Deni Avdija and the Blazers take on the Suns in the latter half of our ‘NBA Coast 2 Coast’ doubleheader on NBC and Peacock.

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 expected to return 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 features Grizzlies-Spurs (8 ET) and Blazers-Suns (11 ET), as young Western Conference squads seek to jell in the early season.
Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson return tonight. Franz Wagner is available. Stephon Castle is out for the Spurs.

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 expected return of the King

LeBron James is expected to return 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 expected return of LeBron James.

LeBron James enters Year 23 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.

“There’s not one team, one club in the world that I can’t fit in and play with,” LeBron 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.