Ja defying gravity with this double-clutch jam.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Dec. 8, 2024

Jokić Stands Alone: The Joker drops 56 in historic fashion, but the Wizards get the win

More Stars Shine: Mobley goes off, while Luka and Cade post monster triple-doubles

Roundup: Ja dazzles in statement win, OKC adds another dub and Miami heats up

Jokić vs. Trae: Two offensive maestros square off today on League Pass

All-Day Action: 12 games, CP3 closing in on 2nd all time, Cavs & Magic look to stay hot & more

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Saturday’s scores and a stacked Sunday slate…

12 games tip off today on NBA League Pass, beginning with a mid-day duel between Paul George and the Sixers and Zach LaVine and the Bulls (1 ET).

The action continues throughout the afternoon and into the evening, including a must-see matchup featuring Nikola Jokić and Trae Young as the Hawks host the Nuggets (6 ET).

The Emirates NBA Cup champion will be crowned in Las Vegas, following the Semifinals and Championship on Dec. 14 and 17, respectively. And you can be there to witness it live. Don’t miss your shot — tap here to secure your tickets now!

1. WIZARDS OVERCOME JOKIĆ’S UNPRECEDENTED PERFORMANCE

“We’re all running out of words, adjectives, and ways to describe his greatness and his impact,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of Nikola Jokić last month.

“The simple way to say it: he’s the best player in the world.”

So, let’s let his numbers speak for themselves.

One game after recording his league-high ninth triple-double of the season to pass Magic Johnson for the third-most all-time (tap here to see their mind-blowing similarities) Jokić made history again with a stat line unlike anything the NBA has ever seen.

Wizards 122, Nuggets 113: With a career-high 56 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists and three 3s, Jokić became the first player ever to total 55+ points, 15+ boards, 5+ dimes and 3+ triples in an NBA game. But the Wizards got the win behind Jordan Poole’s 39 points. | Recap

• Wizards Snap Skid: Poole sank a career-high nine 3s, and Washington made 16 triples as a team, while Denver went 5-of-24 from deep to end its 16-game losing streak
• Joker Takeover: With Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Dario Saric out for Denver, Jokić took a career-high 38 shots and made 22 of them (57.9%)
• The Result? The second-most points in a game in Nuggets history, trailing only David Thompson’s 73 points in 1978
• Jokić’s Run, Wizards’ Response: Jokić scored 23 points in the 3rd quarter to cut a 12-point deficit to six, but the Wizards pushed the lead back to 13 with him on the bench to start the 4th, and the Nuggets never recovered

Unprecedented (Again): This isn’t the first time Jokić’s posted a truly one-of-a-kind stat line this season, highlighting his historic 18-game start.

• On Nov. 6, he became the first player to record 20+ points, 20+ rebounds, 15+ assists, 2+ steals and 2+ blocks in a game since steals and blocks were first tracked in 1973-74
• Now, with 565 points, 244 boards and 185 dimes, Jokić is the first player since Oscar Robertson (1961-62) to total 550+ pts, 225+ reb and 175+ ast in their first 18 games of the season
• More History: Amid Saturday’s performance, Jokić passed Dan Issel (14,659) for the second-most points in Nuggets franchise history

2. MOBLEY’S CAREER DAY & A PAIR OF STAR TRIPLE-DOUBLES

Cavaliers 116, Hornets: 102: Evan Mobley scored 23 of his career-high 41 points in the 1st quarter, as the Cavs jumped out to a 40-18 lead and never looked back for their fourth straight win, improving to 21-3 on the season. | Recap

• Mobley 🤝 LeBron: Mobley added a career-high six 3s, 10 boards and three blocks, joining LeBron James (2x) as the only players in Cavs history to total 40+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ 3s in a game
• Mobley, LeBron & Cliff: Mobley also joined LeBron (8x) and Cliff Robinson (1x) as the only Cavs to record a 40+ point, 10+ rebound game at 23 years old or younger
• Historic Start: At 21-3, the Cavs are off to their best start in team history through 24 games, surpassing their 2008-09 record of 20-4, when they went on to notch a franchise-high 66 wins

Mavericks 125, Raptors 118: In another dazzling performance, Luka Dončić dropped 30 points, 13 boards and 11 dimes for his second straight triple-double to lead the Mavs past Scottie Barnes (19 pts, career-high 14 ast) and the Raptors for their seventh win in a row. | Recap

• Luka Passes Wilt & Harden: It was the 79th triple-double of Dončić’s career, moving him past Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden for the seventh-most all-time
• Highlight Luka: Dončić notched the triple-double in the 3rd quarter and had 15 points, six boards and eight assists (including one outrageous dime) by halftime, capped by a banked 3 at the buzzer to put the Mavs up 16
• Dallas Trio From Deep: Kyrie Irving followed Luka with 29 points, and they both sank six 3s apiece, while Klay Thompson added three 3s as part of his 20-point game.
• Mavs Moving Up: After a 5-7 start, Dallas has won 11 of its last 12 games for a 16-8 record, jumping from 12th place in the West to second

Pistons 120, Knicks 111: Cade Cunningham cooked up a monster triple-double with 29 points, 10 boards and a career-high 15 assists to power than Pistons past Jalen Brunson (31 pts, 10 ast) and the Knicks at MSG in a game where Detroit never trailed. | Recap

• Cade & Zeke: In the win, Cunningham joined Isiah Thomas as the only Pistons to total 25+ points, 15+ assists and 10+ rebounds in a game
• Career Year: Cunningham entered the 2024-25 campaign with two career triple-doubles. Through 21 games this season, he has five while averaging career-highs in points (23.9), rebounds (7.4) and assists (9.4)
• Streak Snapped: The win snaps the Pistons’ 16-game losing streak to the Knicks, ending the longest active streak one team had over another

