggest stages. The tendency they have to get physically pushed around is going to be a problem. That thing where they just stop trying to secure defensive rebounds for long stretches? That’s going to rear its head every single night. This team is not going to be able to press the “talent” button and just hope it works out.

I’m not saying this is a problem that can’t be fixed. It can. That’s actually the whole point. This roster is young, the core is absurdly talented, and there’s still time for some of these hard lessons to turn into habits. But what I am saying is that it’s a problem that needs to be fixed soon. Because inconsistency has been the defining trait of this season so far, and it’s a label that’s about to become permanent.

This loss is whatever. It stings, and it’s a bummer, but we’ll get over it. The loss isn’t the thing. The “how” is. The Spurs are riding a very thin line between having a fun, feel good season and crashing headfirst into a very abrupt ending. Talent will only carry you so far, and frankly, it already has. At some point though, talent stops being enough.

The Spurs are getting close to that point now.

More thoughts on the Houston loss

• Genuinely, what happened to the well balanced offense we saw Monday night? Against the Jazz, everything felt intentional. The Spurs played inside out, put pressure on the rim, and let the three point shooting be a complement rather than the whole meal. Victor Wembanyama was the hub, not the bailout. The ball moved with purpose, cutters were rewarded, and the offense felt balanced and sustainable. Then last night, the structure was still there on paper, but the balance was gone. The Spurs leaned hard into “chuck it from three” mode early and never really adjusted once that stopped working. Watching them brick three after three down the stretch in the fourth felt like watching my three year old struggle to pull open a door that was very clearly marked Push.
• I understand that part of the problem is simply that the Rockets are a better team than the Jazz. Houston can physically defend Victor Wembanyama in a way that disrupts the easy flow of the offense, force jumpers, keep guys away from the rim, and do stuff like deciding, very consciously, that Julian Freakin’ Champagnie is not going to beat them. And then they actually execute that plan. Inherently, I know all of this. That doesn’t make it any less frustrating. Teams keep doing this to the Spurs, and at some point they need to have a plan for when it happens. That’s how sports works. Teams adjust and then you adjust. Adjust and adjust. Attack and counterattack. What am I missing here?
• Just putting it out there that watching Reed Sheppard come alive down the stretch while all of our dudes were wilting on the vine was an extra special cherry on this particular Sundae of Sadness. I don’t know anything about this kid on a personal level, so take this with a grain of salt, but at least in a basketball sense, I do not like him. Not one bit. If I were to theoretically be sitting alone in a dark room writing the names of my enemies down in a notebook, then he would be getting a prime spot. Theoretically.
• You ever think about the alternate universe where the Spurs traded for Kevin Durant last summer? I don’t. I mean, sometimes I do. Like, what if Kevin Durant were sitting there in the Harrison Barnes spot instead of Harrison Barnes? Naw. That…No. Crazy. What’s done is done.

Post Game Press Conference

– Yesterday, you implored Victor Wembanyama to not get hurt during the All-Star Game. He then went on to say that he wants “to push the great players of this sport to play in the All-Star Game just as hard as I will. We’ll see how it goes, but if they don’t play hard, I’ll do it without them.” Any response?

– He’s such a good kid. Truly. We should applaud this spirit and commend him for, you know, holding himself to this kind of standard.

– But…..

– But this is stupid. Vic, don’t do this. Don’t. No one cares. You can’t make them care by playing just a little bit harder. Not to be overly cynical, but that’s simply not how the world works anymore. I cannot stress to you enough how little I care about the All-Star Game mattering. It’s a relic from a time when there was less stuff going on. People were locked into the 1992 All-Star Game because they didn’t have any episodes of Heated Rivalry to watch.

– You don’t think this is a good sign of his competitive mindset? Of his desire to raise the overall effort level of the sport?

– Unfortunately, I think this might actually be a sign that he’s a huge nerd. Respectfully.

– A huge nerd?

– Yeah. One of the hugest, tallest nerds we’ve ever seen. Breathtaking, really.

– Well I think most fans seem to like that he feels this way.

– If Victor Wembanyama strains his calf trying to block a Scottie Barnes layup during a game that does not matter, in front of a television audience of five people, I am going to sell all my belongings and go live with chimpanzees in the forest like Jane Goodall.

– You should maybe do that anyway.

– Look, it’s not an idle threat.

Sure, they’ve had some frustrating losses get away from them, but halfway through the season, the Sixers are in as good a spot as any optimist could have hoped for before the season. At 23-19, they have set themselves up to not just make the playoffs, but potentially nab a top-six spot to avoid the Play-In tournament.

