Starting 5: Thunder roll to 23-1; LeBron James closes it out in Philly

Trademark finish. Classic King close.

LeBron James took over in crunch time to seal the Lakers’ ninth win in 11 games, as L.A. heads into a new week second in the West.

Meanwhile, the team in first just locked in one of the three best starts in league history.

Keep reading for what else is trending around the league.⬇️

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Opening & Closing: OKC wins 15th straight to match 2nd-best 24-game start, LeBron & Luka dazzle

Look Out: Two recent NBA champs are rising fast behind their sizzling stars

Sunday Roundup: Knicks rock the Garden again, Grizz hit their stride, Warriors dub

What’s Trending – Top-10 Harden: The Beard’s road to No. 10 on the all-time scoring list

What’s Trending – Cup Week: The Emirates NBA Cup Quarterfinals tip off Tuesday

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Monday delivers a three-game slate, highlighted by Anthony Edwards’ Wolves hosting Devin Booker and the Suns on Peacock (7:30 ET | Tap to Watch).

Up Next: The Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Rounds begin this week, with the Quarterfinals set for Tuesday and Wednesday on Prime. The winners advance to Saturday’s Semifinals in Vegas.

• Tuesday: Heat at Magic (6 ET, Prime)
• Tuesday: Knicks at Raptors (8:30 ET, Prime)
• Wednesday: Suns at Thunder (7:30 ET, Prime)
• Wednesday: Spurs at Lakers (10 ET, Prime)

1. OKC JOINS RARE COMPANY, LEBRON DELIVERS CLUTCH DAGGER

Twenty-three and one. A start topped just once before in NBA history.

Fifteen straight wins. A streak achieved just once before in OKC history.

The Thunder hit both marks on Sunday – and they did it without the reigning Kia MVP.

Thunder 131, Jazz 101: With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sidelined (elbow), a slew of Thunder stepped up – led by Jalen Williams (8 ast) and Chet Holmgren (9 reb), who scored 25 points apiece as OKC rolled to its 15th straight dub, improving to an NBA-best 23-1. | Recap

• All-Time Open: The Thunder are just the third team to start 23-1 or better, joining the 2015-16 Warriors (24-0) and the 1969-70 Knicks (23-1)
• Special Company: Golden State went on to post the best regular-season record in NBA history (73-9), while New York won the 1970 NBA title
• Full Circle Streak: The victory matches OKC’s longest win streak in franchise history – a mark set last season, beginning with a win against Utah almost exactly a year ago (Dec. 3)
• And This Strike Is Even Stronger: The Thunder posted a +15 average point differential during last year’s streak. This time around? It’s +18.9, with 12 double-digit wins

Top To Bottom: The Thunder entered Sunday with a 14-13 record without SGA since 2022-23. Rather than letting that dip to .500, they got a lift from every corner of the roster.

• Co-Stars Shine: Sunday was the first time Williams and Holmgren each scored 25+ pts in the same game, and the 18th time they each tallied 20+. OKC is 15-3 in those games
• Bench Boost: Aaron Wiggins (19 pts, 5 3s) and Ousmane Dieng (14 pts, 4 3s) and Branden Carlson (13 pts, 3 3s) led four OKC reserves in double figures, as its bench outscored Utah 63-46
• Defensive Staple: OKC’s top-ranked defense logged its 12th game this season holding an opponent to 105 points or fewer – the most in the NBA
• “Great professionalism by the guys, especially to start the game,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault postgame. “Did a really good job defensively, making them earn everything.”

On Thursday, LeBron James’ record streak of 1,297 straight games with 10+ points ended when – sitting on 8 points and the game on the line – he passed up a shot to find Rui Hachimura for a buzzer-beating winner.

Three days later, he put the ball in his own hands – with 10 straight points in clutch time alone.

Lakers 112, 76ers 108: After trailing by double digits, Luka Dončić and LeBron willed Los Angeles back, before the King said goodnight.

He hit a deep 2, then a quick 3 to put the Lakers up 5 with 3:43 left. After Philly drew even, he buried another trey with 1:12 to play. 45 ticks later – James splashed a step-back dagger, giving the Lakers their ninth win in 11 games. | Recap

LeBron & Luka Showtime: James finished with a season-high 29 points along with 7 boards and 6 dimes, while Dončić posted a triple-double (31 pts, 15 reb, 11 ast) after missing the last two games for the birth of his second child.

