LeBron James is back tonight for the Los Angeles Lakers as they host the Utah Jazz on League Pass.
Enjoy the best of Tuesday’s slate with the NBA.com live blog, featuring all of the meaningful moments, performances, observations, news, notes and highlights from around the league.
What we know about Tuesday night’s games:
- LeBron James is back tonight as the Lakers take on scoring machine Lauri Markkanen and the Jazz (10:30 ET).
- Our ‘NBA Coast 2 Coast’ doubleheader on NBC and Peacock opened with a 111-101 Spurs win over the Grizzlies.
- Now, it continues with Blazers-Suns (11 ET), as Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe seek to continue their hot streak.
- The Pistons won their 11th straight 120-112 over the Hawks behind the returning Cade Cunningham (26 pts, 10 ast).
- Stephen Curry passed Vince Carter (27,728 points) to reach 22nd on the all-time scoring list.
11:34 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Blazers-Suns underway on Peacock
TWO TEAMS CHASING REDEMPTION, TWO TEAMS CHASING RESPECT. SUNS-BLAZERS ON NBC AND PEACOCK! pic.twitter.com/7vyxqFwhPH
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) November 19, 2025
11:28 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Year 23, still scoring
The all-time leading scorer extends his mark.
LeBron James with his 1st triple of the season!
Catch… shoot… splash 🎯
Watch on NBA League Pass: https://t.co/jurGp6BZZG pic.twitter.com/UdJZndx6K7
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
11:11 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Capturing Cade’s night
11 STRAIGHT Ws FOR CADE AND DETROIT!
🏎️ 25 PTS
🏎️ 10 AST
🏎️ 6 REB
🏎️ 2 STL
He’s just the 5th player this century with at least 5 straight games of 25 PTS & 10 AST 👀 pic.twitter.com/ORPv5eBMia
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
10:49 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Welcome back, LeBron
JAMES ➡️ AYTON
The 1st dime of LBJ’s 23rd season in the NBA! pic.twitter.com/RrbXcpc6eP
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
Game. On. pic.twitter.com/jy8pIgk48f
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 19, 2025
10:35 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Two more looks at Fox’s punctuating slam
A PHENOMENAL FOX FINISH 🦊 pic.twitter.com/wywW0fQzbZ
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 19, 2025
De’Aaron Fox (26 PTS) leads the @spurs to their 10th win of the season!
It’s San Antonio’s best start to a season since 2016-17! pic.twitter.com/ZgwNRw2Mgd
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
10:28 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Spurs close out the Grizzlies late
De’Aaron Fox (26 pts) brought the Spurs to the conclusion, including 16 points in the third quarter, and he and Harrison Barnes (23 pts, 4 3PM) iced it late with an 11-0 run to win 111-101 over Memphis.
“Just get aggressive,” said Fox. “I saw one go down, and that opens the floodgates sometimes.”
HARRISON BARNES SCORES 7 STRAIGHT.
DE’AARON FOX WITH THE FILTHY WINDMILL SLAM.
SPURS END THE GAME ON AN 11-0 RUN TO SEAL W. pic.twitter.com/qxo37dDpLd
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
Vince Williams Jr. (14 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast), Cedric Coward (19 pts, 11 reb) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (18 pts) led the way for the Grizzlies in defeat.
10:01 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Pistons take their 11th straight
With a 120-112 win over the Atlanta Hawks on the road.
Cade Cunningham (25 pts, 10 ast) and Jalen Duren (24 pts, 8 reb) led the way for Detroit, who scored 66 points in the paint while earning the victory.
CLUTCH SHOT BY CADE 👀
He puts Detroit up 4 with less than 2 minutes to go!
Pistons seeking their 11th win in a row. pic.twitter.com/Fi8KiJjobw
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
Ausar Thompson put up two of those with a slick double-clutch jam.
Ausar doing Ausar things pic.twitter.com/sRJ31Shzk7
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) November 19, 2025
It’s the first time since 2007-08 that Detroit’s assembled such a streak.
