Ja Morant broke the internet with a soaring, 360 layup on Monday. Then 10 minutes later, he did it again.
THE LINEUP
Nov. 5, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?
Election Day Is Here: Head to the polls now to cast your ballot and make sure your voice is heard
And Still Unbeaten: The Cavs (8-0) and Thunder (7-0) stay perfect to open the season
Spoiler Alert: KD’s Suns spoil PG’s Sixers debut; LA’s first Dome win, Curry returns
Fantastic Finishes: Five of Monday’s 15 games were decided by two points or less
Roundup: Jazz score first win of the season, while six teams in the West are now 4-3
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The countdown to the Cup is on…
The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 tips off in just one week. From Nov. 12 through Dec. 3, each team will play four Group Play games on “Cup Nights” — happening on Tuesdays and Fridays. Every squad will face each opponent in its group once, with two games at home and two on the road.
1. U.S. ELECTION DAY IS HERE: MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
Today is the last day to cast a vote in the 2024 United States general election. If you haven’t already voted, head to the polls now to get in the game before time runs out.
For the third consecutive season, no NBA games have been scheduled for Election Day as the league continues to encourage fans and the broader NBA community to participate in the civic process.
- Same Day Voter Registration
- Voting 101: Check Your Status
- “Get in the Game. Vote.” With the NBA and WNBA
NBA players discuss the importance of voting, the significance of election workers and the impact first-time voters can have on shaping the country’s future.
- Chris Paul: Voting Is A Team Sport
- Jalen Brunson, Trae Young, & CJ McCollum: Voting Is Important
- Bam Adebayo & Jared McCain: Poll Workers Power Our Democracy
- Jeff Green: Do Your Part By Voting
- Larry Nance Jr.: Voting Is Imperative
- Kyle Kuzma & Jeff Green: 1st Time Voters Shape The Future
- Harrison Barnes & Damian Lillard: Our Future Is On The Ballot
2. CAVALIERS (8-0), THUNDER (7-0) REMAIN PERFECT
Cavs 116, Bucks 114: Darius Garland (39 pts, 8 ast, 7 3s) and Jarrett Allen (14 pts, 15 reb, 6 ast, 1 blk) came through in the clutch as Cleveland closed the game on an 18-8 run to seal its eighth straight win to open the season – matching the best start in franchise history set in 1976-77. | Recap | Watch the final 5:57
- Clutch Cavs: Garland hit a stepback 3 with 45 seconds left to give the Cavs the lead, then found Allen for a layup to put the Cavs up four with 12.2 to play, before Allen delivered the dagger block of Damian Lillard’s layup with 8 ticks left to bring the Cavs to 3-0 in clutch games
- Bucks Rally, Cavs Answer: After trailing by 19 late in the 1st half, the Bucks outscored the Cavs 56-29 behind 21 of Lillard’s team-high 36 points to take an eight-point lead midway through the 4th quarter before Cleveland’s strong finish
Thunder 102, Magic 86: The Thunder had already topped the best start of the OKC era when they hit 6-0, now they are chasing the franchise mark from the Seattle era (12-0 in 1982) as they posted a wire-to-wire win over the Magic to make it seven straight wins to open the season. | Recap
- Defensive Mindset: OKC leads the NBA in defensive rating (93.8) by a huge margin –8.3 points ahead of the second-ranked Warriors (102.1). Monday was the Thunder’s fifth time holding an opponent under 100 points; no other team has done so more than twice
- Thunder Balance: Jalen Williams (23 pts, 4 reb, 3 3s) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (21 pts, 6 reb, 9 ast) combined for 44 points to lead five OKC double-figure scorers, while Franz Wagner led the Paolo-less Magic with 22 points
3. SUNS SPOIL PG’S DEBUT, CLIPS RALLY FOR FIRST DOME WIN, CURRY RETURNS
Suns 118, Sixers 116: Kevin Durant scored 15 of his 35 points in the 4th quarter – including 10 during Phoenix’s game-ending 14-3 run – to lift the Suns to their fifth straight win. | Recap | Watch the final 5:27
- Bradley Beal (17 pts, 3 3s) and Jusuf Nurkić (15 pts, 15 reb) combined to add 32, holding off Philly in Paul George’s first game with Sixers (15 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, see his first Sixers bucket)
- Philly History: Tyrese Maxey (32 pts, 6 3s) passed Allen Iverson to become the youngest player in Sixers history to reach 5,000 points
Clippers 113, Spurs 104: LA trailed by 26 at the end of the 1st quarter (40-14) before winning each of the final three periods to complete the comeback for the first Clippers win inside the new Intuit Dome. | Recap
- All Aboard: Norman Powell (23 pts) and Amir Coffey (21 pts) each hit five 3s while combining for 44 points, while Ivica Zubac (13 reb) and James Harden (8 reb, 3 blk) each scored 17 for the Clippers
- Flirting With History: Victor Wembanyama (24 pts, 13 reb, 9 blk, 3 ast, 3 stl) nearly posted his second 5×5 game in five days
Warriors 125, Wizards 112: After missing the past three games, Steph Curry returned to score a game-high 24 points, with six assists and four 3s in 24 minutes to keep the Warriors rolling as Golden State won its fourth straight game to improve to 6-1. | Recap
