Get ready for a full day of action with an NBA League Pass doubleheader to get the day started and another doubleheader in primetime with five key stats to know about each matchup.
Toronto Raptors (47-18) vs. Miami Heat (42-24), 1:30 ET, NBA League Pass
- The Heat won the first two meetings with the Raptors this season, with Jimmy Butler nearly averaging a triple-double in those games at 15.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists.
- The Raptors are the only team to rank in the top five in defending 3-pointers and shots within six feet of the basket. Toronto holds opponents to the lowest 3-point percentage in the league at 33.6% and ranks second inside six feet at 57.3% allowed.
- Kyle Lowry had 33 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in the Raptors’ win over the Lakers in their opening game of the restart. It was only the second 30 point, 10 rebound game of his career.
- Fred VanVleet leads the NBA in deflections this season with 4.2 per game and had four in Toronto’s win over the Lakers on Saturday.
- The Heat rank third in the NBA in assist percentage at 65.7% on the season. In their first game of the restart, 29 of Miami’s 40 field goals came off an assist (72.5%) and produced 76 of their 125 points (60.8%).
Denver Nuggets (43-23) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (41-24), 4:00 ET, NBA League Pass
- In two games against the Nuggets this season, Steven Adams has averaged 18.5 points and 15.5 rebounds per game. Those are the highest averages he’s posted against any opponent he’s faced more than once this season.
- In two games against the Thunder this season, Nikola Jokic has averaged 30 points, 10.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists, while shooting 79.3% (23-29) from the field. Jokic scored 24 points on 10-13 shooting (3-4 from three) in 10:41 of matchup time against Steven Adams.
- Chris Paul leads all players in clutch scoring with 146 points as the Thunder have outscored opponents by 109 points in those 160 clutch minutes. Paul is shooting 53.5% from the field, 36% from three and 93.8% from the free throw line in those situations.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 19 points, 6 assists and 3 steals in OKC’s win over Utah in the first game of the restart. In his second NBA season, SGA has nearly doubled his production from his rookie year in points (19.3 PPG, +79% from last season) and rebounds (6.0 RPG, +115%).
- This game features two of the slowest pace teams in the league as OKC ranks 21st at 99.19 possessions per 48 minutes and Denver ranks 29th at 97.70, which is the slowest pace of any team still playing.
Memphis Grizzlies (32-35) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (28-38), 6:30 ET, NBA League Pass
- Memphis has opened the restart with two losses by a total of seven points. In those two games, Jaren Jackson Jr. has led the Grizzlies with 27.0 points per game, while Ja Morant has averaged 23.5 points and 10.0 assists (4th in NBA).
- New Orleans is also looking for its first win of the restart after losing to the Jazz and Clippers in their first two games back. In those games, the Pelicans averaged just 103.5 points per game, which is well below their fourth-ranked 116.2 average heading into the restart.
- The Grizzlies are playing on the second night of a back-to-back; each team will have one back-to-back during the seeding games. This season, the Grizzlies are 7-3 on the second night of a back-to-back.
- Ja Morant ranks fifth in the league in drives at 18.7 per game, which have led to 10.1 points and 2.1 assists.
- Since the restart, the Grizzlies rank third in the league with 25 points per game on paint touches, while shooting 75.9% on those possessions, which also ranks third among the 22 teams in Orlando. Brandon Clarke has been leading the Grizzlies with 10.5 points per game and from paint touches (4th in the league), while shooting 90.9%.
Los Angeles Lakers (50-15) vs. Utah Jazz (42-24), 9:00 ET, NBA League Pass
- The Lakers are 1-1 in the restart with Anthony Davis pacing the team in scoring (24 PPG), while LeBron James has added 18 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6 assists, which is well below his league-leading 10.5 average.
- The Lakers (37.2%) and Jazz (41.5%) are the two lowest ranked teams in terms of field goal percentage in the restart. Los Angeles entered the restart as the best shooting team in the league at 48.5%, while Utah ranked fourth at 47.5%.
- Jordan Clarkson has led the Jazz in scoring in their first two games of the restart at 17.0 points per game off the bench, but has shot just 35.3% from the field and 23.1% from beyond the arc.
- The Lakers lead the NBA in blocks at 6.8 per game on the season and have averaged 7.5 in their first two games in Orlando. Anthony Davis ranks third in the NBA this season with 2.4 blocks per game.
- In his first two games with the Lakers, Dion Waiters has averaged 11.5 points per game off the bench and the Lakers have outscored their opponents by 25 points in the 43 minutes that Waiters has played.
