The Game Every NBA Team Is Circling on Its 2020-21 Schedule
It took a few extra months than usual to get here, but all 30 NBA teams revealed the first halves of their 2020-21 schedules Friday.
There are highlights all over the league, but each team should be especially excited for certain individual matchups.
To determine which game should be circled for each team, we'll look at a variety of subjective criteria. Is there a revenge factor? Would this game provide an opportunity to prove something? Which game will garner the most national attention?
Whatever the reason, these are the games that teams around the NBA should have circled on their calendar for the upcoming season.
Atlanta Hawks
1 of 28
The Game: Feb. 3 vs. the Dallas Mavericks
Trae Young is never going to escape the comparisons to Luka Doncic. That's the inevitability that sometimes comes with draft-night trades.
Young is already an All-Star, but Luka looks like a perennial MVP candidate (he just finished fourth in voting last season).
In their two head-to-head matchups, though, Young has actually outplayed Doncic. And with recently arrived reinforcements like Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Atlanta Hawks should be better equipped to help Young secure a win over Luka.
Boston Celtics
2 of 28
The Game: Dec. 25 vs. the Brooklyn Nets
The obvious and more dramatic storyline at play here is Kyrie Irving taking on his former team. Last season, he missed all three games against the Boston Celtics. So, neither side has technically had the revenge game yet.
The more interesting angle might just be what this game says about the Eastern Conference hierarchy. Boston lost Gordon Hayward this summer, and Kemba Walker is out till January. A win over Kyrie and Kevin Durant would say a lot about the continued ascension of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The former, specifically, has a chance to enter the league's top tier with big performances in marquee games like this. In 2019-20, he averaged 27.2 points with a 57.1 effective field-goal percentage from Feb. till the end of the season. The Celtics' current situation calls for that level of production to stay near the top of the East.
Brooklyn Nets
3 of 28
The Game: Jan. 18 vs. the Milwaukee Bucks
Assuming Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving can stay on the floor for most of the 2020-21 campaign, the Nets will measure themselves against the league's best teams.
And since the opening slate of games doesn't have them taking on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers till mid-February, a shot at last season's top seed in the East will suffice.
The back-to-back reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has led the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the conference in each of the last two seasons.
Brooklyn can prove itself a real challenger to unseat them in January.
Charlotte Hornets
4 of 28
The Game: Feb. 1 @ the Miami Heat
The Charlotte Hornets don't have any matchups scheduled with the Celtics, so we don't have the obvious revenge game to analyze.
Instead, let's focus on an inter-divisional foe, the Miami Heat. Last season's division winner and eventual Finals representative for the conference is the class of the Southeast.
Being competitive against a team like Miami will say a lot about whether Charlotte is truly a contender for the postseason with its new $120 million forward.
Chicago Bulls
5 of 28
The Game: Feb. 1 vs. the New York Knicks
The Chicago Bulls are running it back with mostly the same roster they had in 2019-20. They may have their eyes on a playoff berth, but they're certainly not locks.
So, instead of picking a measuring-stick sort of game, we'll look for a walkover.
The Bulls and New York Knicks gave us one of the game's best rivalries in the '90s, but both teams have fallen on harder times of late.
For the Bulls, taking care of business against the league's worst teams will be crucial in landing a spot in the postseason. That and nostalgia should be enough to get up for this game.
Cleveland Cavaliers
6 of 28
The Game: Dec. 26 @ the Detroit Pistons
Andre Drummond's shortcomings seem to get a lot more attention than his strengths. In today's game, it's difficult to design a functional offense around a center who doesn't make threes and isn't terribly efficient elsewhere.
Still, he's just 27 years old and has the highest rebounding percentage in NBA history. The fact that he was a salary dump from the Detroit Pistons last season is something that has to weigh on him.
And now that Detroit has committed $85 million to Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee, Drummond has a better idea of what he was dumped for. This early-season game gives him a chance to prove he has a brighter future than his replacements.
Dallas Mavericks
7 of 28
The Game: Dec. 25 @ the Los Angeles Lakers
Luka Doncic is 21 years old. He's coming off a season in which he averaged 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists (31.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 9.5 assists per 75 possessions). He already has a top-five finish in MVP voting to his name.
