Top Stories

Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from Nov. 13

Catch the latest news, highlights and analysis around the NBA tonight with our Nightly Pulse live blog.

🏀 NBA scores tonight 🏀

Magic 94, Pacers 90

Celtics 139, Nets 114 

Bulls 124, Knicks 123

Cavaliers 114, 76ers 106

Thunder 106, Pelicans 88

Rockets 111, Clippers 103

Bucks 127, Pistons 120 (OT)

Spurs 139, Wizards 130

Kings 127, Suns 104

Trail Blazers 106, Timberwolves 98

Lakers 128, Memphis 123


⭐⭐TOP PERFORMERS⭐⭐

  1. Giannis Antetokoumpo 59 points (21-34 FG), 14 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, three blocks
  2. Victor Wembanyama: 50 points (18-29 FG, 8 3PM), six rebounds, two assists, one steal, three blocks
  3. Karl-Anthony Towns: 46 points (18-30 FG, 6 3PM), 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals
  4. LeBron James: 35 points (13 of 22 FG), 12 rebounds, 14 assists, one steal

Top Storylines👉📝

  1. Wednesday marked the 24th day in NBA regular-season history with multiple performances of 50-plus points. Victor Wembanyama and Giannis Antetokounmpo join Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns as the only duo 6-foot-11 and taller to accomplish such a scoring feat. Luka Doncic and Denver Booker were previously the most recent duo to each exceed 50 points simultaneously.
  2. LeBron James orchestrates a Lakers’ barrage from deep. Los Angeles canned 48.8% of 41 three-point attempts, with Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and Dalton Knecht each hitting three triples while James racked up 14 assists.
  3. Cleveland moves to 13-0, marking the sixth-longest undefeated streak to commence a season in NBA history. The five teams with longer win streaks, most recently the 2015-16 record-holding Warriors who started 24-0, reached the Conference Finals or Championship.

🌟🌟Wembanyama’s historic performance🌟🌟

Victor Wembanyama’s 1-of-1 skillset was on display as he rained in 8 of 16 three-point attempts en route to 50 points along with six rebounds, two assists, one steal and three blocks as San Antonio erupted for a 139-130 win over Washington. The big man was hunting threes as a popper, showing off his blossoming chemistry with Chris Paul (9 points, 11 assists).

becomes the fourth youngest player — and youngest center — in league history to record 50+ points in a game, only Brandon Jennings, LeBron James, and Devin Booker were younger. He the first player in Spurs franchise history to record 50+ points and 5+ 3PM in a game.


Two-day sweep of Minnesota

Portland pulled off back-to-back wins over Minnesota on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Wednesday’s 106-98 victory headlined by Shaedon Sharpe offensively and rookie Donovan Clingan defensively.

Sharpe notched the second 30-point game of his young career, setting a new career high with 33 points (12-23 FG, 3-10 3PM, 6-7 FT). Clingan was Portland’s second-leading scorer with 17 points (6-10 FG, 5-5 FT), although his 12 rebounds and eight blocks loomed far larger. Nobody was safe from Clingan’s paint enforcement, as the 7-foot-2 rookie blocked Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle in the final 15 minutes alone.

Clingan became the first rookie this season to record five or more blocks in a game. He is also the fifth rookie in Trail Blazer’s history to record 7+ blocks in the game, becoming the first since Kelvin Cato in 1998.

Anthony Edwards’ 24 points (10-25 FG, 0-9 3PM, 4-4 FT) led Minnesota in scoring, while also representing a key culprit in the team connecting on just 17.9 percent of 39 3-point attempts.


😱 Bulls win thriller at the Garden 🤯

After the Knicks came back from a 22-point deficit to take the lead over the Bulls, Chicago stormed back late to capture the victory on the road.

Zach Lavine led the way with 31 points and Coby White hit the key 3-pointer to position Chicago for the victory.

In a game with 16 lead changes, the Bulls were able to find a way in the end.


Antetokoumpo won’t leave defeated. Milwaukee takes over in OT

Giannis Antetokounmpo racked up 48 points in regulation and converted all five of his field-goal attempts in overtime to propel a 127-120 victory over Detroit. Antetokounmpo’s 59 points (21-34 FG, 1-2 3PM, 16-17 FT) represents the highest total yet this season.

