Two weeks in, the regular season has been a fun mix of excellent performances, competitive games and early surprises. November will go a long way towards showing which unexpected teams and players will keep up their success and which will fall back to earth.

Like so many other seven-day stretches, the best League Pass game of the week could and should be a national game. The Clippers and Trail Blazers competed in one of the league’s most interesting first round playoff series before injuries fundamentally changed it and both teams are at full strength now. 

Beyond that contest, League Pass subscribers get to see some strong individual matchups, including Kyle Lowry vs. Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis vs. Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid vs. Myles Turner.

Monday

Rockets at Wizards, 7 p.m.: If the Wizards want to make a return to the playoffs this season, they need to win home games against capable opponents like the Rockets. James Harden and John Wall are the central figures on their respective teams and they could spend some time guarding each other due to Houston’s unusual perimeter rotation. Markieff Morris and Ryan Anderson could end up being a strangely compelling matchup as each challenges the defensive discipline of the other. 

Pacers at Hornets, 7 p.m.: Charlotte has started the season strong but has mostly beat up on non-playoff teams. Here they get the chance to show more staying power against a Pacers squad that is still finding themselves. Presumably we will get a lot of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist guarding Paul George, which will be worth watching even without the other implications. 

Heat at Thunder, 8 p.m.: While the Thunder appear to have some advantages here, this is exactly the type of game Miami has made surprisingly competitive over the years. Hassan Whiteside is averaging 20 points and 14 rebounds a game but Steven Adams is one of the sturdiest centers in the league. Also, Goran Dragic facing off with Russell Westbrook will be fun because they have such different strengths.

Tuesday

Nuggets at Grizzlies, 8 p.m.: The Nuggets are starting a throwback lineup with two true centers (Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic) that will please Memphis fans. Even though the Grizzlies have swapped JaMychal Green for Zach Randolph in the starting lineup, they still have elements of the Grit and Grind era along with most of the personnel. Chandler Parsons should be back for this one and talented sophomore guard Emmanuel Mudiay will get the task of battling with Mike Conley on both ends of the floor.

Suns at Trail Blazers, 10 p.m.: Damian Lillard vs. Eric Bledsoe is absolutely fascinating and should be incredibly intense but the shooting guard duel will be fun too. Devin Booker is looking to build on a surprisingly successful rookie season but will likely need to handle his normal scoring load while also defending CJ McCollum.

Mavericks at Lakers, 10:30 p.m.: It is a little early for season on the brink warnings but the Mavericks are 1-5 with a tough stretch coming up. After the Lakers, they have road games against the Warriors, Knicks and Celtics, potentially without Dirk Nowitzki for at least a few of those games. The Lakers have been fun and active so far and can gain even more momentum with another win.

Wednesday

Bulls at Hawks, 7:30 p.m.: Chicago started out the season as one of the league’s success stories, going 3-0 including wins against the Celtics and Pacers. Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and company will look to get back on track against a Hawks squad that has maintained their defensive dominance from last season but also suffered surprising losses to the Lakers and Wizards. Dennis Schroder has been compared to Rajon Rondo since his rookie season and gets to square off against the genuine article here.

Raptors at Thunder, 8 p.m.: Oklahoma City has started out the season stronger than expected but will face a challenge in the still-strong Raptors. Russell Westbrook and Kyle Lowry are clear-cut All-Stars if they stay healthy and every game between them should be interesting this season. Keep an eye on Steven Adams vs. Jonas Valanciunas in the post because a clear winner there could significantly impact the outcome.

Trail Blazers at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. (Game of the Week): A simply excellent game that should be the most significant game on a strong night. Damian Lillard and Chris Paul are two of the league’s brightest stars and were engaged in an intense battle during the playoffs before Paul’s injury. Mason Plumlee will have to prevent DeAndre Jordan from dominating the paint on both ends and the Blazers will have to do a better job preventing the Clippers from taking advantage of switches.

Thursday

Pelicans at Bucks, 8 p.m.: A week ago, these teams played a compelling game where the Bucks eventually overcame Anthony Davis’ 35 points and 13 rebounds to pick up their second win of the season. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker have both started the season strong and Milwaukee will need strong games from both to overcome another dominating Davis performance.

