Starting December 5, 16: A record-breaking shootout in the bay and what’s trending

On By Littum

Klay Thompson’s Sunday:

Return to the bay.

Be a part of a record-breaking 3-point shootout.

Walk away with the win.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION

December 16, 2024

Rewriting the record books: Warriors & Mavs splashed more 3s than any game in NBA history

Roundup: The Knicks rise in the East, the Lakers beat the Grizz, the Wolves defense shines and the rest of Sunday’s slate

PlayStation NBA Creators Cup: The best hoops makers put on a show and an exciting finish

What is trending: The biggest stories to know heading into week 9

League Pass Monday: Heat & Cavs look to stay hot, plus a matchup of do-it-all bigs

BUT FIRST…

One more day until the NBA Cup is decided…

The Emirates NBA Cup championship is set as no. 1 seeds, Milwaukee and OKC meet in Tuesday’s winner-take-all showdown at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (8:30 ET, ABC). See the trophy winner crowned in person – secure your championship tickets here!

1. LUKA’S 45 LIFT MAVS IN RECORD 3-POINT BREAKOUT

Bay Area is used to seeing 3s rain down through the Chase Center nets with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson on the court.

But never has there been such a heavy downpour as that which happened on Sunday evening.

The Warriors (27) and Mavs (21) combined for one NBA record 48 3-pointers made – breaking the old mark of 44 combined 3s (made 5x).

Luka Dončić lost 45 points and six 3s as part of his 80th career triple-doubleand Thompson sent off the highlights of the season 29 points and seven 3s in his second game back in the Bay Area since joining Dallas this summer, as the Mavs prevailed 143-133. | Recap

  • Season highlights: The Mavs posted their most points (143), assists (36) and 3s (21) so far this season as they won for the eighth time in their last nine games
  • Lukas’ company: Dončić became the eighth player with multiple 45+ point triple-doubles, tied with Nikola Jokić, Larry Bird and Elgin Baylor (2 each) and trailing only James Harden (5), Russell Westbrook (5), Oscar Robertson (4) and Wilt Chamberlain (4)
  • Klay on his second game back: “It still warms my heart to see all the no. 11 jerseys; it still makes me incredibly grateful for the time I had here, legendary stuff. But now it’s time to do some legendary things in Dallas.”

Stephen Curry (7), Andrew Wiggins (5) and Draymond Green (5) combined for 17 of Golden State’s team-high 27 3-pointers Sunday.

  • However, it was Golden State’s first loss in 11 games when it hit at least 24 triples
  • 4×20: Wiggins’ 29 points led four Warriors with 20+ in the loss, with Curry (26), Green (21) and Jonathan Kuminga (20) combining to add 67

2. KNICKS RISE, LAKERS ROLL, WOLVES DEFENSE SHINES AND MORE

Knicks 100, Magic 91: Karl-Anthony Towns put up 22 points and 22 boards, while Jalen Brunson scored 31 as the Knicks handed the Magic their first home loss of the season (10-1). | Recap | KAT & JB Shine

  • Moving up: With the win, the Knicks leapfrogged the Magic in the East, taking over third place and dropping Orlando to fourth
  • Ironman hits 500: Mikal Bridges became the fifth player in NBA history to reach 500 career games played without missing a game – and the first player to record such a streak since 1985
  • Who has the record? Johnny Kerr with 844 consecutive games, a lead of over four seasons for Bridges to chase
  • Career Height: Orlando’s Mortiz Wagner (32 pts) and rookie Tristan da Silva (20 pts) both had their best scoring games in the loss

Lakers 116, Grizzlies 110: A dominant game from Anthony Davis (40 pts, 16 reb) and the return of LeBron James (18 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast) from a two-game absence helped the Lakers cool the red-hot Grizzlies. | Recap

