20 Second Timeout

Observations About the Opening Weekend of the 2026 NBA Playoffs

The eight series opening games from the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs are in the books. Six games went as I expected, with the exceptions being Houston falling apart versus the L.A. Lakers after Kevin Durant did not play because of a bruised knee and Detroit losing meekly versus Orlando. It should be noted that even though it is often said that the first game of a playoff series is "a feel out game," the reality is that game one winners won the series 77.1% of the time since the NBA went to the current 16 team playoff format in the 1983-84 season. Last year, game one winners won 12 out of 15 playoff series, including all eight first round series. 

Here are my observations about each game, and my thoughts about each series. 

The 2026 NBA playoffs kicked off on Saturday with the Cleveland Cavaliers taming the Toronto Raptors, 126-113. The Cavaliers did not trail in the second half, and led 100-76 with 11:47 remaining in the fourth quarter. Both teams shot well from the field--Cleveland shot .543, Toronto shot .521--but the Cavaliers had 10 more field goal attempts because they won the rebounding battle 33-27 and because they had fewer turnovers. Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 32 points on 11-20 field goal shooting; he has scored at least 30 points in an NBA-record nine consecutive series openers.

Max Strus added 24 points off of the bench on 8-10 field goal shooting, and James Harden contributed 22 points plus a game-high 10 assists. RJ Barrett paced the Raptors with 24 points on 7-13 field goal shooting. Mitchell scored 11 third quarter points as the Cavaliers outscored the Raptors 36-22 to blow open a game that had been close (61-54 Cleveland lead) at halftime. The final numbers are skewed a bit by fourth quarter garbage time--the Cavaliers were outrebounded 7-4 in the final stanza and they committed six of their 15 turnovers in the final 12 minutes--but the big picture view is that the Cavaliers are clearly the superior team, so we will not see Harden's annual playoff disappearing act until the second round.

In Saturday's second game, Denver's Nikola Jokic-Jamal Murray duo overwhelmed the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 116-105 win. Murray made all 16 of his free throws and scored a game-high 30 points despite shooting just 7-22 from the field. He also had seven assists and five rebounds. Jokic authored his 22nd career playoff triple double (25 points, game-high 13 rebounds, game-high 11 assists). He ranks third in career playoff triple doubles behind Magic Johnson (30) and LeBron James (28). Russell Westbrook (12) and Jason Kidd (11) round out the top five. At times, the Timberwolves seemed more focused on acting tough--by committing hard fouls and engaging in extra physical contact after the play--than playing tough, but the Nuggets stayed above the fray for the most part. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 22 points while also contributing nine rebounds and a team-high seven assists, but he shot just 7-19 from the field. These teams have been evenly matched in recent years, but the Timberwolves took command early with a 27-15 lead late in the first quarter. The Nuggets fought back to a 62-62 halftime tie before outscoring the Timberwolves 29-17 in the decisive third quarter. Jokic (12 points) and Murray (10 points) outscored the Timberwolves in the third quarter. Both teams showed that they are capable of making big runs, so this figures to be a long series.

Next, the New York Knicks grounded the young Atlanta Hawks, 113-102. Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 28 points on 9-22 field goal shooting, and he also had a team-high seven assists. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 25 points, grabbed eight rebounds, passed for four assists, blocked three shots, and committed a game-high tying five turnovers. C.J. McCollum led the Hawks with 26 points but he had just one assist while matching Towns for game-high "honors" with five turnovers. Jalen Johnson had 23 points and seven rebounds in his first playoff game as a starter after being a lightly used reserve in his first six playoff games. In the first half, Brunson (22 points) and McCollum (17 points) had a backcourt scoring duel, with the Knicks leading 57-55 at intermission. Towns dominated in the second half with 19 points as the Knicks outscored the Hawks 56-47 in the final 24 minutes. The Hawks vastly improved by getting rid of Trae Young, but they are not quite ready for prime time.

Saturday's final game provided the first surprise of the weekend: Kevin Durant was a late scratch because of a bruised knee that he suffered during practice. The Houston Rockets seemed baffled, lethargic, and offensively inept without Durant, shooting just 35-93 (.376) from the field in a 107-98 loss to the L.A. Lakers. The Lakers entered the series sans Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, but they had some time before the playoffs began to adjust their rotation and roles accordingly. 

