Chet Holmgren and Joel Embiid delivered fireworks from the start.
How will Wemby vs. Joker follow it tonight?
And speaking of fireworks … keep reading for what’s at stake on (a wild) Tuesday night.
The Lineup
- Must-see from Saturday
- Embiid and Holmgren duel
- Tournament scenarios ✅
- Tournament MVP ladder
- Rook v. MVP: Wemby v. Joker
8 games in the NBA App
In-Season Tournament Updated Scenarios
1. SUNDAY MORNING MUST-SEE
- King’s return: In his first game at Cleveland since becoming the all-time scoring leader, LeBron James received a standing ovation from the crowd and remembered his handshake with former teammate Tristan Thompson before helping the Lakers get the win.
LeBron postgame: “It’s always special to come back here“ - Chet’s triple play: If someone asks what makes Chet Holmgren special, send them this sequence as the seven-footer splashes a three, gets a block on the other end, then finishes the possession with a dunk in transition
- Historic scoring: With Saturday’s 136-108 win vs Washington, Atlanta’s scoring binge reached historic levels. The Hawks have scored 435 total points over their past three games, joining last season’s Kings (433) as the only teams in the last 30 years to score at least 430 points over a three-game span in a single season
- Trae does it all: Trae Young had his entire bag open against the Wizards. From a vintage step-back three, to a Rondo-esque behind-the-back pass fake leading to the wraparound dime to Bogdan Bogdanovic for a corner 3 and-one, and even gifting his shoes postgame during the holiday season
- Buzzer-beater: Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton connected to close the third quarter – a block by Kessler led to a Sexton layup to beat the buzzer – as the Jazz rallied past the Pelicans to snap a four-game skid
2. EMBIID WINS DUEL WITH HOLMGREN
Sixers 127, Thunder 123
Recap | PHI 11-5, OKC 11-5
- Joel Embiid (35 pts, 11 reb, 9 ast, 4 blk) and Chet Holmgren (33 pts, 6 reb, 5 3s, 3 blk) waged an epic duel in OKC as Philly snapped OKC’s six-game win streak
- Holmgren cut the OKC deficit to two with a deep 3 over Embiid with 4.7 seconds left, but Embiid closed out the game with clutch free throws (finishing 19-21 at the line)
Lakers 121, Cavs 115
Recap | LAL 10-7, CLE 8-8
- LeBron scored eight of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, while Anthony Davis finished with a season-high 32 points, 13 boards and three blocks. Watch the final 4:04 as L.A. held off Cleveland down the stretch
- Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points – including this throwdown – in his first game back after missing four with a hamstring injury
Jazz 105, Pelicans 100
Recap | UTA 5-11, NOP 9-8
- Trailing by nine entering the fourth, the Jazz used a 27-16 run to take the lead and held on to snap their four-game losing streak
- Collin Sexton had 16 points while Walker Kessler had 11 points, 11 boards and two blocks in his return from a seven-game absence
⛵ Clippers 107, Mavs 88
Recap | LAC 7-8, DAL 10-6
- The Clippers cruised past the Mavs for their fourth win in the last five games. Paul George led LA with 25 points, including this smooth crossover 3
- Luka Doncic (30, with a tough and-one against PG) and Kyrie Irving (26) combined for 56 in the loss
️ Hawks 136, Wizards 108
Recap | ATL 8-7, WAS 2-14
- Trae Young scored a game-high 26 points and dished 10 dimes as the Hawks’ offense stayed scorching hot, surpassing 135 points for the third straight game – their longest such streak since 1973
Nets 112, Heat 97
Recap | BKN 7-8, MIA 10-7
- Mikal Bridges scored a game-high 24 points – including a pair of buckets running the same play in the first half – to help Brooklyn snap a three-game losing streak
- The Nets took advantage of a shorthanded Heat squad without Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson
3. IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT GROUP CLINCHING SCENARIOS ✅
The final night of Group Play on Tuesday has clinching scenarios up, down, left, right and sideways.
With only the Lakers (West A) and Pacers (East A) having clinched, four groups and two wild cards will be decided from Tuesday’seight-game slate.
Below is a breakdown of how each remaining group can be won. Tap here for all the wild card scenarios, too.
