Kevin Durant and Luka Donic will face each other 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).
Since the games start every 15 minutes, it’s likely they’ll also finish 15 minutes apart. Therefore, from around 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET, there’ll be steady crunch time action to enjoy on League Pass. If you’d prefer not to switch between feeds on League Pass, consider NBA CrunchTime on the NBA App. It offers an experience similar to NFL RedZone, with live coverage of every game, especially during the last few minutes, ensuring you don’t miss any significant moments. This starts at 9 p.m. ET.
Each team. Each game. Completely FREE.
Tonight, all 30 NBA teams will be playing in 15 games that will be free to watch on the new NBA App. Each matchup 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 within this period, LeBron must average slightly over eight assists per game, exceeding his current season’s average of 7.1 per game, which is the 13th highest in the league.
Other milestones to watch for this week
- Kyle Lowry is only eight 3-pointers away from becoming 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 an unbeaten team, the Bucks, as they moved into the third week of the season. As we enter Week 4, all three remain on fire: Doncic hasn’t scored less than 30 points in any game this season, Mitchell is proving to be a flawless addition to Cleveland, and the Bucks remain undefeated — even with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the sidelines enjoying popcorn during their ninth consecutive victory to kickstart the season.
The Bucks continue to be the only team in the league not to have lost a game, 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 both a heat and cold check. The Bucks maintain the heat check, although the Cavaliers are closely trailing at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. As we enter Week 4, Cleveland is on an eight-game winning streak, which is 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 entering Week 4 on a three-game winning streak. The Grizzlies are a mere half game behind Utah and Phoenix for the top spot, while Dallas, having exceeded .500 by two games, is one and a half games behind the Jazz and Suns for the first place position.
Cold Check: Golden State
The reigning champion Warriors (3-7) head into Week 4 on a five-game losing streak, currently sitting in 13th place in the Western Conference. Should the Bay Area be panicking or practicing patience? When a team suffers five consecutive losses, it’s natural to have a degree of concern. However, the Warriors’ history of success should temper most overreactions, especially 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 will conclude two significant intra-city clashes on Wednesday night by facing off against the Clippers.
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 two teams each, will see their intra-city rivals face off on the same night. The Knicks will be guests to the Nets at Barclays Center (7:30 ET) in New York, while in Los Angeles, the Lakers will visit the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena (10 ET).
The two teams often viewed as the “little brother” in their respective intra-city rivalries – the Nets in New York City and the Clippers in Los Angeles – both enter Wednesday’s game with impressive winning streaks against their city rivals.
The Nets have triumphed over the Knicks in their last seven encounters, a winning streak that began on Jan. 13, 2021. From the start of the 2018-19 season, the Nets have a record of 12-3 against the Knicks.
The Clippers are heading into Wednesday’s game on an eight-game winning streak against the Lakers, a streak that originated on Dec. 22, 2020. Furthermore, the Clippers have been the dominant team in this city rivalry for the past decade, boasting a record of 33-7 in their last 40 games against the Lakers. This dominance 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 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.
