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| Tom Thibodeau will have to figure out how to stop Dirk Nowitzki this Tuesday. |
Tuesday December 2, 2014 8:00pm
United Center, Chicago, IL
It's a surprise this game was voted as NBA TV's game to show. This is the game of the night and it's a game that features great matchups across the board. It's always interesting to see who will face Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki stretches the floor, so there are times when opposing coaches defend him with guards. Joakim Noah, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, is very versatile as a defender, so he'll most likely get the assignment. Either way, this should be a close one. If the Mavericks can get a win in Chicago, it'll be good for their confidence.
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| Zach Randolph and the Grizzlies had their way in their first matchup against the Rockets a couple of weeks ago. |
Wednesday December 3, 2014 8:00pm
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Both teams are currently at least nine games over .500, and both teams are the top two teams in the Southwest Division right now. The Grizzlies beat the Rockets by 26 points in their first meeting in Memphis roughly two weeks ago, so the Rockets will naturally be looking for revenge. Dwight Howard is still having knee issues, so the Rockets are hoping he can return for this game. The Rockets didn't look good at home against another Western Conference contender in the Clippers without Howard. They'll get a true sense of where they stand against a team like the Grizzlies when they have a healthy Howard on the floor.
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| Lou Williams had 36 points off the bench for the Raptors' victory over the Cavs in their first meeting. |
Friday December 5, 2014 7:30pm
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
The Cavaliers were embarrassed in both team's first meeting that occurred in Cleveland. The Cavaliers had a double-digit lead, but let that slip away and were eventually beaten by 17 points. This time, it'll be in Canada, but the Raptors will be without leading scorer DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan tore a tendon in his groin recently, and it will sideline him for probably a month. It'll be hard to envision the Raptors beating the Cavaliers without their leading scorer, but it'll be a huge confidence booster if they can pull it off. It'll be even more of a disappointment for the Cavaliers if they can't win this one.
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| Kawhi Leonard is just as important in the Spurs' success as Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are. |
San Antonio Spurs vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Friday December 5, 2014 8:00pm
FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
The Spurs are the defending champions, and they are sitting at 12-4 right now. However, they are currently sitting in third place in their own division thanks to great starts from these Grizzlies and the Rockets. This is the first of four meetings between these two teams, so these games could possibly matter if their records are close at the end of the season. The Spurs are still without two key components in Patty Mills and Tiago Splitter, and the Spurs never take these early season games that seriously anyway. The Spurs do have a game the following night, so this could possibly be a game where they rest people. However, they usually rest guys on the second night of back-to-backs, not the first.
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| Stephen Curry will look to have a big game offensively against the defensive-minded Bulls. |
Saturday December 6, 2014 8:00pm
United Center, Chicago, IL
If Derrick Rose is healthy and available for this one, the Warriors will most likely put Klay Thompson on him instead of having Stephen Curry on him. They also start Kirk Hinrich alongside Rose so Curry will be placed on him. This is important because Curry can fill it up. Curry is averaging just over 24 points a game so far, and they'll need his scoring against a solid defensive unit. The Warriors are normally in Chicago during a East Coast trip, but they'll just be in the Midwest for this game and a game two days later in Minneapolis. The Warriors have the second-best record in the NBA, so a win here will just continue to prove they can be a legitimate contender.
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