Starting 5 Daily Newsletter

Starting 5, Jan. 2: Jazz's triple-double drought ends; Celtics vs. Thunder looms

Jordan Clarkson has a night to remember in SLC, plus a showdown of two 'unicorn' players in Oklahoma City awaits.

January 2, 2024 2:17 PM

5,802 days.

Feb. 13, 2008 to Jan. 1, 2024.

The dates between the last 2 Jazz triple-doubles, after Jordan Clarkson broke the near 16-year streak last night.

The Lineup 🏀

January 2, 2024 | 6-min read.

👀 Must-see from New Year’s Day

🔥 New-look squads get debut wins

📸 Photos of the night

🦄 Unicorn meets Unicorn

🎆 Players, teams ring in new year

📺 Bulls at Sixers (7 ET, NBA TV): Joel Embiid is expected to return as the Sixers open 2024. Can he keep his 30/10 streak going after missing the final four games of 2023?

📺 Magic at Warriors (10 ET, NBA TV): The Warriors have lost three straight overall and three straight to the Magic (dating back to Mar. 2022). They’ll look to snap both streaks tonight in SF.

📲 Celtics at Thunder (8 ET, NBA App): No. 1 in the East (and the league at 26-6) hosts No. 2 in the West (22-9) when the Celtics and Thunder meet at TD Garden to lead four games in the App.

1. MUST-SEE FROM NEW YEAR’S DAY

💰 Dropping Dimes

Clarkson’s double up: Over-the-head dimes were a theme for Jordan Clarkson’s first career triple-double. Check out both angles of this pass to Lauri Markkanen for 3. Then, watch him hit Kris Dunn on the break.
Dame’s duo: Damian Lillard had five assists on Monday, including a pair of behind-the back dimes to Giannis and Brook Lopez.
Give and receive: Tyrese Haliburton was on the receiving end of some dimes from a young Pacers fan during warmups. Once the game started, it was time for the league’s assist leader to give, including this no-look dime.
Two-sport athlete?: Nikola Jokic with the volleyball-style touch-pass to Peyton Watson for the corner 3.
Ring night for Ish: Ish Smith received his championship ring, and was mobbed by his former teammates, in his first trip to Denver.

💥 Great Finishes and More

Too smooth: Anthony Edwards used the stutter step and pump fake to get under Josh Hart for the bucket.
Welcome to the 6: Immanuel Quickley got the baseline and-1 runner to go and made a few new friends in his new city.
Top 25: Russell Westbrook passed Patrick Ewing for 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with the spin move and finish.
Coast-to-coast: There was no one stopping Bol Bol on this one-man fast break with the euro dunk finish.
Game time: This Suns fan solved a Rubix Cube in 10 seconds during his Jumbtron moment. Before splashing three 3s against the Clippers, Duncan Robinson showed off his juggling skills pregame.

2. NEW-LOOK KNICKS & RAPTORS GET WINS FOLLOWING TRADE

Mark Blinch/ Getty Images

🦖 Raptors 124, Cavs 121
🏀 TOR 13-20, CLE 18-15 | Recap

Pascal Siakam scored a game-high 36 points, Scottie Barnes added 20 (including the go-ahead bucket), and newcomers RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley combined for 33 in their Raptors debuts. Watch the final 2:24.

🗽 Knicks 112, Wolves 106
🏀 NYK 18-15, MIN 24-8 | Recap

Julius Randle came through in the clutch, scoring 12 of his game-high 39 points in the fourth as the Knicks beat the West-leading Wolves. OG Anunoby had 17 points in his Knicks debut, while Jalen Brunson dished out a career-high 14 assists.

🏎️ Pacers 122, Bucks 113
🏀 IND 18-14, MIL 24-9 | Recap

The Pacers improved to 3-1 against the Bucks this season, overcoming a 15-point deficit behind Tyrese Haliburton (26 pts, 9 reb, 11 ast) and a dominant bench (outscoring the Bucks’ reserves 70-16) led by Benn Mathurin (25 pts, 13 reb). Giannis (30 pts, 18 reb, 11 ast) is now averaging 46.3 pts and 13.5 reb in the season series, which wraps Wednesday in Indy.

🚀 Rockets 136, Pistons 113
🏀 HOU 16-15, DET 3-30 | Recap

Alperen Sengun had 26 points (including this impossible and-1) and nine assists, while Houston’s Amen Thompson (12 pts, 6 ast, 2 stl) got the best of Detroit’s Ausar Thompson (5 pts, 4 reb, 2 blk) in the twins’ first head-to-head matchup … on Twin Night.

Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images

☀️ Suns 109, Blazers 88
🏀 PHX 18-15, POR 9-23 | Recap

Bradley Beal had his best scoring night as a Sun, posting 21 points to lead Phoenix to its fourth-straight win despite no Kevin Durant. Jusuf Nurkic on Beal’s impact: “He changes everything.”