• Potent Pairing: That included 19 points in the 1st half for Luka, and 19 in the 2nd for James – plus one postgame moment that will last this young fan a lifetime
• “LeBron was our connector tonight,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick after the win. “His play throughout the game gave us such a lift.”
• LBJ Climbs Win List: It marked James’ 1,015th career win, passing Robert Parish for the 2nd-most all-time and trailing only Abdul-Jabbar (1,074)
• Luka’s Tear: Dončić – leading the NBA with 35 ppg – now has eight straight 30-pieces, joining Kobe, Shaq, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor as the only Lakers to record such a streak
• Philly Fire: Tyrese Maxey shined again for Philly (28 pts, 7 reb, 9 ast), while Joel Embiid added 16 points and 7 boards

2. ON THE RISE: JOKIĆ & MURRAY LEAD DENVER, BROWN & BOSTON STAY HOT

On Wednesday, Jamal Murray dropped 52. On Friday, Nikola Jokić went for 40.

Last night, they split shifts to notch Denver’s third straight dub.

Nuggets 115, Hornets 106: Murray erupted for 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting in the 1st quarter, yet Denver still trailed by 1 at the half. That’s when Jokić went off, posting 18 points, 6 boards and 5 dimes in the final two quarters to outpace Charlotte. | Recap

• Denver Duo: Already leading the league with 11 triple-doubles, Jokić just missed another (28 pts, 9 reb, 11 ast), while Murray finished with a game-high 34 points and 5 dimes
• Money Murray: In his last three outings, Murray is averaging 36.3 pts and 7 ast on 62.1% shooting
• Masterful Jokić: The Joker – currently No. 1 on the Kia MVP Ladder – continues to post silly numbers, averaging a triple-double on the season (29.2 pts, 12.3 reb, 11.0 ast) as Denver leads the league in scoring 125 ppg
• Rookie Buzz: Kon Knueppel – No. 1 on the Kia Rookie Ladder – tallied 14 points and 4 assists for Charlotte, while Miles Bridges stuffed the stat sheet (24 pts, 9 reb, 8 ast)

JB and the C’s are stacking Ws.

Celtics 121, Raptors 113: Boston caught fire early, taking a 77-59 halftime lead, and despite Toronto clawing back to tie it in the 4th, the C’s closed on a 22-11 run to secure their fifth straight win and 10th in their last 12 games. | Recap

• Brown Burst: Jaylen Brown led the way with 30 points, 8 boards and 5 dimes, marking his sixth 30-piece in his last seven games
• Boston 3 Party: Derrick White (27 pts) splashed six of Boston’s 20 3s as the C’s hit 20+ triples for the third straight game and a league-leading sixth time this season
• Winning Recipe: Boston went an NBA-best 23-3 when hitting 20+ 3s last year. This season? It’s 6-0 – with five of those wins coming amid its 10-2 run
• Toronto Tandem: Brandon Ingram (30 pts) and Scottie Barnes (18 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast) led the Raptors, who dropped to 4th in the East at 15-10

3. ROUNDUP: KNICKS PROTECT HOMECOURT, GRIZZ & DUBS ROLL

Only one team has beaten the Knicks at MSG this season – the Orlando Magic.

But it wasn’t on Sunday.

Knicks 106, Magic 100: Jalen Brunson dropped 30 points and 9 dimes, while OG Anunoby scored 21 and Josh Hart added a double-double (17 pts, 12 reb) to avenge the Knicks’ only home loss this season, improving to 13-1 at MSG, despite being without Karl-Anthony Towns (calf). | Recap

• Garden Party: It’s New York’s best home start since 1992, shooting 39.3% from deep at the Garden while ranking top-5 in both home scoring (123.4 ppg) and points allowed (109.4)
• Franz Exit: Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane led Orlando with 16 points apiece after Franz Wagner exited with a leg injury in the 1st quarter

Grizzlies 119, Blazers 96: Santi Aldama (22 pts, 7 reb), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (16 pts) and Jaylen Wells (16 pts) led seven Grizzlies in double figures as Memphis earned a near wire-to-wire win for its fifth victory in six games. | Recap

• Defend The Den: Memphis owns the 3rd-best DefRtg amid its 5-1 stretch, with seven players posting 10+ ppg
• Breakout Blazer: Deni Avdija (17 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast) logged his 16th 15/5/5 game of the season – just five shy of his career-best 21 from last season

Warriors 123, Bulls 91: Brandin Podziemski was cooking (21 pts, 7 ast, 8 reb, 5 3s), Jimmy Butler III also got busy (19 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast) and the Dubs outscored the Bulls 36-15 in the 4th to secure their second straight win after knocking off the Cavs on Saturday. | Recap

4. WHAT’S TRENDING – HARDEN JOINS TOP-10 ALL-TIME SCORING CLUB

James Harden needed 21 points on Saturday to pass Carmelo Anthony (28,289) for No. 10 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Fittingly, the man with the most 30-point games over the last 15 seasons dropped 34 – joining one of basketball’s most exclusive clubs.

