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Nightly Pulse: NBA News & Highlights from Jan. 10

Follow along as tonight's NBA action unfolds.

NBA.com Staff

🏀🎬 Friday’s NBA Action 🎬🏀

Pacers 108, Warriors 96

Bucks 109, Magic 106

Pelicans 123, 76ers 115

Kings 114, Celtics 97

Thunder 126, Knicks 105

Bulls 138, Wizards 105

Nuggets 124, Nets 105

Top Stories of the Night 🗒️✍️

  1. Bucks survive Paolo Banchero’s 34-point return. These teams battled to the last second in a high-stakes matchup. The Bucks moved into a tie with the Magic for fourth in the eastern conference with tonight’s win. Orlando played admirably without Banchero, but it was apparent tonight that he’s a difference maker. He scored 15 4th quarter points and had a chance to tie the game in the final minute, but split a pair of free throws. Milwaukee escapes with the three-point win to continue their ascent. If the Magic get Paolo and Franz Wagner healthy for the postseason, they’ll be trouble.
  2. Westbrook and Jokić simply too much for Brooklyn. It’s becoming scary how much chemistry these two former MVP’s have. They connected for several highlight plays en route to a pair of triple-doubles, becoming the first teammates to do so multiple times in a season. Westbrook’s impressive play since entering the starting lineup is no façade, and the Nuggets have found a new gear as a result. Denver’s won six of their last eight, and now occupy the 4th spot out west.
  3. Kings’ winning streak grows after defeating the champs. If Sacramento needed any validation of their improved play as of late, tonight should be it. They went into Boston, entered the final quarter with the lead and extended it to win comfortably – all without De’Aaron Fox. Interim coach Doug Christie has helped pull this team back into the playoff conversation. They’ve won six straight games. Domantas Sabonis, Demar DeRozan, Malik Monk and Keegan Murray combined for 88 points. There’s a lot to be optimistic about for Kings fans.

🌟 Friday’s Top Performers 🌟

  1. Domantas Sabonis: 23 points (10-15 FG, 3-4 3PM), 28 rebounds, three assists, one block
  2. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 41 points (19-29 FG), 14 rebounds, five assists, three steals, two blocks
  3. Nikola Jokić: 35 points (14-21 FG, 1-1 3PM), 12 rebounds, 15 assists, four steals
  4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 39 points (15-21 FG, 1-1 3PM), three rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block
  5. Zach LaVine: 33 points (14-21 FG, 3-5 3PM), five rebounds, three assists, one steal

✅ Trip-Dub Club ✅

Nikola Jokić and Russell Westbrook are two of the best ever when it comes to filling up the stat sheet and they demonstrated that tonight. Both players had a double-double through three quarters, before rounding out the triple-double in the fourth.

Denver pulled away late to win at home. Jamal Murray did not play in the 2nd half after exiting with left knee soreness according to the team.

Brooklyn Battles Back 👀

We have a single digit game in the 4th quarter as the Nets go on a 17-4 run to make this one interesting. Tune in now on NBA League Pass.

LaVine Scoring Tear 🪣🪣

The Bulls made it look easy with a 33-point win tonight over Washington. Zach LaVine continued his hot streak, scoring 30 or more points for a fifth straight game. Nikola Vučević was Chicago’s second highest scorer with 23 points and 13 rebounbds. Josh Giddey also had 13 boards to go with 11 points.

Following CJ’s Lead 🔋

New Orleans entered their matchup with the 76ers as underdogs, but they hardly trailed in this one. CJ McCollum had a big hand in that as he finished the game with 38 points. The Pelicans bench stepped up as well to give the team its eighth win this season.

Raining from Three ☔️👌

Oklahoma City separated themselves from the Knicks on the scoreboard early and never looked back. SGA scored 39 points on the night and didn’t touch the floor in the 4th quarter. Isaiah Joe set new career highs with 31 points and eight made threes. OKC completes the season sweep against New York.

Giannis Outduels Paolo 💪

LIGHT THE BEAM 💡😈

The Kings pulled off the biggest upset of the night so far by taking down the defending champs in their own building. That makes six straight wins for Sacramento, who move into a tie for the 10th spot in the western conference. Domantas Sabonis led the way with 23 points and 28 rebounds – setting a new season and career high in the process.

