When joining Wilt is just Wednesday.

Luka is on another level, and the Lakers are on a heater.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

History Makers: Luka & Jokić make the extraordinary routine – again

Beast Streaks: Houston & Detroit stay sizzling, OKC’s perfect campaign ends

More Stars Shine: Spida silences a rare hater, JB goes off again, Russ takes over

Roundup: Knicks top Wolves, Pels survive Coop’s big night and Nets earn first dub

Tonight on NBA TV: All eyes on the Clippers & Suns as they seek their fourth wins

BUT FIRST … ⏰

The Suns and Clippers take center stage tonight in Phoenix for a standalone showdown on NBA TV (9 ET | Tap to Watch).

Up Next: The second Emirates NBA Cup Night of the season tips off tomorrow with an 11-game slate, including a star-studded doubleheader on Prime: Rockets-Spurs (7:30 ET), Warriors-Nuggets (10 ET).

1. LUKA EXTENDS HISTORIC START, JOKIĆ RECORDS RARE ACE

Two must-watch megastars met on ESPN last night.

Luka Dončić came in leading the Lakers in scoring, sharing the spotlight with fellow international superstar Victor Wembanyama.

He finished the game in the company of Lakers legend Wilt Chamberlain.

Lakers 118, Spurs 116: Luka (35 pts, 9 reb, 13 ast, 5 stl) hit a stepback 3 with 2:31 to play, completing a 12-point Lakers comeback and putting them up for good on the way to their fifth win in a row. | Recap

200 In 5: Dončić joins Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to ever score 200+ points in the first five games of a season
Alone Atop L.A.: His 35+ pts, 10+ ast, and 5+ stl are a first for any Laker since steals were first tracked in 1973-74
Stunning Start: Despite missing four games, Luka’s had no trouble finding his rhythm to a historic tune: three 40+ pt games, a triple-double and now a record night

Winning Time: After a 22-point 1st half, Dončić added eight 4th-quarter points in the clutch to fuel the Lakers’ 21-10 closing run.

Wild Finish: A Marcus Smart inbound violation gave the Spurs a chance with 1.2 seconds left. But San Antonio couldn’t convert on key free throws or two tip-in attempts
Stable of Spurs: Wemby finished with 19 pts and 8 reb in 33 minutes, leading seven Spurs in double-figure scoring

It’s been done only 12 times in the last 35 years.

Seven of those times, it’s been achieved by the same man.

Nikola Jokić.

Nuggets 122, Heat 112: Miami’s high-powered offense had three players score 20+, but even that couldn’t top the Joker, who delivered another all-around masterclass – piling up 33 points, 15 boards, 16 dimes and 3 steals to power Denver to 5-2. | Recap

Exclusive Company: It’s just the 12th 30/15/15 game since 1990 and the seventh of Jokić’s career, trailing only Oscar Robertson for the most all-time (11) 
Unprecedented Territory: Add in his 3 steals, and you get a stat line achieved only five times in NBA history: once by Magic Johnson, and four other times by – guess who – Jokić

Golden Touch: The Joker tallied his fifth triple-double of the season with trademark efficiency, going 12-of-18 from the field – including two dunks – while dishing a slew of jaw-dropping dimes, leading to four other Nuggets finishing in double figure

The Result: Jokić is averaging a career-high 12.0(!) assists and Denver ranks 2nd in the league with 124.6 ppg – currently on pace for its second-highest scoring season in franchise history
“He has a feel for space that I’ve never seen before,” said Nuggets coach David Adelman on Jokić postgame. “His comfort level with how he sees the floor is second to none…
“Enjoy it while it’s here. As a fan or anybody that watches basketball in general, this is something that you’re never going to see again.”

2. BEAST STREAKS: OKC FALLS, HOUSTON & DETROIT STAY HOT

While multiple contenders are riding win streaks, the defending champs’ perfect start came to an end.

Blazers 121, Thunder 119: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in his bag (35 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast), helping OKC build a 22-point lead in the 1st half. But the Blazers battled back and outscored the Thunder 40-33 in the 4th to hand them their first loss (8-1). | Recap

Blazer Buckets: Deni Avdija powered Portland with a near triple-double (26 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast) while Jrue Holiday added 22 points, including the game-clinching free throws with 6.5 seconds left

The Rockets are rolling – and their young stars are shining.

Rockets 124, Grizzlies 109: Alperen Sengun (20 pts, 16 reb, 7 ast) and Amen Thompson (28 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast) put on a show of dimes, dunks and dominance, while Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason added 16 points apiece to power Houston to its fifth straight win. | Recap

Two-Man Magic: Sengun found Thompson for multiple highlight buckets, including a spinning dime and a no-look dish into a wildly bouncy finish (above)
Amen Elevation: Thompson didn’t just finish plays – he created them, punctuating a season-high in points with this soaring slam

For the first time since 2008, the Detroit Pistons are 6-2.

Pistons 114, Jazz 103: Cade Cunningham dropped 31 points and 10 dimes, Jalen Duren added another monster double-double (22 pts, 22 reb) and Detroit held Utah to 14 points in the 3rd to take control, notching its fourth straight dub. | Recap

Motown Momentum: After more than tripling its win total last season (14 to 44), Detroit continues to rise – with Cunningham engineering the charge, as the only player this season with 180+ pts and 70+ ast
Closing Time: That included 19 points in the 4th for the second straight game, pushing the Pistons to 2nd place in the East

3. STARS SHINE: SPIDA & JB GET BUCKETS, RUSS TAKES OVER

Wearing the same navy threads once tied to LeBron’s late-2000s Cavs, Cleveland’s current superstar joined him in the record books.

