NBA viewing guide: Near-perfect Pacers visit Blazers

There are five games on the slate on Monday night, with one head and shoulders above the rest: The 16-1 Indiana Pacers' matchup with the 14-3 Portland Trail Blazers. That's the late game, but there are other offerings to munch on while you're getting ready:

The Appetizer: San Antonio Spurs vs. Atlanta Hawks

Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer will make his return to the city where he spent his last 19 seasons, 17 as an assistant coach. He's modeling his new team after the Spurs, with point guard Jeff Teague doing a nice Tony Parker impression this season (shoutout to Grantland's Brett Koremenos). Atlanta's 9-9, which is amazingly enough to make them the Eastern Conference's third-best team.

San Antonio had won 11 straight before dropping close games to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets in the past week. The Spurs generally take care of business against less talented teams, and Budenholzer's knowledge of their system won't help the Hawks prepare for Manu Ginobili passing between defenders' legs.

The Side Dishes: Washington Wizards vs. Orlando Magic

After a discouraging start, the Wizards closed out November with six wins in eight games. They're obviously not nearly as enjoyable to watch without Bradley Beal, but point guard John Wall has been on fire lately, and superstitious Washington fans should root for him to take exactly 18 shots. That's what he's done in four of his last five games. The one time he didn't, the Wizards lost.

Fun Magic fact: Power forward Andrew Nicholson has been averaging 18.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per 36 minutes this season, shooting 52 percent from the field and 38 percent on threes. He's averaging only 19.3 minutes per game, though. #FreeAndrewNicholson

Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets

Yes, the Jazz are still pretty bad. They're coming off a win, though! On the strength of Trey Burke's 20 points, six rebounds and three assists, they beat the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. If you want to catch a glimpse of this rookie point guard -- you're forgiven if you haven't watched him or his 3-15 Utah team play just yet -- then it's worth tuning into this game for a bit. The Rockets play fast, so it could be fun for a while.

Ahh, finally. Two undisputedly good basketball teams, and two teams that play decidedly different styles. The Pacers are running roughshod over the entire Association with their dominant defense and slightly-above-average offense. Portland's winning with beautiful offense, but a defense that has been up and down. There's that contrast, plus great individual matchups: Can Nicolas Batum slow down Paul George? Can David West play LaMarcus Aldridge to a draw?

This should be a good test for both teams, and Indiana will be looking to build on its win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. Following this game, their road trip will take them to Utah, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. Then they'll go home and face Miami. This is what the schedule evening out looks like.

Pass it on: Chicago Bulls vs. New Orleans Pelicans

Anthony Davis broke his stupid hand and Derrick Rose isn't coming back this season, so let's just ignore this one, okay?