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Jan. 2, 2018 - Source: Brian Babineau/NBAE
Monday February 5th
Washington Wizards at Indiana Pacers (7PM EST)
This will be the first matchup between these two teams this season. Since John Wall’s surgery, that will keep him out for some time, the Wizards have won three games in a row and find themselves in the 4th spot in the East. They are only a ½ game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the games since John Wall’s injury, Otto Porter and Bradley Beal have stepped up in wins against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, and Orlando Magic. With so much speculation that this run of games without their All-Star point guard might bury them, the Wizards have started out well.
The Pacers are right behind the Wizards in the 5th spot at the moment, so this could be a playoff preview. The Pacers are 6-2 in their last 8 games with the Wizards coming to town on Monday. They have a chance to get some prime playoff position with their next 8 games. They will play the Wizards, Pelicans, and Celtics before 5 games in a row against some of the worst teams in the league by record. The Pacers and Wizards are two teams that could capitalize on the turmoil in Cleveland and possibly get home court advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs.
Tuesday February 6th
Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden State Warriors (10:30PM EST)
This is the 2nd meeting between these two teams. The first was won by the Thunder in Oklahoma City by 17 points. The Thunder have struggled without Andre Roberson. They have lost their last three games despite the amazing play of Russell Westbrook and Paul George. This game is sandwiched in between three other games against bad teams. The Thunder play the Lakers on Sunday and travel for this game and will follow that up against the Lakers in Los Angeles before back home against the Grizzlies. Going 3-1 in that stretch would be huge for the Thunder, but if they end up losing 2 or more of these games it could be symptomatic of real issues moving forward. The Thunder are the team that many think could challenge Golden State and this game could be indicative of what that matchup may look like.
They hype for this game would be bigger had Steve Kerr not come out and basically said that the Warriors are tired of this season and really want the break. They have coasted to the best record in the NBA up until this point. They have lost a game to the Thunder already this season and that usually will wake up the Warriors so this could be a fun game to watch. The Warriors are 3-3 in their last 6 and are only 2 games ahead of the Rockets for the number one seed in the Western Conference.
Wednesday February 7th
Minnesota Timberwolves at Cleveland Cavaliers (8PM EST)
This is the 2nd and final game of the season series between these two teams. The Timberwolves won the first game by 28 points in Minnesota. The Timberwolves have maintained their hold of the number 4 spot in the West and are only a half game behind the Spurs. Minnesota is going to be a tough team come playoff time and will be a nice challenge in the 2nd round for the Rockets or Warriors. They have some gifted offensive players, but they do struggle defensively at times. Jimmy Butler has been great this season and should get some consideration for MVP.
The Cavaliers are the most fascinating team in the NBA. They are such a strange team and it would not shock me if they went on a huge win streak or lost their next 10 games. My love for Lebron James is big, but the way that he is not taking too much heat for essentially putting this team together is beyond me. Kevin Love is out for a while and that injury is going to hurt. Since January the Cavaliers are 6-9, but the stat that is the most surprising is that of those 9 losses, 8 of them have been by double digits. They have been blown out by more than 20 points four times. This is a big game for the Cavaliers.
Thursday February 8th (Trade Deadline)
Boston Celtics at Washington Wizards (8PM EST)
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. The Celtics lost to the Wizards on Christmas Day. The Celtics are maintaining their grip on the Eastern Conference number one spot by two games even though they are 5-5 in their last 10 games. However, they have won three games in a row. Kyrie Irving has missed the last two games and Marcus Smart will likely miss this game as well. The short handed Celtics will play a Washington team without John Wall as mentioned above.
Friday February 9th
Los Angeles Clippers at Detroit Pistons (7PM EST)
This will be the 2nd and final game of the season between these two teams. The Pistons won the first game in Los Angeles, but some things have changed since that game. Blake Griffin is now on the Pistons and with this game being the day after the trade deadline it is unclear if the Clippers will still have DeAndre Jordan or Lou Williams on the roster. The Clippers have won three of their last four and will have three days leading into this game without a game. There is a lot of speculation about the Clippers looking for trades, but I would not be surprised if they stand pat after the Blake trade.
The Pistons got a shot in the arm with Griffin, although they may feel different when Blake is making over 38 million dollars in the 2021-22 season. Griffin has been very good for the Pistons thus far and they are 2-0 with him. He has put up 12 assists in those two games and with Drummond’s passing ability, the Pistons have a nice offense. It will be strange to see Griffin go up against the Clippers, but at the moment the Pistons are in the 9th spot and they have playoff aspirations. They are a half game back of the 8th seed 76ers.
Saturday February 10th
San Antonio Spurs at Golden State Warriors (8:30PM EST)
This will be the 2nd meeting between these two teams. The Warriors dusted the Spurs by 20 in their last matchup. The Spurs are 5-5 in their last 10 and the Kawhi Leonard drama has settled over them like a bad storm. They are still maintaining their hold on the three seed and it is unclear if the Timberwolves will ever overtake them. They are starting a four game road trip leading into the All-Star break and these four games will be big for the Spurs including this game against the defending champs.
Sunday February 11th
Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics (3:30PM EST)
This is the third and final game of the season series between these two teams. They have split the first two games with the Cavaliers winning on opening night and the Celtics winning their game last month. Both teams have been covered in this article, but it has to be said that Kyrie Irving got out of Cleveland at the right time. Would the Cavaliers be dealing with these issues if they still had Irving? Would the Celtics be good if they still had Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder? That trade will be talked about 20 years from now.