Big day ahead. Let’s go in for a closer look.
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THE LINEUP
- Must-see moments from Monday
- Monday’s winners: ⚔
- Wemby, Chet and NBA history
- 10 Group Play games on tap
- Where We Stand: In-Season Tourney
- MUST-SEE MOMENTS FROM MONDAY NIGHT
Spicy P gets red-hot late. | Vaughn Ridley/ NBAE via Getty Images
There may have been only four games last night, but there were plenty of highlights to start your day:
- Raptors rally: Pascal Siakam scored a season-high 39 as Toronto overcame a 23-point deficit, closing the game on 21-1 run
- Tatum drops 35: Jayson Tatum scored 17 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter
- DeMar’s dime: DeRozan recovered the blocked shot by Brook Lopez, drove the lane, elevated, spun 180 degrees and found a wide-open Coby White for a corner 3
- Heads-up Hart: Josh Hart found a way, passing the ball off Jrue Holiday back to himself for a corner 3. No assist for Holiday or Hart
DeMar DeRozan. How??
- Giannis for 3: While known more for his coast-to-coast dunks, Giannis reached 500 career treys in style with a turnaround fadeaway at the buzzer
- Welcome back: De’Aaron Fox’s ankle looked just fine on this baseline jam
- Hot potato: The Malik Monk-Domantas Sabonis chemistry was on full display: Monk to Sabonis, flip back to Monk, wraparound bullet to Sabonis at the basket for the layup
- RAPTORS RALLY; CELTICS, BUCKS & KINGS WIN
Buckets. | Maddie Malhotra / Getty Images
RAPTORS 111, WIZARDS 107
Recap
Pascal Siakam scored 22 of his season-high 39 points in the third quarter as the Raptors mounted a 23-point comeback to defeat the Wizards.
- Watch Siakam get the friendly bounce on the go-ahead bucket with 7.6 seconds left
- This was the fourth time in the past 25 seasons that the Raptors have come back after trailing by 23 or more points: Dec. 22, 2019 vs. Dallas (down 30), Dec. 11, 2010 vs. Detroit (down 25) and April 8, 2022 vs. Houston (down 24)
- Trailing 106-90 with 7:25 remaining, the Raptors closed the game on a 21-1 run, holding the Wizards scoreless for the final 5:47 of the game
- Kyle Kuzma scored 34 for the Wizards, two coming at the end of this Jordan Poole block to Deni Avdija behind-the-back dime to Kuz dunk
CELTICS 114, KNICKS 98
Recap
- Jayson Tatum scored 17 of his game-high 35 points in the fourth quarter, catching fire from 3-point range, starting with a four-point play after New York had cut Boston’s lead to three
- Jaylen Brown added 22 (including this slam), while Kristaps Porzingis had 21 against his former squad
Giannis lines it up. | Stacy Revere / Getty Images
BUCKS 118, BULLS 109
Recap
- Giannis posted 35+ points and 10+ rebounds for the third straight game – matching the longest such streak of his career – as Milwaukee avoided a three-game losing streak. Damian Lillard had 12 points and five dimes after missing the past two games
- Check out Giannis’ final bucket, starting with an insane recovery near halfcourt to prevent a turnover, then streaking to the basket to beat the shot clock with an and-one layup
KINGS 132, CAVS 120
Recap
- De’Aaron Fox returned to the lineup after missing two weeks with a sprained ankle and had the Kings offense looking potent again, matching their season-high with 132 points
- Fox scored 28 to lead four Kings with 20+ points in the win: Keegan Murray (25 with five 3s), Domantas Sabonis (23, one board shy of back-to-back triple-doubles) and Kevin Huerter (20 with six 3s)
- TONIGHT: WEMBY VS. CHET
Everyone on this chart is either active (KAT, Wemby, Chet) or a Hall of Famer.
Spurs at Thunder, 7:30 ET, TNT
West Group C: SAS 0-1, OKC 0-2
A month ago, Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren broke the internet.
