Nightly Pulse: NBA News & Highlights from Jan. 15

Posted by January 15, 2025 NBA
Nightly Pulse: NBA News & Highlights from Jan. 15

🏀 NBA scores tonight 🏀

Knicks 125, 76ers 119

Raptors 110, Celtics 97

Hawks 110, Bulls 94

Bucks 122, Magic 93

Pelicans 119, Mavericks 116

Grizzlies 129, Spurs 115

Hornets 117, Jazz 112

Rockets 128, Nuggets 108

Warriors 116, Timberwolves 115

Lakers 117, Heat 108

Clippers 126, Nets 67

✍️ Final NBA takeaways tonight 

  • Grizz take first leg of back-to-back vs Spurs: This matchup stood out as one of the most fun watches entering Wednesday and it did not disappoint. Victor Wembanyama had eight blocks in the first half. Ja Morant had 22 points and 12 assists, but it could have been 24 if this absurd dunk had counted
  • Next man up in Atlanta: Down several key players, the Hawks found huge performances from unlikely sources in their win over the Bulls. Keaton Wallace had the best game of his career with 27 points and six boards while Daeqwon Plowden had an unbelievable debut for a player who had bided his time in the G-League for years before getting the call. He buried his first seven shots and finished with 19 points.
  • Raptors take down Celtics: In one of the more improbable results of the season, the Raptors defeated the Celtics by 13 points Wednesday night. The Raptors held the Celtics under 100 points, something that has happened just two other times this season. The Raptors may be starting to find their footing as they’ve won back-to-back games against the Warriors and Celtics, respectively.

🥇 Top NBA performers Jan. 15

  • Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets: 31 points (career-high), 13 rebounds for second-straight double-double.
  • Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs: 13 points, 12 rebounds, eight blocks. This was Wemby’s fifth game with eight-or-more rejections.
  • Daniel Gafford, Dallas Mavericks: 27 points (career-high) and made his first 12 FGA. He added 12 rebounds on the night.
  • Daeqwon Plowden, Atlanta Hawks: The 26-year-old had one of the best debuts in recent NBA history with 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting, including 5-for-6 from beyond the arc.

⏸️ Hold up. The Clippers are up by how much?

The Clippers have led by as many as 64 points in Wednesday’s showdown with the shorthanded Nets, who came into this game with a perilously long injury report.

The Nets battled and had the game tied at the end of the first quarter, but a barrage in the second and third quarters from the Clippers put the game away early.

Kawhi Leonard has had his best game of the season thus far with 23 points on 8 of 11 shooting over 24 minutes of work as we near the conclusion of this one in LA.

😎 Lakers rally in fourth quarter vs Heat

The Lakers battled back from a 12-point halftime deficit to get the win over the Heat on Wednesday thanks to a balanced attack with contributions across the board.

All five starters scored in double-figures and three of them — LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura — scored over 20 points. Gabe Vincent also added 14 points and four assists off the bench.

The Lakers move to 13-6 at home this season while Miami wraps up a 3-3 record on its west coast road trip.

Warriors hang on for win in Minnesota

Things got dicey for the Warriors late in Wednesday’s game. They raced out to a 24-point lead in the first quarter and took a nine-point lead into the fourth. However, the Timberwolves turned it on in the final period and took this one down to the wire, tying it up at 108 with just over a minute to go.

Then Stephen Curry had his inevitable moment, sinking a go-ahead three from the corner to give the Warriors a lead they would not relinquish. The win gives the Warriors the season series victory over the Timberwolves, which could be a factor come playoff time given the teams’ very similar records with the Dubs at 20-20 and the T’Wolves at 21-19.

Steph. Clutch.

The Warriors have had their lead over the Timberwolves erode in the second half but just as Minnesota clawed back for the tie late in the fourth, Steph Curry did some Steph Curry things.

Head fake. Corner three. Splash. No longer tied.

😬 Down to the wire in Warriors-T’Wolves

The Timberwolves have trailed the Warriors from the jump and were behind by as many as 24 points tonight. They’ve whittled away at that lead as we enter crunch time and tied it up with just over a minute to go.

Catch the finish now on ESPN.

🥇 Mark Williams’ career night fuels Hornets win

Hornets 117, Jazz 112

Mark Williams had his best game of the season last time out against Phoenix with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Tonight, he decided he could one-up himself.

Williams dominated the interior en route to scoring a career-high 31 points on 12-for-14 shooting. He added 13 boards and three steals as the Hornets scraped out a five-point win on the road.

Williams is averaging 16.9 points over his last 10 games and has three outings of at least 20 points in that stretch.

Adding on, the Hornets got a great night from its starting five as four of its members went for 20-or-more points.

Check out one of Williams’ nine dunks on the night below.

