A showdown unlike any other and a start only seen six times before.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Jan. 9, 2025

History Delivers: A one-of-a-kind clash sees Cavs outlast Thunder, with rematch coming next Thursday (7:30 ET, TNT)

Strength In Numbers: How the Cavs’ depth shined when it mattered most

Voices From the Floor: “It was just pure basketball.”

Roundup: Two surging East squads stay hot and more from Wednesday’s eight-game slate

Defensive Duel: Orlando’s resilience meets Minnesota with Anthony Edwards on fire

BUT FIRST … ⏰
Another night of elite action…

More must-see hoops tip off tonight, highlighted by the Magic’s stifling defense taking on a red-hot Anthony Edwards and the Wolves on NBA TV (7 ET).

Marquee West Duel: Seven games get underway on League Pass, including a matchup between the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the West, respectively, as the Rockets face the Grizzlies (8 ET).

Shape The All-Star Game: Fans can vote on starters for the 2025 All-Star Game every day until Jan. 20 on the NBA App or NBA.com with their NBA ID. Don’t miss your shot — tap to vote now.

1. CLASH OF THE TITANS: CAVS EDGE THUNDER IN EPIC BATTLE

In over 66,000 regular-season NBA games, the league had never seen:

• A 15-game win streak collide with a 10-game win streak
• Two teams from different conferences with .850+ win percentages face off this late in a season

Until Wednesday, when the West-leading Thunder met the East-leading Cavs.

And fittingly, the historic matchup delivered a classic.

Cavaliers 129, Thunder 122: In a game that featured eight ties and 30 lead changes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with a game-high 31 points, while Jalen Williams added 25.

But seven Cavs scored in double figures, as Cleveland outscored OKC 23-15 in the final 9:05 while holding the Thunder scoreless for the final two minutes to earn a hard-fought dub in a heavyweight bout with Playoff-like intensity. | Recap

• Hot Streaks: It was Cleveland’s 11th straight victory, improving its NBA-best record to 32-4 while snapping OKC’s franchise-record win streak at 15 games
• Historic Start: The Cavs are just the seventh team in NBA history to open a season with a 32-4 record or better
• Coming Up BIG: Jarrett Allen led the way for the Cavs with 25 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals, while Evan Mobley added 21 points, 10 boards and seven dimes
• 1-2 Punch: They are the first Cavs teammates to each post 20+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists in the same game since LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on Nov. 17, 2017

Back-And-Forth Battle: The 30 lead changes were the second-most in a game this season, as the top two teams in the NBA exchanged haymakers for a full 48 minutes.

• Thunder Strike: SGA had 16 in the 1st half, helping the Thunder build a nine-point edge early in the 2nd quarter — the largest lead of the game
• Cavs Clap Back: But Cleveland clawed back, and Donovan Mitchell’s two-handed hammer right before the half put them up 62-59 at the break

Tug-Of-War: Then, an electrifying 84-point 3rd quarter — the first game this season where both teams scored 40+ points in a Q — saw 14 lead changes and no lead larger than six, setting up a decisive final frame.

• The Run: Down 107-106, Cleveland went on a 8-0 spurt to take control, but SGA kept answering to keep OKC within striking distance
• The Finish: In the clutch, the Cavs slammed the door, outscoring the Thunder 13-6, including 5-0 in the final two minutes to stamp a statement win
• The Hustle: The Cavs grabbed the final five rebounds of the game, including three offensive boards to bleed the clock to triple zeroes
• “It felt like a battle the whole night,” said Allen postgame. “They were scoring, we were scoring … At the end of the night, it came down to which team had more effort.”

2. STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: A TEAM EFFORT IN A HISTORIC TEAM WIN

Before Thursday, the last team to open a season 32-4 or better was the 2015-16 Warriors, who set an NBA record with 73 wins.

The 2024-25 Cavs now join that elite group, becoming just the seventh team in history to reach the milestone.

