This is one of the most important weeks of the NBA season because the trade deadline is Thursday afternoon. One guy who won’t be dealt? LeBron James as his agent made it clear over the weekend that LeBron wouldn’t go asking the Lakers for a deal with the team struggling. He could leave after this season, however, in free agency. Here’s a look at two intriguing early-week matchups.

Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week (February 5th, 2024)

Clippers stay in first while the Timberwolves climb back into the top-5

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Dallas Mavericks vs. Philadelphia 76ers

• When: Monday, February 5th, 2024, 8:00 PM ET
• Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, Bally Sports SW-DAL
• Radio: 97.1 The Freak (Mavericks) // 97.5 The Fanatic FM (76ers)
• Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Odds: Mavericks (-2) // 76ers (+2)

First meeting of the season between these teams. The Sixers remain without reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid due to a knee injury and Embiid can only miss a couple more games to maintain eligibility for individual awards per the new NBA rule that players must play in 65 regular-season games to qualify, meaning players can’t miss more than 17 games. The Sixers have played 48 games and Embiid has missed 14 of them.

The long-term status of Embiid is up in the air as team officials continue to wait for potential options to deal with a meniscus injury suffered on Tuesday at Golden State. With him out, Philadelphia will have to find a way to fill his 35.3 points per game and 11.3 rebounds. Paul Reed figures to split time at center with Mo Bamba in the meantime with the Sixers potentially making a move for a stopgap center before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Tyrese Maxey has become the center of Philadelphia’s offensive attack until Embiid returns.

“We continue to see different things each night that takes a different look to see how much we can use Paul and how much we can get out of Mo,” Coach Nick Nurse said. “Paul is a hustle, put back guy and Mo is a caretaker of the ball on offense going side to side and blocking shots. They have to cover the 48 minutes — especially for now and we believe in them.”

Philly comes off a 136-121 home loss to Brooklyn on Saturday. Starting forward Tobais Harris did not play in Saturday’s loss to the Nets, making it three out of Philadelphia’s last six games that he has missed due to illness. He also didn’t practice Sunday and is thus likely out Monday. Nicolas Batum participated in portions of Sunday’s practice. He has missed the past three with left hamstring tightness.

Guard De’Anthony Melton, who has been out since mid-January with a lumbar spine stress response, said Friday he hopes to return for Monday’s game. He’s logged multiple on-court workouts over the last week, but the fact that he took part in an individual workout Sunday rather than practicing with his healthy teammates suggests he may be trending toward sitting out Monday.

Mavericks All-Star guard Kyrie Irving missed a sixth straight game Saturday with a thumb injury but might get back Monday. If not, Jaden Hardy and Tim Hardaway will continue to handle more minutes. Dallas is 42-41 (.506) all-time against the 76ers (23-18 at home, 19-23 on the road). The home team has won 12 of the last 15 matchups. In his eight career games against the 76ers, Luka Doncic is averaging 25.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game.

NBA Betting Pick: Mavericks

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Chicago Bulls

• When: Tuesday, February 6th, 2024, 10:00 PM ET
• Where: United Center, Chicago, IL
• TV: NBC Sports Chicago, Bally Sports North
• Radio: KFAN FM 100.3 (Timberwolves) // 670 AM The Score (Bulls)
• Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Odds: TBA

One big-name player who was expected to get dealt by Thursday’s trade deadline was Chicago guard Zach LaVine, perhaps to the Lakers, but LaVine will be going nowhere with the news that his season is over. He will have foot surgery this week and miss 4-6 months.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan emphasized Saturday that it was LaVine’s decision to have surgery, but he also said he believed LaVine tried to rehab his foot and get back on the floor. LaVine had not played since he sprained his right ankle on Jan. 18. However, the sprain had healed, according to Donovan, and LaVine has been sidelined because of additional discomfort in his foot. The same issue forced LaVine to miss 17 games earlier this season.

LaVine’s season ends after just 25 games (23 starts). He averaged 19.5 points on 45.2% shooting — his lowest scoring total since he played 24 games coming off ACL surgery in 2017-18 — 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists. The Bulls have gotten used to life without LaVine on the court, but his max contract suffocates any plans executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas had and limits his flexibility.

The once-elite backcourt of Lonzo Ball and LaVine that helped catapult the Bulls into first place in the first half of the 2021-22 season is guaranteed to make $65 million next season after having missed a combined 288 games since Jan. 14, 2022. It now seems likely that defensive guard Alex Caruso is the one dealt by Thursday, as he would help any contender and has a very team-friendly contract. Caruso has recorded one or more blocks in a career-best 16-straight games, marking the longest active such streak and the longest by any NBA guard or forward in 2023-24.

“Out of my control completely,” Caruso said when asked if he could be on the move now. “We’ve got five more games until the All-Star break where I can mentally relax, so whatever they decide to do is kind of their decision. My job as an employee of this team is to show up and do my duty, which is to go out and play basketball every night, and that’s kind of what I’m focused on.”

If Minnesota does anything by the trade deadline, it would be around the edges as the Wolve are battling for the best record in the West. Chicago is 5-5 in its last 10 games with Minnesota, winning the three of the last four matchups. The Bulls are looking to win five consecutive home games versus the Timberwolves for the first time since a nine-game home winning streak between the 1989-90 and 1997-98 seasons.

Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan is averaging 23.3 ppg in 27 career games against Minnesota, his second-highest scoring average versus any opponent in his career. DeRozan recorded 39.0 ppg through two games versus the Timberwolves in 2022-23, his highest clip against any team last season. Nikola Vučević is averaging 23.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg and 5.0 apg in his last five games versus the Timberwolves.

NBA Betting Pick: Timberwolves

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READ MORE: Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – February 12th, 2024