For the second time in 15 days, Nikola Vučević called game.
This time, at the buzzer.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Frantic Finishes: Game on the line? Vuč on time. Plus a wild duel in Dallas
Best Out West: Three teams. Three different identities. Three more dubs
Heating Up: Raptors stay roaring, Wolves stay winning
Roundup: Powell takes over late for Miami, Mathurin helps Indy snap skid
Tonight On NBA TV: Jalen Johnson & the soaring Hawks face De’Aaron Fox & the Spurs
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Four games tip off tonight, capped by the Hawks visiting the Spurs on NBA TV (8 ET | Tap to Watch).
Up Next: The fourth Emirates NBA Cup Night of the season boasts a 9-game slate, headlined by a Prime doubleheader: Pacers-Cavs (7 ET), Nuggets-Rockets (9:30 ET).
Exclusive Weekend Streaming Access: Friday through Sunday (Nov. 21-23) are NBA ID Member Days, where fans in the US with NBA IDs can stream League Pass on us. Not an NBA ID member yet? Tap here to join now.
Creator Cup: The PlayStation NBA Creator Cup returns for its second season, bringing a fan-first, high-energy 5v5 game to Las Vegas on Friday, Dec. 12.
1. FRANTIC FINISHES: BULLS WIN AT BUZZER, KNICKS SURVIVE LATE
Trailing by 2 with under 10 seconds left, Coby White got into the paint with a chance to tie the game.
He instead kicked it to the wing with 1 second on the clock, where Nikola Vučević won it.
Bulls 122, Trail Blazers 121: Vučević drilled his season-high fifth triple at the buzzer – his second game-winner this month – to stamp a 27-point, 8-rebound night as Chicago withstood Portland’s furious 4th-quarter rally. | Recap
- Clutch Callback: Vučević hit his other game-winner – also a 3 – with 3.2 seconds left on Nov. 4 to beat Philly
- Blazers Get Busy: Portland used a 34-10 run to erase a 21-point deficit in the 4th and take a 2-point lead, setting up Vučević’s heroics
- Instant Spark: Coby White (25 pts, 7 ast, 5 3s) had the winning assist and scored 25+ points for the second time in as many games since his season debut
- Big Numbers: Jerami Grant (33 pts, 9 reb, 5 3s) led all scorers, while Deni Avdija (32 pts, 11 reb, 11 ast) scored 15 in the 4th en route to his 3rd career triple-double
- Everybody Scores: Josh Giddey added 9 points, 5 rebounds and 13 assists as all 12 Bulls in uniform scored
In October, Landry Shamet was fighting to make the Knicks roster.
Last Friday, he caught fire for a career-high 36 points.
Last night, in a wild finish, he delivered again.
Knicks 113, Mavericks 111: In a game featuring 13 ties and 16 lead changes, D’Angelo Russell poured in 18 of his 23 points after halftime, giving Dallas a 2-point edge with under two minutes left.
But Shamet answered, splashing a go-ahead 3 with 1:03 remaining, before nailing another triple to break a 109 tie with 33 seconds to play.
And on the game’s final possession, Brandon Williams’ game-tying layup for Dallas was waved off on an offensive foul, as the Knicks survived a thriller for their first road win this season. | Recap
- Bookend Boost: Shamet finished with 9 points – an opening and-one, plus the two biggest shots of the night – while adding an assist, a steal and a block
- Big Apple Eats: Jalen Brunson (28 pts, 5 ast) and Karl-Anthony Towns (18 pts, 14 reb) led the way in between, while Josh Hart feasted (16 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast, 1 mid-game snack)
- Mavs Jolt: Naji Marshall matched D’Lo with 23 points, leading the Mavs with Cooper Flagg out (illness)
2. BEST OUT WEST: THUNDER ROLL, ROCKETS SOAR, DENVER DUBS
30 points from Shai, the best team defense in the league and scoring growth from the group.
Oklahoma City cooked up its recipe for success for an NBA-best 15th time this season.
Thunder 113, Kings 99: Gilgeous-Alexander (33 pts, 8 reb) captured his league-leading 13th 30-ball of the season and Chet Holmgren (21 pts, 7 reb, 3 blk) continued his scoring surge as OKC won its 7th in a row. | Recap
- Chet Climbing: Holmgren had his third 20+ point game in a row and fifth in his last six, as his scoring has increased by 5 ppg this season
- Stingy City: OKC’s top-ranked defense held Sacramento’s leading scorer, Zach LaVine (22.7 ppg), to 8 points, and kept the Kings under 100 for the first time this year
- Bench Boost: Dennis Schröder nabbed a Kings-high 21 points off the bench in a 7th straight loss
Houston’s top-rated offense controlled the glass and locked in on defense for its fifth win in a row.
Rockets 114, Cavaliers 104: Alperen Sengun (11 reb, 7 ast) scored 12 of his game-high 28 points in a tight 4th quarter to propel Houston over Cleveland and De’Andre Hunter (25 pts) for its 10th win in the last 11 games. | Recap
- Furious Finish: Sengun and Aaron Holiday (14 pts, 3 3s in 4th) helped Houston seal it in a 40-point 4th, overcoming Cleveland’s 29-8 run and a 19-point 4th from Donovan Mitchell (21 pts, 3 3s)
- Glass Game: Houston grabbed 16 offensive rebounds for a 21-6 advantage in 2nd-chance points. It’s the first team on pace to average 16+ offensive rebounds in a season since 2002
- Rocket Lock: While offense made the difference late, Houston flexed its 6th-rated defense to hold Cleveland under 105 for the first time this month
- Air Support: Kevin Durant added 20 points and Amen Thompson (12 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast, 5 stl) packed the stat sheet and rocked the rim
A career-high 32 points for Peyton Watson.
