NBA Recap: Cavs and Celtics Dominate with Statement Wins, Ant Takes the Spotlight, Wemby Continues to Make History

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Two days after coming up clutch on Christmas, AntMan did it again.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION

Dec. 28, 2024

East Powers Flex: The Cavs outduel Jokić & the Nugs, while the C’s outpace Indy

Young Stars Shine: Ant caps an electric Wolves comeback, Wemby wows again

Streaks & West Duels: The Knicks, Grizz & Mavs stay hot, while the Clips outlast the Dubs

SGA’s Impact: The superstar behind OKC’s nine-game win streak and historic start

Saturday Spotlight: Two resilient teams clash before two MVP Ladder leaders suit up

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Friday’s scoreboard and Saturday’s schedule…

An NBA TV tripleheader headlines Saturday’s nine-game slate, starting with a battle between the Hawks and Heat (3 ET). Then, the West-leading Thunder will visit the Hornets (6 ET), before the Warriors host the Suns (8:30 ET).

NBA All-Star voting is live until Jan. 20. Fans can vote for starters every day via the NBA App and NBA.com with their NBA ID. Tap here to cast your ballot.

Countdown To 2025: With the New Year right around the corner, we’re counting down the top 100 plays from the last 25 years. Don’t miss a single highlight!

1. EAST POWERS MAKE STATEMENTS WITH SEASON HIGHS

The NBA’s top team against the Kia MVP Ladder leader delivered — again.

Cavaliers 149, Nuggets 135: Nikola Jokić was brilliant, posting his league-best 12th triple-double of the season (27 pts, 14 reb, 13 ast), but it wasn’t enough to top the Cavs, who dropped a season-high in both points and assists (40) in a near wire-to-wire win.

Donovan Mitchell led the way for Cleveland with a game-high 33 points, six dimes and six triples. | Recap

Buckets In Bulk: Evan Mobley (26), Darius Garland (25) and Jarrett Allen (22) all added 20-pieces, as the Cavs put up 80 points in the 1st half and never looked backDéjà Vu: In Cleveland’s victory over Denver on Dec. 5, the Cavs hit a then-season-high 22 3s at a 45.8% clipOn Friday, the NBA’s leader in 3-point percentage set a new season-high with 23 triples at a 47.9% clipRecord Run: It’s the Cavs’ sixth straight win as they improve to 27-4 on the season, marking their best 31-game start in franchise historyTheir Key To Success?

“Our habits,” said Mitchell postgame. “Getting open shots, making the simple passes, not over-shooting…  being selfless — that’s what you see with our group.”

In a 2024 East Finals rematch, the 2024 East Finals MVP showed out.

Celtics 142, Pacers 105: Coming off back-to-back losses for the first time all season, the C’s handed the surging Pacers their first road loss since Dec. 4, as Jaylen Brown lit up TD Garden with a season-high 44 points on six 3s, plus five boards and four steals. | Recap

JB Passes The Truth: It’s Brown’s fifth career game with 40+ points, 5+ boards and 5+ 3s, surpassing Paul Pierce for the second-most such games in Celtics historyWho Has The Most? Jayson Tatum (19), who notched a double-double in the win with 22 points and 13 reboundsShowtime: With this massive poster, Brown became the first player this season to record multiple 100+ Dunk ScoresC’s Sizzle:

Like Cleveland, Boston also scored a season-high while going 23-of-56 (41.1%) from deep — marking its NBA-best 12th game with 20+ made 3s

2. YOUNG STARS SHINE: ANT CALLS GAME, WEMBY MAKES HISTORY

For the second straight night, fans were treated to a magical 4th-quarter comeback.

Wolves 113, Rockets 112: Alperen Sengun went off for 38 points and 12 boards to help Houston build a 16-point lead with 4:57 left. But the Wolves reeled off a 20-4 run, capped by Anthony Edwards’ game-winning triple with 23.2 seconds left for an electrifying dub. | Recap | Watch The Epic Ending

Ant In The Clutch: It’s Edwards’ third career game-winner in the last 30 seconds and his first game-winning 3New Wolves Deliver: Julius Randle led Minny with 27 points, while Donte DiVincenzo tallied a season-high in points (22) and 3s (6)“Shoutout to my teammates, man,” Edwards said postgame. “Guys came through in the clutch.”Bounce-Back Dubs:

After three straight losses, the Wolves have now notched consecutive wins over fourth-place Dallas and third-place Houston

One game after a historic #NBAXmas debut, Victor Wembanyama etched his name into more NBA record books.

Spurs 96, Nets 87: In another display of rare versatility, Wemby stuffed the stat (19 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, 6 blk, 3 3s) while setting the record for most consecutive games of at least one block and one three (22), leading San Antonio past Brooklyn. | Recap

A Class Of His Own: It’s Wemby’s fourth game this season with 6+ blocks and 3+ triples. The rest of the NBA combined? Just oneHistoric Hot Streak: No player in NBA history has ever averaged 30+ points, 5+ blocks and 4+ 3s in a five-game span…That is, until Wemby, who’s posting 31.8 points, 6.4 blocks, and 5.2 treys in his last five outingsSupersized Gesture:

Wemby made this young fan’s night with a

jersey swap

— but he’ll have to grow into it

3. FRIDAY ROUNDUP: HOT STREAKS & WEST DUELS

Knicks 108, Magic 85: Make that six straight Ws for NY. Jalen Brunson led the way with 26 points and nine dimes, while Josh Hart added a double-double (23 pts, 13 reb), as the Knicks outscored the Magic 32-17 in the 4th quarter to pull away in Orlando. | Recap

No 3s Necessary: New York went 4-of-15 from deep but outscored Orlando 60-34 in the paint, becoming the first team this season to win a game while making fewer than five 3s