And now, the league has him co-starring with LeBron James in the prime-time slot on Christmas Day.
This isn't happening just because the Dallas Mavericks should be good this year (though they certainly should be). The NBA is positioning Luka to potentially be the face of the league.
Over the next few years, he and LeBron can battle for the unofficial title of the game's best point forward. Then, when LeBron eventually (probably, maybe?) slows down, Doncic will have the cachet to step into his leaguewide role.
Denver Nuggets
8 of 28
The Game: Feb. 4 @ the Los Angeles Lakers
Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets are officially in the stratosphere of title contenders.
Jokic is the best center in the NBA. Murray is coming off a stellar postseason in which he averaged 26.5 points and 6.6 assists while looking like a bona fide alpha in crunch time. And the team finished 2019-20 with a competitive (albeit short) conference finals appearance against the Lakers.
Now, ending a campaign at the top of that tier will require a little more development from the two stars, Michael Porter Jr. and others on the roster. And games against the league's top team can serve as a good gauge of whether that's happening.
Detroit Pistons
9 of 28
The Game: Feb. 1 @ the Denver Nuggets
After a year as cogs in the Nuggets' second unit, Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee now have a chance to prove they're capable of starting on a front line (though both have had that role earlier in their careers).
And beating the players they used to back up could serve as a solid confidence boost for Grant, Plumlee and the Pistons.
It'd be like the day the backups finally sneak a game over the starters in a scrimmage.
Golden State Warriors
10 of 28
The Game: Dec. 22 @ the Brooklyn Nets
Without Klay Thompson, we won't really get to see the Golden State Warriors we want in 2020-21. The team recovered from the news of his torn Achilles about as well as it could, though, trading for Kelly Oubre Jr. to solidify a starting lineup that includes Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and possibly James Wiseman.
That group should have enough talent to compete for a playoff spot, but in the West, that's far from a given.
We should learn a decent amount about the roster right off the bat when the Warriors take on their former forward, Kevin Durant, on the NBA's opening night.
If Curry goes off and upends the KD-Kyrie duo, the early-season takes are bound to be warm.
Why Kevin Durant Never Should Have Left the Warriors...
Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards
11 of 28
The Game: Washington Wizards @ Houston Rockets, Jan. 26
This one may not need much explanation, but we'll provide it anyway.
In 2019, the Rockets surrendered CP3 and a whopping four first-round draft picks for Russell Westbrook. Prior to the 2020 trade deadline, they pushed even more chips in, trading Clint Capela so that Westbrook could operate as something of a point center who could attack a wide-open lane.
Well, that experiment came to a screeching halt this offseason. Houston acquired Christian Wood and DeMarcus Cousins and then traded Westbrook for a 30-year-old point guard coming off a ruptured Achilles and a protected future first-round pick.
In the short term, the deal probably makes the Washington Wizards better. Without knowing what John Wall looks like, it's hard to argue otherwise. Neither one of these contracts will age well, though.
Westbrook had a negative net rating swing last season, and a lot of the issues that plagued the connection with James Harden will likely exist with Bradley Beal. The Wizards guard doesn't dominate the ball quite like Harden, but he did just average 30.5 points and post a 34.4 usage percentage.
Wall, meanwhile, could clash with Harden too. He's a good passer, but taking full advantage of that skill means taking the ball out of Harden's hands. And keeping it there would seem to necessitate better shooting from Wall, whose career three-point percentage is 32.4 percent.
This is a deal that has a chance to be one of those rare lose-lose propositions. But by golly, I want to watch when the two sides of it actually play basketball against each other.
Indiana Pacers
12 of 28
The Game: Dec. 27 vs. the Boston Celtics
Back in November, negotiations on a potential sign-and-trade that would've sent Gordon Hayward from Boston to the Indiana Pacers broke down when Danny Ainge did what he often does: set an astronomical asking price.
According to the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, Indiana offered Myles Turner and Doug McDermott, but the Celtics insisted on Turner and either TJ Warren or Victor Oladipo.
As Washburn wrote, "That's a big difference."
