In a week dominated by the start of March Madness, the NBA loses its normal Thursday night national TV slots but still has some pretty solid match-ups. The Hawks face the Warriors in a rematch of last months clash in Atlanta, and then face the Spurs later in the week. The Blazers face the Wizards and Grizzlies, holding on tight to their Western Conference home-court advantage.
Below is an exciting match up for each day this coming week that you should check out:
Monday, March 16th – Trail Blazers at Wizards, 7:00pm ET on NBA League Pass
The Blazers were written off two weeks ago after suffering a season-ending injury to Wesley Matthews. Since then, they have not only stayed competitive in the tight Western Conference, they have move a single game behind the Grizzlies for second place. The Wizards, on the other hand, have fallen – seemingly forgetting how to play effective offense. A mere 5-5 in their last 10 games, they are currently 5th in the East, and would face a first round matchup against the Bulls, who owned them as recently as last week. Ideally, this will be a solid matchup of two of the games best young point guards – the Blazers’ Damien Lillard and the Wizards’ John Wall. It will also feature strong front courts from both teams, but the game could be won on the defensive end, where neither team has been especially efficient of late.
Other great games tonight include Thunder at Mavericks (8:30pm on NBALP) and Raptors at Pacers (7:00pm ET on NBALP).
Tuesday, March 17th – Bucks at Pelicans, 8:00pm ET on NBATV
The Bucks come into the week on a slight downturn, having won three of their last 10. Since the trade-deadline deal that brought Michael Carter-Williams to Milwaulkee, the Bucks have not had the success of the first half of the year. Whether it’s chemistry, attrition, or simply reverting to the expectation, the Bucks aren’t heading into the playoffs on a high note. The Pelicans, another team written off a few weeks back, have heroically hung around the 8th playoff spot in the Western Conference. Entering the week a single game out, they spent much of the past week ahead of Oklahoma City, and have closed the gap to the 5-7 spots in the meantime. Anthony Davis is all-world, but the supporting cast needs to step up to get them over the hump and into the playoffs, while the Bucks need to figure it out before we reach April or face a likely swift exit from the playoffs.
Other great games tonight include Hornets at Clippers (10:30pm on NBALP).
Wednesday, March 18th – Hawks at Warriors, 10:30pm on ESPN
The rematch is here – the league’s top two teams face off in Oakland for the second time after the Hawks pulled out a victory a month ago in Atlanta. Both teams come in healthy and continue to play above the crowd of also-rans. The Warriors have found success with a small lineup featuring Draymond Green at center during long stretches – which benefits the Hawks who have struggled with teams that can out-rebound them, and also feature shooters in place of a traditional 1-5 lineup. A game to enjoy, this is our appetizer to head into March Madness.
Other great games tonight include Spurs at Bucks (8:00pm ET on NBALP) and Pacers at Bulls (8:00pm on NBALP).
Thursday, February 26th – Pelicans at Suns, 10:00pm ET on NBA League Pass
With much of the basketball world focused on the start of March Madness, games are limited. In this matchup, the Pelicans will be looking to get a win off the Suns – once a contender of the 8th spot in the Western Conference. The Suns have fallen off after trading half their team at the deadline, and have seemingly given up their aspirations for the playoffs for this year. The Pelicans, however, need wins. They have fought through injuries to remain a mere game behind the Thunder for the 8th and final playoff position, but now face a tough stretch run in which they need everybody contributing at a high level.
Friday, February 27th – Grizzlies at Mavericks, 8:30pm ET on NBA League Pass
The Grizzlies remain in second place in the Western Conference despite flying under the radar for the last few weeks. With pressure from Houston and Portland, they have continued to win with their gritty inside-outside game. The Mavericks are in trouble. A full 11 games out of first, they are fighting with the Spurs and Clippers for positions 5-7 but are only 4 1/2 games above the Thunder and the bottom of the table. The Rondo trade might not have worked out the way Dallas hoped, but at this point they still have it in them to be a tough playoff “out”, and need to start getting wins over teams they might be matched up with – like the Grizzlies.
Other great games tonight include Raptors at Bulls (8:00pm ET on NBALP), Hawks at Thunder (8:00pm on NBALP), Wizards at Clippers (10:30pm on NBALP), and Pelicans at Warriors (10:30pm on NBALP).
Saturday, February 28th – Trail Blazers at Grizzlies, 8:00pm ET on NBA League Pass
The Grizzlies move on to the visiting Blazers at home. The Grizzlies will look to grind it out against the hot-shooting Blazers, while Portland will look to counter with more Damian Lillard heroics. If Lopez and Aldridge can handle the Memphis big men, then Portland will have a chance to exploit the perimeter with Lillard and Afflalo.
Sunday, March 1 – Spurs at Hawks, 3:30pm ET on NBA League Pass
The teacher visits his pupil, as the Spurs visit their Eastern Conference spawn the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks have excelled this year with great ball movement and timely hot shooting. This was the recipe for success for the Spurs for years, and although we’ve seen splashes of brilliance this year, the Spurs have had to fight off age and injury to stay afloat in the West. It will be interesting to see if coach Bud attacks these weaknesses or plays it safe. Additionally, with Tim Duncan carrying the team most of the year it will be fun to see him matchup with Al Horford and the Hawks interior.
Other great games tonight include Pelicans at Clippers (3:30pm ET on NBALP), Cavaliers at Bucks (3:00pm ET on NBALP), and Mavericks at Suns (9:00pm ET on NBALP).