Kevin Durant and Luka Donic will be competing in one 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 will start every 15 minutes, so most likely, they will also conclude roughly 15 minutes apart. Therefore, from around 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET, viewers can expect non-stop crunch time action on League Pass. If you prefer not to switch between feeds on League Pass, consider using NBA CrunchTime on the NBA App. Similar to NFL RedZone, it offers live peeks into every game, particularly towards the end, ensuring you won’t miss any major moments. This feature starts at 9 p.m. ET.
Every squad. Every match. Completely FREE.
TONIGHT, all 30 NBA teams are set to compete in 15 games, free to watch on the new NBA App, with games starting every 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 to play four games. To surpass Johnson’s record within this timeframe, LeBron would need to average slightly over eight assists per game. This performance would exceed his current season average of 7.1 assists per game, which puts him at 13th place in the league.
Other milestones to watch for this week
- Kyle Lowry requires eight more 3-pointers to be the 12th player to achieve 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 edition of The Five, we spotlighted two standout players, Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell, along with one standout team, the undefeated Bucks, as they headed into the third week of the season. Now, entering Week 4, all three are maintaining their blistering form: Doncic is yet to score below 30 points in any match this season, Mitchell is proving to be an excellent addition to Cleveland, and the Bucks remain undefeated. This includes their ninth consecutive win to kick off the season, which was achieved even with star player Giannis Antetokounmpo watching from the bench while enjoying some popcorn.
With a 9-0 record, the Bucks continue to be the league’s only undefeated team. Photo credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports.
Heat Check: Cleveland, Milwaukee, Memphis and Dallas
This week, our focus is on teams undergoing both a heat and cold check. The Bucks continue to lead the heat check, with the Cavaliers closely trailing them at the peak of the Eastern Conference standings. As we enter the 4th week, Cleveland is on an eight-game winning streak, their longest since their 13 consecutive wins from November 11 to December 6, 2017.
Memphis (7-3) and Dallas (5-3) are two teams from the West, both boasting three-game win streaks as they head into Week 4. The Grizzlies are only 1/2 game behind Utah and Phoenix for the top spot in the West. Meanwhile, Dallas has managed to go two games above .500 and finds themselves 1 1/2 games behind the Jazz and Suns for the number one position.
Cold Check: Golden State
The Warriors, current champions with a 3-7 record, are going into the 4th week with five consecutive losses, positioning them 13th in the Western Conference. The question is, should Bay Area be alarmed or patient? Losing five games in a row generally induces some degree of anxiety. However, the championship-winning reputation of the Warriors should help to alleviate most of such concerns, 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 will face the Clippers, concluding two crucial intra-city clashes.
Wednesday: Knicks vs. Nets (7:30 ET, ESPN) & Lakers vs. Clippers (10 ET, ESPN)
New York and Los Angeles, two cities that are home to two NBA teams each, are set for an exciting night as intra-city rivals face off against each other. The Nets will play the Knicks at the Barclays Center (7:30 ET) in New York, while in Los Angeles, the Clippers will host the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena (10 ET).
The teams often viewed as the “little brother” in intra-city rivalries – the Nets in New York City and the Clippers in Los Angeles – are both entering Wednesday’s game on significant winning streaks against their city rivals.
The Knicks have lost their last seven games against the Nets, a losing streak that began on Jan. 13, 2021. From the start of the 2018-19 season, the Knicks have a 3-12 record against the Nets.
The Clippers head into Wednesday’s game with an unbroken eight-game win streak against the Lakers, a streak that started on Dec. 22, 2020. Over the last ten years, the Clippers have clearly dominated the city rivalry, 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.
Current Kia MVP Nikola Jokic surpassed Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time triple-double leaderboard, moving into 6th place.
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.
