When you take over the top spot on the Kia MVP Ladder and win for the 16th time in 17 regular season games.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Jan. 11, 2025

Friday’s Finest: OKC bounces back, Bucks prevail in Paolo’s return, Denver duo makes history

Hot Streaks: The Kings & Pacers keep winning, while LaVine & CJ keep scoring

MVP Shuffle: The Kia MVP Ladder has a new leader, but the race is just getting started

Ant vs. Ja: Two of the NBA’s most electrifying players go head-to-head tonight

The Great Barrier Thief: Dyson Daniels’ historic defensive season and his impact in Atlanta

BUT FIRST … ⏰
A Saturday marathon…

9+ hours of hoops get under way today on League Pass, beginning with the Hawks hosting the Rockets (3 ET). To highlight Saturday’s five-game slate, Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards will go head-to-head as the Grizzlies face the Wolves in primetime (8 ET).

L.A. Games Postponed: The NBA announced that it has postponed Saturday’s home games for the Lakers (vs. Spurs) and the Clippers (vs. Hornets) due to the ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The dates for the rescheduled games will be announced at a later time.

Wildfire Relief Efforts: The entire NBA, NBPA, WNBA and WNBPA family sends its thoughts and support to the community of Los Angeles during this challenging time. To learn more, get help and/or support, visit NBA Cares.

1. OKC REBOUNDS, BUCKS OVERCOME PAOLO’S RETURN, HISTORY IN DENVER

Two nights after having their franchise-record 15-game win streak snapped, the Thunder wasted no time getting back to their winning ways.

Thunder 126, Knicks 101: Sparked by a 30-9 run spanning the 1st and 2nd quarters and a combined 70 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (39 pts, 71.4% FG) and Isaiah Joe (31 pts, career-high 8 3pm), the Thunder beat the Knicks to improve to 5-1 following a loss this season. | Recap

• SGA Passes The Glove: With his 12th game with 30+ points on 70%+ shooting with the Thunder, SGA passed Gary Payton for the second most games in franchise history behind Kevin Durant’s 14
• Welcome Back: Isaiah Hartenstein received a warm reception in his return to MSG, before finishing with six points, nine boards, six dimes, two steals and two blocks

After missing the past 34 games, Paolo Banchero returned for the Magic in his first game since Oct. 30. And it all started with the gong of The Undertaker’s entrance music during starting lineup introductions.

• Paolo’s Reaction: “That was dope. Honestly, I started smiling when I heard it. That was pretty cool.”

Bucks 109, Magic 106: Paolo (34 pts, 5 3pm) showed no rust after his 72-day absence, but a combined 70 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo (41 pts, 14 reb) and Damian Lillard (29 pts) was too much to overcome as the Bucks held off the Magic for their third straight win. | Recap

• Giannis Rising: With his 43rd career game with 40+ points and 10+ rebounds, Giannis tied Shaquille O’Neal and Joel Embiid for the sixth most 40/10 games in NBA history
• Bucks Rising: With the win, Milwaukee leapfrogged Orlando for fourth place in the East and took a 2-0 lead in the season series. The teams meet again Wednesday in Milwaukee

Nuggets teammates Russell Westbrook (202) and Nikola Jokić (145) rank first and third, respectively, on the all-time triple-double list and added to their totals in historic fashion on Friday.

Nuggets 124, Nets 105: Jokić (35 pts, 12 reb, 15 ast) and Westbrook (25 pts, 11 reb, 10 ast) became the first teammates to each record a triple-double in the same game multiple times in a single season (they also did so Dec. 30 at Utah) to lead Denver past Brooklyn. | Recap

• Nuggets Coach Michael Malone: “You’re watching history. This is the History Channel.”
• Déjà Vu: This marks the second time in NBA history that teammates have posted 25+ point triple-doubles in the same game. The other time? Game 3 of the 2023 Finals with Jokič and Jamal Murray

2. RUNS CONTINUE FOR KINGS, PACERS, LAVINE & MCCOLLUM

Only three NBA teams have been able to keep their New Year’s resolution of not losing a game in 2025 – the league-leading Cavs (4-0), the Pacers (5-0) and the Kings (5-0).

