Starting 5, November 22: Franz’s magic touch snaps Lakers’ winning streak and a decisive Friday in the Emirates NBA Cup

On By Littum

A Hollywood ending for Franz and the Magic.

THE LINEUP

November 22, 2024 | What’s in today’s edition?

Abracadabra: How Wagner & Orlando pulled out a W to end LA’s streak

Miller & LaMelo Masterclass: Early birthday buckets and a Collection Thursday

Golden Chase: The Dubs open Friday’s doubleheader looking for stay perfect in NBA Cup action

Rivalry Regained: Pacers vs. Bucks tonight in an Emirates Rematch in NBA Cup and Playoff

“Something we will always remember”: Boston celebrates its 2024 title in the White House

BUT FIRST…

Buckle up because it’s Cup Night…

A decisive Friday cup night: With group play warm-up, the fourth night of the Emirates NBA Cup delivers eight matchups, headlined by a marquee doubleheader in the West Group C on ESPN.

To tip things off on the national stage, Steph Curry and The Warriors will look to improve to 3-0 in group play as they face Pelicans (7:30 p.m. ET). After that, Jamal Murray and the Nuggets will host Kyrie Irving and the Mavs (10 ET).

Looking for an Emirates NBA Cup standings check? We got you covered.

1. WAGNER WORKS MAGIC TO SNAP LAKERS’ WIN STREAK

One night after seeing their six-game winning streak snapped in one loss to the Clippers at the Intuit Dome, it was the Magic’s turn to play spoiler in Los Angeles.

Magic 119, Lakers 118: In a thriller that featured 13 ties and 21 lead changes, Anthony Davis (39 pts, 9 reb) and LeBron James (31 points, 10 reb, 7 ast) put on a show at the Crypto.com Arena and scored the Lakers’ final 23 points to give them a 118-114 lead with 27 seconds remaining.

But the magic refused to go away, and after cutting their deficit to two Franz Wagner took the rock and took the lead, spray a clear step back 3 with 2.5 ticks left to give The Lakers their first home loss of the season while ending their six game winning streak. | Recap | Catch the WILD Finale 2:11

  • Magic Man: Wagner ended the game with one season high 37 point and a career-high 11 dimes to become the youngest Magic player to record 35+ points and 10+ assists in a game at 23 years, 87 days old
  • Orlando Legends: Penny Hardaway (3x) and Tracy McGrady (3x) are the only other players in Magic history to post such a stat line
  • Duel 4th quarter: Wagner had 15 points in the 4th quarter when he went back and forth with James (14 pts, incl three straight triples) and Davis (9 pts). After Franz’s go-ahead triple, AD couldn’t get a fadeaway at the buzzer to fall

  • Triple Threat: Jalen suggests added 23 points, five assists, two steals and two blocks win, while Mo Wagner finished with 19 points and four helpers
  • LeBron vs. Kobe: Despite the loss, James tied Kobe Bryant (4x) for most games with 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ 3s in Lakers history

2. MILLER & LAMELO MASTERCLASS, BARRETT & BARNES DUDE UP

“Happy birthday to me.“

Brandon Miller may have asked for buckets for his birthday. Because that’s what he got.

One night before his 22nd birthday, Miller caught fire for one career-high 38 points on eight 3s and invited LaMelo Ball (35 pkt) to the party as the two a total of 73 to help the Hornets keep Cade Cunningham and the Pistons away for a 123-121 overtime victory. | Recap | Watch the OT ending

  • Buzzing Backcourt: Miller and Ball are the first Hornets duo in franchise history to each record 35+ points in the same game
  • Tandem takeover: They also combined for 13 assists (ball: 9, Miller: 4), which led to 35 more points, making them responsible for 108 of Charlotte’s 123 points (87.8%)

  • The icing on the cake: After the Hornets squandered a 20-point lead in regulation, Miller scored eight of their 14 points in OT in the final 1:43, capped by a dagger 3 with 32 seconds left
  • “Great team win” head coach Charles Lee said. “Every possession meant every hustle, every competitive effort was really good by the team. So proud of them for sticking with it.”
  • Cade Exit: Cunningham led Detroit with 27 points, seven boards and 10 dimes, but left the game with 48 seconds left in regulation due to a hip injury

Raptors 110, Timberwolves 105: After snapped a seven game streak with a win over Indiana on Monday, The Raptors got their second straight win as RJ Barrett (31 pts, 7 reb) sparked a 22-8 run to close the game and power through Anthony Edwards (26 pts) and the wolves. | Recap

  • RJ The Claw: In his 45th game with the franchise, Barrett became the second-fastest player to reach 1,000 points in Raptors history, trailing only Kawhi Leonard (37 games)
  • Roaring raptors: It was Barrett’s second straight 30 and his fifth of the season, while Chris Boucher chipped in 22 points and Jakob Poeltl notched a double-double (15 pts, 12 reb)
  • Ant and others: Edwards, the NBA’s 3-point leader with 72 on season, hit five triples, while Julius Randle (23 pts) and Jaden McDaniels (22 pts) combined for 45 points

Spurs 126, Jazz 118: With Victor Wembanyama out, Harrison Barnes delivered a season-high 25 points and 10 boards, and got help from Chris Paul (13 pts, 10 ast) as San Antonio scored Utah 75-51 in the 2nd half to overcome a 20-point deficit for a comeback dub. | Recap

  • CP3 and company: Paul scored all 13 of his points in the 2nd half, and Zach Collins and Stephon Castle finished with 18 points each
  • The win moves San Antonio to 8-8, marks the first time Team has been .500 or better through the first 16 games of a season since 2020-21
  • Lauri Markkanen scored a game-high 27 points for Utah, which has now dropped four games in a row

3. DUBS SURGE INTO FRIDAY’S EMIRATES NBA CUP DOUBLEHEADER ON ESPN

Into this week, 1,049 days had passed since the Warriors last held first place in the West.