Not only has No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe flashed more star potential, but their two star veterans, Joel Embiid and Paul George, have been relatively healthy and available relative to last season — the former has already appeared in more games this season than the 2024-25 campaign.

So what will their trade deadline look like? For starters, any big splashy move doesn’t seem likely. Not just because the trade market seems so bare that players demanding trades are looking like they’ll stay put.

A franchise cornerstone plus two massive contracts the majority of the league still likely views as albatrosses are already good enough reason to stand pat, but the Sixers also still have some roster shuffling to sure up their front court rotation, and they’ll have to do so before the Feb. 5 deadline.

One of the best Sixers’ stories this year has been not just two-way forward Dominick Barlow looking like an NBA player, but earning a spot in the starting lineup. Jabari Walker, also on a two-way, has also been integral, appearing in 40 of their 42 games so far this season. Barlow has missed a little more time due to injury, but has started in 29 of the 32 games he’s been available for this year.

Anyone who followed last year’s team — or SixersAdam on Twitter — knows that two-way appearances are limited to just 50 games. Jeff Dowtin Jr. actually ran out of available dates before the last game of last season. Those appearances are even more limited when a team is rostering less than 15 players, which the Sixers currently are.

Teams like the Sixers are limited to just 90 two-way games as long as they have under 15 players on the roster. Those 90 count for all two-ways — in other words, every time Barlow and Walker play in the same game, that counts as two towards the 90.

Tallying up their appearances, plus the 12 games Hunter Sallis was active for, the Sixers are down to just four days remaining. Assuming they both play, that covers the Sixers through the end of their homestand to Jan. 24 against the Knicks. After that Knicks games, the shuffling will have to begin.

The first, most likely move was posited by national reporter Keith Smith, who said that the Sixers could sign someone to a 10-day contract, which would put the 90-game rule on pause for at least a week and a half.

That doesn’t reset the individual days for Barlow and Walker, both of which are also quickly waning. Heading into these last two games of the homestand Walker only has eight games left while Barlow has 18.

It feels likely Daryl Morey will sign a 10-day to keep Walker and Barlow on two-way salaries as long as possible. At some point though, that 15th roster spot will have to be used to convert one of those two to a full-time deal.

For the Sixers to keep both they’ll have to free up another roster spot somehow. They have plenty of expiring contracts to dump, some of which are hardly in the rotation as it is. Eric Gordon is not really at all, but he only makes the veteran’s minimum. Andre Drummond tends to only play on nights Embiid does not these days, and has a slightly higher salary at $5 million.

Each making over $8 million dollars, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes are both technically options as well, but it’s hard to see any possible return for Oubre being better the production he’s given them when healthy this season. Grimes may be the trickiest to trade. Given that he’s on the qualifying offer, teams potentially acquiring him wouldn’t acquire his Bird rights, making it tricky to re-sign him in the offseason.

There are a number of ways Morey can get creative to solve this, but he’ll have to make this choice soon as the days dwindle. Rearranging things for two players already in the organization won’t headline any “Who won the trade deadline?” articles. Converting Walker and Barlow to full-time roster spots without shuffling up the rotation in any major way is a perfectly fine deadline for the Sixers this year.

We have a great night of hoops action ahead of us, with seven games on the NBA schedule, which means a wealth of value can be found in the NBA player prop markets.

My favorites today include a Nets sharpshooter letting it fly against the Knicks, and Chet Holmgren will be a bully on the board vs. the Bucks.

Those and more NBA picks for Wednesday, Jan. 21 below.

Best NBA player props today

Player	Pick
Sam Hauser	Over 4.5 rebounds	<<+102>>
Egor Demin	Over 2.5 threes	<<+140>>
Chet Holmgren	Over 9.5 rebounds	<<+110>>

Prop #1: Sam Hauser Over 4.5 rebounds

+102 at bet365

The Boston Celtics will look to get back in the win column when they host the Indiana Pacers.

One big edge Boston will have is on the glass. The Cs are a Top 10 team when it comes to rebounding rate, while the Pacers own the third-lowest rebounding rate and surrender the third-most opponent rebounds per game.

The best Celtic to back in this spot is Sam Hauser. The Boston forward has been putting in more work on the boards lately, hauling down 5.4 per contest over his five last five games, topping 4.5 rebounds four times during that stretch.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: FDSN Indiana, NBC Sports Boston

Prop #2: Egor Demin Over 2.5 threes

+140 at bet365

The Brooklyn Nets will have to let it fly if they want to keep things close with the New York Knicks tonight. Luckily, the Knicks will be happy to oblige, because their perimeter defense stinks.

