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Nightly Pulse: What happened around the NBA on Nov.4

Check out the scores, highlights and analysis from Monday with all 30 teams in action and great matchups all across the slate.

NBA.com Staff

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🏀 NBA Final Scores: Nov. 4 🏀

Cavaliers 116, Bucks 114

Warriors 125, Wizards 112

Pistons 115, Lakers 103 

Celtics 123, Hawks 93 

Nets 106, Grizzlies 104

Kings 111, Heat 110

Jazz 135, v Bulls 126

Rockets 109, Knicks 97

Timberwolves 114, Hornets 93

Thunder 102, Magic 86

Trail Blazers 118, Pelicans 100

Pacers 134, Mavericks 127

Nuggets 121, Raptors 119

Suns 118, 76ers 116

Clippers 113, Spurs 104 

📰 Top NBA Storylines Tonight (Nov.4) 📰

On a night with every team in action, the 15-game slate fully delivered Monday.

  • Unbeatens stay unbeaten: The Cavaliers and Thunder entered the night without a loss and both managed to keep it that way, though the two games unfolded in very different fashions. The Cavaliers were treated to a rematch against the Bucks, whom they had beaten just two nights prior. The Bucks gave the Cavs everything they could handle, but prolific scoring from Darius Garland and clutch plays on both ends by Jarrett Allen sealed the win for Cleveland. Cleveland is now 8-0, which ties the franchise record for best start to a season. The Thunder had a much easier go of it with a 102-86 victory over the Magic. The Thunder’s 7-0 start is the franchise’s best since 1993 when the Seattle SuperSonics started 10-0.
  • Dunk of the year? Utah’s John Collins sent shockwaves across the NBA world with his thunderous dunk over Chicago’s Coby White. The slam registered the highest dunk score of the night – and the season to date.
  • KD steals the show in Phoenix: In one of Monday’s marquee matchups, Phoenix’s Kevin Durant took the spotlight with a clutch performance to narrowly take down the 76ers. Durant accounted for 35 points, including 15 fourth-quarter points to seal it.

🥇Tonight’s top performers 🥇

  • Darius Garland, Cavaliers – 39 points (15-22 FG, 7-11 3PT), 8 assists
  • Nikola Jokić, Nuggets – 28 points (10-22 FG), 14 rebounds, 13 assists
  • Victor Wembanyama, Spurs – 24 points, 13 rebounds, 9 blocks, 3 steals

✍️ Maxey making Sixers history

Tyrese Maxey celebrated his birthday Monday with a 32-point outing against the Suns. Along the way, he crossed the 5,000 career points milestone, which makes him the youngest 76er to reach that feat. The previous record-holder was Allen Iverson (24 years, 158 days). Not bad company for the budding superstar.

❄️ KD. Ice. Cold. 🥶

Kevin Durant fuels comeback win over 76ers, 118-116.

Phoenix’s Kevin Durant stepped up when the Suns needed him most to mount the comeback win over the 76ers in front of the home crowd. Durant finished with 35 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter.

It was an incredible, back-and-forth game between two of the NBA’s most talented teams and it hung in the balance throughout. The largest lead of the game was just 11 points held by the Suns in the early going.

The big storyline coming in was the return of Paul George as he made his 76ers debut following an injury-related absence. George finished with 15 points and Tyrese Maxey did his thing with 32 points. The 76ers also got a great boost off the bench from Guerschon Yabusele, who had 19 points, seven rebounds and six rebounds in 30 minutes.

Still, it was KD’s night in the end. He scored 13 of the Suns’ final 17 points as he took over and brought them back from a seven-point deficit late in the fourth quarter.

🔥 Clippers complete comeback 🔥

When the first quarter ended, Clippers fans looked up at the scoreboard and saw that their team was on the wrong side of a 40-14 tally. Then, the Clippers locked in and mounted the largest comeback in the NBA this season.

Ivica Zubac had 17 points and 13 rebounds while Amir Coffey dropped 21 off the bench en route to a +34 rating.

Monday marked the Clippers’ first win in the brand-new Intuit Dome.

🤯 Hold up. Wemby has how many blocks? 😱

Victor Wembanyama is one block away from tying his career-high in blocks in a game. He has nine with time ticking away in the fourth quarter against the Clippers.

🤏Missed it by that much

Toronto’s RJ Barrett nearly drained the last-second 3-pointer to give the Raptors the tough win on the road in Denver but the ball just rimmed out. The Nuggets escape with the victory, 121-119, and move to 4-3 while the Raptors fall to 2-6.

😬Wild finish in Denver 😬

We’ve got a one-point game with time winding down in Mile High. The Nuggets lead the Raptors. Catch the finish on NBA League Pass.

