Week 8 is right around the corner, and it should be another incredible week of matchups, highlighted by the Spurs and Warriors at 3:30 pm.
12:30 pm - Mavericks at Celtics
The Mavericks (1-8) will look to make it two straight wins on Sunday, as they take on the struggling Celtics (2-7) in the early game on Sunday. The Mavericks survived a scare on Sunday, as they rallied from 19 points down in the second half to upend the Suns. Braijon Thomas has continued to score the ball at a torrid pace, as he is averaging 19.3 points per game. He will certainly be in the conversation as an all-league player, as he is coming off back to back 20 point games. As he matches up with the Celtics on Sunday afternoon, he should have some chances to score, as the Celtics tend to play their best defense on the interior. While the Celtics will miss Row Gebre, who went down with a horrible season-ending Achilles injury on Sunday, they will look to their rotation of big men to score some points on the inside. While the Mavericks' Antwan Peterson made a big impact late in Sunday's come-from-behind win against the Suns, he too is nursing an injury of his own. Look for his status to be a big impact on this game, as the Mavericks could struggle to defend the Celtics' Jay Slone and Jonathan Townsend without Peterson on the court. Assuming Peterson is good to play, we see the Mavericks as the slightest of favorites, behind the play of Thomas and Peterson. However if Peterson isn't good to go, the pendulum likely swings the way of the Celtics, who have a deeper bench. As we wait to hear more on Peterson's injury status, we will open with the Mavericks as 2.5 point favorites in what should be a really good basketball game on Sunday.
1:30 pm - Bulls @ Suns
The Bulls (4-3) will look to get to two games above .500 for the first time this season, as they have a favorable matchup with the Suns (0-7) on Sunday afternoon. For the Suns, despite coming into Week 8 without a win, they have been playing much better basketball, led by the play of Devonte Barnes, who had 23 points and 16 rebounds in last week's crushing loss to the Mavericks. His ability to score the basketball, alongside the league-leader in assists, Michael Lonergan Jr., has made the Suns a much more competitive team. For the Bulls, they have relied on their three-headed monster in Seth Johnson, Benito Munoz, and Bobby Crivokapich. Although Crivokapich hasn't been scoring the ball as consistently as he did a year ago, he is still making an impact, primarily on the glass. His 9.3 rebounds per game is good for fourth in the K1 League, and his 22 points against the Celtics a week ago is his best individual scoring performance of the season. For Munoz and Johnson, they are ranked third and fourth in the entire league in scoring, a pretty remarkable feat for two guys that play on the same team. These two will look to score the ball early and often against an undersized Suns team that has struggled to defend in the second half of games this year. Munoz is averaging 21.0 ppg, while Johnson is averaging 20.3 ppg, in addition to leading the league in rebounding at 11.4 rpg. Because of these three guys, the Bulls come in as solid favorites in this matchup, opening up as 14.5 point favorites against the Suns.
2:30 pm - Spurs @ Suns
The Suns (0-7) will be right back on the court for the second game of a tough doubleheader, as they take on the Spurs (6-2). The Spurs find themselves in two very different games on Sunday, one in which they should be able to rotate some guys in and out, and one against the Warriors that could determine the West Divisional race. In their first matchup with the Suns, expect Matt Cunningham, Dustin Rennewanz, and Marty Bothwell to get some serious minutes. Although these three guys don't always play a lot for the Spurs, they will have a chance to show the rest of the league what they are capable of. Cunningham and Rennewanz are two of the best three-point shooters in the entire league, and Bothwell is coming off a game where he had eight rebounds against a physical Lakers team. Another player to look out for is guard Chris Green, who missed last week's matchup with the Lakers. Look for him to use this game to try and find his rhythm before the 3:30 pm game against Otis' Houston squad. Although the Suns always play their hardest, they may be a bit overmatched in this one. We like the Suns' Ferra Johnson to have a nice game, as he has been a pleasant surprise in the K1 League. The Spurs and their feared offensive attack, will be big favorites against the Suns on Sunday afternoon. They are 31.5 point favorites in this West Division matchup.
