Top Stories

Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from Nov. 6

Dig into the latest NBA highlights and score updates tonight with up-to-the minute news, notes, clips and more.

John McKechnie

• Get NBA League Pass TODAY >

Tonight’s games: Nov. 6

Key Storylines🍿🍿

  1. Denver’s next generation steps up. Peyton Watson, Christian Braun and Julian Strawther each played huge roles and delivered clutch plays in Wednesday’s 124-122 win over Oklahoma City. This trio continuing to grow as shooters and build comfort playing off Nikola Jokić could dictate how far Denver can advance in the postseason.
  2. Cleveland and Phoenix keep winning. The Cavs stand as the only undefeated team in the league, while the Suns move into a tie with Oklahoma City and Golden State for a share of the top spot in the Western Conference. 
  3. Atlanta is feisty. Despite a myriad of injuries, Trae Young and rookie Zaccharie Risacher are guiding Atlanta to the league’s 11th best offensive rating and the fifth fastest pace — proving to be an explosive matchup on any given night.

⭐⭐TOP PERFORMERS⭐⭐

  1. Nikola Jokić: 23 points (9-20 FG), 20 rebounds, 16 assists, two steals and two blocks.
  2. Karl-Anthony Towns: 34 points (11-23 FG), 16 rebounds, one assist, one steal and three blocks.
  3. Luka Dončić:  27 points (8-19 FG), seven rebounds, 13 assists and four steals.
  4. Zaccharie Risacher: 33 points (11-18 FG), seven rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
    • Nikola Jokić becomes the first player in league history to record a game with 20+ PTS, 15+ REB, 15+ AST, 2+ STL, and 2+ BLK (since steals and blocks were first recorded in 1973-74).
    • Towns joins Julius Randle as the only players in Knicks’ history to record 30+ PTS, 15+ REB, and 5+ 3PM.

🗣️Brandon Miller at the buzzer 🚨

Brandon Miller caps off a sensational night with a putback at the buzzer to give the Hornets the win over the Pistons. Miller was on the receiving end of a highlight alley-oop earlier in the game and finished with 19 points and six boards.

 

Lead Hornets writer, Sam Perley, with the nugget of the night on Miller’s thrilling game-winner for the Hornets.

Clippers defeat Paul George and the 76ers👀👀

Norman Powell was on fire en route to a game-high 26 points (8-10 FG, 6-8 3PM, 4-4 FT), while also co-leading the Clippers with six assists. Wednesday marked Powell’s fourth game of the season with at least five made threes.

Paul George finished with 18 points (7-9 FG) for Philadelphia, tying with Kelly Oubre as the 76ers’ scoring leaders. George only logged 23 minutes of action as Philadelphia gradually ramps up his return from knee troubles.

🟣 Light the Beam 🟣

The Sacramento Kings earned a 122-107 victory over the Toronto Raptors. DeMar DeRozan (27 points) and Keegan Murray (22 points, 12 rebounds) led the Kings in scoring. Domantas Sabonis tallied his third triple-double of the year with 17 points (6-6 FG, 5-5 FT), 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. Sabonis became the first player in the turnover-tracking era to post a turnover-free triple-double without missing a FG or FT.

DeRozan now has eight straight games with 20-plus points since joining the Kings, passing Chris Webber’s franchise record of seven such consecutive contests.

RJ Barrett (23 points) and Davion Mitchell (20 points, 6 assists) led the Raptors in the loss.

The Kings move to 5-3 as the Raptors fall to 2-7.

Playoff-atmosphere battle in Denver

The Denver Nuggets defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 124-122. For Denver, Nikola Jokić recorded his 134th career triple-double (4th of season) and led the way with 23 points, 20 rebounds, 16 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Fittingly, Jokić joins Russell Westbrook as the only players to record a 20-20-15 game since 1968. Westbrook tallied 20 PTS, 20 REB, 21 AST in an OKC win over LAL on Apr. 2 2019. The last player to have such a line prior to them was Wilt Chamberlain on March 19, 1968.

Westbrook finished with 29 points, six rebounds and six assists, pairing with Michael Porter Jr. (24 points) to combine for 53 points in Wednesday’s victory. Jalen Williams finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and three steals while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 28 points and six assists for Oklahoma City in the losing effort. The Nuggets improve to 5-3 on the season, while the Thunder suffer their first loss of the season, moving to 7-1.

Sabonis feasting🍽️🍽️

Domantas Sabonis has racked up 17 points (6-6 FG, 5-5 FT), 11 rebounds and 13 assists on perfect shooting from the field as Sacramento has caught fire to open the fourth quarter, currently outscoring Toronto 33-14 after entering the frame trailing by four points. The Kings lead is becoming secure at 122-107 entering the final minute.

Statement win for Denver

Nikola Jokić’s mammoth triple-double (23 points, 20 rebounds, 16 assists) anchored Denver’s victory, but the Nuggets’ cast stepped up to support him despite an injury-riddled rotation — bringing an end to Oklahoma City’s undefeated start.

