Tuesday, December 9, 2008

NBA Tuesday Night: What to Watch

The marquee game tonight is the Spurs vs. Mavs in Dallas. Dallas has scored over 100 points in their last six contests and the Spurs have held 14 of their last 15 opponents to under 100 points.

The Mavs defeated the Spurs earlier this year so this is more of a must-win game for the Spurs than the Mavs.

The Utah Jazz play in Minnesota tonight. This will be the first game of the post Randy Wittman era in Minnesota. Kevin McHale will take over tonight as head coach of the Timberwolves. Since McHale was the one that obtained Kevin Love, it would not surprise me if he tried to make Love the focal point of the team. He might let Love take 30 shots tonight and play him 40 minutes to justify the trade of O.J. Mayo to Memphis. In all seriousness, McHale will continue to make Al Jefferson the focal point of the team and hope they get better play from their backcourt. First thing he should do is to bench Kevin Ollie and play the youngsters instead. McHale needs to make sure his team plays hard and be competitive. Wins are secondary right now as the team just needs to make progress and give a consistent effort in each game.

The Lakers should have an easy time against the Kings in Sacramento.

The Rockets vs. Hawks game is intriguing. How will the Rockets perform tonight after last night's upset loss to the Grizzlies without Ron Artest? This is a dangerous game for the Rockets because the Hawks are loaded with weapons and have a healthy Josh Smith back in the rotation.

The Raptors may have fired Sam Mitchell but don't expect any drastic changes with this team. Look for them to continue their losing ways tonight against the Cavs.

There is no way the Pistons should lose tonight against the Wizards. After last Sunday's blowout loss to the Knicks, you know the Pistons won't underestimate the Wizards tonight. The Pistons are now 0-5 in Sunday games.

The best late game to watch tonight is between the Magic and the Trail Blazers. Both teams are young and playing very well. The Magic are coming off a 95-88 victory against the Clippers last night. We get to see a match-up between Greg Oden and Dwight Howard tonight in the paint.

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