Wemby started his career with 🤯 play after 🤯 play. Last night, he closed 2023 with one more of them.
Here’s to more in 2024.
Happy New Year! Let’s catch you up.
THE LINEUP 🏀
- 👀 Must-see from New Year’s Eve
- 🎆 Closing out 2023 in style
- 🔙 Look back at ’23, ahead to ’24 🔜
- 📸 Celebrating 1/1 with No. 1’s
- 🗣️ Your 2024 predictions
📺 Wolves at Knicks (3 ET, NBA TV): The West-leading Wolves visit the new-look Knicks following Saturday’s acquisition of OG Anunoby.
🏀 Pacers at Bucks (8 ET, NBA App): The last time these teams met, Giannis dropped a franchise-record, and NBA season-high 64 points. What will he do for an encore?
📲 Six More Games on the NBA App
☑️ All-Star Voting: New Year’s Day marks the second 3-for-1 voting day in All-Star Voting presented by AT&T. Cast your ballot now
1. MUST-SEE FROM NEW YEAR’S EVE
Deni Avdija's buzzer-beater, Victor Wembanyama's dunk, Trae Young's dime and more mark Sunday's Top 10 plays.
💥 Dunking in the New Year
- Statue of Wemby: The phenom from France emulated the gift from France as he kept the ball high and elevated from a step inside the free throw line for the smooth dunk
- From Prince to King: Taurean Prince hit LeBron with the outlet and LeBron handled the rest with the tomahawk dunk
- Attacking the Rook: Spencer Dinwiddie challenged the league’s third-leading shot blocker and came out on top
- With the Left: Trae tossed up the no-look lob for one of his 13 dimes and Jalen Johnson threw down the lefty oop
🏀 Steals, Blocks and More
- Grand Theft Alvarado: Jose got LeBron with his signature move, with his poke away steal setting up a Brandon Ingram 3
- 🗣️Zion on Jose’s Impact: “Man, that’s big time. When he does stuff like that, it changes the game”
- KD on Both Ends: Durant protected the rim, then rocked the rim to finish the Suns fast break
- Beal is Back: Bradley Beal looked spry as he elevated for this two-hand jam in transition and with a pair of slick moves to get free for the buzzer-beating jumper
- Scoop & Poster: Chet Holmgren finessed his way for the shot-clock-beating scoop shot, before elevating to finish the pick-and-roll with the slam through contact
- Gift from Malik: After dropping 27 points, Malik Monk gifted his shoes to a young Kings fan in Memphis
2. SUNS, KINGS, CELTICS, THUNDER, PELICANS & HAWKS CLOSE 2023 IN STYLE
☀️ Suns 112, Magic 107: Phoenix’s big three – Kevin Durant (31), Bradley Beal (25) and Devin Booker (21) – combined for 77 points as the Suns held off the Magic, who got a combined 55 from Paolo Banchero (28 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast) and Franz Wagner (27). | Recap
👑 Kings 123, Grizzlies 92: Domantas Sabonis (13 pts, 21 reb, 12 ast) posted his sixth triple-double of the season (and fourth in the past two weeks), while Malik Monk (27) and De’Aaron Fox (24) combined for 51 as Sac took the lead for good in the second quarter. | Recap
🍀 Celtics 134, Spurs 101: Jayson Tatum (25) and Jaylen Brown (24) combined for 49 points as the Celtics cruised to their sixth-straight win without ever trailing to Wemby (21 pts, 7 reb) and the Spurs. | Recap
⛈️ Thunder 124, Nets 108: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 24 points as all five OKC starters scored 17 or more in the Thunder’s fourth straight win. | Recap
⚜️ Pelicans 129, Lakers 109: Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson scored 26 points apiece as the Pelicans withstood a game-high 34 points from LeBron for their second straight win. | Recap
🅰️ Hawks 130, Wizards 126
The Hawks had four players record double-doubles in their win over the Wizards to close 2023.
- Trae Young: 40 pts, 13 ast (his 13th career 40/10 game)
- Jalen Johnson: 24 pts, 13 reb
- Clint Capela: 11 pts, 17 reb
- Saddiq Bey: 11 pts, 11 reb
There have only been six such games when a team has four or more players with a double-double in the same game over the past five seasons.
Half of them were by the Hawks, all in 2023, and two in the past 16 days
- 12/31/2023: Hawks (Capela, Young, Bey, Johnson)
- 12/15/2023: Hawks (Capela, Young, Bey, Okongwu)
- 4/9/2023: Spurs (Mamukelashvili, Barlow, Champagnie, Dieng)
- 1/2/2023: Hawks (Murray, Collins, Young, Okongwu)
- 3/8/2020: Cavaliers (Love, Drummond, Dellavedova, Nance Jr.)
- 2/2/2020: Pelicans (Ingram, Ball, Hart, Williamson)
3. LOOKING BACK AT 2023, AHEAD TO 2024
As the calendar flips to 2024, NBA.com had its writers break down their favorite moments and biggest surprises from 2023 and what they’re most looking forward to in 2024, from…
- Their favorite NBA moment of 2023
- What surprised them most in 2023
- Which player had the best 2023
- Which traded star player will have the best 2024
- What they’re most looking forward to in ’24
Tap to see their answers.
4. FRAMES FOR THE 1ST OF THE YEAR: 11 GREAT NUMBER 1s
Earlier this year, we looked at the most popular jersey numbers over the past 23 years. The most-worn by far? No. 3.
But No. 1 held its own, ranking as the third most-worn, but representing the second-most points and assists since 2000. A big reason why? A few of the greatest players of the last half-century (and all-time) have called it their own.
Today, on the 1st day of the 1st month of the year, we celebrate 11 of the greats & current stars to wear the No. 1.
Tracy McGrady
Devin Booker
Chauncey Billups
Victor Wembanyama
Anfernee ‘Penny’ Hardaway
Zion Williamson
Amar’e Stoudemire
Derrick Rose
Nate ‘Tiny’ Archibald
Chris Bosh
Oscar Robertson
5. YOUR 2024 PREDICTIONS
Heading into 2024, we asked the Starting 5 fam to send in your best NBA predictions for the year ahead.
As we head into 2024, keep reading for 11 of ‘em
- Jordi: Boston wins it all
- Christopher: Nuggets will repeat
- Cameryn: We will see an 80-point game in 2024
- Jeff: The Kings will win 50 games and advance to the Western Conference Semifinals
- Martin: The Thunder don’t make a trade and go deep into the playoffs
- Steven: The Boston Celtics will win the NBA championship over the LA Clippers
- Corbin: There will be 6 different East All-Stars this year than there were last year
- Daniel: Luka winning MVP
- Naazim: The NBA will continue to put on for their community!
- Meira: The Celtics and Timberwolves are championship contenders
- Valentino: I think that Jaime Jaquez Jr. will win Rookie of the Year and the Grizzlies will make the playoffs, as well as Luka Doncic winning MVP. James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Paul George will all get their first ring