  • Russell Westbrook was subbed in at the end of the game to play point-of-attack defense. His 29 points represented his largest scoring output since Feb. 22, 2021.
  • Christian Braun connected on four three-point attempts for the first time en route to the second game of his career with 20-plus points.
  • Michael Porter was a stabilizer, logging over 41 minutes of action and knocking down 6-of-10 three-point attempts.
  • Peyton Watson’s defensive instincts were on display, with Wednesday representing the seventh game of his career in which he’s combined for four steals plus blocks.

Back to booming

RJ Barrett has a game-high 23 points (9-16 FG) as the Raptors hold a 93-89 lead over Sacramento entering the fourth quarter. The 24-year-old has already posted three games with more than 30 points this season after accomplishing that feat only twice last season. A native of Mississauga, Canada, Barrett continues to blossom for the Raptors.

Historic start to Cleveland tenure

With Wednesday’s victory, Cleveland’s head coach Kenny Atkinson became the first coach in NBA history to start 9-0 in their first season with a new team. Entering Wednesday’s games, Cleveland had the second best offensive rating and third best defensive rating in the league.

Staying hot in the Valley☀️☀️

The Phoenix Suns win their 6th straight game as they defeat the Miami Heat, 115-112. For Phoenix, Kevin Durant led the way with 32 points (4 3PM) and eight rebounds while aided by Devin Booker (21 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists) and Jusuf Nurkić (20 points (3 3PM), 18 rebounds, two blocks) in the victory. Tyler Herro finished with 28 points (5 3PM) and 6 assists for Miami in the losing effort. The Suns improve to 7-1 on the season, while the Heat fall to 3-4.

🚨PEYTON WATSON BLOCKS SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER FOR THE WIN🚨

Watson steps up for his third block of the game, timing Gilgeous-Alexander’s layup perfectly and skying to catch a piece of the ball. Watson finishes with 10 points (4-9 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-4 FT), three rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal in 34 minutes. His lone three-point make came in the final minutes of the fourth quarter — with the 22-year-old making clutch plays on both ends to secure Denver’s victory.

Vintage KD in Phoenix

Kevin Durant pours in 32 points (13-23 FG) fueled by midrange mastery and his classic fadeaway jumper with multiple defenders in his face to propel the Suns to 115-112 win.

Balanced effort in Sacramento

Keegan Murray is one of four Kings with at least nine points as Sacramento has generated assists on 13 of 19 buckets en route to a three-point lead over Toronto at the half. Sacramento is on pace to exceed 110 points once again — a feat they have accomplished in all seven games thus far.

JOKER WATCH 🃏🃏

A mammoth triple-double from Nikola Jokić is helping Denver mount a comeback after trailing by 11 points at halftime. Russell Westbrook has been a consistent beneficiary of Jokić’s facilitation, turning back the clock and booming for 29 points (10-14 FG), six rebounds and six assists with the majority of the fourth quarter still to come.

Buzz City buzzing 🐝🐝

Brandon Miller got a putback layup to fall as time expires to lift Charlotte over Detroit, 107-106. For Charlotte, LaMelo Ball led the way with 25 points (10-23 FG, 5-12 3Pt), six rebounds, eight assists, and two steals while Miles Bridges (27 points) and Miller (19 points) combined for 46 points in the victory. Charlotte connected on a perfect 16 of 16 free-throw attempts as well.

Cade Cunningham recorded his 4th career-triple double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists while Jaden Ivey finished with 21 points (3 3PM), 4 rebounds, and 5 assists for Detroit in the losing effort. The Hornets improve to 3-5 on the season, while the Pistons fall to 3-6.

Alvarado eruption

Jose Alvarado finished Wednesday’s contest with 27 points (10-14 FG, 7-7 3Pt), two rebounds, five assists and three steals despite the Pelicans falling to Cleveland 131-122. His three-point barrage marks the second game in franchise history a player has made at least seven threes without missing.

Zion Williamson (29 points) led New Orleans in scoring Wednesday, while Brandon Ingram (20 points) represented the only other Pelican to score at least 15 points.

👨🏻‍🍳 Rook cook ♨️

Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher not only turned in the best game of his career Wednesday against the Knicks, it was one of the greatest performances by a rookie in franchise history. 33 points. Seven rebounds. Six made 3’s. 📈

💪 Huff. Stuff.  💪

Grizzlies big man Jay Huff ignites the crowd with a reverse putback slam. Y’all gotta see this one.

Catch the finish of Grizzlies-Lakers on NBA League Pass.

🍿 Big time finish in Boston 🍿

The Warriors-Celtics matchup has lived up to the billing in a tightly-contested, back-and-forth showdown of two of the NBA’s best. The Warriors have pulled ahead by seven on a Buddy Hield triple with under a minute to go.

Ooh that’s pretty

Zion Williamson is back in action doing Zion Williamson things. True to form, Zion’s finish leads our dunk score leaderboard tonight.

