12’s back with his first high-flying dunk of the season.

THE LINEUP 🏀

Nov. 26, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Star Returns, More Magic: KP & Ja return with wins, Orlando keeps winning while missing a star

West Shakeup: OKC’s win and Golden State’s loss means a new No. 1 out West

Showing Out: A Jaden Ivey game-winner and big games from OG, Kyrie, Haliburton & Payton

TNT Doubleheader: The Lakers and Bucks try to stay perfect in NBA Cup Group Play

League Pass: Houston visits Minnesota looking to keep its best start in five years going

BUT FIRST … ⏰

The race for the Cup heats up tonight…

The season’s fifth Emirates NBA Cup Night features a five-game slate, headlined by a TNT doubleheader beginning in Miami where the Heat (1-1) host Emirates NBA Cup MVP Ladder leader Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks (2-0) in East Group B (7:30 ET, TNT).

In the nightcap, the defending Cup champion Lakers (2-0) visit the Suns (1-1), who are expecting Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to return as they try to end a five-game slide and keep pace in West Group B (10 ET, TNT).

1. KP & JA MAKE TRIUMPHANT RETURNS, WHILE MAGIC STAY HOT

Celtics 126, Clippers 94: Kristaps Porziņģis made his season debut (16 pts, 6 reb, 2 blk) and the Celtics used a big 2nd quarter – setting franchise records with 12 3s (tying the NBA record for 3s in a quarter) and 51 points – to blow the game open and cruise to their sixth straight win. | Recap

• 20+ 3s, Again: Boston buried 20+ 3s for the seventh time this season and the fifth time in its last six games. Payton Pritchard (6) and Derrick White (5) accounted for half of the team’s triples on Monday as Boston improved to 7-0 when splashing 20+ 3s
• Welcome Back: Porziņģis got the start in his return and the Celtics looked for the big man early as he took Boston’s first three shots – including his first bucket of the season – from beyond the arc
• “I was itching to get back out there with this team after winning a championship,” Porziņģis said, reflecting on missing Boston’s first 17 games due to offseason ankle surgery

Grizzlies 123, Blazers 98: Ja Morant returned following an eight-game absence and picked up like he never left – dropping 22 points, 11 dimes and spectacular highlights to lead the Grizzlies to a wire-to-wire win over the Blazers for Memphis’ third win in the last four games. | Recap

• The Dunk & Reaction: Morant had the entire arena on its feet as he exploded off the paint and threw down his first dunk of the season, drawing this EPIC reaction from the Grizzlies broadcast team
• “I felt pretty good,” Ja said in his return, “felt pretty good shooting the ball, attacking, big time win.”
• Team Effort: Jaren Jackson Jr. added 21 points and three blocks, while Santi Aldama had a double-double (13 pts, 17 reb) off the bench as Memphis finished with six double-digit scorers

Magic 95, Hornets 84: The Magic have relied on Franz Wagner and a lockdown defense to keep winning despite the absence of All-Star Paolo Banchero (oblique injury), who averages 29.0 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 5.6 apg.

On Monday, Wagner led the Magic offense with 21 points and seven assists, while the Magic defense held the Hornets to a season-low 84 points despite a 44-point effort from LaMelo Ball for Orlando’s ninth win in its last 10 games. | Recap

• Bench Rules: Franz was the only Magic starter in double figures, but Orlando got 53 points from its bench – led by Mo Wagner and Cole Anthony with matching 16-point, 8-rebound efforts
• No Points For You: During this 9-1 stretch, the Magic have held their opponents to 95.2 ppg – 8.5 fewer than any other team
• Ball Rolling: LaMelo’s 44-point performance came after a 50-point game against Milwaukee on Sunday, making him the first player in Hornets history to record three straight games with 35+ points

2. A NEW NO. 1 IN THE WEST

Thunder 130, Kings 109: Behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s first 30+ point, 10+ assist game of the season (37 pts, 11 ast), a dominant 2nd half (67-47) and their best shooting night of the season (55.8% FG, 45.2% 3P), the Thunder raced past the Kings in Sacramento. | Recap 

• Two-Man Game: Jalen Williams (28 pts, including a slam off a falling behind-the-back dime from Isaiah Hartenstein) and SGA combined for 65 points in the win to top the 51 combined from DeMar DeRozan (30 pts) and Domantas Sabonis (21 pts, 10 reb)
• Monday’s Best: For the second straight week, the Thunder are first in the West following Monday’s games as OKC’s win combined with Golden State’s loss elevates the Thunder back to the top spot

Nets 128, Warriors 120: Midway through the 3rd quarter, this game had a familiar feel – a close game in the 1st half being blown open with a dominant 3rd quarter by the Warriors.