- Buddy Hield (20 pts, 3 3s) and Draymond Green (18 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 3s) combined to add 38 points for Golden State, which led wire-to-wire
- Former Warrior Jordan Poole matched Curry with 24 points to go with three steals and four blocks and Kyshawn George scored a career-high 20 for DC
4. SABONIS’ GAME-WINNER LEADS NIGHT OF CLOSE GAMES
Kings 111, Heat 110: Domantas Sabonis (16 pts, 16 reb, 7 ast) hit the game-winning putback jumper with 0.7 seconds left to cap off a comeback win for the Kings. De’Aaron Fox (28 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 3 3s) and DeMar DeRozan (26 pts, 6 ast, 2 blk) combined to add 54 points for the Kings, who improved to 4-3. | Recap | Watch the final 3:20
- 3rd Quarter Kings: Led by Fox’s 16 points, the Kings outscored the Heat 37-17 in the 3rd quarter to turn a 13-point deficit into a seven-point lead entering the 4th
- Jimmy’s Turn: Butler scored 15 of his 27 points (tied with Tyler Herro for the team-high) in the 4th to help Miami retake the lead and go up by five on Terry Rozier’s 3 with 1:14 to play before the Kings closed the game on an 8-2 run
Nets 106, Grizzlies 104: Cam Johnson (20 pts, 3 3s) and Dennis Schröder (20 pts, 6 ast) combined for 40 points to spoil a career night from rookie Zach Edey (25 pts, 11-12 FG, 12 reb, 4 blk) and a highlight-fest from Ja Morant (25 pts, 9 ast, 2 unreal 360 layups) to bring both teams to 4-4 on the season. | Recap
- Been There, Spun That: Morant’s two 360 layups were just the latest additions to his already dizzying highlight reel of 360 finishes
- Edey’s ‘Dream’ Game: Edey became the first player since Hakeem Olajuwon to post a 20-10 game on at least 90% shooting within a player’s first eight career games
- Closing Time: After a scoreless 1st half (0-4 FG), Dorian Finney-Smith dropped 17 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, including five 3s for Brooklyn
Nuggets 121, Raptors 119: Nikola Jokić (28 pts, 14 reb, 13 ast), Russell Westbrook (21 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) and the Nuggets used a game-ending 23-10 run to beat the Raptors by two points for the second time in the span of a week to sweep the season series. | Recap
- Joker (Chasing) Magic: With his third triple-double of the season, Jokić is up to 133 for his career, five shy of Magic Johnson for third place all-time behind Oscar Robertson (181) and Westbrook (199)
Pacers 134, Mavs 127: Myles Turner (30 pts, 11 reb, 5 3s) posted the seventh 30-10 game of his career, while Tyrese Haliburton (25 pts, 12 ast) and Pascal Siakam (23 pts, 6 reb) combined to add 48 to lead the Pacers over the Mavs for the third straight time. | Recap
- Luka (Chasing) Magic: Luka Dončić (34 pts, 15 ast) posted his 16th game with at least 30 points and 15 assists – the fourth most in NBA history. Next on the list is Magic Johnson with 19 such games
5. ROUNDUP: JAZZ SCORE FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON
Jazz 135, Bulls 126: Keyonte George (33 pts, 9 ast, 6 3s) matched his career-high in scoring, while John Collins (28 pts, 13 reb, an NBA season-best 113.4 dunk score) and Collin Sexton (24 pts, 5 ast, 4 3s) combined to add 52 to help the Jazz earn their first win of the season over Coby White (28 pts, 6 3s) and the Bulls. | Recap
Pistons 115, Lakers 103: Jaden Ivey’s game-high 26 points and Cade Cunningham’s third career triple-double (17 pts, 11 reb, 11 ast) led the Pistons to a 115-103 win over Anthony Davis (37 pts, 9 reb), LeBron James (20 pts, 8 reb, 11 ast) and the Lakers for their third win of the season (3-5). | Recap
Celtics 123, Hawks 93: Jayson Tatum (28 pts, 9 ast) scored 26 points with six 3s in the 1st half as the Celtics built a 19-point lead at the half and never looked back. Derrick White (21 pts, 6 ast, 4 3s) led five more Celtics in double figures as Boston reached 7-1. Jalen Johnson (20 pts, 11 reb) led Atlanta, while Trae Young was held to a career-low two points. | Recap
Rockets 109, Knicks 97: Alperen Sengun (25 pts, 14 reb, 5 ast, 4 blk) did it all while Fred VanVleet (19 pts) and Jalen Green (15 pts) combined to add 34 to lead the Rockets past the Knicks to improve to 4-3. Houston led by as many as 15, but New York made it a one-point game with 4:38 to play before the Rockets answered with a game-ending 16-5 push. | Recap
Wolves 114, Hornets 93: Naz Reid (25 pts, 9 reb, 5 3s) and Anthony Edwards (21 pts, 4 3s) combined for 46 points and half of Minnesota’s 18 3s as the Wolves took control of the game in the 2nd quarter and cruised to the win over LaMelo Ball (19 pts) and the Hornets. | Recap
Blazers 118, Pelicans 100: Portland trailed 82-79 entering the 4th quarter, then Delano Banton entered the game. Banton scored 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting with two 3s in the 4th to lead the Blazers to a 39-18 final frame to avoid a three-game slide. Brandon Ingram (27 pts, 7 ast) led the Pelicans while Zion Williamson remained sidelined. | Recap