• “Blessing. A testament to the work I’ve put in,” said Harden on joining the top 10. “It’s an honor, especially with somebody like Melo who’s done so much greatness for this league.”

Beard Buckets: Harden is averaging 26.5 points this season – his highest mark since leading the league with 34.3 in 2019-20 – and continues adding to a resume built bucket by bucket.

From his first career points in Oklahoma City to Saturday’s Melo-passing free throw, the path to No. 10 has been a steady stack of step-backs, Euro finishes and buckets in bunches.

• 3s Aplenty: His scoring total includes the 2nd-most made 3s in NBA history (3,256), trailing only Steph Curry (4,133), and the 5th-most made free throws (8,343)
• Complete Package: Harden also ranks 13th on the all-time assists list, joining LeBron James as the only players in the top 15 in total career points, 3s and assists
• But His Forte? Heaters. Since entering the league in 2009-10, Harden leads the NBA in 40-point games (107), 50-point games (25) and 55-point games (12)

Hoops World Reax: The milestone drew immediate love across the NBA – from the Clippers’ tribute video to leaguewide highlights celebrating Harden’s scoring mastery.

• The Beard also shouted out LeBron James (No. 1) and Kevin Durant (No. 8) on Instagram, the two other active players on the league’s all-time top 10 scoring list

Harden Reflects: Dive deeper into Harden’s full journey — from his sixth-man start in OKC to the step-back 3 that reshaped a generation of scorers — in Shaun Powell’s feature on NBA.com.

5. WHAT’S TRENDING – NBA CUP KNOCKOUT ROUND WEEK & MORE

After Monday’s three-game slate, all eyes turn to the Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Rounds, with the Quarterfinals set for Tuesday and Wednesday, featuring a pair of standalone doubleheaders on Prime.

The stakes are simple: Win, and you earn a trip to Vegas for Saturday’s Semifinals. Lose, and you’re eliminated.

Tuesday, East Quarterfinals on Prime

Heat at Magic (6 ET): After going 4-0 in Group Play with an East-best +64 point differential, Orlando plays host to the high-scoring Heat, averaging the 3rd-most points in the NBA (122.3) and winners of the East Wild Card with a 3-1 record.

Knicks at Raptors (8:30 ET): New York is in the Quarterfinals for the third straight year, but still searching for its first Semifinals trip. Standing in its way is Toronto, which allowed the fewest points of any team in Group Play (100.8 ppg), leading to a 4-0 mark.

Wednesday, West Quarterfinals on Prime

Suns at Thunder (7:30 ET): These teams met in a 3-0 showdown in the Group Play finale, battling for West Group A. OKC got the win, 123-119, though Phoenix still moved on with the West Wild Card.

Now comes the rematch, with the Thunder – last year’s finalists – aiming for another trip to Vegas, and the Suns seeking revenge.

Spurs at Lakers (10 ET): In a winner-take-all duel to decide West C, De’Aaron Fox and the Spurs went into Denver and knocked off the Nuggets. Now comes another elimination test on the road – visiting LeBron James, Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and the Lakers, who went 4-0 in Group Play.

What’s Next: The Semifinals tip off Saturday on Prime at 5:30 and 9 ET. The winners remain in Vegas for next Tuesday’s Championship game – with the Cup waiting at the finish.

More Around The League: While eight teams battle for the Cup, more squads are heating up, including the East’s 1st-place Pistons, who have won four of their last five games to move to 19-5 – their best 21-game start in two decades.

• Cade Conducting: After a career season in 2024-25, Cade Cunningham has taken another leap, averaging career-highs across the board (27.5 pts, 6.4 reb, 9.3 ast) en route to winning Kia East Player of the Month
• More East Shine: Donovan Mitchell has also been a problem, posting a career-best 30.5 ppg, while Jalen Johnson’s playmaking has reached new heights – joining Jokić as the only players averaging 20+ pts, 10+ reb and 8+ ast since Nov. 1
• Flagg On Fire: Out West, Cooper Flagg delivered a huge week – joining LeBron in the record books while posting 23.2 ppg over his last five outings, leading to four Dallas dubs