Starting 5, Jan. 5: Jokić and Wemby's historic 2-day showdown, Kawhi Leonard makes season debut

On Derrick Rose Night, the Bulls legend got his flowers.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION

Jan. 5, 2025

Two Days Of History: Inside Jokić & Wemby’s unprecedented back-to-back battles

Star Outbursts: Ant & Cade put on a clinic, Bulls overcome KAT’s 44 on D-Rose Night

Saturday Roundup: Kawhi returns, Haliburton does it again and more

Champs vs. Challengers: Boston meets West-leading OKC amid the Thunder’s historic heater

LP Lineup: The Cavs aim for 10 straight dubs, plus a NorCal rivalry defined by nail-biters

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Saturday’s scores and Sunday’s slate…

Can’t-Miss Clash: To tip off Sunday’s six-game slate, the Thunder will look to earn a franchise-record 15th straight win as they host the defending champion Celtics (3:30 ET, NBA TV).

1. JOKIĆ vs. WEMBY: 2 NIGHTS, 2 STARS, 1 HISTORIC WEEKEND

On Friday, Nikola Jokić notched 41 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists against the Spurs.

But Victor Wembanyama stole the show — and the game — with 35 points, 18 boards and a clutch stop on Jokić to seal the win.

24 hours later, in another classic duel between the two superstars, it was the Joker who had the last laugh.

Nuggets 122, Spurs 111 (OT): On his 21st birthday, Wemby went off for 20 points and a career-high 23 boards along with four blocks. But Jokić crashed the party with even bigger numbers (46 pts, 9 reb, 10 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl), leading Denver to an OT dub. | Recap

The two bigs put on a show, each displaying their one-of-a-kind skillsets that have helped redefine the center position.

Party Starter: Jokić opened the highlight-filled battle with a casual one-handed catch-and-finish for 2 (above)“Not On His Birthday”: Then Wemby showed off his dominance at the rim, pinning a shot against the glass for a big blockFlying Finish: Late in the 4th, Wemby tracked down a lob and dropped the hammer for a massive and-1 oopJoker’s Closing Act:

In OT, Jokić nailed a

clutch bucket

over Wemby, as he single-handedly outscored San Antonio 9-3 to seal the victory

In the win column, the final horn marked a home-and-home split between Denver and San Antonio. But in the history books, it capped a two-day duel for the ages.

Jokić finished the home-and-home with a total of 87 points, 27 rebounds and 19 assists — numbers no other player has ever met over a two-day spanWemby turned in a total of 55 points, 41 rebounds, six blocks and six 3s — also unprecedented numbers over a two-day spanAnd they did it

while sharing the same floor

“He’s a special player,” said Jokić on Wemby after the win. “Those kind of players make you work harder, make you do a little bit extra.”

2. STAR OUTBURSTS: CADE & ANT ERUPT, BULLS OVERCOME KAT’S 44-PIECE

Another duel took place Saturday between two young superstars, who each put on a scoring clinic.

Pistons 119, Wolves 105: Anthony Edwards was unconscious from deep, tying a career-high in 3s (10) while setting a new career-high in points (53). But it wasn’t enough to take down the Pistons thanks to Cade Cunningham’s monster night (40 pts, 6 reb, 9 ast). | Recap

Detroit Dealing: It was the Pistons’ sixth win in seven games, improving their record to 17-18Ant & KAT 2x: Edwards joined Karl-Anthony Towns as the only Wolves to record multiple 50-pieces and as the only Wolves to notch 50+ points with 10+ 3s in a gameCade Cooks: Cunningham was three points shy of his career-high (43) and overcame an 18-point 3rd quarter from Ant by accounting for 24 points (14 pts, 4 ast) to keep the Wolves at bayMust-See Oop:

Watch Cade go off the glass to a

soaring Ausar Thompson

D-Rose Night in Chicago came with a bouquet of Bulls buckets.

Bulls 139, Knicks 126: Zach LaVine and Coby White turned in 33 points apiece and ignited a 41-17 3rd quarter for Chicago, which matched a season-high in points to surge past New York, despite Karl-Anthony Towns’ 44 points and 16 boards. | Recap

Rose Gets His Flowers: The Bulls legend was showered with ‘MVP’ chants all night and honored at halftime, where he teared up as Joakim Noah crowned him ‘The People’s Champ’ to a roaring applause“Tonight

was about supporting Derrick Rose,” said LaVine after the win. “He embodies what Chicago is, and I’m excited to see his jersey go up.”

3. ROUNDUP: KAWHI RETURNS, HALIBURTON MAKES HISTORY & MORE

253 days had passed since Kawhi Leonard last took an NBA floor.

And in his first game since April 26, the Klaw wasted no time getting to work.

Clippers 131, Hawks 105: Two minutes into his return, Leonard splashed his first shot of the season — one of his three 3s on the night as he tallied 12 points, three boards, one assist and one steal in 19 minutes.

Norman Powell added 20 points to lead eight Clips in double figures, as LA outpaced Trae Young (20 pts, 14 ast) and Atlanta. | Recap

“It felt great,” said Kawhi on his return. “Was able to throw some paint on the canvas tonight … we’re working to create something beautiful so let’s keep going.”

Warriors 121, Grizzlies 113: With Steph Curry out, Andrew Wiggins (24) and Dennis Schröder (17) led the way offensively, while Golden State held Memphis’ league-leading offense 10 points below its season average (123.2) for a second straight win. | Recap

Driveway Dreams: Cam Spencer checked his older brother Pat as they took the floor together

Blazers 105, Bucks 102: In a dramatic finish, Anfernee Simons (28 pts, 8 ast) scored the Blazers’ final seven points, including a go-ahead and-1 with 24 ticks left to put Portland up for good, knocking off Giannis Antetokounmpo (31 pts, 11 reb) and the Bucks. | Recap

On Thursday, Tyrese Haliburton recorded just the second 30+ point and 15+ assist game with 5+ 3s and zero turnovers. The first such instance? Also achieved by Haliburton (Nov. 2023).

