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Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from Dec. 28

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

NBA.com Staff

📢🏀Saturday’s Schedule🏀📢

Hawks 120, Heat 110 (Final)

Hornets 94, Thunder 106 (Final)

Wizards 132, Knicks 136 (Final/OT)

Bulls 116, Bucks 111 (Final)

Warriors 109, Suns 105 (Final)

Nuggets 134, Pistons 121 (Final)

Jazz 111, Sixers 114 (Final)

Trail Blazers 126, Mavericks 122 (Final)

Lakers 132, Kings 122 (Final)

Top Storylines of the Night 👉📝

1. New York snatches overtime win in Washington. The Knicks trailed by double-digits in the fourth quarter but came back to beat the Wizards in OT, 136-132. There were 12 ties and 25 lead changes in total. Jalen Brunson scored 55 points.
2. Golden State grabs a comeback win over Phoenix. The Warriors rode a 27-18 fourth quarter to complete a comeback against the Suns. They finished the game on an 18-5 run over the closing six minutes to prevail.
3. Philly continues their recent surge. The Sixers grabbed a narrow 114-111 road win against the Utah Jazz. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey scored 32 points apiece, giving the Sixers their seventh win over their last nine games.

🌟🌟 Top Performers of the Night 🌟🌟

1. Jalen Brunson had 55 points, three rebounds and nine assists in an overtime win over the Washington Wizards.
2. Josh Giddey collected 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a narrow win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
3. Nikola Jokic provided 37 points, nine rebounds and eight assists on 11-of-17 shooting in a victory over the Detroit Pistons.
4. Joel Embiid finished with 32 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks in a road win over the Utah Jazz.
5. Kyrie Irving tallied 46 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals in a loss against the Portland Trail Blazers.
6. Anthony Davis led LA with 36 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists on 12-of-16 shooting in a victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Lakers Defeat Kings, 132-122🎬⭐

Los Angeles shot 60 percent from the field and 54 percent from three-point range.

Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 36 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists on 12-of-16 shooting.

Austin Reaves had 26 points, six rebounds and 16 assists.

Blazers Defeat Mavericks, 126-122🌲🌲

Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 46 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Portland had six players score at least 14 points, with Deandre Ayton finishing with 21 points, 16 rebounds, two steals and three blocks.

Shaedon Sharpe amassed 23 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Anfernee Simons provided 22 points, four rebounds and eight assists.

Sixers Defeat Jazz, 114-111🔔🔔🔔

Joel Embiid led Philly with 32 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks.

Tyrese Maxey tallied 32 points and six assists.

The Sixers have won seven of their last nine outings.

Nuggets Defeat Pistons, 134-121 ⛏⛏⛏

Denver led by 25 points at times in this victory, leading by at least seven points for the closing 20 minutes.

Nikola Jokic led Denver with 37 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Jamal Murray had 34 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

Paul George Three-Point Maestro 🎯🎯🎯

PG13 is now in the Top 10 all-time in three-pointers made. He’s up to 2,291 three-pointers made.

He has 11 points, two rebounds, two assists and four steals.

The Sixers and Jazz are tied in the third quarter.

Warriors Defeat Suns, 109-105💪💪

Jonathan Kuminga tied a career-high with 34 points, nine rebounds and three assists off the bench. Ironically, he matched his 34 points from Golden State’s most recent game.

Stephen Curry collected 19 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Draymond Green amassed 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Trayce Jackson-Davis totaled 16 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and four blocks.

Josh Giddey Triple-Double 🦘🐨

Giddey missed a week due to an ankle injury but recorded a triple-double in his first game back.

The Aussie finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Bulls defeated the Bucks, 116-111.

Jalen Brunson Drops  5️⃣5️⃣

New York had to overcome a double-digit deficit to grab an overtime win in Washington.

Brunson finished with 55 points, three rebounds and nine assists on 18-of-31 shooting.

He’s the seventh player this year with 50 points!

Curry Magic 👨‍🍳🪄

Stephen Curry has made a career of unbelievable shots, but this is right up there.

Curry is up to 15 points, three rebounds and five assists.

Phoenix leads Golden State at the half, 65-61.

Knicks Defeat Wizards in OT, 136-132 🗽🏙️🍎🚕🍕

New York pulls off the comeback to win in Washington.

Jalen Brunson led the way with 55 points, three rebounds and nine assists.

Karl-Anthony Towns tallied 30 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

https://twitter.com/nyknicks/status/1873197600528355631

Nikola Vucevic 16,000 Career Points🔥🔥🔥🔥

Vooch is having a career year, and he just reached 16,000 career points tonight.

He ranks 18th among active players.

The big man has 10 points, five rebounds and four assists tonight.

🚨Dunk Score Alert🚨

Precious Achiwua had the dunk of the night earlier.

Check out our analysis on the Dunk Score page!

Washington leads New York in the fourth quarter of that game.

Wizards Lead Knicks After 3Q, 98-90 ✨

Washington looks to shock New York as a massive underdog.

Washington has seven players in double figures, and all eight players have scored at least eight points.

Jalen Brunson leads NY with 37 points and seven assists.

Thunder Defeat Hornets, 106-94 ⚡⚡

Oklahoma City shot 48 percent while holding Charlotte to 36 percent shooting.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 22 points, four rebounds and six assists.

Isaiah Hartenstein had 12 points, 15 rebounds and four assists.

Precious Poster 🖼️

Precious Achiuwa throws down the poster slam.

The Knicks and Wizards are tied in the second quarter.

Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges are all into double figures in scoring.

Thunder Lead Hornets at the Half, 61-46 ⚡⚡⚡

Oklahoma City shot over 50 percent in the first half.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the way with 15 points and six assists.

Isaiah Hartenstein has a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double.

Pair of Beautiful Buckets by OKC ⚡⚡

Isaiah Joe converts a nasty reverse layup. That’s followed up by another tough finish for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

OKC leads by double-digits nearing halftime.

Hawks Defeat Heat, 120-110 🦅🦅🦅

Atlanta grabs the first win of the night.

Tyler Herro led Miami with 28 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists.

Jalen Johnson led Atlanta with 28 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Trae Young tallied 11 points and 15 assists.

The Hawks bench came up huge, with De’Andre Hunter providing 26 points, five rebounds and two assists. Garrison Matthews also scored 18 points, while Larry Nance recorded a double-double.

📝Top Storylines📝

1. Warriors and Suns renew rivalry. These Western Conference rivals feature some of the best shooters in the NBA. Phoenix has dominated Golden State over recent years, winning eight of their last 10 games over them in total.
2. The Lakers look to add to the King’s recent struggles with a new head coach. Sacramento fired Mike Brown on Friday, and they’re going to look to start fresh with a new coach. They come into this matchup losing five straight, falling to 13-18.
3. The Nuggets host the pesky Pistons. Detroit comes into this matchup winning four of its last five fixtures. Denver has a 5-3 record across its last eight games and is looking to bounce back after allowing a season-high 149 points on Friday.

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