9:54 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Greatness starts early
On the night Steph passes him on the all-time scoring list, Vince Carter reflects on seeing Steph as a kid during his Toronto days. pic.twitter.com/En1r9KvPtI
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) November 19, 2025
9:45 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Daniss Jenkins gets up
Pistons are up 108-101 with 2:35 to go, thanks in part to the slam from the St. John’s product.
You already know we had to show it https://t.co/kqLGjnM3Xk pic.twitter.com/G5hWZ9I0HI
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) November 19, 2025
9:42 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Enter the King
Another accolade for the King 👑
LeBron will become the first player ever to play in 23 seasons tonight!
Don’t miss James’ season debut vs. Utah at 10:30pm/et on NBA League Pass.
➡️ https://t.co/jurGp6CxPe pic.twitter.com/6n8xjPAXYX
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
Year 23 for LeBron gets underway TONIGHT!
King James will be the first player to ever play in 23 NBA seasons 👑
Watch his season debut as the Lakers take on Utah at 10:30pm/et on NBA League Pass. pic.twitter.com/Utv4WLpi2A
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
9:32 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Three games going…
All within four points. A good night in the Association.
9:25 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Pistons up in the fourth
Detroit’s seeking their 11th straight win — their longest since 2007-08 — and has a 97-93 lead with 8:17 to go in the fourth.
Cade Cunningham has 19 points and 10 assists, as well as a sweet alley-oop jam.
SMOOTH OPERATOR pic.twitter.com/sTBbDE3xox
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) November 19, 2025
9:12 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Boston builds a lead in Brooklyn
80-72 Celtics with 4:16 to go in the third quarter. Here, Jaylen Brown grabs two of his 14 points.
Count it 🙂↕️ pic.twitter.com/FFrDAJ8Y0t
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 19, 2025
9:08 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
The green light
Payton Pritchard made his 700th career 3-pointer in the second quarter tonight, becoming the eighth Celtic to reach that mark.
— Celtics Stats (@celtics_stats) November 19, 2025
The other seven? Paul Pierce, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Ray Allen and Al Horford. Pretty good company.
8:55 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Firing up Atlanta
A 71.1 on the Dunk Score scale.
OH MY ONYEKA OKONGWU 🤯
DET/ATL on NBA League Pass: https://t.co/J0eQHodcTi pic.twitter.com/6gGLmUtm6e
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
8:44 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
The King returns tonight
Year 23: commence.
LeBron James will make his Los Angeles Lakers season debut against the Utah Jazz tonight at home, sources tell me and @mcten. The four-time NBA champion has rehabbed a nerve issue on his right side and now will take the court for a league-record 23rd season. pic.twitter.com/yvxiI6fZ4w
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 19, 2025
8:36 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Fox with the quickness
De’Aaron Fox shows his trademark coast-to-coast speed in the opener of our ‘Coast 2 Coast’ doubleheader.
21-20 Spurs with 42.1 seconds left in the first quarter.
De’Aaron Fox steal ➡️ Jeremy Sochan three
Spurs turning defense into offense on NBC & Peacock! pic.twitter.com/ZCO3hqtTXY
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
8:30 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Grizzlies and Spurs underway to open our ‘Coast 2 Coast Tuesday’ doubleheader
An 8-0 Memphis run to begin the game 😮
Grizzlies vs. Spurs is LIVE on NBC & Peacock! pic.twitter.com/yW0jaYu4Qs
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
8:12 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Shooting into history
Curry passed Vince Carter (27,728 points). Kevin Garnett (26,071) is up next for the Warriors legend.
HISTORY FOR CHEF CURRY.
With this triple, Steph moves into 22nd on the all-time scoring list 👏 pic.twitter.com/i86FHaURaP
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
7:54 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Duren down low
Jalen Duren is a force around the rim.
He’s tied for fourth-most points in the paint per game this season (14.2), helping Detroit to the most in the league (58.9).
Jalen Duren: a FORCE in the paint 💪
Pistons seeking their 11th straight win tonight!
