The NBA has long celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a day of remembrance and celebration, and will continue to do so with an 11-game schedule on Monday. Staples Center will be busy, as the Los Angeles Clippers battle the New Jersey Nets in the day game, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks do battle in a playoff rematch in the night game. Here is the Monday NBA TV schedule, with all times PST:
10 a.m. - Chicago Bulls at Memphis Grizzlies (ESPN): Mark Jones and Doris Burke will call this matchup of Derrick Rose returning to the city of his college days, leading the team with the best record in the NBA (12-2).
12:30 p.m. - Nets at Clippers (Prime Ticket): Chris Paul with his strained left hamstring may or may not play, but either way the Clippers should be favored to get their sixth straight home win.
1 p.m. - Toronto Raptors at Atlanta Hawks (NBA TV)
4 p.m. - NBA Tip Off (TNT): The studio crew of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O`Neal will be at Staples Center in Los Angeles for pre- and post-game analysis on TNT.
5 p.m. - Oklahoma City Thunder at Boston Celtics (TNT): Kevin Harlan, Mike Fratello, Chris Webber, and David Aldridge are on the call as Kevin Durant and the Thunder take their six-game winning streak to Boston to face the struggling Celts.
7:30 p.m. - Mavericks at Lakers (TNT): Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, Reggie Miller, and Craig Sager's wardrobe will call the game as the Lakers try to get some small measure of revenge on the team that swept them out of last year's playoffs.
For more local NBA news, be sure to read Clips Nation and Silver Screen and Roll.