Even with a national holiday full of national TV games (Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate it), we have an excellent week of non-national matchups, especially a stacked first two days.

Tuesday

Pelicans at Pacers: After Anthony Davis’ explosion against Oklahoma City, he has gotten close to Durant rules when it comes to NNGW. Plus, the Pacers have been a surprisingly compelling team this season and can pose some problems for the young rising star.

Bulls at Wizards: Chicago has been getting closer to full strength just in time because the Wizards have played very well since Bradley Beal’s return and sport a 13-3 home record. The stars here are the two former Calipari Point Guards as Derrick Rose and John Wall who hopefully will both play.

Clippers at Hawks: Atlanta has been a revelation and comes to this game after beating Dallas and winning nine of their last ten. Dennis Schroder has played very well but will face a tough challenge in Chris Paul.

Trail Blazers at Thunder: Plenty of headliners even if Kevin Durant needs to sit. Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard are worth the price of admission by themselves but the battle between LaMarcus Aldridge and Serge Ibaka should be incredibly fun too.

Mavericks at Suns: Two fun teams with plenty of talent all over the floor. Any concerns Dallas has about their new and somewhat undersized backcourt can be tempered by Phoenix’s success with Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe last season.

Friday

Spurs at Pelicans: Tim Duncan and Anthony Davis. While the Spurs playing without so many key players makes most of their key games less interesting, it may help here because it balances the talent better since the Pelicans are still on their way.

Saturday

Raptors at Clippers: Depending on how one classifies various teams, the Raptors have done an excellent job in recent weeks beating clearly inferior teams but they have struggled against the bigger fish. A win against the Clippers would be their first against a top ten team since before Thanksgiving and thus be a notable statement in the first half of the year.

Pelicans at Bulls: Anthony Davis returns home and faces the Bulls shortly after Christmas. Taj Gibson’s return comes at a good time because he provides a distinct test for the New Orleans big. Jrue Holiday has been a tough defender for elite Point Guards but Derrick Rose’s strength makes him an unusual challenge. Golden State’s win at the United Center showed a potential Bulls weakness against stretch fours and Ryan Anderson could try to fill that role here.

Hawks at Bucks: The Bucks have played well without Jabari Parker and could show their staying power in the Eastern Conference with a notable home win here. Brandon Knight and Larry Sanders will need to play well on both ends for Milwaukee to beat a suddenly dominant Hawks team with talent all over the floor. 

Sunday

Rockets at Spurs: Another notable game that would get Game of the Week consideration if we could be assured both teams would play close to their full complement of players. James Harden has become an MVP candidate and will face tough opposition here even if Kawhi Leonard cannot play.

Thunder at Mavericks (Game of the Week): Assuming Kevin Durant can play here, this could be a remarkably fun game. Two former MVP’s along with the Rondo/Westbrook duel makes this one must watch even on an important NFL Sunday.