There are plenty of mouth-watering fixtures this week in the NBA to whet your appetite for some basketball action.
However, these five huge matchups set to take place this week will certainly capture your attention.
1. Detroit Pistons vs Boston Celtics - Friday 22 March
This matchup involves two teams that have experienced very different seasons so far.
The Boston Celtics have embraced the 'good luck' symbol of the four-leaf clovers in their badge this term as they assert their domination over the Eastern Conference.
Boston are comfortably on top of the table with a huge 53 victories from 67 games so far and are nine wins above the second-placed Milwaukee Bucks.
Their home form is a significant factor in the team turning into an unstoppable force in this campaign.
The TD Garden, the home arena of the Celtics, has been a fortress this season with just three teams from 33 matches walking away from the battle on the court with a win.
However, they will not be playing at home on Friday, which may influence the result slightly.
They will be travelling to Detroit to face the Pistons who are experiencing the opposite end of the scale with a woeful campaign.
Detroit has only managed to pick up a pitiful 12 wins from the 67 games.
They are still in conversation about being one of the worst NBA teams of all time!
Unlike the Celtics, the Pistons have serious problems when it comes to securing victories in their home arena.
They have only picked seven wins at the Little Caesars Arena meaning that the odds are very much stacked against them.
But, a win is not off the table yet if they can manage to hit the jackpot.
After all, the Pistons are in a huge fight against the Wizards to not finish dead last in the conference.
On the other hand, the Celtics may be looking ahead to the playoffs already as they look to mount a serious challenge for the NBA Finals title.
Either way, a very lopsided scoreline will be expected on Friday.
Five previous meetings :
Boston 128 -122 Detroit - December 28 2023
Boston 127 -109 Detroit - February 15 2023
Boston 111 - 99 Detroit - February 6 2023
Boston 117 -108 Detroit - November 12 2022
Boston 128 -112 Detroit - November 9 2022
2. Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks - Wednesday 20 March
A battle of giants.
The game that everyone will have their eyes fixed on this week.
This matchup needs no introduction.
This is a massive fight between two top Eastern Conference sides.
This matchup will feature some of the biggest names in the NBA, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Milwaukee will meet their opponents at the TD Garden fortress which automatically swings the pendulum of favour towards their opponents.
Furthermore, the Bucks' away form has been very average this season, despite being second-placed in the Eastern Conference.
They have managed to record 17 wins and 17 losses on the road, which furthers Boston's chances of success on Wednesday.
However, the last time the two sides met in Milwaukee, the Bucks thrashed the Celtics 135-102 in January, proving that anything can happen in a fixture as big as this.
This should be a very entertaining game to watch with both teams having the potential to score a high tally of points, and previous meetings between the organisations show that it is quite an even playing field..
Five previous meetings :
Milwaukee 132 -105 Boston - January 11 2024
Boston 140 -99 Milwaukee - November 22 2023
Boston 119 -116 Milwaukee - March 30 2023
Milwaukee 131 -125 Boston - February 14 2023
Boston 139 -118 Milwaukee - December 25 2022
3. Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets - Wednesday 20 March
This fixture will likely be thrilling and action-packed, propelling its potential to be a truly captivating game.
The top spots of the Western Conference are still all to play for with a gap of 15 wins dividing the first-placed Oklahoma City Thunder and the 11th-placed Houston Rockets.
Moreover, just one win divides the top three of the division.
However, two of those teams will face each other in a battle to try to clinch the top spot in the Western Conference.
The Denver Nuggets will be determined to dig their heels into the ground and retain their NBA Finals title from last year.
The Nuggets even defeated the Timberwolves by four games to one in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.
Both teams are equal in terms of performance this term as Denver holds a record of 47-21 and Minnesota is 46-21.
This will hopefully translate into a very tasty match.
The Timberwolves have won their last two fixtures.
They have also been successful in six of their last ten games.
Whereas, their opponents have been in fabulous form, despite losing last time out on the court.
Denver have secured victories in eight of their last 10 matchups and therefore seem to be favourites for the upcoming game.
Their last five meetings suggest that games between the two teams are mostly tightly contested and usually conclude in a close scoreline.
Five previous meetings :
Minnesota 110 - 89 Denver - November 1 2023
Denver 112 -109 Minnesota - April 25 2023
Minnesota 114 - 108 Denver - April 23 2023
Denver 120 -111 Minnesota - April 21 2023
Denver 122 -113 Minnesota - April 19 2023
4. Toronto Raptors vs Oklahoma City Thunder - Friday 22 March
Like the first one in this list, this is again a matchup between two teams with very different fates for this season.
The Toronto Raptors are continuing to slip down the Eastern Conference as they have lost seven consecutive matches and have been defeated in nine of their last 10.
It doesn't look like their fortunes are set to change as they will have to host the high-flying Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder will look to bolster their bid to secure the first playoff spot in the division.
They have won seven of their last 10 fixtures and will look to make it eight by utilising the qualities of stand-out players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren.
The odds are firmly stacked against Toronto but they will certainly be desperate to put an end to their poor run of form.
Five previous meetings :
OKC 135 - 127 Toronto - February 4 2024
Toronto 128 - 111 OKC- March 16 2023
OKC 132 - 113 Toronto - November 11 2022
Toronto 117 - 98 OKC - February 9 2022
OKC 110 - 109 Toronto - December 8 2021
5. Washington Wizards vs Houston Rockets - Tuesday 19 March
We've taken a look at fixtures that could have a significant impact towards the top of the conferences, but now it's time to look at matchups that could be pivotal in deciding the order towards the bottom of the conferences.
The Houston Rockets currently sit in 11th place in the Western Conference and have been on fire form recently.
They have won their last five games and have picked up seven victories in the most recent 10 fixtures.
However, despite their electric form, the Rockets have had one clear area where they've been lacking.
They have really struggled to pick up wins on the road, with an abysmal away record of 9-24, whereas their home record is 23-11.
This is one of the more unique record splits that we've ever seen, although, there is no pinpoint reason why Houston are so poor when they're not playing at the Toyota Centre.
However, they have a brilliant opportunity to continue their fine form and attempt to help break their away curse when they face the Washington Wizards at the Capital One Arena.
Along with the Detroit Pistons, the Wizards are certainly in the conversations about the worst teams in NBA history.
They currently sit at rock bottom of the Eastern Conference and only have 11 wins to their name from 68 matches.
They will be desperate for a win to pick up morale and put them level with the Pistons, especially as they have been defeated eight times in their last 10 games.
This game will certainly be entertaining as it is a typical tale of a team with an abysmal away record facing an opponent with a woeful home record.
The Wizards have only tallied four home victories so far in this campaign.
Five previous meetings :
Houston 135 - 119 Washington - March 14 2024
Houston 114 - 109 Washington- April 9 2023
Washington 108 - 103 Houston - January 25 2023
Houston 115 - 97 Washington - March 21 2022
Houston 114 - 111 Washington - January 5 2022