A casual ninth triple-double this season for Nikola Jokić.
And another Denver dub.
Nuggets 125, Pelicans 118: Jokić (28 pts, 11 reb, 12 ast) tallied his triple-double before the 4th quarter, and Watson (12 reb, 3 ast, 5 3s) was everywhere as Denver outpaced NOLA for its eighth win in nine games, despite rookie Derik Queen’s career-high 30 points and 9 boards. | Recap
- Hot Hand: Watson pumped up for 11 of his 32 points early in the 3rd to help Denver separate and never look back
- Winning Connection: Five of Joker’s 12 assists went to Watson, sparking 13 of his 32 points, including 3 triples
- Pels’ Points: Trey Murphy III had 23 points and 5 steals, while Zion Williamson scored 14 points in his first action in eight games (hamstring)
3. HEATING UP: RAPTORS & WOLVES STAY WINNING
Toronto is enjoying its best stretch since 2021-22.
Raptors 121, 76ers 112: Brandon Ingram (5 ast) and RJ Barrett (4 ast) each had 22 points to lead six Raptors in double figures as Toronto won its fifth in a row and ninth of its last 10. | Recap
- Raptor Run: Barrett (11 of 22 pts in 3rd) and Immanuel Quickley (11 of 18 pts in 4th) had back-to-back 11-point quarters, fueling Toronto’s 68-point 2nd half to take command
- Sixers’ Scoring: Tyrese Maxey led Philly with 24 points, 9 assists and 5 3s, while VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes each added 21 points
- On The Board! Jared McCain sank his first bucket of the season and his reaction says it all
And here come the Wolves…
Wolves 120, Wizards 109: Julius Randle was a force (32 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast), Naz Reid lit it up from deep (28 pts, 5 3s) and Anthony Edwards added 18 points to power Minnesota past Kyshawn George (23 pts, 7 ast) and Washington in a near wire-to-wire win. | Recap
4. ROUNDUP: POWELL TAKES OVER, PACERS SNAP SKID
Heat 110, Warriors 96: Norman Powell poured in 17 of his game-high 25 points in the 4th, where Miami outscored a shorthanded Dubs squad 38-22 to improve to 9-6. Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 7 boards in his return after missing six games with a toe injury. | Recap
Bennedict Mathurin is also back from a toe injury – winning a duel with one of the league’s top rooks to earn a much-needed dub.
Pacers 127, Hornets 118: After dropping 25 in his return on Monday, Mathurin posted 24 points and 12 boards, while Pascal Siakam added 22 and 7 dimes to outlast Kon Knueppel (28 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast) and Charlotte, halting Indy’s 8-game slide. | Recap
- Blossoming Buckets: Mathurin is now averaging 27.8 ppg in his four outings this season, while Knueppel has hit an NBA record 50 3s in his first 15 career games
5. TONIGHT ON NBA TV: JOHNSON LEADS HAWKS vs. FOX & SPURS
Jalen Johnson began to demonstrate his unique all-around game last season. But he was only able to show flashes.
In January, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. The 23-year-old forward — amid a career-best season — wasn’t able to write his own ending.
So far this season, he’s authoring a new story.
The Hawks have five victories in their last six games and can make it nine in the last 12 with a win over the Spurs tonight (8 ET, NBA TV). Johnson is back on the hardwood and thriving in the driver’s seat throughout Atlanta’s streak.
- Sneak Peek: Before the setback, his name was popular in Kia Most Improved Player conversations, averaging 18.9 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1 block per game
- Feature Film: He’s outdone those former career-highs since November as he’s averaging 22.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 7.5 apg and 2 spg
- Stepping Up: In that time, Johnson has risen to the occasion without Trae Young (knee), shooting a blistering 48.4% from deep and 57.3% from the field
- “The feel that he has for the game… he has a diverse set of skills, as far as passing and handling,” said coach Quin Snyder last week. “He’s taking what the defense gives him.”
But winning ways aren’t attributable to Johnson alone. The Hawks as a unit have tightened up on defense, easing the offensive burden.
- November Reign: Atlanta owns a 108.5 DefRtg since Nov. 2, qualifying as the 5th-best in the league this month and an improvement on its season-long mark of 112
- Guardians Of The Hoop: Leading that effort have been Kristaps Porziņģis (1.6 bpg) and Dyson Daniels (2.3 spg), each posting team-highs
- Sharpened Talons: The presence of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu can’t be understated, either, delivering 18.3 and 16.1 ppg this season, respectively
San Antonio marches onward without Victor Wembanyama (calf). In its second game of 2025-26 without him in the lineup, the squad won — again.
- Stride Found: De’Aaron Fox was the Spurs’ leading scorer in both victories, posting 54 points combined, while also shooting 11-for-24 from 3 in his last three games
- Valuable Vets: The 9th-year guard, alongside 14th-year forward Harrison Barnes, can put their experience to the test with top youth Wembanyama and Stephon Castle (hip) out
Three more matchups get underway on League Pass, including the Magic battling the Clippers in search of a 5th win in their last six outings (7 ET).
- Kings at Grizzlies (8 ET)
- 76ers at Bucks (8 ET)
