NBA's 10 Best Games of the Week, December 19-25
The coming week of NBA basketball features a number of intriguing matchups and is culminated by a Christmas Day slate to complement any family feast.
The highlight that Sunday is a rematch of the 2016 NBA Finals, as the Golden State Warriors head to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers, but it's not the only great game of the week.
Work your way through the slideshow to see the best upcoming matchups, and be sure to leave predictions and omissions in the comment section.
Jazz at Warriors: Tuesday, December 20
1 of 10
Tipoff: 10:30 p.m. ET
Coverage: NBA TV
The Utah Jazz have been perhaps the most injury-plagued team of the 2016-17 season. Their starting lineup of George Hill, Rodney Hood, Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert has played a grand total of 12 minutes.
Even still, Utah's depth has allowed it to not only survive, but play quite well. Coming into the week, the Jazz are fourth in net rating, outscoring opponents by 7.5 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com.
And now that they're finally starting to get some key pieces back, the Jazz get a shot at revenge against the Warriors. On December 8, Golden State beat a Jazz team without four of its starters by just seven points.
Spurs at Rockets: Tuesday, December 20
2 of 10
Tipoff: 8 p.m. ET
Coverage: NBA TV
The San Antonio Spurs are allowing opponents to get up 24.7 three-point attempts per game, which ranks them eighth in the league, per NBA.com.
The Houston Rockets, meanwhile, are hoisting 38.9 threes per game. If that holds, they'll break their own record from 2014-15 by over six attempts per game, per Basketball-Reference.com.
Whichever team is able to establish its identity will have the inside track on a victory in this one.
Bucks at Cavaliers: Wednesday, December 21
3 of 10
Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET
Coverage: NBA TV
The highlight of Wednesday's action is a matchup between LeBron James and a player who could potentially be the next LeBron James.
The Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo enters the week averaging 22.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.0 blocks. Larry Bird is the only player in NBA history to average at least 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals for a full season, per Basketball-Reference.com. If you add the blocks, Antetokounmpo stands alone.
And what may be craziest is the fact that Giannis has the all-around game of James and Bird at 6'11"—three inches taller than the former and two inches taller than the latter.
Spurs at Clippers: Thursday, December 22
4 of 10
Tipoff: 10:30 p.m. ET
Coverage: TNT
Now 31 years old and well into his 12th NBA season, Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul is about as good as he's ever been. His win shares per 48 minutes this year would be a career high if it holds, and his box plus/minus is the second-best he's ever put up, per Basketball-Reference.com.
And with Tony Parker on a rather sharp decline over the last three or four seasons, point guard will be a tough matchup for the Spurs in this one—unless, of course, San Antonio plans to put The Klaw (Kawhi Leonard) on CP3.
Rockets at Grizzlies: Friday, December 23
5 of 10
Tipoff: 8 p.m. ET
Coverage: Local
Similar to the Spurs-Rockets matchup, this game will be a clash of philosophies.
The Memphis Grizzlies rank 28th in pace, while the Rockets are ninth, per NBA.com. The Grizzlies are 20th in three-point attempts per game, while Houston is first.
It's Grit 'n' Grind (though slightly less so with David Fizdale in charge) versus Mike D'Antoni ball. The human embodiments of each philosophy—Tony Allen for the Grizzlies and James Harden for the Rockets—will be center stage.
Celtics at Knicks: Sunday, December 25
6 of 10
Tipoff: 12 p.m. ET
Coverage: ESPN
It may not have the same cachet as it does in baseball, but the Boston-New York rivalry should have a little more to it than in previous years in the NBA.
The Celtics enter the week with a one-game lead on the Knicks in the standings, and both teams are firmly in the playoff hunt. That adds a little intensity to a matchup that hasn't had much in the Knicks' recent down years.
The turnaround for New York is the result of several things, but chief among them may be Kristaps Porzingis. The 7'3" rising star is a matchup problem Boston may not have the pieces to solve.
Warriors at Cavaliers: Sunday, December 25
7 of 10
Tipoff: 2:30 p.m. ET
Coverage: ABC
The headliner on Christmas Day is a 2016 Finals rematch between the Warriors and Cavaliers, who haven't faced each other since the latter knocked off the former in June's Game 7.
The fundamental difference this year, of course, is that the Warriors now have Kevin Durant. How much of a difference that will make against LeBron and the defending champs remains to be seen, but it's easy to see reason for optimism for Golden State.
Durant enters the week averaging 25.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.6 blocks. Perhaps most impressive is his 65.3 true shooting percentage, per Basketball-Reference.com. Slowing him down will be critical for the Cavaliers.
Bulls at Spurs: Sunday, December 25
8 of 10
Tipoff: 5 p.m. ET
Coverage: ABC
Durant versus James is about as good as small forward matchups get, but the follow-up isn't too shabby, either.
The Spurs' Leonard and the Chicago Bulls' Jimmy Butler enter the week at seventh and 10th, respectively, in box plus/minus, per Basketball-Reference.com.
Both are putting up the kind of gaudy numbers you see from All-NBA talent:
| Jimmy Butler | 36.3 | .453 | .345 | .487 | .887 | 6.7 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 24.8 |
| Kawhi Leonard | 33.6 | .471 | .389 | .525 | .920 | 6.0 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 24.5 |
If either is able to slow down the other, his team will have a much better shot at celebrating Christmas with a victory.
Timberwolves at Thunder: Sunday, December 25
9 of 10
Tipoff: 8 p.m. ET
Coverage: ESPN
The first night game on Christmas features perhaps the biggest individual-player attraction in the league in Russell Westbrook.
So far this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard is averaging a preposterous 30.4 points, 11.0 assists and 10.5 rebounds per game. He has a legitimate shot to be the first player to average a triple-double for an entire season since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62.
That feat has always felt like one of those unbreakable records, like Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points in a single game or Cal Ripken Jr.'s 2,632 consecutive games played.
But with the way Westbrook is playing now, Robertson's triple-double mark suddenly has mortality.
Clippers at Lakers: Sunday, December 25
10 of 10
Tipoff: 10:30 p.m. ET
Coverage: ESPN
The week closes out with a battle for Staples Center supremacy, as the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers square off on Christmas night.
In recent years, describing any matchup in this series as a battle would've been a stretch, but new Lakers head coach Luke Walton has the team looking much more competitive this season—and it's not just because of growth from the young talent.
Walton has veterans Lou Williams and Nick Young both playing better than they ever have, which has naturally led to more team success. The Lakers averaged 21.7 wins over each of the last three seasons; they already have 11 and are on pace for 30 in 2016-17.
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