The Rockets--who lost starting point guard Fred VanVleet to a knee injury before the season and then lost rebounding machine Steven Adams to an ankle injury after he played just 32 games this season--did not have much time to prepare for Durant's absence, but they still should have been able to perform better than they did, particularly on defense. The Lakers torched the Rockets with 40-66 (.606) field goal shooting, led by Luke Kennard's playoff career-high 27 points on 9-13 field goal shooting. The seemingly ageless LeBron James had 19 points, a game-high 13 assists (including a playoff career-high eight first quarter assists), and eight rebounds. Deandre Ayton added 19 points and a team-high 11 rebounds as all five Laker starters scored in double figures. 

Alperun Segun led the Rockets with 19 points, but he shot just 6-19 from the field and was outplayed by Ayton. Houston's starters shot 26-75 (.347) from the field, including 9-28 (.321) from beyond the arc. The Rockets won the rebounding battle 44-35, including 21-3 on the offensive glass as they hustled to chase down their misses only to often miss again. Durant's status for game two is questionable, but with or without him the Rockets are capable of playing much better than they did in game one. Keep in mind that the Lakers have homecourt advantage in this series, which means that if the Rockets win game two then the Rockets are in control of the series even though the score would be tied 1-1; the Rockets would have an opportunity to take a 3-1 lead with home wins in games three and four.

In the first game on Sunday, the Boston Celtics destroyed the Philadelphia 76ers, 123-91. The Celtics led 33-18 after the first quarter and never looked back. Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 26 points on 11-21 field goal shooting, and Jayson Tatum had a brilliant all-around game: 25 points on 9-17 field goal shooting, game-high 11 rebounds, team-high seven assists. Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 21 points on 8-20 field goal shooting, and he passed for a game-high eight assists. Those numbers are solid--and better than the numbers posted by any of his teammates--but they are not quite enough for the number one option on a playoff team. Paul George was quiet (17 points, four rebounds, one assist) and VJ Edgecomb had just 13 points on 6-16 field goal shooting. The Celtics shot 45-90 (.500) from the field while holding the 76ers to 35-90 (.389) field goal shooting. I may have been generous in suggesting that the 76ers could avoid being swept.

The next game was even less competitive, as the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder eclipsed the defenseless Phoenix Suns, 119-84. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot just 5-18 from the field but he went 15-17 from the free throw line to accumulate a game-high 25 points in just 29 minutes. He also had a game-high seven assists plus four rebounds and two blocked shots. Jalen Williams added 22 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Devin Booker led the Suns with 23 points on 8-17 field goal shooting, but Dillon Brooks shot just 6-22 from the field for 18 points, and Jalen Green scored 17 points on 6-16 field goal shooting. The Thunder led by 39 at one point, and this game was a "name your score" contest: the Thunder could have won by 50 or 60 if they wanted to do that, but a 35 point margin of victory with each starter playing less than 30 minutes was more than sufficient.

Sunday's third game was a stunner, as the inconsistent and offensively challenged Orlando Magic--who shot just 33-81 (.407) from the field in a 109-97 Play-In Tournament game loss to the Philadelphia 76ers last week--never trailed versus the Detroit Pistons en route to a 112-101 win. The 45-37 Magic shot a respectable 44-90 (.489) from the field while holding the East-leading 60-22 Pistons to 31-77 (.403) field goal shooting. Paolo Banchero scored a team-high 23 points, grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, and dished for four assists, including some very slick passes out of double teams/traps. The other four Magic starters each scored between 16 and 19 points. Cade Cunningham poured in a game-high 39 points on 13-27 field goal shooting, but his inefficient start--14 first half points on 5-12 field goal shooting--helped the Magic to build a 55-51 halftime lead. 

This was Detroit's 11th straight playoff game loss at home; the Pistons have not won a home playoff game since 2008. Is this the curse of Rodney Stuckey? I say that with tongue planted firmly in cheek, but the reality is that the Pistons have not been the same since Joe Dumars handed the keys to Stuckey. This is a new, young Pistons team that is years removed from the Stuckey fiasco, but the Pistons better hope that game one was simply a matter of rust and not a symptom of a deeper issue. The Pistons pride themselves on defense and physicality, but the Magic strolled into Detroit and took the Pistons' lunch money like a schoolyard bully.

