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Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from Jan. 1

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

NBA.com Staff

🥳New Year’s Day Schedule🥳

Pistons 105, Magic 96 (Final)
Wizards 125, Bulls 107 (Final)
Heat 119, Pelicans 108 (Final)
Knicks 119, Jazz 103 (Final)
Raptors 130, Nets 113 (Final)
Rockets 110, Mavericks 99 (Final)
Nuggets 139, Hawks 120 (Final)
Kings 113, Sixers 107 (Final)

Top Storylines of the Night 👉📝

1. New York grabs eighth straight win with a blowout victory over Utah. The Knicks got 31 points and 21 rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns, while Josh Hart recorded another triple-double.
2. Toronto snaps an 11-game losing streak. The Raptors got Immanuel Quickley back, leading to their best performance of the season in a 130-113 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
3. Sacramento completes a comeback against Philadelphia. The Kings trailed by 10 points to start the fourth quarter and closed the game on a 15-0 run over the final 2:34 to prevail.

🌟🌟 Top Performers of the Night 🌟🌟

1. Karl-Anthony Towns collected 31 points, 21 rebounds and four assists in a win over the Utah Jazz. Josh Hart also had 15 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists en route to a triple-double.
2. Scottie Barnes had 33 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals on 14-of-18 shooting in a victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
3. Nikola Jokic provided 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists en route to his 14th triple-double of the season in a win over the Atlanta Hawks. He didn’t even play the fourth quarter and became the first player ever with at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in fewer than 30 minutes.
4. Domantas Sabonis tallied 17 points, 21 rebounds and seven assists in that comeback win over the Philadelphia 76ers. De’Aaron Fox also finished with 35 points, three rebounds and four assists on 13-of-16 shooting.

Kings Complete Comeback Against the Sixers, 113-107👑👑👑

Sacramento closed the game on a 15-0 run over the final 2:34 to grab a comeback win over Philly.

De’Aaron Fox shot 13-of-16 from the field to provide 35 points, three rebounds and four assists.

Domantas Sabonis finished with 17 points, 21 rebounds and seven assists.

Nikola Jokic Breaks Another Record🤡🤡🤡🤡

Jokic had 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists.

The three-time MVP didn’t even play in the fourth quarter.

Denver beat Atlanta, 139-120.

First player ever with at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in fewer than 30 minutes.

Sixers Lead Kings After 3Q, 89-80🔔🔔🔔

The Sixers outscored the Kings in that third quarter, 32-23.

Paul George leads Philly with 30 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Tyrese Maxey had 18 points, two rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Domantas Sabonis leads Sacramento with 17 points, 18 rebounds and six assists.

Nuggets Defeat Hawks, 139-120 ⛰️🤡

This is Denver’s fourth straight game with at least 130 points.

Nikola Jokic didn’t play the fourth quarter but still finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists.

Russell Westbrook had 16 points and 11 assists.

Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr had 21 points apiece.

Trae Young led the Hawks with 30 points, four rebounds and nine assists.

Sixers and Kings tied at the half, 57-57🎀🎀🎀

In the final game of the night, we’re tied heading into the second half.

Paul George leads Philly with 20 points, four rebounds and three assists.

De’Aaron Fox leads Sacramento with 16 points and three rebounds. Domantas Sabonis has 13 points, 14 rebounds and four assists.

Nikola Jokic is a Monster. Triple-Double in the Books😈😈

The three-time MVP has a triple-double in the opening minutes of the second half.

It’s his 14th of the season.

Joker is up to 13 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists.

Rockets Defeat Mavs, 🚀🚀🚀

Houston rode a 37-22 second quarter to their win, maintaining a double-digit lead for the majority of the second half.

Alperen Sengun led Houston with 23 points, six rebounds, four assists and six steals.

Jalen Green had 22 points and five rebounds.

Quentin Grimes led Dallas with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists off the bench.

Josh Hart Triple-Double Machine🤖

Josh Hart collected 15 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists in their win over the Utah Jazz tonight.