His off-the-dribble jumper was hitting and Detroit had no answer for his downhill attacking. Antetokounmpo also compiled 14 rebounds, 7 assists, two steals and three blocks in 40 minutes of action.

Brook Lopez delivered a signature performance with 29 points (9-17 FG, 5-8 3PM, 6-8 FT) eight rebounds, three steals and five blocks. The 36-year-old logged 40 minutes and continues profiling as a two-way pillar of Milwaukee’s success, especially without Damian Lillard (concussion).


LeBron James breaks his own record 

James notched his third consecutive triple-double on Wednesday, becoming the oldest player (39 years, 319 days) to do so. Previously, the oldest player to notch three consecutive triple-doubles was James in 2019, just months in advance of his 35th birthday.

James has racked up 30 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists as the Lakers cling to a 111-110 lead over Memphis with over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Wednesday marks the 40th 30-point triple-double of James’ illustrious career, and his 116th overall.


🏆 Cavs continue undefeated start 👏

The Cleveland Cavaliers are already off to the best start in franchise history and they continued to improve on that mark tonight with a 114-106 win over the 76ers.

Cleveland trailed for much of the second quarter and into the third before flipping a switch in the fourth quarter and finishing the job. The Cavaliers got contributions across the board, especially from their key starters. Darius Garland (25) and Donovan Mitchell (23) led the scoring charge while the key big men like Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen cleaned the glass with a combined 19 rebounds.

Cleveland still has a ways to go towards matching Golden State’s 24-0 start in the 2015-16 season but this is still a remarkable run. The Cavaliers look to stay undefeated Friday at home against the Bulls.


Kings pull away late versus Suns

De’Aaron Fox supplied his fourth double-double of the season while leading Sacramento with 29 points (11-17 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 6-8 FT) and 10 assists as the Kings outscored the Suns by 18 points in the second half to secure a 127-104 victory.

The Kings shot a blistering 64.2% from the field and generated assists on 38 of 50 baskets. Kevin Huerter’s 22 points (9-16 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 2-5 FT) were second in scoring for Sacramento on a night when DeMar DeRozan exited after 17 minutes of action due to a back injury. 

Josh Okogie boomed for 25 points (10-15 FG, 3-4 3PM, 2-3 FT) with eight rebounds, representing his fourth career game with 25-plus points. Devin Booker (18 points, 6-16 FG) struggled to create at times in the absence of Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant to calf injuries.


18,000 career points for Anthony Davis

Davis becomes the 80th player in NBA history to exceed 18,000 points for his career. Dave Bing, Glenn Rice, Julius Erving and Tracy McGrady represent the next players for Davis to pass, while Paul George is neck-and-neck with the big man as well.


Celtics’ offense booms in bounce-back win ☘️☘️

A night after a stunning, upset loss at home to the Hawks in the opening game of the Emirates NBA Cup, the Celtics got back to work Wednesday and took care of business with a 139-114 win over Brooklyn. This marks Boston’s highest scoring performance of the season, as well as their third contest scoring over 130 points.

Jayson Tatum scored 36 points (12-19 FG, 5-6 3PM, 7-9 FT) in 35 minutes while nearly compiling his first triple-double of the season (10 assists, nine rebounds).

It was also a sharp outing from Payton Pritchard, who chipped in 23 points off the bench and canned five 3-pointers. 

On the Nets side of the ledger, Ziaire Williams rewarded coach Jordi Fernández for giving him a second-straight start as he recorded a season-high 23 points.


Throws massive Poole Party, crashed by Frenchman

Jordan Poole erupted for 42 points (15 of 22 FG, 6-9 3PM, 6-6 FT), two rebounds, six assists, two steals and only three turnovers in 33 minutes despite Washington falling 139-130 to San Antonio. Victor Wembanyama finished with 50 points in a game with no shortage of offense.

Poole’s scoring performance represents the second-highest total of his career and his third game with over 40 points. Jonas Valančiūnas finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds as one of six other Wizards to post double-digit scoring.