  • Lakers royalty: AD posted his 11th 40/10 game as a Laker, the fifth-most such games in franchise history behind Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor (81), Shaquille O’Neal (21), Kobe Bryant (13) and Kareem Abdul- Jabbar (12)
  • Wire to Wire: The Lakers never trailed and led by as many as 23 points. The Grizzlies rallied to make it a seven-point game several times in the 4th quarter, but LA always had an answer

Wolves 106, Spurs 92: Behind Ant Edwards’ 26 points, Jaden McDaniels’ first career double-double and another suffocating defensive game, the Wolves defeated the Spurs for their sixth win in the past seven games. | Recap

  • Strengthens the defense: After allowing 111.3 ppg over their first 18 games, Minnesota has allowed just 90.7 over their last seven games
  • Wemby Stuffs (The Stat Sheet): In addition to posting the poster below, Victor Wembanyama posted his eighth career game with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocks
  • Wemby HOFs: Wemby passed AD for most of those games among active players, tying Patrick Ewing for seventh-most all-time, trailing only Kareem, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaq, David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett

Suns 116, Blazers 109: The Suns improved to 13-2 with Kevin Durant in the lineup as KD and Devin Booker combined for 48 points and helped Phoenix take control of the game with a 27-11 2nd half run. | Recap

  • Clingan’s Streak: Portland’s Donovan Clingan has blocked a shot in 19 straight games to open his career, tying Pau Gasol for the third-longest streak, trailing only Shaq (23) and Alonzo Mourning (57).

Celtics 112, Wizards 98: Boston used a 15-0 run that spanned the 1st and 2nd quarters to take control of the game.

Jayson Tatum led the way with 28 points and 12 boards, while Payton Pritchard hit five 3s to join Anthony Edwards as the only players with 100+ 3s this season. | Recap

Pacers 119, Pelicans 104: The Pacers improved to 6-0 on the season as both Pascal Siakam (22 pts) and Tyrese Haliburton (21 pts, 10 ast) posted 20+ points.

Indiana (12-15) has won three of its last four games, while the Pelicans (5-22) have lost four straight. | Recap

3. PLAYSTATION NBA CREATOR CUP DELIVERS AN EXCITING FINISH

What do you get? when 18 of the greatest hoops creators meet in Las Vegas for the third PlayStation NBA Creator Cup?

Lots of viral moments goes out to their 125 million collective followers, including a exciting ending when MVP Trey Phills scored the game-winning bucket with five seconds left as Team Professor rallied over Team Lethal for the 78-77 victory. | Full game highlights

  • All access cards: Enter the changing rooms, for warm-ups, meet fans in the crowd and key highlights from inside the arena
  • Arrivals: The makers walk the red carpet and catch a glimpse of the Emirates NBA Cup as they prepare for the game
  • Bringing the highlights: Watch the best performances from Team Lethal and PlayStation Creator Cup Champions Team Professor
  • Make the coach proud: When you play for shooting coach Chris “Lethal Shooter” Matthews, the jumper needs to be on track. And Kris London delivered with three 1st quarter triples and a Jordan shrug

Chris London | NBAE via Getty Images

Tristan Jass, Cam Wilder | NBAE via Getty Images

Jesse | NBAE via Getty Images

YPK Raye and the fans | NBAE via Getty Images

MVP Trey Phills | NBAE via Getty Images

4. WHAT IS TRENDING ABOUT THE NBA

The Emirates NBA Cup culminates with tomorrow’s championship game in Vegas, but the stories across the NBA just keep heating up.

Let’s catch up with you on a few of the top headlines heading into Week 9:

Top Seeds Go For The Cup: The Emirates NBA Cup Championship (Tuesday, 8:30 ET, ABC) features NBA leading scorer Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks taking on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the league’s top defense.

  • MVP Candidates: Giannis and Shai are second and third respectively in the latest Kia MVP Ladder
  • Defense at the next level: OKC leads the NBA in defensive rating (103.1) and is the only team with more steals than turnovers through 25 games since turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78
  • Shake it off: Remember when the Bucks were 2-8 through 10 games? That seems like a distant memory as they’ve gone 12-3 in their last 15 games — tied with OKC and Boston for the top record in the league in that span

Get on the defensive: OKC isn’t the only team that wins with defense, as the top four teams in the West all rank in the top 10 in defensive rating: no. 2 Memphis (5th), no. 3 Houston (2nd) and no. 4 Dallas (T-10th).