But with an 11-3 start, Golden State is back on top for the first time since the 2021–22 season, in which they progressed to win the NBA Finals.

Tonight, they have a chance to take a step towards more hardware, as they look to improve to 3-0 in NBA Cup Group Play when they face the Pelicans to tip ESPN’s doubleheader (7:30 ET).

  • Round 3: Despite being without Steph Curry for both games, Golden State is 2-0 against New Orleans this season, with Buddy Hield (24.5) leading seven Warriors averaging 8.5+ points per game.
  • “We feel like we have a very versatile roster,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of his team’s depth. “And that we can play in many different ways.”
  • And they have: The Warriors have used eight different starting options lineups this season – the second most in the NBA – and is tied for the most 120+ point games with nine
  • Road Warriors in NOLA: Golden State has the third best road 6-2 NBA record, but the Pelicans have won five of the last eight meetings against them in New Orleans

Championship measuring stick: The Warriors’ 11 wins are theirs most through 14 games since 2021-22, when they opened the season at 12-2 and went on to win the title.

How do the two teams compare statistically? Well, in ten major categories, the divisions are strikingly similar:

In the second part of ESPN’s doubleheader, Kyrie Irving and the Mavs will take on Jamal Murray and the Nuggets (10 ET). Marked questionable last time out, could Nikola Jokic return to the lineup?

  • Last time these two teams met, Kyrie dropped a season-high 43 points against the Nuggets on Nov. 10 — but a Jokic triple-double and Michael Porter Jr.’s late bucket gave a red-hot Denver team its 5th straight win
  • Joker’s Wild: In that game, Nikola Jokic became the 3rd player ever averaged 29+ PPG, 15+ RPG, 14+ APG over a 4 game stretch, along with Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson
  • Dubs’ Potential Clinching Scenario: With a win over New Orleans and a Mavericks win over Denver, Golden State would clinch the top spot in West Group C as they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Dallas
  • Luka Doncic looking for Dallas (knee)

4. EMIRATES NBA CUP NIGHT: BUCKS & PACERS REIGNITE RIVALRY

With the Pacers up one and 2:40 left in last year Emirates NBA Cup semi-final against the Bucks, Tyrese Haliburton triggered one 15-7 Indiana run to close out the gamecapped by a dagger 3 with 48 seconds left.

The rally secured his team’s place in the championship. And that inform the league:

  • “It’s our time“ Haliburton said after the win. “We’re shocking the world right now.”

The win didn’t just help spark Indiana’s first run to the East Finals in a decade – it also set the stage for a season-long back and forth with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, turns one on burgeoning rivalry between the Eastern powers.

  • Gianni’s answer: In a rematch six days after the Pacers’ Semifinal win, Antetokounmpo responded in historic fashion, dropping a franchise-record 64 points to lead the Bucks to a 140-126 victory
  • Indiana retaliates: On January 1, Giannis logged a triple-double against the Pacers, but Indiana secured the win. Two days later, Haliburton dropped 31 to win the regular season 4-1
  • Playoff clash: In the first round of the 2024 playoffs, they were two the sides came out again and Indiana ended Milwaukee’s season in six games with Antetokounmpo sidelined by a calf strain

Now, with both teams at full strength, the rivalry is renewed tonight in the Emirates NBA Cup – where it all began a year ago (8 ET, League Pass).

This time, could it be the Bucks using the win as a springboard?

  • Return back: After a 2-8 start, Milwaukee has won four of its final five games to improve to 6-9 on the year
  • Set the pace: Last season, Giannis averaged 42.2 ppg against Indiana, while Damian Lillard posted 31.3 ppg in the two-sided playoff series
  • Indiana outbreak: In addition to his career-high 64 points, Giannis also dropped 54 against Indiana last November
  • And he warms up: Giannis’ last four games include outings of 59 and 41 points. In that stretch, he’s averaging 35.5 points, 12.8 rebounds and 7.8 assists on 59.8% shooting
  • Giannis: “We are going in the right direction … On it end of the day we have a lot of season left. It’s easy to put our heads down, but we’re not going to do that.”

Five more Emirates NBA Cup Group Play matches are underway League Pass, starting with the defending champion Celtics at Wizards in DC

  • Celtics at Wizards (7 ET)
  • Nets at 76ers (7 ET)
  • Hawks at Bulls (8 ET)
  • Blazers at Rockets (8 ET)
  • Kings at Clippers (10:30 a.m. ET)

5. A DAY TO REMEMBER: THE CELTIC CELEBRATE THE TITLE IN THE WHITE HOUSE

Ahead of the C’s matchup against the Wizards tonight in the nation’s capital, the 2024 NBA champions visited the White House on Thursday to celebrate their 18th title.

After meeting President Joe Biden, team solemnly gathered under the Truman Balcony, where the country’s The commander-in-chief talked about the team’s historic season.

  • “I know it wasn’t easy,” Biden said. “You got closer than once, but you put in the work and clocked one of the greatest seasons ever … Now an 18th championship banner hangs in the rafters.”

After the President’s speech, Tatum and White presented Biden with gifts from the team, a No. 46 ‘Biden’ Celtics jersey and a personal championship in Celtics basketball, which president dished to Horford with a playful underhand pass.

Celtics Governor Wyc Grousbeck and Biden then posed with The Larry O’Brien Trophy to end the team’s presidential celebration, which Tatum says will never be forgotten.

“(For) many of us it was our first time here. To get to meeting President Biden and having the ceremony is something that you always watch as a kid, and now to be a part of that tradition is something we will always remember.“