What to watch this week in NBA: Bucks-Heat, Thunder-Lakers and Black Friday Cup games

It’s the time of year for overindulgence and public declarations of thankfulness. We have much to be grateful for as an NBA audience.

Nikola Jokić is back, returning Saturday with a masterful performance against the Los Angeles Lakers (34 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists). LaMelo Ball ate, then asked for seconds, in a 50-piece vs. the Milwaukee Bucks. And Franz Wagner is taking the leap before our eyes. Wagner has scored 30 or more in four of his last five games, complete with an icy game-winner on the road.

We will make a plate out of this week’s pro basketball schedule, with more in-season tournament play and a hearty 16 different teams on national broadcasts. This latest installment of the viewing guide breaks things down by servings of turkey (primary filling), stuffing (what completes the meal) and vegetables (the less glamorous stuff that’s nevertheless good for you). Here’s what to watch and why to watch it across the NBA this week, which features five games on national TV on Black Friday.

You can stream the NBA on Fubo (try for free).

Full NBA national TV schedule

For games Nov. 25-Dec. 1.

* denotes NBA Cup game.

Marquee NBA Cup games

Milwaukee Bucks at Miami Heat

Time: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: TNT

Turkey: Look at that. Maybe the Bucks aren’t a total disaster. After its nightmarish 2-8 start, Milwaukee enters the week at 8-9, which is somehow good for sixth in the Eastern Conference. The upswing includes four straight home wins, three of which came against teams with losing records. It’s hard to lose when Giannis Antetokounmpo plays out-of-his-mind basketball. He’s averaging 32.4 points per game so far, the highest mark of his 12-year NBA career, and he’s yet to shoot below 50 percent this season.

Stuffing: Even with Sunday’s overtime triumph over the Dallas Mavericks, Miami hasn’t been the most thrilling watch at 7-7. The pace is slow, the offense is erratic, and Jimmy Butler famously saves his best stuff for April and May. But no amount of tryptophan excuses sleeping on this team against this particular opponent. The Heat have pestered these guys since their upset rout of the top-seeded Bucks squad in the 2020 playoffs. The Bucks took revenge the following postseason before Miami beat another top-seeded Bucks team in the 2023 playoffs. Bam Adebayo seems to embrace the challenge of guarding Antetokounmpo, and Tyler Herro grew up in Milwaukee. This matchup often summons the Heat’s best.

Vegetables: Both sides are admirably grinding through unsightly starts. Miami ranked 20th in defensive efficiency after its first eight games; that mark is up to fifth during its last five contests. Since joining the starting lineup, Haywood Highsmith is among the league leaders in deflected passes. Heat opponents are shooting the fewest free throws in the league.

The Bucks, meanwhile, employ a fun bench that has helped spell Damian Lillard’s cold stretch. AJ Green has a bonkers 71.8 true shooting percentage in expanded minutes this season. Gary Trent Jr. has hit 17 of his last 26 3-pointers. And Bobby Portis is highly combustible.

If there were a rivalry trophy, it would be The Bursting Bubble. That 2020 playoff upset formally announced this resilient iteration of the Butler-Adebayo Heat and created a demon for the Bucks to exorcise in their 2021 title run.

Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns

Time: Tuesday, 10 p.m. ET
TV: TNT

Turkey: Kevin Durant is expected to play Tuesday, after missing two weeks with a calf issue. LeBron James is still balling as he approaches his 40th birthday. Barring a setback to either supernova talent, this KD vs. LeBron matchup is enough to fill the plate and soak up all the gravy.

Stuffing: Bradley Beal (calf) is also in line to return Tuesday. At full strength, this Phoenix team looked elite, standing at 9-2 before the stars’ recent injuries. When everyone is available, the Beal, Durant and Devin Booker trio makes for some of the silkiest jump-shooting in the sport. The Suns are 11th in offensive rating this season, even after their short-handed slump, and their clean orange tournament court will look like a perpetual heat check if the home side’s shots fall.

For the visitors, Dalton Knecht is beginning to break out. He is shooting 45 percent from behind the arc. Just like Jared McCain, selected one pick before him, Knecht is looking like a mid-round revelation. His presence opens up even more space for Anthony Davis, who had a monstrous 29 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in his last meeting with the Suns.

Vegetables: Assist-to-turnover ratio is the green bean casserole of basketball talk, but hey, Tyus Jones takes pristine care of Suns possessions. The veteran point guard is averaging almost seven dimes to just over one giveaway.

These Lakers must have a timeshare at the end of the restricted area — they practically live at the foul line. No team has made or attempted more free throws this year, allowing Los Angeles to control the tempo and score efficiently. They also run the third-most post-up possessions in the league and are third in clutch shooting percentage. This offense is designed to churn through close games.

If there were a rivalry trophy, it would be: Gail’s Goblet. As an expansion franchise in 1968, Phoenix snagged Los Angeles guard Gail Goodrich. He emerged as an All-Star in his first Suns season, then returned to the Lakers in 1970 — where he leveled up with four more All-Star appearances and won a ring in 1972.