🏁 Pacers Push Past Dubs 🏁

Indiana wins their fifth straight with a 108-96 victory over the Warriors, playing without Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin all finished with 20-plus points and a double-double each.

1st Half Highlights 👇

The Chicago Bulls are out in front against the Washington Wizards. They’ve built upon their first-half lead in the third quarter. Zach LaVine leads all scorers with 25 points while Jordan Poole has a team-high 20 for Washington.

Simmons Scoops & Scores 🤌

Ben Simmons finishess with the right-handed acrobatic layup. The Nets have the lead early against the Nuggets. It’s Simmons’ first game back after missing three due to injury. Nikola Jokić is back in the lineup for Denver after missing the last two games.

Getting to the Rim

The stars for both teams stepping up in the fourth quarter. Giannis Antetoknounmpo leads all scorers with 41 points while Paolo Banchero is up to 27 in just 24 minutes.

Forgot About Dame ⌚️

Damian Lillard drills this wide open three after some defensive confusion from Orlando. We’re entering crunch time as the Bucks hold a small lead approaching the halfway point of the 4th quarter.

Rebound Watch  👀📝

Domantas Sabonis is crushing the glass tonight. He finished the first half with 15 rebounds, and is up to 20 halfway through the 3rd quarter against the Celtics. His personal career high for one game is 26 set in January of 2024.

That’s Spicy, P 🌶️🥵

Pascal Siakam showing the skillset with this contested two-hand slam. He’s working on a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Four Pacers players are in double figures scoring as they lead Golden State headed to the 4th.

Flair + the Foul 😤✨

Kelly Oubre finishes through contact in style. After getting the steal on one end, he slams home a dunk over rookie Yves Missi plus the foul. New Orleans and Philadelphia are in a close one as the third quarter continues.

No Answer for Joe ☎️

The Thunder have a commanding 2nd quarter lead, thanks in part to a hot shooting night from Isaiah Joe. He’s got 23 points before halftime, with six made threes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trails him with 19.

Anchor of the Defense ⚓️

Isaiah Hartenstein refuses to give up the easy deuce, meeting Karl-Anthony Towns above the rim for the rejection. Towns replaced Hartenstein as the Knicks starting center after Oklahoma City’s big man left New York during free agency.

🌎 CJ’s World 🌍

McCollum was seeing green in the first period, finishing with 18 points leading all scorers. He’s been on a scoring rollercoaster as of late, finishing with 50 points on January 3rd but just five points two games later.

Guess Who’s Back 👀

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Paolo Banchero on the floor for the Orlando Magic. The 3rd year pro missed 34 games with a torn oblique. Prior to the injury he averaged 24.7 points per game.

Tale of the Tape ⚖️

The Bucks and Magic are separated by just one game for fourth place in the eastern conference. Milwaukee has the 1-0 advantage in their season series, a 114-109 victory December 10th in Milwaukee. The Magic have been impressive, maintaining a winning record despite the absence of Paolo Banchero who makes his return tonight.

SGA Arrives in the Garden 📸📸

One of the odds on favorites for MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder into MSG for tonight’s marquee matchup. Shai is one of the toughest assignments in the league, averaging 31.3 points per game while leading the NBA in free throws made.

🗳️ VOTE NOW 🗳️

All-star voting is underway and tonight, votes count three times as much. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić and Jayson Tatum lead all vote getters and are the only players with more than two million all-star votes.

Tonight’s Top Stories 📰

  1. Thunder-Knicks Showdown: No rest for the weary. On the heels of a historic matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Oklahoma City Thunder face another one of the league’s elite. The New York Knicks host the Thunder in a cross-conference special inside Madison Square Garden.The Thunder, 30-6, have lost back-to-back games just once this season, back in November.
  2. Surging Kings in Boston: Sacramento is looking for their sixth consecutive win, and it won’t come easy as they’re facing the defending champion Celtics in Boston. With a win tonight, the Kings can move into 10th in the Western Conference. Expect a back-and-forth contest as both teams are among the top 10 in points per game.
  3. Paolo Banchero Returns: The Orlando Magic are one of the most impressive teams this season. They are fourth in the eastern conference despite losing Banchero just five games into the season to a torn oblique – the same injury plaguing his running mate Franz Wagner. Tonight, Paolo makes his highly anticipated return.

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