And on Saturday, the floor general made more history.

Pacers 126, Suns 108: Once again, Haliburton didn’t cough up the ball a single time, while dishing out eight dimes and sinking five triples to the tune of 27 points, leading the Pacers past the Suns for their seventh win in 10 games. | Recap

Hali History: Since turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78, Haliburton is the first player to record back-to-back games of 25+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ 3s with 0 turnovers

76ers 123, Nets 94: Joel Embiid scored a game-high 28 points while adding 12 boards and six assists as the Sixers rolled for a bounce-back dub in Brooklyn after dropping consecutive games. | Recap

Jazz 136, Heat 100: Brice Sensabaugh set a career-high in points (34) and 3s (7) as Utah used a 40-19 2nd quarter to race past the Heat, snapping a five-game skid. | Recap

4. CHAMPS vs. CHALLENGERS: BOSTON FACES RED-HOT OKC ON NBA TV

After dropping 33 points to lead the Thunder to their 14th straight win on Friday — tied for the longest streak in franchise history — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked if Sunday’s game against the Celtics carried any added significance.

“Absolutely,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “They won [the championship], and we’re trying to win, so that’ll be a very, very fun basketball game.”

After a title hunt that saw the Celtics fall short in four East Finals and one NBA Finals in the span of seven seasons, Boston finally broke through in 2024, winning its first championship in 16 years.

Now, the hunters are the hunted, and OKC — which became the youngest team in NBA history to finish first in a conference last season — has its sights set on the team at the top.

“They’re the defending champs,” said Jalen Williams on Boston on Friday. “They know what it takes to win at the highest level…“They’ve been

going to the Finals and the Playoffs for a long time. So, a lot of added extra motivation to see where we’re at.”

The West-leading Thunder are 29-5, matching their best 34-game start in franchise history, led by the top defense in the NBA (102.9 DefRtg).

The reigning champion C’s are 26-9, the third-best record in the league behind OKC and Cleveland, led by the second-highest rated offense in the NBA (120.4 OffRtg).

Below are 3 keys to watch as two title contenders clash (3:30 ET NBA TV).

1. All About The Arc: Boston is on pace to break the single-season record in 3-point attempts (50.3) and makes (18.7) per game.

However, OKC is allowing the third-fewest made 3s per game (12.6) and ranks first in opponent’s 3-point percentage (33.1%)

2. Turnover Battle: The Thunder (11.7) and Celtics (11.8) commit the fewest turnovers per game in the NBA. But OKC creates havoc defensively, forcing a league-high 18.9 turnovers, while Boston ranks 24th with 13.6.

That said, the C’s earn extra possessions on the glass, ranking tenth in rebounding (45.0), while the Thunder rank 18th (43.6)Boston is 17-2

this season when it wins the rebounding battle

3. Star Duos: Jayson Tatum (28.2) and Jaylen Brown (24.4) are the NBA’s second-highest scoring duo, combining for 52.6 ppg.

Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander (31.2) and Williams (20.9) are combining for 52.1 ppg — the fifth-most among all duosSGA & JDub

also rank first and third in DefRtg among players logging 25+ minutes per game across 20+ outings

Will the Thunder set a franchise record with a 15th straight win? Or will the reigning champs remind them why they’re still the team to beat?

5. LP SPOTLIGHT: CAVS AIM FOR 10 STRAIGHT + A NEW CHAPTER IN NORCAL

After the teams with the league’s second and third-best records square off on NBA TV — with OKC seeking its 15th straight dub — the NBA-best Cavs will aim for their 10th straight dub to tip off a five-game slate on League Pass.

Below are three marquee matchups to watch:

Hornets at Cavaliers (6 ET): During their streak, the Cavs have won all nine games by 10+ points, ranking first in OffRtg (124.5) and sixth in DefRtg (107.8) for a whopping 17.3 average margin of victory.

Dominance: The Cavs are the first team to win nine straight games by 10+ points in a single season since the 2017-18 Sixers and just the 10th team to do so in NBA historyDive Deeper: According to Yahoo’s Dan Devine, Cleveland might be one of the most dominant teams we’ve ever seen, as they’re just the 11th squad ever to start a season at 30-4 or betterTonight,

the Cavs will look to improve their home record to 18-1 as they host LaMelo Ball and the Hornets, who are looking to snap a nine-game slide

Lakers at Rockets (7 ET): With eight wins in their last 11 games, the Lakers have jumped from 10th in the West to fifth. Tonight, they’ll take on the second-place Rockets, seeking a win to move within a game of Houston in the standings.

Kings at Warriors (8:30 ET): The last three times the Warriors and Kings have squared off in the regular season, each game has been decided by one point. Yes, one.

On Sunday, they’ll meet for the first time in 2024-25 as Steph Curry and Golden State host Sacramento to resume an in-state rivalry that has been decided by a razor-thin margin.

How Thin Is Razor-Thin? Beginning with their 2023 first-round Playoff series, the Kings and Warriors have played 12 times across the regular season, Play-In Tournament and PlayoffsIn those games 12 games, both teams own a 6-6 record, and they’re separated by a total of just two points (SAC: 1,387 | GS: 1,385)Tonight,

a new chapter begins with Doug Christie at the helm for Sacramento, which has notched three wins in a row. Will we see another photo finish?

Two more games get underway on League Pass, as the Wizards host the Pelicans, with CJ McCollum fresh off a 50-ball (6 ET), before the Jazz face the Magic (6:30 ET).