The Knicks allow opponents to shoot the fifth-most 3-pointers per game while giving up the fourth-highest 3-point shooting percentage (37.5%).

The Nets may have something in Egor Demin. The rookie out of BYU is averaging 10.4 points per game while shooting nearly 40% from deep. That’s up to a crazy 52.2% over his last seven games, where he’s hit three or more threes five times.

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: YES, MSG

Prop #3: Chet Holmgren Over 9.5 rebounds

+110 at bet365

How bad are you at rebounding if you have Giannis Antetokounmpo on your roster and still rank next to last in rebounding rate?

Well, ask the Milwaukee Bucks, who take on the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. To make matters worse, Myles Turner also enters this game banged up. That means Chet Holmgren will be putting in work cleaning the glass tonight. 

The OKC big man is averaging 10.1 rebounds per game over his last 13 games, grabbing double-digit boards eight times during that stretch. He does it again tonight.

• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: ESPN

These props are available now at bet365, one of our best betting sites.

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This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Crow. Best served cold, apparently. I should know. I have spent plenty of time eating it myself after takes that aged poorly. But around the league, there is a whole lot of crow getting passed around right now as the Suns keep churning out an unexpectedly successful season and quietly building one of the better stories in the NBA so far.

You do not have to take my word for it. National outlets are starting to say it out loud. Phoenix is earning respect.

John Schuhmann of NBA.com has the Suns slotted at the fifth overall spot in this week’s power rankings.

The Suns were without Devin Booker in Detroit on Thursday, when they blew a 16-point lead and lost by three, scoring just 15 points on 25 fourth-quarter possessions. Their offense hasn’t been great (115.8 points scored per 100 possessions) with Booker on the floor, but they’re now 1-3 without him, having scored just 101.3 per 100 over those four games. Of course, all four have been on the road and against teams — Houston, Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Detroit — that rank in the top nine defensively.

Booker returned on Saturday, when the Suns beat the Knicks, who were playing without Jalen Brunson. Mitchell Robinson was there, but the Suns outscored New York (21-17) on second chances. While Phoenix is one of nine teams that have scored fewer points per 100 possessions than they did last season, it’s seen the league’s biggest jump in offensive rebounding percentage, from 26.4% (26th) last season to 33.6% (sixth) this season.

The Suns’ starting lineup didn’t have its best night at Madison Square Garden, but bench minutes were huge as they erased two separate, 10-point deficits. Grayson Allen continues to close games, and the Suns have outscored opponents by 13.4 points per 100 possessions in 486 minutes with both Jordan Goodwin and Oso Ighodaro on the floor, and they have the league’s fifth-ranked bench overall.

ESPN dished out midseason grades, and Kevin Pelton gave the Suns an “A” for their efforts thus far.

Thus far, team owner Mat Ishbia was right and the experts (myself included) were wrong about the Suns’ offseason makeover, which saw them say farewell to marquee additions Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant. In their place, Phoenix has built a hard-playing squad in the image of newcomer Dillon Brooks that excels at forcing turnovers and has barely dropped off offensively from last year’s star-studded team, going from 13th in offensive rating to 15th. Collin Gillespie’s emergence as a capable starting point guard has been one of the season’s best stories — earning him the nickname “Villain Jr.” from Brooks — and new coach Jordan Ott looks like he’ll put an end to the revolving door on the Suns’

The Athletic is a bit more bullish on the Suns than most. They have Phoenix sitting ninth in their power rankings, tucked right behind the Golden State Warriors. Because of course they do. The Warriors are always going to live near the top of those lists. Clicks are undefeated.

Law Murray put it this way:

I don’t think it is likely that Booker gets selected as a starter, but I feel like he should be rewarded for a Suns team that basically is in the same spot in the standings as the Lakers despite significantly less talent. Jalen Green is expected to finally play his sixth quarter of the season this week. Booker is one of 20 players averaging at least 25 points per game, and of those 20 players, only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cade Cunningham and Jamal Murray have won more games than Booker this season.

ESPN’s power rankings have the Suns sitting in 9th, and despite a three-game winning streak, they dropped one spot in their rankings. Make it make sense. Dave McMenamin had this to say:

How will Jalen Green be integrated into their success?

