NBA Games of the Week: March 1st-5th

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Denver Nuggets @ Phoenix Suns

NBA League Pass 9:00 EST

Both teams come off losses, the Nuggets blowing a big lead to the Lakers, and the Suns missing out on a win against the rival Spurs.  Both teams should have won these games.  The Nuggets started the second half with a nine point lead but were outscored 52-37 despite Kobe Bryant scoring 14 points on only 3-17 shooting.  The Suns were in a shootout with the Spurs and a wide-open missed dunk by Jason Richardson with 40 seconds left to tie the game hindered them the rest of the game.  The Suns haven’t lost to the Nuggets at home since 2004 and have averaged 120 points in the 9 games since.  This match up pits two of the top teams in the NBA for the past five seasons and it should not disappoint.  Steve Nash leads the NBA in assists with 11.2 per game while Carmelo Anthony ranks third in the NBA in scoring with 28.8 points per game, behind only LeBron James and Kevin Durant.  Expect high scores as these two teams are #1 and #2 in the NBA in scoring and are #1 and #3 in three point shooting.  I expect 230+ point in this shootout.

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Denver Nuggets

NBA League Pass 9:00 EST

Two of the best scorers in the game today match up against one another when the Nuggets meet the Thunder.  Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony have both come out of their shell this season and are looking for most valuable player votes.  The two teams have split the season series thus far with the Nuggets winning the first game back on December 14^th 102-93 but the Thunder evened the series with a 101-84 victory January 29^th.  These division rivals have been on the top of the west for a couple months now and while this game doesn’t have many playoff implications, it should be a hell of a game to watch.  Now is the time to get NBA League Pass if you have not already.  Another interesting match up places a veteran point guard, Chauncey Billups, and a young stud, Russell Westbrook.  Although Billups is in his 12^th year in the league, he is averaging the most point in his career and needs only 28 assists to reach the 5,000 assist milestone for his career.  Westbrook will be nothing but a stud when he reaches his plateau.  He is averaging 16.5 points per game, dishing nearly 8 assists per game and averages over 5 rebounds per game.  LeBron James is the only other player in the NBA with averages better than this.  Hopefully the youth of the Thunder can handle matching up the Nuggets speed and athleticism, especially with this game being the 2^nd of a back to back.

Thursday, March 4^th, 2010

Los Angeles Lakers @ Miami Heat

TNT 7:00 EST

In their last meeting, Kobe Bryant hit a bank shot from three to beat the buzzer and give the Lakers a 108-107 victory.  Kobe announced it was the luckiest shot of his career and you can expect Dwyane Wade not to hand this one over easily.  Even with a great game by Wade, I can’t see this game being as close as the last one.  The Lakers defense and all around depth are just too much for a team like the Heat who failed to get anybody at the deadline to help them out.  Miami has to be kicking themselves, especially with the way Amare Stoudemire has been playing as of late.  With Amare in the line-up, the Heat stand a much better chance if and when they reach the playoffs.  The only thing on Miami’s side is the way Kobe has been playing lately.  He has struggled horribly since returning to the Lakers line-up but the rest of the team has really stepped up and taken a stand on both sides of the ball.  For Miami’s sake, they can only hope Bryant continues to struggle and does not find his touch in a match up with the Pacers earlier in the week.

Friday, March 5^th, 2010

New Orleans Hornets @ San Antonio Spurs

ESPN 9:30 EST

Both teams need a huge win in this game.  The Spurs are holding the 7^th spot in the west and would love to miss the Lakers in the first round.  The Hornets are holding the 9^th spot in the western conference and love to find a playoff spot in case Chris Paul is able to come back and contribute in a 1^st round playoff series.  He is set to be out until mid-March but will most likely not be in basketball shape until the end of the season.  The Spurs have won both meetings this season by 7 points and have a third tonight at New Orleans.  I see New Orleans taking the meeting tonight to get a victory in the series with the Spurs taking the fourth game on this day to win the season series.  Both teams win about two-thirds of their games at home and only one-third of their games on the road pitting both of them near the .500 mark.