There's nothing like beginning your weekend on a cold winter Saturday with a hot tea or coffee and some great basketball.
Saturday, Dec. 18 is shaping up to be just that with a nine-game schedule headlined by two of the best players in the NBA in Stephen Curry and LeBron James. Both superstars take the court in road arenas, hoping to help their respective teams ride their current momentum.
For more on Saturday's games, here's a preview with all you need to know from the schedule, biggest storylines and how to watch.
NBA schedule on Saturday, Dec. 18
- Heat (17-12) at Magic (5-24) - 5:30 a.m.
- Nuggets (14-14) at Hawks (14-14) - 6:00 a.m.
- Warriors (23-5) at Celtics (14-14) - 6:00 a.m.
- Bucks (19-11) at Pelicans (9-21) - 6:30 a.m.
- Spurs (10-17) at Jazz (20-7) - 7:30 a.m.
- Lakers (16-13) at Timberwolves (13-15) - 8:30 a.m.
- Hornets (16-14) at Trail Blazers (11-18) - 8:30 a.m.
- Grizzlies (18-11) at Kings (12-17) - 8:30 a.m.
(All times IST - Indian Standard Time)
Games, storylines to watch
Warriors at Celtics - NBA League Pass
Coming off the high of their win against the Knicks at the Madison Square Garden, headlined by Stephen Curry passing Ray Allen to become the NBA's all-time leader for 3-pointers made in the regular season, the Warriors continue their Eastern Conference road trip in Boston.
Owners of a league-best 23-5 record, Golden State also leads the league in defensive rating (100.2) while ranking atop the charts in key offensive categories like points per game (111.8, third), field goal efficiency (47.1 percent, third), 3-pointers made per game (14.9, second), assists per game (28.1, first) and point differential (+11.6, first).
Curry and the red-hot Warriors will face-off against the Celtics, who have won seven of their last eight at home and are coming off a statement win against the defending champions.
In December, Boston has been led by a scorching-hot Jayson Tatum. The 6-foot-8 wing leads the league in total points in the month, scoring 29 or more in five of the seven games heading into this one, including a season-high 42 points against the Bucks a couple of days ago.
That Bucks game also saw the return of Jaylen Brown, who missed all five games on the team's Western Conference road trip due to a right hamstring injury. Now at full strength, the Celtics will look to string some good wins together, continuing with a tough fight against the visiting Warriors.
Lakers at Timberwolves - MTV, Vh1, Voot Select, Jio TV
With LeBron James, who has played a season-high six straight games, not missing any games due to injury, the Lakers have recorded a few wins on the trot and are enjoying their best five-game stretch of the season.
Despite the nature of their most recent victory - an overtime win sealed by an Austin Reaves game-winner against a Mavericks squad that suited up without Luka Doncic - the team seems to be figuring things out. They have displayed tremendous fight and resiliency by relying on their depth to overcome injuries and absences through the early portion of the season, which is a huge reason for their successful 5-1 record in overtime games this season.
They will have to do so once again, as they have five players - Talen Horton-Tucker, Dwight Howard, Malik Monk, Russell Westbrook and Avery Bradley - currently sidelined due to the league's health and safety protocols. Purely by talent, with James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers should be able to gut out a victory, but the Timberwolves have been far more competitive this season than in years past.
The Timberwolves are coming off a 124-107 victory where Anthony Edwards erupted for 38 points on a career-high and franchise-high 10 made 3-pointers. That win helped the team improve to 13-15, the franchise's best 28-game start since the 2018-19 season.
Growing list of players in health and safety protocols
As of Friday, nearly 40 players are in the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
There seems to be a surge of late, with the number of players put into the protocols over the past couple of weeks nearly double the number that was sidelined over the first six weeks of the season.
MORE: Full list of players in NBA's health and safety protocols
Among players currently sidelined are former MVPs Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden and Russell Westbrook in addition to former All-Stars in LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan, Dwight Howard, Zach LaVine and Paul Millsap.
How to watch live NBA games
Prior to Dec. 2, 2021, the only means to watch live NBA games on demand was by getting an NBA League Pass subscription.
NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial)
However, just over a month into the 2021-22 NBA season, it was announced that live games will return to television sets and streaming platforms in India.
Following the NBA's new multiyear partnership with Viacom18, live NBA games return to the television screens in India.
The NBA and Viacom18 announce a multiyear broadcast and streaming partnership in India. 🏀 x 📺
— NBAIndia (@NBAIndia) December 3, 2021
You can now watch NBA games live on @MTVIndia, @Vh1India, @justvoot, and @OfficialJioTV#NBA75 #NBAonMTV #NBAonVoot #NBAonVh1 #NBAonJioTV pic.twitter.com/c3WCjsWukW
Live NBA games can now be watched on television on Vh1 and MTV, while they can be streamed on digital platforms like VOOT and Jio TV.
Stay tuned for the release of the broadcast schedule of NBA games on MTV or Vh1.
Live NBA games can also be watched on-demand on your favourite device - mobile, tablet or desktop - with NBA League Pass. There are two choices while picking up a subscription - annual and eight-game.
The annual package presents every game for every team live and on-demand for a yearly subscription fee of 1500/- rupees. On the other hand, the eight-game package allows fans to choose any eight games to watch each month for 799/- rupees.
Since the NBA's five-year broadcast deal with Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) expired after the conclusion of the 2020 NBA Finals, NBA League Pass has become the one-stop-shop for NBA fans in India.
MORE: TV schedule for live 2021-22 games in India
NBA games made a brief return to television when Star Sports bagged the rights, however, this deal was only for the 2021 NBA Playoffs and the 2021 NBA Finals.
Nevertheless, NBA games should be back on television sets soon. Until then, stay tuned to this page for the latest updates on any and all broadcast-related information regarding live NBA games in India.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.