As a new week begins, we are now less than a month away from the start of the NBA playoffs. That means every game will start taking on more importance, and we've got nine of those games lined up on Monday night.
Starting things off, the Pistons will travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers, and they'll do so without Blake Griffin, who is resting. Plus, the Jazz will battle the Wizards, the Knicks will take on the Raptors and Isaiah Thomas will return again to Boston when the Nuggets play the Celtics.
Later on, the Warriors will renew their rivalry with the Spurs, the Heat and Thunder will meet in Oklahoma City and the Pelicans and Mavericks will square off in a game that has big tanking implications.
To close out the night, we'll get another tanking bowl between the Bulls and Suns, as well as an interesting matchup between the Pacers and Trail Blazers, who just got good news about CJ McCollum's knee injury.
Here's everything you need to know about Monday night in the NBA:
NBA schedule for Monday, March 18
*All times Eastern
Griffin sitting out vs. Cavaliers
The Pistons are in the middle of a playoff race in the Eastern Conference, but they feel so confident in their ability to beat the Cavaliers, that they've decided to rest Blake Griffin in this game. The forward has been incredible this season, but there have been some signs lately that he's in need of a break. Over the last 10 games, his efficiency and productivity have dipped, which perhaps shouldn't be surprising given how much he's done for the Pistons this season. After a big win over the Raptors on Sunday, giving Griffin Monday night off against a weak Cavs team makes plenty of sense.
