Happy New Year!
To celebrate the end of 2020 and the start of 2021, there are 10 NBA games to look forward to on New Year's Day.
Here's the full schedule accompanied by the biggest storylines and the optimal viewing plan to get you ready for the day's action.
Watch live games on your favorite device with NBA League Pass
The schedule
| Game | Time | US/Canada Broadcast |
| Memphis Grizzlies vs. Charlotte Hornets | 7:00 p.m. | League Pass |
| Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons | 7:00 p.m. | League Pass |
| Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks | 7:00 p.m. | League Pass/TSN |
| Atlanta Hawks vs. Brooklyn Nets | 7:30 p.m. | League Pass |
| Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks | 8:00 p.m. | League Pass/Sportsnet |
| Washington Wizards vs. Minnesota Timberwolves | 8:00 p.m. | League Pass |
| Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs | 8:00 p.m. | NBA TV/Sportsnet |
| Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets | 9:00 p.m. | League Pass |
| LA Clippers vs. Utah Jazz | 9:00 p.m. | League Pass/NBA TV Canada |
| Portland Trail Blazers vs. Golden State Warriors | 10:30 p.m. | NBA TV/Sportsnet |
All times listed are Eastern Standard Time
Games on Sportsnet, TSN and NBA TV Canada are not available on League Pass
Biggest storylines
The Jaylen Brown show continues
Is Brown making the leap to stardom?
Through five games, the 24-year-old is averaging 28.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He's coming off of the highest scoring game of his career, dropping 42 points on 7-for-10 shooting from 3-point range in Boston's win over Memphis earlier this week.
☘️ Jaylen Brown career-high ☘️@FCHWPO goes off for 42 PTS, 7 3PM in just 3 quarters as the @celtics win at home! #KiaTipOff20 pic.twitter.com/frCkhfcPPo
— NBA (@NBA) December 31, 2020
The Pistons will have their hands full trying to slow down Brown.
Still looking for a win
At 0-5, the Wizards will be looking to pick up their first win when they take on the Timberwolves (2-2). Bradley Beal is averaging 31.2 points per game to start the season while Russell Westbrook is posting 19.8 points, 12.8 rebounds and 12.3 assists per game, but it hasn't resulted in a win ... yet.
The scorching Suns
The Suns enter Friday's games tied with the Clippers for the best record in the Western Conference at 4-1. They face a good test in the Nuggets, who are only 1-3 but have established themselves as one of the best teams in the Western Conference over the last couple of seasons.
Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic is off to a hot start this season with averages of 24.5 points, 13.5 assists and 11.5 rebounds per game. It'll be fun watching him and Deandre Ayton go head-to-head.
Optimal viewing plan
7:00-7:30 p.m.: Start the night with Heat-Mavericks. Both teams have gotten off to somewhat of a slow start this season, but Luka Doncic is must-see TV and the Heat have some of the best collection of young talent in the NBA in Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson. This should be a fun one.
7:30-8:30 p.m.: The Hawks and Nets played each other on Dec. 30 in a thriller, with Kevin Durant leading Brooklyn to a 145-141 victory with 33 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Don't be surprised if this one turns out to be a shootout as well.
8:30-9:30 p.m.: This is the time to hop around League Pass. The first round of games will be entering the fourth quarter, so keep an eye on Heat-Mavericks. Otherwise, stick with Hawks-Nets.
9:30-Bedtime: If Hawks-Nets is safe to walk away from, you have a couple of choices: Suns-Nuggets to see if Jokic, who is averaging a triple-double through four games this season, can cool off the hottest team in the league or Warriors-Blazers to see Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry go head-to-head. You can't really go wrong.
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