DET/ATL on NBA League Pass: https://t.co/J0eQHodKIQ pic.twitter.com/8a15unYpDY
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
7:45 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Hitting one from Lakeland
DEEP STEPH CURRY TRIPLE 😳
4-point game after the 1Q! pic.twitter.com/W487ANzkmu
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
7:25 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Cheffing up an appetizer
It’s 29-25 Orlando with 2:55 to go in the first quarter, but Stephen Curry’s got it going for Golden State.
3-3 from the floor.
2-2 from deep.
8 points.
Steph is COOKIN’ early in Orlando! pic.twitter.com/Ju2LACZ5wJ
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2025
6:30 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Lauri Markkanen is a scoring machine
Only Luka Dončić, his opponent this evening, has put up more 40+ point games than Lauri Markkanen so far this season, with four 40-pieces to three for the Swede.
The Utah star is having the best scoring season of his career so far (30.6 ppg, sixth in the NBA, on 47.9 percent shooting), ramping up his production to lead the offense, including 47 and 40 in his last two outings.
Markannen is only the fifth Jazz player to tally consecutive 40-balls, joining Donovan Mitchell, Karl Malone, Adrian Dantley and Pete Maravich.
Check out his varied production in a 150-147 win over the Bulls.
He can roll like a big, catching the ball high and finishing with his 6-foot-11 wingspan, or catch-and-shoot like an elite wing, making 3.8 of 9.7 3PA per game so far this season.
He’s taken another step with his toughness this season, revving up his motor to lead a young Utah squad.
Since last season, he’s upped his contested rebounds to 3.0 from 2.0, and contested more shots (5.6 to 5.1) while getting up 21.5 FGA.
“He carried us,” Head coach Will Hardy said of Markkanen after the victory over the Bulls. “His presence settled us down for the majority of the game.”
Lauri and the Jazz will swing into action against the Lakers tonight on League Pass (10:30 ET).
6:00 PM / NOVEMBER 18, 2025
Welcome to a six-game Tuesday, featuring the return of the King
LeBron James returns tonight as the Los Angeles Lakers host the Utah Jazz (10:30 ET) on League Pass.
Tonight’s NBA action features our ‘NBA Coast 2 Coast’ doubleheader on NBC and Peacock, featuring the Grizzlies taking the Spurs and the Blazers facing the Suns, and the potential return of LeBron James.
LeBron enters Year 23 tonight with a chance to make a difference for a talented Lakers squad as they face the Jazz (10:30 ET).
Where will he find his role? Last year, James was -54 on the season — only the third time in his legendary career he’s been in negative territory.
Luka Dončić (34.4 ppg) and Austin Reaves (28.3 ppg) have provided the firepower this season, but Los Angeles is still looking for linking players, cycling through Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent.
With his trademark playmaking and court vision, the King should fit in nicely.
In addition to being the all-time scoring leader, LeBron’s fourth all-time in assists, just over 500 behind Jason Kidd. He dropped 546 last season.
“There’s not one team, one club in the world that I can’t fit in and play with,” James said yesterday. “I can do everything on the floor, so whatever this team needs me to do and more, I can do it.”
In the opening half of our ‘NBA Coast 2 Coast’ doubleheader on NBC and Peacock, the Grizzlies and Spurs (8 ET) face off in a battle of young talents.
Cedric Coward (14.0 ppg, 6.1 reb, 3.0 ast) has been a bright spot for Memphis this season, rising to No. 2 on the latest Kia Rookie Ladder.
He’ll match up with Keldon Johnson, as well as the Spurs’ talented guards in Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox.
Fox dropped 28 points and 11 assists in the Spurs’ first game without Victor Wembanyama (calf), a 123-110 victory over the Kings.
In the second half, Deni Avdjia, Shaedon Sharpe and the Blazers take on Devin Booker and the Suns (11 ET) in a matchup of two teams jockeying for position among the Play-In Tournament seeds..
Avdija and Sharpe are on the rise. Over the last five games, they rank 11th and 13th in the NBA in scoring with 28.6 ppg and 28.4 ppg respectively.
Booker’s been his steady self, rising to eighth in the NBA in scoring (28.4 ppg) while maintaining his steady playmaking (7.0 ast).
Will the Blazers’ ascendant duo win out over the established star in Book? We’ll find out on NBC and Peacock tonight.
