Best Games To Watch This Week: Jan. 2

Regular season action is in full effect throughout the G, with the second full week of games already upon us. 

The season is still very much in its infancy, but there is already plenty to look forward to over the next couple of days. Whether it’s teams with impressive starts facing off against one another or players looking to continue producing at a supremely high level, it’s got everything one would hope for.

Here are some of the matchups absolutely worth paying attention to.

Mexico City Capitanes v. Memphis Hustle (Jan. 3 at 8 pm/et on ESPN+)

Mexico City came storming out the gate with back-to-back wins against Salt Lake City, the latter of which saw them drop a season-high 136 points. Mason Jones has no doubt been the major catalyst behind their strong early start, averaging 35.5 points through the first two games which included a 36-point, 7-assist effort on Dec. 30. Meanwhile, over in Memphis, the Hustle also won their first two regular season matchups behind continued excellence from Dakota Mathias, who has hit two or more threes in 20-straight games, and a pair of strong outings from Vince Williams Jr. (16.0 PTS, 10.0 REB, 1.5 STL, 1.0 BLK). 

Austin Spurs v. Capital City Go-Go (Jan. 4 at 7 pm/et on ESPN+)

Capital City is one of just three teams to start 3-0 thanks to an offense that currently ranks in the top-four in both true shooting percentage (63.9%) and effective field goal percentage (58.2%). Big man Vernon Carey Jr. (26.3 PTS, 8.0 REB, 1.7 STL) and Kris Dunn (21.0 PTS, 6.0 REB, 5.0 AST, 3.3 STL) have both stepped up in big ways early on for this Go-Go squad. They’ll look to continue riding the momentum into their matchup with a Spurs team featuring Alize Johnson, who’s been their leading scorer (20.5 PTS) and rebounder (16.0 REB) so far in regular season action.

Motor City Cruise v. Maine Celtics (Jan. 6 at 7 pm/et on ESPN+)

It’d be hard to find a player who has gotten off to a better regular season start than Motor City’s Devontae Cacok. Through three contests, the big man is averaging 33.3 PTS and 11.7 REB while shooting 69.8% from the field, most recently dropping a career-high 44 points to go along with 17 rebounds in the Cruise’s Dec. 31 victory over Windy City. He’ll be taking on a fellow frontcourt maestro in Luka Samanic who’s averaging over 24 points and 11 rebounds per game to lead Maine to a perfect 3-0 start.

Ontario Clippers v. Stockton Kings (Jan. 6 at 10 pm/et on ESPN+)

With the league’s sixth-best net rating, and a top-five offensive rating, Stockton has gotten off to a very solid start. Their backcourt duo of Keon Ellis and Trey Burke is posting over 39 points per game while Chance Comanche (15.3 PTS & 11.7 REB) is averaging a double-double. They’ll have a tough task ahead of them in the Showcase Cup champion Clippers, who currently feature three players averaging 19 or more points through their first four games in Xavier Moon (21.3 PTS, 5.0 REB, 4.3 AST), Moussa Diabate (19.3 PTS & 12.3 REB) and Jason Preston (19.3 PTS, 5.8 AST, 5.5 REB).

Long Island Nets v. Westchester Knicks (Jan. 8 at 1 pm/et on NBA App)

It’s a battle for New York G League supremacy! Long Island is the owner of the third-best defensive rating in the G to this point, having given up just 104.7 points per game while holding opponents to a 41.6% field goal percentage. Eight players are averaging 10+ points per game, including Showcase Cup assists per game leader Chris Chiozza (13.0 PTS, 8.0 AST, 5.7 REB, 2.0 STL). The runner-up in that department, James Akinjo, and his Westchester Knicks will be looking to improve upon their Showcase Cup performance and vie for a spot in the playoffs.