The 2025 NBA Rivals Week concludes Saturday with four exciting matchups, including a 2024 Finals rematch between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics.
After a dominant return to France, which included a 30-point, five-rebound outing against the Indiana Pacers, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs will face off again against Tyrese Haliburton & Co. in a rematch in Paris.
Team USA Olympic teammates LeBron James and Stephen Curry will go head-to-head for the second time this season as the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors duel in a Western Conference battle.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will take on the Denver Nuggets in a rematch of last season's exciting Western Conference semifinals that saw Anthony Edwards get the best of three-time MVP Nikola Jokic in a Game 7 thriller.
Are these rivalries in the making a preview to the postseason? Which superstars will take over this weekend? Our NBA insiders preview all four matchups, answering the biggest questions surrounding these eight teams.
Indiana Pacers vs. San Antonio Spurs, noon ET (ESPN)
What is behind the Pacers' recent surge, and can they hold onto it for the postseason?
Although the Pacers are playing slower than last season (currently ranked seventh after finishing second in pace last season), their speed and pace covers up deficiencies on the defensive end. Make no mistake, though. Indiana has improved defensively, playing what coach Rick Carlisle has called "a demanding style" that has the team looking poised for another trip to the Eastern Conference finals. The Pacers own a record of 14-5 since Dec. 13, and four of those losses came against contenders such as Oklahoma City, Boston, Milwaukee and Cleveland. If they sustain the improved level of play on defense, the Pacers have a chance to ride that momentum into the playoffs.
What will it take for the Spurs to break into the top six in the West?
San Antonio isn't far out of contention, but a couple of issues have plagued the Spurs. Offensively, San Antonio gets caught up playing the opponent's game (a product of lapses on defense), which can lead to devastating outcomes like we saw in three straight losses before Thursday's win over Indiana in Paris. Lack of communication defensively remains a major issue. The Spurs keep saying they can no longer use youth as an excuse for uneven performances, and prospects for moving up in the West won't improve until San Antonio gains a level of consistency in those areas.
With one game down, Victor Wembanyama's homecoming is___?
Shaping up to be the huge success that Wembanyama and the Spurs hoped for. Wembanyama wanted to shine in his native France, and he did just that Thursday in producing his seventh game with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. In just his second NBA season, Wembanyama already ranks among the top six all time in such games. Most importantly, San Antonio secured a win propelled by a strong collective shooting night in which the Spurs demonstrated they can deal with fast-paced teams like the Pacers.
-- Michael Wright
Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 3 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+)
Are Westbrook and Jokic the duo to lead the Nuggets into the playoffs?
Russell Westbrook has been an awesome story this season, a former MVP who has bounced around the league in recent years. He's thriving alongside Jokic, averaging 14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 7.6 assists as a starter. It appears increasingly likely that Westbrook will remain in the starting lineup -- Denver is 17-3 when he starts with Jokic -- but the Nuggets aren't relying on Westbrook to be a costar. The payroll makes that clear: Westbrook is on a veteran's minimum deal, while Jamal Murray signed a four-year, $208 million maximum extension before the season. "We did that as an organization because we believe in him," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after Murray scored a season-high 45 points in a Jan. 14 win in Dallas, swatting at criticism stemming from the guard's slow start this season. In case anyone forgot, Malone noted that Murray starred during the Nuggets' 2023 championship run. Murray has averaged 20.7 points and 5.9 assists with a 57.8% true shooting percentage since the start December. If he keeps up that kind of production, the Nuggets will be contenders.
What is the biggest factor holding back the Wolves this season?
Minnesota has a terrible tendency to get stuck in the mud offensively down the stretch of games. The Timberwolves' 29 clutch games (within five points in the last five minutes) lead the league -- many of those because seemingly comfortable leads crumbled late in contests -- and rank 28th in clutch offensive efficiency (98.5 points per 100 possessions). This is where Anthony Edwards has the most room to grow. He ranks last in the league in clutch plus-minus (minus-49) in large part because Edwards relies far too much on hero ball despite often being double-teamed. He has attempted the most clutch field goals (64) and 3-pointers (37) but is shooting only 39.1% from the floor and 27.0% from long range in those situations.
Edwards or Jokic: Which superstar takes over this game?
