epa10374398 Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz (L) scores against Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (R) during the second half of the NBA basketball game between the Orlando Magic and the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 19 December 2022. EPA/ERIK S. LESSER SHUTTERSTOCK OUT

Viewers on DStv and GOtv can look forward to thrills and spills from the world’s best basketball league, with ESPN and ESPN 2 the premier venues for coverage of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 2022-23 season will continue through the week of Friday 17  to Thursday 23 March 2023.

DStv and GOtv is your home of the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.

The first live NBA regular season game of the week arrives on the morning of Friday 17 March, as the Orlando Magic take on the Phoenix Suns in Arizona (04:00 LIVE on ESPN 2).

Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley praised the high level of trust that Markelle Fultz has with his teammates: “He’s the ultimate team guy. He trusts them, and they trust him. He slows the game down enough that it allows guys to find reads and the right reads, but then again, he’s pushing the basketball in transition under control. I think that’s what we’ve continued to ask of him, and his teammates trust him in that regard.”

The morning of Saturday 18 March sees the Los Angeles Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks at the Crypto.com Arena (04:30 LIVE on ESPN 2).

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd insists that his team is about so much more than star duo Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving: “People say that Luka and Ky need the ball. Well, they also know how to use their teammates, and their teammates are delivering right now.”

We stay in the ‘City of Angels’ on Saturday night for a clash between the LA Clippers and the Orlando Magic (21:00 LIVE on ESPN 2).

Tyronn Lue says he is not putting any weight of expectation on veteran Russell Westbrook, who was acquired in the trade window earlier this year: “We want Russ to be Russ,” said the Clippers coach. “If he’s doing too much or not enough, we’ll let him know. We want him to be the MVP, the Hall of Famer that he is. He’s excited. He just wants to win.”

The weekend’s NBA action wraps up on the evening of Sunday 19 March with a battle between the San Antonio Spurs and the Atlanta Hawks in Texas (22:00 LIVE on ESPN).

Hawks star guard Trae Young has shot down any speculation that his relationship with Nate McMillan led to the former head coach’s firing late last month: “I kind of let y’all make up rumours about certain things about how I am and how my relationship is with certain people,” he told the media. “I just play basketball.”

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NBA Regular Season broadcast details

All times CAT

Friday 17 March

04:00: Phoenix Suns v Orlando Magic – LIVE on ESPN 2

Saturday 18 March

04:30: Los Angeles Lakers v Dallas Mavericks – LIVE on ESPN 2

21:00: Los Angeles Clippers v Orlando Magic – LIVE on ESPN 2

Sunday 19 March

22:00: San Antonio Spurs v Atlanta Hawks – LIVE on ESPN