Most teams are hitting the halfway mark in their seasons and we get some chances to look beyond just who will make the playoffs and get a better look at the teams that may make some actual noise. The Blazers have another huge week with two big road games in Oklahoma City and Oakland for the Game of the Week. 

Monday

Toronto Raptors @ Charlotte Bobcats: While the Raptors have justifiably been one of the biggest success stories of the season near the midpoint, the Bobcats are only three games behind them in the win column. I am intrigued to see Michael Kidd-Gilchrist try to shut down DeMar DeRozan’s scoring and Jonas Valanciunas battle Al Jefferson on the interior.

Tuesday

Sacramento Kings @ New Orleans Pelicans: On the list just on the chance that DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis spend time guarding each other. Absolutely fascinating physical matchup.

Portland Trail Blazers @ Oklahoma City Thunder: This one should be fun even without Russell Westbrook. Kevin Durant has been on a scoring tear without his partner in crime and LaMarcus Aldridge scored well on Serge Ibaka the last time these two faced off.

Wednesday

Chicago Bulls @ Cleveland Cavaliers: Luol Deng playing against the team he spent his entire pro career with before the trade. Lots of emotion on display here.

Dallas Mavericks @ Toronto Raptors: Even though winning games like this should not be necessary to take the three-seed in the Eastern Conference, it could go a long way in terms of showing Toronto’s legitimacy more generally. This game also marks Jose Calderon’s return to the city he called home for years and a series of interesting big man matchups.

Sacramento Kings @ Houston Rockets: The last time these teams played, DeMarcus Cousins had a remarkable fourth quarter and carried the Kings to a surprising win. The Rockets will surely be looking to avenge that loss, this time on their home floor.

Friday

Dallas Mavericks @ Brooklyn Nets: As I said in the previous Mavericks game on the list, this should be a useful signpost in terms of how far along the Nets are at this point. Dallas has the offensive firepower to make this a very tough game for Brooklyn, especially since Monta Ellis has such a speed advantage on the Nets’ perimeter players.

New Orleans Pelicans @ Detroit Pistons: Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond on the floor at the same time. Must watch.

Memphis Grizzlies @ Houston Rockets: As of this writing, Memphis has won their last five and are making a push to get into the top eight even before the All-Star break. Getting Marc Gasol back has been integral to that improvement and he faces a huge challenge in Dwight Howard and the Rockets.

Saturday

Houston Rockets @ Memphis Grizzlies: Another key back to back home and home series concludes with a big game in Memphis. Marc Gasol and Dwight Howard are deservedly the headliners but I want to see how Tony Allen and Courtney Lee defend James Harden, the best offensive two-guard in the league.

Washington Wizards @ Utah Jazz: On the list solely because John Wall facing off against Trey Burke sounds like fun to watch. Plenty of potential fireworks.

Sunday

Portland Trail Blazers @ Golden State Warriors (Game of the Week): The last time these two teams faced off, they got into a pretty big tussle and had plenty of jawing in both directions. The presumably #FullSquad Warriors will need to win the game on defense because they cannot outscore Portland in a shootout unless both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson catch fire.