Everything’s falling in Cleveland, and the Ws are stacking up.
THE LINEUP 🏀
Nov. 9, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?
Winning Ways: A scoring outburst and a must-see finish extended two historic starts
Triple Dubs: Two stars continued triple-double streaks before LeBron joined the fun
Big Names, Big Buckets: Ant and JJJ flirted with 40-pieces, while KAT & JT filled it up
Roundup: Two duos put on a show, plus a standings update after Friday’s 13 games
All-Day Action: Four games, eight-plus hours of hoops and everything you need to know
BUT FIRST … ⏰
A non-stop Saturday slate …
Four matchups get underway Saturday, highlighted by an NBA TV tripleheader. To tip things off, Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will host the Jazz (5 ET) before the Nets visit the unbeaten Cavs (7:30 ET). To cap the night, the Raptors will take on James Harden and the Clippers at the Intuit Dome (10: 30 ET).
The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 tips off in just three days, with Group Play opening on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Our countdown previewing every group continues today with West Group B, featuring last year’s Cup winners — the Lakers — as well as the top two teams in the West in the Thunder and Suns, along with the Spurs and Jazz.
1. SCORCHING STREAKS: 10-0 CAVS, 7 STRAIGHT SUNS’ DUBS
The Cleveland Cavaliers are 10-0 for the first time in franchise history. And their record-extending win came in record-setting fashion.
Cavaliers 136, Warriors 117: In a matchup between two of the hottest teams in basketball, the Cavs came out on fire, building a 20-2 edge before entering the break up 83-42 — marking their biggest halftime lead (41 points) in the play-by-play era (1997-98).
Cleveland went on to secure its 10th straight W while snapping Steph Curry (12 pts, 2 ast) and the Warriors’ five-game win streak. | Recap
- 1st-Half Fire: The Cavs’ 83 points set the franchise record for most in a 1st half in the play-by-play era. It also topped Minnesota’s 79 2nd-half points on Thursday for the most by any team in any half this season
- Offensive Eruption: Through 10 games, Cleveland has hit the 130-point mark five times, surpassing their total from all of last season (four) while tying the single-season franchise record
- Complete Cavs Effort: Eight Cavs had 7+ points at the half, and Darius Garland (27 pts, 6 ast, 6 3s), Evan Mobley (23 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast) and Ty Jerome (20 pts 3 3s) finished with a combined 70 points
- Cleveland is just the 15th team in NBA history to begin a season 10-0. Of the 14 previous teams to do so, seven made the NBA Finals
- The last team to start 10-0? The 2015-16 Warriors, who lost to Cleveland in the Finals for the Cavs’ first-ever title
Suns 114, Mavericks 113: After entering the break down 13 points, Luka Dončić (30 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast, including one ridiculous dish) and Kyrie Irving (29 pts 7 reb, 6 ast) sparked a 3rd-quarter Mavs rally to give them the lead early in the 4th.
But Kevin Durant and Phoenix responded, and in a wild finish, Jusuf Nurkić sank a game-winning free throw with 0.8 seconds left to stamp the Suns’ seventh straight win. | Recap | Watch The Epic Ending
- KD vs. Kyrie In The Clutch: Durant (26 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast) scored 17 points in the 2nd half while Irving dropped 19 as the two generational scorers dueled down the stretch
- Suns Balance: Nurkić (15 pts, 10 reb) and Devin Booker (13 pts, season-high 12 ast) each posted double-doubles, while Royce O’Neale (18 pts), Tyus Jones (17 pts) and Bradley Beal (15 pts) all scored in double figures
- Coach Mike Budenholzer: “It takes a little bit of everyone to win and tonight was one of those nights.”
