Dec. 22 Starting 5: Jayson Tatum and Victor Wembanyama Light Up the Court

It’s Wemby’s block party.

And you’re invited.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION

Dec. 22, 2024

Historic Takeovers: Tatum’s huge trip-dub & Wemby’s 10-BLOCK night enter the record books

East Magic: Orlando’s epic comeback, Brunson’s big night and more 3s in Cleveland

Stars & Streaks: LeBron notches another milestone, Steph shines and the Grizz go off again

Saturday Roundup: Cade & KD duel, Mavs & Bucks bounce back, Jazz find rhythm

Center Focus: Three playmaking bigs redefining the 5 position take the floor tonight

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Saturday’s scores and Sunday’s schedule…

Three games get underway Sunday on NBA League Pass, including a matchup featuring the reigning Kia NBA MVP, Nikola Jokić, as he leads the Nuggets against the Pelicans (7 ET).

World Basketball Day: The NBA family celebrated World Basketball Day yesterday, showcasing how the sport we all love brings people together from around the globe:

Jokić On The Day: “Even if you don’t speak the same language, you can speak through the game.”What It’s All About: Junior 76ers Kids Club reporter Vienna asks her favorite players what basketball means to themFan Dedication:

30 years of flying around the globe to watch his favorite team

Three Days Until Christmas: Watch NBAXmas action all day Wednesday, with games beginning at 12 ET.

1. TATUM’S TRIPLE-DOUBLE & WEMBY’S DOUBLE-DOUBLE MAKE HISTORY

After dropping 31 points in a loss to the Bulls on Thursday, Jayson Tatum left no doubt in Saturday’s rematch.

Celtics 123, Bulls 98: In an all-around clinic, Tatum went off for 43 points on nine 3s along with 15 boards and 10 dimes, as Boston outscored Chicago 62-44 in the 2nd half to pull away for a bounce-back dub, improving to 22-6 on the season. | Recap

Only Five: Tatum is just the fifth player in NBA history to record 40+ points, 15+ rebounds, 10+ assists and 5+ 3s in a game, joining James Harden (2x), DeMarcus Cousins, Russell Westbrook and Vince CarterOnly Celtic: He is also the first player in Celtics history to record 40+ points, 15+ boards and 10+ dimes in a game“I still think his greatness

gets taken for granted,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. “Because he’s done it for a long time and because it comes relatively easy for him.”

Two nights ago, Victor Wembanyama became the youngest player to total 40+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 3+ blocks in an NBA game.

48 hours later, the 20-year-old, 7-foot-3 phenom with a one-of-a-kind skillset posted another one-of-a-kind stat line.

Spurs 114, Blazers 94: In a dominant performance, Wembanyama recorded a monster double-double of 30 points and 10 blocks — yes, blocks — while adding seven boards and four 3s to lead the Spurs to their fourth win in five games. | Recap

The Rarity: Wemby is the first player to record 30+ points and 10+ blocks in a game in over 16 years, as Dwight Howard last achieved the feat in November 2008The List: The only other players to post such a stat line? Hakeem Olajuwon (5x), David Robinson (3x), Artis Gilmore and Kareem Abdul-JabbarThe Difference: At 20 years and 352 days old, Wemby is the youngest player to ever hit the mark, breaking Howard’s previous record by nearly two yearsThe First:

Wemby (2x) is also the first player in NBA history to record multiple games of 10+ blocks at age 20 or younger

2. EAST MAGIC: ORLANDO RALLIES, BRUNSON DELIVERS, CAVS DUB

On a three-game skid, without their three leading scorers, the Magic could have let Friday’s game slip away when they fell into a 25-point hole in the 2nd quarter.

Instead, they clawed back for their largest comeback in 25 years.

Magic 121, Heat 114: Miami dropped a season-high 76 points in the 1st half and entered the 4th quarter up 22. But the Magic erupted in the final frame, outscoring the Heat 37-8 to stun their in-state rivals in Miami. | Recap

Next Man Up: With Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs injured, Cole Anthony sparked the surge, scoring 13 of his season-high 35 points in the 4thMagic Touch: In that final frame, Orlando shot 60.9% compared to Miami’s 11.1%, completing its largest comeback in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98)“It’s been a tough year, man,”

said an

emotional Anthony

after the win. “I’m so happy for this team.”

Knicks 104, Pelicans 93: Jalen Brunson was unconscious, going 7-of-10 from deep for a season-high 39 points, along with six dimes to rally the Knicks past the Pelicans for their third straight win and eighth dub in 10 games. | Recap

2nd-Half Storm: Brunson dropped 29 points in the final two quarters as New York outscored New Orleans 59-44 to erase a 14-point deficit“A fire got lit,”

said Brunson on his huge 2nd-half. “Once I saw one go in, I knew it was time to go.”

