It’s been a while since I did one of these, huh? Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s celebration wherever you spent it, because we’re about to have an action-packed slate for the third week of January.
Let me start this list with a can’t-miss January 21 matchup between two Western Conference powerhouses.
HOU v. SAS (Jan. 21)
Must-Roster Suggestions
HOU: Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant
SAS: Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Keldon Johnson
Despite not having the services of Fred VanVleet this season due to him tearing his ACL last September, the Houston Rockets have remained competitive and are in the thick of securing an outright playoff seed.
That’s mainly thanks to the efforts of Kevin Durant, who’s been a do-it-all player for Houston this season. Another Rocket worth mentioning is Amen Thompson for his ability to contribute on both ends of the floor, which is why he’s a must-roster for this game against San Antonio.
On the other side of the fence, the San Antonio Spurs are just within arm’s reach of the first seed currently held by the uber-dominant Oklahoma City Thunder.
A lot of factors have contributed to that success, starting with Stephon Castle building on his Rookie of the Year-winning campaign last season. Additionally, Keldon Johnson has turned it up a notch in all departments, and now finds himself in the running for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Obviously, Victor Wembanyama is still an absolute monster on both ends of the floor, but it should be noted that the Spurs are the second seed in the West despite him missing 14 games due to injury.
LAC v. LAL (Jan. 23)
Must-Roster Suggestions
LAC: James Harden, Ivica Zubac
LAL: LeBron James, Luka Doncic
The Los Angeles Clippers’ season has not turned out the way many of their fans had hoped, as they are on the back half of the play-in squads, but that has not stopped them from fighting to enter the top 6.
Leading the charge, much like last season, is James Harden, whose numbers have remained on the higher side, regardless of whether Kawhi Leonard is available or not. The same can be said for Ivica Zubac — arguably one of the most dominant and reliable bigs this season.
As for the Los Angeles Lakers, the injury bug has been nipping at their heels throughout the season, with the trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves being a revolving door on the sidelines. Reaves has been out since Christmas Day due to a Grade 2 calf strain, but he may return sometime in February.
While he’s been out, his co-stars in James and Doncic have been carrying the load on both ends of the floor, which has helped keep the Lakers in the thick of the playoff race.
TNT v. SMB (Jan. 25, Game 3, PBA PH Cup)
Must-Roster Suggestions
TNT: Calvin Oftana, Rey Nambatac, Jordan Heading
SMB: June Mar Fajardo, CJay Perez, Don Trollano
The PBA Philippine Cup is at its absolute climax as we get to watch the San Miguel Beermen throw down with the TNT Tropang 5G in a finals rematch from last season.
The coach Chot Reyes-led TNT squad faces an outright handicap entering this series, as they are likely to be without the services of RR Pogoy due to a hamstring injury that sidelined him for their series-clinching win over the Meralco Bolts in the semis.
However, Jordan Heading has stepped up admirably in his stead, and he should be a key contributor throughout the finals. The same can be said for Rey Nambatac, who already possesses a rep for turning up his game in the playoffs, which is evidenced by him earning the Commissioner’s Cup MVP award last season.
While those two guys helped spearhead their hopes of exacting revenge against the Beermen, Calvin Oftana is the engine that makes the entire TNT machine going, and he is expected to go off every single game.
Meanwhile, San Miguel gritted out a six-game series over Barangay Ginebra in their side of the semis bracket, and that’s off June Mar Fajardo dealing with a bum shoulder. But because they were able to prevent Ginebra from forcing a Game 7, they were able to get some much-needed rest.
That’s why Fajardo is on my must-roster list for this all-important Game 3 matchup. Additionally, CJay Perez and Don Trollano both need to be here as well, since they helped “The Kraken” during his mini-slump in the semis, and should play key roles again against TNT.
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