Cooper Flagg printed a poster and made NBA history on Saturday night in L.A.
He became the youngest player in NBA history to score 35+ points in a game as he lifted the Mavs to a clutch win.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Nov. 30, 2025
Clutch Time: Flagg makes history, Klay, Ant, Kon & Siakam come up big Saturday
Streak Snappers: Hornets halt Raptors’ 9-game win streak, Pistons cool down Heat
Roundup: Jokić’s near-perfect night, Giannis reaches 21K points, Jimmy leads Dubs
OKC Dozen? Thunder seek 12th straight win when they visit Blazers on League Pass
L.A. Seven? Lakers go for 7th straight win when they host Pelicans on League Pass
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Nine hours of Sunday hoops on League Pass…
Today’s eight-game League Pass slate is headlined by the two hottest teams in the West. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder visit the Blazers (6 ET, Tap To Watch) looking for their 12th straight win against the only team to beat them this season.
Then, the Lakers go for their 7th straight win – and Luka Dončić’s 6th straight 30-piece – when they host the Pelicans (9:30 ET, Tap To Watch).
1. CURRENT & RISING STARS COME UP CLUTCH ON SATURDAY
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No team had played in more clutch games this season than Dallas’ 15 entering Saturday night.
While the team’s 4-11 record in those games wasn’t ideal for the Mavs, coach Jason Kidd saw a silver lining for No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.
“To go through this tough time of losing close games is only going to make us better as we go forward,” said Kidd. “Especially for Cooper, because he’s getting to see a lot of different close games and how to handle different situations.”
On Saturday, Dallas made it 16 clutch games, with its clash against the Clippers coming down to the wire. But this time Cooper and the Mavs had the answers, helping Dallas snap a three-game skid.
Mavs 114, Clippers 110: On his way to a career-high 35 points, Flagg scored Dallas’ first eight points and helped ice the game with seven points in the final three minutes as the Mavs overcame a combined 59 points from Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. | Recap
Rookie & The Vet: In addition to Flagg’s 35, Klay Thompson came up big off the Mavs bench, scoring 17 of his 23 points (and hitting four of his six 3s) in the 4th quarter – with his final triple putting the Mavs up for good with 1:52 to play
History Maker: Flagg became the youngest player (18 years, 343 days old) to score 35+ points in an NBA game, joining LeBron James as the only players to score 30+ points before turning 19 years old.
Cooper 🤝 LeBron: Not only are Flagg (2025) and James (2003) separated by 22 years as the top pick of their respective draft classes, they each posted their first 30+ point NBA game exactly 22 years apart.
LeBron (Nov. 29, 2003): 33 pts, 16 reb, 14-28 FG in 122-115 OT loss to Grizzlies
Flagg (Nov. 29, 2025): 35 pts, 8 reb, 13-22 FG in 114-110 win over Clippers
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With a visiting All-Star going off in his arena, Anthony Edwards dialed up his clutch factor.
Timberwolves 119, Celtics 115: Edwards’ (39 pts, 5 ast, 5 3s) 14 4th-quarter points helped Minnesota survive a late 12-0 Celtics run and outshined Jaylen Brown’s historic outing (41 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast, 5 stl), as the Wolves snapped a three-game skid. | Recap | Edwards-Brown Duel
Most Minny 30s: Ant reached 30 points for the 101st time (reg. season), tying Karl-Anthony Towns for most in Wolves’ history
Major Celtics’ 40s: Brown hit the 40-point mark for the 13th time (reg. season), passing John Havlicek for 4th-most in Celtics’ history
More Than Scoring: Jaylen joined Larry Bird as the only Celtics to record 40+ points and 5+ rebounds, assists and steals in a game. He’s the only player (since 1997-98) to get to 27/5/5/3 in the 1st half
More Milestones: Neemias Queta tied a career-high with 19 points and set one with 18 rebounds, while Derrick White (16 pts, 5 ast) set a Celtics record by sinking a 3 in his 58th straight game
Quick Turnaround: Boston visits Cleveland today (6 ET), while Minnesota welcomes San Antonio (7 ET) – both on League Pass
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As the final seconds ticked down, Pascal Siakam found himself in a familiar clutch situation.
