On Monday night, Kevin Durant and Luka Donic will compete in one out of the 15 games scheduled.
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, implying that they will also likely conclude 15 minutes apart. Therefore, from around 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET, there will be continuous, exciting crunch time action to enjoy on League Pass. For those who prefer not to switch between feeds on League Pass, NBA CrunchTime on the NBA App offers an experience similar to NFL RedZone, with live previews of every game, particularly during the final minutes to ensure you don’t miss any of the highlight moments. This starts at 9 p.m. ET.
Every squad. Every match. Absolutely FREE.
Tonight, all 30 NBA teams will hit the court in 15 games, which you can watch for free on the new NBA App. The matchups 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 have four games. To surpass Johnson within this period, LeBron would need to average slightly above eight assists per game, surpassing his current season average of 7.1 per game, which puts him 13th in the league.
Other milestones to watch for this week
- Kyle Lowry is just eight 3-pointers away from becoming the 12th player to achieve 2,000.
- Devin Booker is just two 3-pointers away from reaching 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 the undefeated Bucks, heading into the third week of the season. Now, as we enter Week 4, all three continue to be on fire. Luka has maintained his scoring streak of a minimum of 30 points per game this season. Mitchell is proving to be the perfect addition to Cleveland, and the Bucks remain unbeaten, securing their ninth consecutive win to start the season, even as Giannis Antetokounmpo enjoyed the game from the bench, popcorn in hand.
The Bucks continue to be the sole team in the league with an undefeated 9-0 record. Photo Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports.
Heat Check: Cleveland, Milwaukee, Memphis and Dallas
This week, our focus is on teams that have both a heat and cold check. The Bucks are still leading with the heat check, but the Cavaliers are closely following them at the peak of the Eastern Conference standings. As we head into Week 4, Cleveland is on an eight-game winning streak, their longest since they won 13 games consecutively from Nov. 11 to Dec. 6, 2017.
Heading into Week 4, two teams from the West, Memphis (7-3) and Dallas (5-3), are on a three-game winning streak. The Grizzlies are just half a game behind Utah and Phoenix for the top spot in the West. Dallas, on the other hand, has managed to move two games over .500 and is 1.5 games behind the Jazz and Suns, vying for the number one position themselves.
Cold Check: Golden State
The Warriors, who are the current defending champions with a 3-7 record, are going into the 4th week after a five-game losing streak, placing them 13th in the Western Conference. This sparks a debate in the Bay Area: should they panic or remain patient? Naturally, a five-game losing streak would cause some alarm. However, the Warriors’ history of championship victories should help curb the panic, especially as the season is still early.
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 the Clippers in the final of two crucial intra-city clashes.
Wednesday: Knicks vs. Nets (7:30 ET, ESPN) & Lakers vs. Clippers (10 ET, ESPN)
The two NBA cities that have two teams each, New York and Los Angeles, will have their intra-city rivals face off on the same night. In New York, the Nets will host the Knicks at the Barclays Center (7:30 ET), and in Los Angeles, the Clippers will host the Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena (10 ET).
Often viewed as the “lesser” teams in their respective intra-city rivalries, both the Nets in New York City and the Clippers in Los Angeles are heading into Wednesday’s game with impressive winning streaks against their city rivals.
The Nets have emerged victorious in their last seven encounters with the Knicks, maintaining a winning streak that started on Jan. 13, 2021. From the start of the 2018-19 season, the Nets have a record of 12-3 against the Knicks.
Entering Wednesday’s game, the Clippers are on an eight-game winning streak against the Lakers, a run that started on Dec. 22, 2020. Indeed, the Clippers have dominated the city rivalry over the past ten years, with a 33-7 record 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.
Nikola Jokic, the current Kia MVP, surpassed Wilt Chamberlain on the all-time triple-double leaderboard, moving him 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.
