NBA predictions: The week's biggest NBA games

While the Boston Celtics seem to be cruising atop the Eastern Conference in the NBA, the Western Conference is witnessing a neck-and-neck race for supremacy.

The Celtics boast a formidable 62-16 record, establishing a hefty 15-game advantage over the Milwaukee Bucks, who are securely in the second position in the conference.

In the Western arena, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets are neck and neck with identical 54-24 tallies, jointly holding the pinnacle position, a single stride ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are at 53-25.

The Nuggets are looking at a smoother path ahead, facing three teams already out of the playoff race – the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, and Memphis Grizzlies, with the exception being a Wednesday night clash when they play host to the Timberwolves.

7x7Bets tags the Nuggets at +302* as the team with the second most favorable odds for clinching the championship.

Besides their showdown with Denver, Minnesota is slated for home games against Washington, Atlanta, and Phoenix.

The Timberwolves, with odds of +2299*, hold the seventh spot in terms of the shortest odds to lift the NBA championship trophy.

The finish line in the West promises a thrilling climax, in sharp contrast to the Boston's unchallenged dominance in the East.

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EMBIID'S COMEBACK TRANSFORMS 76ERS' FORTUNES

The Philadelphia 76ers hit a rough patch when Joel Embiid was sidelined due to injury in late January. Commencing with the January 27 game at Denver, a face-off against Nikola Jokic that saw Embiid benched owing to a knee injury, the Sixers recorded an 11-21 run before Embiid's comeback on April 2.

Sporting five consecutive victories, Philadelphia is now looking significantly more formidable as the postseason approaches, though Embiid sat out during Sunday’s triumph over San Antonio.

In the first three games since his return, Embiid has tallied an average of 27.7 points and 7.3 rebounds across 28.2 minutes per game. Assuming his fitness is back to par, the Sixers could emerge as a dark horse in the NBA championship race, with odds standing at +2636*.

The 76ers will play their final three regular-season games at home, facing off against Detroit on Tuesday, Orlando on Friday, and Brooklyn on Sunday.

BUCKS ON A DOWNWARD SPIRAL

The Bucks’ decision to appoint Doc Rivers as head coach in place of Adrian Griffin initially did not yield the anticipated results. They began with a 2-6 record under Rivers but seemed to find their groove with a subsequent 13-6 run, hinting at a potential turnaround.

However, the Bucks have since faltered, managing only a single victory in their last seven outings.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was absent from Friday’s defeat in Toronto, and Damian Lillard missed three of those seven matches, yet the slump seems too significant to dismiss as merely injury-induced.

Despite their recent struggles, the Bucks still possess the second shortest odds of claiming the championship in the Eastern Conference, marked at +898* on 7x7Bets.

Their upcoming fixtures remain challenging, with Boston dropping by on Tuesday and Orlando on Wednesday, before the Bucks take on Oklahoma City on Friday and wrap up against Orlando again on Sunday.

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ROCKETS’ ASCENT HALTED

Just as the Houston Rockets appeared to be gaining momentum in their challenge against the Golden State Warriors for the final slot in the Western Conference play-in tournament, they encountered a daunting stretch in their schedule, culminating in five consecutive defeats.

Their recent opponents included Dallas (twice), alongside Minnesota, Golden State, and Miami, making their downturn less surprising.

Nonetheless, compared to preseason expectations, it's been a commendable campaign for Houston. Their wins were predicted to be under 31.5, yet they’ve achieved a 38-40 record with four games remaining.

The Rockets are set to host Orlando on Tuesday, followed by road games against Utah on Thursday, Portland on Friday, and the Clippers on Sunday.

JAZZ EMBRACE THE CHILL AS THE LEAGUE'S COLDEST SQUAD

With the Toronto Raptors breaking a 15-game losing streak with consecutive wins, the Utah Jazz now bear the brunt of the league’s longest losing streak. Their defeat at Golden State on Sunday extended their losing run to 12 games.

Throughout these losses, the Jazz have been outscored by an average of 14.75 points per game.

Their season's end does not look any easier, with home games against Denver on Tuesday and Houston on Thursday, before road games against the Clippers on Friday and Golden State on Sunday.

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