Pacers 103, Bulls 101: Siakam (24 pts, 9 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk) sank the game-winning elbow jumper with 0.1 remaining to foil Chicago’s comeback in a back-and-forth final period and lift the Pacers to their first consecutive wins this season. | Recap
“I thought about [Brandon Ingram’s] game-winner in Toronto,” Siakam said postgame of Wednesday’s heartbreaking loss. “I was like: ‘Man, I need one.’”
Before Siakam played the closer role, Jay Huff got things started for Indy, scoring the Pacers’ first 14 points of the game
2. PISTONS & HORNETS SNAP EAST’S LONGEST WIN STREAKS
Pistons 138, Heat 135: Coming off consecutive losses for the first time this season, Detroit set the tone early (71 1st-half pts) and survived a 20-point 4th quarter comeback to snap Miami’s six-game win streak. | Recap
Power Pistons: Cade Cunningham’s 29 points pushed the Pistons to their highest score of the season, as they matched the 2nd-best 20-game start in team history (16-4)
Statement Games: Tobias Harris supplied a season-high 26 points, while Duncan Robinson scored more points (18) against his former team than he averaged in seven seasons with them
Staying Hot: Miami got a season-high 31 points from Andrew Wiggins and 28 from Norman Powell. Tyler Herro’s (24 pts, 6 3pm) 11 4th-quarter points with three 3s fueled the late charge
Hornets 118, Raptors 111 (OT): Charlotte overcame Toronto’s 26-9 start, forcing OT on a clutch Kon Knueppel 3, and riding Miles Bridges’ season-high 35 points for their largest comeback and first consecutive wins of the season, while snapping the Raptors’ nine-game win streak. | Recap
Charlotte’s Charge: In a five-minute span in the 4th quarter, the Hornets used a 12-0 run to tie the game for the first time since 0-0 with a minute to play. They outscored Toronto 28-11 in the second half of the 4th and OT
Takeover Time: Knueppel’s (20 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl) fourth 3 re-tied the game at 104-all with 10 ticks left in regulation, sending it to OT where Charlotte grabbed its first lead, as Bridges singlehandedly outscored the Raptors 10-7 in the extra frame
Raptor Rarity: Scottie Barnes (30 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl) passed Vince Carter for 2nd-most 30/10/5 games (11) in team history, trailing only Pascal Siakam (16)
Back In Action: Toronto looks to end the month of November 13-2 today, rolling into MSG where only one visitor has beaten the Knicks this season
3. SATURDAY ROUNDUP: CLASSIC CONTENDERS HOLD COURT
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Nuggets 130, Suns 112: After surrendering an 18-point lead to the Spurs on Friday that cost them a spot in the NBA Cup Knockout Rounds, the Nuggets finished the job on Saturday against Phoenix, turning a three-point halftime advantage into a 21-point lead and cruising to victory. | Recap
Nearly Perfect: Nikola Jokić (26 pts, 9 reb, 10 ast) fell one rebound shy of his 11th triple-double of the season and one free throw shy of a perfect shooting night (7-7 FG, 2-2 3P, 10-11 FT)
3-Point Barrage: Powered by Tim Hardaway Jr. (23 pts, 7 3pm) and Jamal Murray (24 pts, 5 3pm), the Nuggets matched their season-high with 22 triples, while shooting their highest percentage (57.9%) from beyond the arc
Suns Rise & Set: After winning 10 of 12 games to bounce back from a 1-4 start to the season, the Suns have now dropped three of their last four games – despite a combined 51 points from Dillon Brooks and Devin Booker on Saturday
Bucks 116, Nets 99: Playing in a back-to-back in his return from injury, Giannis needed only 19 minutes to pour in 29 points, reaching 21,000 for his career, as Milwaukee snapped a seven-game skid. | Recap
A Quick 21K: The only players to reach 21,000 points faster than Giannis? LeBron, Wilt, Kobe, KD and MJ
Doc Rivers on Giannis: “Every time he plays I feel like he’s breaking some kind of record. He is a generational player.”
