Top Stories

Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from Dec. 26

Stay in the know on today's NBA action with the latest news, scores and highlights from around the league.

NBA.com Staff

📢Thursday’s Slate of Games📢

Top Storylines 👉📝

1. Tyler Herro plays hero for Miami. Herro knocked down a game-winning jumper for Miami in their 89-88 win over the Orlando Magic. That’s the lowest-scoring game of the year, and it’s quite the response after Miami had its worst collapse of the season against Orlando on Saturday.
2. Atlanta scores 50 points in the fourth quarter to complete a comeback against Chicago. The Hawks trailed by 17 points with 6:20 remaining but ripped off a 20-0 run to defeat the Bulls.
3. Grizzlies score 155 points in a blowout win over the Raptors. That marks a franchise record for Memphis and it’s the highest total in the NBA this season.

🌟🌟 Top Performers 🌟🌟

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied a career-high with 45 points, seven rebounds and eight assists on 15-of-22 shooting in a 120-114 win over Indiana.
2. Jalen Johnson led Atlanta with a career-high 30 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and two steals on 11-of-16 shooting in their comeback win over Chicago.
3. Zach Lavine had 37 points, five rebounds and seven assists in that loss against Atlanta.

🚨Final Alert🚨Pistons Defeat Kings, 114-113. Jaden Ivey Game-Winning Four-Point Play 🤯🤯

The Pistons overcome a 19-point deficit to pull off the upset win against the Kings. Jaden Ivey had a four-point play with 3.1 seconds remaining to capture that victory. They outscored the Kings 37-22 in the fourth quarter.

Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 33 points, four rebounds and 11 assists.

De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento with 26 points, six rebounds and four assists.

🚨Final Alert🚨Blazers Defeat Jazz, 122-120. Scoot Calls Game🤩

Scoot Henderson hit a game-winning fadeaway with 0.1 seconds left to give Portland the home win.

Deni Avdija was the player of the game, leading the Blazers with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Henderson had 18 points and 10 assists, while Shaedon Sharpe tallied 27 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Jazz Lead Blazers After 3Q, 88-81 🎷🎷

Collin Sexton has been Utah’s best player, collecting 17 points and 10 assists.

Deandre Ayton leads Portland with 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

Kings Lead Pistons at the Half, 68-53. 👑👑

Cade Cunningham leads Detroit with 21 points, three rebounds and five assists.

Trey Lyles leads Sacramento with 15 points and five boards off the bench. DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk lead the starters with 13 points apiece.

Trail Blazers Lead Jazz at the Half, 55-54. 🌲🌲🌲

DeAndre Ayton leads Portland with 14 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Lauri Markkanen leads Utah with 15 points, four rebounds and two steals.

Hawks Setting Records in Their Comeback Victory😱

Atlanta scored 50 points and didn’t commit a turnover in their 141-133 comeback win over the Chicago Bulls.

They outscored them in that final frame 50-25.

Grizzlies Defeat Raptors, 155-126. 🐻🐻🐻

The highest-scoring team in the NBA dropped an NBA-best and franchise-best 155 points in this blowout win over Toronto.

10 players scored at least eight points for the Grizzlies, with Jaren Jackson Jr leading the way with 21 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. Zach Edey had 21 points, 16 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Rockets Roll Pelicans, 128-111. 🚀🚀🚀

Houston led by 28 going into the fourth quarter and maintained a double-digit lead for the entirety of the second half.

Jalen Green led the way with 30 points, two rebounds and two steals. Alperen Sengun had 10 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists, while Fred VanVleet finished with 25 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Dunk of the Night from Trey Murphy. Check out the Dunk Score!

Trey is one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA, but he had the dunk of the night, according to our Dunk Score

With that said, Houston is blowing out New Orleans in the fourth quarter.

🚨Hawks Complete Comeback🚨 Atlanta Defeats Chicago, 141-133 🦅

The Bulls led this game 124-107 with 6:20 remaining but the Hawks ripped off a 20-0 run in a 50-point fourth quarter.

