1. Philadelphia 76ers vs. Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards bring back their starting five that led them to 49 wins last season and their first game is against the 76ers. Joel Embiid is expected to play although he is on a minutes restriction. This game also marks the debut for Ben Simmons and watching him play in the preseason was interesting. Simmons is the point guard for the 76ers. It is more than likely that Otto Porter Jr. will matchup with Simmons and it will be a good matchup. The 76ers are supposed to be a playoff team according to the majority of people that pick playoff teams and Washington is on a short list of teams that could represent the East in the Finals. This game is going to be good.
2. Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics
The Gordon Hayward injury sucks. There is no silver lining, it sucks. The Celtics 2nd game is going to give a good glimpse into how they will move on after losing Hayward. The Bucks have an MVP candidate in Giannis Antetokounmpo and are going to be a tough challenge for the Celtics. The Bucks are big and the Celtics are not. The contrast will be great to watch and I am looking forward to seeing more of Point Horford. That's a combination of point guard and Al Horford because Horford is awesome. The Bucks are one of the teams that could capitalize on the Celtics loss of Hayward and this is a good barometer for them.
3. Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz
Denver is a great offensive team and the Jazz will be a great defensive team. The Nuggets are playing their first real game with Paul Millsap and the Jazz will be playing their first real game with their new look team full of solid NBA players. There is a great center matchup between Nikola Jokic and Rudy Gobert. I am also excited to see Ricky Rubio with the Jazz. There is also a great deal of buzz surrounding Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell, who seems to have left the University of Louisville at the right time. The Jazz and Nuggets both seem to be fringe playoff teams that might need the head to head in order to get into the playoffs. This may be their first game of the season, but it has importance.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs
This game might turn out to be a dud because it looks as though Kawhi Leonard is not going to play. The intrigue of this game is the new look Minnesota Timberwolves with Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague joining up with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. This could also be a chance to see if things are good in San Antonio for LaMarcus Aldridge after airing things out with Gregg Popovich and signing his new contract. The Spurs are still a good team even when missing key players so this will be a test for the Timberwolves.
Hope you enjoy the games. Basketball is back and it is exciting.