The first full week of November means something different in the new NBA calendar, as we have already seen about ten games from every team. This week features some of the league’s best teams, young players battling established stars and a big road trip for the Clippers that includes Saturday’s Game of the Week in New Orleans. 

Monday

Celtics at Hawks, 7:30 p.m.: A chance for Boston to bolster their surprisingly strong defensive numbers against one of the league’s most tepid offenses. That said, it will be interesting to see Dennis Schroder and Kyrie Irving face off. 

Heat at Warriors, 10:30 p.m.: Miami won on a Dion Waiters buzzer-beater the last time these teams faced off in one the regular season’s most memorable games. The Warriors will challenge Miami’s backcourt but the Heat bench could dominate Golden State’s shaky second unit.

Tuesday

Clippers at Spurs, 8:30 p.m.: A Game of the Week candidate if we had a healthy Kawhi Leonard but still worth watching since these teams boast two of the strongest traditional frontcourts in the league. The Gasol/Jordan match-up will be particularly compelling because pulling Jordan out of the paint would open up much-needed driving lanes.

76ers at Jazz, 9 p.m.: Embiid vs. Gobert, plus seeing how Quin Snyder decides to defend Ben Simmons. 

Grizzlies at Trail Blazers, 10 p.m.: A good early season League Pass game featuring teams who could be jockeying for playoff position in April. Damian Lillard and Mike Conley going at it will be a blast but I am more interested in how Jusuf Nurkic fares against Marc Gasol on both ends of the floor. 

Wednesday

Pacers at Pistons, 7 p.m.: Two positive stories in the Eastern Conference who could both benefit from an early win against a division opponent. Myles Turner is back from a concussion, which helps the Pacers but complicates their rotation since Domantas Sabonis impressed in his stead. Both will be needed against Andre Drummond. 

Knicks at Magic, 7 p.m.: Hopefully we get to see Kristaps Porzingis and Aaron Gordon go at it for most of the game and that seems like a reasonable possibility. Also keep an eye on the rookies as both Jonathan Isaac and Frank Ntilikina have intrigued in the early going. 

Heat at Suns, 9 p.m.: Goran Dragic will not get to face off against former teammate Eric Bledsoe but will play against a feistier Suns team and Mike James. This will also be a nice test for Devin Booker as Miami has a series of defenders to throw at him.

Thursday

Lakers at Wizards, 7 p.m.: Already the second (and final) match-up between these two teams this season, as the Lakers shocked the Wizards two weeks ago. Both teams could be starting different power forwards as Kyle Kuzma replaced the injured Larry Nance Jr., and Markieff Morris has returned to action. 

Pelicans at Raptors, 7:30 p.m.: New Orleans has been up and down to start the season but present an unusual and interesting set of problems for every opponent, making them a fun League Pass team. Their interior players are the focus but the Pelicans will have to figure out how to slow down DeMar DeRozan as well. 

76ers at Kings, 10 p.m.: A good change of pace running alongside the Thunder/Nuggets game on TNT since both teams feature a slew of young players worth keeping an eye on. 

Friday

Hornets at Celtics, 7:30 p.m.: Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker will be worth the price of admission in and of themselves but this also features the last two starting centers for the Hawks (Dwight Howard and Al Horford) plus versatile sets of forwards. 

Clippers at Thunder, 9 p.m.: The Clippers’ challenging road trip continues with a game against Russell Westbrook and the Thunder, pitting the reigning MVP against Patrick Beverley. This could also be a breakout game for Paul George as the Clippers do not have a true perimeter stopper, with Austin Rivers being their closest approximation. 

Heat at Jazz, 9 p.m.: Gobert and Whiteside are two classic centers but Dragic vs. Rubio will be much bigger possession by possession. Both teams also feature deep rotations and a slew of talented wing players. 

Saturday

Clippers at Pelicans, 7 p.m. (Game of the Week): The first game featuring Davis/Cousins vs. Griffin/Jordan since these teams did not play after the All-Star break last season. 

Grizzlies at Rockets, 8 p.m.: Memphis and Houston went to overtime the first time around as the Grizzlies ended up coming out on top. James Harden is still shouldering the offensive burden with Chris Paul out and it continues to be weird that Memphis does not have Tony Allen to slow down perimeter threats like him.

76ers at Warriors, 8:30 p.m.: The first game for Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons against Golden State. Robert Covington also has a chance to bolster his defensive reputation with a strong performance against Kevin Durant.

Magic at Nuggets, 9 p.m.: Hopefully Orlando will have at least one of their point guards back because this could be a fun game between two very different teams. Presumably Aaron Gordon will defend Paul Millsap (and vice-versa) but the Magic will have to slow down Nikola Jokic to have a chance at a nice road win.

Sunday

Raptors at Celtics, 3:30 p.m.: The two best teams in the Atlantic Division square off four times every year but this will be a nice calibrator for where they are at the moment. Boston starts the week with the NBA’s top defense and one of the persistent questions for Toronto is whether they can overcome that in pressure situations.

Heat at Pistons, 4 p.m.: Hassan Whiteside and Andre Drummond serve as a reminder of how far the league has shifted at the center position but both of them are absolute monsters on the glass and force opponents to shift their tactics. Detroit’s offense has been surprisingly effective early in the season but Miami has the right talent to provide a different kind of test.

Rockets at Pacers, 6 p.m.: James Harden and the Rockets have to make the list at least once after his 56-point gem on Sunday and this is a potentially fun match-up. Victor Oladipo is another former Westbrook teammate thriving with the ball in his hands more often and the two shooting guards may end up on each other frequently.

Mavericks at Thunder, 7 p.m.: Dennis Smith Jr. is one of the most athletic point guards to enter the league in a long time and Russell Westbrook once occupied that territory. The first game between those two is worth keeping an eye on.