NBA 2023 Predictions For Lakers, Suns, MVP Race After All-Star Break

There should be plenty of intrigue between the NBA All-Star break and the start of the 2023 playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers are among the teams that will be under the microscope during the regular season's final few weeks.

Here's a look at three predictions for the NBA after the 2023 All-Star break.

The Lakers will miss the playoff and the play-in tournament

The Lakers don't have any margin for error when it comes to making the playoffs. Given the number of teams in front of them and the recent injury histories of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Los Angeles will have a hard time even getting to 10th place in the Western Conference.

The Lakers have 23 regular-season games left. Seven teams and 3.5 games in standings separate Los Angeles and the No. 6 seed. That likely means the Lakers' only chance of making the playoffs is through the play-on tournament. Not only are the Lakers two games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 10 seed, but they also trail the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers by 1.5 games.

James is on pace to play fewer than 63 games for the third straight year. Davis is on pace to play fewer than 50 games in three straight seasons. James is dealing with a nagging foot injury in his 20th season, while Davis seems to get hurt every few weeks. If one of those stars goes down for any significant period of time, the Lakers have proven that they aren't good enough to climb the standings.

The Suns will get a top-three seed

The Kevin Durant trade instantly made the Suns the favorites to win the West. With the two-time Finals MVP on track to return from his knee injury soon, Phoenix should see immediate dividends from the blockbuster deadline deal.

Even before trading for Durant, the Suns were headed in a positive direction. Chris Paul and Devin Booker both returned from injuries. Phoenix has gone 11-4 in its last 15 games. Only five teams have an easier schedule than the Suns after the All-Star break, based on upcoming opponents' winning percentage.

The Suns are the No. 5 seed and only 1.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings for the No. 3 seed. Phoenix is only one season removed from winning 64 games and two years removed from reaching Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The roster is improved by swapping Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson for Durant and T.J. Warren. The Suns could be motivated to get a top-three seed, which would allow them to avoid playing Nikola Jokic and the No. 1 seed Denver Nuggets until the conference finals.

Joel Embiid will make an MVP push

Jokic is an overwhelming favorite to win his third straight MVP award. Jokic has -240 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Embiid has +600 odds, indicating that the two centers will finish first and second, respectively, in the MVP race, once again. But the 76ers star has a real chance to overtake the back-to-back winner.

The 76ers have the hardest remaining schedule in the NBA. That could actually work out to Embiid's benefit when it comes to the MVP race. The two-time MVP runner-up has a chance to put up some big performances against elite competition, potentially swaying the opinion of some voters. Embiid already made a statement a few weeks ago when he outplayed Jokic in a win over the Nuggets. If he does the same when Philadelphia visits Denver in late March, it could have a real impact on the race.

Embiid is averaging nearly 10 more points per game than Jokic. The 76ers only have one more loss than the Nuggets. If Embiid continues to dominate in the final few weeks of the season, voters could have some pausing in making Jokic the first player to win three straight MVP awards since Larry Bird.