- Phoenix is 7-0 in clutch games this season, and its 8-1 record matches its best start in franchise history (2009-10 and 1980-81)
2. TRIPLE-DOUBLES GALORE: 3 STARS STUFF THE STAT SHEET
Nuggets 135, Heat 122: In a 2023 Finals rematch, Nikola Jokić (30 pts, 11 reb, 14 ast) earned his third straight triple-double and his fifth in nine games this season, while Jamal Murray returned from concussion protocol and dropped 28 points to power the Nuggets to a wire-to-wire win over Tyler Herro (24 pts, 7 reb, 11 ast) and the Heat. | Recap
- Another Joker Ace: Jokić went 11-of-13 (84.6%) from the field, marking the fourth time a player has recorded a 30+ point triple-double while shooting over 80% from the floor since Cleveland’s Brad Daugherty did so in 1992
- Of those four instances since 1992, Jokić is responsible for three of them, and only Wilt Chamberlain has more such games all-time with six
- Murray’s Milestone: With four triples on the night, Murray became the first Nugget in franchise history to sink 1,000 career 3s
- Denver has now won four straight games, and six of their last seven for a 6-3 record
Pistons 122, Hawks 121: Cade Cunningham (22 pts, 11 reb, season-high 13 ast) also notched his third straight triple-double and stamped his monster night with a go-ahead bucket with 8.5 seconds left and a game-sealing block as time expired to edge out Trae Young (35 pts, 13 ast) and the Hawks. | Recap
- Cade 🤝 Hill: Cunningham joins Grant Hill (1997) as the only Pistons to ever record three straight triple-doubles in the same season
- More Milestones: He also joins Josh Giddey (1x), Nikola Jokić (1x), Walt Frazier (1x) and Oscar Robertson (10x) as the only players to accomplish the feat at age 23 or younger
Lakers 116, 76ers 106: LeBron James (21 pts, 12 reb, 13 ast, 3 blk) took over for his second triple-double of the season, Anthony Davis poured in a game-high 31 points and nine boards and the Lakers never trailed in the 2nd half to take down Andre Drummond (14 pts, 12 reb) and the shorthanded Sixers at Crypto.com Arena. | Recap
- The King: It’s James’ 114th career triple-double, and through nine games of his record-tying 22nd NBA season, the 39-year-old is averaging 23.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 8.1 assists
- AD’s Dominance: Davis, who leads the league in scoring with 32.4 ppg, has six 30-point games this season, tied with Jayson Tatum for the most in the NBA
- Home-Court Advantage: The win halts a two-game slide for the Lakers (5-4), who are 4-0 at home this season
3. STARS SHOW OUT: ANT, JJJ, JT & KAT FILL IT UP
“I’m tryna get 40.” — Anthony Edwards amid another masterclass.
Timberwolves 127, Blazers 102: One night after dropping 33 points, Anthony Edwards only needed three quarters to notch 37 with nine 3s, six boards and five dimes, as the Wolves went up 27 in the 2nd quarter and never looked back to beat Scoot Henderson (16 pts, 4 reb) and the Blazers for their third straight win. | Recap
- Ant, Steph & The 3: A shake-and-bake iso stepback gave Edwards nine 3s on the night and an NBA-best 50 on the season, pairing him with Steph Curry (2x) as the only players in NBA history to total 50+ 3s in the first nine games of a season
Celtics 108, Nets 104 (OT): Jayson Tatum dropped a game-high 33 points along with nine boards and six helpers, and although Cam Thomas (31 pts, 3 ast, 4 3s) and Brooklyn were able to force OT, Boston prevailed in the extra frame behind Payton Pritchard’s six points. | Recap
- Boston Bounces Back: Pritchard followed Tatum with 20 points, and the C’s — who lost to Golden State on Wednesday — improved to 8-2 with the win for second place in the East
Grizzlies 128, Wizards 104: With Ja Morant (hip soreness) out, Jaren Jackson Jr. stepped up and went off (39 pts, 6 reb, 5 3s), while Scotty Pippen Jr. (11 pts, 10 reb, 11 ast) notched his first career-triple double to lead the Grizzlies past Kyshawn George (17 pts, 6 reb) and the Wizards, moving Memphis to 6-4. | Recap
