On Monday night, Kevin Durant and Luka Donic are set to face off in one of the 15 games.
Every Monday we will tell you what you need to know heading into a new week of NBA action.
1. Manic Monday and Voting Tuesday
There is no need to check the schedule, your favorite NBA team is playing on Monday night as all 30 teams will be in action on a rare 15-game night around the league.
The decision to have every team play on Monday is a result of the NBA’s decision to hold no games on Tuesday, Nov. 8, which is Election Day in the United States. Rather than following the action on the court, NBA teams will share election information with fans and encourage them to participate in the election.
Not only will Monday be unique with all 30 teams in action, the schedule will roll out a bit differently as a new game will tip off every 15 minutes beginning at 7 p.m. ET with the Hornets hosting the Wizards and concluding with the Clippers hosting the Cavaliers (10:30 ET, NBA TV).
With games starting every 15 minutes, it’s likely that they’ll also end roughly 15 minutes apart. This means that from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET, there’ll be non-stop crunch time action to enjoy on League Pass. For those who’d rather not switch feeds on League Pass, NBA CrunchTime on the NBA App is available. This offers an NFL RedZone-style experience with live look-ins at every game, especially during the final moments, to ensure you don’t miss any of the best parts. This starts at 9 p.m. ET.
Every game, every team, all at no cost.
Tonight, all 30 NBA teams are set to play with 15 games accessible at no cost on the new NBA App. The games will start 15 minutes apart!
Download the NBA App to watch: https://t.co/OVezzsML8x… pic.twitter.com/saryDqRuou
— NBA (@NBA) November 7, 2022
To learn more about Monday’s slate of games, click here to check out a breakdown of all the top storylines.
2. Milestone Watch: Can LeBron ‘pass’ Magic?
In addition to his pursuit of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record (1,107 points to go), LeBron James is chasing another Lakers legend in assists. Entering Week 4, LeBron needs 33 assists to pass Magic Johnson (10,141) for sixth place on the all-time assists leaderboard.
Just last week, LeBron passed Karl Malone for the most games with 20 or more points in league history with No. 1,135 of his career. After the accomplishment, LeBron shared a leaderboard graphic with the caption “Not bad for a pass first guy!” This upcoming assist milestone is more fitting to his basketball instincts, but the truth is there’s never been a better combination of scorer and playmaker than James.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by (@kingjames)
This week, the Lakers are scheduled for four games. To overtake Johnson this week, LeBron is required to average slightly above eight assists per game, surpassing his current season’s average of 7.1 per game, which ranks him 13th in the league.
Other milestones to watch for this week
- Kyle Lowry is just eight 3-pointers short of becoming the 12th player to hit 2,000.
- Devin Booker is just two 3-pointers away from achieving 1,000 in his career.
3. The Temp Check: Hottest & coldest teams entering the week
In the previous week’s edition of The Five, we drew attention to two top-performing players, Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell, and one unbeaten team, the Bucks, as they moved into the third week of the season. As we approach Week 4, all three are maintaining their red-hot form. Luka continues to score a minimum of 30 points in every game this season, Mitchell remains an excellent addition to Cleveland, and the Bucks are yet to be defeated – even as Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out their ninth consecutive victory at the start of the season, enjoying popcorn from the sidelines.
With a 9-0 record, the Bucks are the league’s only undefeated team. Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports.
Heat Check: Cleveland, Milwaukee, Memphis and Dallas
This week we’re examining teams that are both hot and cold. The Bucks maintain the heat check, yet the Cavaliers are hot on their heels at the pinnacle of the Eastern Conference standings. As we enter Week 4, Cleveland is on an eight-game winning spree – their longest since they won 13 consecutive games from November 11 to December 6, 2017.
In the Western region, both Memphis (7-3) and Dallas (5-3) are entering Week 4 with three-game winning streaks. The Grizzlies are trailing Utah and Phoenix by a mere half game for the top position in the West. Meanwhile, Dallas, now two games above .500, are 1 and a half games behind the Jazz and Suns in the race for the No. 1 spot.
Cold Check: Golden State
The reigning champion Warriors (3-7) head into Week 4 on a five-game losing streak, currently ranking 13th in the Western Conference. Should Bay Area fans be panicking or staying patient? When a team suffers five consecutive losses, a level of concern is inevitable. However, the Warriors’ championship history should help quell much of this worry, particularly this early in the season.