⛔ Wemby Block Party ⛔

And everybody’s invited…

San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama is up to a casual seven blocks so far tonight…and we’re not even into the fourth quarter. With so much time remaining, Wembanyama has a chance to tie or surpass his career-high of 10 blocks, which he set in February of last season against Toronto.

🍿 Close finishes brewing in Dallas, Denver 🍿

The Mavericks trail the Pacers by four points with four minutes to go in the fourth. Myles Turner and Luka Dončić each have eclipsed the 30-point mark for their respective teams and each have recorded a double-double.

In Denver, the Nuggets trail the visiting Raptors by six early in the fourth. Nikola Jokić has already banked his third triple-double of the season while the Raptors have been buoyed by Gradey Dick, who is enjoying a breakout second season.

Catch the finish for both of these contests now on NBA League Pass.

🌩️Thunder roll, remain undefeated

Oklahoma City entered the night as one of the last two remaining undefeated teams alongside Cleveland. The Thunder had a slightly less stressful path en route to staying perfect than the Cavs did in their matchup against the Bucks as OKC secured a 102-86 victory over Orlando.

Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each chipped in over 20 points for the Thunder and Isaiah Joe chipped in 13 off the bench.

On the Orlando side, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs led the scoring charge with 22 and 19 points, respectively. These two teams will meet again on Dec. 19.

🗣️Call for Zuuuu

Ivica Zubac pulls down the offensive rebound and navigates his way around the reach of Victor Wembanyama for the impressive slam. Zubac has already recorded a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) at the half.

🎷Jazz get into win column

Utah is still finding its footing this season but Monday’s win represented a good stepping stone. The Jazz went into Chicago and won in convincing fashion with a 135-126 victory at the United Center.

John Collins had arguably the dunk of the year as part of his 28-point, 13-rebound performance. Second-year man, Keyonte George, tied a career-high with 33 points. He connected on six triples and also added nine assists.

Eh, let’s look at that Collins dunk one more time.

Timberwolves cruise to victory

The Timberwolves looked every bit the team many expected them to be tonight as they rolled to an easy victory going into the off-day. Anthony Edwards had 21 points but it was Naz Reid with the performance of the night for the T’Wolves with 25 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Minnesota shot an impressive 47.4 percent from 3-point land and were just under 50 percent from the floor overall.

The Timberwolves move to 3-3 after defeating the Hornets 114-93.

✍️ Score updates for the night owls 🦉

  • Timberwolves 112, Hornets 84 – 4Q
  • Thunder 91, Magic 76 – 4Q
  • Pelicans 87, Trail Blazers 86 – 4Q
  • Pacers 85, Mavericks 80 – 3Q
  • Raptors 67, Nuggets 59 – 3rd
  • Suns 65, 76ers 63 – Halftime
  • Spurs 44, Clippers 34 – 2Q

🚀Rockets put on defensive clinic, get W over Knicks

Houston held one of the league’s most prolific offenses to just 97 points in a strong 109-97 win over New York. The perimeter defense was particularly strong as the Knicks shot just 24.2 percent from beyond the arc.

The Rockets went on a 9-0 run to put the game on ice. Alperen Sengun was unstoppable with 25 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks and Fred VanVleet chipped in 19.

On the New York side of the ledger, Jalen Brunson continued his strong start to the season with 29 points and eight assists. Karl-Anthony Towns was a force on the glass with 19 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end.

🍿 Knicks, Rockets setting up for great finish 🍿

We’ve got a one-possession game in H-Town with the Rockets holding a three-point lead over the visiting Knicks late in the fourth quarter.

Alperen Sengun continues his hot start to the season with 25 points, 13 boards and four blocks.

😱 Sabonis 😱

Domantas Sabonis caps off a 16 and 16 performance with a remarkable left-handed putback with 0.7 seconds remaining to give the Kings the much-needed win. Sabonis has now recorded a double-double in six straight games.

DeRozan, Butler battle it out in South Beach

Veteran stars DeMar DeRozan and Jimmy Butler are trading buckets in a tremendous game between the Heat and Kings. Butler has poured in 27 while DeRozan has countered with 26. The Heat lead 110-109 with less than 10 seconds remaning.

😰 Nets win close game over Grizzlies 😰

Dennis Schröder hit a key shot late to put the Nets up two possessions and ultimately win the game. Schröder finished with a tie for the team scoring lead with 20 points along with Cameron Johnson.

There were some positive takeaways for the Grizzlies, however. Rookie Zach Edey had his best game yet with 25 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.

📊📈 Fun with numbers 📊📈

  • Jalen Duran recorded his 67th double-double in Tuesday’s win over the Lakers. That is the second-most double-doubles recorded by a player before their 21st birthday. Here’s the top three:
    • Dwight Howard – 105
    • Jalen Duran – 67
    • Andre Drummond – 66
  • John Collins’ dunk score of 113.4 on this ferocious slam against the Bulls is the highest on record so far this season.

