There are eleven exciting games in the NBA for fans to enjoy tonight. Tonight at 7:00 PM the 7-8 Miami Heat take on the 8-7 Washington Wizards. Later at 8:00 PM the 7-8 Oklahoma City Thunder will be on the road to face the 9=6 Memphis Grizzlies. Rounding out the night at 10:30pm are the 3-13 Detroit Pistons in LA to take on the 3-10 Lakers.
The top teams in each conference will square off tonight. The 11-3 Milwaukee Bucks are on the road against the 7-7 Philadelphia 76ers tonight at 7:30 nationally on ESPN. At 8:30 p.m., the 12-3 Boston Celtics take on a Western Conference opponent, the 9-6 New Orleans Pelicans. Topping off the night we have the 8-7 New York Knicks going on the road to face the 6-9 Golden State Warriors.
NBA betting sites have the Warriors at (+750) to win the Finals this season.
22 teams are in action tonight on ESPN and the NBA app!
Giannis vs. Embiid
▪️ Celtics find 9 in a row, face NOP
▪️ Steph 50 piece https://t.co/HMzmcXqNJT download pic.twitter.com/q7mKfn4YFO— NBA (@NBA) November 18, 2022
5 things to expect in tonight’s games
1. Milwaukee Bucks vs. Philadelphia 76ers
The Milwaukee Bucks have the second best record in the Eastern Conference this season at 11-3 and are looking to start a new winning streak after losing three of their last five. Brock Lopez leads the way with 29 points in his last game against Cleveland. Jrue Holiday (ankle) is doubtful for tonight’s game and Grayson Allen (ankle) is likely to play. Wesley Matthews (Dam Rock) is out for Philly tonight.
Philadelphia is a .500 team this season with a 7-7 record and is in fourth place in the Atlantic Conference. The team is 3-3 in its last six games, but Joel Embiid is heating up quickly. He scored 42 and 59 points in the last two games, and the big man has found himself in MVP conversations. Tobias Harris (left hip soreness) is doubtful for tonight’s game.
2. Denver Nuggets vs. Dallas Mavericks
Denver has been on the upswing lately, and the team has won five of its last seven games. They are second in the Northwest Division behind the Portland Trail Blazers. As always, Nikola Jokic is the superstar against the Nuggets. He is leading the team in points (20.8), rebounds (9.5), assists (8.9) and steals (1.5) per game. The Nuggets have a good rotation this season with seven different players averaging double-digit points per game.
Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are 2-3 in their last five games and have an 8-6 record so far this season. This puts them in third place in the Southwest Division. Nikola Jokic does it all for the Nuggets and Luka Doncic does it all for the Mavs. He leads the team in points (34.3), rebounds (8.8), assists (7.8) and steals per game (2.1) this season.
Battle 1 of 2.
🆚 @nuggets
⌚️ 7:30 PM CT
📺 @BallySportsSW
📻 97.1 FM and 99.1 FM pic.twitter.com/6KxXZb59aD— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) November 18, 2022
3. Boston Celtics vs New Orleans Pelicans
The Boston Celtics are the hottest team in the NBA right now as they have won eight straight games in the Eastern Conference and the league. They are now 12-3 and have been firing on all cylinders as of late. Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart are expensive for the Celtics early on. Tatum leads the team in points (31.1), rebounds (7.4) and blocks (1.4) per game. Smart leads the team in assists (7.1) and steals (1.1) per game. He ranks first in the league with 7.1 assists per game.
New Orleans has found their own little hot streak as of late. The team has won four of their last five games and is ranked first in the Southwest Division. Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum are the only Pelicans to average more than 30 minutes this season. Williamson is leading the team in points per game (23.5).
4. Phoenix Suns vs Utah Jazz
After starting the season 6-1, the Phoenix Suns have been in serious trouble down the stretch. Phoenix is 3-4 in its last seven games and will face a Utah team that may have had some ups and downs. Devin Booker and the Suns are first in the Pacific Division. He is leading the team in scoring (26.6), which is the eleventh highest in the league.
Utah has also seen its own struggles of late. The Jazz had previously won four straight and lost three straight. With a 10-6 record, the Jazz are in second place in the Northwest Division. The Jazz have six players on the team averaging double-digit points for Utah. Laurie Markkenan leads the team with 21.2 points and (8.4) rebounds per game.
Will Twitter still be here when the game launches?
⏰ 7:00 pm
📺 @attsportsnetrm
📻 @kslsportszone
📍 @vivintarena
🎟 https://t.co/dwWgLsHHw2# Take note pic.twitter.com/9hl3j74Kgg— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 18, 2022
5. New York Knicks vs. Golden State Warriors
It’s been a better-than-expected start for the New York Knicks this season. The team has an 8-7 record and is third in the Atlantic Division. They have won three of their last four games, including two impressive wins in a row against the Jazz and Nuggets. Julius Randle has started all 15 games for the Knicks this season and leads the team in points (21.3) and rebounds (8.9) per game.
On the other hand, it was slow for the Golden State Warriors who won the NBA Finals last season. The team is just 6-9 so far and is in fourth place in the Pacific Division. They are 3-2 in their last five games and Steph Curry scored 50 points in their last game and still lost the game. Steph Curry is averaging (32.8) points, (6.8) rebounds and (6.4) assists this season.
