THE NBA game tournament is here! The pleasure begins Tuesday evening with magic Hawks and warriors-Grizzlies, the winners advancing towards the NBA playoffs Like seeds n ° 7 in the east and west, respectively. The losers will play again on Friday to have the chance to win the heads n ° 8 of their conference.
Wednesday clashes, on the other hand, will present bulls and Kings-Mavs in the single elimination games. The winners advance on Friday, the losers return home. How will it be played? Our NBA writers decompose the matches and make their predictions.
Hawks vs Magic: Who wins?
Ben Rohrbach: Magic. They divided their season series, but Orlando has a 2-1 file when Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner take the ground against Atlanta. The potential all-stories (if they had stayed healthy) have an average of 61 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists opposite the Hawks, including the defensive candidate of the year, Dyson Daniels, can only try to stop one of them.
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And Titus: Hawks. The speed, depth and experience of Atlanta's depth make them dangerous outsiders. With a record of 3-1 and Trae Young with an average of 27 points and 9 assists per match in these competitions, they are tested in combat. Meanwhile, the magic game is too slow and depends too much on Banchero and Wagner to generate offensives. In this Do-Or-Die confrontation, give me the Hawks as a road dog.
Morten Stig Jensen: I lean from hawks. They have a more offensive firepower and a real leader who can dictate actions. Do we trust Banchero and Wagner to do it throughout a 48-minute match, especially without Jalen suggests to work as a third initiator? Zaccharie Risacher could be in a hell of a game. The 6 -foot 9 inch wing jumped more than 35 times since March 30, and with Atlanta playing freely, there is a chance that he can find early and consistent.
Tom Haberstro: Magic. With such thin margins, give me the team with a home advantage. This could be dictated by the way the referees manage the game. The Magic ultra-physical basketball brand could be an advantage in the Winner-Take-All case. We will see what kind of Trae Young and Paolo Banchero whistle are in Orlando.
Grizzlies against Warriors: Who wins?
Titus: Warriors. Memphis has a 11-30 sheet on the road and without victory in California (0-8) this season. I do not trust the new engagement of the grizzlyans to ensure that JA MORANT touches more actions from Pick-And-Roll because he plays in the force of Golden State on the defense: protect. Despite the collapse and recent injuries of the dubs at the end of the game, they have the advantage of coach with the playoffs Jimmy, Steph Curry and a solid support cast to do so.
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Jensen: Warriors. Jimmy Butler turned out to be a wonderful add to the team, which allows him to chance it with Stephen Curry with regard to the manipulation tasks of the ball and the shooting. Grizzlies are, finally, weird. They are incoherent, their attack was stagnated this season, and even if I do not close the door during a victory in Memphis, I have the impression that everything must be fine for them. These are not big odds.
(How the game tournament works)
Hasters: Warriors. The dups have been flexing the strongest defense of the NBA since the acquisition of Jimmy Butler and should have the upper hand over the grizzly greeks trying to find their identity at the post-Taylor Jenkins time. The Grizz has a 4-9 file on the road against the Top 10 defenses. I will take Steph, Draymond and Jimmy in this one.
Rohrbach: Warriors. Do not think too much about this one. It could be tempting to choose the Grizzlies of JA MORANT, but they have not been able to beat winning teams or to win on the road for some time. They have a new coach, the first task in the playoffs will be to arrest Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, two of the greatest winners of their generation, in an essential game. Good luck.
Heat vs Bulls: Who wins?
Jensen: I am inclined to ask, who cares? The two teams are roughly as average as possible, and does not present a real threat to Cleveland. That being said, we all like entertainment, and for this reason, we should hope for the Bulls, who play a brand of top down and downhill, which can be fun to look. Miami is 28th in rhythm, and his style of play is haunting to dirty. But although it is one thing to hope for the Bulls, given the potential of a fun and energetic match in the first round against the Cavs – waiting for Chicago, there are two games – the logic dictates the heat stand on a stronger field to take it.
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Hasters: Heat. Can they set up a banner if they are three peat in the game tournament? Hey, if Pat Riley removed Michael Jordan's jersey in the Miami arena, anything can happen. The momentum is on the side of Miami, because the heat has been quietly good in recent weeks, winning eight of their last 12. I see Davion Mitchell put the pliers on Coby White.
Rohrbach: Bulls. Chicago has not only been good for a month now. The Bulls are the second best team in the East behind the Boston Celtics since March 6, the owners of an outfit among the first 10 in attack and in defense. They run like hell, and Josh Giddey played like an All-Star in this period. They try. Hard. This is their difference. And I'm not sure Miami is in the same boat. Do not blame the heat if they send it. Jimmy Butler took a lot.
Titus: Heat. The Bulls won 13 of their last 16 and swept Miami 3-0 in the series series. However, I put myself in the heat experience. The Miami's own injury report will allow the heat to look into their physical play style, disturbing the bulls' quick rhythmLed by Giddey and White. The defensive efforts of Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo, Kel'el Ware and Davion Mitchell will be the decisive factor to advance the heat.
Mavs against Kings: Who wins?
Hasters: MAVS. If Anthony Davis is in good health, I go with this guy. He has a massive chip on his shoulder after Nico Harrison put him in a position to absorb all the cover surrounding the trade of Luka Dončić. Regarding basketball, I always worry about the ability of Kings to protect the edge against the big Elite.
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Titus: Kings. The MAVs are 6-3 with Anthony Davis in the programming. However, their lack of offensive firepower leaves them surpassed. The MAVs died last in Made and Tentwed 3s by a wide margin in the last 15 games. And shocking, the kings were in the Top 10 in the fewer points authorized in the paint above this period. The Kings have many rating options on the wing and the tools to “light the beam” and secure the victory against a team of exhausted Dallas. Do not expect too much defense in this game.
(2025 NBA Playoffs: Hours and matches)
Jensen: Hide your eyes, the children. The Mavericks will direct the offensive through Naji Marshall instead of a certain all-NBA goalkeeper, who will remain nameless. Listen, things are bad in Dallas, and there is really no cohesion on the ground. Things are not much better in Sacramento, but kings have Zach Lavine, who, we know, can break out for more than 40 years every night. The most effective year shooting guard of his career, and with Domantas Sabonis staring at nasty screens, I lean the kings in it. The basketball gods would not dare to give us mavericks in the playoffs, right?
Rohrbach: Kings. It was a season of hell for the Mavericks. They exchanged Luka Dončić, and their fans will not stop reminding them what error it was, calling strongly for the dismissal of general manager Nico Harrison. Kyrie Irving's injury did not help things. Anthony Davis is the best player in this game, but not if he already has holiday plans. And who could blame him? Meanwhile, Sacramento would be happy to be an eliminatory team, given the history of the franchise.
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Bonus: Make a daring prediction for the game tournament.
Hasters: The Mavericks beat the Grizzlies to hang the last place and set up a revenge match against Oklahoma City Thunder. Without Kyrie Irving, I think it is a scan in favor of the OKC this time, but the Mavs will first allow a scan of two games to obtain the privilege of being talked about by OKC.
Titus: Dyson Daniels broke the Kent Bazemore record with five interceptions in a game game.
Jensen: JA MORANT lasts on Kevon Looney so strong, he is immediately underlying because Steve Kerr wants to make sure that his center does not leave basketball there and then.
Rohrbach: JA MORANT becomes medieval and reveals a new celebration of TREBUCHET. The Mavericks play as the work of Harrison is at stake and loses by 30. Giddey records a triple-double, only the statistics do not count, so we allow ourselves to ask if it has ever happened. And Banchero drops 40 on Atlanta.