🚀 Houston handles Denver in road win

Rockets 128, Nuggets 108 

The Nuggets were missing a huge piece Wednesday night as Nikola Jokić was a late scratch due to elbow inflammation. The Rockets pounced on the opportunity and outscored the Nuggets 56-46 in the paint.

The big difference came with Houston turning defense into offense via turnovers. The Rockets racked up 14 steals and forced 18 total turnovers, which they turned into 25 fast break points. The Nuggets, by comparison, mustered just seven such points.

Jalen Green continued his star turn with 34 points just two nights after tying his career high in points (42) against the Grizzlies.

Here’s a pretty nifty two of his 34.

Denver did have some history made on their side as Russell Westbrook surpassed Vince Carter for 21st all-time on the NBA scoring list.

🙌 Embattled Hawks find their way

The Hawks came into tonight’s game against the Bulls shorthanded on paper. Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, De’Andre Hunter and other contributors were sidelined for this contest, leaving it up to the Hawks’ depth to get the job done. Spoiler alert: they got the job done.

Keaton Wallace stepped into the starting five and had the best game of his young career with 27 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Daeqwon Plowden made his NBA debut after getting the call up from the College Park Skyhawks of the G-League. Plowden has grinded for years for this moment and he made the most of it. Peep the graphic courtesy of the Hawks, along with one of five triples.

Our stats department has confirmed. 7-for-7 is a pretty good way to start an NBA career.

⚡West coast quick hitters

  • The Rockets are pulling away from the Nuggets in Denver with a 22-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
  • The Jazz and Hornets are locked in a close battle as we reach the final minutes of regulation in Utah
  • The Warriors outscored the Timberwolves 34-12 in the opening period and lead by double-digits early in the third quarter.
  • The Heat, playing in the final game of a grueling six-game west coast swing, lead the Lakers at half. Tyler Herro has poured in 22 first-half points.
  • The Clippers have an early edge over the Nets through one at the Intuit Dome. James Harden has 11 points in 11 minutes of work.

🦤 Pelicans defeat Mavericks in nail-biter

In a wildly entertaining game with multiple fourth-quarter ties and lead changes, the Pelicans found a way to bank their 10th win of the season tonight against the Mavericks.

New Orleans’ Dejounte Murray led the Pels in scoring with 30, but some unsung heroes stole the show at the Smoothie King Center.

Trey Murphy and Daniel Gafford comprise three of the top four dunk score slams of the night so far as they put on an aerial display.

Check out Gafford reach all the way back for the one-handed catch and hammer to finish the alley-oop in transition 😱

That was just one moment from what was a terrific game from Gafford, who registered a career-high 27 points on 12 of 13 shooting. He also added 12 rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Muphy not only had an incredible dunk of his own, but he also saved the game with a rejection at the rim with time ticking down.

🦌 Dame, Giannis dominate as Bucks beat Magic

The Bucks cruised to a 122-93 win over the Magic tonight to move ahead into the No.4 spot in the East previously occupied by Orlando.

Damian Lillard led all scorers with 30 points, including a perfect 3-for-3 from deep. Antetokounmpo logged another double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Khris Middleton also turned in a strong outing off the bench with 14 points and six helpers in 21 minutes of action in his return.

🐻 Grizz answer back in 2nd half to beat Spurs

Memphis trailed by 12 at halftime with San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama denying almost everything at the rim and beyond with eight first-half blocks.

The Grizzlies responded and went on a tear in the third quarter with 43 points to the Spurs’ 25. Memphis went on to snatch the victory on the road, 129-115. These two teams will square off once again Friday in San Antonio.

Wemby wasn’t the only highlight provider in this one, though. The Grizz had their share of amazing moments, including this Ja Morant dunk over Wemby.

Sure, it didn’t count, but that’s beside the point.

📸 Plowden makes amazing first impression

Daeqwon Plowden saw the first NBA minutes of his career tonight and he made the most of them. The Bowling Green product who had been on two-way contracts with the Warriors and Hawks over the last calendar year got the call to join Atlanta on Wednesday and answered the bell with 19 points.

What’s more, he went 7-for-8 from the field and 5-for-6 from beyond the arc as the Hawks defeated the Bulls 110-94.

🦖 Raptors bank biggest W of the season

Raptors 110, Celtics 97

In one of the biggest upsets of the season, the Raptors took down the Celtics by a final margin of 13 points tonight. Toronto got contributions from all over the place as all five starters scored in double figures. The Raptors’ defense was the story, though.

Boston was held to 16 made 3’s, which is below their average of nearly 18 per game. They shot just 34.8 percent from deep which is also a dip below their norm. The Raptors managed to keep a lid on superstar Jayson Tatum, holding him to 16 points on 5-for-15 shooting.

The Scotiabank Arena was rocking tonight and now the Raptors have dispatched the Warriors and Celtics in consecutive games.