Knicks 116, Bucks 94: Karl-Anthony Towns tallied 27 points, four 3s, seven boards and three assists in the 1st half, as the Knicks entered intermission up 66-47 before slamming the door in the 2nd half to top Giannis Antetokounmpo (24 pts, 12 reb), Damian Lillard (19 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) and the Deer at MSG. | Recap
- Bodega KAT & Brunson: Towns finished with 32 points, 11 boards and five dimes, while Brunson added 15 points and nine assists to help the Knicks improve to 4-4
4. ROUNDUP: OKC ROLLS, CHARLOTTE DUO STRIKES & MORE
Thunder 126, Rockets 107: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren turned in 29 points apiece, while Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe each finished with 14 as the Thunder outscored the Rockets 44-20 in the 2nd quarter and controlled the rest of the way to improve to 8-1. | Recap
Clippers 107, Kings 98: Norman Powell (31 pts, 12 reb, 5 3s) tallied his eighth straight 20+ point game, the longest streak of his career, James Harden (22 pts, 8 ast, 3 3s) passed Kevin Garnett for 19th on the all-time scoring list with 26,073 career points and LA pulled away from De’Aaron Fox (31 pts, 3 ast) and the Kings for its third straight dub. | Recap
Hornets 103, Pacers 83: LaMelo Ball (31 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast, 1 silky finish) and Brandon Miller (29 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) put on a show, combining for 60 points as the Hornets overcame a 13-point 3rd-quarter deficit and outscored the Pacers 18-2 in the final 6:08 to top Pascal Siakam (27 pts, 4 reb, 4 stl) and company in Charlotte. | Recap
Magic 115, Pelicans 88: Franz Wagner had 17 of his game-high 27 points in the 1st quarter, and added five boards and six dimes, while leading the Magic to a wire-to-wire win over Brandon Boston Jr. (26 pts, 6 reb, 3 stl) and the Pelicans to snap Orlando’s five-game skid. | Recap
5. NON-STOP HOOPS ON NBA TV & LEAGUE PASS
Get ready for 7+ hours of hoops today.
Four matchups tip off Saturday, stretching from 5 ET past midnight with a tripleheader on NBA TV and a postseason rematch on League Pass.
Jazz at Spurs (5 ET, NBA TV): In a 106-88 win over Utah on Halloween night, Victor Wembanyama (25 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 5 stl, 5 blk) posted his second career 5×5 game, joining Hakeem Olajuwon (6) and Andrei Kirilenko (3) as the only players with multiple career 5×5 games in NBA history. Will Wemby post more scary numbers tonight in another Spurs dub, or will the Jazz get their second win of the season?
Bulls at Hawks (7:30 ET, League Pass): These teams last met in the 2024 SoFi Play-In Tournament where No. 9 Chicago ended No. 10 Atlanta’s season behind Coby White’s career-high 42 points. After falling to the Pistons on Friday, will the Hawks rebound and get payback against the Bulls, or will Chicago snap its four-game slide with a timely dub?
Nets at Cavaliers (7:30 ET, NBA TV): Both in the second legs of a back-to-back, the Nets will look to bounce back from Friday’s OT loss to the Celtics, while the Cavs will look to become just the 12th team in NBA history to start a season 11-0. Cleveland took last year’s season series versus Brooklyn 3-1, with Donovan Mitchell averaging 33.0 ppg in three outings, all of which were wins.
Raptors at Clippers (10:30 ET, NBA TV): Seeking their first road win of the season (0-4), Gradey Dick and the Raptors will visit the Intuit Dome to take on James Harden and the Clippers, who have won three straight games. Dick leads all sophomores in scoring (20.0 ppg) and 3s (23) and has already tallied five 20+ point games this season, something he did four times as a rookie.