But first, here’s how tiebreakers work — in sequential order:
- Head-to-head record in Group Stage
- Point differential in Group Stage
- Total points scored in Group Stage
- Regular season record from 2022-23 NBA regular season
- Random drawing (if two or more teams are still tied following the previous tiebreakers)
West Group B
HOUSTON (2-1) clinches the group with a HOU win at DAL
⚜️ NEW ORLEANS (3-1) clinches the group with a HOU loss
West Group C
SACRAMENTO (3-0) clinches the group with either
(1) a SAC win OR
(2) a MIN win and SAC wins tiebreaker over both MIN and GSW
GOLDEN STATE (2-1) clinches the group with either
(1) a GSW win at SAC and a MIN loss vs OKC OR
(2) a GSW win and GSW wins tiebreaker over SAC & MIN
MINNESOTA (2-1) clinches the group with
(1) a MIN win AND
(2) a SAC loss AND
(3) MIN wins tiebreaker over SAC & GSW
East Group B
MILWAUKEE (3-0) clinches the group with either
(1) a MIL win at MIA OR
(2) a NYK win vs CHA and MIL wins tiebreaker over NYK and MIA
MIAMI (2-1) clinches the group with either
(1) a MIA win and NYK loss OR
(2) a MIA win and MIA wins tiebreaker over MIL and NYK
NEW YORK (2-1) clinches the group with
(1) a NYK win AND
(2) a MIL loss AND
(3) NYK wins tiebreaker over MIL and MIA
East Group C
ORLANDO (3-1) clinches the group with either
(1) a BKN loss vs TOR OR
(2) a BOS win vs CHI and ORL wins tiebreaker over BKN and BOS
BOSTON (2-1) clinches the group with
(1) a BOS win AND
(2) a BKN win AND
(3) BOS wins tiebreaker over ORL and BKN
BROOKLYN (2-1) clinches the group with either
(1) a BKN win and BOS loss OR
(2) a BKN win and BKN wins tiebreaker over BOS and ORL
Get the full rundown at the Tournament Tracker.
4. HALIBURTON LEADS IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT MVP LADDER
The In-Season Tournament will not only culminate with one team winning the first-ever NBA Cup in Las Vegas, it will also crown the first-ever Tournament MVP.
NBA.com’s Matthew Petersen breaks down which players are on the inside track toward Tournament MVP honors.
- All rounds count: Since MVP selection “will be based on the players’ performance in both Group Play and the Knockout Rounds,” winning takes on added importance
- More games: All 30 teams play four Group Play games, but only the eight teams that advance to the Knockouts have a chance to play up to three more games in the race to the NBA Cup and Tournament MVP
- Leading the pack: Because of that, the top two spots on the ladder are held by players from the only two teams that have qualified for the Knockouts
The Top Five
- Tyrese Haliburton (4-0 Pacers): 28.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 13.5 apg, 1.8 spg, 49.3 FG%
- LeBron James (4-0 Lakers): 25.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 7.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 60.0 FG%
- Damian Lillard (3-0 Bucks): 29.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 6.3 apg, 52.9 FG%, 50.0 3FG%
- Domantas Sabonis (3-0 Kings): 19.7 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 8.3 apg, 2.0 bpg, 53.5 FG%
- Devin Booker (3-1 Suns): 30.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 8.3 apg, 1.7 spg, 55.4 FG%
▶️ Dig into each player’s MVP resume and see the five honorable mentions.
5. ROOK VS MVP, NIGHT 2
We got Chet vs. Joel last night.
Today?
One of the most electrifying No. 1 picks ever in Victor Wembanyama against a second round pick that became a two-time MVP in Nikola Jokic when the Spurs visit the Nuggets (8 ET, NBA App).
- Wemby Check-In: Wembanyama leads all rookies in points (19.0 ppg) and blocks (2.6), and ranks second in boards. He’s also been good for at least a play a night that makes you just lean back and say … how?
- Latest On Joker: The reigning Finals MVP ranks first in the league in boards (13.5 rpg), fourth in assists (8.9) and seventh in scoring (28.2) – with the largest Player Impact Estimate in the NBA (a way to measure everything a player does … so, nearly everything in Jokic’s case)
- Three Things To Watch: How does Joker create space against Wemby’s wingspan? (Maybe a Sombor Shuffle or two?) How does Wemby attack Jokic when they’re one-on-one? How often do two big men who can shoot the 3 bring the other out to the perimeter?
Suns at Knicks
6 ET, NBA App
- Suns Streaking: Two teams in the league have six-game win streaks right now: the Orlando Magic and the formerly 4-6 Phoenix Suns. A big reason? Devin Booker’s return. The Suns haven’t lost since Book’s been back. He’s put up 29 ppg during the run – including a season-high 40 on Friday
- New York State Of Mind: The Knicks have caught fire, too, rattling off seven wins in nine games – the latest being a 21-point comeback over the Heat on Friday to keep their In-Season Tournament hopes alive. Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett are all averaging 20+ ppg in the stretch
6 other games in NBA App