🏁 Knicks outlast Sixers in OT

Knicks 125, 76ers 119

In a game that featured phenomenal guard play, it was Jalen Brunson’s Knicks who outlasted Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers.

Brunson had a game-high 38 points and Maxey answered with 33 and six assists but it wasn’t quite enough for the home team to notch the victory. Josh Hart also notched his fifth triple-double of the season with 10 points, 12 assists and a whopping 17 rebounds.

The Knicks were able to put an exclamation point on the win with this fast break alley-oop finished by Mikal Bridges.

An interesting stat nugget from this game was that, despite going to overtime, the 76ers never led at any point during Wednesday’s contest.

🍿 OT in Knicks-Sixers

The Knicks and Sixers are heading to overtime after a back-and-forth fourth quarter that could not break the tie. The 76ers have not led at any point in this game and trailed by as many as 16, but a furious comeback in the third quarter helped knot things up.

Get to ESPN now to catch the overtime period.

🥊 Celtics, Raptors battling in Toronto

Just over two weeks ago, the Celtics ran away with a 54-point victory over the Raptors on New Year’s Even. Well, it’s new year, new Raptors this time around as Toronto leads by seven late in the third quarter.

All five Toronto starters have scored in double figures, led by RJ Barrett’s 18 points.

🚫 San Antonio block party

San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama is up to eight blocks at the half in the Spurs’ showdown with the Grizzlies. Yes, you read that right. Eight. Blocks.

Wemby now has five games with at least eight blocks this season and will look to set a new season-high in the second half. He’ll need two more swats to tie it and three more to set that new high water mark.

🛫 Trey Murphy finds cruising altitude

The dunk of the night so far belongs to New Orleans’ Trey Murphy, who got all the way up to finish the oop in front of the home crowd. Catch Pelicans-Mavericks now on NBA League Pass.

🏃 Sixers storm back vs Knicks

After trailing 13 at half to the Knicks, the 76ers went on a tear in the third quarter, outscoring the Knicks 38-25 in the period to tie it up going into the fourth. Paul George has been everywhere for the Sixers with 23 points and three steals. Catch the fourth quarter now on ESPN.

🤷‍♂️ Casual Wemby stuff

Victor Wembanyama recorded two blocks and a steal all in the same sequence, including a swat of fellow big man Zach Edey. Wemby is up to five blocks in the first half as the Spurs hold a narrow lead over the Grizzlies.

😤 Knicks take 13-point lead into half over 76ers

Mikal Bridges has stepped up big thus far with 16 first-half points to help give the Knicks the advantage going into the break. He has canned four 3-pointers on seven attempts.

On the 76ers side, Paul George has led the charge with 12 points and two steals. Here’s a big-time slam in transition from PG in the second quarter.

🙌 Action ramping up with four games starting

Some of tonight’s best matchups are tipping off at 8 PM Eastern. Get to League Pass and get your thumb loose because there is a ton of NBA action to flip around to, including:

🐂 Bulls vs Hawks

🦌 Bucks vs Magic

🦤 Pelicans vs Mavericks

🤠 Spurs vs Grizzlies

👍Giannis, Middleton good to go vs Magic

The Bucks listed Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton on the injury report coming into tonight’s game but both are good to go as they get set to host the Magic.

Here’s the Bucks starting five with Giannis Antetokounmpo getting the start and Middleton ready to provide a spark off the bench.

🔥 Sixers vs Knicks tip off the action

Fans are treated to a rematch of last year’s exciting first-round matchup between the Knicks and Sixers tonight. The 76ers are looking to snap a three-game skid while the Knicks look to get back on track after Monday’s loss to Detroit.

Each team will have to find answers down low as the Knicks are without Karl-Anthony Towns (thumb) and the 76ers will be down Joel Embiid (foot). However, fans can expect some electric guard play with Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Maxey running point on either side of this matchup.

Let’s check out the starting lineups as things get underway in Philly.

 

🤓☝️Required Reading

📰 Key NBA storylines tonight

  • Key Eastern Conference battle between Bucks and Magic: The No.4 and No.5 seeds in the East square off tonight in Milwaukee tonight with the Bucks hosting the Magic. Orlando will be tasked with slowing Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is coming off of a triple-double in Tuesday’s win over the Kings
  • Spurs out to prove Monday was no fluke: On Monday, the Spurs (19-19) dominated in the fourth quarter to bank an impressive 126-102 road win over the Lakers. Now they will look to make another statement as they host the Grizzlies (25-15).
  • Battle in the paint on tap in Denver: The Nuggets and Rockets square off tonight at 9:00 Eastern in Denver. It’s a matchup that pits two teams who rely on their play at the rim and in the mid-range for their buckets instead of the three-ball. The Nuggets lead the league in percentage of field goals attempted inside the arc (65.6%) while the Rockets are fourth in that metric.

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