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Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from Dec. 21

Stay in the know on today's NBA action with the latest news, scores and highlights from around the league.

NBA.com Staff

🚨📢Saturday’s Schedule 📢🚨

Top Storylines 👉📝

– Orlando pulls off a magic trick against Miami. The Magic trailed by 25 points against the Heat but rode a 35-8 fourth quarter to a historic comeback victory, matching their largest comeback in franchise history. They held Miami to 2-of-17 shooting in that fourth quarter.
– Jayson Tatum records the first 40-point triple-double of his career. Boston blew out the Chicago Bulls in that esoteric performance, 125-98. It’s only the second time in NBA history that a player has had at least 40 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and nine three-pointers.
– Golden State wins a chaotic game in Minnesota. The Warriors closed their win on a 19-11 run after the game was tied with 4:55 remaining, with Stephen Curry scoring 13 points in that span.

🌟🌟 Top Performers 🌟🌟

1. Jayson Tatum had 43 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in a blowout win over Chicago.
2. Cole Anthony was the catalyst in Orlando’s comeback win over Miami, collecting 35 points, eight rebounds and nine assists off the bench.
3. LeBron James led LA with 32 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals in their win over Sacramento.
4. Bobby Portis led Milwaukee with 34 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals in a win without Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
5. Jalen Brunson finished with 39 points and six assists on 13-of-19 shooting in a road win over New Orleans.
6. Victor Wembanyama had 30 points, seven rebounds, three assists and 10 blocks in a blowout victory over Portland.
7. Kevin Durant had a season-high 43 points, five rebounds and six assists in a defeat against Detroit.

🚨Final Alert🚨Pistons Upset Suns, 133-125. ⚙️⚙️⚙️

Detroit got out to a 41-26 lead after the first quarter and never relinquished the lead after that.

Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 28 points, 13 assists, two steals and two blocks.

Kevin Durant led the Suns with 43 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Curry Flurry❄️ Warriors Defeat T’Wolves, 113-103. 🫕

Stephen Curry scored 13 points over the final 3:38 to cap off a road win for the Golden State Warriors.

Golden State defeated Minnesota, 113-103.

Curry finished with 31 points, three rebounds and 10 assists.

Wemby has 30-Point, 10-Block Gem 👽🛸

The big man is the sixth player in NBA history with 30 points and 10 blocks in a game. This won’t be the last time he’s on this list. Spurs are up big in the fourth quarter over the Blazers.

Victor Wembanyama Has Nine Blocks! 👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽👽

The Frenchman is looking for a unique triple-double, entering the fourth quarter with 26 points, seven rebounds, three assists and nine blocks. The Spurs lead that game by 18 points.

Jayson Tatum 40-Point Triple-Double 🍀🍀🍀

The All-Star had 43 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in a blowout win over the Chicago Bulls.

That’s the third triple-double of Tatum’s career, and his highest-scoring one before tonight was just 29 points.

He also joins James Harden as the only players with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and nine three-pointers.

James Harden Moves Up the All-Time Scoring List 🔥

Harden is up to 16th on the all-time scoring leaders list. The Beard has 13 points at the half but LA trails Dallas by 14 points.

🚨Comeback Alert🚨Magic Defeat Heat, 121-114✨

Orlando completes a magic trick comeback win over Miami. The Heat led 106-84 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but the Magic pulled out a miraculous comeback victory at home. They won without Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs while losing Mo Wagner (knee) and Wendell Carter Jr (ejection) in the first half.

They held Miami to 2-of-17 shooting in the fourth quarter, outscoring them, 37-8, in that final frame.

Cole Anthony led the way with 35 points, eight rebounds and nine assists off the bench.

Evan Mobley Monster Jam 🥫

Mobley throws down the dunk of the night against Philly. The big man is up to 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Cleveland leads Philly by 20 points in the third quarter.

Dunk Score leader of the day!

Bobby Portis is Cooking🍳

The big man has 23 points across just 14 minutes in the opening half. Milwaukee needs him to step up with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard both sidelined.

Portis is up to 23 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals on 10-of-12 shooting.

 

🚨Final Alert🚨 Lakers Defeat Kings, 103-99🚨

LeBron James led LA with 32 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Anthony Davis amassed 10 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento with 31 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Domantas Sabonis had 19 points, 19 rebounds and five assists.

Shot of the Night from Jake LaRavia 🎯

The Grizzlies have a 48-30 lead over the Hawks in the second quarter of that game. That’s, amazingly, LaRavia’s only three points of the game so far. Scotty Pippen leads the way with 10 points in the absence of Ja Morant.

Warriors Starting Five

All the usuals are in for the Warriors, except for Kyle Anderson. The veteran will start for Draymond Green. They’ll look to bounce back after their worst loss of the season.

Lakers Lead Kings at the Half, 56-53. 🎬

LeBron James leads LA with 23 points, five rebounds and three assists.

De’Aaron Fox leads Sacramento with 17 points, two rebounds and four assists.

Ho-Hum, Just Another Record for LeBron James 👑👑

LeBron scored his 10th point in the second quarter and is now the all-time leader in most 10-point games. He surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabar. The Lakers lead that game 47-42 in the second quarter.

DeMar DeRozan Slam 💥Check Out the Dunk Score

In the first game of the night, DeRozan throws down a poster slam. DeRozan is up to five points, but the Lakers lead in the first quarter.

Top Storylines 👉📝

1. Mavericks and Clippers renew rivalry. These teams just played two nights ago, with LA dominating, 118-95. They’ve won three straight games in this series.
2. Warriors and Timberwolves face off for the third time this month. This is the third time these teams will play over the last 15 days. They split the first two matchups but Minnesota has been the better team in that span. The T’Wolves have won six of their last eight games while the Warriors are coming off a nightmarish 51-point defeat.
3. NBA celebrates World Basketball Day. There’s no better place to celebrate World Basketball Day! We have 11 teams in action for this special team and numerous players representing countries from all over the world.

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