Shai spinning defenders dizzy. OKC making history.
Twenty-one games. Twenty wins. Twelve straight – and a start we’ve only seen three times before.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Rolling Thunder: A historic streak for Shai and a historic start for OKC
West Heat: Luka & Reaves lead Lakers to 7th straight W, Rockets stay rolling, Ant turns up
Sunday Roundup: Johnson & Maxey duel, Pritchard & Edey erupt, Knicks cool Raptors
What’s Trending – NBA Cup: The 2025 Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Round is set
What’s Trending – Stars Shining: Jokić’s historic month, Cade & Detroit’s rise and two red-hot rooks
BUT FIRST … ⏰
December opens with a nine-game slate, highlighted by a Peacock doubleheader as the Magic host the Bulls (7:30 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Suns visit the streaking Lakers (10 ET | Tap to Watch).
1. ROLLING THUNDER: OKC & SGA MAKE HISTORY IN WIN NO. 20
The Thunder’s lone loss this season came against the Blazers on Nov. 5.
Since then, they haven’t just topped Portland twice – they’ve played nearly perfect basketball.
And made history while doing it.
Thunder 123, Blazers 115: In a battle that featured 22 ties and 15 lead changes, OKC entered the 4th with a two-point deficit. It finished the game with an eight-point win, opening the quarter with a decisive 17-6 run for the Thunder’s 12th straight W and an NBA-best 20-1 record. | Recap
Shai Shines: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 26 points, including 10 in the 4th, while going 8-of-15 from the floor and adding 5 dimes
Shai’s Streak: It’s SGA’s 93rd straight 20-point game, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain (92) for the 2nd-longest streak all-time, and trailing only Wilt’s separate streak of 126
Full Circle: Shai’s first game to start the streak? A 30-ball on Nov. 1, 2024, in a win over the Blazers
Chet & Dub: Chet Holmgren added 19 points and 9 boards, while Jalen Williams stuffed the stat sheet (16 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast) in his second game of the season after returning from wrist surgery
Blazer Breakout: Deni Avdija continued his All-Star caliber season, leading Portland with a triple-double (31 pts, 19 reb, 10 ast)
Striking Start: Only three other teams in NBA history have won 20 of their first 21 games: the 2015-16 Warriors (21-0), the 1993-94 Rockets (20-1) and the 1969-70 Knicks (20-1).
In those seasons, the Warriors finished with the best record in NBA history (73-9) en route to the NBA Finals. The Rockets and Knicks won the NBA title.
Best Of Both: Of those teams, the Thunder are averaging the most points (122.2) and steals (10.4) per game
Cracking Down: Their 12-game win streak is the 2nd-longest in the OKC era. In that stretch, they’ve racked up 299 points off turnovers while holding opponents to 103.8 ppg
Winning Recipe: Since play-by-play data began being tracked in 1997-98, only one other team has matched those numbers in 12 straight wins – the 2024-25 Thunder
What’s Scarier? This year’s squad has been even more dominant than that group, currently on track to break its historic point differential (+12.9) by nearly 3 points (+15.5).
2. WEST HEAT: LAKERS & ROCKETS STAY HOT, ANT MAKES WOLVES HISTORY
Right behind OKC out West? The surging Lakers, with Luka Dončić making magic every time he takes the floor – and another star shining.
Lakers 133, Pelicans 121: Luka turned in 34 points, 12 boards and 7 assists for his sixth straight 30-piece. Austin Reaves tallied 33/5/8, and the Lakers jumped out to a 46-27 1st-quarter lead to soar to their seventh straight dub, despite being without LeBron James. | Recap
Double Trouble: Dončić and Reaves – who’s averaging a career-best 28.8 ppg – are the fourth duo in the last 50 years to each total 30+ points in 3 straight games
Lakers Lore: Luka – averaging an NBA-best 35.1 ppg – is just the sixth Laker to record six consecutive 30-pieces, joining LeBron, Kobe, Shaq, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor
Historic Start: But only one player in NBA history has opened a season with 500+ pts and 130+ ast through their first 15 games – Luka in 2025-26 (526, 138)
Winning Results: The Lakers (15-4) have the NBA’s 3rd-best record, their best start since 2019-20 (when they won the NBA title)
One game back of Los Angeles? Houston, which is also red-hot.
