It’s Tournament Night 🏆🎉

The first teams can punch their tickets to the next round tonight. Tap to see where things stand this morning.

THE LINEUP 🏀

1. Monday’s must-see 👀
2. LeBron defying Father Time 👑
3. Monday’s 8 games in 2 minutes ⏰
4. Tournament clinching scenarios 🏆
5. AMA: In-Season Tournament edition 🗣️

📺 Cavs at 76ers, 7:30 ET, TNT

📺 Jazz at Lakers, 10 ET, TNT

📲 3 more games in NBA App

1. TUESDAY MORNING MUST-SEE 👀

• Charlotte snapped Boston’s six-game win streak in overtime. Here’s LaMelo’s clutch bank shot to force OT and Miles Bridges’ game-winning 3 in OT
• Giannis turned Monday into poster night in DC, unleashing a pair of huge dunks as part of his 42-point night on 20-of-23 shooting
• Steph Curry holds so many 3-point records, now he’s breaking his own. Dating back to last season, Curry has made at least four 3s in 14 straight games. Here’s one of his best from Monday as Golden State snapped a six-game skid
• There’s calling your own shot, then there’s Jimmy Butler screaming ‘Skyhook’ as he pulled out his best Kareem Abdul-Jabbar impression in Miami’s win over Chicago
• Two of the night’s most electric handles came from James Harden on Victor Wembanyama and 7-foot Mitchell Robinson on Rudy Gobert
• This is what happens when you don’t box out Anthony Edwards. Watch the “Ant-Man” fly in for the putback dunk off the missed 3 as Minnesota stayed unbeaten at home

2. LEBRON CONTINUES TO DEFY TIME, HISTORY 👑

With over 5000 players to compare, no NBA player has had a career trajectory like LeBron James. 

Tonight against the Jazz (10 ET, TNT), with a berth in the In-Season Tournament Knockout Rounds on the line, the all-time scoring leader is on the verge of making history again.

• 5 to 39K: King James needs just five points to become the first player to reach 39,000 

Only five other players, including three NBA 75 teamers, in NBA history have played 21 years: Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Robert Parish and Kevin Willis.

• No other player has averaged more than 7.4 ppg this deep into an NBA career. LeBron is averaging 26.4.
• Meanwhile, LeBron is coming off a season-high 37 points, his fifth 30+ point game of the season, 109th of his Lakers’ run and 539th of his career. Only Michael Jordan (562) has more
• He’s on pace for his 20th straight season averaging 25+ ppg. LeBron Through the Years: In His Own Words
• James has scored at least 10 points in 1,164 consecutive games (going back to 2007)

What’s at stake: If the Lakers win, they’ll also become the first team ever to go unbeaten in Group Play — and one of the inaugural teams in the single-elimination Knockout Rounds.

• There aren’t many awards LeBron has yet to win. If L.A. keeps rolling, could he add the NBA Cup and NBA In-Season Tournament MVP to his list of career accolades?
• Giannis Antetokounmpo: “When you think about LeBron James, you think about greatness.” NBA stars and legends on LeBron’s sustained excellence

3. 8 GAMES IN 2 MINUTES: STREAK
   EDITION 📈

Monday saw a number of streaks either snapped or extended. Let’s break it down.

🦌 Bucks 142, Wizards 129
Recap | MIL 10-4, WAS 2-11

• Giannis’ big night: Milwaukee won its fifth straight behind Giannis’ latest ridiculous statline: 42 points, 20-23 FG, 13 rebounds, 8 assists
• Ties Kareem: For the most 30/10/5 games in Bucks history (106). Giannis has reached those marks in 14.5% of his career games
• Joined Wilt (3) and Kareem (2) as the only players with 40/10/5 on 87+% shooting in a game. Giannis is the first player to do it in 52 years (!)

🐝 Hornets 121, Celtics 118 (OT)
Recap | CHA 4-9, BOS 11-3

• LaMelo Ball and Jayson Tatum shined as Charlotte snapped Boston’s six-game win streak in an OT thriller
• LaMelo put up 36 points, nine boards, eight assists and five 3s for Charlotte, capped off with a handles display against Jrue Holiday leading to a floater kissed high off the glass
• Tatum had a season-high 45 points and 13 boards. It was his eighth 40/10 game, passing Tommy Heinsohn for second-most in Celtics history behind Larry Bird (29)

⚜️ Pelicans 129, Kings 93
Recap | NOP 7-7, SAC 8-5

• Pelicans slow Kings: Sacramento’s six-game run of wins and high-octane offense came to a halt in New Orleans. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson combined for 57 as the Pelicans cruised to their biggest win (36 points) of the season

🌉 Warriors 121, Rockets 116
Recap |  GSW 7-8, HOU 6-6

• The Splash Bros. hit five 3s apiece to help the Warriors snap their six-game losing streak, while Steph broke his own NBA-record streak of games with at least four 3s (14 games and counting)
• The reaction: Curry’s triples are known to leave defenders scratching their heads … literally in this case with Alperen Sengun

