What to watch this week in NBA: Undefeated Cavs, sizzling Warriors and more Cup games

Jayson Tatum’s walk-off. Julius Randle’s buzzer-beater. De’Aaron Fox scoring 60 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo with 59, only made possible by the Pistons clanking consecutive game-sealing free throws. Oh, and that battle of scorned Splash Brothers. To evoke Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon, what a week, huh?!

The carousel of drama rotates onward. And the NBA Cup is back, with a greater aesthetic sensibility than last year’s nightmare. Here’s your viewing guide to the week ahead in the NBA.

Full NBA national TV schedule

For games Nov. 18-24. All times Eastern.

* denotes NBA Cup game.

Game	Time	TV
Rockets at Bucks	Mon. 8 p.m.	NBA TV
Warriors at Clippers	Mon. 10:30 p.m.	NBA TV
Cavaliers at Celtics *	Tues. 7 p.m.	TNT
Thunder at Spurs *	Tues. 9:30 p.m.	TNT
Bulls at Bucks	Wed. 7:30 p.m.	ESPN
Knicks at Suns	Wed. 10 p.m.	ESPN
Pistons at Hornets	Thurs. 7 p.m.	NBA TV
Warriors at Pelicans *	Fri. 7:30 p.m.	ESPN
Mavericks at Nuggets *	Fri. 10 p.m.	ESPN
Knicks at Jazz	Sat. 5 p.m.	NBA TV
Grizzlies at Bulls	Sat. 8 p.m.	NBA TV
Nuggets at Lakers	Sat. 10:30 p.m.	NBA TV

NBA Cup games worth watching

Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics

Time: Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET
TV: TNT

Why it’s worth watching: The best product sells itself. As long as your schedule allows for it and you don’t have a kelly green allergy, there’s no reason to miss this game. The Cavaliers are undefeated at 15-0 (!), and the 11-3 Celtics are the defending champions. These are the league’s top two teams in offensive rating.

Donovan Mitchell should be locked in after taking a rest day on Sunday. Cleveland flaunted its well-rounded play in his absence, with four Cavs topping 20 points against the Charlotte Hornets. Darius Garland has more makes than misses this year and touts a Curry-esque 45.5 3-point percentage on career-high volume. After a half-decade of playing slow, grinding basketball, new coach Kenny Atkinson has this group seventh in pace. Cleveland enters Tuesday tied with Hakeem Olajuwon’s 1993-94 Houston Rockets for the second-longest winning streak to start a season.

Tatum and Jaylen Brown are as formidable a duo as any in the sport, but Boston is also a compelling watch because of the movement around those two. The Celtics play with a perpetual green light from the perimeter — an absurd 56.3 percent of their shots are 3s, the highest in the league by a wide margin. They’re third in points per possession off screens, per Second Spectrum. They are a smart and disciplined outfit, but they’re not joyless. With the game on the line, Tatum will do the kid dribbling in the driveway fadeaway for the win.

If there were a rivalry trophy, it would be: The Jeff Green Mystery Box

Starting five to wear each jersey (minimum 50 games with each franchise):

Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs

Time: Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. ET
TV: TNT

Why it’s worth watching: This section would be a formality if Chet Holmgren were healthy. The nascent rivalry between him and Victor Wembanyama has decade-long staying power — two preternaturally skilled seven-footers that are contorting court dimensions and reimagining franchise futures. Can someone please hit pause, go to the game settings and turn off injuries?

As it stands, the banged-up Thunder are still one of the best teams in the NBA. Oklahoma City is sixth in pace yet second in points allowed, playing aggressive ball without selling out its defense. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having another MVP-caliber campaign, and Jalen Williams is the real deal as he ascends into his third pro season — the 6-foot-6 leavening force plays at the 2, 3 and 4 spots and is averaging more than 20 points per game. The Thunder are relentless in disrupting the pick-and-roll, with opposing ball handlers at the second-highest turnover rate and opposing screeners at the lowest shooting percentage.

The Spurs are showing marked improvements in Wembanyama’s sophomore season. His league-leading 3.7 blocks per game anchor a defense that’s fifth in total scoring. Some of that can be attributed to a slow pace, the hallmark of Chris Paul teams, but San Antonio has the young and rangy talent to disrupt Tuesday night’s matchup.

Plus, the charcoal court is on the shortlist for sleekest NBA Cup design. And even if the Spurs can’t make this one close, national audiences continue to be gifted with celestial, inexplicably-awesome highlights.

If there were a rivalry trophy, it would be: The 7-Foot Unicorn

Best matchup: 2014 Western Conference Finals — San Antonio won, 4-2

Six Spurs averaged double-figure scoring, with 37-year-old Tim Duncan leading the way at 17.8
Russell Westbrook averaged 26.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 3.2 steals

Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans

Time: Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

Why it’s worth watching: The Warriors enter the week at 10-2, best in the Western Conference. They are fourth in offensive rating and fifth in defensive rating. Draymond Green loves showing out on defense against this particular opponent, for whatever reason. The team is a delight to watch, even with Stephen Curry’s comparatively relaxed start. Curry did weld a defining in-season tournament moment last week. We’d like to think he has another in store.

