After not one but TWO 1 vs. 2 matchups on an electric Sunday — including a huge night from Beard — we’re stirring up a few of the NBA’s top storylines from coast to coast.

THE LINEUP 🏀

Dec. 2, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Showdowns Show Out: Sunday’s two No. 1 vs. 2 matchups came down to the wire

No Cooling Off: The Magic and Grizzlies extended their win streaks to six straight

Roundup: Luka returns as Dallas wins 4th straight, Wemby shines in Sactown

What’s Trending – Leaguewide: A few of the biggest stories around the NBA heading into Week 7

What’s Trending – Teams: Nine teams that begin December on a hot streak

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Start the week with a four-game night of hoops…

In an opening night rematch, Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves host LeBron James and the Lakers looking to even the season series at 1-1 and get back to .500 on the season. 

Don’t Miss The Best Deal Of The Year: Today is the final day for fans in the United States and Canada to get 50% off on a season-long subscription to NBA League Pass. Time’s ticking, grab your pass now. Tap here for U.S. and here for Canada. First-time subscribers only.

1. CAVS, ROCKETS WIN LATE IN WILD 1 VS 2 MATCHUPS

For the first time in 12 years, the NBA saw a pair of No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups on Dec. 1 or later. And both games came down to the wire – with the home teams prevailing in the clutch. 

Cavaliers 115, Celtics 111: On Nov. 19 in Boston, the Celtics held off a 2nd-half rally from the Cavaliers to secure a 120-117 win and hand Cleveland its first loss of the season. Twelve days later in Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs would not be denied.

Mitchell scored 20 of his game-high 35 points in the 4th quarter – as the Cavs outscored the Celtics 43-27 to secure the win and maintain their hold on first place in the East. | Recap | Watch The Final 3:09

• Spida & The King: Mitchell (35 pts, 7 reb, 6 3s) posted his 59th 30+ point game with the Cavs, passing World B Free for second most in franchise history behind LeBron James (324)
• Perfect 4th: Mitchell did not miss a shot in the 4th quarter, shooting 6-of-6 from the field, including four 3s, as he became the fastest player in Cavs history to hit 500 3s (143 games)
• Garland Bounces Back: After a tough shooting game (3-of-21) in the loss in Boston, Darius Garland had 22 points with four 3s and eight assists in the win

Rockets 119, Thunder 116: Fred VanVleet scored 12 of his season-high 38 points in the 4th as the Rockets outscored the Thunder 28-20 in the final frame to win the battle of the top two teams in the West, pulling within a half-game of West-leading OKC. | Recap | Watch The Final 3:09 

• Sengun Does It All: Alperen Sengun (20 pts, 14 reb, 9 ast, including one while sitting on the court ⬆️) finished one dime shy of his fourth triple-double of the season, while Jabari Smith (15 pts, 14 reb) also posted a double-double
• Winning Pace: The Rockets improved to 15-6 on the season – their best start through 21 games since 2017 – and well ahead of last season when they won their 15th game on Dec. 23
• Thunderous Streaks: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32 pts, 8 reb) posted his fourth straight 30+ point game, while Isaiah Hartenstein (19 pts, 13 reb) became the first player with five straight double-doubles to debut with a new team since James Harden in 2020-21

2. MAGIC, GRIZZLIES KEEP ROLLING

The Magic and Grizzlies entered Sunday as two of the hottest teams in the NBA – each having won five straight to climb to third in their respective conference.

They both ended the day tied with Milwaukee for the longest win streak in the league at six consecutive wins.

Magic 100, Nets 92: Behind another stellar defensive performance and an all-around game from Franz Wagner, the Magic won for the 12th time in their last 13 games as they got their second win over the Nets in three days. | Recap 

• Near Triple-Double: Wagner (20 pts, 9 reb, 8 ast) flirted with his first career triple-double as he led six Magic players with 12+ points
• KCP Stays Hot: After scoring 10+ points three times in his first 18 games with the Magic, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has scored in double figures in three straight games (19.7 ppg), posting 16 points with four 3s in Sunday’s win
• Lockdown Defense: The Magic held their opponent below 100 points for the eighth time in their last 13 games, allowing a league-low 97.2 ppg during this stretch

Grizzlies 136, Pacers 121: Memphis’ offense continues to thrive as the Grizzlies posted their second-highest scoring game of the season to defeat the Pacers for their sixth straight win. | Recap 

• Offense On The Prowl: The Grizzlies are averaging league-highs of 128.2 points and 34.2 assists per game over the past six games – that’s 3.5 more points and 2.5 more assists than any other team in that same stretch
• Team Records: Memphis matched its franchise record with five straight games with 30+ assists, while its 176 total assists over those games are the most of any five-game stretch in team history
• JJJ & Ja Show: Jaren Jackson Jr. (25 pts, 8 reb, 3 blk, 3 3s) was a force on both sides for Memphis, while Ja Morant added 19 points and eight dimes