What excited Giannis most? This Than-Nasty jam by his brother
Warriors 104, Pelicans 96: Jimmy Butler III (24 pts, 8 reb, 10 ast) finished two rebounds shy of his first triple-double of the season as he led the Warriors to their sixth straight win over the Pelicans. | Recap
Closing Time: After NOLA took a one-point lead with 4:02 to play, the trio of Gary Payton II (7 pts), Butler (2 pts, 2 ast) and Brandin Podziemski (3 pts, 1 ast) sparked a 12-0 Dubs run to regain control
Welcome Back: Kevon Looney – who was an integral member of three title runs in his decade with the Warriors – received a standing ovation from the crowd as well as former teammates and coaches as he returned to The Bay for the first time as a Pelican
4. THUNDER-BLAZERS RUBBER MATCH ON LEAGUE PASS
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With its 11th straight win on Friday to earn the top seed in the NBA Cup Knockouts, OKC improved to 19-1 through the season’s first 20 games.
The 1 in that 19-1 belongs to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Round 1: On Nov. 5, the Blazers rallied back from 22 points down to hand the defending champs their first (and still only) loss, 121-119
Round 2: On Nov. 23, the Thunder avenged that loss as they raced past the Blazers early and never looked back for a 122-95 win
Round 3: Tonight (6 ET, League Pass), they have the rubber match in Portland, this time with history on the line
On Nov. 1, 2024, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points to lead the Thunder past the Blazers in Portland for the first of his 92 consecutive games with 20+ points, which is tied with Wilt Chamberlain for the 2nd-longest streak of all time.
Tonight, back in Portland where his streak started, SGA can take sole possession of 2nd place with a 93rd straight 20+ point game.
In a Q&A with The Athletic, OKC coach Mark Daigneault praised SGA’s work ethic and leadership, and still sees Shai elevating his game.
“He can get better. He’s to the point now where he’s touching up the edges… On the offensive end, he’s moving it earlier and with more intentionality than he ever has. He’s been on that track.
“He seems to be managing the game and manipulating the defense more often and more consistently than he ever has.”
The Numbers Speak: In addition to his 33.4 ppg on career-best 54.5% FG and 42.3% 3P shooting, SGA is averaging a career-high 6.7 assists, while matching his career-low with 1.7 turnovers
While SGA is known for his scoring consistency, Portland’s Deni Avdija is in the middle of a scoring boom – elevating his points per game from 53rd in the NBA last season (16.9 ppg) to 16th this season (25.5 ppg).
Can Avdija and the Blazers prevent the Thunder from reaching 20-1 – a mark the 1990-91 Blazers had a chance to reach but couldn’t?
Or will OKC remain on the list with the 2015-16 Warriors, 1993-94 Rockets and 1969-70 Knicks as the only teams to start 20-1 or better – three teams that went on to reach the NBA Finals that same season, with two winning it all?
5. LUKA, LAKERS LOOK TO STAY HOT AS THEY HOST PELICANS
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Showtime is sizzling as the Lakers eye a 7th straight win to close out Sunday’s action.
Fueling the fire, Luka Dončić goes for a 6th straight 30-ball.
Pelicans at Lakers (9:30 ET): The West’s second-hottest team, Los Angeles, goes for a perfect 6-0 November at home, hosting a New Orleans team coming off a loss in Golden State last night.
What’s Working: During its win streak, elite efficiency (53.6 FG%, 1st) backs up L.A.’s scoring onslaught (124.8 ppg, 3rd). while its top-10 defense (110.6 DefRtg, 7th) creates the NBA’s 2nd-best overall rating (14.0 NetRtg)
Then there’s the ability to overpower opposing defenses at any time with the league’s scoring leader, in Dončić (35.1 ppg).
Luka Unleashed: Dončić has reached the 30-point threshold in all but four games this season. He’s up to 37.8 points per game in his current five-game streak of 30-pieces
6 With 6: Getting a sixth straight 30-point game would make him just the sixth Laker to do so, joining Shaq, Kobe, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and teammate LeBron
“He makes the game so easy, draws so much attention,” Austin Reaves said of Luka after both scored 30+ Friday night
Catching Fire: Friday was the second straight game Reaves joined Luka in 30-land, shooting a blistering 74.2% from the field over the pair (11-16, 12-15)
New Orleans concludes a quick two-game, two-night West Coast jump looking for scoring, after Golden State held the Pels to their lowest-scoring night since Oct. 29.
Sunday’s eight-game slate on League Pass gets started at 3 ET in Utah with Kevin Durant returning to the visiting Rockets’ rotation following a two-game absence.
Then, two premier perimeter players in Tyrese Maxey (31.7 ppg, 3rd) and Dyson Daniels (2.2 stl, 2nd) match up as Philly hosts Atlanta (6 ET).