🎷 Jazz 127, Mavs 90
🏀 UTA 15-19, DAL 19-15 | Recap

On Dec. 6, the Mavericks beat the Jazz by 50 (matching the second-largest loss in franchise history). The Jazz avenged that loss with a 37-point win behind Jordan Clarkson’s first career triple-double (20 pts, 10 reb, 11 ast) and the first by a Jazz player in nearly 16 years (Carlos Boozer, Feb. 13, 2008). Kyrie Irving had 14 points and 9 rebounds in his first game since Dec. 8 for Dallas.

⚒️ Nuggets 111, Hornets 93
🏀 DEN 24-11, CHA 7-24 | Recap

Jamal Murray (25 pts, 7 ast, 5 3s) and Michael Porter Jr. (22 pts, 8 reb, 4 3s) combined for 47 points to lead the Nuggets past the Hornets. Aaron Gordon had 10 points in 25 minutes in his first game since Christmas.

⛵ Clippers 121, Heat 104
🏀 LAC 20-12, MIA 19-14 | Recap

In his first game since Dec. 20, Kawhi Leonard dropped 24 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals in LA’s third-straight win. Paul George (23) and Norman Powell (22) combined for 45, while Bam had 21 and 15 to lead the Heat.

3. PHOTOS OF THE NIGHT

Jordan Clarkson makes history in Utah. | Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images

Thompson twins square off in Houston. |Carmen Mandato/ Getty Images

Kawhi Leonard returns for Clippers. |Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images

Ish Smith gets his championship ring. | Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

OG Anunoby’s big block in his Knicks debut. | Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley stay connected in Toronto. | Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images

4. UNICORN MEETS UNICORN

Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Kristaps Porzingis didn’t introduce the word ‘unicorn’ to the NBA.

But when the Latvian-born big man went 4th overall to the Knicks in the 2015 NBA Draft, the term took over.

Porzingis might have gotten the capital U, but ‘unicorn’ has evolved to describe a new generation of big man in the league — one that could dominate the paint, run the floor and make it rain threes on your head.

Tonight, one of the newest members of the Unicorn society – Oklahoma City star rookie Chet Holmgren – hosts KP and the Celtics in a showdown between East-leading Boston and the West’s second-place OKC (8 ET, NBA App).

Porzingis In Boston: KP’s made a title-seeking Celtics team even better since the moment he arrived. His 12.7 NetRtg ranks second on the team (min 250 mins), behind only Derrick White. The C’s are 4.5 points better per 100 poss. with him on the floor vs. off.
Holmgren’s Instant Impact: Currently No. 1 in Steve Aschburner’s Rookie Ladder, Holmgren’s fourth in the league in blocks, and on Nov. 18 became the second rookie in Thunder/Sonics history to have 35+ pts, 10+ reb & 5+ ast in a game. The other? KD.
Could Chet Join KP? In 2015-16, Porzingis became the only rookie in NBA history to have at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 75 treys & 100 blocks in their first year. If Holmgren were to keep up his current averages across 65+ games, he’d be the second.
Already Elite: Porzingis & Holmgren rank as just two of seven centers in the league with 50-30-80 lines this year.

Zach Beeker/ NBAE via Getty Images

Chet Or KP?

Let’s play a game. Can you guess who each one of these is about? Answers below Section 5.

He went for 16 points in his NBA debut
He became the first rookie since Tim Duncan to put up 24+ pts, 14+ reb & 7+ blk in a game.
He became the first rookie since Duncan to have 7+ blocks in back-to-back games
He was named Kia NBA Rookie of the Month for November & December to open his NBA career.
Who was this quote about? “He’s a true unicorn-type of player, and with the kind of talent he possesses, sometimes there were times where helping the team meant tapping into his talent.”
How about this one? “His most notable skill is his pure shot. He has great mechanics, long range and a quick release. Added on top of that, he’s almost impossible to guard because of his height.”

5. GROUP CHAT: RING IN THE NEW YEAR

Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images

@luka7doncic: Luka dropped a personal highlight reel of his best 2023 moments, with the Mavs, with the Slovenian national team, and off the court.
@TheTraeYoung: Trae dropped some behind-the-scenes access… in the artistic black and white.
@paugasol: Pau chronicled his year, including his Jordan Rising Stars coaching victory at All-Star, his jersey retirement in L.A., and his Hall of Fame induction in Springfield.
@wemby: Victor Wembanyama kept it simple, with his “hardest pic of 2023”
@chicagobulls: New Year’s is always a good time to drop the blooper reel
@cavs: The Cavs asked their fans to share their favorite moment of 2023. The fans delivered.
@Pacers: The Pacers focused on the connections they made with the Indy community in 2023.
@nuggets: Is one image enough to sum up Denver’s 2023? This one might be
@utahjazz: The Jazz start with some on and off court highlights before Collin Sexton put things in perspective at the end.
@warriors: Steph and the Dubs said “night, night” to 2023 with this highlight mix.
@Lakers: Drop the 20 from the year. This one is all about 24.
@dallasmavs: The Mavs counted down their top 10 plays of 2023 in two parts, including three doses of Luka Magic