MVP favorites: Doncic vs. Durant
Mavericks vs Nets: Dec. 8, 8:30AM on NBA League Pass
Let’s do one of those guess-the-player things:
Player A is averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game
Player B is averaging 28.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game
Both are MVP numbers, no doubt, but only one is an actual frontrunner in winning the award. That’s Player B, Kevin Durant. KD is in a much better position to win MVP because his Brooklyn Nets are sitting atop the Eastern Conference with a 16-7 win-loss record.
Player A is Luka Doncic, whose Dallas Mavericks (11-11) have yet to still get over the hump.
Basketball is a team game, but wouldn’t it be fun to just see Doncic and Durant go bucket-for-bucket until the nets burn?
Old school rivalry
Lakers vs Celtics: Dec. 8, 10:00AM on NBA TV Philippines via Smart GigaPlay app or Cignal TV
Is the Los Angeles Lakers-Boston Celtics rivalry still a thing today? On the surface, it shouldn’t be. The Lakers and Celtics aren’t exactly playing basketball at the level of the Warriors and Nets.
But is a Lakers-Celtics game still an awesome thing to watch today? Absolutely. There’s always something to talk about when it comes to these two teams. Dennis Schroder will always be at the top of the list. Then there’s the unending Enes Kanter Freedom-LeBron James feud, which keeps on adding layers upon layers of beef.
It may no longer be haunted by the ghosts of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, but this next matchup could very well add another chapter to the Lakers-Celtics storied rivalry.
Bark vs. Howl
Cavaliers vs. Timberwolves: Dec. 11, 9:00AM on NBA League Pass
Nothing but exciting basketball – that’s what the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Minnesota Timberwolves have delivered so far this season. It was unexpected. Earlier in the season, we wouldn’t get all pumped up for a Cavs-Wolves game in December. Yet here we are.
The Cavs are playing the type of basketball that demands attention. They have given Darius Garland the keys, told Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley to hop on, crammed every bit of high basketball IQ in there in equal parts Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love, then went on to ram every team that stood in their way. The best ones, like the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets, managed to stand tall. The really good ones, like the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards, were run over. This means that the Cavs are really good too – or a different kind of bad.
The Wolves are pretty much the same way. Every game is another chance for Anthony Edwards to flex an aspect of his being, whether it’s his flip phone or his athletic ability. D’Angelo Russell is doing some kind of time travel every game, where he seems to mature at a quicker pace than expected. Then there’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s playing with the energy of someone who missed playing so bad.
Winning-wise, it’s been up-and-down for both teams, and it might be that way the whole season. That only makes their games a mysterious, spontaneous experience. Both teams are underdogs in their own ways, making their own noises, coming up with unique ways to play. All that equates to is nothing but exciting basketball.
Curry vs. Curry
Warriors vs Sixers: Dec. 12, 8:30AM on TV5
Okay, Steph Curry versus Seth Curry may not be the marquee matchup here, but you never know when Seth decides to detonate one of his 30-point games. A game against his brother should be a good time to do it. In their first meeting, Seth put up a 24-point game compared to Steph’s 25.
Should Seth end up with a dud, there’s more to the Golden State Warriors-Philadelphia 76ers game that should be interesting. Joel Embiid missed that game against the Warriors and had to sit and watch as his team was blown out by 20 points. He’d want revenge, for sure.
Embiid has been on a double-double tear lately after missing three weeks of action. It’s fun to see how Draymond and the rest of the Dubs would try to stop this dominating process.
