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| Kristaps Porzingis will play his first game against his idol Dirk Nowitzki. |
Monday December 7, 2015 7:30pm
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Kristaps Porzingis has been a huge and pleasant surprise thus far in the early going, and when you play this well in New York City, it'll get noticed rather quickly. Karl Anthony-Towns and Jahlil Okafor are having good seasons as well. However, they play in Minneapolis and Philadelphia respectively, and they are both American basketball players. Many have compared Porzingis' game to that of Dirk Nowitzki, a German who surprised many by having a Hall of Fame career since he was drafted in 1998. Nowitzki was really the first international player who excelled on the perimeter as a 7 foot basketball player. Guys like Arvydas Sabonis and Vlade Divac, to a degree, showed solid perimeter skills, but Nowitzki has dominated in that area of the game. Porzingis' first meeting against Nowitzki is certainly worth the watch.
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| Stephen Curry will look to continue rolling on the team's East Coast trip against a much improved Pacers team. |
Tuesday December 8, 2015 7:00pm NBATV
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
The Pacers have been a surprise so far this season, owning the fourth best record in an Eastern Conference that looks much improved so far. Thus, people will now be looking at this game to see if the Warriors get their first loss. Paul George has looked like an MVP candidate so far, looking like he has completely rehabbed from the broken leg he suffered in an exhibition in August of 2014. It's worth noting that Stephen Curry had a notable incident here several years ago, when he was thrown to the floor by Roy Hibbert after a scuffle with David Lee. Lee is no longer with the Warriors and Hibbert is no longer with the Pacers, so that isn't even a thought for both teams coming into this game. However, every Warriors game against a solid team is a must watch.
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| Former Spurs' point guard Cory Joseph will look to help the Raptors defeat the Spurs. |
Wednesday December 9, 2015 7:30pm
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
The Raptors had a chance to give the Warriors their first loss and they blew that. The Raptors though, have had some curious losses. They lost at home to the Nuggets and the Knicks so far, so you just never know which Raptors team you'll get. Corey Joseph used to play for the Spurs, and owns a championship ring from 2014. Joseph has a slightly bigger role with the Raptors, but we'll see if Joseph can give his teammates some insight on what the Spurs like to do. This may not be the only trip to Canada for Kawhi Leonard. The All Star Game is in Toronto, and barring injury, Leonard should be there. This is a great one to catch.
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| Jeff Teague, along with Paul Millsap and Al Hereford, combined for 72 points in their win against the Thunder last week. |
Thursday December 10, 2015 8:00pm
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
The Thunder lost to the Hawks last week, so this is naturally a revenge game for the Thunder. Russell Westbrook had a fine game with 34 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the loss. Look for Westbrook to have a solid game in this one as well. Durant wasn't too shabby himself, dropping 25 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists. If the Thunder want to win this game, however, they cannot allow Paul Millsap, Al Horford and Jeff Teague to combine for 72 points
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| Paul George will look to beat the Heat again in a matchup of surprisingly good Eastern Conference teams. |
Friday December 11, 2015 7:00pm ESPN
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
This is the second and final time the Heat will be playing the Pacers in Indianapolis. It's hard to believe these were the two teams competing in the Eastern Conference Finals two straight seasons. The teams look much different now but both teams have been the surprise of this season so far. After the consecutive Eastern Conference Finals against each other in 2013 and 2014, both teams missed the playoffs entirely in 2015. Both teams, if they can remain healthy and can continue their solid level of play, can definitely make the playoffs once again this season. This could even be a potential playoff matchup, so don't sleep on this game.
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