5 Can’t-Miss Matchups: Russell Westbrook vs. Ja Morant

Back on Nov. 4, we missed the first opportunity to see two of the league’s most explosive point guards in Russell Westbrook and rookie phenom Ja Morant  go head to head due to Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni electing to hold out the former for rest.

Hopefully, this time the pairing pans out as one of the headliners on NBA TV (Jan. 14, 8 ET) for a week of games that also features Kia Most Valuable Player types squaring off in James Harden and LeBron James (Jan. 18, 8:30 ET on ABC).

Here’s a look at some of our can’t-miss matchups for the week:

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1. Russell Westbrook vs. Ja Morant

• Tuesday, Jan. 14 (8 pm ET, NBA League Pass) 

Last regular season meeting: Players have not yet met.

Westbrook didn’t play when the Rockets downed the Grizzlies 107-100 back in November, as D’Antoni elected to rest the former Kia MVP winner after an embarrassing loss at Miami. In Westbrook’s absence, Morant scored a team-high 23 points to go with six assists.

This matchup represents a perfect pairing of fearless competitors, and surely Westbrook sees a little of himself in the high-flying rookie. Speaking of Westbrook, the veteran dropped a 30-piece to go with 10 assists to close out last week with a win over Minnesota. The performance marked the 14th-consecutive game in which Westbrook scored 20 points or more.

2. Marcus Smart vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo

• Thursday, Jan. 16 (8 pm ET, NBA League Pass) 

Last regular season meeting: Oct. 30, 2019

Smart has an eight-inch height disadvantage against Antetokounmpo, but do you think the size mismatch will keep him from trying to throw the shackles on the reigning Kia MVP? San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich phrased it perfectly last week when he called Smart “a tough son of a gun.”

One of the league’s elite defenders with plenty of swagger to match, Smart and the Celtics have captured wins in three of their last five outings against Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. The Kings double and triple-teamed Antetokounmpo on Friday to limit him to just 13 points, but you shouldn’t expect similar tactics from the Celtics with a stopper like Smart in the fold.

Head-to-head stats below are via Basketball Reference.

3. LeBron James vs. James Harden

• Saturday, Jan. 18 (8:30 pm ET, NBA League Pass)

Last regular season meeting: Feb. 21, 2019

In a Kia MVP race that changes day by day and performance by performance, what transpires in this game is sure to swing opinions one way or the other. Interestingly, these two haven’t faced off since last February with James coming out on top when the teams met in Los Angeles.

Outside of that, Harden has finished victorious in four of the last five head-to-head matchups. On Saturday, the 30-year-old Harden became the 45th player (and the seventh-youngest) to reach 20,000 career points (20,022). James accomplished that feat at 28 and is the youngest in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points back in 2013.

Head-to-head stats below are via Basketball Reference.

4. Devin Booker vs. Trae Young

• Tuesday, Jan. 14 (7:30 pm ET, NBA League Pass)

Last regular season meeting: Nov. 14, 2019

Exciting, young All-Star-caliber guards collide here, but both teams’ losing records scuff up some of the shine in this one. Young finished up last week with an off night in a loss to the Wizards as they limited him to 19 points on 7-of-20 shooting. What’s more is Young missed all seven of his 3-point attempts, which tied for the second-most attempts from range without a make in a game for the second-year star.

Booker, meanwhile, closed out the week by making a couple of clutch 3-pointers late to lead the Suns past the Magic on Friday. Young won the first two matchups between the phenoms, but Booker, despite committing seven turnovers, dropped 27 points to lead Phoenix to a win when these teams last met in November. Young missed Sunday’s loss to the Nets due to a sore hamstring.

Head-to-head stats below are via Basketball Reference

5. Kevin Love vs. Anthony Davis

• Monday, Jan. 13 (10:30 pm ET, NBA League Pass)

Last regular season meeting: March 30, 2018

LeBron James’ old sidekick meets up with the new one in Los Angeles. Going back to Dec. 12, 2014, Davis has won three of the last five meetings against Love. But all those outings came during Davis’ time with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Davis has missed the Lakers’ last two games with a bruised tailbone, while constant trade speculation continues to swirl around Love, who has shown frustration with Cleveland’s current situation. Love remains a major contributor on the floor, though, and finished up last week with a 15-rebound performance in the Cavaliers’ win over the Denver Nuggets.

Head-to-head stats below are via Basketball Reference.

Underrated matchup: Chris Paul vs. Kyle Lowry

• Wednesday, Jan. 15 (8 pm ET, NBA League Pass)

Last regular season meeting: Dec. 29, 2019

All-Star floor generals clash in what’s largely been a lopsided affair as Paul is 16-9 in games against Lowry. Paul has come out on top in three of the last five contests against Lowry, but the series is evenly split at 5-5 over the last 10 meetings.

Lowry piled up a season-high 15 assists in a loss Sunday to the San Antonio Spurs. Considering the Thunder are 7-13 against teams better than .500, Lowry and the Raptors might have a good shot on the road against Paul, who has torched opponents this season in clutch time.

Head-to-head stats below are via Basketball Reference.

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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here , find his archive here and follow him on  Twitter .

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