Crash the glass. Call game.

THE LINEUP 🏀

Nov. 7, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Only One Remains: The Cavs stayed perfect, while the Joker’s ace ended OKC’s streak

Must-See TV: Suns & Dubs stay hot, PG returns to LA, Brandon Miller says goodnight

Roundup: In Wednesday’s 12-game slate, two No. 1 picks selected 21 years apart shined

Triple Threat: Ant & the Wolves face the Bulls tonight in a potential 3-point party

Welcome To West A: West Group A features plenty of contenders for the Emirates NBA Cup

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Three marquee games…

Three games tip off Thursday in prime time, headlined with Anthony Edwards and the Wolves visiting the Bulls on NBA TV (8 ET). On League Pass, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks host the Jazz (8 ET), while Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs face the Blazers (8 ET).

1. CAVS STAY PERFECT, NUGGETS END OKC’S STREAK

For the first time in franchise history, the Cavaliers are 9-0.

But the record-breaking win demanded a comeback.

Cavaliers 131, Pelicans 122: Trailing by as many as 16 in the 2nd quarter, Cleveland closed the 1st half on a 23-11 run to enter the break tied at 59. Then, Donovan Mitchell (29 pts, 3 ast) took over as the Cavs outscored New Orleans 40-29 in the 3rd quarter to take control and never looked back for their ninth straight win. | Recap

• Cleveland Rocks: The Cavs are just the sixth team since 2000-01 to start 9-0, with the most recent being the 2022-23 Bucks
• Buckets In Bulk: Through nine games, Cleveland has already hit the 130-point mark four times, matching their total from all of last season and one shy of the single-season franchise record of five
• Cavs Contributions: Mitchell scored 20 points in the 2nd half, while Jarrett Allen (16 pts, 14 reb), Caris LeVert (16 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) and Evan Mobley (15 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast, 3 blk) all stuffed the stat sheet
• Allen On The Win: “It shows how we are willing to fight for each other, how we are willing to go any length to get the win together.”

While the Cavs made history, the league’s only other remaining unbeaten team fell thanks to a historic performance from the reigning Kia NBA MVP.

Nuggets 124, Thunder 122: With OKC seeking its first 8-0 start since 1993-94 (when they were the Sonics), Jalen Williams (29 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (28 pts, 6 ast) helped the Thunder build a 16-point lead in the 3rd quarter.

But Nikola Jokić (23 pts, 20 reb, 16 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk) and Russell Westbrook (29 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) willed Denver back, and Peyton Watson’s last-second block sealed the win, handing Oklahoma City its first loss of the season. | Recap

• Joker Makes History: In his fourth triple-double of the year, Jokić became the first player since steals and blocks were first tracked in 1973-74 to record 20+ points, 20+ rebounds and 15+ assists along with 2+ steals and 2+ blocks in a game
• Jokić 🤝 Russ: In the win, Jokić also joined Westbrook as the only players to record a 20-20-15 game since 1968, as Russ tallied 20 points, 20 boards and 21 assists with OKC in 2019
• Michael Malone On The Win: “I’m proud of the fact that we don’t get down, we don’t quit, we stay with it and that’s the sign of a champion.”

2. ROAD DUBS, SHINING SUNS, PG RETURNS TO LA, AND THIS ⬇️

Hornets 108, Pistons 107: In a game with 17 ties and 18 lead changes, the Hornets found themselves up one with 14 seconds left. But Brandon Miller (19 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast) lost the ball on the ensuing inbound, leading to Ron Holland II’s go-ahead bucket for Detroit with 6.7 seconds remaining.