4. League Pass games to watch: Monday’s free preview
If you’re not yet subscribed to League Pass, Monday night may be the best free trial you ever see as all 15 games on Election Day eve will be streamed for free on the new NBA App. Here’s the full list (all times Eastern):
- 7 p.m.: Wizards @ Hornets (League Pass)
- 7:15 p.m.: Rockets @ Magic (League Pass)
- 7:30 p.m.: Thunder @ Pistons (League Pass)
- 7:45 p.m.: Pelicans @ Pacers (League Pass)
- 8 p.m.: Suns @ 76ers (NBA TV)
- 8:15 p.m.: Bucks @ Hawks (League Pass)
- Trail Blazers vs Heat at 8:30 p.m. on League Pass.
- 8:45 p.m.: Raptors @ Bulls (League Pass)
- 9 p.m.: Celtics @ Grizzlies (League Pass)
- 9:15 p.m.: Knicks @ Timberwolves (League Pass)
- 9:30 p.m.: Nuggets @ Spurs (League Pass)
- 9:45 p.m.: Nets @ Mavericks (League Pass)
- 10 p.m.: Kings @ Warriors (League Pass)
- 10:15 p.m.: Lakers @ Jazz (League Pass)
- 10:30 p.m.: Cavaliers @ Clippers (NBA TV)
The slate begins with No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero and the Magic taking on 2021 No. 2 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. and the Rockets. The Suns bring the best record in the Western Conference to Philadelphia to take on last year’s scoring champ, Joel Embiid. The Sixers will be without James Harden and Embiid’s status for the game remains questionable as he recovers from illness.
Later on, how about Ja Morant and the Grizzlies putting their three-game win streak to the test at home vs. the defending Eastern Conference-champion Celtics? And, what about the top scorer in the league (Luka Doncic, 36.0 ppg) taking on the third-ranked scorer in the league (Kevin Durant, 31.5 ppg) as the Mavericks host the Nets?
Cap off this epic night with a heat check squad (the Cavs) and the improving LA Clippers squaring off at Staples Center as Cleveland seeks its ninth straight win.
5. National TV spotlight: Must-see matchups
LeBron James and the Lakers face off against the Clippers on Wednesday night, concluding two major intra-city clashes.
Wednesday: Knicks vs. Nets (7:30 ET, ESPN) & Lakers vs. Clippers (10 ET, ESPN)
The two NBA cities with two teams each, New York and Los Angeles, will see their intra-city rivals face each other on the same night. The Nets will host the Knicks at Barclays Center (7:30 ET) in New York, while the Clippers will host the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena (10 ET) in Los Angeles.
Often viewed as the “lesser” teams in intra-city rivalries – the Nets in New York City and the Clippers in Los Angeles – both are going into Wednesday’s game on the back of significant victory runs against their city rivals.
The Nets have emerged victorious in their last seven encounters with the Knicks, a winning streak that started on Jan. 13, 2021. From the onset of the 2018-19 season, the Nets have a 12-3 record against the Knicks.
The Clippers head into Wednesday’s game with an eight-game winning streak against the Lakers, a streak that began on Dec. 22, 2020. It’s worth noting that the Clippers have been dominating this city rivalry for the past decade, boasting a record of 33-7 in their last 40 games against the Lakers since the start of the 2012-13 season.
Friday: Denver at Boston, 7 ET (NBA TV)
The Celtics and Nuggets each enter Week 4 at 6-3, each having won their past two games to rank third and fifth in their respective conference. Denver is led by the reigning back-to-back Kia MVP in Nikola Jokic, who just passed Wilt Chamberlain for the most triple-doubles by a center (79) and is nearly averaging one through nine games (20.3 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 9.2 apg). Additionally, Denver’s Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are continuing to round into form following extended absences due to injury. Boston has won five straight games against Denver and is one of only two teams (along with Brooklyn) to have two players — Jayson Tatum (30.3 ppg) and Jaylen Brown (25.3 ppg) — averaging at least 25 points per game so far this season.
The reigning Kia MVP, Nikola Jokic, has surpassed Wilt Chamberlain on the triple-double leaderboard, placing him at 6th of all time.
Friday: Minnesota at Memphis, 9:30 ET (ESPN)
This matchup pits two of the NBA’s most exciting and explosive players against each other: Memphis’ Ja Morant and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards. Much was made of Edwards’ lack of dunks through the first nine games of the season, but he stopped that streak on Saturday with a pair of throwdowns against the Rockets. Meanwhile, there’s been no shortage of highlight plays from Morant early in the season as he’s led the Grizzlies to a 7-3 start.
