Kevin Durant and Luka Donic will go head-to-head in one out of the 15 games scheduled for Monday night.
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).
Games are set to kick off every 15 minutes, which means they’ll likely end around 15 minutes apart. This provides a steady stream of crunch time action on League Pass from about 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET. If you prefer not to switch feeds on League Pass, try NBA CrunchTime on the NBA App. It offers a similar experience to NFL RedZone, with live look-ins on each game, especially during the closing minutes so you don’t miss any significant moments, starting at 9 p.m. ET.
Every team. Every game. Completely FREE.
TONIGHT, all 30 NBA teams will hit the court in 15 different games, all available for free on the new NBA App. Games will tip off every 15 minutes!
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)
The Lakers are scheduled for four games this week. To surpass Johnson’s record within this week, LeBron would need to average slightly above eight assists per game, exceeding his current season average of 7.1 per game, which ranks 13th in the league.
Other milestones to watch for this week
- Kyle Lowry requires eight more 3-pointers to be the 12th player to attain 2,000.
- Devin Booker is just two 3-pointers away from achieving a career total of 1,000.
3. The Temp Check: Hottest & coldest teams entering the week
In the previous week’s edition of The Five, we spotlighted two players on fire, Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell, as well as one unbeaten team, the Bucks, heading into the third week of the season. As we enter Week 4, all three remain incredibly hot: Luka has consistently scored over 30 points in every game this season, Mitchell has proven to be a flawless fit in Cleveland, and the Bucks are still undefeated. This is even more impressive considering their ninth consecutive victory to kick off the season came with Giannis Antetokounmpo spectating from the bench, casually snacking on popcorn.
With a 9-0 record, the Bucks continue to be the only team in the league without a loss. Photo by Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports.
Heat Check: Cleveland, Milwaukee, Memphis and Dallas
This week, our focus is on teams that have both a hot and cold streak. The Bucks are still leading the heat check, but the Cavaliers are not far behind at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. As we get into the fourth week, Cleveland is on an eight-game winning streak – their longest since they won 13 consecutive games from November 11 to December 6, 2017.
As Week 4 approaches, two Western teams each hold three-game win streaks: Memphis (7-3) and Dallas (5-3). The Grizzlies are a mere 1/2 game behind Utah and Phoenix for the top spot in the West. Meanwhile, Dallas has managed to get two games above .500 and sits 1 1/2 games behind the Jazz and Suns, close to claiming the No. 1 spot themselves.
Cold Check: Golden State
The Warriors, who are the defending champions with a 3-7 record, are entering the fourth week on a five-game losing streak and currently rank 13th in the Western Conference. Should fans in the Bay Area start panicking, or should they be patient? Whenever a team suffers five consecutive losses, some degree of panic is inevitable. However, considering the Warriors’ championship history, much of that reaction should be subdued, 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
On Wednesday night, LeBron James and the Lakers face off against the Clippers in the second of two crucial intra-city clashes.
Wednesday: Knicks vs. Nets (7:30 ET, ESPN) & Lakers vs. Clippers (10 ET, ESPN)
New York and Los Angeles, the only two NBA cities with a pair of teams, will see their inter-city rivals play against each other on the same night. The Nets will host the Knicks at 7:30 ET at the Barclays Center, while the Clippers will host the Lakers at 10 ET at the Crypto.com Arena.
The teams often viewed as the “little brother” in these city rivalries – the Nets in New York City and the Clippers in Los Angeles – both go into Wednesday’s game boasting significant winning streaks against their respective city rivals.
The Nets have triumphed in their last seven encounters with the Knicks, a victorious streak that began on Jan. 13, 2021. Looking back to the start of the 2018-19 season, the Nets hold a record of 12 wins to 3 losses against the Knicks.
The Clippers go into Wednesday’s game having won eight consecutive games against the Lakers, a streak that started on Dec. 22, 2020. In the last ten years, the city rivalry has been controlled by the Clippers who have a record of 33 wins and 7 losses in their last 40 games against the Lakers, a record that dates back to 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 and is now ranked 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.
