Our nightly look ahead to the schedule with a couple of notes and story lines so you can plan out your NBA viewing. All Times Eastern.
Fire up the League Pass
7:00 New York Knicks @ Philadelphia 76’ers (ESPN) 
Ok, Knicks, you want a challenge? Lets see what you got against the Division-leading 76’ers. New York has gone 4-0 since Mike Woodsontook over, including a home-and-home sweep of the Pacers. Most of the games haven’t even been close, which leads to the obvious “are these guys for real?” questions.
Philly leads the division and the have games against the two teams chasing them this week. Can Philly establish its dominance in the Atlantic by bringing the Knicks down to earth, or are the Knicks suddenly awake and ready to make a run?
Couple of notes:
- Jeremy Lin has posted seven double/doubles this season
- Philly is averaging just 18.1 free throw attempts this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the NBA record for the lowest FTA average for a single season is 18.0 held by Phoenix in 2005-06.
9:30 LA Lakers @ Dallas Mavericks (ESPN)
The national matchups truly are the best ones tonight. We’ll have to see how the Western Conference Player of the Week Andrew Bynum redeems himself after getting tossed from last night’s game. The Mavericks are hot (they’ve won four in a row) and so is Dirk Nowitzki. A Dallas win would bring them within a half game of the Lakers, who are currently third in the West. That makes this a pretty big game for both teams as they try to jockey for playoff seedings.
Couple of notes:
- The Lakers have won the last four meetings with Dallas
- Dallas has scored 100 points in each of its last four games
Other story lines for tonight
7:00 Chicago-Toronto: Chicago, winners of three of four games without Derrick Rose (groin), may be without the former MVP once again
7:00 Phoenix-Orlando: Orlando has committed 59 turnovers in its last three games
7:30 Washington-New Jersey: The Wall/Williams matchup will be interesting. I hope.
7:30 Cleveland-Atlanta: Atlanta has won six straight against the Cavaliers.
8:00 Golden State-New Orleans: The Warriors look to avoid their longest losing streak of the season.
8:00 LA Clippers-Oklahoma City: The Clippers play the second of a back-to-back-to-back set.
8:30 Minnesota-San Antonio: The veteran Spurs are playing on three days rest.
9:00 Detroit-Denver: Despite recent improved play and a winning home record, Detroit comes into the game 4-18 on the road.
John’s Picks:
Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago, Orlando, New Jersey, Atlanta, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver
Last night: 3-4
Season: 107-93