Kings 114, Celtics 97: The Kings got a career night from Domantas Sabonis (23 pts, 28 reb) and used a dominant 4th quarter (38-21) to defeat the defending champs, extend their win streak to six, get back to .500 (19-19) and climb to 9th in the West. | Recap

• Glass Cleaner: Sabonis’ 28 boards were not only a career-high, but the most in Kings franchise history since 1969, and the most by any NBA player this season
• Stepping Up: With leading scorer De’Aaron Fox missing his third straight game, the Kings got a combined 65 points from DeMar DeRozan (24), Malik Monk (22) and Keegan Murray (19)
• Getting Defensive: The Kings snapped a six-game losing streak to Boston by joining OKC as the only teams to hold the Celtics under 100 points this season

Pacers 108, Warriors 96: The Pacers got a pair of 25-point games from Tyrese Haliburton (10 ast) and Pascal Siakam (9 reb) to race past the shorthanded Warriors for their fifth straight win, matching their longest streak of the season. | Recap

• Haliburton On A Heater: Tyrese needed only 10 shots to get his 25 points on Friday as he continued his hot shooting during the streak – posting 54.7% FG, 48.7% 3P, 88.5% FT shooting splits over the last five games
• Winning Math(urin): Bennedict Mathurin (21 pts, 10 reb) posted his sixth 20/10 game of the season and is a team-best plus-99 in 154 minutes played during the win streak
• Missing Offense: Without their top three scorers – Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga – the Warriors were held under 100 points for the 11th time, falling to 1-10 in those games

Bulls 138, Wizards 105: Michael Jordan. DeMar DeRozan. Zach LaVine. That’s the list of Bulls players to score 30+ points in five straight games.

LaVine’s game-high 33 points and Nikola Vučević’s double-double (23 pts, 13 reb, 6 ast) led the Bulls past the Wizards. | Recap

• LaVine’s Resurgence Continues: After averaging 19.5 points over 25 games last season, LaVine is averaging 23.6 ppg on career-best shooting (51.8% FG, 44.4% 3P) in 33 games this season

Pelicans 123, Sixers 115: CJ McCollum (38 pts, 6 3pm) led the Pelicans to their third win in the last five games.

Jordan Hawkins added 21 points as NOLA overcame double-doubles by Tyrese Maxey (30 pts, 12 ast) and Paul George (25 pts, 11 reb). | Recap

• Happy New Year: In six games in 2025, CJ is averaging 27.2 ppg on 51.7% shooting and 47.4% on 3s. In 20 games prior to January, CJ averaged 21.4 ppg on 44% FG, 34.8% 3P shooting splits

3. KIA MVP SHUFFLE: SGA TOPS THE LATEST LADDER

For the first time in nine weeks, the Kia MVP Ladder has a new leader.

As Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has propelled the Thunder to 16 wins in their last 17 games, he’s also energized his MVP campaign and now sits atop the Kia MVP Ladder for the first time this season.

• All-Around Excellence: In 2024-25, SGA is posting 31.5 points on 52.7% shooting, along with 5.5 boards, 5.9 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per game
• SGA 🤝 MJ: That puts him on pace to become the second player since steals were first tracked in 1973-74 to average 30+ points on 50%+ shooting, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 2+ steals and 1+ block — joining Michael Jordan (2x)

Amid OKC’s 16-1 stretch, Gilgeous-Alexander has been even better, fueling the Thunder to a franchise-record 15-game win streak.

• Winning Ways: Since Dec. 3, when OKC’s win streak began, SGA leads the league in 30-point games (13) and ranks first in both plus-minus (+13.8) and DefRtg (99.7)
• Level Up: In OKC’s last four games – against the top three teams in the East in the Cavs, Celtics and Knicks (2x) – SGA has averaged 34.0 ppg, leading the Thunder to three wins
• “He’s always the coolest guy in the room,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault on SGA in December. “What’s impressive to me, besides what everybody can see on the surface, is the defense … and the ascension of his teammates.
• “His teammates have been able to ascend [as well] … those two things can get overshadowed by his greatness on offense.”

