The 5 Best NBA Showdowns Before the 2015 All-Star Game

By ScoreBig on February 6, 2015

When the All-Star Game comes to New York this year, the NBA’s brightest stars will take the court and show why The League is going through a Golden Age. From modern day long-ball legends like Kyle Korver and the Splash Brothers to dunking studs like the Greek Freak and Zach LaVine, scoring All-Star Weekend tickets is a must this year for the general basketball-loving public. Until then, though, the All-Stars need some warm-up time and we’ve got the five best games to get NBA tickets to before the league’s finest head out to the Big Apple for the Big Show.

2/6 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans

Anthony Davis is only playing in the second ASG of his young career, but he’ll get his tune-up in against perennial All-Star teammates Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in this Friday night showdown at Chesapeake Energy Arena where Thunder tickets will be in short supply. When they’re on the court together at Madison Square Garden, the trio will electrify the All-Star crowd with high-flying dunks and pinhole passes, but at The ‘Peake, it’s going to be a gritty grind-it-out game as these two teams fight to secure a spot in the playoffs.

2/8 Memphis Grizzlies vs. Atlanta Hawks

Memphis and Atlanta are separated by less than 400 miles and despite being in different conferences, the similarities between these two teams are striking. Neither squad has a major bankable star, but they’ll be collectively sending four guys to New York for All-Star Weekend to represent the high-caliber team-oriented play that defines both teams. Jeff Teague’s on his way to his first ASG and Horford and Millsap know that a pre-All-Star tilt against one of the West’s best teams is the way to get your mind right.

2/9 Milwaukee Bucks vs. Brooklyn Nets

On paper, a Bucks/Nets match-up isn’t all that exciting. In reality, though, it’s a chance to see two Dunk Contest participants practice their throwdown skills against each other in a head-to-head duel. The rims are going to be rocking when two of the best young dunkers in the league, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mason Plumlee, square off in the frozen tundra of the Bradley Center. Milwaukee may be cold, but Bucks tickets are hot as can be.

2/9 Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers

Once again, the Western Conference is proving its dominance with seven of the top ten teams in the league. Two of those teams, the Clippers and the Mavericks, have almost identical records at the midseason mark and they’ll be fighting for playoff positioning the rest of the season. While Blake Griffin won’t be jumping over any cars this year in the Slam Dunk Contest, he will be joining Chris Paul as the only two players in this match-up represented at the All-Star Game. After 12 years of playing in the ASG, Mavs mainstay Dirk Nowitzski is sadly staying home this year and don’t be surprised if that fuels the feisty German into proving he should have been an All-Star yet again.

2/12 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls

In the very last game before the All-Star Break, 654-time All-Star LeBron James and former Three-Point Contest champion Kyrie Irving head to All-Star God Michael Jordan’s old stomping grounds to face off against resurgent Pau Gasol and the charging Bulls. Jimmy Butler’s been playing out of his mind all season and he’s being rewarded with a trip to New York as a first-time All-Star, which means Jimmy’s got a lot of pressure to live up to. Expect an epic game in this clash of Eastern Conference powers that are both still trying to find their way after up-and-down starts to the 2014-2015 season. The United Center’s going to be rocking, so get your tickets early and enjoy this classic showdown on All-Star’s Eve.

All-Star Tickets don’t come cheap, but you can save up to 60%  off your NBA tickets by going to see your favorite all stars at these upcoming games and using ScoreBig.com.

By Jason Kessler