Rockets 129, Jazz 101: After missing the last two games, Kevin Durant showed no signs of rust in his return (25 pts, 10-14 FG), while Alperen Sengun scored a game-high 27 along with 5 dimes to lead Houston to a near wire-to-wire win over Utah. | Recap
On The Rise: Houston is 8-1 in its last nine games, ranking 3rd in DefRtg and averaging 120.4 ppg in that span
Fully Loaded: Five Rockets are posting 15+ ppg amid the run: Durant (25.3 pts, 7 GP), Sengun (21.9 pts), Reed Sheppard (16.9 pts), Jabari Smith Jr. (16.1) and Amen Thompson (15.6)
Ace & Lauri: Ace Bailey (19 pts, 8-12 FG) and Lauri Markkanen (18 pts, 8 reb) led Utah, which stays in Salt Lake City for a rematch tonight on League Pass (9 ET)
Anthony Edwards entered Sunday with four straight 30-pieces, including 41- and 43-point outings.
He left with a Wolves record.
Wolves 125, Spurs 112: Edwards turned up for 32 points with four 3s and 6 assists, as he and Julius Randle (22 pts, 12 ast) sparked a 36-19 4th quarter for Minnesota to rally it past San Antonio and improve to 12-8 | Recap
Lead Wolf: It was Edwards’ 102nd 30-point game, surpassing Karl-Anthony Towns (101) for the most in Wolves history
Ant Unleashed: He’s now averaging 37.2 ppg in his last five outings, hitting 4.8 3s a night at a 49% clip
3. ROUNDUP: JOHNSON OUTDUELS MAXEY, PRITCHARD & EDEY EAT, KNICKS WIN
The game of the day? A back-and-forth duel between two rising young stars.
Hawks 142, 76ers 134 (2OT): Tyrese Maxey went off for 44 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, while nailing a game-tying triple with 8 seconds left in regulation to force OT.
But it wasn’t enough to best Jalen Johnson (career-high 41 pts, 14 reb, 7 ast), who hit a pair of free throws with 0.3 ticks left to force double OT, where he splashed back-to-back triples in the final two minutes to outlast the Sixers in a thriller. | Recap
Johnson Soaring: Atlanta has won nine of its last 12 games, with Johnson posting 24.5 pts, 10.9 reb and 9 ast in that stretch while stepping up for the injured Trae Young
NAW Shines: Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 34 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, lifting Atlanta to 13-8
Money Maxey: Maxey’s up to four 40-point games this season, second only to Luka (5), while ranking 3rd in the NBA in scoring (32.3 ppg)
In Cleveland, Payton Pritchard kept the 40 parade rolling.
Celtics 117, Cavaliers 115: Pritchard splashed six 3s and went 15-of-22 from the field for 42 points – one shy of his career-high – capped by multiple clutch buckets and the game-sealing free throws to edge Evan Mobley (27 pts, 14 reb) and the Cavs. | Recap
C’s Hitting Stride: Pritchard scored 15 in the 4th, while Jaylen Brown finished with a triple-double (19 pts, 12 reb, 11 ast) for Boston’s sixth win in eight games
Cavs Trio: Darius Garland (21 pts, 8 ast) and Donovan Mitchell (18 pts, 8 ast) combined with Mobley for 66 points, as the Cavs move to 12-9 with their third straight loss
It’s been a good two weeks for the Raptors. They punched their ticket to the Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Round, won nine straight games and held 2nd-place in the East entering yesterday.
But Sunday belonged to New York.
Knicks 116, Raptors 94: Karl-Anthony Towns (22 pts, 8 reb), Josh Hart (20 pts, 12 reb, 7 ast) and Jalen Brunson (18 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast) led six Knicks in double figures and New York nailed 16 triples to outpace Toronto, leapfrogging it for 2nd in the East at 13-6. | Recap
Garden Party: It’s the Knicks’ fourth straight win as they improve to 10-1 at MSG – trailing only OKC for the best home record in the NBA
Roaring Raps: Despite back-to-back losses, Toronto is now 14-7 – its best 21-game start since 2019
Grizzlies 115, Kings 107: In a monstrous outing, Zach Edey went 16-of-20 from the field for a career-high 32 points, while adding 17 boards and 4 blocks to lead Memphis past the Kings for its fourth straight dub. | Recap
Big-Time Company: Edey is the first player to post such a stat line on at least 80% shooting since Shaquille O’Neal in Nov. 1999
4. WHAT’S TRENDING: EMIRATES NBA CUP KNOCKOUT ROUND SET
After a wild Friday Group Play finale, the Knockout Round of the Emirates NBA Cup is set.
