NBA What to Watch: Mavs travel to face Clips, old friend DeAndre Jordan
The Dallas Mavericks are set to face off against their old friend DeAndre Jordan for the first time this season. That and more on slate in the NBA Thursday night.
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3 min read
Two nights down and one thing is clear about the 2015-16 season, the NBA is still a helluva lot of fun.
With three games on the docket, here’s what to watch on Thursday night:
How will power forward Paul George fare against Zach Randolph?
In an effort to play more uptempo, the Indiana Pacers drastically changed up their offense and have plans to play Paul George at the power forward position. George has waffled about his new role, hating it at first then almost half-heartedly accepting it. He will have a true test on his hands on Thursday night when he matches up against Zach Randolph.
George is definitely much faster than Randolph and should be able to frequently use this to his advantage, especially on offense. Defensively is where George may have some difficulty, as Randolph may bully him in the post.
Randolph is 34 years old and has definitely slowed down over the past couple of years, but the Grizzlies forward really didn’t have any speed to really lose and is still an excellent low post scorer and rebounder. Last season, for the third year in a row, Randolph averaged a double-double (16.1 points, 10.5 rebounds) and will surely post similar numbers this year.
So tune in to see how the Pacers’ small-ball experiment works against an actual bonafide big man.
Grizzlies at Pacers, 7 ET, League Pass
Who on the Hawks will be able to defend Carmelo Anthony?
Last season, the Atlanta Hawks had a defensive stopper in DeMarre Carroll that could lockdown or slow down an opponent’s best wing player. Now with Carroll no longer on the team after joining the Toronto Raptors in the offseason, the Hawks are starting Kent Bazemore in his place. Bazemore can definitely evolve as his lengthy wingspan and speed allow him to at least have the physical characteristics of a good defender. But this is Carmelo Anthony we are talking about here and Bazemore allowed Marcus Morris to score 18 points on him in the Hawks’ season opener.
Anthony may have missed all of last season with a knee injury, but he is still one of the best scorers in the league. From beyond the arc to inside the post, Anthony can score in a variety of different ways and is eager to get the Knicks respectable again. If Bazemore is unable to check Anthony, the Hawks will more than likely turn to Paul Millsap, especially since Thabo Sefolosha will sit out the game for rest purposes. Millsap is a capable defender but again, Melo is Melo and is a dynamic scorer.
If Anthony is feeling it, this could be quite disastrous for the Hawks.
Hawks at Knicks, 8 ET, TNT
How will the Mavs treat DeAndre Jordan?
As we all know, DeAndre Jordan reneged on his word in the offseason and re-signed with the Clippers instead of joining the Mavericks. After an initial period of bewilderment and astonishment, Dallas moved on from Jordan, trading for Zaza Pachulia and signing JaVale McGee.
This game is in Los Angeles, so Jordan will be safe from the wrath of Mavs’ fans, but you can’t help and wonder how the Mavs actually treat the Clippers center. Surely, they will give him the cold shoulder during warmups, probably even refusing to give Jordan dap before the opening tip.
Mark Cuban will likely be in attendance. Will the Mavs owner just incessantly heckle Jordan when he's at the free-throw line? Will Rick Carlisle spitefully Hack-A-Jordan, sending the Clippers to the line time and time again?
Jordan could also use these slights to fuel his play, maybe even throwing down a few monster slams just to spite the Mavs. Either way, this was one of the best dramas in the offseason, and now that the Jordan is finally playing against the Mavs, this matchup should also be highly entertaining to watch.
Mavs at Clippers, 10:30 ET, TNT
