All times are CENTRAL-Visitor-HomeTime(16-25) CHARLOTTE HORNETS(22-19) DETROIT PISTONS11:30 am (NBATV)(29-12) TORONTO RAPTORS(19-20) PHILADELPHIA SIXERS12:00 pm(22-20) MILWAUKEE BUCKS(25-18) WASHINGTON WIZARDS1:00 pm(29-15) SAN ANTONIO SPURS(11-31) ATLANTA HAWKS2:00 pm (NBATV)(19-24) NEW YORK KNICKS(16-27) BROOKLYN NETS2:00 pm(25-17) MIAMI HEAT(16-27) CHICAGO BULLS2:30 pm(15-27) LOS ANGELES LAKERS(13-28) MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES4:30 pm (TNT)(35-9) GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS(26-16) CLEVELAND CAVALIERS7:00 pm (TNT)(13-29) SACRAMENTO KINGS(23-20) OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER7:00 pm(23-20) INDIANA PACERS(17-25) UTAH JAZZ8:00 pm(30-11) HOUSTON ROCKETS(21-21) LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS9:30 pm (TNT)
NBA Referee Assignments January 15, 2018 Referee assignments are posted at approximately 9:00am ET each game day. Game Official 1 Official 2 Official 3 Alternate Charlotte @ Detroit Derrick Stafford (#9) Tyler Ford (#39) Lauren Holtkamp (#7) Toronto @ Philadelphia John Goble (#30) Leroy Richardson (#20) Dedric Taylor (#21) Milwaukee @ Washington Marc Davis (#8) Courtney Kirkland (#61) Haywoode Workman (#66) San Antonio @ Atlanta Jason Phillips (#23) Sean Corbin (#33) Derek Richardson (#63) New York @ Brooklyn Brian Forte (#45) Ray Acosta (#54) Karl Lane (#77) Sacramento @ Oklahoma City Ken Mauer (#41) Matt Boland (#18) Gediminas Petraitis (#50) Miami @ Chicago Sean Wright (#4) JT Orr (#72) Scott Wall (#31) L.A. Lakers @ Memphis James Williams (#60) Brent Barnaky (#36) Scott Twardoski (#52) Golden State @ Cleveland Scott Foster (#48) Marat Kogut (#32) Eric Lewis (#42) Indiana @ Utah Tom Washington (#49) Mark Lindsay (#29) Aaron Smith (#51) Houston @ LA Clippers Mike Callahan (#24) Bennie Adams (#47) Michael Smith (#38) Replay Center: Derrick Collins , Bill Spooner , Josh Tiven , Justin Van Duyne
If Rockets finish 2nd, better hope that Spurs are 3rd. Otherwise it means a more talented, more dangerous team is 3rd instead such as Timberwolves or Thunder. Spurs are not a good team. They just beat up on lottery teams and pretenders, especially on the road to get a good regular season record. They have perennially injured Leonard whose career trajectory is looking like Derrick Rose post injury. Aldridge is still okay but his best days are behind me. Other starters are nobodies that might not even start on other teams. Then they are relying on old people that should already be retired. If you are Rockets, you hope to face Spurs rather than Timberwolves or Thunder. If you had to bet your house on it, you'd definitely do that.
I am not afraid at all of the Thunder. The T'Wolves are unpredictable, but they have a lot of young players who need to learn how to win first. Also, there's the Thibs factor. Will he run them into the ground by the time the playoffs start?
Thibs may run his players into the ground but so does Dantoni. So it cancels out in a matchup between Rockets and Timberwolves.
At least dantonis players go on to have actual careers after leaving him, Thibs just runs his players out of the NBA. Dantoni is infamous for playing a guy 35 minutes when he should be playing 30, Thibs plays those same players 40.
Consider that the Spurs have missed Kawhi Leonard for basically all of the season. Never underestimate this team, when will we learn? Spurs with Kawhi were dominating the Warriors. I'd rather play the Twolves or Thunder in the 2nd round and let the Spurs and Warriors duel it out.