After making his return Tuesday, his first game action since early November because of a right hamstring issue, the Suns’ rotation will now shift to fit Green into the rotation. Adding a 23-year-old dynamic scorer is undoubtedly a good problem to have for first-year head coach Jordan Ott; shuffling things on the fly, however, is always a challenge, and Phoenix has had a good thing going so far this season and is riding a three-game win-streak. 

Does any of that actually matter? Not really. The Suns still have to look inward and keep doing the work. They are in the middle of reintroducing Jalen Green into an offensive and defensive system that has been working. That is not plug and play. A player with that kind of shot appetite is going to require adjustment. If they can navigate that while stacking wins, that is success.

What someone writes in The Athletic is noise. And yes, I know I contribute to the noise. Sometimes loudly. But what I think does not matter. What matters is what happens in that locker room, the alignment inside the organization, and the way this team performs on the floor.

This season has already been fun. The national guys are starting to notice. The best way to keep their attention is simple. And to keep doing it the same way.

The NBA season is long and I am aware that not everything with the schedule can be perfect, but it is strange to me that the NBA insists on doing these random 1-game road trips, especially to face a Western Conference team. Granted, New Orleans is not as far West as a team like the Lakers, but it is still a further trip than playing somebody in the Midwest.

With that being said, the New Orleans Pelicans are not a very good team, but this game feels like it could be a bit of a trap game given the above information. Plus, the Pistons are coming off a physical, hard-fought battle with the Boston Celtics on Monday.

This game could be used as a “rest game” for players that are clearly nursing injuries like Cade Cunningham. He is not currently listed on the injury report, so that may not be the plan, but as the Pistons have proven many times this season, they are equipped to win games against lesser teams without Cade.

The Pistons have also done a pretty good about not looking past teams that they are heavily-favored against for the most part this season, but this just feels like one of those games. The only time they seem to have done it is while on the road against a team from the West.

Game Vitals

Where: Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA
When: Wednesday, January 21 at 8 pm EST
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons (-9.5)

Analysis

The New Orleans Pelicans have been a mess this season. They have every incentive to win as many games as possible, given the fact they owe their first round pick to the Atlanta Hawks, but they just cannot seem to put things together.

They have dealt with injuries to players like Zion Williamson as they do every season, but for the most part, their main building blocks have been healthy this season. Trey Murphy III has played 41 games, even Zion has still played 29 games, and Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen have played in most of the games this season.

For tonight, the only regular rotation player for sure missing is Jose Alvarado, although they could also be without Herb Jones, who has missed the last few games and is a game-time decision.

Despite all of that, the Pelicans just have not been very good. If you look at their roster and even their bench, they have some solid players. Trey Murphy III has been great this season and is a popular trade candidate around the league. Zion Williamson has been his usual efficient self when he has played. Derik Queen has been fun and is one of the contenders for Rookie of the Year. Even Jeremiah Fears is having a solid year for a young rookie guard. Even old friend Saddiq Bey is even having a great year starting for the Pelicans in his return from a Torn ACL.

For whatever reason, the formula just has not worked. The team has talent, which is why I am concerned by a trap game due to the quick road trip, but things could also come unraveled and the Pistons blow out the Pelicans. You really do not know what you are going to get.

I mentioned it above, but based on the initial injury report I do not foresee it happening, but this would be a good game to give somebody like Cade Cunningham a rest. He has been able to impact the game offensively through his passing, but his wrist contusion he suffered against the Knicks has clearly been bothering him when it comes to shooting. He shot 4-of-17 in the win against the Celtics on Monday, but also had 14 assists and no turnovers.

He went back to the locker room towards the end of the game and had some ice on his ribs, so he is clearly beat up. That is life as a number one option in the league when you play with a team full of guys that are not anywhere near the level of threat offensively as you are, but it could also be beneficial to give him a rest with games against the Rockets and Kings still coming up this weekend.

Right now, the only player on the injury report for the Pistons is Caris LeVert with an illness. And if we are being honest, that is more of a positive than a negative given LeVert’s struggles this season. If he does not play, Daniss Jenkins will get his minutes, I would anticipate.

I think this game goes one of two ways, the nearly-full strength Pistons run the New Orleans Pelicans out of the gym early and get their starters a rest night, or they look past the Pelicans and end up in a dog fight to the final buzzer like they had to on Monday. The Pistons rarely get blown out due to their defense, but they have had some weird games against lesser Western Conference teams on the road like losing to Jazz and almost blowing a huge lead against the Kings just last month.

Lineups

Detroit Pistons (31-10): Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

New Orleans Pelicans (10-35): Jeremiah Fears, Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Zion Williamson, Derik Queen