Golden State Warriors to smash Chicago Bulls’ 73 win record

Future Hall of Famer Steph Curry, registered 37 against Western Conference rivals San Antonio, a team with a 39-1 home record.

Speaking after the game, Curry said: “We’re in the moment, enjoying the ride… but the goal is to win a championship!”

Golden State are 10/3 to win the Championship and Steph Curry to be named Finals MVP next season.

Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Lakers

• NBA
• Thursday, April 14th
• Tipoff: 03:30 BST
• Staples Center, Los Angeles

Kobe Bryant’s fond farewell

After 20 years with Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant is set to hang up his jersey for good.

Basketball fans will be torn between watching Warriors against Memphis or Kobe, one of the game’s greatest ever playing his last game.

After two dazzling decades at the top, the five-time NBA champion will retire this week as the league’s third-highest scorer.

Lakers are having a truly awful season and sit rock bottom of the Western Conference with just 16 wins. Their opponents Utah (40-41) can only claim the Western Conference’s last remaining playoff spot if they win the game and Houston Rockets lose earlier in the night to Sacramento Kings.

One thing’s for sure, Jazz will be coming to LA to win and not roll-over on what has been dubbed Mamba Day after Bryant’s nickname. The two sides are among the three worst in terms of scoring so expect a tight affair, as Lakers’ iconic number 24 laces up his trainers for the last time. The teams are 7/4 to score under 186 points.

Lakers fans should be optimistic about the future, the absence of Bryant next year can allow the teams young talent to step up and develop. At times it seemed Bryant slowed any development of players with his constant demand of the ball and eagerness to remain the franchise’s star.

Miami Heat @ Boston Celtics

• NBA
• Thursday, April 14th
• Tipoff: 1:00 BST
• TD Garden, Boston

Thomas thrusts Celtics into conference contention

This is the last game in a series which the East’s fifth placed Boston Celtics lead 2-0.

For a few weeks now much of the talk coming out of Boston has been surrounding their quest for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Talk will intensify as Boston take on third placed Miami in a regular season finale that will most likely decided who claims fourth seed and with it, home-court.

Celtics should have a level of concern due to their recent struggles, but have proven repeatedly this season that they can beat anyone in the league – beating Golden State, whose 54-game home winning streak snapped by the Massachusetts side.

Isaiah Thomas has had a sensational year, averaging a career high 22.2 points, leading Boston to fifth in the scoring leaderboard while Miami sit way down at 23rd. Boston have been averaging around 105.8 points per game while Heat register around 100. However, expect the teams the teams to go all out in a high scoring crucial clash, the sides are 12/5 to manage between 202-212 total points.

Sacramento Kings @ Houston Rockets

• NBA
• Thursday, April 14th
• Tipoff: 01:00 BST
• Toyota Center, Houston

Huge Houston clash in playoff place endeavour

Houston Rockets (40-41) regained control of the Western Conference’s eighth and final postseason berth recently

If Rockets win or Jazz lose, Houston will seal the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Rockets have bitterly disappointed this a year, this should have been a season in which James Harden propelled the team to contenders and Dwight Howard proved the doubters wrong, that he wasn’t a journeyman that drifts from team to team whenever the winds blows with moderate ferocity.

After last year’s promise reaching the West’s finals, this campaign has been miserable. However, recently they have played with a sense of urgency and Harden scored 34 points and Howard added 19 and eight rebounds this Monday.

Sacramento Kings have shut down five players: DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo, Darren Collison, Omri Casspi, and Marco Belinelli. Significantly depleting the squad and their chances of a contest in Houston. Rockets have been averaging the fourth highest points while Sacramento are registering the third highest so expect buckets galore, the teams are 12/5 to score between 220-230 total points.

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