59 for No. 34 in a scoring night for the ages.

THE LINEUP 🏀

Nov. 14, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Scoring Spectacular: Giannis and Wemby cook up two giant 50 burgers with a side of history

Streaks & Rallies: The Cavs go 13-0, LeBron does it again, Bulls overcome KAT’s big night

Wednesday Roundup: The Blazers earn back-to-back dubs, Boston & OKC roll and more

Late-Game Lessons: After three narrow losses, Dallas looks to rebound tonight in Utah

Cup Night Countdown: 14 teams make their Emirates NBA Cup 2024 debut on Friday

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A Thursday showcase and a special uniform drop…

In Thursday’s standalone matchup, Luka Dončić and the Mavs will look to snap their three-game skid as they face Lauri Markkanen and the Jazz in Utah (9 ET, NBA TV).

Nike City Edition Uniforms Unveiled: 30 teams. 30 unique designs. 30 can’t-miss threads. Check out every squad’s 2024-25 Nike City Edition jerseys when they drop at 10 a.m. ET.

1. HEAD & SHOULDERS ABOVE: GIANNIS & WEMBY MAKE HISTORY

Standing at center court after the Bucks’ second straight victory on Wednesday, Giannis Antetokounmpo reiterated a message that he’s been telling his team:

• “Don’t take moments for granted … When guys can’t play and your number is called, go out there for the team, play the right way, and good things will happen.”

Last night, with his co-star Damian Lillard out, Giannis called his own number — and proceeded to rewrite history. 

In the highest-scoring performance this season, Giannis erupted for 59 points, 14 boards, seven assists and three blocks to will the Bucks back from an 18-point deficit and force overtime, where they prevailed for a 127-120 win over the Pistons. | Recap 

• NBA History: Giannis went 21-of-34 (61.8%) from the field, making him the first player to record 59+ points, 14+ boards, 7+ assists and 3+ blocks on at least 60% shooting in a game since 1973-74 (when blocks were first recorded)
• Bucks History: It’s Giannis’ ninth career game with 50+ points and 10+ rebounds, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (8) for the most in Bucks franchise history
• The only players who have more such games? Wilt Chamberlain (118) and Elgin Baylor (16)
• Opening & Closing: Antetokounmpo scored 22 of the Bucks’ 24 1st-quarter points, then added 11 (5-5 FG) of Milwaukee’s 16 points in OT to single-handedly outscore Detroit (9), punctuated with a game-sealing slam

Spurs 139, Wizards 130: Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama was putting together up a masterpiece of his own.

In maybe the signature performance of his young career, Wemby dazzled with a career-high 50 points and eight 3s while shooting 18-of-29 from the floor and adding three blocks to outduel Jordan Poole (42 pts, 6 ast, 6 3s) and lead San Antonio to its second straight dub. | Recap

• Young Buckets: At 20 years and 314 days old, Wemby is the fourth-youngest player to score 50+ points, trailing only Brandon Jennings (20/52), LeBron James (20/80) and Devin Booker (20/145)
• 50 & 3s: Wemby is the first player in Spurs history to record 50+ points and 5+ 3s in a game. He’s also the first center in NBA history with at least 6 made triples in three straight outings
• What’s Wemby Eyeing Next? Beating the Lakers on Friday in the NBA Cup

A Scoring Spectacle: Wednesday marked just the 24th night in NBA regular-season history with multiple 50+ point scorers and the 12th occurrence since 2000-01.

• And The Numbers Were Giant: At 6-foot-11 and 7-foot-3, respectively, Giannis and Wemby became the second players listed at 6’11” or taller to each drop 50 pieces on the same day

2. CAVS GO 13-0, LEBRON GETS 3 IN A ROW, BULLS CLAIM THRILLER

Entering the 2024-25 campaign, only five teams in the NBA’s 78-year history had started a season 13-0.

Now, that number is six.

