NBA's 10 Best Games of the Week, December 12-18
It may be hard to believe, but most NBA teams will be past or around a third of the way done with their 2016-17 campaigns this week.
And with that much of a sample size, we're starting to get a feel for which teams and players are most worthy of our time and TV (or streaming) attention.
The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have understandably garnered most of the attention this season, but they're not the only exciting watches in the league.
For the best games on the NBA's slate over the next week, click through the slideshow. Be sure to leave any predictions or omissions in the comment section.
Blazers at Clippers: Monday, December 12
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The Portland Trail Blazers are struggling to recapture the magic of their 2015-16 season after making a surprise appearance in the playoffs in April.
They're still in the Western Conference's top eight for now, but they recently fell below .500 at 12-13. And a trip to Los Angeles to face Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers might not be too helpful in getting back on track.
Paul is coming off a historic performance against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, when he went for 20 points, 20 assists and zero turnovers. Per Basketball-Reference.com, there have been 52 20-point, 20-assist games in NBA history. Paul's the only one to do it without committing a turnover.
It's going to take a much better defensive performance than we're used to from Damian Lillard to be able to slow down CP3.
Timberwolves at Bulls: Tuesday, December 13
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After a less-than-amicable split from the Chicago Bulls in 2015, the Minnesota Timberwolves hired defensive specialist Tom Thibodeau to guide the young team in 2016-17.
The results haven't lived up to the hype, as Minnesota is 6-18 and losers of eight of its last nine games.
Following Friday's loss to the Detroit Pistons, point guard Ricky Rubio said the team is "playing with no heart," per ESPN.com.
Minnesota will have to find some heart if it wants any chance in Thibodeau's first shot at a revenge game on Tuesday in Chicago. It's then that the former Bulls head coach will have his first crack at his old team.
Grizzlies at Cavaliers: Tuesday, December 13
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We'll get some more evidence in the age-old debate between unstoppable forces and immovable objects on Tuesday when the Memphis Grizzlies head north to face the Cavaliers.
Cleveland's LeBron James is the unstoppable force in this analogy, of course. In his last five, LeBron's averaging 31.4 points, 9.0 assists and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 58.7 percent from the field and 40 percent from three.
The immovable object is Memphis, fresh off a 110-89 shellacking of the previously immortal-looking Warriors on Saturday. Despite missing Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons for most of the season, the Grizzlies still have the best defensive rating in the league, per NBA.com.
A big reason for that is the anchor, Marc Gasol, whose defense will get a serious test in the form of the red-hot LeBron.
Thunder at Jazz: Wednesday, December 14
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In case you hadn't heard, the Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook is averaging a triple-double. And he's actually doing it fairly comfortably, at 31.1 points, 11.0 assists and 10.9 rebounds per game.
On top of that, this isn't just an individual quest. He's not hunting rebounds and assists in a way that's hurting his team. In fact, OKC sits in first place in the Northwest Division. That is, at least for now.
The injury-plagued Utah Jazz are surging, despite missing starting point guard George Hill and starting power forward Derrick Favors for over half the team's games, and Gordon Hayward for nearly a quarter of them.
Credit Hayward and Rudy Gobert for keeping Utah in the playoff picture. Gobert, in particular, has been unreal of late. In the last week, he averaged 18.3 points, 14.8 rebounds and 4.0 blocks while shooting 79.3 percent from the field and 73.0 percent from the line.
He's been a monster, but he may need to find yet another gear to slow down Westbrook as the anchor of Utah's defense. The Jazz have struggled to contain point guard penetration in the absence of Hill, which puts most of the pressure on Gobert.
Celtics at Spurs: Wednesday, December 14
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Traditional powers will meet on Wednesday, as the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs square off in Texas.
Each represents one of its conference's best shots at knocking off the Warriors and Cavaliers prior to the NBA Finals.
That's not to say this is necessarily an NBA Finals preview, but if you had to pick two teams other than the favorites, these aren't bad choices.
San Antonio has quietly cruised to the second-best record in the West, while Boston's record isn't indicative of how good it can be when healthy.
Al Horford and Jae Crowder, who have the two best net ratings of Celtics rotation players, have both missed a significant portion of the season with injuries.
But when Horford's on the floor, Boston outscores its opponents by 7.9 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. That number is the same for Crowder.
Bulls at Bucks: Thursday, December 15
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James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love pretty much have the Central Division locked up. Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler have returned the Chicago Bulls to relevance. The Indiana Pacers have star Paul George, and the Detroit Pistons are in playoff contention, too.
But the most exciting player in the entire division might be Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks' 6'11" point forward is fifth in the NBA in value over replacement player, fourth in box plus/minus and first in defensive box plus/minus, per Basketball-Reference.com.
The fact that he's doing all this at age 22 is what makes it so exciting. Regardless of how things turn out Thursday, or for the entire season for Milwaukee, there's plenty of reason for optimism.
Knicks at Warriors: Thursday, December 15
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The Warriors should have an extra dose of motivation coming into this week after their beatdown at the paws of the Grizzlies on Saturday. They bounced back on Sunday with a 116-108 victory over the Timberwolves. A slate of games against teams around or below .500 should help them get even more on track.
One of the those squads they'll face is the New York Knicks, who of course feature Kristaps "The Unicorn" Porzingis.
It was Golden State's Kevin Durant who dubbed Porzingis a unicorn in January, per ESPN.com's Royce Young. And it's fitting, given the similarities the two share.
Both do things that players their size simply couldn't in bygone eras. They handle the ball and shoot like guards, defend the rim like bigs and do everything else in between.
With the Warriors' penchant for going small, expect Durant and Porzingis to have a chance to guard each other on Thursday.
Lakers at 76ers: Friday, December 16
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The records for the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers don't suggest must-watch basketball, but the budding talent on the rosters does.
Despite both teams being under .500, the Lakers and 76ers have some of the most exciting players in the league, thanks in large part to their youth.
For the Lakers, point guard D'Angelo Russell is still finding his way statistically, but his game looks like some kind of Stephen Curry/James Harden hybrid. If head coach Luke Walton can help him meet his full potential, L.A. will have a superstar on its hands.
Philly, meanwhile, boasts a 22-year-old, minutes-restricted Joel Embiid, who may already be a star. Despite playing only 23.5 minutes per game, Embiid is one of just three players averaging at least 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks this season. Anthony Davis and Antetokounmpo are the other two, per Basketball-Reference.com.
Hawks at Raptors: Friday, December 16
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With all the talk of the Warriors' historically dominant offense, it's easy for other teams to get a little less attention than they deserve.
The Toronto Raptors fall into that category. After the Warriors' loss to the Grizzlies, the Raptors were actually averaging more points per 100 possessions than Golden State, per NBA.com.
Point guard Kyle Lowry deserves most of the praise for that. Sure, DeMar DeRozan's gaudy point totals look good, but Lowry boasts the far superior offensive box plus/minus and true shooting percentage, per Basketball-Reference.com.
When Lowry's on the floor, Toronto drops a ridiculous 116.3 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. When he sits, that number drops to 107.4.
Blazers at Warriors: Saturday, December 17
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Fans of high-scoring, fast-paced basketball should enjoy Saturday night's matchup between the Warriors and Trail Blazers.
Since the start of 2015-16, the two have played five times, with the Warriors winning four and averaging 124.8 points per game. The Blazers averaged 114.4 points in the same five games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
Don't expect much different this week, as the Blazers currently have the third-worst defense in the league, per NBA.com.
Talk about a gauntlet for Lillard, who has to start his week against CP3 and end it against Stephen Curry.
Andy Bailey is on Twitter @AndrewDBailey.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