Warriors at Nuggets, 9 p.m.: Last season, the Nuggets handed the Warriors a surprising loss in Denver and will look to do the same here, the night after Golden State faces Dallas in Oakland. Denver has been competitive this season, relying on uncommon frontcourt depth which could pose problems for a Warriors team still looking for answers at center. Also, Emmanuel Mudiay will need all of his size and strength to slow down Stephen Curry.

Friday

Cavaliers at Wizards, 7 p.m.: A loaded 7pm start time also includes one of the league’s stranger rivalries, even though it has been dormant the last few seasons. Otto Porter will likely have to defend LeBron James, though Markieff Morris’ brother Marcus has had some success in Detroit so Scott Brooks may try him too. Of course the main event is Kyrie Irving vs. John Wall, which is still a frequent discussion topic on basketball Twitter.

Raptors at Hornets, 7 p.m.: The culmination of a challenging week for the Hornets, who host the Pacers and Jazz before Friday’s contest against the second-best team in the East last season. DeMar DeRozan has expanded on a career-best 2015-16 season and will be a defensive priority for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Nicolas Batum and the Hornets. Also keep an eye on the bench lineups because Toronto’s use of Kyle Lowry alongside Cory Joseph could pose problems for a comparatively shallow Charlotte squad.

Pacers at 76ers, 7 p.m.: Joel Embiid games at the Wells Fargo Center have been an experience so far but this one will be even more exciting because he faces another one of the most exciting young centers in the league: Myles Turner. The Indiana big will try to force Embiid out of his defensive comfort zone and stands out as a talented shot blocker. Paul George will try to dominate a still-shaky Philadelphia perimeter rotation while the Sixers’ guards try to generate easy shots against Jeff Teague and Monta Ellis.

Saturday

Celtics at Pacers, 7 p.m.: The Celtics’ defensive struggles have been one of the league’s biggest surprises so far this season and the Pacers will look to take advantage of that with Paul George, Jeff Teague and Myles Turner leading the way. Al Horford will force Turner out of the paint defensively while Turner could bend the Celtics’ defense as well.

Wizards at Bulls, 8 p.m.: Early in the season, there are some clarification games that help provide understanding for where teams are with unusual or confusing resumes. This one applies for the Bulls, who started the season off incredibly strong but then stumbled against largely similar opponents. Dwyane Wade will likely square off with newly minted max player Bradley Beal here, which could be fun. 

Spurs at Rockets, 8 p.m.: A nice test for both teams, especially since they play in San Antonio earlier in the week. Kawhi Leonard has a chance to burnish his Defensive Player of the Year credentials and Danny Green may be back from a left quad injury in time to play here. LaMarcus Aldridge and Ryan Anderson have been Western Conference foes for years but now will engage as participants in this Texas rivalry.

Sunday

Magic at Thunder, 7 p.m.: Unlike Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka’s first game against his former team takes place in Oklahoma City. He will likely start the game facing off with Domantas Sabonis, one of the players Ibaka was traded for in the huge draft night deal. Victor Oladipo was the headliner of that trade from OKC’s perspective and will duel Evan Fournier, the shooting guard who made Orlando more willing to include Oladipo in that trade. Elfrid Payton has looked better this season but will face one of the bigger challenges in the NBA in the form of Russell Westbrook. 

Lakers at Timberwolves, 7 p.m.: Minnesota has a series of close losses and third quarter collapses this season and will need a consistent performance to beat the surprising Lakers. If Ricky Rubio cannot play, Kris Dunn gets a chance to try and shut down D’Angelo Russell and the Lakers’ offense. Karl-Anthony Towns has been a monster this season and will face an active Los Angeles big man corps.

Nuggets at Trail Blazers, 9 p.m.: These teams played one of the most entertaining games of the season so far, where Portland came back and tied the game at the end of regulation before winning in overtime. That contest featured monster performances from Damian Lillard and Nikola Jokic, who will both look to carry their teams again in the final NBA game of the week.