We have another strong week of non-national games even as ABC begins to take quality games away from League Pass. While getting some quality Western Conference games should draw your main attention if you like good basketball, this will be a fun clarifying week for two surprising Eastern Conference teams as both the Pistons and Bucks have multiple challenging games.

Monday

Pelicans @ Knicks: Can Anthony Davis drop 50 at MSG? You have to watch to find out.

Raptors @ Bucks: Potential playoff preview and also two teams with dramatically different strengths. Brandon Knight has played better than expected this season but will need to be at his best to limit Kyle Lowry.

Kings @ Trail Blazers: Strangely compelling if DeMarcus Cousins plays, largely uninteresting if he does not.

Tuesday

Spurs @ Nuggets: If the Spurs are finally back to being the Spurs, we will see it against a still-dangerous at home Nuggets squad. Unsurprisingly, having Kawhi on the floor helps the Champs.

Wednesday

Jazz @ Cavaliers: The Rudy Gobert / Derrick Favors combination has played incredibly well since getting paired in the starting lineup. The Cavs have struggled all year and need to find their identity in the near term. Adding Timofey Mozgov should help that but the aforementioned Utah duo will make that hard in this one.

Magic @ Pistons: Since Christmas, both Detroit and Orlando have been nice surprises that actually have an outside chance of making the playoffs. Andre Drummond’s play has been a huge part of that success but Nikola Vucevic’s offensive game will provide a challenge for the big man.

Raptors @ Grizzlies: With DeMar DeRozan back, the Raptors have to get back to where they were at the start of the season. Memphis continues to impress and has a chance to re-assert Western Conference dominance with a big game from Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and the rest.

Trail Blazers @ Suns: Portland’s defense currently sits at fourth in defense and the Suns are sixth in offensive efficiency. Beyond that, you have Eric Bledsoe defending Damian Lillard and a great test of how well Brandan Wright fits on his new team.

Thursday

Jazz @ Bucks: I seriously considered choosing this as Game of the Week. Utah and Milwaukee are young teams with plenty of talent that will be making substantially more noise in 2-3 years. Giannis Antetokounmpo guarding Gordon Hayward will be fun and Milwaukee will have to handle Favors somehow.

Friday

Thunder @ Hawks (Game of the Week): As well as Atlanta has been playing, Oklahoma City brings plenty of problems because of their athleticism and potency on the perimeter. Jeff Teague needs to keep Russell Westbrook under wraps but I am more interested to see how OKC chooses to defend Kyle Korver.

Rockets @ Suns: Even after the Oklahoma City win, taking a big road game like this would be notable if Houston wants to be taken seriously as a title contender. Alex Len has played well recently and has a chance for a statement on Dwight Howard.

Kings @ Warriors: These teams have played some fun games recently and putting a few more days down makes it more likely that Boogie can make it out on the court. Either way, Rudy Gay and Darren Collison will need to play out of their minds for Sacramento to take a road game at Oracle.

Sunday

Clippers @ Suns: Eric Bledsoe playing against his former team brings some intrigue but I am most excited to see if Blake Griffin can dominate against a PF group that should have trouble handling him. If not, the Clippers may have bigger problems than I thought.

Mavericks @ Pelicans: Dirk vs. Anthony Davis, Jrue vs. Rondo and Chandler vs. Asik. A fun series of battles.

Bucks @ Spurs: Milwaukee’s defense has been the best in the league for the last month or so and may not face any bigger test than a close to full strength Spurs team. If the Bucks can contain San Antonio, they could be more serious contenders in the East considering only one team has really taken hold in the conference.

Pistons @ Raptors: We may know by the end of the week if the Pistons are for real. Heck, they could be in the eight spot by this point! Toronto has plenty of structural advantages in this one and should be the favorites but the Monroe/Drummond front line will be fun to watch against them.