It is the 12th week (Jan. 2 to 8) of the NBA, and we still cannot tell who the contenders and pretenders are. All the teams are bunched up too tight that a small win streak can take you places in the standings. That is how exciting the season has been so far—time to check some of the relevant games in the first week of the new year.
Check out all of our other NBA articles.
Jan. 3: Oklahoma City Thunder versus Boston Celtics
At first glance, you will think that this game might be an automatic Boston win, but there is one thing to take note of. The Thunder already have several games where they were down by double digits but somehow came back in the fourth quarter. This might be one of those games, so the Celtics better not run out of gas if they have a huge lead.
Jan. 2, 4, and 7: Week of Opportunity
The Golden State Warriors are missing the services of Stephen Curry at the moment. That is why they have to win all games next week when they will be hosting teams from the East who are not exactly Playoff threats yet. So can we expect easy wins when the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, and Orlando Magic visit the San Francisco bay area?
Jan. 5: Dallas Mavericks versus Boston Celtics
The first meeting between these two teams turned out to be a one-on-one battle between Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic. Tatum had 37 points, while Doncic almost had a 40-point triple double. Fans cannot wait for the sequel of this matchup. The Mavericks lost last time because Doncic had no help, so look for him to get his teammates involved in the upcoming encounter.
Jan. 7: Sacramento Kings versus Los Angeles Lakers
Are the Lakers finally going to win a game against a team in their own division? It must be annoying for some fans to know that the Lakers are 0-7 in games against their divisional opponents. But, of course, that record could change to 1-7 if they beat the Kings. That would be a back-breaking task though, since they already lost twice to Sacramento this season.
Jan. 8: Miami Heat versus Brooklyn Nets
After a five-game road trip out in the wild west, the Heat will be coming back to host one of the hottest teams in the past several weeks. Their first home game for the year 2023 will be against the Nets. Aside from the usual stars of both teams, fans can look forward to the rivalry between TJ Warren and Jimmy Butler. Yes, the rivalry is dead, according to Butler, but maybe this game could re-ignite it. Fans can only hope.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @primetimesportstalk
Follow Joey Almendras on Twitter @Buyaw
Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
