Happy Monday! 🌞
Remember how last season ended with most of the West crammed together in the standings, fighting for position over the last month of the year?
[whispers]
It might be happening again…
THE LINEUP 🏀
- 🤯 The West gets wilder
- 🔥 Beal drops 43 in return
- 🔭 Uncharted territory for ‘The Land’
- ⏪ Weekend rewind
- 📸 Stories & photos of the week
East No. 3 vs. West No. 5 highlights a six-game night, all in the NBA App, as the Cavaliers and Kings meet in ‘The Land’ at 7 ET. Much more on the Cavs, who just set a new franchise record for the best start to a calendar year, in Section 3
1. THE WEST GETS WILDER
Buckle up: Heading into Sunday, one game – one game! – separated the top four teams in the West. They all won, resulting in some standings gymnastics — and the closest West race in 16 years.
Where do things stand now? The Thunder and Timberwolves are tied for first, at 35-15. At 33-15, the third-place Clippers are tied in the loss column, but a game back in the standings with two games in hand. The Nuggets, at 33-16 (three more games than LA), are a half game back … but technically in fourth place because the Clips have a better win percentage.
It’s been 16 years … since one game separated the top four teams in the West this late in the season. That year, 2008, saw the New Orleans Hornets, Lakers, Rockets and Spurs a game apart on April 12.
How’d Sunday go?
Down 23, OKC wins in double-overtime: With 6:44 left in the third and the Raptors building a lead over the Thunder since the 1st Q, a Scottie Barnes trey put Toronto up 76-53. Over the next 18+ minutes, culminating with Aaron Wiggins’ game-tying layup to force OT with five seconds left, OKC would rattle off a 57-34 run – eventually winning 135-127 in double-OT. | Recap
- The OT edge: OKC got 19 combined OT pts from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (seven), Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort (six each)
- The tiebreaker: With a 2-2 record against each other this year, OKC’s better record in the Northwest Division breaks the two-way tie with the Wolves atop the standings
Chris Finch named West All-Stars coach: For the first time since 2004, a Timberwolves coach will lead the Western Conference All-Stars after Minnesota’s 111-90 win over the Rockets on Sunday led by Anthony Edwards (32 points, 22 in third quarter). Though the Wolves & Thunder are tied in the standings, Finch’s staff takes the All-Star tiebreaker with a better in-conference record (24-8). | Recap
Klaw, Beard Give LA 11th of 13: Miami jumped out to a quick lead – then another early in the fourth – but James Harden’s 11-point final frame (3-for-3 from behind arc) sent the Clippers to their 11th win in 13 games, 103-95. Harden and Kawhi Leonard both put up double-doubles in the win. | Recap
Nuggets rally, stay 1/2 game out: After trailing the entire first half, Denver rallied in the second behind double-figures from each of their five starters to a 112-103 victory over Portland. Nikola Jokic (29 pts) led the way while Jamal Murray (21 pts, 10 ast) dropped a double-double. | Recap
2. ROUNDUP: BEAL DROPS MOST PTS OF ANY 2023-24 RETURN
Bradley Beal finished with a game-high 43 points for Phoenix as the Suns defeated the Wizards in Beal's first game in Washington D.C. since being traded to Phoenix.
After spending his first 11 NBA seasons with the Washington Wizards, finishing his run as one of the franchise’s all-time greats, Bradley Beal came back to D.C. on Sunday for the first time since an offseason trade sent him to Phoenix.
… And dropped more points (43) than any other player has in his return to his former home this season.
- 43: Bradley Beal at WAS, Feb. 4
- 26: Dillon Brooks at MEM, Dec. 15
- 25: Damian Lillard at POR, Jan. 31
- 25: Jordan Poole at GSW, Dec. 22
- 20: RJ Barrett at NYK, Jan. 20
- 20: Dario Saric at OKC, Nov. 3
Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic both added 18 points as the Suns shot a combined 61.4% in a 140-112 win. Recap | Beal’s Tribute Video
Wagner’s career-high paces Magic: Franz Wagner dropped 38 (here’s his best work) to lead the Magic over the Pistons, 111-99, and make it three straight wins for Orlando. | Recap
Pacers win despite Miller’s career-high: Hornets rookie Brandon Miller dropped a career-high 35, but Indy – who got a near triple-double from Pascal Siakam (25 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast) – raced out to a 26-13 lead in the first and never looked back for a 115-99 finish. Miller’s 35 marked the most for a Hornets rook since Alonzo Mourning in 1993. | Recap
Celtics rout depleted Grizz: Paced by Jayson Tatum’s 34 points in just three quarters, Boston never trailed in their 131-91 win against a Grizzlies team with just eight active players – and 13 on the injury report. Scotty Pippen Jr. led Memphis with 19 points. Marcus Smart, who had to sit out due to injury, was given a warm welcome by the Boston crowd. | Recap
Balance, boards power Jazz past Bucks: Six Jazz players scored in double-figures, led by Lauri Markkanen’s 21, while Utah grabbed 52 rebounds to Milwaukee’s 32 en route to a 123-108 win. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 and Bobby Portis put up 27. | Recap
3. UNCHARTED TERRITORY FOR ‘THE LAND’
The NBA’s longest win streak belongs to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who take a five-game run into their matchup with the Kings tonight (7 ET, NBA App). How about the best record over a team’s last 10 games? The Cavs & Knicks are tied at 9-1.Over its last 15? The Cavs are in sole possession of the league’s best mark at 13-2.
