Happy Monday!

Giannis Antetokounmpo just became one of four players who lead a single franchise in PTS, REB & AST.

Who are the other 3?

(big reveal in Section 2)

THE LINEUP 🏀

1. 👀  Monday’s must-see
2. 📈  Giannis in a class of 4
3. ✨  Luka & Jokic, in GIFs
4. ⏪  Weekend in 90 seconds
5. 📸  Photos of the week

WHAT TO KNOW TODAY …

MVP candidates Luka Doncic & Nikola Jokic meet in a battle of the West’s 3rd & 4th place teams on NBA TV (9 ET) …

NBA ID Member Days get started, highlighted by All-Star Voting presented by AT&T on Tuesday and a 13-game League Pass free trial on Saturday …

On this day, Brandon Roy scored a career-high 52 points in 2008 and the Lakers retired Kobe Bryant’s No. 24 and No. 8 jerseys in 2017 …

Tap for the full 11-game schedule

1. MONDAY MORNING MUST-SEE

📰 Top Stories

• The Celtics improved to 14-0 at home this year with a win over the Magic, thanks to 31 points from Jaylen Brown – 17 in the fourth
• Giannis became the Bucks’ all-time leader in rebounds, making him the franchise leader in virtually all major categories (except one!)
• The Pelicans set a franchise record with 22 treys, on the way to a 146-110 win over the Spurs
• Stephen Curry’s 3-point streak ended at 268 regular season games, but Klay Thompson stayed hot, scoring 24+ PTS for the third straight game after not getting to that total in his first 22 games this year
• Curry’s streak dated back to December of 2018. Last time he didn’t make a 3 in any game was Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals. The next time out, he went 6-for-11 on the way to Finals MVP honors

💥 Top Plays

• What’s the best part of this KP putback? The fact he started near the arc? Then got the board over 3 Magic players? Or the HUGE dunk in traffic?
• Come for the Giannis putback, stay to watch it on loop and have the live call start to feel like it’s a verse
• Steph stays smooth from the no-look spinning dime, all the way through the celly
• KD comes through with the CLUTCH and-1 slam in the closing seconds against his hometown team
• Get a special courtside angle to see Jalen Green change his mind and switch hands midair for the wild finish
• Jalen Suggs didn’t have to throw the oop down this hard. But we’re glad he did
• Antonio Daniels and the Pelicans telecast got UP for this Trey Murphy two-handed slam

💥 Top Moments

• Stand at center court with Tony Parker, as he watches the Spurs celebrate his Hall of Fame induction by unveiling a new detail on his jersey in the rafts
• Blazers legend Brandon Roy was showing love in Portland

2. GIANNIS: IN A CLASS OF FOUR 

With his 14th rebound of the night on Sunday (and No. 7,162nd for his career), Giannis Antetokounmpo moved past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar into first place on the Bucks’ all-time list.

• Completing the trio: Giannis had previously taken the top spot in PTS (passing Kareem on Mar. 31, 2022) and AST (moving past Paul Pressey on Feb. 16, 2023)

Epic Company: Only three other players currently lead a franchise in all three individual categories. Those players are…

• LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls

Bucks win battle of streaks: Lillard paced the Bucks with 39 PTS, the most he’s put up since his debut on Oct. 26, as Milwaukee stopped Houston’s win streak at five and extended its own win streak to four.

• Antetokounmpo finished with 17 boards, bringing his career total to a Bucks-best 7,165. He also ranks first in franchise history in games, minutes, blocks, FGM and more. One category where he can still get there? Steals. Tap to see the lists
• Almost perfect: Milwaukee’s now won 13 straight at home, improving to 14-1 at Fiserv Forum this year

Celtics stay perfect: With Brown leading the way – including a 5-for-8 mark from deep – East-leading Boston beat fourth-place Orlando for the second time in two nights to remain the only unbeaten team at home this year.

Celtics history: It’s the Celtics’ second-longest home winning streak to start a season ever. The 1957-58 team, which saw Bill Russell capture his first MVP, won 17 in a row.