Of the previous six squads to hit the mark, four went on to win the NBA Finals:

• 2015-16 Warriors (34-2 start | Lost Finals)
• 1996-97 Bulls (32-4 | Won Finals)
• 1995-96 Bulls (33-3 | Won Finals)
• 1980-81 76ers (32-4 | Lost ECF)
• 1971-72 Lakers (33-3 | Won Finals)
• 1966-67 76ers (33-3 | Won Finals)

Cleveland’s historic start puts it in rare company, and last night – in a historic matchup – the Cavs proved why they belong.

Depth Shines: With Donovan Mitchell limited to just 11 points (nearly 12 below his season average of 22.9) on 3-of-16 shooting, the Cavs relied on their entire lineup to step up.

And they did — at the biggest of moments.

• Bench Boost: Max Strus (17 pts) and Ty Jerome (15) each shot 6-of-7 off the bench while scoring six of the Cavs’ eight points amid the 8-0 run in the 4th that gave them the lead for good
• Allen & Spida: Minutes later, with OKC down just four, Jarrett Allen came up with a crucial block, leading to a Mitchell 3 to send Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse into a frenzy
• Co-Stars Close: Evan Mobley dropped seven points in the 4th, capped by a clutch floater with 1:07 left to push Cleveland’s lead back up to five
• The next possession? Darius Garland called game, dropping in a dagger finger roll with 27 ticks left
• “That’s just what we do,” said Allen on Cleveland’s depth postgame. “Everybody’s ready. Everybody’s willing to make the next pass to the open man, and we have a bunch of shooters that can knock down shots.”

Allen’s right. The Cavs are on pace to become the first team in NBA history to shoot over 50% from the field and over 40% from 3 in a single season.

On Thursday, they hit both marks (52.2% FG, 41.7% 3PT), stamping a 36-game start that the league has only seen six times before.

3. VOICES FROM THE FLOOR: REACTIONS TO AN ELECTRIC CLASH

“That was great. Great for the game,” said Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson on last night’s historic duel. “Doesn’t matter who won, who lost … it was a beautiful game.

“Playoff atmosphere, Playoff competition … it was just pure basketball.”

Atkinson wasn’t the only one struck by the game’s intensity. Even before the final buzzer, ESPN’s play-by-play commentator Mike Breen noted that Wednesday felt different.

• Breen: “Right from the opening tip, the competitiveness, the tenacity was not your regular season normal game.”
• Player’s Perspective: Donovan Mitchell felt the same thing from the home crowd
• “It was an incredible environment,” said Mitchell. “Cleveland always shows out for big games … and they didn’t disappoint tonight.”

In a matchup featuring the league’s top-rated defense and the league’s top-rated offense, the Cavs’ potent attack got the best of OKC, which allowed nearly 26 more points than its season average (103.7).

• “They stretch you out,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault postgame. “Because they got those point-of-attack guys, and then they’ve got the rim presence with the two bigs, and then they’ve got the shooters…
• “You got to be really good in all facets on that end of the floor against them. That’s why they’re the best offense in the league.”

OKC, which became the youngest team to earn the top seed in a conference last season, hadn’t lost a regular-season game since Dec. 1.

Now, the West leaders have a new lesson to learn from as they continue to assert themselves among the best.

• “It’s just what happens when you play against really good opponents,” said Daigneault on Wednesday’s loss. “It’s hard to get them every time when you’re playing against great teams.
• “We’ve beaten our share of good teams over the last week and certainly have confidence … but you got to play up to a really high standard that we didn’t reach.”
• In just seven days, OKC will get another chance to rise to the occasion when they host Cleveland on their home floor.

4. ROUNDUP: SURGING EAST SQUADS, DEER DUO SHINES & MORE

The Detroit Pistons are undefeated in 2025 and above .500 through the first 37 games of a season for the first time in eight years.