Mavericks 98, Suns 89: With Luka Dončić out, the Mavs defense stepped up, holding the Suns to their second-lowest points total this season — despite Kevin Durant’s 35 — while Kyrie Irving led the way offensively (20 pts, 5 ast, 5 3s) to outlast Phoenix. | Recap

West Champs Clicking: The Mavs have won three of their last four games and gone 15-4 since their 5-7 start to the season

Grizzlies 132, Pelicans 124: One night after dropping a franchise-record 155 points, the league’s leading offense went off for 132 behind Jaren Jackson Jr. (33 pts, 4 stl, 3 blk) and Ja Morant (25 pts, 7 ast), marking the Grizzlies’ 14th dub in 17 games. | Recap

NOLA Duo: Trey Murphy III (35) and CJ McCollum (32) combined for 67 points for the Pels

Clippers 102, Warriors 92: Jonathan Kuminga came off the bench and posted a game-high 34 points to rally Golden State from 21 down. But the Clips held on late thanks to Norman Powell (26 pts) and a game-sealing block from Ivica Zubac. | Recap

4. SGA’S EXCELLENCE: FUELING OKC’S DOMINANCE & AN MVP CAMPAIGN

“That was a masterpiece,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 45-point outburst in Thursday’s win over Indiana.

“Shai was outstanding … He was at his own pace the entire night. Great blend of passing and attacking. Great blend of shooting and attacking. He just had total control of the wheel.”

SGA’s masterful outing extended the Thunder’s league-best win streak to nine games. Tonight, OKC will face Charlotte (6 ET, NBA TV), looking to match its longest win streak in a single season since 2013-14 — with Gilgeous-Alexander firmly in the driver’s seat.

MVP Level: Ranked third on the Kia NBA MVP Ladder, SGA (31.1 ppg, 6.1 apg, 2.0 spg) is the only player in the league averaging 30+ points, 6+ assists and 2+ stealsLeveling Up:

Amid the win streak, he’s elevated his game, averaging an NBA-best 33.8 points and 2.6 steals while raising both his FG% (54.2) and 3P% (37.3)

In Thursday’s win, SGA shot 15-of-22 (68.2%) from the floor, 4-of-5 from 3 (80%), and 11-for-11 (100%) from the line, becoming just the fourth player in NBA history to score 45+ points on a 65/80/100 shooting split or better.

One game prior, he dropped 41 points with three steals and three blocks — a feat no other player has accomplished this season — proving his impact extends well beyond scoring.

Since 2018-19, his first NBA season, SGA leads all players in 30+ point, 3+ steal games with 39In that same span, he ranks first among guards in games of 3+ blocks and 3+ steals with sevenThis season, SGA leads the Thunder in total steals (57) and blocks (32), and 72% of their forced turnovers come when he’s on the floorHis all-around excellence drives OKC’s success on both ends — at an unprecedented level — as it’s on pace to become the first team to record more steals than turnovers since turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78“There’s two sides

of the ball on every possession,” said SGA after Monday’s win. “I try to affect the game anywhere I can on every possession and help my team win.”

Tonight, the Thunder will not only look to match their longest single-season win streak since 2013-14 but also equal their best 30-game start since moving to Oklahoma City with 25 wins — a mark set by the ’13-14 squad.

That team was led by Kevin Durant, who went on to win that season’s Kia NBA MVP. Eleven years later, OKC has another MVP-caliber player leading a historic start.

5. SATURDAY SHOWDOWNS ON NBA TV & LEAGUE PASS

Two more games tip off today on NBA TV, while the two Kia MVP Ladder leaders, Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo, are in action on League Pass.

Heat at Hawks (3 ET, NBA TV): On Thursday, the Hawks dropped 50 points in the 4th quarter to erase a 21-point deficit and stun the Bulls. That same night, Tyler Herro splashed a game-winning jumper with 0.5 seconds left to lift the Heat over the Magic.

No Quit: Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with a career-high 30 points and 15 rebounds, as Atlanta outscored Chicago 50-25 in the final frame — marking its greatest point differential in a 4th quarter since 2021For Johnson, the comeback represented something even greater: “My four years being here, this is probably the most resilient team I’ve been on,” he said postgameHeat Heart: Meanwhile, Miami overcame a 17-point deficit in Orlando to top its in-state rivals in the lowest-scoring game this season“I don’t know if it was our best win this year, but it was definitely our toughest,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra“We showed the most grit

, the most collective grit, the most mental toughness tonight to find a way to win.”

Now, both coming off hard-earned dubs, the two sides — separated by just a half-game for the sixth seed in the East — will clash.

Suns at Warriors (8:30 ET, NBA TV): To cap tonight’s NBA TV tripleheader, the Warriors will look to halt their three-game slide when they host Kevin Durant and the Suns.

KD’s Impact: Averaging a team-high 27.5 ppg while shooting 42.0% from 3, the Suns are 14-6 this season with Durant in the lineupSteph Spark? On the other side, Steph Curry hopes to return after missing Friday’s loss to the Clippers and is confident the Warriors can turn things around after dropping 12 of their last 15 games:“I still have hope

and faith and confidence that we can figure it out,” said Curry earlier this week. “That’s how I’m built.”

On League Pass, Jokić — ranked first on the Kia MVP Ladder for a seventh straight week — will lead the Nuggets against Cade Cunningham and the Pistons (9 ET), with Denver looking to rebound from back-to-back losses.

Meanwhile, Giannis — ranked second on the Kia MVP Ladder for a fourth straight week — is expected to return from a three-game absence as the Bucks visit the Bulls (8 ET).

Remaining League Pass Schedule

Knicks at Wizards (7 ET)76ers at Jazz (9:30 ET)Mavericks at Blazers (10 ET)Kings at Lakers

(10:30 ET)