Games of the Week 1/18-1/24

Noel and the 76ers will take on Porzingis’ Knicks in one of the intriguing matchups of the week.

Mon, Jan 18

76ers vs. Knicks

Jahlil Okafor is coming off perhaps his best game as a pro—albeit against a Portland defense that lacks anything resembling rim protection. In his first meeting against Kristaps Porzingis, Oak outplayed the Knicks’ rookie. Most Philly fans can admit they’d happily take a mulligan and draft Porzingis at no. 3, and no one is arguing that Oak is better than Karl-Anthony Towns; but Oak has managed to outplay Towns in both of their matchups and Porzingis in theirs.

At the time, it looked like the 76ers were poised to post the worst record in NBA history. Now, I’d almost be surprised if they don’t pass the Suns, who have eight more wins than Philly entering Monday’s matchups.

The Okafor-Porzingis matchup steals center stage. Still, the lineup that most intrigues me for Philly is when they go Ish Smith, Hollis Thompson, Robert Covington, Jerami Grant, and Nerlens Noel. That lineup has four long defenders and three three-point shooters. They get after it on defense and can run-and-gun.

Noel and Okafor will get to play a lot of minutes together though since Porzingis and Robin Lopez start and play together quite a bit. Noel did a pretty good job on Porzingis last time the two teams met at Wells Fargo Center, and he will undoubtedly be asked to handle him again while Oak sticks with Lopez down low.

Trail Blazers vs. Wizards

Portland is finally beginning to pitfall after a strong start to the season. The Wizards on the other hand are creeping back into the playoff picture. They got Bradley Beal back this past week, but lost Otto Porter to injury soon thereafter. That backcourt matchup of Wall and Beal versus Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum makes for something everyone can enjoy.

Tue, Jan 19

Timberwolves vs. Pelicans

Towns versus Anthony Davis is probably going to grow into one of the best big-man battles in basketball history over the next decade. The Pelicans strung together consecutive wins for the first time in quite a while this past week, and they are playing much more unselfishly on offense.

Davis has been so incredibly good early in his career—which is what makes Towns all the scarier. KAT is one of the few players where someone can look you in the face and say this guy has more potential than Davis—and you pretty much have to respect their opinion.

Ricky Rubio and Jrue Holiday are two of the most unselfish and top defensive point guards in the league. That’s an underrated matchup we’ll probably see a lot of in the second half since Holiday comes off the bench.

Alonzo Gee, Tyreke Evans, and Dante Cunningham will likely be tasked with covering Andrew Wiggins—and that will be one of the keys to the game. If the Pelicans aren’t stupid, they’ll be packing the paint and forcing Minnesota to beat them from the outside, and the Wolves will need big games from Towns and Wiggins if they want to earn the win.

Sat, Jan 23

Bucks vs. Pelicans

Davis vs. Giannis. Again, two of the younger future stars, both of whom are still years away from their respective primes. The Greek Freak and the Brow are superhero video-game players who can both do nearly everything there is to do on a basketball court—with the exception being shooting for Antetokounmpo and staying healthy for Davis. Both of these teams were in the playoffs this past year, but they’ll be hard-pressed to make it to May in 2015-16 given the ugly starts they’ve endured.

Greg Monroe is also a Louisiana native, so it’s a homecoming for the Bucks’ big man. I have a feeling this one will go right down to the wire—with a chance for extra sessions.