On Dec. 27, plenty will have something to prove. The Pacers' front office could feel a little satisfaction in a big game from Turner and a few threes from McDermott.
Behold what you could have had!
Turner and McDermott, meanwhile, might get a little different satisfaction out of big performances.
Behold what you were trying to trade!
Either way, there's plenty of motivation here for a team that will try to leapfrog Boston in the standings this season.
Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers
13 of 28
The Game: Los Angeles Clippers @ Los Angeles Lakers, Dec. 22
The only way the Los Angeles Clippers will ever truly start to shake the "little brother" complex the organization has with the Los Angeles Lakers is to beat them. Beat them often. Beat them in the playoffs. And beat them to titles.
They have enough talent to do that. Kawhi Leonard can take over a playoff run as thoroughly as anyone in the league. Paul George is a worthy No. 2. And Marcus Morris, Patrick Beverley, Serge Ibaka, Luke Kennard and more make up one of the game's deepest supporting casts.
Last season, chemistry derailed them. A strong performance to open the season against the defending champs could put much of those concerns to rest.
From the Lakers' perspective, this game carries meaning on a couple of levels.
For one thing, it's another opportunity for them to assert their dominance over the crosstown rivalry. The Clippers have obviously been more respectable over the last several years, but they aren't close to threatening the Lakers' grasp on L.A. fandom.
The other angle here is the Montrezl Harrell revenge game. Immediately after winning the Sixth Man of the Year award, the Clippers let Harrell walk. Signing with the Lakers feels like a very deliberate clap back at the front office that passed on him.
Memphis Grizzlies
14 of 28
The Game: Feb. 6 @ the New Orleans Pelicans
With Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, the New Orleans Pelicans have gotten plenty of pub over the last year and change for being the league's most intriguing up-and-coming team.
The Memphis Grizzlies might deserve even more attention with their own core of Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson Jr. (not to mention Justise Winslow, Jontay Porter and John Konchar).
This team is young, modern and explosive. In February, they can stake their claim as the premier combination of those three attributes.
Miami Heat
15 of 28
The Game: Dec. 29 vs. the Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks had a truly dominant 2019-20 campaign. They finished with the 11th-best simple rating system (point differential combined with strength of schedule) in league history.
Then, in the playoffs, the Miami Heat cruised past them in five games. The Heat, of course, wound up making it all the way to the Finals before an injury to Goran Dragic and a determined Lakers squad ended their Cinderella run.
Now, after the Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers retooled, and the Nets simply got healthy, Miami seems to have drifted toward the edge of the conversation on title contenders.
Much of last season's team is back, and Tyler Herro has had a little more time to develop. Continuity and growth may well make the Heat even better than they were.
And they'll have a chance to prove very early in the season that they still belong at or near the top of everyone's list of Eastern Conference favorites.
Milwaukee Bucks
16 of 28
The Game: Jan. 21 vs. the Los Angeles Lakers
It's title or bust for the Bucks in 2020-21. Three first-rounders and two first-round pick swaps for Jrue Holiday, a one-time All-Star who earned that honor nearly eight years ago, is as "win-now" as win-now moves get.
Is the added size and defensive versatility Holiday brings worth the sacrifices Milwaukee made in terms of depth this offseason?
We probably won't have an answer to that question till the playoffs (again, title or bust), but the Bucks' first test against the reigning champs should offer some indication of Holiday's value within this system.
Minnesota Timberwolves
17 of 28
The Game: Jan. 3 vs. the Denver Nuggets
Beyond the fact that the Minnesota Timberwolves are chasing the Nuggets within the Northwest Division, there are a few other incentives to win this matchup.
Remember that nod to Nikola Jokic being the best center in the league earlier in the slideshow? Karl-Anthony Towns has the talent to earn that distinction, but he has to be more committed on defense, and the Wolves have to win some games to dethrone the Joker.
Additionally, two former Nuggets can bring a little revenge-game attitude to this contest. Malik Beasley and Juan Hernangomez both enjoyed bigger roles in Minnesota following a midseason trade from Denver in 2019-20. Hitting a few threes in a win over their old team would bring a little extra satisfaction.