TURKISH AIRLINES CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF✈️✈️

Alperen Sengun fakes the handoff and splits the second line of defense for a nasty slam to highlight Houston’s 111-103 win over the Clippers. The 22-year-old finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds to notch his ninth double-double in 12 games thus far.

🌊 Knicks retake lead thanks to huge run 🌊

The Knicks trailed by as many as 22 points tonight against the Bulls but have pulled it together in the second half to retake their first lead since early in the first quarter.

A 29-6 run did the trick. Karl-Anthony Towns is closing in on a season-high (44) in points with 40 as we reach the midway point of the fourth quarter. Check the action now on NBA League Pass.


🎩 Franz Wagner stars again in Magic victory 🪄

Franz Wagner continues to take over as the Magic’s leader with yet another stellar performance tonight. He finished the night with 29 points to make it six straight games with at least 20 points. In fact, Wagner has gone over 25 points in four of those outings.

The Magic have now won four in a row to move back over .500 on the season. They are 6-0 at home on the year.


🤩 Stars showing out 🤩

Victor Wembanyama and Giannis Antetokounmpo are both carrying the load for their respective teams tonight. Wembanyama scored 24 points in the first half as the Spurs are tied with the Wizards while Antetokounmpo has a league-high 28 points at the break with the Bucks trailing by 13.


👉 Harden chasing history 🚨

James Harden came into the night six 3-pointers away from tying Ray Allen for the second-most triples all-time in NBA history. He’s already hit three treys in the first half of Wednesday’s game in his old Houston stomping grounds.


Giannis is going to work 👷

Giannis Antetokounmpo is carrying the short-handed bucks tonight, scoring 22 of the team’s first 24 points. He’s 7-for-10 from the floor and has added a pair of rebounds and a block in just over a quarter’s worth of minutes.


❌ Block party tonight 👋

Peep some of the best swats from around the league tonight. Defense.

Amen Thompson. Holy moly.

Washington’s Bilal Coulibaly does not care to allow fast break points.

Isaiah Stewart making an impact off the bench for the Pistons with five points, two rebounds, and an amazing block on Brook Lopez.

Like the Celtics said, it’s Luke K⛔rnet now.


🐂 Matas Buzelis. Bulls on parade 🐃

Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis tops our dunk score leaderboard tonight thus far thanks to this absolute jackhammer of a dunk. The rook also has three blocks and three rebounds as the Bulls have built an early 10-point lead.


🏆 1,000 3’s for KAT 3️⃣

Karl-Anthony Towns drilled the 1,000th 3-pointer of his career tonight against the Bulls. Per the Knicks PR department, KAT is now the 18th player in NBA history with 13,000+ points, 6,000+ rebounds and 1,000+ 3-pointers.


🥇 First points for Furphy ☝️

19-year-old Johnny Furphy got out in transition and finished with the flush for his first NBA basket. The rookie


4️⃣Games getting ready to tip

Celtics at Nets

Bulls at Knicks

Cavaliers at 76ers

Pelicans at Thunder

 

 


🏁 Tonight’s action tips off in Orlando 🪄

The Magic are coming off an impressive win Tuesday against the Hornets in which the Wagner brothers combined for 50 points and Jalen Suggs added 17 points along with two steals. That’s the type of performance Orlando needs from this group as it navigates a stretch without Paolo Banchero.

Here are tonight’s starting 5’s in Orlando.


3️⃣Key Storylines for tonight 🍿

  1. Cavs look to stay undefeated: The Cavaliers have an opportunity to extend their franchise record-setting start further into the history books as they aim to go 13-0. Will it be an unlucky 13 against a talented 76ers team?
  2. Pistons eye winning streak: Both the Pistons and the Bucks got wins Tuesday night in their first game of Group Play in the Emirates NBA Cup. The Pistons’ young core is starting to show signs of being on the rise and a win over an experienced club like the Bucks would be another feather in their cap.
  3. Suns face road challenge in Sacramento: The Suns are navigating a tricky stretch sans Kevin Durant. They managed to get the win Tuesday against the Jazz, but now they will turn around to face a Kings team that beat them 127-118 in Phoenix on Sunday. Sacramento started slow but has picked up wins in three of its last five. This game promises to be a strong nightcap to this evening’s loaded slate of games.

Latest