We are officially into the heart of the NBA season. Teams are finally in the flow of things and fans are getting a good idea of how competitive their respective teams will be this season. With this in mind, it is time to look at three key games during the new week (November 18-23). Without further adieu, let’s take a look at the match-ups to watch in the NBA world.
NBA Match-Up #1: Boston Celtics at Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns have been one of the biggest surprises this season. Devin Booker has truly taken a step as a leader of his team and is now much more than a volume scorer on a lottery team. The addition of Ricky Rubio has provided some quality veteran experience and despite the loss of Deandre Ayton for a handful of games, the Suns are in a good position right now. As of November 17, Phoenix possesses a win-loss record of seven wins to four losses.
The Boston Celtics are somewhat of a surprise as well. We knew the Celtics were still going to be a playoff team, but hardly anyone saw them having the best record through the first quarter of the regular season. Kemba Walker has filled in seamlessly for Kyrie Irving and the young core continues to develop at an impressive rate. This match-up will be extremely intriguing as both teams have surpassed expectations to begin the year. They will face off against each other on November 18.
NBA Match-Up #2: Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets
This one has Western Conference heavyweight bout written all over it. Both the Nuggets and the Rockets are near the top of the Western Conference standings and have high expectations for this season. The Nuggets’ backcourt will have a tough test trying to contain James Harden and Russell Westbrook. However, Denver has its own core of talented players as well.
We all know about the triple-double machine that is Nikola Jokic. However, the two most reliable players for the Nuggets this season have been Paul Millsap and Will Barton believe it or not. We will see whether the strong point of the Nuggets, their frontcourt, or the strong point of the Rockets, their backcourt, will win out in this potential Western Conference Finals preview. All in all, this promises to be an entertaining match-up on November 20.
Match-Up #3: Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers
On November 23, an interesting Eastern Conference match-up will transpire. One no one thought would be this interesting to begin the year. The Miami Heat have made a lot of noise to start the season and the 76ers have somewhat fallen on their face after a great start. Regardless, this promises to be a great game. Not to mention, this will be the first time Jimmy Butler will battle the 76ers after spending a year with them.
The Heat have an impressive core this season. A core of exciting rookies nonetheless. Tyler Herro may be hurt right now, but he has shown great potential in the action he has seen. Also, Kendrick Nunn has been having a sneaky good season as well. This game is sure to be one of the best, yet overlooked games not just this week, but this season. If you are looking for three games that should be entertaining that are outside the normally nationally televised games on TNT, ESPN, and NBA TV, then these three are sure to live up to expectations.
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