LA Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves

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

Turkey: No need to overthink this: it’s Anthony Edwards in prime time. Last season, the Timberwolves played on 10 total national broadcasts; they are scheduled for 25 this year. The powers that be acknowledge Edwards as nothing short of transfixing. His scoring averages and shooting percentages have gone up in each of his five NBA campaigns, a downright horrifying reality for all the teams except Minnesota. Edwards first turned our heads all the way around with his furious, acrobatic dunks. But he’s now added a swagger from the deep perimeter. He’s taking 11.1 3-pointers per game, exceeding the likes of Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard and Luka Dončić.

Stuffing: Even sans Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers look like defensive stalwarts this season. They’re a searing headache for opposing teams. The Sacramento Kings had 29 points at halftime of Friday’s group stage game, and Golden State was held under triple-digits last Monday. Only the Warriors force opponents into worse 3-point shooting marks. LA comes into this week winners of five straight, three of which were without Norman Powell. Who saw a James Harden-led team ever getting up to fourth in defensive rating?

Vegetables: The second units are interesting here. Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid is taking almost eight 3-pointers a game. Donte DiVincenzo has had an arduous start in Minnesota, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker is making up for some of that with career-best shooting.

Amir Coffey comes off the Clippers bench at 46.2 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s. Oh, and James Harden shoots a lot of free throws. He’s the Rembrandt of getting to the line. Some folks enjoy their vegetables.

If there were a rivalry trophy, it would be: The Patrick Beverley Table of Vengeance. Before the Timberwolves celebrated their first conference finals in two decades, they turned all the way up for a play-in win over the Clippers.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers

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

Turkey: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should once again be in the MVP conversation. Remember that Clippers defense we all fear? Well, the Thunder powerhouse torched them earlier this month for 45 points and nine assists, adding five steals and two blocks with just one turnover. And yes, he did that without Chet Holmgren on the floor. Gilgeous-Alexander is also taking on new, more ambitious defensive responsibilities. Per Basketball Reference, he has played 59 percent of his minutes at the small forward position — and another 30 at the power forward-center spot. He has two or more blocks in five games. He’s a must-watch.

Stuffing: Oklahoma City sorely misses Holmgren (hip) roaming the paint, but pro basketball heads have been hip to Isaiah Hartenstein’s craftiness for a couple of years now. The 7-foot center looked good in his Thunder debut, tallying 13 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. He missed the beginning of this season with a hand injury, and his presence as a screener will further bolster the Thunder offense. Hartenstein was third in screen assist points in last year’s playoffs as a member of the New York Knicks, trailing only Rudy Gobert and Jokić.

It may have been lost along the conveyor belt of Lakers storylines so far — Davis’ career-best start, James’ infinite vitality, Knecht’s rookie breakout and JJ Redick magnetizing the good vibes. But check out what Austin Reaves is up to. Reaves has career-best marks in minutes, points, steals, 3-pointers attempted and usage rate.

Vegetables: Going to battle against this Thunder defense must feel like chasing your dog after chugging a gallon of mashed potatoes. OKC is relentless, leading the NBA in defensive rating. Alex Caruso has been hindered by a hip injury of his own, but if he’s available by Friday, he should be extra motivated to go against the team that gave him his first NBA opportunity. Caruso scores more points per game against the Lakers than any other opponent.

Cam Reddish looks good in Los Angeles right now, on an admittedly small sample size. He has the second-best defensive rating on the team, behind Davis, of course. And he’s in the top percentile in points per shot. It feels like a slight development but a potentially meaningful one for a starting lineup crammed with high-usage basketball celebrities.

The Lakers have won five of their last six matchups vs. the Thunder. They also took the first six games against the franchise after its relocation from Seattle. Oklahoma City notched nine consecutive wins in the series from 2014-16.

If there were a rivalry trophy, it would be: The Stardust-Prairie Dust Converter.

NBA Cup odds

The Celtics (+500) are the current favorites to win the in-season tournament. Boston is 2-1 in the group stage, handing the Cavs their first loss of the season and emerging with a plus-14 point differential. The Warriors are second at +600 after a 3-0 start to the tourney.

The Knicks are third at +700, weighted for their easier group opponents (Hornets, Nets, 76ers and the Paolo Banchero-less Magic, who are looking formidable in their own right). James Dolan in Vegas — what could go wrong?

The Wolves and Rockets are tied for sixth at +1000 odds. Both are in West Group A, with Houston at 2-0 and a plus-49 point differential, while Minnesota is 1-1 with a minus-10 mark. Go figure.

The Lakers are considerably lower on the list at +1400, despite coming in as the defending tournament champs and leading their West Group B at 2-0.

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(Photo of Jimmy Butler and Giannis Antetokounmpo: Jim Rassol / USA TODAY Sports)