On Monday night, one of the 15 games will feature 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 are scheduled to start every 15 minutes, which means they will likely also conclude 15 minutes apart. Therefore, from around 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET, there will be a continuous stream of critical game moments available to watch on League Pass. To avoid the hassle of changing feeds on League Pass, try NBA CrunchTime on the NBA App. Similar to the NFL RedZone, it offers live peeks into every game, especially during the final minutes, so you won’t miss any key moments. It starts at 9 p.m. ET.
Every team. Every game. Completely FREE.
Tonight, all 30 NBA teams will take the court, with 15 games accessible at no cost on the new NBA App. The games 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)
In order for LeBron to surpass Johnson this week, he would need to average slightly above eight assists per game in the four games the Lakers have. This would exceed his current season average of 7.1 assists per game, which ranks 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 hit 2,000.
- Devin Booker is two 3-pointers away from achieving 1,000 in his career.
3. The Temp Check: Hottest & coldest teams entering the week
In the previous edition of The Five, we spotlighted two prominent players, Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell, and an unbeaten team, the Bucks, as they headed into the third week of the season. As we move into week 4, all three are continuing their hot streaks: Doncic still maintains a record of scoring no less than 30 points per game this season, Mitchell’s fit in Cleveland remains impeccable, and the Bucks have yet to taste defeat. This is even more impressive considering their star player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, spectated their ninth consecutive victory from the sidelines, enjoying popcorn.
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports reports that the Bucks continue to be the only team in the league that is undefeated, boasting a 9-0 record.
Heat Check: Cleveland, Milwaukee, Memphis and Dallas
This week’s focus is on teams that have both a heat and cold check. The Bucks are still leading the heat check, but the Cavaliers are giving them a run for their money at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Week 4 sees Cleveland entering with an eight-game winning streak, their longest since their 13-game consecutive wins from Nov. 11 to Dec. 6, 2017.
As Week 4 approaches, two teams from the West, Memphis (7-3) and Dallas (5-3), are enjoying three-game winning streaks. The Grizzlies are trailing Utah and Phoenix by just half a game for the top spot in the West, whereas the Mavericks have managed to be two games above .500, and are 1 and a half games behind the Jazz and Suns for the first position.
Cold Check: Golden State
The reigning champions, the Warriors (3-7), are heading into Week 4 on a five-game losing streak, currently sitting in 13th place in the Western Conference. This has raised the question in the Bay Area – should fans be panicking or staying patient? While a five-game losing streak would naturally cause some concern, the Warriors’ history of championships should help to quell much of that panic, 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
On Wednesday night, LeBron James and the Lakers face 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 two NBA cities that each have two teams, will see their intra-city rivals compete against each other on the same night. The Nets will host the Knicks at the Barclays Center (7:30 ET), while the Clippers will host the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena (10 ET).
The Nets in New York City and the Clippers in Los Angeles, often perceived as the “little brother” in their respective intra-city rivalries, both come into Wednesday’s game on the back of notable win streaks against their city rivals.
The Knicks have lost the last seven games to the Nets, with their losing streak starting from Jan. 13, 2021. From the start of the 2018-19 season, the Knicks have only managed to win 3 out of 15 games against the Nets.
The Clippers are heading into Wednesday’s game on an eight-game winning streak against the Lakers, a streak that started on December 22, 2020. The Clippers have dominated the city rivalry for the past decade, with a record of 33-7 in their last 40 games against the Lakers, a trend that began with 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, making him the 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.
