What do you get when you spread 24 teams across 12 games in 6 hours?
One electrifying night of hoops – and some not-so-lucky rims.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Still Shining: All 5 members of the NBA Cup All-Tourney team were winners on Thursday
West Winners: Joker & Murray lead Nuggets past Magic, Flagg shines as Mavs drop Pistons
Epic Endings: Pelicans & Blazers win OT thrillers, Suns edge Warriors in final second
Roundup: LaMelo’s Hornets best Trae’s Hawks in return games, Raptors & Heat win
Tonight On Prime: Philly visits the streaking Knicks, plus a 2025 West Finals rematch
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Friday brings five matchups, highlighted by a Prime doubleheader as the Knicks host the Sixers (7 ET), before OKC visit the Wolves (9:30 ET).
All Cup Team: The Emirates NBA Cup All-Tournament Team honored Cup champs Jalen Brunson (MVP) and Karl-Anthony Towns, along with San Antonio’s De’Aaron Fox, OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & the Lakers’ Luka Dončić.
An Unreal XMas: All 5 take the floor NBA Christmas Day on ABC & ESPN, with the Knicks hosting the Cavs (Noon ET), before the Thunder and Spurs rivalry Cup rematch at 2:30 ET & Lakers-Rockets at 8 ET.
Cavaliers at Knicks (Noon ET)
Spurs at Thunder (2:30 ET)
Mavericks at Warriors (5 ET)
Rockets at Lakers (8 ET)
Wolves at Nuggets (10:30 ET)
Need an appetizer? OKC & SA meet Dec. 23 on League Pass (8:30 ET).
1. STILL SHINING: NBA CUP ALL-TOURNEY STARS SHOW OUT
Jalen Brunson said it Tuesday night after the Knicks rallied to win the Emirates NBA Cup Championship.
Two nights later, New York proved it again – shorthanded, down late and riding Brunson’s hot hand.
Knicks 114, Pacers 113: Down 16 in the 3rd, New York stormed back, closing on a 44-27 run, capped by Brunson’s game-winning stepback 3 with 4.4 seconds left to lift the Knicks over Andrew Nembhard (31 pts) and the Pacers, extending their win streak to six games. | Recap
“Bang! Bang!” Including the postseason, it’s Brunson’s third career game-winner in the final 10 seconds, unlocking Mike Breen’s iconic “double bang”
Captain Clutch: All three of those winners have come since the 2023-24 season – tied for the most in the NBA in that span
NY Rolling: Brunson finished with 25 points, 7 boards and 7 dimes, guiding New York to its 10th dub in its last 11 games, despite being without Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart
Brunson, Buckets, Balance: In that stretch, Brunson is averaging 29 ppg and shooting 39.7% from 3, while the Knicks rank 3rd in OffRtg and 5th in DefRtg
Kolek’s Career Night: Tyler Kolek flashed again, posting career-highs in points (16), assists (11) and rebounds (6) after coming up big in the Cup Championship win
Just hours before the Lakers took the court in Utah on Thursday, ESPN aired an interview with Luka Dončić, in which the league’s scoring leader was asked if he’s playing the best basketball of his career.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I feel like I can play better. I feel I can do way more stuff.”
He then went out and did all the stuff – 45 pts, 11 reb, 14 ast, 5 stl, 4 3pm – to lead the Lakers past the Jazz for the third time this season.
Lakers 143, Jazz 135: Luka’s masterpiece, a near triple-double from LeBron James (28 pts, 7 reb, 10 ast) and a dominant 4th quarter from L.A. (41-29) – capped by this deep Luka 3 to ice the game – helped the Lakers rally to their 19th win of the season. Recap
Party Of Two: Luka joins Cade Cunningham as the only players to record 45+ pts, 10+ reb, 10+ ast and 5+ stl in a game since steals have been recorded (1973-74). He is also the first Laker with 40+ pts, 10+ ast and 5+ stl in a game
Plenty Of Points: In addition to Luka’s 45 and LeBron’s 28, four more Lakers finished in double figures as L.A. scored 140+ for the second time this season – both against Utah, which was led by Keyonte George (34 pts, 8 ast)
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Wemby.
Spurs 119, Wizards 94: The Victor Wembanyama show continued in his first action on his home court since Nov. 14, running the floor for a ridiculous swat-and-slam sequence, spinning past defenders like a 1, finishing like a 5 and powering the Spurs to another dub. Recap
On The Attack: Wemby finished with 15 points, 8 boards, 4 assists and 4 blocks in 17 minutes, while Dylan Harper (career-high 24 pts) and Stephon Castle (17 pts, 7 ast) stayed hot — while Fox added a game-high 3 steals
Spurs Surge: It’s San Antonio’s fourth straight win and its 11th in the past 14 games, as the NBA Cup Championship did not count toward the regular-season standings
Back from Vegas. Back in the win column.
