Return games help lead the Week 2 slate as both Paul George and Paul Millsap face their former teams. However, there are more intriguing matchups throughout the week, including the Clippers facing the ghosts of first rounds past, including hosting the Jazz in the Game of the Week.

Monday

76ers at Pistons, 7 p.m.: Joel Embiid should be active after missing Saturday’s game in Toronto, making this a far more interesting contest. Andre Drummond disappointed last year but can impress against the young 76ers.

Hornets at Bucks, 8 p.m.: Giannis.

Wizards at Nuggets, 9 p.m.: A fun game featuring teams with very different strengths. John Wall and Bradley Beal fuel the Wizards’ offense while Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap key the Nuggets on both ends of the floor. Millsap will also test Scott Brooks’ willingness to keep Kelly Oubre Jr. at power forward.

Kings at Suns, 10 p.m.: Phoenix chose Josh Jackson immediately before the Kings selected De’Aaron Fox in the 2017 draft and both should be in action here. Phoenix’s defense has been flammable early but Devin Booker could have a big night against the Kings. 

Tuesday

Nets at Magic, 7 p.m.: Brooklyn came away with a 126-121 victory when these teams played on Friday and the Magic will look to return the favor on their home floor. D’Angelo Russell has looked good in the early going and will need to lead the Nets’ offense with Jeremy Lin out for the season.

Knicks at Celtics, 7:30 p.m.: The Kristaps Porzingis to Boston trade rumors feel like a lifetime ago, don’t they? Brad Stevens and the Celtics are still in the process of figuring out their rotation without Gordon Hayward but both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum looked good in the season’s first week.

Jazz at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. (Game of the Week): These teams look dramatically different than they did six months ago in their first round playoff series. Rudy Gobert and DeAndre Jordan will still be doing battle on the interior but keep an eye on Derrick Favors vs. Blake Griffin, especially since Favors is looking healthier than he has been in a while.

Wednesday

Timberwolves at Pistons, 7 p.m.: Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond will make life difficult for each other and it will be interesting to see how Stan Van Gundy chooses to defend Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins. After a close loss in Washington, this would be a good early statement game for Detroit.

Pacers at Thunder, 8 p.m.: Frustratingly, Paul George’s first game against the Pacers comes in Oklahoma City rather than Indianapolis, but it will still be surreal to see him face off against the only team he had ever played for before this season. Hopefully Myles Turner has returned by this point because he and Steven Adams would be quite the style clash.

Raptors at Warriors, 10:30 p.m.: Kyle Lowry vs. Steph Curry will be the marquee matchup but newly-extended swingman Norman Powell defending Kevin Durant looms large considering he will eventually have to defend the Eastern Conference’s collection of small forwards.

Thursday

Hawks at Bulls, 8 p.m.: Atlanta has looked substantially feistier than Chicago in the season’s first week but early games can still have a big impact later on, particularly when both teams could be high in the lottery.

Celtics at Bucks, 8 p.m.: This game is on TNT. Still, Giannis.

Mavericks at Grizzlies, 8 p.m.: The second game in an unusual early season home-and-home should challenge both teams’ stamina. If Dennis Smith Jr is healthy enough to play, his duel with Mike Conley will be illuminating as Dirk Nowitzki and Marc Gasol create problems for each other.

Clippers at Trail Blazers, 10 p.m.: Another playoff rematch for the Clippers, this time from their 2016 first round series. Patrick Beverley will hound Damian Lillard all night and Jusuf Nurkic will try to show why he deserves a big contract with an impressive performance against fellow 2018 free agent center DeAndre Jordan. 

Friday

Rockets at Hornets, 7 p.m.: Dwight Howard already had one strong performance against a former team and will look to make it 2-for-2 against the Rockets. Chris Paul’s absence takes some of the intrigue out but both coaches will have to figure out how to contain the other team’s star ballhandler. Kemba Walker and James Harden could absolutely decide the outcome. 

Nuggets at Hawks, 7:30 p.m.: Paul Millsap’s return game comes fairly early on in the season and the Hawks will have their hands full trying to prevent him from having a big night. The benches could loom large here and John Collins has already become a fun second unit player to watch. 

Nets at Knicks, 7:30 p.m.: Another tilt with eventual lottery implications that also represents the Knicks’ best chance to win a game in October after a close loss to the Pistons. Kristaps Porzingis could go off against an undersized Nets power forward rotation but Brooklyn can counter by exploiting New York’s transition defense. 

Saturday

Cavs at Pelicans, 7 p.m.: A rare League Pass game for the Cavs against a capable opponent, making this a clear pick for the list. LeBron James has impressed this year but the decision to start Jae Crowder over Tristan Thompson this season makes their matchup with DeMarcus Cousins (and hopefully Anthony Davis) much more complicated in base alignments.

Celtics at Heat, 8 p.m.: Probably the clearest test yet of where the current Celtics fit into the Eastern Conference playoff picture since the Heat could be right around their level. Miami’s army of guards will have to slow down Kyrie Irving while Al Horford tries to draw Hassan Whiteside out of the paint.

76ers at Mavericks, 8 p.m.: While this will not be the first Fultz/Smith game, a potential Joel Embiid vs. Dirk Nowitzki matchup, would be worth the price of admission. Rick Carlisle could also have some tricks up his sleeve for challenging this young Sixers squad.

Sunday

Bucks at Hawks, 3:30 p.m.: The first game of the day could be competitive if Dennis Schroder and the Hawks compete on both ends of the floor. Thon Maker’s floor spacing gives the Bucks an added dimension but Dewayne Dedmon could punish him on the glass.

Nuggets at Nets, 6 p.m.: D’Angelo Russell and Jamal Murray have substantially better opportunities to shine this year and will look to make the most of it at the others expense here. This could also provide some offensive fireworks as the Nets are playing at a blisteringly fast pace this year and the Nuggets can score in bunches.

Magic at Hornets, 6 p.m.: Hopefully Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon are back for this one, even though Orlando stunned Cleveland without them. Nikola Vucevic’s three-point shooting will take Dwight Howard out of his comfort zone while