But after Golden State built an 18-point lead with 7:13 left in the 3rd, the Nets responded with an 11-0 run and continued to chip away at the lead until an 8-0 burst by Dennis Schröder to open the 4th gave the Nets the lead for good. | Recap

• Schröder scored 17 of his game-high 31 points in the 4th as the Nets put up 41 points to cap off a 70-53 2nd half performance for their second road win in as many days. Cam Thomas added 23 points for Brooklyn
• Steph Curry hit a season-high eight 3s and finished with 28 points to lead the Warriors, who dropped their second straight game and surrendered their hold on the top of the Western Conference

3. IVEY, ANUNOBY, HALIBURTON & IRVING SHOW OUT

Pistons 102, Raptors 100: With the game tied in the closing seconds, the Pistons got the ball to Jaden Ivey and let him go to work…with his family in attendance.

The third-year guard delivered by hitting the first game-winner of his NBA career, sinking the Tissot Buzzer Beater as the Pistons snapped a three-game losing streak. | Recap | Watch The Final 4:22 

• Stepping Up: With leading scorer Cade Cunningham out with a back injury, Ivey (25 pts, 8 ast) led five Pistons in double figures in the win – including Mailk Beasley’s 14 points and Jalen Duren’s double-double (13 pts, 12 reb)

Knicks 145, Nuggets 118: Behind OG Anunoby’s career-best 40 points and monster double-doubles from Karl-Anthony Towns (30 pts, 15 ast) and Jalen Brunson (23 pts, career-high 17 ast), the Knicks put up a season-high 145 points to beat Denver on Monday. | Recap  

• Best NY Offense In Decades: The Knicks shot 60.9% from the field (their highest mark since Mar. 6, 2005) and tied a franchise record with 45 assists (originally set Nov. 24, 1979) in the win
• Streak Snapped: Nikola Jokić finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, snapping a run of four straight 30+ point games

Pacers 114, Pelicans 110: Tyrese Haliburton (34 pts, 13 reb, 9 3s) was unstoppable as he mixed 3-point splashes and no-look passes to lead the Pacers past the Pelicans for Indy’s second win in as many days. | Recap 

• Tyrese 3, Caitlin Celly: When Haliburton sank his seventh 3 of the night, WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark let everyone know it was a triple from her courtside seat
• Payton’s 21 Dimes: Elfrid Payton – who made his season debut this past week after a three-year absence – dished out a career-best 21 assists that sets the mark for all to chase this season in the NBA

Mavericks 129, Hawks 119: Kyrie Irving started the game cold (16 pts on 5-of-20 shooting through three quarters), but finished hot (16 pts on 6-of-8 shooting) and four 3s in the 4th) to lead Dallas on a 23-9 run to seize control of the game and earn a win in Atlanta. | Recap 

Four Score 20+: Along with Kyrie’s game-high 32 points, the Mavs got 20+ point efforts from Jaden Hardy (23), Naji Marshall (22) and Spencer Dinwiddie

• Honoring A Legend: The Hawks honored Dikembe Mutombo with his No. 55 and a silhouette of the Hall of Famer’s famous finger wag on their City Edition court. “He’s our legend over there [in Congo],” said Hawks center Clint Capela

4. TNT DOUBLEHEADER: BUCKS, LAKERS TRY TO STAY PERFECT IN GROUP PLAY

Bucks (2-0, +26 point diff) at Heat (1-1, +13) | East Group B | 7:30 ET, TNT)

It was just 16 days ago that Milwaukee dropped to 2-8 to open the season and sat in 14th place in the Eastern Conference.