They outscored Chicago in the final frame, 50-25.

Jalen Johnson led ATL with 30 points, 15 rebounds and four assists, while Trae Young tallied 27 points and 13 assists.

Zach Lavine led Chicago with 37 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

🚨Wizards Defeat Hornets, 113-110🚨

Washington closes the game on a 13-4 run/ Jordan Poole hitting a game-winning three with 8.1 seconds remaining.

There were five lead changes in the final 2″30

LaMelo Ball led Charlotte with 31 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Poole led Washington with 25 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

🚨Thunder Defeat Pacers, 120-114🚨⚡⚡⚡

This marks Oklahoma City’s ninth straight win. They also snapped Indiana’s five-game winning streak.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 45 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

🚨Tyler Herro Playing Hero for Miami🚨 Heat Defeat Magic, 89-88. 💪

Tyler Herro knocks down a game-winning jumper to grab Miami a critical win.

This was the lowest-scoring game in the NBA this season.

Herro led Miami with 20 points, three rebounds and two assists.

Jalen Suggs led Orlando with 29 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Zach LaVine Drops 22 in the Third Quarter 🔥✨❤️‍🔥

LaVine made all six of his three-point attempts in the third quarter and is up to 32 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

Those 22 points also led to Chicago scoring a season-high 44 points in that third quarter.

Swipe and Slam for Jalen Green 👊🚀

Green has 21 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals in the first half.

The Rockets lead the Pelicans, 61-43.

Brook Lopez Block Master ⛔

Myles Turner moved up to 50th all-time in blocks earlier, and Lopez moved up to 20th with this swat.

The big man has 18 points, four rebounds and two blocks in the first half.

Andre Jackson Monster Putback Slam. 💥💥Dunk Score Alert 

See the Dunk Score here

A-Jax has become one of the best flyers in the NBA and that was on full display in this putback slam.

Brooklyn leads Milwaukee, 27-25.

Jevon Carter Scored 19 Points in the First Quarter 🥵

Carter is known for his defense, but the bench player hit six three-pointers en route to 19 points in the opening frame. He’s only scored nine points over the last month coming into tonight!

Myles Turner Block Party ✋🏻🛑⛔️

Turner moved up to 50th all-time in career blocks.

That’s scary since this guy is only 28.

Turner is up to six points, seven rebounds and one block tonight.

Pacers Lead Thunder After Q1, 29-19. 🏃🏃🏃

Indiana has been one of the hottest teams and they kickstarted this game with an impressive 13-2 run.

Pascal Siakam leads the way with 10 points and four rebounds, while Myles Turner has six points and seven boards.

Jarace Walker closes the quarter with this monster slam. See the Dunk Score here!

Indiana and Oklahoma City About to Tip-Off 🔥🔥🔥🔥

The Thunder have the best record in the NBA, but they have a tough task against the Pacers.

Indiana has been the best team in the league over the last two weeks, and they should be hungry at home against the team with the best record in the NBA.

Miami’s Starting Five 🌴🦩

Miami and Orlando face off with numerous star players missing.

The Heat will be without Jimmy Butler, while the Magic will be missing Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

These teams have fought through these absences all season, and both remain above .500.

👉📝Top Storylines for Thursday’s Slate📝👉

1. Miami and Orlando battle in a Florida rivalry. Both of these teams have been battling adversity all season, with Jimmy Butler, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero all expected to miss this game. Both teams remain above .500 and it should be fun to watch these rivals battle it out.
2. Oklahoma City looks to continue outstanding form in Indiana. The Thunder have a league-best 23-5 record but they might have trouble on the road against a pesky Pacers team. Indiana comes into this matchup winning five straight and are playing just their third home game since November 30.
3. Milwaukee looks to keep rolling against Brooklyn. The Bucks come into this matchup winning 15 of their last 19 games, taking down the NBA Cup in that span. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been playing like an MVP, averaging 32.7 points, 11.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per game this season.

Related

Latest