3. GRIZZLIES ROAR, THUNDER & HEAT ROLL

Grizzlies 127, Celtics 121: Ja Morant went for 32 points — including this potential Dunk of the Year — 9 boards and 9 assists, while Jaren Jackson Jr. netted 14 of his 27 points in the 4th quarter to help the Grizzlies stave off the defending champs for a statement win. | Recap

• Hard-Fought: The C’s erased a 14-point deficit in the 3rd quarter to go up four early in the 4th, but the Grizzlies outscored them 31-21 in the final 9:46 to get the dub
• Memphis Moving: It’s Memphis’ eighth win in nine games, moving them to third place in the West after being in 10th just 19 days ago
• Speaking of rising up, watch Ja elevate for that absurd double-clutch jam in slo-mo
• C’s Scoring: Jrue Holiday led the Celtics with a season-high 23 points

Thunder 119, Pelicans 109: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31) and Jalen Williams (27) combined for 58 points, and the West-leading Thunder rolled to a wire-to-wire win over the Pelicans, despite a season-high 26 points from Dejounte Murray. | Recap

• All OKC: Leading the NBA in point differential (11.9), the Thunder have now won three straight games, all by double digits

Heat 121, Suns 111: After trailing by five at the half, Bam Adebayo (25 pts, 12 reb, 8 ast) and Jimmy Butler (24 pts) helped spark a 25-8 run to open the 3rd, as Miami took control and pulled away from the Suns for back-to-back wins. | Recap

4. JOKIĆ & YOUNG DUEL IN MATCHUP OF OFFENSIVE MAESTROS

On Friday, Trae Young made history as the first player ever to post 30+ points, 20+ assists, and 5+ 3s in a game, capped by a game-winner in OT to beat the Lakers and extend the Hawks’ win streak to six.

One night later, Nikola Jokić became the first player in league history to total 55+ points, 15+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 3+ 3s in a game.

Tonight, one game after rewriting the record books, the two superstar stat-stuffers collide amid scorching runs (6 ET, League Pass).

• Triple Trouble: Jokić not only leads the NBA in triple-doubles (9), but he’s also averaging a triple-double with a career-high in points (31.4) and assists (10.3) along with 13.6 boards per game
• A Class Of His Own: Jokić ranks top two in scoring (2), rebounding (1) and assists (2), making him the only player in the league to crack the top 10 in all three categories
• A 5 For The Ages: He’s also on pace to become the first center in NBA history to average 10+ assists in a season

The only other player averaging more helpers than Jokić this season? You guessed it — Young, with a career-high 12.3 assists per game

• Double Trouble: While Jokić leads the NBA in triple-doubles, Young leads the league with 16 double-doubles of points & assists
• 20/20 Vision: Young has recorded two 20+ point, 20+ assist games in Atlanta’s last six outings, a feat only accomplished six times before in that span
• Hawks History: He also has 139 assists in his last 10 outings, the most in a 10-game span in Hawks franchise history

Jokić and Young are the only two players averaging 10+ assists this season, and they’re each posting 20+ points a game to go along with it. But their impact goes far beyond their baseline numbers.

• The Joker’s Brilliance: In the 18 games Jokić has played this season, he’s scored or assisted on 1,039 out of the Nuggets’ 2,164 points (48%)
• With Jokić on the floor, Denver boasts a 123.6 offensive rating, which would rank higher than the current league-best (Knicks: 121.1)
• When he’s off the court, Denver’s offensive rating drops to 93.4, which would rank 30th in the NBA
• Trae Time: Meanwhile, Young has scored or assisted on 1,179 of the Hawks’ 2,699 points (43.7%)
• When Young’s on the court, Atlanta owns a 114.1 offensive rating. When he’s off, it drops to 102.1

Tonight, the two offensive orchestrators will take the floor against one other.

5. BIG SUNDAY: CAVS & MAGIC LOOK TO STAY HOT, CP3 EYES HISTORY

The must-see matchups don’t stop there. Sunday brings 11 more games on NBA League Pass, offering a full day of hoops from coast to coast.

From a clash of East contenders in Miami to a history-making opportunity in San Antonio, there’s no shortage of storylines. Below are just four of the day’s many showdowns to keep an eye on:

Cavaliers at Heat (6 ET): One day after achieving their best 24-game start in franchise history with a 21-3 record, the Cavs will look to earn their fifth straight W as they take on Jimmy Butler and the Heat, who are seeking their third win in a row.

• Number To Know: Cleveland leads the NBA with 121.8 ppg this season but lost last year’s season series to Miami 3-1 while being held to 98.8 ppg

Suns at Magic (6:30 ET): After falling to the Sixers on Friday for just their third loss in their last 16 games, the Magic will face Devin Booker and the Suns in Orlando, where they’re a perfect 9-0 this season.

• Franz Out: The Magic are the only team yet to lose at home this year, but they’ll be without Franz Wagner (24.4 ppg), who is out indefinitely with a torn right oblique

Pelicans at Spurs (7 ET): Will we see history tonight in San Antonio? Chris Paul enters Sunday just three dimes shy of passing Jason Kidd (12,091) for No. 2 on the all-time assists list. CP3 is averaging 8.5 apg this season, and the Spurs are 7-3 when he tallies 10+ helpers.

Wolves at Warriors (8:30 ET): After beating the Warriors 107-90 on Friday, the Wolves will look to do it again tonight while seeking their fifth straight win. Minnesota has allowed 92 points or fewer in each of its last four games — the longest such streak since Memphis did so in 2021.

Sunday’s action gets underway with a mid-day battle between the 76ers and Bulls (1 ET), and continues throughout the day, capped by LeBron James and the Lakers taking on the Blazers (9:30 ET).