3. SUNDAY ROUNDUP: LUKA RETURNS, WEMBY GOES OFF, JOKER TIES MAGIC

Mavericks 137, Blazers 131: Luka Dončić returned from a five-game absence with a monster game – racking up 36 points, 13 assists, seven boards, three steals and four 3s – to lead the Mavs to their fourth straight win. Quentin Grimes added 28 points and five 3s as Dallas was without Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Dereck Lively II. | Recap 

Raptors 119, Heat 116: Behind RJ Barrett’s 37 points (15-20 FG, 3-4 3P) and Scottie Barnes’ near triple-double (23 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast), the Raptors held off the Heat to split a two-game set with Miami over the past three days despite Tyler Herro’s 31 points and six 3s and Bam Adebayo’s season-best 20 boards. | Recap 

Lakers 105, Jazz 104: LeBron James (27 pts, 14 ast) and Anthony Davis (33 pts, 11 reb) combined for 60 points to lead the Lakers past the Jazz in a game that came down to the final possession. Lauri Markkanen (22 pts, 7 reb) and John Collins (21 pts, 9 reb) combined for 43 in the loss. | Recap | Watch The Final 6:09 

Spurs 127, Kings 125: Victor Wembanyama (34 pts, 14 reb, career-high 11 ast, 3 blk, 5 3s) became the fourth player to record a 30+ point triple-double before turning 21 years old – joining Luka (10x), LeBron (2x) and De’Aaron Fox. Wemby scored 13 in the 4th as the Spurs outscored the Kings 35-28 in the final frame to secure the win. | Recap 

Clippers 126, Nuggets 122: Behind James Harden’s huge game (39 pts, 9 reb, 11 ast) and Norm Powell’s 28 points in his return from a six-game absence, the Clippers won their eighth straight at the Intuit Dome as they held off Nikola Jokić (28 pts, 14 reb, 11 ast for his 138th career triple-double, tying Magic Johnson for third all-time) and the Nuggets. | Recap 

Knicks 118, Pelicans 85: New York opened the game on a 25-4 run and never looked back as they cruised to their largest win of the season (+33) behind Mikal Bridges’ best game as a Knick, posting a season-high 31 points and tying his career-high with seven 3s. | Recap 

4. WHAT’S TRENDING: LEAGUEWIDE

As we turn the page to December … let’s catch you up on a few of the biggest stories heating up around the league. 

Emirates NBA Cup: Tuesday marks the finale of Group Play, with a TON on the line. Just three of eight spots in the Knockout Rounds have been secured (Warriors, Rockets, Hawks), while 13 teams remain in the mix for the final five spots.

• Two will be decided with head-to-head matchups between unbeaten teams – Bucks at Pistons (7 ET, League Pass) in East B and Magic at Knicks (7:30 ET, TNT) in East A
• The single-elimination Quarterfinals will be held Dec. 10-11 to decide the four teams headed to Vegas

Scoring Race Heats Up: For only the third time in NBA history, at least seven players are averaging 28+ ppg on Dec. 1 as the scoring race starts to take shape, with Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (32.9 ppg) leading the way as he seeks his first scoring title

MVP Race: No. 1 on the Kia Race to the MVP is three-time MVP Nikola Jokić, who’s having a career year. Which says a lot. Currently in the top four in points (29.6), rebounds (13.2) and assists (10.7), the Joker’s first 15 games feature unmatched stats in NBA history. He’s also on pace to be the first center to average 10+ assists. Also in the Top 5: Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Giannis & SGA.

Kia Rookie of the Year Race: Non-lottery picks Jared McCain and Dalton Knecht headline the Kia Rookie Ladder behind historic performances. McCain is the 2nd non-lottery pick since 1985 to have seven consecutive 20+ point games as a rookie. Knecht (48 3s made on 42.9% shooting) is on pace to challenge the rookie record for 3s in a season (206).

Milestone Watch: On Sunday, LeBron James joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to reach 15,000 career buckets and needs to make one 3-pointer to pass Kyle Korver (2,450) for 7th all-time.

• LeBron also needs 147 minutes played and six 10+ point games to pass Kareem (57,446 minutes, 1,509 10+ point games) for 1st all-time on both lists
• Chris Paul needs 33 assists to pass Jason Kidd (12,091) for 2nd all-time
• James Harden joined Steph Curry as the only players with 3K 3s and needs 22 points to pass John Havlicek (26,395) and Paul Pierce (26,397) for 17th all-time
• Paul George needs 14 3-pointers to pass Jason Terry (2,282) for 10th all-time and 22 to pass Vince Carter (2,290) for 9th
• DeMar DeRozan needs 51 points to become the 30th player to reach 24,000

5. WHAT’S TRENDING: TEAMS

In the East …

Cavaliers’ Historic Pace: After opening the season 15-0, Cleveland dropped three of five before Sunday’s showdown with Boston. The Cavs rallied to hold onto first in the East at 18-3 and continue to lead the NBA in FG% (51.0%) and 3P% (40.5%) – looking to become the first team to shoot 50/40 over the course of a full season.

