Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Plus: Ivica Zubac channels his inner Kareem… which no one knew existed.
Whether it was turkey, chicken, ham, or some kind of jello mold — or perhaps a little bit of each — here’s hoping everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. Back to the grind we go. The NBA? It never stopped. Before hitting Sunday’s scores, let’s quickly run through Saturday’s action.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cooked his way to a routine 32-point outing, but it wasn’t enough for the Thunder to defeat Houston. Alperen Sengun (21-19(!!!)-7) and Jalen Green (28 and nine assists) fueled a 118-105 win for the Rockets.
LeBron went for 39 points in a 143-138 regulation win for the Lakers over the Spurs. If that doesn’t tell you all you need to know about these team’s collective defensive ability, I don’t know what will. (In other news, Russell Westbrook got very, virally angry at Zach Collins.)
DeAndre Ayton’s 29 points and 21 rebounds carried the Suns as they won a downright thriller over the Jazz in Phoenix, 113-112.
Toronto held Luka Doncic to 24 points — a triumph in its own right — and eked out a 105-100 win, led by Fred VanVleet’s all-around night (26-6-7). Dallas stumbled into Sunday’s meeting with Milwaukee on a three-game losing streak.
Onto Sunday’s NBA scores.
Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images
Giannis outduels Luka in wire-to-wire win for the Bucks, 124-115
When Grayson Allen feels like the hoop looks “huge”, it’s not a great omen for the opposition. He made all seven of his three-point attempts in the game’s first 18 minutes en route to a season-high 25. But Giannis Antetokounmpo was the star yet again: His 30 points led all scorers as the Bucks handed Luka Doncic (27 and 12 assists) and the Mavericks their fourth-straight loss.
Mobley, Mitchell fuel Cavs comeback win in Detroit, 102-94
Everyone assumed the Pistons would fold once Cade Cunningham was sidelined with a shin injury — especially given the fact that it might cost him the rest of his second season. Yet while they remain cellar dwellers in the East, a conference-worst 5-17 on the year, they’ve made things interesting on a nightly basis.
The problem? Detroit can’t close. Ahead by 12 in the first half, the Pistons were quick to waste an opportunity for a signature win as Donovan Mitchell (32 points), Evan Mobely (20 and 13 rebounds), and Darius Garland (19 and 10 assists) fueled an ugly comeback win.
Seth Curry leads Nets in 111-97 win over Trail Blazers
As much as I hate saying this, it’s an obligation: Don’t look now, but the Nets are figuring things out. For better (on the court) or worse (off the court), Kyrie Irving is back and playing well. Ben Simmons is finding his game again, as he’s averaging 15.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game over his last six games. Brooklyn has won four of its last six games, with victories over the Blazers (twice), the Raptors, and the Grizzlies. Sunday’s win over the Blazers was in large part thanks to a 29-point, 73-percent shooting outing from Seth Curry, and 31 additional points from Kevin Durant.
As for the Blazers, this marks their fifth loss out of six games. Portland is now 11-8 after starting the season 10-4.
Despite late Atlanta surge, Heat outlast Hawks 106-98
Bam Adebayo is quietly putting together the best year of his career this season. He’s averaging 19.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game this season, and over his last six games played, he’s logging 24.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. On Sunday night, he walloped Atlanta to the tune of 32 points and eight rebounds, just two days after going for 38 and 12. This is what we call a RUN. Miami might be, too; they’ve won three in a row, while Atlanta has lost three out of four.
Ivica Zubac leads Clippers to 114-100 win over Pacers in a BIG way
*Checks notes*
*Checks notes again*
*Checks them one more time and refreshes the page just in case the original search was faulty*
Yes, Ivica Zubac went OFF. The 31 points and 29 rebounds kind of off. The Clippers haven’t properly addressed the backup center position since DeAndre Jordan’s prime came to a close a number of years ago, but Zubac is having a solid year. If he can provide even a sliver of this offensive production going forward — and I mean a sliver — the Clippers will be fine.
Zubac tonight:
31 PTS
29 RBS
3 BLK
14/17 FG
He and Kareem alone as the only two in history to put up that line. Zu has been an absolute monster on both ends this season pic.twitter.com/fWy8Y6KcC9
— NBA University (@NBA_University) November 27, 2022
Sixers roll in second straight win over Magic, 133-103
Paolo Banchero is back for Orlando, while Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey all remain out for Philadelphia. Never fear — Shake Milton is here, to the tune of 29 points in a massacre of the young Magic. Banchero has to find his legs all over again after missing seven games with an ankle injury — he managed just 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting in the loss.
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Ja’s triple-double enough for Grizz to top Knicks, 127-123
Despite 30 points, five rebounds, and nine assists from Jalen Brunson, and one of the more efficient nights of the season for RJ Barrett (22-7-4), the Desmond Bane-less Grizzlies beat the Knicks for the second time this season. Memphis squandered a 12-point lead in the fourth, but it didn’t matter much as Ja Morant — who finished with a 27-10-14 triple-double — won in New York for the third time out of four career tries.
Warriors core leads rout of Wolves, 137-114
When Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson look like themselves, the Warriors are bound to be successful. When that duo goes for a combined 46 AND are backed up by four others who finish in double figures — Jordan Poole (24), Draymond Green (19), Andrew Wiggins (17), and Donte DiVincenzo (14) — it’s going to be hard for the defending champs to lose. The Wolves stars scored in bunches, but despite combining for 47, Anthony Edwards (26) and Karl-Anthony Towns (21) were inefficient and lackluster on defense, allowing Golden State to jump ahead early and keep the lead for good. Minnesota’s star duo finished a combined -55, and Minnesota’s largest lead was one point. Golden State could’ve rolled out its Santa Cruz squad and made it work.
Jaylen Brown, Celtics hold off Wizards with Tatum out, 130-121
Jayson Tatum sat, so Jaylen Brown went ahead and dropped 36 points for Boston as the Celtics continue to plow through the league. Despite the final score, Boston only ever trailed by two — when there were six minutes remaining in the first quarter — and led by as many as 26.
