NBA schedule today, game time, players to watch (Wednesday, Feb. 1)

Breaking down the NBA schedule for Wednesday, Feb. 1, including all the biggest games and most important players to watch.

It’s a crowded night on the NBA schedule with eight games to be played. There were originally nine but the matchup between the Pistons and Wizards has been postponed because the weather in Dallas kept the Pistons from departing after their game against the Mavericks last night.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch and what to look for.

NBA schedule: NBA games, start times and players to watch today, Feb. 1

• Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers – 7:00 p.m. ET
• Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies – 7:00 p.m. ET
• Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics – 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets – 8:00 p.m. ET
• Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves – 8:00 p.m. ET
• Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs — 8:00 p.m. ET
• Toronto Raptors at Utah Jazz – 9:00 p.m. ET
• Atlanta Hawks at Phoenix Suns – 10:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Washington Wizards at Detroit Pistons – Postponed

Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies

Damian Lillard is doing everything he can to keep the Blazers out of the play-in spots and picking up a win against the Grizzlies would certainly help. Over his last 10 games, Lillard has gone for 40+ five times, including a 50-point game against the Cavs and a 60-point game against the Jazz. Over this stretch, he’s averaging 38.8 points and 7.7 assists, knocking in nearly five 3-pointers per game. The Grizzlies are coming off a 12-point win over the Pacers, which snapped a five-game losing streak. They should be highly motivated to prevent any further slides in the standings.

Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics

This is the marquee matchup of the night and should deliver plenty of fireworks, even with Ben Simmons and Kevin Durant both out of the lineup. Kyrie Irving has a complicated history with the Celtics and he’s been fantastic lately — averaging 34.9 points, 7.6 assists, 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game over his last seven, hitting 47.0 percent from beyond the arc. The Celtics, who have already beaten the Nets twice this season, will likely lean on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as they look to maintain their stranglehold on the No. 1 seed in the East.

Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves

The Warriors and Timberwolves are separated by just a half-game in the Western Conference standings and both squads will be looking for a crucial win to stay out of the play-in tournament spots. The Timberwolves are coming off a fantastic January where they went 11-5, outscoring opponents by an average of 3.5 points per 100 possessions. Anthony Edwards was particularly productive in January, averaging 27.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, shooting 39.4 percent from beyond the arc.

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