With the Cavs’ perfect record on the line in Philly, down eight early in the 3rd quarter, Donovan Mitchell took over and dropped 18 points and four dimes in the 2nd half to help Cleveland outscore the Sixers 66-52 in the final two quarters to move to 13-0 with a 114-106 win. | Recap 

• Spida & Garland Turn Up: Mitchell scored the Cavs’ final 11 points and finished one assist shy of a triple-double (23 pts, 13 reb, 9 ast), while Darius Garland posted a team-high 25 points, including 15 in the 2nd half
• McCain 🤝 The Answer: Jared McCain (34 pts, 10 ast, 6 3s) led Philly while joining Allen Iverson as the only rookies in franchise history to record 30+ points, 10+ assists and 5+ 3s in a game

Elite Company: Of the previous five teams to start a season with 13 straight wins, four made the NBA Finals and all five made the conference finals.

• 2015-16 Golden State Warriors: Started 24-0, lost Finals
• 1993-94 Houston Rockets: Started 15-0, won Finals
• 1948-49 Washington Capitols: Started 15-0, lost Finals
• 1957-58 Boston Celtics: Started 14-0, lost Finals
• 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks: Started 14-0, lost in West Finals

Lakers 128, Grizzlies 123: At 39 years and 320 days old, LeBron James (35 pts, 12 reb, 14 ast) broke his own record as the oldest player to notch three straight triple-doubles as he and Anthony Davis (21 pts, 14 reb) rallied the Lakers past Jaren Jackson Jr. (29 pts, 7 reb) and the Grizzlies. | Recap 

• Clicking At Crypto: The Lakers have won three straight games and are now 6-0 at home this season
• Knecht 5: Lakers first-round pick Dalton Knecht dropped 19 points while going 5-for-5 from downtown
• The King’s Streak: It’s James’ fourth triple-double of the season and his fourth time recording three in a row, with the last occurrence coming in the 2019-20 season, when the Lakers went on to win the Finals

Bulls 124, Knicks 123: Karl-Anthony Towns went off for 46 points along with 10 boards and six 3s to fuel a 22-point Knicks comeback, capped by a Jalen Brunson (24 pts, 8 ast) go-ahead deuce with 4.6 seconds left to send MSG into a frenzy.

But Coby White responded with three clutch free throws on the ensuing possession, and Chicago escaped with a dramatic win. | Recap | Watch The Wild Ending 

• Bulls Buckets: White finished with 22 points, while Zach LaVine poured in 31 and Nikola Vučević (19 pts, 11 reb) added a double-double
• KAT 🤝 Melo: Despite the loss, Towns joined Carmelo Anthony as the only Knicks to record 45+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ 3s in a game

3. ROUNDUP: BLAZERS STAY HOT, C’s & THUNDER ROLL AND MORE

Blazers 106, Wolves 98: Different night, same result. Led by Shaedon Sharpe’s career-high 33 points and Donovan Clingan’s double-double (17 pts, 12 reb), the Blazers pulled away to beat Anthony Edwards (24 pts, 4 ast, 4 stl) and the Wolves for the second time in two days. | Recap 

• Sharpe Slams: Sharpe recorded the two highest Dunk Scores of the night at 93.6 and 84.2, the latter of which came on the ferocious putback above
• Rook Cooks: Clingan joined Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett and Victor Wembanyama as the only players to record 17+ points, 12+ boards and 8+ blocks in a game at age 20 or younger since blocks were first recorded in 1973-74

Celtics 139, Nets 114: Following a last-second loss to the Hawks on Tuesday, the Celtics left no doubt against the Nets, as Jayson Tatum turned in 36 points, nine boards and 10 helpers, while Jaylen Brown added 24 points to power Boston to a bounce-back win. | Recap 

Thunder 106, Pelicans 88: Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander combined for 60 points, 12 assists, six steals and four blocks as OKC smothered the Pels, outscoring them 52-38 in the 2nd half to pull away for their 10th W. | Recap

Kings 127, Suns 104: De’Aaron Fox had 29 points and 10 dimes while Kevin Huerter added a season-high 22 points as the Kings overcame the loss of DeMar DeRozan (back) to earn their second win over the Suns in four days. | Recap

Rockets 111, Clippers 103: Jalen Green’s 21 points led six Rockets in double figures, and Houston never trailed in the 2nd half to outpace James Harden and the Clippers at home for its third win in a row. | Recap 

• History On The Horizon? The teams meet in Houston again on Friday with Harden four 3s shy of passing Ray Allen for second on the all-time 3s list

Magic 94, Pacers 90: Franz Wagner led all scorers with 29 points along with six dimes and helped the Magic outscore Pascal Siakam (25 pts) and the Pacers 26-18 in the 4th quarter to notch Orlando’s fourth straight dub, improving them to 6-0 at home. | Recap

4. THURSDAY SPOTLIGHT: DALLAS AIMS TO BOUNCE BACK IN UTAH

“In the last two minutes, we have to get better,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said after Tuesday’s 120-117 loss to the Warriors on Night 1 of the Emirates NBA Cup. “We just have to be better as a team, and we will.”