Right behind SGA is Nikola Jokić, who held the top spot for eight straight weeks before Friday, followed by Giannis Antetokounmpo.

• The Joker: Ranked second in scoring (31.6) and assists (9.9) and third in rebounds (13.0), Jokić is the only player ranked in the top 10 in all three categories
• The Greek Freak: Meanwhile, Giannis leads the NBA in scoring (31.7) and ranks fifth in rebounds (11.9), while trailing only SGA (22) for the most 30-point games this season (20)

Trailing the trio is Victor Wembanyama (No. 4), who continues to climb the ladder thanks to a 12-game stretch where he’s posted 28.8 points, 3.7 3s, 11.5 boards and 5.0 blocks – numbers unmatched by any player in any 12-game span.

Jayson Tatum rounds out the top five, where he’s been for over two months — just as the defending champion Celtics have maintained a steady presence near the top of the East.

4. JA vs. ANT: A VIRAL MOMENT WAITING TO HAPPEN

On Saturday, two walking highlight reels meet when Ja Morant and the Grizzlies visit Anthony Edwards and the Wolves — in a battle of the 3rd and 7th teams in the West, respectively (8 ET, League Pass).

The NBA’s top 10 most viral plays of 2024 included a pair of Ja 360 layups and a pair of Ant-Man slams, but there were even more moments to choose from.

Here are just a few spectacular plays from this season before the two stars share the court tonight.

Nov. 15: Ant hits Sacramento’s Keegan Murray with a crossover and drives to the rack for the ferocious slam, while Domantas Sabonis avoids the poster.

Nov. 29: Ja set the hoops world abuzz with a one-handed throwdown on the alley-oop against the Pelicans.

Dec. 7: A baseline drive into a double-pump reverse slam against a 7-foot-2 center who’s a top-3 rim protector … that’s just what Ja does on a Saturday night in Boston.

Jan. 6: Ant’s dangerous on the baseline drive himself, elevating for the two-handed slam against the Clippers.

Will it be Ant or Ja that delivers the viral moment on Saturday night? And in a packed West, who gets the W?

5. THE GREAT BARRIER THIEF: DYSON DANIELS’ HISTORIC DEFENSIVE SEASON

The NBA hasn’t seen a player record 225+ steals in a single season since Allen Iverson in 2003.

This season, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels is on pace for 228, with 106 swipes through 34 games played.

• The next closest player? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with 75.

Hailing from Bendigo, Australia, where his father played pro basketball, Daniels, 21, was tagged with the nickname “The Great Barrier Thief,” by his teammate Larry Nance Jr.

And while the Great Barrier Reef stretches over 1,400 miles in the Pacific, Daniels covers all 94 feet on the floor.

• Dyson Vacuum: Snatching an NBA-best 3.1 steals per game, Daniels is on pace to become the first player to average 3+ steals since Alvin Robertson in 1990-91
• Magical Company: Since steals were first tracked in 1973-74, only one player has averaged 3+ steals in an entire season under the age of 23 — Magic Johnson (21)
• Historic Hands: Daniels is also averaging 6.6 deflections per game, on pace to set a new single-season record since deflections began being tracked nine seasons ago
• To put that in perspective, with 225 total deflections on the season, Daniels has 87 more than the next closest player (Kelly Oubre Jr.: 138)

And Daniels’ defensive energy has lifted the Hawks on both ends, as they rank second in steals (10.3) and third in pace (104.35), leading to the fifth-most fast break points in the NBA (17.5).

• “People talk about Dyson’s impact defensively,” said Hawks coach Quin Snyder two weeks ago. “I think to the extent that our whole team is embracing it … we’re shifting, we’re helping each other, and that leads to deflections.”
• Trae Tapped In: Hawks star Trae Young has joined Daniels, averaging an NBA-best 12.1 assists per game along with 1.3 steals – tied for his career-high

On Saturday, Daniels, Young and the Hawks will host the West’s second-seeded Rockets (3 ET), who are seeking their fourth win in a row.

The matchup tips off a full day of hoops on League Pass: Jazz at Suns (5 ET), Raptors at Pistons (7 ET), Heat at Blazers (10 ET).