• This Week: Tue. vs Wizards (7 ET, Group Play), Thur. vs Nuggets (7 ET, NBA TV), Sat. @ Hornets (1 ET), Sun. @ Heat (6 ET)
• Note: All games listed are on League Pass, with National TV listed where applicable

Boston’s Title Defense: Boston continues its pursuit to be the first repeat champs in seven years – fueled by MVP candidate Jayson Tatum (second in the Kia MVP Ladder), a historic rate of 3-point shooting (their 19.1 3s per game would shatter the record), and a breakout season from Kia Sixth Man candidate Payton Pritchard (16 ppg, 43.2% on 3s).

• This Week: Mon. vs. Heat (7:30 ET), Wed. vs. Pistons (7:30 ET), Fri. vs. Bucks (7:30 ET, ESPN), Sat. vs. Grizzlies (8 ET)

Magic in Orlando: Despite missing All-Star Paolo Banchero, the Magic have won 12 of their last 13 games to climb to third in the East. Franz Wagner (25.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 6.6 apg) has stepped up in Paolo’s absence, while Orlando is fueled by its defense, holding teams to 97.2 ppg during this 13-game stretch.

• This Week: Tue. @ Knicks (7:30 ET, TNT, Group Play), Wed. @ Sixers (7:30 ET), Fri. @ Sixers (7 ET), Sun. vs. Suns (6:30 ET)

Bucks Bounce Back: After starting the season 2-8, Milwaukee has won eight of its last nine games to climb back into the top six in the East. Giannis Antetokounmpo (32.9 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 6.6 apg, 60.9 FG%) leads the NBA in scoring and is on pace for his second straight 30+ ppg on 60+ FG% season – something no other player has done once.

• This Week: Tue. @ Pistons (7 ET, Group Play), Wed. vs. Hawks (8 ET), Fri. @ Celtics (7:30 ET, ESPN), Sun. @ Nets (3:30 ET)

Eyes on Atlanta: The Hawks have some big victories, including handing Cleveland two of its three losses. Trae Young’s leading the league with a career-high 12.1 apg, while Jalen Johnson’s making a case for Kia Most Improved Player and Dyson Daniels has emerged as a defensive force, racking up a league-leading 3.0 spg.

• This Week: Mon. vs. Pelicans (7:30 ET), Wed. @ Bucks (8 ET), Fri. vs. Lakers (7:30 ET), Sun. vs. Nuggets (6 ET)

In the West…

Houston’s Liftoff: Sitting second in the West – just a half-game back of OKC first following Sunday’s win – the Rockets are off to their best start since 2017. The Rockets are one of two teams this year (along with Washington) to have four players 22 or younger playing 25+ minutes per game – led by rising stars Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green.

• This Week: Tue. @ Kings (10 ET, Group Play), Thur. @ Warriors (10 ET, NBA TV), Sun. @ Clippers (9 ET)

OKC Contending: Despite Sunday’s loss, the Thunder remain first in the West at 15-5 through 20 games as they look to build off last season’s Playoff success and contend for their first title in OKC. Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30.0 ppg, 50.4% shooting) is looking to average 30+ ppg on 50%+ shooting for the third straight season.

• This Week: Tue. vs. Jazz (8 ET, Group Play), Thur. @ Raptors (7:30 ET), Sat. @ Pelicans (7 ET)

Memphis Starting To Roll: After opening the season 4-4, the Grizzlies have gone 10-3 since, winning their sixth straight on Sunday as they sit third in the West. Memphis owns the second-highest scoring offense (121.7 ppg) with Ja Morant orchestrating the show with a career-best 9.0 apg while scoring 21.2 ppg.

• This Week: Tue. @ Mavs (8:30 ET, Group Play), Thur. vs. Kings (8 ET), Sat. @ Celtics (8 ET), Sun. @ Wizards (7 ET)

Mavs Rolling With & Without Luka: Despite missing leading scorer Luka Dončić for six games, the Mavs have won eight of their last nine to rise to fifth in the West. Kyrie Irving (24.3 ppg, 6.5 apg) leads six Mavs averaging 12+ ppg while appearing in at least eight of the last nine games.

This Week: Tue. vs. Grizzlies (8:30 ET, Group Play), Thur. @ Wizards (7 ET), Sat. @ Raptors (7:30 ET)