Credit: MassLive.com
Darren & Vic’s Takes: NBA Week 12 Preview
Published: Sunday, January 11, 2026
by Darren Worrell and Victor Lisboa
Week 11 is behind us, which means it is time for a new week of NBA basketball. The league is officially in week 12 and some great games have been happening. Now, Darren and Vic are back to preview the games that they feel will be big games this week.
Darren: Milwaukee Bucks vs Los Angeles Lakers
The Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers are set to face off on Friday at 10:30 P.M. EST at the Crypto.com Arena on NBA TV and on YouTube TV.
The Bucks have not been having the best of seasons lately, especially after losing point guard Damian Lillard in free agency this past offseason, currently sitting in eleventh place in the Eastern Conference.
However, it is clear that they do not let standings dictate their game because, at the end of the day, it still is basketball. They are 5-5 in their last ten games, with their most recent game being a loss to the Golden State Warriors, 120-113 in San Francisco.
This game was a battle between two of the best stars in the game: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry. Curry finished with 31 while Antetokounmpo finished with 34, but that just was not enough for the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo is leading the team in points and rebounds with 29.3 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game. He even shut down trade rumors because he is loyal to this team.
Besides him, they have nine other players who can score on any given night, averaging at least six points per game with six of them being in double figures. Therefore, scoring can come from anywhere which makes this team a tricky team to beat.
Looking at their opposition, the Los Angeles Lakers currently sit in fourth place in the Western Conference, and are projected to finish as the sixth seed, but they are doing way better than that thus far.
After trading Anthony Davis, who was a valuable member of the team, the Lakers got something better in return, and that was Luka Doncic. It is not every day that you get a player of Luka’s caliber, but it was needed.
Since coming to the Lakers, he has not missed a beat, while LeBron was out with an earlier injury, he and Austin Reaves were carrying the team. Austin Reaves led the league in scoring at one point, and now Luka leads the league in scoring with 33.7 points per game.
Luka leads the team in scoring and with Austin Reaves out, the 41-year-old LeBron James has come back and is averaging 21.7 points per game. The depth on the bench is not the strongest, but they get the job done and do the dirty work.
Earlier in the season, the Lakers beat the Bucks 119-95, and it will be interesting to see if they can do it again now that LeBron is back. It should be a great game.
Victor: Toronto Raptors vs Boston Celtics
The Toronto Raptors have started the new year undefeated, winning their last three games. Most recently was an exciting finish Wednesday night against the Charlotte Hornets.
Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley hit a game-winning three-pointer to give the Raptors the one-point victory, 97-96. They now occupy the fourth seed in the East, 5.5 games behind the first seed, with a 23-15 record.
They now need to head to TD Garden, to play the Boston Celtics. Boston is hovering right over Toronto in the standings, occupying the third seed with a 23-13 record and 4.5 games behind the first seed Detroit Pistons.
Toronto is towards the bottom of the league, 23rd in scoring averaging 114 points a contest. However, the Raptors are a team with a lot of length on the perimeter and are driven by their defensive capabilities.
They are fifth in the league in opponents ppg, allowing 111.9 points a contest. This is a balanced team statistically. Brandon Ingram has been a perfect addition to this squad. He currently leads the team in scoring, tallying 22 points per game.
However, it is important to note that he is currently listed as questionable for this matchup. Ingram’s potential absence could affect game script.
The Celtics are coming off of a close loss to the Denver Nuggets, a team without their superstar Nikola Jokic. Jokic is currently dealing with a hyperextended knee and his timetable for return is not yet clear.
Prior to their loss on Wednesday, Boston had won their last eight of nine games and had a brief stint as the second seed in the East, taking advantage of the New York Knicks’ losing streak. However, the Knicks are currently 0.5 games ahead of the Celtics for that second seed.
Boston is 13th in the league in scoring, averaging 117.6 ppg, but they are second in the league in defense, allowing 110.6 ppg. In the absence of Jayson Tatum, who’s recovering from an Achilles tear, Jaylen Brown has been having a career year, averaging career highs across the board.
He is currently averaging 29.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. In the month of December, Brown raised those numbers to 31.7 points, with the same rebounds and 5.4 assists, with strong shooting splits.
This made him the runner-up for Eastern Conference Player of the Month, ultimately losing to another “JB” in Jalen Brunson. This stretch for Celtics had been impressive for the 2024 NBA champions who have shown resiliency and perseverance in the absence of their leader.
It will be interesting to see how Boston approaches the trade deadline in less than a month, with questions lingering on expiring contracts like Anfernee Simons. I am excited to tune into this game, with two teams looking to take the top spot in the East and make a long run in the playoffs.
This will be Boston and Toronto’s third matchup of the season with Boston taking the first two games. This game will air at 7:00 P.M. EST this Friday, January 9. If you are able to tune in, it should be a good one.
Darren Worrell and Victor Lisboa can be reached at darren.worrell@student.shu.edu, victor.lisboa@student.shu.eduPosted in: sports,