Another quality week for the NBA but one lacking somewhat in high-quality Western Conference matchups. We will instead get to see some quality tests for East threats Atlanta, Toronto and Chicago.

Monday

Pistons @ Raptors: The NBA largely ducked the college football championship game but this one came out of nowhere to be strangely compelling. The Pistons have played well since dumping Josh Smith while the Raptors continue to sit near the top of the East.

Tuesday

Spurs @ Wizards: A strange combination that could yield a compelling game. Tim Duncan has been one of the best defensive players in the league this season and faces a Washington team that relies heavily on their front line.

Cavaliers @ Suns: The Cavs are now .500 on the season while Phoenix has generally played well and have a two game edge on Cleveland. So of course the Cavs are fifth with room to go up while the Suns have to battle for every game in order to have a chance of making the playoffs. I wish Iman Shumpert could defend Goran Dragic here but instead we will get to see Kyrie Irving take on a major challenge.

Warriors @ Jazz: Utah has an underappreciated home court advantage but will need more than that to beat the NBA’s best team. This game makes the list because Utah’s starting combination of Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors has helped propel them to a higher level of play recently.

Mavericks @ Kings: A fascinating clash of styles plus Boogie vs. Tyson Chandler. Could be fun.

Wednesday

Pelicans @ Pistons: Andre Drummond has played well the last few weeks but will have a tough challenge facing Omer Asik and Anthony Davis. Should the heavily-rumored Pelicans component of the Jeff Green trade come to fruition, this may be an early chance to see their new additions.

Mavericks @ Nuggets: A nice popcorn game for at least the first half. We have not seen nearly enough duels between Ty Lawson and Rajon Rondo.

Friday

Hawks @ Raptors: The Hawks have been the best team in the East recently but beating the Raptors in Toronto will be a tall order. Kyle Lowry should be a brutal cover for Jeff Teague but the Hawks have plenty of advantages of their own.

Trail Blazers @ Spurs (Game of the Week): Even though the Spurs have not been the Spurs much this season, I still see this one as a notable game for Portland due to San Antonio’s talent and success. Damian Lillard and Wes Matthews will need to drill their looks to keep the Spurs focused on them.

Saturday

Hawks @ Bulls: The Hawks’ road trip continues with another major test. The Bulls have not showed their best side yet, likely due to Joakim Noah’s extended recovery but they have the defensive talent to short circuit Atlanta’s remarkable attack.

Trail Blazers @ Grizzlies: Another easily justifiable GOTW choice but I find Blazers/Spurs (with Portland on the front end of a back-to-back) as the more watchable contest. I love Mike Conley and he has a chance to show his value here.

Clippers @ Kings: One of the underhyped but fun DeMarcus Cousins feuds is with Blake Griffin. (here’s a taste) Plus, this features Darren Collison facing his old team and Rudy Gay trying to exploit the Clippers’ most prominent weakness.

Sunday

Pelicans @ Raptors: Two teams with fun individual talents that could yield a worthwhile game.

Jazz @ Spurs: Worth keeping an eye on, especially to see how the Jazz elect to defend Tim Duncan.