But Miller didn’t blink and responded with a buzzer-beating putback to give Charlotte a thrilling home win, improving them to 3-5. | Recap | Watch the Frantic Finish

• Hornets Buzzing: Miles Bridges (27 pts, 7 reb) led the Hornets in scoring, and LaMelo Ball (25 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast) had 15 points in the 4th quarter, including 8 in the final two minutes
• Miller On His Buzzer-Beater: “Just being a relentless offensive rebounder… the ball just happened to find me.”
• Cade Cooking: Cade Cunningham notched his second straight triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists

Warriors 118, Celtics 112: In a heavyweight bout in Boston, Jayson Tatum (32 pts, 4 reb, 5 3s) and the C’s rallied from a 14-point 3rd-quarter deficit to take the lead midway through the 4th, but Steph Curry (27 pts, 7 reb, 9 ast, 4 stl) and the Warriors (7-1) outscored the defending champs 32-22 in the final 7:54 to earn their fifth straight win, all of which have come on the road. | Recap

• Road Cookin’: Curry scored 21 points in the 2nd half, and Golden State is the first team to win their first five road games while scoring 115+ points in each win since the 1985-86 Lakers

Clippers 110, Sixers 98: Norman Powell (26 pts, 6 3s), James Harden (18 pts, 6 ast, 3 stl) and the Clippers spoiled Paul George’s return to LA as they used a 26-9 run to pull away in the 2nd half and secure their second win at the Intuit Dome. | Recap 

• PG Back In LA: In just his second game in a Sixers uniform, George returned to face the team he spent the last five seasons with. His first bucket back in LA was a 3 and he finished with a team-high 18 points in the loss

Suns 115, Heat 112: Kevin Durant scored 23 of his game-high 32 points in the 2nd half as the Suns used a 24-8 run to overcome a 15-point deficit. Durant scored 11 in the 4th quarter, including back-to-back tough jumpers in clutch time to seal the win and lift the Suns to 7-1 – their best start since opening the 2009-10 season 8-1. | Recap 

3. RISACHER, LEBRON, SABONIS MAKE HISTORY

Hawks 121, Knicks 116: Zaccharie Risacher had 22 points and five 3s — in the 1st half — as this year’s No. 1 pick went on to tally a team-high 33 points, seven boards and three steals to lead Atlanta past Karl-Anthony Towns (34 pts, 16 reb), Jalen Brunson (21 pts) and the Knicks. | Recap

• Risacher Writes History: At 19 years and 212 days old, Risacher is the youngest player to total 20+ points and 5+ triples in a 1st half since tracking began (1997-98), and he is the youngest player in Hawks history to score 30+ points

Pacers 118, Magic 111: Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, Tyrese Haliburton and Jarace Walker each turned in 17 points for Indiana while Bennedict Mathurin scored a team-high 20 points to help the Pacers (4-4) hold off Franz Wagner (28 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast) and the Magic (3-6). | Recap

Rockets 127, Spurs 100: Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green led seven Rockets in double figures with 21 points apiece, and Houston never trailed to improve to 5-3 with a win over Victor Wembanyama (15 pts, 6 reb, 3 blk, including one must-see rejection at the rim) and the Spurs. | Recap 

Grizzlies 131, Lakers 114: Playing in his 1,500th career regular-season game — an accomplishment only achieved by five other NBA players — LeBron James dropped a game-high 39 points with six 3s, seven boards and six dimes. But Ja Morant (20 pts, 5 ast, 4 reb) and the Grizzlies pulled away in the 2nd half to improve to 5-4. | Recap

• 20s All Around: Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jaylen Wells scored 20 points apiece alongside Morant, who left the game in the 3rd quarter with a right hamstring injury
• The List: James joins Hall of Famers John Stockton (1,504), Dirk Nowitzki (1,522), Vince Carter (1,541), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,560) and Robert Parish (1,611) as the only players to have appeared in 1,500+ NBA games

Kings 122, Raptors 107: Four days after an OT loss to the Raptors in Toronto, the Kings entered the 4th quarter trailing by four and looked to a former Raptor to bring them home. DeMar DeRozan scored 11 of his game-high 27 points in the 4th as the Kings won the final frame 33-14 to improve to 5-3. | Recap 

• Flawless Victory: Domantas Sabonis (17 pts, 11 reb, 13 ast, 6-6 FG, 5-5 FT, 0 tov) became the first player since 1977-78 to record a triple-double with no missed field goals, no missed free throws and no turnovers

Mavs 119, Bulls 99: Dallas had lost the 1st quarter in five of its first seven games. Kyrie Irving wouldn’t let it happen on Wednesday against Chicago, scoring 15 in the first frame as the Mavs took control and never trailed again. Luka Dončić (27 pts, 7 reb, 13 ast, 4 stl) stuffed the stat sheet as Dallas led by as many as 30 and cruised to reach 5-3. | Recap

4. TRIPLE THREAT: WOLVES, BULLS BRING THE HEAT FROM DEEP

Entering the 2024-25 season, Steph Curry was the only player in NBA history to have made 35+ 3s in the first seven games of a season.