Pistons 113, Nets 98: Malik Beasley led Detroit with 23 points, while Cade Cunningham added 13 points, five boards and five assists in 23 minutes as the Pistons pulled away from the Nets to improve to 19-18 on the season. | Recap

• It’s Detroit’s fifth straight win and its ninth in the last 11 games, trailing only Cleveland (11) and OKC (10) for the most in that span

Pacers 129, Bulls 113: Pascal Siakam dropped 26 points, while Tyrese Haliburton dissected the defense (16 pts, 13 ast) to help lead Indy to its fourth straight win, despite Zach LaVine’s 31 points. | Recap

Knicks 112, Raptors 98: Karl-Anthony Towns was a force (27 pts, 13 reb) and OG Anunoby also notched 27 points against his former team as the Knicks outpaced the Raptors to snap their three-game skid. | Recap

In a must-see matchup between two otherworldly athletes, the Greek Freak and his co-star stole the show.

Bucks 121, Spurs 105: Giannis Antetokounmpo (25 pts, 16 reb, 8 ast) and Damian Lillard (26 pts, 8 ast) went off as the Bucks jumped out to a 65-46 lead at the break and never looked back to beat Victor Wembanyama (10 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk) and the Spurs. | Recap

• Giannis Passes Kareem: With the performance, Giannis overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (431) for the most double-doubles in Bucks history

76ers 109, Wizards 103: With the score tied at 103, Tyrese Maxey buried the go-ahead bucket with 24 seconds left, capping a 29-point performance to stave off the Wizards for a Sixers’ dub. | Recap

Nuggets 126, Clippers 103: With Nikola Jokić out, Jamal Murray delivered (21 pts, 9 ast) as Denver never trailed to top Norman Powell (30 pts) and the Clips, who were without Kawhi Leonard. | Recap

Blazers 119, Pelicans 100: Deni Avdija (26) and Shaedon Sharpe (21) combined for 47 points as the Blazers earned a wire-to-wire win over the Pelicans. | Recap

5. ELITE DEFENSES CLASH IN ANOTHER CAN’T-MISS SLATE

Few teams have faced more adversity than the Magic this season.

• On Oct. 30, the team’s leading scorer, Paolo Banchero, suffered a torn right oblique
• On Dec. 6, their second-leading scorer, Franz Wagner, was sidelined by the same injury
• On Dec. 21, Moritz Wagner, the team’s fourth-leading scorer, sustained a season-ending ACL injury

Yet, Orlando’s remained a top team in the East, holding the fourth seed or better since Nov. 12 thanks to a “next man up” mentality and a defense that’s allowing the fewest ppg in the NBA (103.2).

• “No matter who is on the floor, we know how we’re going to defend,” said Magic coach Jamahl Mosley on Orlando’s mindset. “We know how we’re going to keep fighting…”

Tonight, Orlando will face another top defense – and one of the hottest superstars in the NBA – when it hosts Anthony Edwards and the Wolves on NBA TV (7 ET).

• Howling Defense: Minnesota is allowing the fourth-fewest ppg in the league (107.7) and ranks second in DefRtg since Dec. 1 (107.7)
• Ant On Fire: Beginning with a career-high 53 points on Saturday, Edwards is averaging 40.7 ppg in the last three outings, capped by a pair of Wolves wins
• Paolo’s Return? Meanwhile, Orlando’s star is could return soon as Banchero is officially listed as questionable for tonight’s matchup

Seven more games get underway tonight on League Pass, highlighted by a marquee West duel:

Rockets at Grizzlies (8 ET): Separated by just a half-game, the Rockets and Grizzlies have shared the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the West since Dec. 19, but have been winning in different ways.

• The Grizzlies rank first in both ppg (123.1) and pace (105.4) and second in assists (30.3)
• The Rockets are allowing the third-fewest ppg (106.8) and held Memphis to 108 in a 20-point win in the two teams’ first matchup this October

Meanwhile, the Cavs will look to extend their 11-game win streak as they host the Raptors (7 ET), while the Pistons face Steph Curry and the Warriors (7 ET).

Remaining League Pass Schedule

• Blazers at Mavericks (8:30 ET)
• Hawks at Suns (9 ET)
• Heat at Jazz (9 ET)
• Hornets at Lakers (10:30 ET)