Jokic is always the best bet to take over a game because he can dominate in so many different ways. He has more triple-doubles through three quarters of games this season (14) than any other team has. This is a three-time MVP in the midst of his best statistical season, averaging career highs in scoring (30.1 points), assists (9.9) and steals (1.9), as well as the second most rebounds (13.2) of his career. Jokic is one of the league's leading scorers and often completely controls stretches of contests without attempting a shot.
-- Tim MacMahon
Boston Celtics vs. Dallas Mavericks, 5:30 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+)
Boston dominates Golden State in a commanding performance, securing a 40-point blowout victory
Can the Celtics catch the Cavs for the East's top seed? Do they need to?
Boston will not be catching Cleveland for the top seed in the East -- and won't be worried about it.
The Celtics sit 5.5 games behind the Cavs in the East standings, and going into Thursday's game were projected to finish eight games back, according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index. It isn't realistic to expect Boston to make up that kind of deficit over the back half of the campaign, especially if you factor in the Celtics' recent middling record (9-8 since Dec. 23) and taking extremely precautionary measures by resting their players throughout the season.
Ironically, the Celtics are reminiscent of the LeBron James-led Cavaliers from 2015 to 2018. Those teams were never bothered about having the top seed in the conference -- they only had it in one of those four seasons -- and always believed they would be fine winning a road playoff series. As the defending champions, the Celtics believe they can take down the Cavaliers in a series that begins in Cleveland. Boston will instead prioritize health down the stretch.
What will be the biggest hurdle for the Mavericks to get back to the postseason?
Health. Dereck Lively II is out for two to three months with an ankle fracture. Luka Doncic has been out for several weeks with a calf strain. Kyrie Irving is dealing with a nagging back issue -- a concerning problem for any player, but particularly for a smaller guard who has had a terrific season and turns 33 in March.
Dallas had seven players sit out Thursday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, including four of its top seven projected rotation players in Doncic, Lively, Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall. A full-strength roster is hard to sustain over any length of time, but the Mavericks have gone 5-11 since Doncic left the lineup.
This 2024 NBA Finals rematch will be ___?
Underwhelming, if for no other reason than Doncic's injury robs the game of its luster, coupled with Boston's average play over the past few weeks. Outside of Oklahoma City, the Mavs still have arguably the highest upside of any team in the West and also are possibly the best bet to prevent the Thunder from making their first NBA Finals appearance since 2012.
When this game was put on the schedule, the hope was that all of the stars on would go toe-to-toe. Doncic being hurt keeps that from happening.
-- Tim Bontemps
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors, 8:30 p.m. (ABC, ESPN+)
What will be the biggest factor for the Lakers to hold onto contention in the West?
L.A. hit the halfway mark of the season as the No. 6 seed in the West -- which, if the season ended today, would come with an automatic playoff bid and allow the Lakers to avoid the play-in tournament for the first time since 2020. Any sense of satisfaction already would be premature though. "We have to have to get the mindset of not trying to hold this spot, but get better," Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said Thursday. "Trying to get third, or something like that. We can't just hold this spot and try to rely on other teams to lose." Hachimura's answer echoes Lakers coach JJ Redick's constant message to his team about being process-oriented and having a growth mindset. If the Lakers learn from their first-half mistakes to become a better team, they will have a shot. If they don't, as Hachimura mentioned, it won't matter if they avoid the play-in or not.
What do the Warriors need to do in the coming weeks to get back into the playoff picture?
With losses in six of their past 10 games -- including blowing an 18-point lead in a disappointing defeat against the Sacramento Kings this week -- these are tenuous times for the franchise. To begin a turnaround, the Warriors must find a way to score beyond Stephen Curry because the more Golden State's role players struggle with inconsistency, the more teams are able to clamp down on Curry. The Warriors are 20th in offensive efficiency -- averaging 111.3 points per 100 possessions -- and while they are 11th in defense, still have a negative net rating. Dennis Schroder, the team's in-season addition, hasn't had the impact they were hoping, averaging 10.4 points on 35.9% (28.6% from 3).
LeBron vs. Curry: Which superstar will show out in their second matchup of the regular season?
Why not both? Curry and James were equally superb in their first meeting this season on Christmas Day, with James posting 31 points and 10 assists to edge the Warrior star's 38-point performance in a two-point win for L.A. The two all-time greats have been getting the best out of one another for more than a decade, and that should continue as we witness what could be only a handful of matchups left.
-- Dave McMenamin