Since then, the Bucks have won six of their last seven games, climbed to sixth in the East and enter tonight looking to improve to 3-0 in Emirates NBA Cup Group Play after going a perfect 4-0 in Group Play last season.

However, they’ll do so against a Miami team they faced more than any other team in the NBA over the past five seasons as tonight marks the 32nd meeting in that time between the regular season and Playoffs.

The record in those games: Heat 16, Bucks 15

When it comes to determining which team will take Game No. 32, watch the forward matchup between Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Miami’s Jimmy Butler – as the two All-Stars enter tonight on hot streaks.

• Giannis leads the NBA in scoring (career-best 32.4 ppg) and has scored 30+ points in three straight games, giving him 10 30+ games for the season, second-most behind Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball (11)
• Butler has posted back-to-back 30+ point games since returning from an ankle injury on Nov. 18. Prior to his return, Butler averaged 16.1 points on the season

Lakers (2-0, +11) at Suns (1-1, -8) | West Group B | 10 ET, TNT 

The Lakers enter tonight’s Group Play game with a perfect 9-0 record in NBA Cup games as they’ve followed last year’s 7-0 run to the championship with a 2-0 start to their defense.

In order to keep that streak going, they’ll have to get by a Suns team that will be back at full strength with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal set to return from calf strains that kept both All-Stars out for multiple weeks.

• After opening the season 9-2, the Suns have dropped five straight games, a streak that coincides with the absence of two of its top three offensive threats
• The return of Durant (27.6 ppg) and Beal (17.8 ppg) injects over 45 points per game back into an offense that has averaged the fourth-fewest points in the NBA over the past five games (105.0)
• KD and Beal return in a Cup game with elevated stakes. With Phoenix 1-1 in Group Play, a win over the group-leading Lakers would keep the Suns in contention to win the group

5. LEAGUE PASS: ROCKETS ON A ROLL

Rockets (2-0, +49 point diff) at Wolves (1-1, -14) | West Group A | 8 ET, LP 

Last March, Houston went on an 11-game win streak to climb from eight games under .500 (27-35) to three games over (38-35), putting the Rockets in contention for the final spot in the SoFi Play-In Tournament.

While that bid ultimately fell short, the Rockets finished the season at 41-41 – making a 19-win improvement in the first season with Ime Udoka as head coach and veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks joining the rising young talent on the Rockets’ roster.

If anyone thought that late-season push was a fluke – Houston’s start to this season has been proof that it was just the beginning.

• The Rockets enter tonight’s game in Minnesota with the third-best record in the West (12-6) and an unblemished mark in Group Play (2-0) with the highest point differential of any team in the NBA

The keys to Houston’s start? Balanced offense and elite defense.

• Seven 10+ PPG Scorers: Jalen Green (18.7 ppg) leads seven Rockets averaging 10+ points per game – the most players of any team this season. The Rockets are one of three teams (along with Portland and Utah) without a 20+ ppg scorer
• Top-Two Defense: The Rockets’ 103.7 defensive rating ranks second only to OKC on the season. And it’s been even stingier in November (a league-best 102.0)
• Defense To Offense: The Rockets rank seventh in deflections, sixth in steals and fifth in turnovers forced. They have converted those turnovers into 20.9 ppg (2nd in NBA), while also ranking top five in 2nd chance points (17.7) and fast break points (18.2)

Rounding out the night on League Pass are two teams looking to build on their first-ever NBA Cup wins last week. 

• Bulls (1-1, -4) at Wizards (0-2, -24) | East Group C | 7 ET, LP: In Chicago’s first NBA Cup win, the Bulls handed the Hawks their first loss of the 2024 competition
• Chicago will look improve its group standing tonight against a Wizards team still seeking its first-ever Cup win (0-6)
• Spurs (1-1, +1) at Jazz (0-2, -14) | West Group B | 9 ET, LP: In San Antonio’s first NBA Cup win, the Spurs overcame the absence of their top three scorers – Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan – to defeat the Thunder at home
• Wemby has returned since and should be available as the Spurs face the Jazz for the fourth and final time this season