Happy Wednesday!

The Grizzlies are rolling. Collin Sexton threw down a Dunk Contest slam in the middle of a game. And we’re exactly one year since Luka Doncic put up a triple-double like no other.

Let’s get you caught up. 🏀💨

THE LINEUP 🏀

1. 👀  Must-see from Tuesday
2. 🔥  Grizz rally for win, 4-0 with Ja
3. 🌪️. Roundup: Thunder top Wolves
4. ✨  Luka’s Year of Firsts
5. 🎥  Luka’s Career in GIFs

Today …

📲 Cavs at Mavs: One year ago today, Luka Doncic posted the first-ever 60-20-10 game in NBA history (more on that in Section 4️⃣). What will he do to celebrate the anniversary when the Mavs host the Cavs (8:30 ET, NBA App)?

☑️ All-Star Voting: The second week of fan voting is underway. Make sure your voice is heard when the first voting update is announced on Jan. 4. Remember, every vote you cast with your NBA ID gets you another chance to win a trip to All-Star (US & Canada only)

1. WEDNESDAY MORNING MUST-SEE

If the GIF above wasn’t a big enough hint, we’re starting today’s must-see with the best dunks from Tuesday’s nine-game night.

• Back and forth: After Collin Sexton threw himself the lob and hit the 360 slam, Keldon Johnson responded with a hammer slam of his own
• No. 1 vs. No. 2: The top two picks in the 2019 Draft crossed paths on the court and in the dunk highlights as well. Zion blew past Marcus Smart for the tomahawk jam, while Ja showed off his hangtime with the double-clutch slam
  
• Chet vs. Rudy: Holmgren beat Gobert on the give-and-go for the dunk in the first quarter. But Gobert returned the favor in the second with a poster dunk off a nice dish from KAT
• One more poster: Cody Martin attacked the rim and anyone who would stand in his way

Tuesday wasn’t just about dunks. Here are a few slick finishes showing off a bit of finesse.

• Defense ▶️ Offense: Russell Westbrook got the steal on defense, turned it into a one-man fast break, hit the eurostep and the layup, then unleashed the celebration
• Scoot Scooting: Check out the baseline drive and acrobatic reverse finish from the Blazers rook
• Just Throw It Up: If the ball is lobbed anywhere near the basket, odds are that Victor Wembanyama can get to it. Exhibit A: this mid-air adjustment for the finish

2. GRIZZ RALLY LATE, TAKE 4TH STRAIGHT

🐻 Grizzlies 116, Pelicans 115 (OT)

The Grizzlies went 6-19 without Ja Morant to start the season.

They are now 4-0 with the Western Conference Player of the Week on the court after pulling off a come-from-behind win over New Orleans on Tuesday.

Memphis trailed by 14 early in the fourth quarter and chipped away at the lead until the final second of the game.

• Down one with 0.4 seconds left, the Grizzlies attempted an inbounds pass lob to the basket for Jaren Jackson Jr., who was fouled and earned free throws
• He made the first to tie the game, but missed the second to send it to overtime
• Morant scored five of his game-high 31 in OT as the Grizzlies won their fourth straight
• Memphis got 27 points and five 3s from Desmond Bane, a double-double (19/10) from JJJ and saw Marcus Smart doing Marcus Smart things in his return from a foot injury that kept him out five weeks

At 10-19, the Grizzlies still have ground to make up in the Western Conference.

• They’ll be tested this week with the defending champion Nuggets and red-hot Clippers on back-to-back nights on the road
• The Grizzlies have been much better on the road (8-8) than they have at home (2-11) this season
• Three of those road wins have included Morant, who is averaging 28.8 points on 50.6% shooting, with 8.5 assists and 5.3 rebounds in his first four games back

3. ROUNDUP: THUNDER TOP WOLVES IN WEST TOP 3 CLASH

⛈️ Thunder 129, Wolves 106: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (34 pts, 6 reb, 9 ast) led four Thunder players with 20+ points – Jalen Williams 21, Lu Dort and Chet Holmgren 20 each – as OKC (third in the West) cruised past the West-leading Wolves. Recap

⛵ Clippers 113, Hornets 104: After losing two straight following their nine-game win streak, the Clippers got back on track behind a combined 54 points from James Harden (29 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast, 6 3s) and Paul George (25 pts, 5 3s). Trailing by six early in the fourth, LA used a 16-0 run to pull away, highlighted by this slam from Zubac. Recap

🐂 Bulls 118, Hawks 113: DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, including a clutch finger roll to put the Bulls up four with 25.6 seconds left, as the Bulls outlasted the Hawks. Andre Drummond (24 pts, 25 reb) posted his 45th career 20/20 game – the most among active players. Meanwhile, Trae Young’s streak of 30+ point, 10+ assist games ended at seven. Recap