Cavaliers 126, 76ers 99: One night after draining 20 3s in a win over the Bucks, the Cavs buried 22 against the Sixers to earn their fourth straight win, improving their NBA-best record to 25-4. | Recap

Darius Garland led the charge with six triples and 26 points, while Tyrese Maxey scored a game-high 27 points for Philly, who was without Joel Embiid

3. STARS & STREAKS: LBJ & STEPH SHINE, GRIZZ ROAR

Lakers 103, Kings 99: Nine days before his 40th birthday, LeBron James finished eight points shy of 40 (32 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast), lifting the Lakers over the Kings for the second time in three days, despite another big night from De’Aaron Fox (31 pts). | Recap

Milestone In Style: It was James’ 1,510th career game with 10+ points, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most all-time

Grizzlies 128, Hawks 112: With Ja Morant out, seven Grizzlies scored in double figures as the league’s top offense hit 120+ points for an NBA-best 19th time, securing their 12th win in 14 games. | Recap

Bear Buckets: At 123.1 ppg, Memphis is on pace to record the fifth-highest scoring average of any team since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976-77

Warriors 113, Wolves 103: After being held to a season-low on Thursday, Steph Curry responded with a vintage performance, dropping 13 of his 31 points in the 4th quarter while adding 10 dimes to lift the Warriors over the Wolves, snapping Golden State’s three-game skid. | Recap

4. ROUNDUP: CADE & KD DUEL, MAVS & BUCKS REBOUND, JAZZ WIN

Pistons 133, Suns 125: Kevin Durant poured in a season-high 43 points, but it wasn’t enough to take down the Pistons as Cade Cunningham (28 pts, 13 ast) and Jaden Ivey (20 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast) combined for 48 points and 21 dimes for a big road dub. | Recap

Cade’s Career Year: Averaging career-highs in points (24.0) and assists (9.7), Cunningham is the first Piston to total 600+ points and 200+ dimes in the first 25 games of a season

Mavericks 113, Clippers 97: With Luka Dončić out, Dallas’ depth shined as Quentin Grimes tallied 20 points off the bench to lead eight Mavs in double figures, securing a win over the Clips after falling to them on Thursday. | Recap

Harden’s Milestone: With 19 points on the night, James Harden (26,503) passed Tim Duncan (26,496) for 16th place on the all-time scoring list

Bucks 112, Wizards 101: Bobby Portis cooked up a season-high 34 points, 10 boards and eight helpers as the Bucks outlasted Jordan Poole (26 pts) and the Wizards for a bounce-back W. | Recap

Forever In The Rafters: Before tipoff, Milwaukee unveiled its 2024 Emirates NBA Cup championship banner

Jazz 105, Nets 94: Fresh off Thursday’s victory in Detroit, Utah pulled away in Brooklyn for its first back-to-back wins of the season. Lauri Markkanen led the way with 21 points | Recap

5. GAME-CHANGING CENTERS ENTER THE SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY

Ten seasons ago, the top three centers in assists combined for 12.1 dimes per game. Twenty seasons ago, that number was just 9.3.

This season, Nikola Jokić alone leads centers with 9.8 assists per game, and the top three centers are combining for 21.2. The bigs behind him? Domantas Sabonis and Alperen Sengun.

Tonight, Jokić, Sabonis and Sengun — three unique playmakers helping redefine the center position — are all in action on League Pass.

Nuggets at Pelicans (7 ET) | Spotlight: Nikola Jokić

The first center in NBA history to average 8.5+ assists in three consecutive seasons, Jokić is on pace to make it four straight this year — and he could become the first center to average 10+ assists in a single season.

“Like any great passer, his head is always up,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “He just has a tremendous IQ, and he sees a lot of things before they happen…“The outlet passes,

the behind-the-backs, over the heads, eyes closed, eyes open, whatever you want to call it — he’s one of the best passers to ever play this game.”

Speaking of behind-the-backs, the Joker’s highlights are eerily similar to the legend he recently passed for third on the all-time triple-double list

Pacers at Kings (6 ET) | Spotlight: Domantas Sabonis

Sabonis has ranked directly behind Jokić in center assists in each of the past four seasons and his ability to manipulate defenses for open looks is just as effective.

Leading the NBA in screen assists (6.4 per game), Sabonis blends his driving ability and awareness to set up his teammates. Watch as he takes advantage of sagging defenders to set up an easy 3:Counter Action: With Sabonis as the primary distributor, the Kings average the second-most ppg off handoffs in the NBA (9.0). When defenses overplay the exchange, it creates easy backdoor buckets

Rockets at Raptors (6 ET) | Spotlight: Alperen Sengun

The first player in NBA history to record 3,000+ points, 1,500+ rebounds and 700+ assists while playing fewer than 6,000 minutes in the first three seasons of his career, Sengun is averaging a career-high 5.3 assists in Year 4.

Versatility: A dynamic distributor, Sengun ranks fourth in the NBA in pick & roll possessions as the “roll man,” seventh in elbow touches and 12th in post-upsVision:

His ability to attack from multiple areas draws in defenders and creates passing lanes, which Sengun has a knack for finding, resulting in highlight-worthy dimes

“It’s a pretty easy game when you get it to him,” said Rockets coach Ime Udoka. “You know that he’s going to draw the attention, get a decent shot or find somebody an open look.”