Indian U-16 cagers scripted history in Qatar on Thursday. For the first time in the Fiba U-16 Asian Basketball Championship history, the Indian boys team made it to the quarterfinals of the continental event.

Indian U-16's best finish in the Asian tourney was the 10th position, which they achieved way back in 2009, when the event was first played 13 years ago. In the following event in 2011, India posted back-to-back victories in the league phase but failed to clear the top eight hurdle and finished 12th.

In the qualifying game for a spot in the quarterfinal, world no. 50 India outplayed lower ranked Indonesia 97-53 to confirm their berth among the best eight in Asia at Doha, Qatar, on Thursday.

In form Indian trio of Lokendra Singh, Jaideep Rathore and Kushal Singh scored baskets at will and shared as many as 83 points among them. While Lokendra scored a game-high 30 points, Jaideep Rathore netted 27 and Kushal Singh added 26 points for the winners.

Both Lokendra and Kushal recorded a double double when they pulled 17 and 10 rebounds respectively. Playing as point guard, Harsh Dagar scored 11 points and played a pivotal role of clearing the ball for nine assists as he also snatched nine rebounds.

While Indian U-6 took time to settle into the groove, they outplayed Indonesia as the game progressed. After taking a handy 14-point (43-29) lead at the halfway mark of their most important clash, India scored 15 unanswered points after the change of ends to stretch the advantage further to 58-29. Thereafter, it was a cakewalk for the boys donning white outfits as after dominating the third quarter 27-8, India outclassed Indonesia 27-16 in the last quarter to register a facile 44-point win.

While Indian U-16 out-rebounded Indonesia 53-34, they were better in assists at 30-16 and recorded more steals 23-8. Of the handy 23 steals that India made, they were able to score as many as 31 fast break points.

The NBA is one of the most unpredictable sports competitions in the world. However, fans that like betting on it are often looking for close to a sure thing when it comes to the playoffs.

The real unpredictability in the NBA starts when the playoffs get underway, as the sides that are in the top positions in the Eastern and Western conferences do battle.

In case you are considering taking on NBA betting, you might want to check the latest NBA Betting Odds at edge.twinspires.com/nba/odds/.

Anyway, which teams are among the safest bets to reach the playoffs in the 2021-22 season?

Brooklyn Nets

It would be hard to start anywhere else when assessing the best chances to make the playoffs. The Brooklyn Nets were considered favourites to win the NBA last season following the addition of James Harden.

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However, their season eventually fell apart in the post season, as they were beaten by the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games in the conference semi-finals. This season they are looking extremely strong once again, in an Eastern Conference that looks wide open when it comes to playoff spots.

The Nets have won ten from 14 games that they have played, and have been strong both home and away. They have won four times in Brooklyn so far this season, and six times away from home. Obviously, we are still at a very early stage of the season, but the early indications are very good for this leading NBA chance to reach the playoffs this season.

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Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers boast one of the most impressive rosters in the NBA, which means it will come as no surprise that they are one of the safest bets to reach the playoffs this season. The Lakers won the NBA title in the 2019-20 season but were very disappointing in the post-season the last term.

They failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs, as they were beaten by the Phoenix Suns. It was the first time in the career of Lebron James that he was knocked out of the playoffs at the early stage. It was also the worst playoff performance by a defending champion since the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014-15 season.

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There is still work for the Lakers to do this season though, as they are down in seventh after 14 games of the new season. They have been slightly too easy to beat so far this term, having lost on six occasions and having won just eight times. Away performances will certainly need to improve, as they have lost two of the three games that they have played away from the Staples Center.

Golden State Warriors

There is certainly a feeling this season that the Golden State Warriors are truly back. They have missed out on the playoffs in the last two seasons but finally, look back to the level that they were at when winning their three titles between 2015 and 2018. The Warriors have already been making history over the early weeks of the season.

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Steph Curry looks to be at the top of his game this season, as he surpassed the record number of three-pointers in NBA history set by Ray Allen. The Warriors are the early pacesetters in the Western Conference, having won eleven of the 13 games that they have played.

Home form has been a huge plus for them to this point, as they have won eight of the nine games played with home-court advantage. Certainly, bigger tests will come down the line, but the momentum that they are building ensures that they are standout contenders to reach the playoffs at present.

Fantasy Basketball Dream11 Team Prediction and preview for the match between DEN v ATL in NBA. Make your fantasy basketball teams with our prediction and match previews from our exclusive Fantasy Sports section.

DEN v ATL NBA Match Preview

Match: Denver Nuggets versus Atlanta Hawks

Time: 7 p.m. MT (6.30am next day, IST)

Venue: Ball Arena

Fantasy Basketball Dream11 Team Prediction: Team News

DEN v ATL NBA: Team News Denver Nuggets

With Aaron Gordon and JaVale McGee coming into the team post the trading, Denver will look confident. They had a very emotional last week. Their 113-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans despite the loss of Gary Harris is a great sign for them.

Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray,  Michael Porter Jr are in great form. Jokić had an MVP-caliber performance with 37 points. He also had nine assists, and six rebounds last Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans. Perhaps, the three combined 85 points for the Nuggets.

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Denver (27-18) will be starting with Aaron Gordon and JaVale McGee, which makes the match more interesting. Gordon who "prides on his defensive game" will surely add more value to the team with McGee's rim protection.

DEN v ATL NBA: Team News Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta (23-22) has looked like a different team after dismissing their old coach Lloyd Pierce. They are now fifth in the Eastern Conference following their eight straight wins after Nate McMillan took over as coach.

Trae Young will be the man to watch out for the Atlanta Hawks. Though he averages 23.9 points per game on 31.9 per cent shooting from beyond the arc, his playmaking ability makes him a great player for the team. Young averages 9.5 assists per game in the last 10 games.

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Atlanta ranks second in the league in terms of free-throw rate this season. This makes them one of the strongest team. Moreover, they had also tasted a sweet win over Denver (123-115). With Young leading Atlanta's offence, the Hawks are going to get plenty of trips to the free-throw line.

Another good news for the Hawks is their clean defensive form. They rank 13th in opponent free throw rate. This proves their disciplined defensive line up and how they are avoiding fouls.

Fantasy Basketball Dream11 Team: DEN V ATL

1. J Murray (PP)
2. M. Morris
3. B. Bogdanovic
4. W. Barton
5. T. Snell
6. Michael Porter Jr
7. D. Gallinari
8. N. Jokić (SP)