For the second week in a row, the NCAA Tournament is the focus of hoops fans, which means the NBA dials back the volume on marquee matchups this week, with the major exception of Jimmy Butler returning to Miami on Tuesday.
Full NBA National TV schedule
For games March 24-30 | All times Eastern
| GAME | TIME | TV |
| Lakers at Magic | Mon., 7 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Bucks at Suns | Mon., 10 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Warriors at Heat | Tue., 7:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Thunder at Kings | Tue., 10 p.m. | TNT |
| Lakers at Pacers | Wed., 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Celtics at Suns | Wed., 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Mavericks at Magic | Thu., 7 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Suns at Timberwolves | Fri., 8 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Celtics at Spurs | Sat., 8 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Trail Blazers at Knicks | Sun., 6 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Rockets at Suns | Sun., 9 p.m. | NBA TV |
Lakers at Magic
Time: Mon., 7 p.m. ET
TV: NBA TV
Why you watch: LeBron James and Luka Doncic are back on the court and healthy, but the fit was not smooth — and LeBron admitted he was understandably rusty — in a Saturday night in a loss to Chicago. Can they find a rhythm against Orlando’s physical and intense defense? And can the Lakers find a defender to slow Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner?
Bucks at Suns
Time: Mon., 10 p.m. ET
TV: NBA TV
Why you watch: Phoenix has played well of late, having won 4-of-5, including beating the Cavaliers, which has been enough to move the Suns into a tie with the Mavericks for the No. 10 seed in the West and a play-in spot. Phoenix needs more wins to secure a postseason spot (they are just 1.5 games back of the Kings for the No. 9 seed). Getting one of those wins against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will not be easy — Milwaukee needs wins in its own playoff chase, too.
Warriors at Heat
Time: Tue., 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Why you watch: Jimmy Butler returns to Miami, where the fans will let him know how they feel about his trade demand and forcing his way out of town this season. How does Butler feel about the return? “Another game for me. Another game that we’re expected to win, for sure, though... I was traded from there, yadda yadda yadda. Yeah, it didn’t end the way people wanted it to, yadda yadda yadda. But that’s so far behind me now, I don’t even think about it.”
Thunder at Kings
Time: Tue., 10 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Why you watch: Oklahoma City will play hard, while the Kings should play desperate. It says something about the Thunder that they have wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the West, have players out (Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren on Sunday, for example) they are still competing hard every night and defending at an elite level. Sacramento needs to stack some wins to hold on to the No. 9 seed against suddenly-hot Phoenix, but the Kings have dropped 6-of-8. Can they find a win against the NBA’s best team?
Lakers at Pacers
Time: Wed., 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Why you watch: To see if Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers can run past the Lakers. Los Angeles has one of the worst transition defenses in the league (29th in points allowed per transition possession, 27th in the amount teams run on them), and the Pacers are one of the best transition offenses in the league now that they are healthy. Can the Lakers get back on defense? On the other end of the court, do the Pacers have any answer for Luka Doncic?
Celtics at Suns
Time: Wed., 10 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Why you watch: Jayson Tatum vs. Kevin Durant, what more do you need? If Phoenix wants a measuring stick game for how far it has come in turning things around in the past couple of weeks, going up against the defending champions — who enter the week on a five-game winning streak — is the perfect chance.
Mavericks at Magic
Time: Thu., 7 p.m. ET
TV: NBA TV
Why you watch: To see Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero try to get their rhythm back as the Magic head to the playoffs. Orlando was a great story early in the season, but then it was decimated by injuries and fell back to the play-in. The Magic have looked better of late, going 4-3 in their last 7, but haven’t recaptured that early season… well, Magic. Tune in to see if they can find it against a struggling Dallas team.
Suns at Timberwolves
Time: Fri., 8 p.m. ET
TV: NBA TV
Why you watch: Anthony Edwards always gets up to face his idol Kevin Durant, so tune in to see Edwards do his thing. Of course, KD is always up for a challenge that pushes him. Both the Suns and the Timberwolves need wins for postseason (likely play-in) seeding, so this should have a playoff feel.
Celtics at Spurs
Time: Sat., 8 p.m. ET
TV: NBA TV
Why you watch: Stephon Castle is making his late-season push for Rookie of the Year, averaging 18.8 points and 5.6 assists a game over his last five games. A nationally televised game against the defending champs is a real showcase opportunity where Castle can loudly state his case.
Trail Blazers at Knicks
Time: Sun., 6 p.m. ET
TV: NBA TV
Why you watch: Behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, the Knicks have been able to keep their heads above water while Jalen Brunson is out (and he is expected to miss this game as well), but the Trail Blazers provide a real test. Portland had won 4-of-5 entering the week — including beating Denver and Memphis — and have been getting strong play from a young core of Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. The Blazers are an athletic team that likes to get out and run. Can the Knicks force this game to be played at their own pace?
League Pass games of note
- Minnestoa Timberwolves @ Indiana Pacers (Mon., 7 p.m. ET): Two teams needing wins to hold on to (or improve) their postseason seeding go head-to-head. This game should have a postseason feel.
- Milwaukee Bucks @ Denver Nuggets (Wed., 9 p.m. ET): A top-three MVP battle between Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Nikola Jokic… hopefully. Jokic has missed the Nuggets’ last four games entering the week with an ankle injury, but coach Michael Malone said he will return during the team’s upcoming homestand. It would be better for us fans (and his MVP case) if it were this Wednesday.
- Memphis Grizzlies @ Oklahoma City Thunder (Thu., 8 p.m. ET): Memphis needs a win — it has dropped 4-of-5 coming into the week and slid all the way back to fifth in the West (in part because Ja Morant has missed time). Oklahoma City has locked up the No. 1 seed and has nothing to play for, but it shows up and competes hard every game. This should be an entertaining matchup.
- Cleveland Cavaliers @ Detroit Pistons (Fri., 7 p.m. ET): Who wins Coach of the Year, the Cavaliers’ Kenny Atkinson or the Pistons’ J.B. Bickerstaff? This game will not decide that, but it’s a showdown between the coaches likely to finish 1-2 in the COY race. Plus, this game pits two of the best stories in the NBA this season against each other.
- Los Angeles Lakers @ Memphis Grizzlies (Sat., 8 p.m. ET): This game features two of the top five teams in the West — both needing wins for momentum and playoff seeding — and a showdown between Luka Doncic and Ja Morant (hopefully, Morant has missed time with a hamstring strain entering the week). This should have a playoff game feel.