He’s only the fifth player in franchise history to record triple-doubles on back-to-back nights.

He had 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists yesterday.

Heat Defeat Pelicans, 119-108🏖️🦩

Miami shot 53 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range.

Trey Murphy led New Orleans with 23 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Tyler Herro led Miami with 32 points and four assists.

Bam Adebayo collected 23 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.

Raptors Defeat Nets, 130-113🦖🦖🦖

Toronto grabs its first win in nearly a month in Immanuel Quickley’s return to action.

That snaps an 11-game losing streak for the Raptors.

IQ finished with 21 points, four rebounds and 15 assists.

Scottie Barnes led the way with 33 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Knicks Defeat Jazz, 119-103   𝙽𝚈𝙲🗽

That’s the eighth straight win for the Knicks.

Karl-Anthony Towns continues a career year with 31 points, 21 rebounds and four assists.

Mikal Bridges had 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting.

Josh Hart collected 15 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists.

Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson led Utah with 25 points and four rebounds apiece.

Pistons Defeat Magic, 105-96🚗🚗🚗

the Pistons shot 52 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range while holding the Magic to 41 percent from the field and 23 percent from long range.

Jaden Ivey led the team with 22 points and four assists.

Cade Cunningham collected 19 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.

Jalen Duren shot 9-of-10 from the field to finish with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Wizards Defeat Bulls, 125-107 🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️

Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 32 points and three assists.

Nikola Vucevic collected 12 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

Jordan Poole led the Wizards with 30 points, three rebounds and three steals.

Alex Sarr had 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Trey Murphy is Cooking. 25 Points in the First Half🥘🍳🔥

New Orleans trailed by 17 points, but Murphy got them back into the game with his 25 points.

Miami leads New Orleans at the half, 56-51.

Tyler Herro leads Miami with 11 points and two assists.

Heat vs. Pelicans (League Pass, Live)

D-Lo Back in Brooklyn🌉🌉

D’Angelo Russell was traded back to Brooklyn earlier this week and he’s expected to be the primary playmaker for his new team.

Russell made his sole All-Star appearance in his first stint with the Nets back in 2019.

He has nine points and two assists across just six minutes of play!

“Shot” of the Night by Scottie Barnes 🤞

Barnes has been struggling with his shot, but sometimes you just need to throw it up there.

He gets this alley-oop attempt to fall for three points!

The Nets and Raptors are tied in the first quarter.

Jalen Duren Putback Dunk 🥫

Duren has an early candidate for dunk of the night with this putback slam.

Keep an eye on our Dunk Score to see how it fairs!

The Pistons are up 19-7 early in that matchup with the Orlando Magic.

Denver Drip💦

It’s cold in Denver, but the Nuggets are dressed for the occasion.

They face the Atlanta Hawks at 9:00 ET

The Nuggets come into this matchup winning seven of their last 10 outings.

Nuggets vs. Hawks (League Pass, 9:00 ET)

IQ is Back in Action🧠💡🤓🤔💪🏻

Immanuel Quickley has missed most of the season due to an elbow issue, but he’s ready to return tonight.

This is just his fourth game of the season, but he’s expected to be Toronto’s primary ball-handler when he’s in there.

They face off with the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 ET

Raptors vs. Nets (League Pass, 7:30 ET)

📝Top Storylines for the Night📝

1. Mavericks and Rockets match up in Texas tussle. Dallas and Houston sit third and fourth in the Western Conference and will renew their Texas rivalry here. These teams played on October 31, with Houston prevailing, 108-102.
2. Hawks and Nuggets duel in Denver. These 18-win teams will match up with both squads rolling right now. The Nuggets come into this matchup winning seven of their last 10 games while the Hawks have an 11-4 record across their last 15 outings.
3. Sixers and Kings close out the night. While these teams have similar records, they’re going in opposite directions. Sacramento has lost six of its last seven games while Philly comes into this matchup winning eight of its last 10 outings.

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