And that was just preseason.
Tonight, with their first 10 regular season games – and some serious history – behind them, the two meet tonight for their first regular season and first In-Season Tournament matchup.
Through 10 games:
- Wemby: 197 points, 88 rebounds, 24 blocks
- Chet: 164 points, 76 rebounds, 23 blocks
- Rookie Leaders: Top 2 in points and blocks. Top 3 in rebounds
What do those numbers mean?
In the 50 years since blocks have been tracked, only 11 other rookies have reached 150+ points, 75+ rebounds and 20+ blocks through their first 10 career NBA games.
The last time a pair of rookies did it? Shaq and Alonzo Mourning in 1992-93.
- GROUP PLAY NIGHT 3 IN 90 SECONDS ⏲️
Clippers at Nuggets, 10 ET, TNT
West Group B: LAC 0-1, DEN 1-0
- Life at the top: The champs look to stay atop two sets of standings – the West overall and West Group B – when they host a Clippers team that has lost five straight
- Next man up: With Jamal Murray out, Denver’s current starting 5 (Jackson, Caldwell-Pope, Porter Jr., Gordon, Jokic) is outscoring opponents by a blistering 37 points per 100 minutes
- Can LA’s new-look starting 5 (Westbrook, Harden, George, Leonard, Zubac) find its first win together – and even up its Tournament record?
The only thing that cooled Maxey off on Sunday. | Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images
Three teams looking to extend 5+ game win streaks
Pacers at Sixers: 7 ET
East Group A: IND 1-0, PHI 1-0
- 76ers sizzling: Coming off Tyrese Maxey’s career-high 50 against Indy on Sunday, Philly goes for its eighth straight win over Indiana and ninth straight win overall (longest since winning 18 straight in 2018)
T-Wolves at Warriors: 10 ET
West Group C: MIN 1-0, GSW 1-0
- Wolves on the run: The Wolves are trying to knock off Golden State for the second time in three days, and looking for their seventh straight win (longest since 2004)
Heat at Hornets: 7 ET
East Group B: MIA 1-0, CHA 1-0
- Heat is on: Can the Heat keep the close wins coming? Every win of their five-game streak has been by eight points or less
Trae Young just became the 2nd player with 100 25+ point and 10+ assist games at 25 or younger | Alex Slitz / NBAE via Getty Images
TWO TOURNAMENT DEBUTS
Hawks at Pistons: 7 ET
East Group A: ATL 0-0, DET 0-1
- Flying high: The Hawks open Group Play looking for their fifth straight win over the Pistons
Magic at Nets: 7:30 ET
East Group C: ORL 0-0, BKN 1-1
- Keep the Magic going: Orlando hasn’t been over .500 through 10 games since 2020-21. A win over Brooklyn would change that and give Orlando its first Tournament win
Three more West matchups round out a 10-game night
Mavs at Pelicans: 8 ET
West Group B: DAL 1-1, NOP 0-1
Blazers at Jazz: 9 ET
West Group A: POR 1-0, UTA 1-0
Grizzlies at Lakers: 10:30 ET
West Group A: MEM 0-2, LAL 1-0
- IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT: WHY POINT DIFFERENTIAL MATTERS
The In-Season Tournament takes ‘every possession counts’ to a whole new level.
Notice something DIFFerent in the Group Play standings above?
That column, point differential, could be the difference between your favorite (or least favorite) team moving on to the Knockout Stage … or going home
Need a refresher on how tiebreakers work?
- Head-to-head record in group stage
- Total point differential in group stage
- Total points (PTS TOT) in group stage
- Prior season’s regular season record
Tap in to listen to Mavs coach Jason Kidd discuss the importance of Dallas’ 18-point win in their second Group Play game, to boost their differential after losing by 11 in their opener.
Every point matters. From the opening tip to the final buzzer.
Keep an eye on late-game situations during Group Play. Players and coaches are.
And if you have any questions about the format, let Steph Curry break it down for you.