🌹 Blazers 130, Kings 113: Anfernee Simons (29 pts, 5 3s), Scoot Henderson (17 pts, career-high 11 ast) and a massive bench effort (65-17 advantage) led by Duop Reath (career-highs 25 pts, 9 reb) helped the Blazers get their second win in December. De’Aaron Fox (43 pts) and Domantas Sabonis (34 pts, 12 reb) weren’t enough for the Kings. Recap

🏎️ Pacers 123, Rockets 117: Fred VanVleet’s runner with 1:50 left gave the Rockets their first 4th quarter lead, but they never scored again as Tyrese Haliburton (33 pts, 10 ast, 7 3s) and the Pacers closed the game on an 8-0 run to overcome a big game from Alperen Sengun (30 pts, 16 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl). Recap

🌃 Nets 118, Pistons 112: Cam Johnson (24) and Mikal Bridges (21) combined for 45 points to overcome Cade Cunningham’s 41 points (with a franchise-record 37 coming in the second half) and hand the Pistons their 27th consecutive loss, most in a season in NBA history.  Recap

🎷 Jazz 130, Spurs 118: Lauri Markkanen (31 pts, 12 reb) led all scorers while Jordan Clarkson (24 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast) and Collin Sexton (20 pts) added 44 to lead the Jazz past the Spurs. Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 26 pts, while Wemby added 15 pts, 7 reb and 5 blk. Recap

🔮 Magic 127, Wizards 119: Franz Wagner (28 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast), Paolo Banchero (24 pts, 8 ast) and Anthony Black (23 pts, 4 stl) each scored 20+ points to lead the Magic to their second-straight win as they bounced back from a four-game skid. Recap

4. LUKA’S YEAR OF FIRSTS

Luka Doncic, at just 24 years old, has made a habit of making NBA history.

Two days after Luka’s Christmas Day performance for the ages, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of arguably the greatest game of his young career.

• Knicks at Mavericks, Dec. 27, 2022
• 60 points. 21 rebounds. 10 assists
• First 60-20-10 game in NBA history
• Forced overtime after trailing by 9 with 33 seconds left
• Pulled off the intentionally missed free throw, offensive rebound, putback for the tie

Here’s the play:

Here’s the reaction from Luka. Amazement. Shock. Joy. Hands. All of it!

Here’s the reaction from fellow players around the NBA.

Luka added seven more points in OT to give him 60 and give Dallas an improbable win.

• The Mavs became the first team in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98) to win a game when trailing by nine points or more with 33 seconds or fewer remaining

In the year since Luka’s 60-21-10 masterpiece, he’s just kept going, becoming the first or youngest to achieve milestone after milestone

• 1st player with 50+ points, 5+ rebounds, 15+ assists, 3+ steals, 3+ blocks and 5+ 3PM in a game (Dec. 25, 2023)
• Youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 3PT FGs at 24y, 286d (Dec. 11, 2023)
• Highest scoring triple-double in a half with 29 pts, 10 reb, 10 ast (Dec. 6 2023)
• 1st player with multiple games with 35+ pts, 15+ reb, 15+ ast and 5+ 3s games in NBA History (Dec. 2 2023)
• 1st Maverick to open a season with a 30+ point triple-double (Oct. 26, 2023)
• 1st in 30+ point games in a season for Dallas (41st on March 22, 2023)

Luka’s resume reads like a player getting set to enter the Hall of Fame. Not a player still two months from his 25th birthday.

After his Christmas Day performance, Mavs coach Jason Kidd said “We can’t take him for granted.” That applies to all of us that love the game. Appreciate the greatness that we’re watching every single night.

5. LUKA MAGIC, IN GIF FORM

That iconic play and reaction from a year ago got us reminiscing about other amazing Luka moments throughout his career.

Luka and Trae watch Luka’s half-court shot fly toward the hoop and bank in, sparking this reaction during the 2020 Rising Stars Game

Luka’s poster dunk over Jrue Holiday in transition led to this epic reaction

Sometimes the magic is so strong it even shocks Luka himself. Luka hit the Blazers with the pump-fake 3, pass-fake drive, before elevating for the one-handed monster dunk (Dec. 16, 2022)

How did Luka make this desperation, falling out of bounds, bank shot 3, as the shot clock was expiring? It was all in the flick of the wrist (Oct. 27, 2023)

Luka’s first playoff game-winner (including a rare Mike Breen double ‘Bang!’) in Game 4 of the Mavs’ first round matchup with the Clippers…

…Sparked this reaction from Luka before his teammates mobbed him to celebrate (Aug 23, 2020)