Cavaliers 132, 76ers 121: After a season-high 37 points on Sunday, Donovan Mitchell turned it up a notch – dropping 46 with six 3s and 8 dimes as Cleveland staved off Tyrese Maxey (27 pts, 7 reb, 9 ast) and Philly for a wire-to-wire win. | Recap

Record Night: Mitchell went 15-of-21 from the field and 6-of-11 from deep, surpassing James (12) for the most games of 40+ pts and 5+ 3s in franchise history
Takeover Time: That included 15 points in the 3rd, as Cleveland outscored Philly 37-20 to put the game away, moving both teams to 5-3
Spida’s Motivation? An opponent talking trash earlier that day. A much younger one… on 2K
Core Contributions: Jarrett Allen (24 pts, 10 reb, 3 stl, 3 blk) and Evan Mobley (23 pts, 2 blk) patrolled the paint, while Darius Garland added 8 pts and 4 ast in his season debut

Jaylen Brown is red-hot – and the C’s are hitting their stride.

Celtics 136, Wizards 107: Brown poured in 16 of his game-high 35 points in the 1st quarter, notching his fourth 30-piece in his last five outings as the Celtics beat Alex Sarr (31 pts, 8 reb) and the Wiz to improve to 4-2 in their last six. | Recap

Rapid Fire: Two days after a 36-point night, Brown needed just 25 minutes to post 35/5/5 – becoming the first ever Celtic to hit that mark in under 30 minutes of play

While Nikola Jokić posted a historic 30/15/15, the triple-double king added to his own legend.

Kings 121, Warriors 116: Getting his fourth start of the season, Russell Westbrook made his presence felt – and then some – notching his all-time-best 204th career triple-double (23 pts, 16 reb, 10 ast) to lead the Kings past the Warriors in the NorCal Rivalry. | Recap

Rebound Record: With 16 boards, Russ passed Jason Kidd (8,725) for the most rebounds by any guard in NBA history
Russ: “Humbly speaking, I’m the best rebounding guard ever.”
Brodie Energy: He capped the night with a key forced turnover in the final minute to seal Sacramento’s second win in three games
Rook Shines: No. 56 pick Will Richard (career-high 30 pts, 5 3s) led the Warriors, who were without Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green

4. ROUNDUP: KNICKS & PELS ADD ANOTHER DUB, NETS GET FIRST WIN

Knicks 137, Timberwolves 114: Julius Randle (32) and Donte DiVincenzo (21) combined for 53 points against their former team, while Anthony Edwards added 15 and 5 assists in his return from a hamstring injury.

But New York secured its third straight win thanks to six double-digit scorers, including double-doubles from Jalen Brunson (23 pts, 10 ast) and Karl-Anthony Towns (15 pts, 10 reb). | Recap

2nd-Half Barrage: New York shot 60.7% in a 40-point 3rd quarter, and went even further in the 4th, putting Minnesota away 43-28
OG Eats: OG Anunoby added a team-high 25 points for the Knicks, who improved to 5-0 at home for the first time since 2012-13

Pelicans 101, Mavericks 99: Cooper Flagg shined with 20 pts, 9 reb, 3 stl, 2 blk and 1 must-see alley-oop poster, but his potential game-tying shot in the final seconds rimmed out, as NOLA secured its second clutch win in two days after an 0-6 start. | Recap

Nets 112, Pacers 103: Brooklyn secured its first win of the season, with Michael Porter Jr. matching a season-high 32 pts in relief of leading scorer Cam Thomas, who left in the 1st quarter with hamstring tightness. | Recap

5. TONIGHT ON NBA TV: CLIPPERS & SUNS IN SPOTLIGHT

Tonight presents a schedule rarity: The single-game NBA night.

We’ll only see nights like these on Emirates NBA Cup Championship night (Tuesday, Dec. 16), and then deep into the Playoffs.

And in tonight’s solo affair, we’ll get a look at two West rivals who’ve split their last 10 showdowns, 5-5 — with the Suns playing host in Phoenix, where they’re 3-1 this year.

Clippers at Suns (9 ET, NBA TV): LA will call on its team defense to try to tame desert-hot Devin Booker, one of seven players averaging 30+ ppg, as both teams seek their fourth win.

In The 30s: 29-year-old Booker (31.0 ppg) has been on a points spree this season, scoring under 30 only twice. He’s getting there with 51.6 FG% and 43.1% shooting from deep
Rising Sun: Booker’s been even better in Phoenix’s recent 2-1 stretch, averaging 34 ppg and 8.7 apg, including a season-high 38 against Golden State on Tuesday
One Key? Book is getting to his spots, hitting the second-most pull-ups (91 pts) behind only SGA. His 10.3 FGM per game ranks 5th overall
The Wait Is Over: Booker & co get their first chance to play with Jalen Green, as the valuable return asset from the KD deal is ready to debut (hamstring)

Booker will likely see plenty of his former teammate, Derrick Jones Jr., as LA’s best option to slow the surging scorer.

Show Stopper: Jones Jr.’s defense stands out with the league’s 6th-best DFG% (35.0%, among players with at least 60 DFGA). Booker shoots 16.6% above that mark
Steal Their Fuel: The Clippers rank 3rd in the league in steals per game with 10.3, resulting in 18.7 pts off TOs
Clips Committee: With Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and James Harden (personal) out, LA looks to bigs Ivica Zubac (13.1 pts, 9.7 reb) and John Collins (12.6 pts, 56.7 FG%, 37.5 3P%), for some offensive punch
Head-to-Head: The Clips took their first matchup versus the Suns on Oct. 24. Both teams aim to return to the win column tonight

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