Recent history: Just four other teams in the past 20 years have started 14-0 or better at home.

• 2019: 76ers, 14-0
• 2015: Warriors, 36-0
• 2015: Spurs, 39-0
• 2008: Cavaliers, 23-0

Paolo Banchero dropped 36 for Orlando, including a career-high 26 in the first half.

Said Kristaps Porzingis: “For a visiting team to come into this building and beat us, it’s got to be a special night for them. And we totally believe that.”

Around the league…

• New Orleans picked up its fourth straight win since falling in the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals. The Pelicans are averaging more than 130 pts a night on 43.8% shooting from deep in that stretch
• In front of his mentor, Parker, Victor Wembanyama recorded his eighth straight double-double, the most by a teenager in NBA history — passing Dwight Howard’s mark of seven in 2005
• Kevin Durant and Devin Booker combined for 55 points, while Jusuf Nurkic added 17 rebounds, to help the Suns rally from 16 behind to stop a two-game slide and drop the Wizards, 112-108
• Klay Thompson shot 68.8% from the floor and went 5-of-10 from 3 as Golden State beat Portland to pick up back-to-back wins. Thompson is shooting 55% from long distance over his last three games.

3. THE WEEKEND IN 90 SECONDS 

We’re just one week away from NBA on Christmas Day.

Which, if you celebrate Christmas, probably means you’re behind on gifts.

Read on for a quick look at what went down this weekend, and then get back to panicking brainstorming.

Friday

• Brunson erupts: Jalen Brunson dropped a career-high 50 points on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting night from 3-point range, and a 12-for-12 second half
• The Knicks star became the first player in the 3-point era (since 1979-80) to score 50+ points while shooting 100% from 3 on at least eight attempts
• He also became the third player in NBA history with 50+ PTS, 9+ AST, 5+ REB and 5+ STL in a game. The others: Michael Jordan (Mar. 18, 1988) and Rick Barry (Mar. 26, 1974)
• LeBron vs. Wembanyama: In the first-ever meeting between two of the most anticipated No. 1 picks in history — one from 2003, the other from 2023 — Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs pulled off their first win since early November
• LeBron’s moonshot: King James gave us a moment to remember with this high-arcing 3 over Wembanyama’s outstretched arm

Saturday

• Jimmy Butler followed through on his earlier guarantee to make his next game-winning shot by … making his next game-winning shot. See his buzzer-beater to lift Miami over Chicago from every angle
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came through with 0.9 seconds left to lift the Thunder over the Nuggets
• No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren blocked a career-high eight shots, matching Wembanyama and Brook Lopez for the most in a game this season
• Kings second-year star Keegan Murray sank a career-high and franchise-record 12 3s on his way to a career-high 47 points
• The longest win streak in the NBA belongs to the LA Clippers, who remain unbeaten in December after a 22-point win over New York
• Joel Embiid became the third player in the last 50 years with a 10+ game streak of 30+ PTS and 10+ rebounds, joining Shaq and Moses Malone

4. LUKA & JOKER’S HISTORIC SEASONS … IN GIFS

Luka Doncic just became the first Maverick in history with 30+ points in 10+ straight games, and the first NBA player this year to reach five 40+ point games.

Three of those have come in his last eight.

Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic – who, as a reminder, LED THE ENTIRE PLAYOFFS in PTS, REB and AST – is Top 11 in PTS & top 3 in REB & AST.

He also just became the first player ever with 10+ triple-doubles in seven straight seasons.

They meet tonight on NBA TV  (9 ET).

To get you ready, we could go into the stats. Or you could just feast on some of their best work this year. In GIF form.

Watch Luka & Joker, in more than 5-second looping videos, when the Mavs travel to the Nuggets in a battle of the West’s third and fourth-place teams, respectively.

Magic At The Buzzer 🃏

🏀💨 Who Else Could Do This?

🎩 Feelin Fancy

5. SOME OF OUR FAVORITE PHOTOS OF THE WEEK