On Monday night, one of the 15 games will feature a showdown 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 begin every 15 minutes, which means that they are likely to finish around 15 minutes apart. Therefore, from around 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET, there will be continuous high-stakes action to enjoy on League Pass. If you prefer not to switch between feeds on League Pass, try NBA CrunchTime on the NBA App. It offers a live experience similar to NFL RedZone, providing live updates from every game, especially during the final minutes, ensuring you don’t miss any crucial moments. This begins at 9 p.m. ET.
Every team. Every game. Completely FREE.
TONIGHT, all 30 NBA teams will hit the court with 15 games being broadcasted for free on the new NBA app! The action will start with matchups tipping off every 15 minutes.
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)
LeBron would need to average slightly over eight assists per game in the Lakers’ four games this week to surpass Johnson. This would exceed his current season average of 7.1 per game, which ranks 13th in the league.
Other milestones to watch for this week
- Kyle Lowry is just eight 3-pointers away from being the 12th player to reach 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 week’s edition of The Five, we spotlighted two on-fire players, Luka Doncic and Donovan Mitchell, and an undefeated team, the Bucks, as they approached Week 3 of the season. Now, entering Week 4, all three remain blistering hot: Doncic has consistently scored above 30 points in every game this season, Mitchell continues to be a stellar match in Cleveland, and the Bucks are still unbeaten – even as Giannis Antetokounmpo viewed their ninth consecutive victory to start the season, enjoying popcorn from the sidelines.
With a 9-0 record, the Bucks continue to be the only team in the league that hasn’t faced defeat. Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports.
Heat Check: Cleveland, Milwaukee, Memphis and Dallas
This week, we are focusing on teams that have both a heat and cold check. The Bucks continue to lead the heat check, but the Cavaliers are hot on their heels at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. As we enter Week 4, Cleveland is on an eight-game winning streak, their longest since they won 13 consecutive games from November 11 to December 6, 2017.
As we head into Week 4, two teams from the West, Memphis (7-3) and Dallas (5-3), are on a roll with three-game winning streaks. The Grizzlies are hot on the heels of Utah and Phoenix, trailing by just half a game for the top spot in the West. Meanwhile, Dallas has managed to get two games above .500 and is only 1.5 games behind the Jazz and Suns for the coveted No. 1 position.
Cold Check: Golden State
The Warriors, who are the current defending champions, are coming into Week 4 with a losing streak of five games. Their current record, 3-7, places them at the 13th position in the Western Conference. Given these circumstances, is it time for panic or patience among their fans in the Bay Area? It’s inevitable that losing five consecutive games will cause some panic. However, the Warriors’ history of championship victories should hold back much of the panic, especially since the season has only just begun.
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 off against the Clippers in the final match of 2 crucial intra-city clashes.
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 have their intra-city rivals face off 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 two teams typically viewed as the “underdogs” in these intra-city rivalries – the Nets in New York City and the Clippers in Los Angeles – both head into Wednesday’s game boasting impressive winning streaks against their respective city rivals.
The Nets have triumphed over the Knicks in their last seven encounters, a winning streak that commenced on Jan. 13, 2021. From the start of the 2018-19 season, the Nets have a 12-3 record against the Knicks.
The Clippers head into Wednesday’s game with an eight-game winning streak against the Lakers, a streak that stretches back to December 22, 2020. Over the last ten years, the Clippers have had a firm grip on this city rivalry, boasting a record of 33-7 in their last 40 games against the Lakers, a record that started at the beginning 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, surpassed Wilt Chamberlain on the triple-double leaderboard, placing him 6th in all-time rankings.
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.
