Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks are in Los Angeles this weekend for back-to-back games against the LA Lakers and LA Clippers. Paul George, finally off the IL, will play his first home game as a member of the Clippers after missing the first 11 games with a shoulder injury. PG-13 will also take on Trae Young and the Hawks in the same game in LA at the Staples Center.
Other side drama this weekend in the NBA also involved veteran point guard Mike Conley. The Memphis Grizzlies traded Conley to the Utah Jazz in the offseason in order to give rookie Ja Morant more playing time. Now Ja and Conley meet on the court when Conley returns to Memphis for the first time since the trade.
The Houston Rockets also face the upstart Minnesota Timberwolves. James Harden leads the NBA in scoring once again. Should be fun matchup with Karl-Anthony Townes and Andrew Wiggins against Harden and Russell Westbrook.
FRIDAY, NOV. 15
Utah Jazz (8-3) at Memphis Grizzlies (4-7)
Indiana Pacers (7-4) at Houston Rockets (8-3)
Boston Celtics (9-1) at Golden State Warriors (2-10)
LA Lakers (9-2) at Sacramento Kings (4-6)SATURDAY, NOV. 16
Milwaukee Bucks (7-3) at Indiana Pacers (7-4)
Houston Rockets (8-3) at Minnesota Timberwolves (7-4)
Atlanta Hawks (4-6) at LA Clippers (7-4)SUNDAY, NOV. 17
Atlanta Hawks (4-6) at LA Lakers (9-2)
The Boston Celtics and LA Lakers are trying to become the first team in the NBA to win ten games. Both play on Friday night and again on Sunday. The Celtics have two shots at ten wins this weekend during a West Coast swing in Northern California with games against Golden State and Sacramento. The Lakers have two easy games (Kings and Hawks) but everyone cannot wait for Trae Young and LBJ to go to battle.
Friday NBA: Chasing 10 Wins
Utah Jazz (8-3) at Memphis Grizzlies (4-7)… Will rookie Ja Morant spoil Mike Conley’s (14.7 ppg) homecoming in Memphis where he spent 12 years as a player? Morant leads the Griz (18.3 ppg and 5.8 assists) in scoring and Jaren Jackson Jr. emerged as a secondary scoring threat (14.3 ppg) if he can stay out of foul trouble. Donovan Mitchell (25.1 ppg) and sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic (19.8 ppg) have been shooting lights out for the Jazz.
Indiana Pacers (7-4) at Houston Rockets (8-3)… Newly-acquired point guard Malcolm Brogdon lead the Pacers in scoring at 20.7 ppg and 8.5 assists per game. PF Domantas Sabonis (19.8 ppg, 13.3 rebounds) is posting career numbers in Indiana. The Pacers boast the second-best defense in the East allowing only 104.0 ppg and they’ll be tasked with bringing James Harden back down to Earth. Harden leads the NBA with 38.2 ppg. Russell Westbrook (21.4 ppg) is no longer averaging a triple double with his new squad.
Boston Celtics (9-1) at Golden State Warriors (2-10)… The Celtics lost Gordon Hayward to a broken hand, which is problematic because he got off to a hot start (18.9 ppg). Kemba Walker (25.0 ppg) and Jayson Tatum (19.8 ppg) are capable enough to pick up the slack.
LA Lakers (9-2) at Sacramento Kings (4-6)… The Lakers have an easy match up on paper, but this might be a little weird facing their old coach. The Lakers fired Luke Walton at the end of last season. He quickly found a new gig in Sacramento and great opportunity to coach an exciting and young team. The Kings backcourt, Buddy Hield (18.3 ppg) and De’Aaron Fox (18.2 ppg), get better and better with every game.
Saturday NBA: Paul George Debut
Milwaukee Bucks (7-3) at Indiana Pacers (7-4)… The Greek Freak (30.5 ppg) leads the highest scoring offense in the NBA that generated 120.3 ppg. Should be a stellar matchup between the best offense versus one of the top defenses in the league. The Bucks are a road team, but they’re getting the Pacers on the second night of a back-to-back.
Houston Rockets (8-3) at Minnesota Timberwolves (7-4)… The Timberwolves are off to a good start thanks to Andrew Wiggins (25.9 ppg) and his breakout season. Karl-Anthony Townes (25.9 ppg, 12.0 rebounds) is a fantasy hoops favorite because he puts up plenty of numbers in multiple categories. The T-Wolves host the Rockets, who are playing the second game of back-to-backs.
Atlanta Hawks (4-6) at LA Clippers (7-4)… Trae Young takes long-range his shooting skills to Hollywood. This marks the first home game for Paul George with the Clippers. PG-13 made his debut on Thursday night in New Orleans with a 33-point performance against the Hornets. But, George has yet to play a home game since missing the first 11 games while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Sunday NBA: The Trae Young Show in LA
Atlanta Hawks (4-6) at LA Lakers (9-2)… Anthony Davis (26.3 ppg, 10.4 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, 1.3 steals) took a ton of slack off LeBron James (23.9 ppg, 11.1 assists), who has been able to focus more on defense. The Hawks and Trae Young are playing back-to-back games, but they did not have to travel to a different city with both games in LA at the same venue. Young (27.3 ppg, 9.1 assists) has become the new Steph Curry now that Curry is out recovering from hand surgery.