New Orleans Pelicans
18 of 28
The Game: Jan. 11 @ the Dallas Mavericks
While the Christmas Day slate of games suggests possible face-of-the-league status for Luka Doncic one day, it's not as though he won't have competition for that mantle.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson was a physical force unlike anything we've seen before during his abbreviated rookie season.
He averaged 28.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per 75 possessions with a 61.6 true shooting percentage. If he puts up similar (or better) numbers in 2020-21, while dominating marquee matchups like this one, he'll position himself as another potential heir to LeBron.
New York Knicks
19 of 28
The Game: Jan. 13 vs. the Brooklyn Nets
If Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are healthy, the New York Knicks will likely get wiped out during this game, but it's an intercity rivalry and New York's only ESPN game of the first half of the season (they have four on NBA TV).
Really, this season is all about internal development and piling up losses for the Knicks, so you couldn't blame them for leaving their calendars completely devoid of circles.
If RJ Barrett and one or two other youngsters get better, Mitchell Robinson continues to dominate as a rim-roller and -protector and the Knicks improve their odds at landing Cade Cunningham in the 2021 draft, this season will have been a success.
Oklahoma City Thunder
20 of 28
The Game: Jan. 27 @ the Phoenix Suns
It doesn't seem like there is any ill will between Chris Paul and the Oklahoma City Thunder. That pairing was one of the best stories of 2019-20. Paul got a chance to rehab his image a bit, and OKC got a chance to drastically outperform expectations.
But it always felt like a temporary situation for CP3, and now he's about to begin his first season with the Phoenix Suns.
When they play each other, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will have a chance to deploy some of the knowledge Paul passed onto him against his former mentor. It'll be like the one-on-one matchup you had with your dad in the backyard. Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Vader. Neo vs. Morpheus.
You get the point.
Orlando Magic
21 of 28
The Game: Dec. 31 vs. the Philadelphia 76ers
The Orlando Magic are another team that mostly stood pat this offseason. It was a fitting few months for a team that has been mired in mediocrity for years.
Barring a trade, their only discernible path to the next tier probably calls for a star leap from the No. 1 pick in 2017, Markelle Fultz. And it'd fun to see some signs that he's ready to take that leap against the team that drafted him.
If Fultz does become the kind of player who can lift Orlando to a few more wins, he and Nikola Vucevic could form a dynamic inside-out duo. The former can get to the rim in a flash. The latter can pull bigs away from the lane with his shooting.
Philadelphia 76ers
22 of 28
The Game: Jan. 20 vs. the Boston Celtics
The Philly-Boston rivalry tilted toward the Celtics in 2019-20. Despite the Sixers going 3-1 against their division foe in the regular season, Boston swept Philadelphia in the first round of the postseason.
Perhaps the primary fault of the Sixers in the regular season, lack of spacing, is what also doomed them in the playoffs. In that series, they shot 26.4 percent from three.
Philadelphia just went through one of this offseason's most pointed offseason overhauls, though. Daryl Morey managed to unload Al Horford's contract while also bringing in two top-end spacers in Seth Curry and Danny Green.
The impact that kind of shooting can have on the Ben Simmons-Joel Embiid pairing is immense.
During JJ Redick's two seasons in Philly, the Sixers were plus-14.4 points per 100 possessions when he shared the floor with Simmons and Embiid and plus-3.4 when the two stars played without the sharpshooter.
With a roster that now makes more sense for the top duo, Philadelphia may be able to exact revenge on the Celtics.
Phoenix Suns
23 of 28
The Game: Dec. 31 @ the Utah Jazz
The "Devin Booker or Donovan Mitchell" debate had enough internet traction to inspire a 15-minute highlight reel of the two from Bleacher Report.
For the first couple of years of Mitchell's career, it looked like he might have the inside track, thanks mostly to the fact that his team was so much more successful.
Last season, the individual numbers leaned toward Booker, though again, Utah had a much better record.
Now, Booker finally has a chance to play alongside another bona fide star, something Mitchell has had the benefit of throughout his young career with Rudy Gobert.
