On Monday night, one of the 15 games will be a face-off between Kevin Durant and Luka Donic.
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 commence every 15 minutes, which suggests that they will likely also end 15 minutes apart. Therefore, from roughly 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET, constant high-intensity action will be available for viewing on League Pass. If you’re not keen on switching feeds on League Pass, consider NBA CrunchTime on the NBA App. Similar to the NFL RedZone, it offers live glimpses into every game, and focuses particularly on the final minutes to ensure you don’t miss any significant moments. The service starts at 9 p.m. ET.
Every single team. Every single game. Completely FREE.
Tonight, all 30 NBA teams will be playing with 15 games accessible for free on the new NBA App. The matches 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 surpass Johnson in this period, LeBron would need to average slightly above eight assists per game. This would exceed his current season average of 7.1 assists 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 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, as well as the undefeated Bucks, as they ventured into the third week of the season. Now, as they head into Week 4, all three remain red-hot. Doncic maintains his streak of scoring no less than 30 points in each game this season, while Mitchell continues to be an ideal fit for Cleveland. The Bucks, even with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the bench enjoying popcorn during their ninth consecutive victory to kick off the season, are yet to face defeat.
The Bucks continue to be the league’s sole undefeated team, boasting a 9-0 record. Photo by: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports.
Heat Check: Cleveland, Milwaukee, Memphis and Dallas
This week, we’re examining teams that have a heat and cold check. The Bucks still hold the heat check, though the Cavaliers are hot on their heels at the top of the Eastern Conference rankings. Coming 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.
In the Western Conference, two teams, Memphis (7-3) and Dallas (5-3), are currently enjoying three-game winning streaks as they proceed into Week 4. The Grizzlies are only half a game away from Utah and Phoenix who are tied for the top spot in the West. Meanwhile, Dallas has managed to pull two games ahead of a .500 record and are trailing the Jazz and Suns by just 1.5 games for the No. 1 spot.
Cold Check: Golden State
As champions, the Warriors (3-7) are heading into Week 4 on the back of a five-game losing streak and currently sit in 13th place in the Western Conference. Should fans in the Bay Area be panicking or maintaining patience? Any team that suffers five consecutive losses is bound to incite some level of panic. However, the Warriors’ championship history should temper much of this reaction, 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 confront the Clippers in the final match of 2 significant intra-city games.
Wednesday: Knicks vs. Nets (7:30 ET, ESPN) & Lakers vs. Clippers (10 ET, ESPN)
The two NBA cities, New York and Los Angeles, each hosting a pair of teams, will experience intra-city rivalries 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.
The Nets in New York City and the Clippers in Los Angeles, often viewed as the “little brother” in their respective intra-city rivalries, both go into Wednesday’s game on the back of impressive winning streaks against their city rivals.
The Nets have emerged victorious in their last seven encounters with the Knicks, a winning streak that goes back to January 13, 2021. From the start of the 2018-19 season, the Nets have dominated the Knicks with a record of 12 victories and 3 losses.
The Clippers are heading into Wednesday’s game with an eight-game winning streak against the Lakers, which started on Dec. 22, 2020. In the past ten years, the Clippers have had the upper hand in this 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.
The reigning Kia MVP, Nikola Jokic, has surpassed Wilt Chamberlain on the triple-double leaderboard, placing him sixth 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.