  • Watch out for wolves: Minnesota’s defense is finding its groove, holding opponents to 90.7 ppg over the past seven games as the Wolves have gone 6-1 and moved from 11th to 7th in the West
  • Mavs’ month: Over the last 30 days, the Mavs are 12-2 while averaging 123.9 ppg and scoring 120+ points 10 times despite being without Luka Dončić for stretches
  • Team Turnaround: The Grizzlies, who have won 10 of their last 12 games, lead the NBA in scoring (122.1) after finishing last (105.8) a season ago. No team in NBA history has gone from last to first in scoring in consecutive seasons

To become historic: Already a three-time MVP for the Kia NBA, Nikola Jokić is having a career year, putting up historic stat lines almost every night.

Sitting at the top of the Kia MVP ladder, Jokić has a chance to join an exclusive club if he secures a fourth MVP.

  • Party Of Five (for now): The only players with 4+ MVPs in NBA history: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Bill Russell and Michael Jordan (5 each), LeBron James and Wilt Chamberlain (4 each)

Offense rules the east: While the top teams in the West boast the NBA’s top-ranked defense, the top teams in the East also have the top three offensive ratings in the NBA – and in that order.

  • Top 3 (position and offRtg): Cavs (120.2), Celtics (119.9) and Knicks (119.7)
  • Bucking the Trend: 4th place Orlando has the league’s 3rd best DefRtg

Beat the best: While their run to the NBA Cup ended in the semifinals, the Atlanta Hawks continue to make noise in the East by knocking off some of the conference’s elite.

  • Hawks vs. Playoff Teams: Atlanta is a combined 6-2 (.750) against teams in the East’s top six – Cleveland, Boston, NY and Milwaukee. The rest of the East has a .250 win% against those four teams

Meanwhile in 5th place…

5. MONDAY: HEAT & CAVS LOOK TO STAY HOT, JOKIĆ VS. SOAP

Tonight’s overview of six matches on NBA League Pass features some of the hottest teams and players heading into Week 9.

Heat at pistons (7 ET): Who owns the longest active winning streak in the Eastern Conference? The fifth-place Miami Heat, who are going for their fifth straight win when they visit the Pistons.

  • After opening seasons 3-5, The Heat have gone 10-5 since, climbing from 10th to fifth in the East in the process
  • During their winning streak, The Heat have averaged 122.8 ppg (10.5 above their season average), led by 26.3 ppg from Tyler Herro

Cavaliers at Nets (7:30 ET): Cleveland’s 22-4 start matches the 2008-09 Cavs for the best start through 26 games in franchise history.

  • Déjà Vu? 16 years ago, the team pushed that start to 26-4, leading to a league-best 66-16 record and a run to the East Finals
  • Lights Out Shooting: The Cavs continue to lead the NBA in both field goal percentage (50.3%) and 3-point percentage (39.9%) as they look to become the first team to shoot 50/40 in a season

Nuggets at Kings (10 ET): Two of the most versatile bigs in the league go head-to-head as reigning MVP Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets visit Domantas Sabonis and the Kings.

  • Jokić leads the NBA with nine triple-doubles and nearly averaged one in points (31.5), rebounds (13.3) and assists (9.8) – second in the NBA in all three categories
  • Sabonis leads the NBA with 22 double-doubles, joining Jokić and Giannis as the only players to average at least 20/10/5
  • The monk effect: Since Sacramento added Malik Monk to the starting lineup in early December, the Kings own the NBA’s top offensive rating (124.7)

Rounding off the night: Sixers at Hornets (7 ET), Bulls at Raptors (7:30 ET), Jazz at Clippers (10:30 ET).