3:30 pm - Spurs at Warriors
For the third consecutive week, we are fortunate enough to have a matchup between two teams from the West's "Big Three." The final matchup between Big Three teams in the Fall League, at least during the regular season, will feature the Spurs (6-2) and Warriors (6-2), with so much on the line. Not only will the winner move into sole possession of first place in the West division, but it could also create tiebreaker rights in a scenario where multiple teams end up tied at the top of the division. Three of the previous five matchups between Big Three teams have gone to OT, and the two that didn't, were decided by just three points. For those reasons, we expect a dandy of a matchup, and can't wait for these two teams to square off. One of those three-point matchups took place back in Week 2, when the Spurs edged the Warriors in OT by a score of 70-64. In that contest, the Warriors rallied from being down by 15 points early in the second half, behind the sensational play of guard Martavius Laster, who had 29 points to lead all scorers. These two teams are the top two scoring teams in the league by a pretty wide margin, and both have five different players averaging double figures. While there are about a dozen key players in this matchup, the reality is that these two teams really couldn't be much more evenly matched. The Spurs are the best rebounding team in the K1 League, while the Warriors are one of the best teams at scoring inside the arc. However you draw this one up, it should be a good one, and the edge will likely lie with the team that simply plays a little bit better over the course of 40 minutes. For the first time this year, there is no point spread, as this game is a straight up pick'em. Sit back and enjoy this one, as the Spurs and Warriors battle one final time for superiority in the West.
4:30 pm - Bucks at Nets
The Bucks (7-1) may be as hot as any team in the K1 League, and they may be put to the test on Sunday against a Nets team that comes into the game much better than their record would show. Although they sit at just 3-5, they could easily be 7-2. Four of the Nets' five losses could have been wins, as two were in OT to the Heat, and another two were forfeits, in which the Nets were favored going into both games. So while winning the East Division may be a stretch now, the Nets still have a lot to play for, hoping to stay inside the top two or three spots in the East to set up a winnable first-round matchup in the playoff tournament. And what better way to achieve that than to take down the league-leading Bucks on Sunday. Although the disparity in records would in theory favor the Bucks, the Nets will like their chances, if TJ Wicks, Red Binion, and Ronnie Jackson are in the lineup, as they are yet to lose a game with all three players there. Binion still leads the K1 League in scoring at 23.3 ppg, and Jackson is in the top fifteen at 15.5 ppg. Meanwhile for the Bucks, they have been forced to play with a much smaller lineup, following the sudden disappearance of reigning player-of-the-year Kale Maupin. They will counter with two of the best defensive guards in the league in Jaquan Boxley and Darien Bosby. Bosby is coming off of a fantastic game in which he scored 22 points and helped to limit the Heat's Terrell Hendrix, along with Boxley. Bosby and Jordan Logan are two Bucks that come into this one averaging double figures, alongside team leader Lavell McIntosh (22.0 ppg). If the Nets have their full arsenal of players, expect this to be a good one. The one-loss Bucks are 6.5 point favorites against the Nets.
5:30 pm - Heat at Lakers
The final game of the day could have some fireworks on display, as the high-flying Heat (6-3) and the powerful Lakers (6-3) both look to pick up their seventh win in a fiery matchup. In addition to their records, the Heat and Lakers have another thing in common - they are the only two teams in the league to beat the defending champion Spurs. The Lakers did it back in Week 1, and the Heat stunned everyone with their win in Week 5. The x-factor for the Heat will be which version of their team shows up. They have shown the ability to play with every single team in the league, but also have managed at times to limp across the finish line - just as they did last week when they connected on just 1/22 attempts from deep in a loss to the Bucks. If Terrell Hendrix (19.8 ppg) can get help from the rest of his team in scoring the basketball, the Heat will be dangerous. Look for them to run their patented 2-3 zone and try to outrun the Lakers in transition, as forward Blake Graham is expected to be back in the mix. For the Lakers, they have proven to be as tough an out as any team in the K1 League, especially when LJ Harris is in the building. Last Sunday was their first loss with Harris in their lineup, but it wasn't by much, as they pushed the Spurs to OT and had a chance to win the game with a pair of free throws in the final second. We'll look forward to watching Andre Robertson Jr. work against KT Bobo, and Alonzo King against Tone Brooks. Expect Hendrix and Harris to go at it as well. As both of these teams are still very much in the thick of their divisional races, a win on Sunday could go a long ways towards playoff seeding. The Lakers are 5.5 point favorites in this one, as you won't want to miss the final day of the game.