PG-13 starting in 76ers debut

Paul George (knee) is drawing into the lineup for Tuesday’s game at Phoenix as he makes his first appearance with his new team. Philadelphia needs George to provide a spark after the club started 1-4. A matchup against the 5-1 Suns on the road will be a big test off the jump.

☘️ Celtics making history from 3-point land

The Celtics went 18-for-33 from beyond the arc in their 123-93 win over the Hawks tonight, bringing their season totals to 152 made 3’s on 407 attempts. Both are NBA records.

The defending champs led the league in both categories last season and are doubling down on that premise this season. The previous record for 3PA through eight games was held by the 2020 Rockets with 382. Meanwhile, the previous record for made 3’s through eight games was set by the 2021 Bucks — who went on to win the title — with 141.

The Celtics are getting contributions from a wide variety of shooters to get to these figures. Payton Pritchard, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Jrue Holliday, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford all entered the night averaging at least 2.0 made 3’s per game.

👨‍🍳Curry goes for 24 in return 🥘

Chef Curry showed no rust in his return from an ankle injury as he poured in a team-high 24 points in the 125-112 win over the Wizards. Curry was 4-for-9 from deep over 24 minutes of work.

In his postgame interview, Curry was happy with how his ankle responded to live game action. Curry and the Warriors get the day off Tuesday before returning to action Wednesday in Boston.

Edey getting greedy

Memphis rookie, Zach Edey, is coming off his first career double-double Saturday and is trending towards posting another. He’s up to 19 points and nine boards through three quarters and also has four blocks, which is tied for the most rejections around the league tonight.

Catch the exciting ending of tonight’s Grizzlies-Nets game now on NBA League Pass with a tie game early in the fourth.

More like Zach Threedey if you ask us.

Trayce Jackson-Davis’ big night

TJD turned it up a notch tonight with highlight play after highlight play on both ends of the floor.

Here’s Jackson-Davis soaring in to finish the oop.

And a nice block to round it out.

🆙John Collins vs gravity. Advantage – Collins

Utah’s John Collins has the jam of the night thus far with a ferocious hammer that leads our dunk score meter by a wide margin. We might need a Richter scale to properly measure that one.

🏅Cavs stave off Bucks, get to 8-0 to tie franchise record

The Cavaliers battled back from a fourth-quarter deficit to get their second win over the Bucks in three days and made franchise history along the way. At 8-0, the Cavaliers are one of two unbeaten teams left in the league with the Thunder set to tip off later tonight against the Magic. The 8-0 start is tied for the best start in franchise history alongside the 1977 club.

Cleveland roared out of the gate and took a double-digit lead into the half before Milwaukee answered with a third quarter surge of its own. The teams battled in the fourth quarter but some timely buckets and clutch defense sealed it for the Cavs.

Cleveland’s Darius Garland went off for 39 points (15-22, 7-11 3Pt) and Jarrett Allen was a force on both ends with 14 points and 15 boards. The Cavaliers will look to set a new franchise record Wednesday against the Pelicans.

Check out Allen’s clutch block to deny the Bucks a chance to cut it to a one-score game late. Access: Denied.

🌀 Ja spin cycle

Ja with the jelly around Nic Claxton to keep things close against the Nets in Brooklyn.

Here’s another angle. We don’t know if we can get enough angles of this.

🍀Jayson Tatum highlights? Say less.

Have a look at three of Jayson Tatum’s 26 first-half points. The Celtics led by 22 at the break thanks in part to Tatum pouring in six treys.

🫎Bucks storm back

After being down 73-60 at the half and missing both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, the Bucks have stormed back to take the lead over the undefeated Cavaliers midway through the fourth quarter.

Milwaukee played stifling defense coming out of the break, holding the Cavs to just 16 points in the third. Damian Lillard has risen to the occasion for Milwaukee with 31 points thus far.

🤩 Stars in the building 🤩

🎺Trombone Shorty in Nola ⚜️

Kid Cudi is courtside catching the Nets host the Grizzlies in Brooklyn.

Washington Commanders star rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, is taking in the Wizards-Warriors matchup in the Nation’s Capital.

Lions showing love for the hometown Pistons as they go for the win over the Lakers.

🔥There goes my Herro

Tyler Herro has started 3-for-3 from deep and scored 10 of the Heat’s first 12 points against the Kings. Catch the action now on NBA League Pass.

