Week 14: Games of the Week
- Taj Mayfield
- Jan 20, 2020
- 2 min read
Highlighting the top individual and team matchups of the week, leading into more detailed articles later in the week.
My brother has this impressive Stuart Scott-like ability to make any basketball game seem interesting, regardless of the team's record, roster or any other factor.
That once-in-a-generation ability skipped my gene pool, but what I do have is a cheat sheet called the internet that allows me to find the most interesting matchups of the week and gather information on them.
With that information, for the remainder of the season, I'll announce what I view to be the most interesting games of every week, from clear marquee team matchups to glorified one on ones.
One of these emphasized matchups will result in a "Building a Franchise" series article, and if a team has more than one must-watch games, they will be the subject of that week's case study—a new film-based series of columns on specific NBA teams.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Memphis Grizzlies
When: Monday at 5 PM ET
Key Matchup(s): Actual game, Ja Morant vs. Lonzo Ball
Key Storyline(s): Battle for 8th seed, Top-10 passing teams, Future of Western Conference, Fast pace
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics
When: Monday 7:30 PM ET
Key Matchup(s): Actual game, LeBron James vs. Celtics forwards, Brad Stevens vs. Frank Vogel
Key Storyline(s): Top-5 defenses, Potential Finals matchup, Can Kemba finally beat LeBron?, Potential Coaches of the Year
San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns
When: Monday 9:00 PM ET
Key Matchup(s): Actual game, Gregg Popovich vs. Monty Williams, DeMar Derozan and LaMarcus Aldridge vs. Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton
Key Storyline(s): Battle for 8th seed, Team basketball, Great coaches, Offense
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks
When: Tuesday 8:30 PM ET
Key Matchup(s): Actual game, Luka Dončic vs. physical Clippers defense, Doc Rivers vs. Rick Carlisle
Key Storyline(s): Potential playoff matchup
Denver Nuggets vs. Houston Rockets
When: Wednesday 8:00 PM ET
Key Matchup(s): Team ball vs. Hero ball
Key Storyline(s): Potential playoff matchup, two top-10 offenses, Michael Porter Jr.
San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Pelicans
When: Wednesday 9:30 PM ET
Key Matchup(s): Actual game
Key Storyline(s): Zion Williamson Debut, Battle for 8th seed, Offense
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Brooklyn Nets
When: Thursday 8:00 PM ET
Key Matchup(s): Kyrie Irving vs. LeBron James,
Key Storyline(s): Kyrie Irving vs. LeBron James, Prime Kyrie explosion game
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Miami Heat
When: Friday 8:00 PM ET
Key Matchup(s): Actual game, Jimmy Butler vs. Kawhi Leonard, Bam Adebayo vs. Montrezl Harrell, Eric Spoelstra vs. Doc Rivers
Key Storyline(s): Two of the top teams in the league, Defense, Great coaches
Dallas Mavericks vs. Utah Jazz
When: Saturday 5:00 PM ET
Key Matchup(s): Luka Dončic vs. Donovan Mitchell, Shooters vs. Shooters
Key Storyline(s): Potential playoff matchup, Three-point shooting, Offense vs. Defense
Feel free to leave a comment for which games to focus on, and remember to subscribe so you don't miss out on the more detailed articles.
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