The Sunday quadrupleheader concluded with Victor Wembanyama's much anticipated playoff debut, and he did not disappoint a San Antonio sellout crowd of 19,372 that included Hall of Famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 111-98 as Wembanyama scored a game-high 35 points on 13-21 field goal shooting to break Duncan's team record for most points scored in a playoff game debut (32). Wembanyama had five rebounds as the Spurs used a collective effort on the boards to outrebound the Trail Blazers, 45-38. No Spur had more than seven rebounds, but six Spurs had at least five rebounds. De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle contributed 17 points each, while Devin Vassell added 15 points. Deni Avdija had a team-high 30 points, a game-high 10 rebounds, and five assists in his playoff debut, but his Portland teammates did provide nearly enough help, scoring just 68 points on 27-70 (.386) field goal shooting. The Spurs looked like a championship contender, while the Trail Blazers looked outmatched.

Labels: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, L.A. Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs

posted by David Friedman @ 3:34 PM

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2025-26 NBA Playoff Predictions

For the sixth consecutive season, the NBA used a Play-In Tournament to determine the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference (the NBA also had a Western Conference Play-In Game during the 2020 "bubble" in Orlando). The Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic claimed the final two Eastern Conference playoff spots, while the Portland Trail Blazers and the Phoenix Suns earned the final two Western Conference playoff spots. Prior to the 2026 Play-In Tournament, I picked Orlando, Charlotte, Phoenix, and the L.A. Clippers to emerge as qualifiers, so my record for correctly picking the Play-In Tournament qualifiers is 3-1 in 2021, 3-1 in 2022, 2-2 in 2023, 3-1 in 2024, 3-1 in 2025, and 2-2 in 2026.

Before explaining my playoff predictions, here is a recap of some of the most significant stories from the 2025-2026 NBA season.

After a dominating 2024-25 regular season that culminated in winning the NBA championship, the Oklahoma City Thunder started their title defense in commanding fashion, bursting out of the gates 8-0 before tying the all-time NBA record for best 25 game start (24-1, first accomplished by the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors). The Thunder had four losses in a six game stretch in December--including back to back defeats by the San Antonio Spurs--but closed the season strongly with 19 wins in a 20 game span before resting their key players in the final two games after wrapping up the number one overall seed in the playoffs. It would have been very difficult to match their historic 2025 standards--including a 68-14 regular season record (tied for sixth-seventh best all-time) with the best point differential in NBA history (12.87 ppg)--but the Thunder's 2025-26 season is very impressive: 64-18 record with a 11.15 ppg point differential (eighth best all-time). 

The Thunder's season is even more impressive considering that each of their top four players in minutes played per game participated in 69 games or less, with 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams appearing in just 33 games. Only two Thunder players played in at least 70 games: Cason Wallace (77 games, 58 starts) and Isaiah Joe (71 games, nine starts).

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander--who won the 2025 regular season MVP, the 2025 Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP, and the 2025 Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP--had another sensational all-around season, leading the team in scoring (31.1 ppg, second in the league) and assists (career-high 6.6 apg) while leading the league in free throws made per game (7.9) for the third straight season. His shooting splits (.553/.386/.879) include a career-high field goal percentage, and he continues to be an excellent defensive player. 

The Thunder's strengths are Gilgeous-Alexander's all-around brilliance supported by tremendous depth, a collective commitment to playing strong team defense, and a collective unselfish attitude at both ends of the court. The Thunder are not quite as dominant in the possession game as they were in 2025 when they led the league in steals, turnovers forced, fewest steals allowed, and fewest turnovers committed, but they still ranked second, second, fourth, and second respectively in those categories. The Thunder are not a huge team, so they can be bothered by size and they are not an elite rebounding squad (ranking 12th in the league), but if they are even somewhat healthy it is difficult to picture them losing a seven game series. 

Victor Wembanyama has been the centerpiece of a talented and deep San Antonio Spurs squad that went 4-1 versus the Thunder during the regular season. I did not foresee the Spurs being this good this fast, but in my 2025-26 Western Conference Preview I made it clear that the Spurs should be expected to make the playoffs (which was not a universally held belief prior to this season): 

There are no more excuses for missing the playoffs. The Spurs have a generational talent--the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama--plus they have veteran former All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox, and they also have 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle. I am skeptical about the long term prospects of teams that tanked--and I am not convinced that the Spurs are on a championship track--but the Spurs have too much talent to not at least qualify for the playoffs.