Thunder 122, Clippers 101: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast) scored 19 3rd-quarter points for his record-setting 10th 30+ point game in under 30 minutes.
He combined with Chet Holmgren (22 pts, 7 reb) and Jalen Williams (20 pts) for 74 points to top Kawhi Leonard (22 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast) and LA, as OKC bounced back from its second loss this season to remain perfect (13-0) at home. | Recap
30-Under-30: Bypassing the 4th frame for the 14th time this season, Shai’s 10th game of 30+ points in under 30 minutes passes Giannis for most in a single season in NBA history – in just his 26th game
30s Collection: Gilgeous-Alexander topped 30 points for a league-best 20th time this season
20s Streak: In pursuit of Wilt’s record (126 games), SGA netted his 98th straight game of 20+ points
“You gotta win every day, and I feel like we did that over the last couple days,” Holmgren said of OKC’s four rest days since Saturday. “Got to practice, got better. We gotta continue doing that.”
Moving On: The Thunder are 31-10 in games following a loss since 2023-24, with the NBA’s best win percentage (.784) in that span.
2. WEST WINS: MURRAY & JOKIĆ DOMINATE, FLAGG SHINES AGAIN
Nuggets 126, Magic 115: Jamal Murray’s game-high 32 points and a blistering 2nd quarter run propelled the Nuggets as Nikola Jokić (23 pts, 11 reb, 13 ast) triple-double-dueled with Paolo Banchero (26 pts, 16 reb, 10 ast) in Denver’s sixth straight win. | Recap
Flip The Game: Murray hit five of his seven 3s in a 20-point explosion over the last 6 minutes of the 2nd quarter as Denver used a 35-7 run to erase a 14-point deficit and never look back
Quantity King: Jokić’s 177th career triple-double was his 13th this season, more than twice as many as the next closest player (Jalen Johnson, Josh Giddey: 6)
Making Magic: Paolo’s 3rd career triple-double put him in the record book with Nikola Vučević as the only Magic players to ever total 25/15/10 in a game
Mavs 116, Pistons 114 (OT): Coming off an overtime loss in Utah on Monday, Cooper Flagg (23 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk), Anthony Davis (15 pts, 14 reb, 3 blk) and the Mavs delivered in the clutch on Thursday to knock off the East-leading Pistons. | Recap
Rookie & The Vet: Flagg was Dallas’ go-to-guy on offense down the stretch, hitting multiple clutch buckets, while Davis came up with a huge block to help seal the win
Unflappable Flagg: “I’m not gonna lie, you gotta be confident in these moments and you learn a lot about your team and what you’re made of,” said the rook about Dallas, which has 9 clutch dubs in its 11 total wins
Legendary Company: Flagg (18y, 362d) is the third youngest player in NBA history to reach 500 career points, trailing only Kobe Bryant (18y, 229d) and LeBron James (18y, 355d)
3. EPIC ENDINGS: PELS, BLAZERS & SUNS WIN THRILLERS
The biggest comeback of the season? That belongs to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Pelicans 133, Rockets 128 (OT): Houston’s star trio of Kevin Durant (32 pts, 7 reb), Alperen Sengun (28 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast) and Amen Thompson (23 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast) came out cooking, building a 25-point lead in the 3rd.
But the Pels roared back, using a 36-20 4th quarter to force OT, where Saddiq Bey (29 pts, 9 reb) capped a monster night with the game-sealing free throws to stun Houston. | Recap
Whole Flock: Bey scored 17 points in the 4th quarter and OT, while Trey Murphy III finished with 27 and Herb Jones was a problem on both ends (18 pts, career-high 8 stl)
I’ll Take That: Jones is just the fourth player since 2021 to swipe 8+ steals in a game and the third player in franchise history to do so, joining Chris Paul (4x) and Bonzi Wells
Bigs Collide: Derik Queen added a double-double (16 pts, 12 reb), going back-and-forth with Sengun down low
No Quit In NOLA: The Pels entered last Thursday at 3-22. Now, they’ve won three straight, capped by matching their largest comeback in franchise history.
“Resilient. Tough. Physical,” said interim coach James Borrego of his squad postgame. “Everything we talked about over the last couple of weeks. This is a team that reflects the city of New Orleans.”
