Rising stars Trae Young and Devin Booker are set to square off Tuesday as their teams enter the playoff push.
Tuesday, March 30
Atlanta at Phoenix
10 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
Two of the game’s top young scorers square off as Trae Young (25.6 ppg, 12th in NBA) and the Hawks visit Devin Booker (25.1 ppg, 14th in NBA) and the Suns. This is the first meeting between the teams this season. In their last meeting on Jan. 14, 2020, Booker outscored Young 39-36, but it was Young (36 points, 10 assists) that emerged with the 123-110 win. One key difference from last season is that both the Suns and Hawks failed to make the playoffs in 2020, but are in strong position in 2021 – Phoenix is second in the West, while Atlanta is sixth in the East.
Wednesday, March 31
Utah at Memphis
8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
Speaking of playoffs, could this be a preview of a first-round playoff matchup between the Jazz and Grizzlies? Utah currently holds the No. 1 spot in the West (and the top record in the league at 34-11), while Memphis is currently in the No. 9 spot, which would put them in the Play-In for the second consecutive season. Utah leads the season series 2-0, with Donovan Mitchell averaging 35 points on 60% (24-40) shooting from the field, 71.4% (10-14) from 3-point range and 100% (12-12) at the free throw line. Ja Morant has led the Grizzlies against Utah with 22 points and 7.5 assists per game.
Thursday, April 1
Golden State at Miami
8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
While Stephen Curry is questionable for Monday, he should be back in the lineup by the time the Warriors meet the Heat in Miami on Thursday. In their first meeting this season on Feb. 17, the Warriors rallied past the Heat to earn a 120-112 overtime win to snap a three-game losing streak to the Heat. Golden State had four players finish with at least 23 points in the win: Kelly Oubre Jr. (23), Andrew Wiggins (23), Curry (25) and Kent Bazemore (26). How rare is that feat? There have been only two other games this season when a team had four or more players score at least 23 points in the same game. And it has only happened nine times over the previous five seasons combined.
Friday, April 2
Los Angeles at Sacramento
10 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
The Lakers-Kings rivalry dates back to the early 2000s when the teams had some epic playoff battles. But even as the roster change and teams have varying levels of success, when these two teams meet, the games are usually close. In fact, dating back to 2017, eight of the previous 14 meetings have been decided by five points or less – including their first meeting this season on March 3 as the Kings defeated the short-handed Lakers 123-120. The Kings enter Week 15 riding a four-game win streak as they look to climb into the Play-In field, while the Lakers have won two in a row to keep them in the top four in the West as their stars try to get healthy.
Saturday, April 3
Dallas at Washington
7 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass
Can I interest you in a matchup between two of the top four scorers in the league? Bradley Beal continues to lead the NBA in scoring at 31.3 points per game, while Luka Doncic ranks fourth at 28.6 ppg. How about a matchup between two of the top four players in triple-doubles? Russell Westbrook leads the league at 15, while Doncic ranks fourth with nine. The Mavericks are currently No. 8 in the West and looking to climb out of the Play-In Tournament, but are four games back of No. 6 Portland. Meanwhile, the Wizards are trying to climb into the East Play-In as they currently sit at No. 13 in the East and are three games back of No. 10 Chicago.