With a 5-6 record, Dallas has lost three straight games to three of the top four teams in the West — Golden State, Denver (122-120) and Phoenix (114-113) — by a combined six points, highlighting its struggles to close out games this season.

• Five of the Mavs’ six losses have been decided by seven points or less, and they’re 1-5 in games that featured clutch time for a 16.7% win percentage — the second-lowest rate in the NBA
• However, last season, Dallas went 23-9 in clutch games, boasting a 71.9% win percentage — the second-highest mark in the league. Despite their tight losses this year, the team believes they’re on the verge of turning a corner.
• Kidd: “We got better (on Tuesday) even though we lost. There’s a lot of positive things to build on … The guys fought until the end.”
• Klay Thompson: “We’ve had like four games this year where it could have gone either way … I am really proud of how this team keeps fighting … It’s better to go through this stuff early in the season than in Game 60…
• “I know we have a chance to be great, we just got to stay the course.”

Tonight, the Mavs will look to right the ship against Lauri Markkanen and the Jazz in Utah (9 ET, NBA TV), who fell to Dallas 110-102 on Oct. 28.

• Round 1 Rewind: Kyrie Irving led the way for Dallas with 23 points and is averaging 31.0 ppg in his last three outings, including a 43-point outburst against Denver last Sunday
• Noteworthy: Through 10 games, the Jazz are averaging 45.9 ppg from their bench — the third-most in the NBA, and they’re 72-25 all-time against Dallas at the Delta Center. Can Utah utilize its depth to get a win, or will the Mavs get back on track?

5. THE RACE FOR THE CUP: FRIDAY FRENZY, TUESDAY REWIND

While the Mavs and Jazz take center stage tonight, 24 teams take the floor Friday for the second night of the Emirates NBA Cup.

The race for the Cup opened with a bang on Tuesday, launching the first of eight “Cup Nights” in the span of 21 days, which take place on Tuesdays (Nov. 12, 19, 26 and Dec. 3) and Fridays (Nov. 15, 22 and 29).

Fourteen teams make their 2024 Cup debut during Friday’s 12-game slate. The action features an ESPN doubleheader, with LeBron James and the Lakers — last year’s Cup winners — facing Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs (7:30 ET), followed by Steph Curry and the Warriors hosting the Grizzlies (10 ET).

Before we dive into Friday’s must-see matchups tomorrow morning, let’s take a look back at Tuesday’s electrifying Night 1 and the current Group standings.

Instant Classic In Klay’s Return: After a 13-year tenure with Golden State, Klay Thompson returned to the Chase Center for the first time as an opponent and was greeted with a rousing ovation. But Steph Curry’s personal 10-0 run down the stretch powered the Warriors to a 120-117 win.

Pistons Take OT Thriller: In a 40-point performance, Tyler Herro sunk six 3s in the 4th quarter to erase a 14-point Heat deficit and force overtime. But it wasn’t enough as the Pistons escaped with a 123-121 win thanks to Jalen Duren’s game-tying alley-oop with 1.1 seconds left and Malik Beasley’s go-ahead free throws.

Hawks Drop C’s In Final Seconds: In another dramatic finish, the Hawks handed Boston its third loss of the season as Onyeka Okongwu tipped in the game-winning bucket with 6.1 seconds left to lift Atlanta over the defending champs, 117-116.

Knicks Top Sixers In Embiid’s Return: Joel Embiid posted 13 points and five assists in his season debut, while Paul George added a season-high 29 points for Philly. But Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks pulled away for a 111-99 victory.

Other Tuesday Results:

• Magic 114, Hornets 89
• Bucks 99, Raptors 85
• Suns 120, Jazz 113
• Trail Blazers 122, Timberwolves 108