Blazers 134, Kings 133 (OT): After a DeMar DeRozan turnaround put the Kings up one with 4.4 seconds left in OT, Deni Avdija drove the length of the floor and drew a shooting foul with 1.5 to play. He needed both for the win. He sank both for the win – capping off a wild finish. | Recap
Back & 4th: The Blazers opened the 4th quarter on a 25-6 run to turn a one-point deficit into an 18-point lead with five minutes left. Then, the Kings rallied, with DeRozan capping off a 26-8 run with the game-tying 3 to force overtime
OT Encore: The extra frame saw Portland go up early, a ridiculous poster dunk by Jerami Grant, and a one-man rally from DeRozan, who scored 14 of his 33 in OT, including the go-ahead bucket before Advija (35 pts, 5 ast) closed it at the line
Suns 99, Warriors 98: Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks combined for 49 to lead the way, but with 0.3 seconds left, the game was in the hands of Jordan Goodwin, who went to the line for a pair of free throws and the game tied at 98.
After missing the first, he calmly sank the second to help the Suns avoid a three-game skid. | Recap
4. ROUNDUP: CHARLOTTE SHOWTIME, RAPTORS & NETS DUB
Electric uniforms. Even better hoops.
Hornets 133, Hawks 126: In his first game since Dec. 5, LaMelo Ball (28 pts, 13 ast, 8 3s) put on a show alongside Kon Knueppel (28 pts, 7 ast, 6 3s) and Brandon Miller (26 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast), outdueling Jalen Johnson (43 pts, 11 reb, 9 ast) in a showdown brimming with must-see buckets. | Recap
Honey Drops: Ball dropped a half-court seed to Miller for a must-see oop. Next trip down? Another lob to Miles Bridges for a one-handed hammer
3-Ball Barrage: Charlotte splashed 18 treys in the first two quarters – tying the record for most 3s in a half in the play-by-play era – with seven coming from LaMelo
To Ice It? A dagger triple from – guess who – LaMelo, tallying Charlotte’s 24th 3 of the game for its second straight dub
Soaring Hawk: Johnson finished one board shy of his fifth straight triple-double, but his 43 were a career high
Trae Returns: Trae Young played 20 minutes, adding 8 points and 10 dimes in his first game back since Oct. 29
Raptors 111, Bucks 105: Toronto opened on a 15-4 run and never trailed by more than a bucket as Brandon Ingram (29 pts, 8 reb) led all scorers and combined with Scottie Barnes (24 pts, 11 reb) for 53 points. Bobby Portis (24 pts, 12 reb) led a trio of 20+ point Bucks. | Recap
Heat 106, Nets 95: Kel’el Ware (22 pts, 12 reb, 4 blk) matched a season-high in points and Norman Powell (24 pts, 3 stl) led Miami scorers as the Heat snapped a five-game skid, topping Michael Porter Jr. (28 pts, 5 3s), Nic Claxton (16 pts, 12 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk) and the Nets. | Recap
5. TONIGHT ON PRIME: SIXERS AT KNICKS, THUNDER AT WOLVES
There’s no place like home.
For New York, that’s been particularly true this season as something special seems to happen when it plays at Madison Square Garden.
The stakes feel heightened on nights like this.
“MSG is a place where guys want to come in and go off,” said Miles McBride last month. “So we have to be even more locked-in at home than other places.”
Tonight (7 ET, Prime), the Knicks are back in action against the 76ers, looking to extend an already-dominant stretch on their own hardwood, while seeking their seventh straight win.
MSG Masters: New York is 13-1 at home – 2nd-best in the league behind OKC (13-0) – and in that arena, carries a 124.2 OffRtg
The Standard: In 1992-93, the franchise record for most single-season home victories was set at 37-4 en route to the East Finals
“We want to give the fans the best product, the best version of ourselves every single night,” said Karl-Anthony Towns. “But it’s really the fans that bring out the best in us.”
But their fortitude at home has yet to be tested by Philadelphia.
To The Max: With a sizzling 31.5 points per game, Tyrese Maxey is 3rd in the league in scoring and brings his prowess to MSG for the first time in 2025-26
Big Stage: Joel Embiid, meanwhile, will make his 11th appearance at the venue, where he’s averaged a double-double (27.7 ppg and 11.2 rpg) and is 8-2 in those games
There’s a West Finals rematch brewing on the other side of the country.
Also tonight (9:30 ET, Prime), the Thunder hit the road to take on the Timberwolves for the second time this season. They formerly met in the 2025 West Finals.
The Duel: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.4 ppg) and Anthony Edwards (28.7 ppg) combined for 71 points in their latest meeting on Nov. 26, which OKC also won, 113-105
Howling: Minnesota has won seven of its last nine games, improving to 6th in the West, even as Edwards (foot) has missed the last three games
Different Animal: But can they knock off OKC – who, with a win last night, became just the fifth team in NBA history to start 25-2 or better, joining the ‘15-16 Warriors, ‘08-09 Celtics, 1969-70 Knicks and ‘66-67 Sixers?
On League Pass, the Celtics renew their rivalry with the Heat (7 ET), Jalen Johnson can follow his career-best 43-point outing when the Hawks face the Spurs (7:30 ET), and the Cavs host the Bulls (7:30 ET).