Adding CP3 to the Phoenix Suns could potentially make everyone on the roster better. That includes Booker, who's coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 26.6 points and 6.5 assists.
Those are gaudy numbers, but Paul will create more open looks than Booker has ever had before. That and wins over the Utah Jazz could tip the scales to Booker in this debate.
Portland Trail Blazers
24 of 28
The Game: Jan. 1 @ the Golden State Warriors
Whether he was actually chasing him or not, Damian Lillard was often compared to two-time MVP Stephen Curry during the Warriors' half-decade dynasty.
Over the last two seasons, at least one catch-all number, box plus/minus, suggests Lillard has been the better player.
Of course, Curry's 2019-20 was almost entirely wiped out by injury. And with Klay Thompson out for the season, he'll be expected to carry a massive responsibility. Perhaps he retakes the lead in what may be a contrived debate.
Lillard, for his part, puts himself in the same category as Curry.
"I'm looking at Steph, Russ and CP, and I don't view them as above me," Lillard told Draymond Green for Bleacher Report. "The way I see people speak on my name sometimes, it is almost like, 'He's a great player, but...' But what?"
For many, the "but what" often refers to titles. That's a lofty aspiration for this particular Portland Trail Blazers roster. Maintaining an edge in production over Curry isn't, though. Lillard can do that and back up his comments above at the same time in matchups with the Warriors.
Sacramento Kings
25 of 28
The Game: Jan. 17 vs. the New Orleans Pelicans
Ever since a 2017 matchup in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, Sacramento Kings point guard De'Aaron Fox has had a bit of a rivalry with Lonzo Ball.
In that contest, Fox had 39 points in an 86-75 win over UCLA. As pros, Fox has continued to outpace Ball in raw numbers during head-to-head matchups, but Ball has a 4-3 record.
This half-season, Fox has a chance to go up 5-4. And wins for the Sacramento Kings over the Pelicans might have an effect similar to the one described in the Grizzlies slide.
This team's young core, which includes Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley, understandably draws far less attention than New Orleans', but there's still reason for intrigue there.
And in the last matchup between these two teams in the bubble, Sacramento walloped the Pelicans, 140-125, behind 30 points and 10 assists from Fox.
San Antonio Spurs
26 of 28
The Game: Jan. 5 @ the Los Angeles Clippers
Two full seasons have passed since Kawhi Leonard demanded and received a trade from the San Antonio Spurs. Leonard has since spurned another team, this time in free agency.
With much of the front office and coaching staff from 2018 still in place, as well as a few players, the Spurs should still relish opportunities to hand their former MVP candidate some losses.
Of course, given the talent gap between the Spurs' and Clippers' rosters, those opportunities may be better described as "prayers," but still.
Toronto Raptors
27 of 28
The Game: Feb. 5 @ the Brooklyn Nets
Despite the loss of Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers, the Toronto Raptors still ran away with the Atlantic Division, finishing five games ahead of the Boston Celtics in the regular season.
A new challenger is on the scene, though, thanks to the return of Kyrie Irving and the debut of Kevin Durant for the Nets.
With those two in place, Brooklyn figures to be in the hunt for not only the best record in the division but also possibly the best record in the conference.
Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka are gone, but many of the Raptors' most important players are still on the roster, and Aron Baynes is a solid replacement up front.
Toronto was plus-5.5 points per 100 possessions (83rd percentile) when both Gasol and Ibaka were off the floor (though many of those possessions likely came against backups).
Maintaining that kind of play without the two bigs this season, especially against a team like Brooklyn, will make it difficult to remove Toronto from the title conversation.
Utah Jazz
28 of 28
The Game: Jan. 17 @ the Denver Nuggets
Mike Conley's buzzer-beating runner in Game 7 against the Nuggets was literally inches away from sending the eventual conference finalist home after the first round.
Instead, the Utah Jazz are the team with a first-round exit added to the resume, despite Donovan Mitchell's 36.3 points and two 50-point games in the series.
In January, Utah can exact a measure of revenge on the team that knocked it out and possibly assert some dominance over the Northwest Division in the process.
The Timberwolves and Blazers should both be better this season, but the Jazz and Nuggets aren't going away.