Now, Steph has company, as Anthony Edwards has knocked down 36 triples in his first seven outings for an NBA-best 5.1 3s per game, while shooting a career-high 45.0% from beyond the arc.

And on Thursday, fans could see even more triples as Ant and the Wolves take on the sharpshooting Bulls, who had Minnesota’s number last season (8 ET, NBA TV).

• Minny From 3: As a team, the Wolves have made 113 3s, the most through the first seven games of a season in franchise history
• A New Stretch Big: Like Edwards, Minnesota’s recent All-Star acquisition, Julius Randle is shooting a career-best from 3 at 46.4%
• Red-Hot Bulls: While Minnesota has hit 16.1 3s per game, Chicago has knocked down 15.1 — the second and fifth-best averages in the NBA this season, respectively
• Shooting Stars: Chicago’s top three leading scorers — Zach LaVine (22.7 ppg, 45.8 3P%), Nikola Vucevic (20.8 ppg, 45.7 3P%) and Coby White (19.0 ppg, 38.9%) — are all shooting a career-best from beyond the arc
• Chicago took last year’s season series 2-0, with White averaging 25.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 5.0 apg, hitting 5.5 3s per game at a 57.9% clip, while Edwards (33.0 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 5.0 apg) led Minnesota

Two more games tip-off on League Pass at 8 ET, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks host Lauri Markkanen and the Jazz while Victor Wembanyama and Spurs take on the Blazers.

Jazz at Bucks (8 ET): In a matchup featuring two 1-6 teams seeking timely wins, will Milwaukee break its six-game slide? Or will Utah notch another W after picking up its first win of the season on Monday?

Trail Blazers at Spurs (8 ET): On the second leg of a back-to-back, will San Antonio (3-5) bounce back from Wednesday’s loss to Houston? Or will the Blazers (3-5) notch their second win in a row?

5. EMIRATES NBA CUP COUNTDOWN: WEST GROUP A PREVIEW

The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 tips off in just five days, with Group Play opening on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

Our countdown previewing every group in the competition began with East Group A and continues today with West Group A.

Here are the five teams in the group, ranked in order of win percentage in head-to-head matchups from last season against the other teams within the group.

• Minnesota Timberwolves: 11-3 (.786)
• LA Clippers: 9-6 (.600)
• Houston Rockets: 7-6 (.538)
• Sacramento Kings: 6-7 (.462)
• Portland Trail Blazers: 2-13 (.133)

The full 10-game Group Play schedule is above. Here are three matchups to circle:

• Wolves at Kings (Nov. 15, 10 ET, League Pass): Last season, Minnesota had a chance to clinch its group with a win over the Kings, but De’Aaron Fox (36 pts, 12 ast) had other ideas as he led the Kings to a 124-111 road win despite Anthony Edwards’ 35 points. The Kings stayed unbeaten and won the group. The Wolves won the first meeting this season, 117-115, on Oct. 24
• Clippers at Rockets (Nov. 15, 8 ET, League Pass): Another group play rematch from last season saw James Harden hit a tie-breaking four-point play with six seconds left against his former team Rockets) to earn his first win with his new team (Clippers). In seven games against the Rockets since leaving Houston, Harden has gone 5-2 while averaging 23.6 pts, 8.4 ast and 7.0 reb
• Clippers at Wolves (Nov. 29, 7:30 ET, ESPN): The only nationally televised game from this group features teams that finished third (Wolves) and fourth (Clippers) in the West last season. In a tight conference race that came down to tiebreakers, all head-to-head matchups take on added importance, in addition to the NBA Cup stakes already at play