⛔ Access Denied ✋

Victor Wembanyama was having none of it as he meets Jalen Green’s at the summit of his transition jam.

🔨Stop. Hammertime. 🔨

Jarrett Allen throws down the hammer for the top-rated dunk score of the night so far.

😱 Oh my lob 🤯

LaMelo Ball finds Brandon Miller for the long-range alley-oop. It’s safe to say Miller has his hops back.

🔥 No.1 pick heating up 🔥

The No.1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, Zaccharie Risacher, is feeling it tonight. Here he is turning defense into offense with the steal and the 3. He’s already got a career-high 22 points and counting and we still have a half to go.

📜 King James making more history 👑

LeBron James is playing in his 1,500th career game tonight, making him the sixth player in NBA history to reach that milestone and joins some elite company.

👉 Score updates around the NBA 👇

  • Hornets 46, Pistons 45 (Halftime)
  • Pacers 61, Magic 57 (Halftime)
  • Hawks 43, Knicks 42 (2nd Quarter)
  • Celtics 24, Warriors 19 (End 1Q)
  • Rockets 6, Spurs 2 (1st Quarter)
  • Grizzlies 10, Lakers 7 (1st Quarter)
  • Cavaliers 14, Pelicans 13 (1st Quarter)

🗼Risacher: Rim Rocker 😤

Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher gets out in transition and finishes with the flush. We aren’t even going to try to top the pun from the Hawks social team though 😂

☔ Boston Three Party ☘️

The Celtics came into tonight on a historic pace with their 3-point shooting and they’re not showing any signs of stopping against the Warriors. Derrick White has led the charge early with three treys and 12 early points overall as we get towards the end of the first quarter.

🏰 Spurs lineup fortified by Castle ♖

Rookie Stephon Castle will make his first start for the Spurs in tonight’s Texas showdown against the Rockets. Castle is coming off a career-high 11-point outing against the Clippers on Monday.

🙌 Zion’s back 🙌

Zion Williamson returns to action following a two-game absence. Williamson is averaging 21.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game through five outings so far and dropped 34 on the Pacers in his last time out.

🏁Off to the races in Indy

The Pacers and Magic are playing a high-tempo game thus far as Indiana holds a 24-16 lead with four minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Bennedict Mathurin has chipped in nine early points to lead the Pacers.

Starting 🖐s

Magic vs Pacers

Goga Bitadze makes his second consecutive start for the Magic with Wendell Carter still sidelined with a foot injury.

Andrew Nembhard is good to go for Indiana after dealing with a knee injury earlier thismonth.

Pistons vs Hornets

Brandon Miller is playing in his third game since returning from a four-game absence. With Miller and Ball on the Charlotte side going up against Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivy, this game will have a silly amount of young talent on display.

Celtics vs Warriors

Stephen Curry is ready to roll without restrictions tonight after making his return Monday in the Nation’s Capital.

Knicks vs Hawks

Trae Young is good to go for the Hawks after dealing with a rib issue coming off of Monday’s game against the Celtics. Going into that game, Young was averaging 27.0 points and 11.7 assists per game. He’ll look to recapture that form tonight against New York. https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1854316049266626727 The Knicks are running with their usual lineup that has helped fuel the team’s No.3-rated offense in the NBA through six games.

Cavaliers vs Pelicans

Zion Williamson returns to the lineup for the Pelicans after missing the last two games. Williamson and the Pelicans will be looking to hand the Cavaliers their first loss of the season. https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA/status/1854320778021318794 The Cavaliers are rolling out this lineup as they chase a franchise-best 9-0 start.

Lakers vs Grizzlies

The Lakers will turn to Jaxson Hayes in the middle with Anthony Davis out. Rookie Dalton Knecht will make his first career start after averaging 15.9 minutes off the bench in his first seven games.

Ja Morant and the Grizzlies are looking to bounce back from their tough loss Monday in Brooklyn. They are 2-2 at home.

💧Wednesday Drip Report 🔎

Jrue Holiday strolls into The Garden for tonight’s matchup between the Celtics and Warriors.

The vets are in the building.

Mr. Double-Double himself, Jalen Duren, showing love for another former Pistons great, Rasheed Wallace. Duren has the 2nd-most double-doubles of any NBA player before turning 21 with 67 such games.

We spy Zion 🔭.

3️⃣Key NBA Storylines Tonight 🔑

  1. Cavaliers chasing franchise history: The Cavaliers tied the best record in franchise history to start a season with Monday’s thrilling win over the Bucks. Tonight, they look to etch their name on Cleveland’s history books with a 9-0 start. A road game against the Pelicans stands in their way.
  2. Thunder, Nuggets match up in showdown of two of the West’s best: Oklahoma City, the only other undefeated team remaining besides Cleveland, heads to Denver to face the Nuggets.
  3. Unlimited Curry: Steph Curry, who was on a minutes restriction in his return to action Monday against the Wizards, will have no such limitation tonight as the Warriors go into Boston for a rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals.

Related

Latest