The Raptors, Magic and Knicks were crowned as East group winners, while the Thunder, Lakers and Spurs emerged out West.
Wild cards were awarded to the Heat and Suns, and the action resumes next Tuesday, Dec. 9, with Miami visiting Orlando and Toronto hosting New York. | Full Knockout Round Schedule
Raptors’ Discipline: Toronto went 4-0 in East Group A behind the league’s No. 6-rated defense and the 2nd-best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.12)
Orlando Answering: The Magic’s 4-0 run through East B has rallied them during Paolo Banchero’s absence, going 6-2 with seven players averaging double figures in that span
New York Heart: The Knicks are Quarterfinals-bound for the third straight year, clinching East C behind Jalen Brunson’s 37 points in an elimination win over the Bucks on Friday
White-Hot Miami: Winners of six of its last seven, Miami grabbed the Wild Card spot at 3-1 in Group Play, powered by the league’s 2nd-highest scoring offense (123.6 ppg)
Wild West: New York wasn’t the only squad to deliver a knockout punch. The Spurs eliminated the Nuggets in a winner-take-all duel on Friday, 139-136, to join the Thunder and Lakers as West group winners.
High-Stakes Hoops: It was San Antonio’s first taste of elimination basketball since reaching the Playoffs in 2019. With Victor Wembanyama out, Devin Vassell stepped up for a team-high 35 points in the win
Suns Surging: Phoenix won two of its last three Group Play contests in a span of eight days, and Devin Booker was a big reason why. The four-time All-Star has averaged a team-high 25.7 ppg and 6.9 apg in 2025-26
Cup Teams In Action: The Suns pay a visit to the Lakers tonight (10 ET, Peacock) in a matchup of two West Cup quarterfinalists
5. WHAT’S TRENDING: SHINING STARS, RISING ROOKS & MONDAY HOOPS
While San Antonio ended Nikola Jokić and Denver’s hopes of reaching the NBA Cup Knockout Round on Friday, we’ve never seen a month like the Joker’s November.
Like, ever.
No player in NBA history had averaged 30/10/10 while shooting over 50% from 3 in a calendar month – until Jokić did this November, posting an absurd 32 pts, 11.7 reb and 11 ast at a 52.3% clip from deep.
Even More Ridiculous? He shot 64.9% from the floor – trailing only Luka in November ppg, yet ranking 19th in FGA per game (17.5)
All-Around Excellence: Jokić also leads the league in triple-doubles this season with 10 – one more than the next three players combined
The Impact: The Nuggets pace the NBA in scoring (124.8 ppg) and are 14-5 – one game back of the Lakers for 2nd out West
Leading the East? The Detroit Pistons, off to their best start since 2005 at 16-4 thanks to a recent 13-game heater – tied for their longest win streak in franchise history.
Back On Track: After seeing their streak end with back-to-back losses, Detroit responded on Saturday with a big win over the 4th-place Heat, improving to 13-2 in its last 15 games
Cade’s Climb: In that stretch, Cade Cunningham has played like an MVP (31.6 pts, 9.8 ast) – joining Jokić and Luka as the only players posting 30+ pts and 9+ ast in that span
Hot vs. Hot: Tonight, the Pistons face the 5th-place Hawks, who seek their 10th win in 13 games (7 ET, LP)
Two rookies have also been turning heads – former Duke teammates Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg – sitting No. 1 and 2 on the Kia Rookie Ladder, respectively, and both in action tonight.
Flagg Flying: After posting 13.9 ppg on 40.3% shooting in his first 10 games, Flagg has found his rhythm – boosting his numbers to 19.5 ppg on 51.3% shooting in his last 10
Historic Night: That includes a 35-point outing on Saturday, making him the youngest player ever to drop 35+ in an NBA game (18y, 343d)
Historic Start: Knueppel has been on a tear all season, becoming the first player in NBA history to tally 360+ pts and 60+ 3s in his first 20 games while shooting a ridiculous 41.3% from deep
LP Spotlight: Tonight on League Pass, Knueppel leads Charlotte against Brooklyn (7:30 ET), before Flagg faces Jokić as Dallas visits Denver (9 ET)