The race for the NBA’s postseason is on. It will be shaped by what happens every week, but there are too many matchups to follow. Here’s a guide breaking down the best games, especially on days when there are too many to keep track of.
Remember, big games have their own stories that are worth knowing, so let us preview them.
Nov. 21: Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey recently had a 50-point game and will now face a Cleveland squad that has Donovan Mitchell. We all know that Mitchell can score 50 points, too. It was not that long ago when he scored 71 points in a game. If these teams won’t play hard on defense, maybe one of them can have a 50-point game or better. Who will it be?
76ers G Tyrese Maxey had a career-high 50 pts in Philly's 137-126 win over the Pacers on Sunday.
At age 23 yrs, 8 days, Maxey is 2nd-youngest player with a 50-point game in 76ers history, behind only Allen Iverson (21 years, 309 days old when had 50 vs CLE in April of 1997) pic.twitter.com/OQAETMfliN— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 13, 2023
Nov. 22: Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics
Jrue Holiday and his wife never wanted to leave the Milwaukee area. So when the Holidays were shipped out to make way for Damian Lillard, it really hurt them deep inside. How will Holiday react when Lillard and the Bucks visit Boston in the upcoming week? We have a feeling he’s going to play well either through scoring more or through his play-making.
Just a reminder
The Celtics play the Bucks in TD Garden in 5 days… pic.twitter.com/fvzPUpPKV8
— CelticsUnite❶❽ (@CelticsUnite18) November 17, 2023
Nov. 22: Memphis Grizzlies at Houston Rockets
Of the 14 games that will be played on Wednesday, you can bet that this one will be a hot topic on social media. Dillon Brooks alone can make this game a must-watch. He was released by the Grizzlies last season before being scooped up by the Rockets. The self-proclaimed “villain” will be hosting his former team and we can’t wait to see how this game unfolds.
MY GOODNESS pic.twitter.com/hFug6qCvsw
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) November 18, 2023
Nov. 24: Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets
Last year, nobody would have paid attention to this game. Who would want to watch a Nuggets-Rockets game, right? Well, times have changed. The Rockets have Fred VanVleet, a new head coach, and a former Nugget Jeff Green. There is also the memory of what happened during their first meeting of the season when the Rockets surprisingly beat Denver in a closer-than-expected contest.
3 calls were deemed incorrect in the last two minutes of the Rockets and Nuggets game. All 3 were incorrect no calls on fouls that should have been called on the Nuggets pic.twitter.com/DfDDGIkbwV
— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) November 13, 2023
Nov. 26: San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets
It’s time to see how Nikola Jokic operates in the paint while facing Victor Wembanyama. It can’t be that easy with the Frenchman’s long arms disrupting every move that Jokic makes. Both centers have different skills and moves, too, so that will definitely be an intriguing battle to observe. It’s a good thing that these two are slated to meet four times this year.
NBA 4th quarter FG% (min. 20 FGA) rankings
1: Jokic (72.4%)
2: Wemby (70.6%)
3: Okongwu (68.2%)
4: LeBron (67.4%)
5: Sasser (63.0%)— Spurs Legacy (@spurs_four) November 12, 2023
