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Many will enter. Few will score.
The Spurs have won 10 straight. And Wemby wants more.
West Streaks: Spurs rally from 22 down, Luka Magic rolls on, Rockets snap Warriors’ streak
Marquee Dubs: Blazers top OKC again, Celtics stay hot, Cavs close at MSG
Roundup: Murray & Jokić lift Nuggets, Franz keeps cooking, Nets go off, Pacers prevail
On NBA TV: LaMelo & Wolves seek fifth straight win against Flagg’s surging Mavs
Fantasy Finds: Three players seeing their fantasy stock rise take the floor tonight
Thursday brings four matchups, including an NBA TV showdown as the Mavs, winners of three straight, visit the Wolves, winners of four straight (8 ET).
Cup Night No. 3: The third night of Emirates NBA Cup Group Play tips off Friday with a nine-game slate, headlined by a must-see Prime doubleheader: Knicks-Pacers (7 ET), Warriors-Spurs (9:30 ET).
The NBA’s three hottest teams all took the floor Wednesday riding win streaks of 6+ games, battling near the top of the West standings.
By night’s end, only two streaks remained intact – each powered by a superstar putting up otherworldly numbers.
Spurs 124, Bulls 119: The Spurs faced a 22-point deficit with 4:28 left in the 2nd quarter. With 4:28 left in the 4th, they were up 13.
In between, there was a whole lot of Victor Wembanyama (32 pts, 9 reb, 5 blk, 2 stl), as San Antonio doubled Chicago in scoring over that stretch (70-35) for a 35-point swing, roaring back for its 10th straight win. | Recap
And last night’s 22-point rally mirrored a rare early-season turnaround, as the Spurs joined the 2017-18 Celtics as the only teams in NBA history to win 10 straight games after starting a season 0-2.
And the Lakers? They just keep winning.
Lakers 123, Bucks 112: How hot is Los Angeles right now? Well, Austin Reaves got the party started last night with this no-look and-1 – and Luka Dončić took it from there, dropping 16 points in the 1st as the Lakers built an early lead and never looked back for their seventh straight win. | Recap
And like Wemby, that dominance is translating to wins. In his six appearances during L.A.’s seven-game win streak, Luka has averaged a staggering 40.7 pts, 8.2 reb, 7.7 ast and 2.7 stl.
The Results? The Lakers have outscored their opponents by 10.3 ppg during the streak and are an NBA-best 11-2.
Despite the win, Austin Reaves also left the game in the third quarter after suffering an apparent left heel injury on a dunk attempt.
As the Lakers & Spurs kept rolling, the Warriors were halted in Houston.
Rockets 115, Warriors 108: Eyeing a ninth straight win, the Warriors suffered an early blow when Steph Curry exited in the 1st quarter with abdominal soreness and did not return.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg (25 pts, 10 reb) stepped up to keep the Dubs within striking distance, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Houston, as Kevin Durant (20 pts, 5 ast) led six double-digit scorers to snap Golden State’s streak. | Recap
Another night, another dose of Dame Time. With a side of Deni.
Blazers 118, Thunder 108: One night after lighting up OKC in the 3rd, Damian Lillard struck again – this time in the 4th, with two lead-extending buckets in the final 2:02 to put Portland up eight.
Deni Avdija followed moments later with a dagger steal-and-slam, lifting Portland past the Thunder for the second time in as many nights. | Recap
Celtics 98, Raptors 93: Like San Antonio, Boston faced a 22-point hole late in the 2nd quarter. Just 2:44 later, the C’s were down only six, as Jayson Tatum sparked a 16-0 surge to seize momentum.
Then, Boston’s defense finished the job, holding Toronto to just 32 points in the 2nd half, including 13 in the 4th, as the C’s earned their fifth straight win to improve to an East-best 10-2. | Recap
Cavaliers 115, Knicks 107: Down double digits early in the 4th, the Knicks ignited MSG with an 11-2 burst to tie the game with 5:36 left. But Cleveland answered with a 16-8 closing run to get the dub, snapping New York’s four-game win streak. | Recap
Nuggets 123, Grizzlies 118: Jamal Murray scored 17 of his 30 points in the 4th, including nine straight Nuggets points in crunch time, as Denver staved off Memphis, handing the Grizz their fourth loss in five games after a 6-0 start. | Recap
Magic 123, Jazz 108: Twenty-four hours after dropping 33 in Sacramento, Franz Wagner went for 38 in Utah – marking his third straight 30-piece – as Orlando grabbed its second win in a row. | Recap
Nets 145, Pelicans 111: Michael Porter Jr. and Egor Dëmin each scored 22 points on 4 3s as Brooklyn went 20-for-41 from deep en route to 145 points, matching Miami for the highest-scoring total this season (Oct. 30). | Recap
Pacers 114, Wizards 101: Tied at 77 after three quarters, Pascal Siakam (28 pts, 8 reb) and Andrew Nembhard (17 pts, 10 ast) sparked a 14-0 run to open the 4th as Indy pulled away from Anthony Davis (21 pts, 13 reb) and the Wiz. | Recap
“Rollercoaster” seems a fitting descriptor for the Timberwolves’ season so far.
Minnesota started 3-0, then lost three of its next four before rebounding with a four-game win streak.
Now at 8-3 and sitting 5th in the West, the Wolves seek a fifth straight win as they host the Mavericks (8 ET, NBA TV).
“We’ve been able to come together in the 4th [quarter] and play our best basketball when it mattered the most,” said Minnesota head coach Chris Finch.
LaMelo Ball, who’s the other half of the one-two backcourt punch, has stepped up in Edwards’ absence. And he’s not the only one to do so.
Dallas carries a streak of its own into this matchup. The Mavericks have won three straight behind Cooper Flagg, who continues to stand out as a sophomore.
With Week 4 of the regular season underway, several players are stepping into bigger roles and seeing their fantasy stock rise.
In his latest 30-team fantasy breakdown, Yahoo Sports’ Dan Titus examines the trends shaping the early fantasy season, including several breakout players to watch.
Ahead of tonight’s action, we spotlight three of those players taking the floor Thursday.
Grayson Allen (CHA): “Charlotte is dealing with injuries to Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller and Dennis Schröder, creating additional opportunities throughout the rotation. Grayson Allen is the priority pickup, averaging 15-3-3 and over 3 3s per game.”
Jamal Shead (TOR): “Shead has shown impressive playmaking upside with Immanuel Quickley sidelined. After dishing out 16 assists on Saturday, he followed that up with a 20-point, 11-assist performance on Monday.”
Jaden McDaniels (MIN): “Let’s not gloss over McDaniels, who is crushing his ADP (ranked 46th in 9-cat after going 89th on draft day). Through 11 games, he’s on pace for career-bests in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, 3s and usage per game.” |
Tonight on League Pass, Shead and the Raptors will face the Sixers (7 ET), before Allen visits his former team as the Hornets take on the Suns (9 ET). Plus, AJ Dybantsa and the Wizards host Cade Cunningham’s Pistons (7 ET).