The Pelicans are riddled with injuries. They’re without three All-Star-level guys in Zion Williamson (hamstring), CJ McCollum (hip) and Dejounte Murray (hand), plus two gutsy defenders in Herbert Jones (shoulder) and Jose Alvarado (hamstring). Fantasy players can at least enjoy the stylings of Brandon Ingram, who is on pace for his most shot attempts in a season. The navy court with cherry red trim is easy on the eyes. But be warned … the mascot, a sanguine infant called King Cake Baby, is absolutely not.

If there were a rivalry trophy, it would be: The Willie Green Clipboard

Most important trade: On Feb. 24, 2005, New Orleans, back when they were the Hornets, traded Baron Davis to Golden State in exchange for Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis. Claxton averaged 11.3 points and 4.9 assists with his new team, while Dale Davis was waived. Baron Davis, meanwhile, put up more than 20 points and eight assists per night across four seasons in the Bay. He was the leading scorer of the “We Believe” Warriors that upset MVP Dirk Nowitzki and the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the 2007 Playoffs.

Dallas Mavericks at Denver Nuggets

Time: Friday, 10 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

Why it’s worth watching: Nikola Jokić comes into this week with career-best averages in points, assists, steals, blocks and 3-point shooting. He’s also a tenth of a board shy of his rebounding high. Jokić is a singular viewing experience in this sport, sedately dictating tempo from the post and unfurling efficient action around his orbit.

And don’t sleep on Christian Braun, who has more than doubled his scoring output from a year ago. About half of his shots are coming 0-to-3 feet from the basket. He’s fearless at the rim and recently turned four-time DPOY Rudy Gobert into a highlight accessory.

For Dallas, Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving can hypnotize on any given night. Dončić missed the Mavericks’ last contest with a knee contusion, but Jason Kidd said he “should” be available this week. Irving is off to a torrid start, with 54.5/52.1/85.1 percent shooting splits through 13 games. The Mavs are 2-6 in clutch games so far and have hit a paltry 29.2 percent of their clutch 3s. Look for that mark to bend up toward the mean, especially with P.J. Washington back in the lineup.

If there were a rivalry trophy, it would be: Dream Catcher’s Saddle

Close calls: Four of the last seven head-to-head matchups have been decided by one basket, including Nov. 10’s 122-120 thriller in Denver. Michael Porter Jr. hit the game-winning jumper with seven seconds left.

NBA Cup odds

Once again, the Cup’s betting favorite hails from the Eastern Conference, with bookmakers perceiving an easier route to the Las Vegas stage. The Knicks lead the way at +500, weighed for their uninspiring group competition (Hornets, Nets, 76ers and the Paolo Banchero-less Magic). The Cavaliers and Warriors follow at +650.

East Group B fields Antetokounmpo’s Bucks, Jimmy Butler’s Heat and the upstart Indiana Pacers, who made it to the final of the inaugural tournament. But the odds-on favorite to emerge here is … the Detroit Pistons at +125, thanks to a 2-0 start.

The Lakers are playing well this season, won their first Cup game and won the whole tournament last year. But Los Angeles is a sizeable +325 to reach even the semifinals right now.

Even with the Knicks as tournament favorites, Jalen Brunson sits at +1100 for Cup MVP odds. Karl-Anthony Towns is at +1400. The current leaders are Curry (+800) and Gilgeous-Alexander (+900).

Non-Cup watch

New York Knicks at Phoenix Suns

Time: Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

Why it’s worth watching: The Knicks are still figuring out their defense, to the righteous fury of noted defense-lover Tom Thibodeau. But this team sure can get buckets. New York enters the week second in effective field goal and true shooting percentages. Six players average double-digit scoring. Towns has single-handedly won games with his stroke behind the arc — he has five games with 30 or more points, including 44 in Miami and a 46-piece against the Bulls last week. As a team, the Knicks are shooting better than 43 percent on shots 25 feet or further, the best mark in the league.

The Suns are gorgeous on offense as well. No Kevin Durant (calf) is a letdown, but Devin Booker and Bradley Beal make for a fun watch. And Tyus Jones has been the skeleton key, unlocking the most efficient version of this top-heavy Phoenix squad. His 6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is helping shoulder the Durant absence.

This is a big matchup for hoop heads partial to orange. Somehow, the Knicks, Suns and Thunder are the only three teams to use the same color as the ball they play with.

If there were a rivalry trophy, it would be: The Stephon Marbury-Steve Nash Sliding Door

Buzzer beaters:

The Suns have hit one against the Knicks — Cameron Johnson (2022, 31-foot 3-pointer)
The Knicks have hit two against the Suns — John Starks (1997, 23-foot 3-pointer) and J.R. Smith (2012, 21-footer)

Other games of note

Thursday’s NBA TV offering of the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons sounds like a clunker. Don’t let your eyes deceive you. The Pistons are playing inspired basketball and hovering around .500. And LaMelo Ball is doing video game stuff off the dribble.

Saturday’s matchup between the Nuggets and Lakers (NBA TV) is crammed with star power. Denver has four straight head-to-head wins in this series, plus is 8-1 against the Lakers in the playoffs in the last two years. Russell Westbrook returns to his hometown of Los Angeles after a deeply uncomfortable split from the purple and gold.