⛵ Clippers 124, Spurs 99
Recap | LAC 5-7, SAS 3-11

• George takes over: Paul George showed off his smooth jumper, scoring 14 of his 28 points in the fourth as the Clippers cruised past the Spurs, who dropped their ninth straight

⚒️ Nuggets 107, Pistons 103
Recap | DEN 10-4, DET 2-13

• Denver gets win No. 10: The Nuggets lost their coach and two-time MVP to first-half ejections, but did not lose the game as Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope combined for 41 to hand Detroit its 12th-straight loss

🐺 Wolves 117, Knicks 100
Recap | MIN 10-3, NYK 8-6

• Stars align: The first-place Wolves have won nine of their last 10 games as Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 43 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists, five steals and two blocks

🔥 Heat 118, Bulls 100
Recap | MIA 9-5, CHI 5-10

• Back to winning ways: On Saturday, Miami blew a 21-point lead to have its seven-game win streak snapped by Chicago. Two days later, the Heat responded with a wire-to-wire win behind Bam Adebayo’s 23

4. IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT: STAKES & CLINCHING SCENARIOS 🏆

Tournament Night No. 5 features five Group Play games, including two with group-clinching implications.

✅ West Group A: Clinching Scenarios

🏆 Lakers win: Lakers win group

🏆 Jazz win and Suns loss: Jazz win group 

🏆 Jazz win by 12+ and Suns win: Jazz and Suns can win group depending on Suns result Friday and point differential; Lakers can’t win group

🏆 Jazz win < 12 and Suns win: All three teams can still win group depending on Suns result Friday and point differential

West Group A: Tuesday Games

🏀 Jazz at Lakers

📺 10 ET, TNT

🏆 UTA 2-1, LAL 3-0

• Battle for first: Utah, LA and Portland wrap up Group Play on Tuesday, but no game is bigger than the first-place showdown between the Lakers and Jazz.
• The Lakers can become the first team to complete Group Play 4-0, which would punch their Knockouts ticket

🏀 Blazers at Suns

📱 9 ET, NBA App

🏆 POR 1-2, PHX 1-1

• Kevin Durant’s 1,000th career NBA game coincides with the Suns facing a critical game to keep their Tournament hopes alive
• Before KD takes the court, let’s look back at Game No. 1 in 2007

✅ East Group A: Clinching Scenarios

🏆 Pacers win: Pacers win group

🏆 Pacers loss: Hawks, Pacers and winner of Cavs/Sixers can still win group

East Group A: Tuesday Games

🏀 Pacers at Hawks

📱 7:30 ET, NBA App

🏆 IND 2-0, ATL 1-1

🏀 Cavs at Sixers

📺 7:30 ET, TNT

🏆 CLE 1-1, PHI 2-1

• The Pacers may need only three games to clinch the group as a win over Atlanta would send Indy to the Knockouts
• Indiana already has wins over Cleveland and Philly, giving them the head-to-head tiebreaker, should the Pacers fall to the already-eliminated Pistons in their Group Play finale

East Group C: Tuesday Game

🏀 Raptors at Magic

📱 7 ET, NBA App

🏆 TOR 0-1, ORL 1-1

5. IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT QUESTIONS, ANSWERED

The In-Season Tournament’s just over two weeks old.

But if you talk to Evan Wasch, the NBA’s Heat of Basketball Strategy & Analytics, it’s been in the works for a long (long) time – years before he even started. 

Last week, Wasch hosted a Reddit AMA with r/NBA to chat all things Tournament. Keep reading for a few gems from Wasch, and tap the link above for the full read.

On Alternate formats & proposals for the Tournament: 

• We considered tons of different formats / options / timings over the years, some of which came from other sports competitions, and some of which were newly suggested
• That included straight knockout tournaments, spreading the Tournament out over a longer chunk of the season, having it coincide with All-Star Weekend, bringing non-NBA teams into the mix, giving draft picks / additional salary cap exceptions to the winner, etc. 
• On the incentives piece, we felt it was important that the Tournament stand alone and not be seen as a stepping stone to the Larry O’Brien, so we didn’t want to tie the incentives to the playoffs in any way.
• Ultimately, we’re betting on our players, teams, and fans to build the tradition over time and turn this into a true championship that everyone wants to chase. -Evan

A couple quotes:

• On courts: While there weren’t any “restrictions” as long as the designs were consistent with the league-wide theme, we did do some testing of the colors to make sure the visuals worked – both IRL with color decals and also in NBA2K simulations!
• On group makeup: It helps maintain competitive balance between the groups, creates a connection between multiple seasons similar to Champions League, and allows us to have a group draw every year which we think will grow into a fun annual event for teams and fans
• Tap in for the full read