📊 Score updates 🔢

  • Cavaliers 89, Bucks 89 — 4Q
  • Warriors 54, Wizards 45 — 3Q
  • Pistons 67, Lakers 53 — Halftime
  • Celtics 60, Hawks 49 — 2Q
  • Grizzlies 30, Nets 23 — 2Q
  • Heat 12, Kings 12 – 1Q

🎭 Dunk Face 🎭

You know a dunk was serious when it has the bench looking this this:
Image

This Onyeka Okongwu slam definitely qualifies.

⛰️Look out below

Memphis rookie Zach Edey is unbothered by the two defenders standing in his way as he soars above for the top-rated dunk of the night so far.

The Grizzlies and Nets are locked in a tightly contested tilt through one.

🗣️Steph at the buzzer

Steph Curry gets to his spot and does his thing to give the Warriors a 54-45 lead over the Wizards at the half. The Wizards are battling, though, as Jordan Poole has provided the offense with 14 points and rookie Alexandre Sarr has swatted a pair of shots.

⚙️ Pistons in gear early ⚙️

The Pistons outscored the Lakers 33-22 in the first quarter and are keeping things rolling in the second quarter. Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. are already in double-figures.

And of course, Cade Cunningham is getting in on the action, too.

📊 Cavs take 13-point lead into half

The Cavaliers had a scoring barrage in the 2nd quarter to open up a double-digit lead going into the break. A key has been Cleveland’s ability to turn defense into offense with 14 fast break points compared to zero in that category for Milwaukee.

Here’s Jarrett Allen very casually adding to the Cavs’ transition points total.

🚨 Zion Williamson out tonight

The Pelicans have announced that Zion Williamson will not play tonight against the Trail Blazers. This will be Williamson’s second consecutive absence. Williamson went for 34 and 10 in his last game on Friday.

💸Mobley Moves

Cleveland’s Evan Mobley is putting on a show tonight with 14 early points against the Bucks. Check out his impressive sequence from the swat to the left-handed slam in transition. One-man wrecking crew.

And he canned a three for good measure. Evan Mobley is on one tonight.

😲Bilal. Wow.

Washington’s Bilal Coulibaly continues to impress in his second season with a nifty backdoor cut finished off with a thunderous one-handed slam. We have a feeling that might rank pretty high on tonight’s dunk score leaderboard.

The Wizards are hanging in against the Warriors as we reach the end of the first quarter.

Starting 🖐️ for Celtics, Hawks

Longtime Atlanta Hawk, Al Horford, returns to ATL as a member of the Celtics and will get the start.

Steph is back

Steph Curry returned from a three-game absence tonight and has already sunk a 3 early in the first quarter.

😔Zach Lavine sidelined tonight

The Bulls will be without leading scorer Zach LaVine against the Jazz as he deals with an adductor strain

🧙‍♂️ Wizards. Warriors. Washington, D.C. 🏛️

Stephen Curry makes his return to the floor after an ankle injury sidelined him for three games. The Warriors went 3-0 in that span and are 5-1 on the year, but adding the greatest shooter in league history back into the rotation certainly won’t hurt.

Meanwhile, the upstart Wizards are looking to defend their home court. Second-year man Bilal Coulibaly is ascending and is looking for his third-consecutive game with at least 20 points.

We can confirm. Curry’s shot still looks good after a week away.

Cavaliers chasing best start in franchise history

The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of two undefeated teams remaining in the NBA and are off to one of the best starts in franchise history. A win tonight against the Bucks would put them at 8-0 to tie the franchise mark that has stood since the 1977 season.

It won’t be easy, though, as they’re facing a Bucks team that they played against just two nights ago and narrowly escaped with a 114-113 victory.

A developing storyline is that Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is out with a strained adductor muscle. This means that the Bucks will be missing both Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton for this key Eastern Conference clash.

Catch the action tonight on NBA TV.

 

💧Tonight’s Drip Report

Are LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann having a pocket contest 🤔

It’s Pocket Monday. Didn’t you get the memo?

Alright, pockets are officially having a moment.

3️⃣Key NBA Storylines Tonight 👀

  1. Every Team in action: With the NBA taking the night off in observation of Election Day tomorrow, hoops fans are getting treated to wall-to-wall basketball action tonight. All 30 teams are taking the floor and there will be tip-offs every 15 minutes from 7:00 PM ET to 10:30 PM ET.
  2. Cavaliers, Thunder look to stay unbeaten: The 7-0 Cavaliers are looking to tie the best start in franchise history when they host the Bucks tonight. Milwaukee will be without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is sidelined with an adductor strain. The Thunder look to move to 7-0 as they host the Magic
  3. PG-13 making 76ers debut: Paul George is ready to take the floor in Philadelphia’s nationally televised game against the Suns at 10:15 PM ET. George suffered a bone bruise in his knee during the preseason and the team is hoping he will provide a jolt after a 1-4 start.

 

 

 

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