The last time the Cavaliers started a calendar year this hot they … [checks notes, clears throat] … they’ve never done this before.
Best start to year ever: At 13-2 since 2024 began, the Cavs just surpassed the franchise record for the best start to a calendar year, eclipsing the 12-3 mark set by the 2008, 2010 and 2016 teams – all led by LeBron James.
- The history: Two of those Bron-led teams, the ‘08 and ‘10 clubs, lost to Finals-bound Celtics squads. The other? They won Cleveland’s only NBA title
- Matching up: Four Cavs teams have gone 11-4 in their first 15 of the year: 1989, 1992, 2009 and 2022. Two of those squads (‘92 and ‘09) reached the Conference Finals
- A little mind-blowing: These Cavs actually lost the first game of the year, falling 124-121 to the Raptors on Jan. 1. Since then, they’re 13-1.
Why should I care? Despite the Knicks’ record-setting January, the Cavs stand a half game ahead of them in the standings, in third place at 31-16. Both teams have moved almost in unison: on Jan. 1, CLE & NYK were seventh and eighth in the East, respectively.
Zooming out: While the Western Conference race sees a deadlock at the top, that’s true for the second to fifth spots in the East, where just 2 games separate the second-place Bucks and fifth-place Sixers
Opportunity in February? The Cavs entered February with the weakest strength of schedule for the month, with a combined .429 win percentage among their opponents – compared to .601 for the Wizards, who have the toughest strength of schedule.
What’s behind the run? For one, Donovan Mitchell’s playing some of the best ball of his career. Selected for his fifth straight All-Star Game, Spida’s averaging 32.2 ppg and 8 apg over his last five games – numbers Cleveland hasn’t seen over five games since LeBron.
- Top defense since Jan. 1: The Cavs are tied for the league’s best DefRtg in 2024, at 105.4 ppg. Who are they tied with? You may have guessed it: the New York Knicks
- The Allen effect: While OG Anunoby & Jalen Brunson, the NBA’s leaders in NetRtg (min. 30 mpg) since Jan. 1, have generated headlines with their early success, Mitchell and Jarrett Allen rank third and fourth in that same time
4. WEEKEND IN REVIEW
Checking back in? Spin through what happened the past few days.
Friday
- Russ joins 25K club: Russell Westbrook became the fourth active player to score 25,000 career points, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant and James Harden
- Jokic joins another one: Nikola Jokic has put himself in rare company all year. He did so again on Friday, joining Wilt and Elgin Baylor as the only players to ever put up 27+ points, 22+ rebounds and 12+ assists in a game
- Zion wins showdown vs. Wembanyama: Brandon Ingram’s block on a Victor Wembanyama putback led to a sequence that saw Zion Williamson sink the game-winning layup with 3.8 seconds left, as the Pelicans beat the Spurs, 114-113
- Zion on Wemby: “We haven’t seen nothing like that…he’s an amazing player.”
Saturday
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers picked up a big win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
- Lakers end Knicks’ 9-game streak: Austin Reaves took over late as LA used a 33-19 fourth quarter to come back and end New York’s winning streak at nine games – tied for the longest in the league this year
- Lakers 2, Gardens 0: That makes two statement games in a row for LA, who beat the Celtics at TD Garden (where Boston opened the season 20-0) on an East Coast swing
- Steph drops 60, Hawks win in OT: Curry notched the second 60-point game of his career, but the Hawks took over in OT to take the 141-134 win.
- Historic scoring: Steph’s 60 made him the fifth player in the past two weeks to drop 60+, and sixth of the season. Those five 60+ games are more than we’ve seen in all but two entire seasons in NBA history – behind 1961-62 and 1962-63.
5. STORIES & PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Dame, back in the place where he made his name.
ICYMI … the NBA All-Star starters & reserves are set … so are the Panini Rising Stars … Steph & the Lakers led the top-selling jerseys & merch of the season so far … Stephen vs. Sabrina will pit Curry vs. Ionescu in the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Challenge on State Farm All-Star Saturday Night … Damian Lillard made his first trip back to Portland, and KD to Brooklyn … the NBA will partner with Special Olympics of Indiana and Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis as part of the 2024 NBA All-Star Game … with Chris Finch coaching the West, Doc Rivers and his staff will coach the East All-Stars