The Spurs ranked second in the league in rebounding, third in scoring, fourth in defensive field goal percentage, sixth in field goal percentage, and eighth in points allowed. Wembanyama's strong imprint is felt in all of those categories, as he led the team in scoring (career-high 25.0 ppg), rebounding (career-high 11.5 rpg, fourth in the league), and blocked shots (3.1 bpg, earning his third shot blocking title in three NBA seasons) while shooting a career-high .512 from the field. De'Aaron Fox earned his second career All-Star selection (his first as a Spur) while averaging 18.6 ppg and 6.2 apg. Stephon Castle improved his numbers across the board to 16.7 ppg, a team-high 7.4 apg (sixth in the league), 5.3 rpg, 1.1 spg, and .471 FG%. 

The Spurs have all of the necessary ingredients for a championship team except for playoff experience. Harrison Barnes (9.9 ppg, 52 starts in 77 games) started for the 2015 NBA champion Golden State Warriors, but he is the Spurs' only rotation player who has significant postseason experience.

Switching to the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons continued their remarkable resurgence under Coach J.B. Bickerstaff, climbing from 14 wins (under Monty Williams) in 2023-24 to 44 wins in Bickerstaff's first Detroit season to pacing the Eastern Conference with 60 wins this season. Cade Cunningham--who led the team in scoring (23.9 ppg) and assists (9.9 apg)--has emerged as an All-NBA Team caliber player during the past two seasons, and fourth year player Jalen Duren earned his first All-Star selection while averaging 19.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg (sixth in the league). Bickerstaff has transformed the Pistons into a physical team that is elite at both ends of the court, ranking third in the league in defensive field goal percentage, third in points allowed, third in field goal percentage, eighth in rebounding, and eighth in scoring.

This season was expected to be a so-called "gap year" for the Boston Celtics in the wake of Jayson Tatum's torn right Achilles suffered during the 2025 playoffs followed by the exodus of key contributors Kristaps Porzingis (19.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.5 bpg in the 2024-25 regular season), Jrue Holiday (11.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.9 apg in 2024-25), Al Horford (9.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg in 2024-25), and Luke Kornet (6.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg in 2024-25). The Celtics ranked eighth in the NBA in rebounding during the 2024-25 season; that standard seemed difficult to match sans Tatum, Porzingis, Horford, and Kornet, who ranked first, second, third, and fifth respectively on the team in rebounding--but the Celtics ranked third in rebounding this season. Tatum averaging 10.0 rpg during his 16 game return helped, but six other Celtics each averaged at least 4 rpg, with starting center Neemias Queta averaging 8.4 rpg and leading the squad in total rebounds (636). Jaylen Brown had a high volume season, leading the league in field goals made (736), field goals attempted (1543), and turnovers (259) while setting career highs in scoring (28.7 ppg), rebounding (6.9 rpg), and assists (5.1 apg) to earn his fourth straight All-Star selection (and fifth selection overall).

Brown's increased production provides a nice segue to the MVP conversation. Brown deserves to receive some top five MVP votes and should be a lock for the All-NBA Team, but he should not receive any first place MVP votes. The MVP race is rarely as wide open as media members suggest it to be; in most seasons, the five All-NBA First Team caliber players are a cut above everyone else, and often there are two or three of those players who separate themselves even further. This season, there are three players who should combine to receive all of the first place votes in MVP balloting: Nikola Jokic (the MVP winner in 2021, 2022, and 2024), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (the 2025 MVP), and Victor Wembanyama. 

It is unfortunate that media-driven narratives appear to play a large role in the voting process, but that is the best explanation for how Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Derrick Rose, and James Harden each won a regular season MVP (Nash won two!) while Pantheon members Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant only won one regular season MVP each (but O'Neal earned three NBA Finals MVPs and Bryant earned two NBA Finals MVPs). I have consistently insisted that the MVP should be selected based on skill set evaluations and not narratives or "advanced basketball statistics." The only exception is when there is a dominant player who does not have an all-around skill set but is nevertheless clearly the league's best player. Shaquille O'Neal is the quintessential example of such a player; he was a poor free throw shooter who was only intermittently interested in playing defense, but he was such a dominant scorer and rebounder that he was the NBA's best player during his prime.

There has been a lot of groaning and grumbling about the NBA rule that stipulates that a player must participate in at least 65 regular season games to be eligible for most awards; to no small extent, this complaining is emblematic of much of what is going wrong with our society: there is an expectation--a sense of unwarranted entitlement, to be precise--that one should be paid handsomely and receive award recognition despite putting forth minimal effort. The NBA traditionally did not give awards to players who missed a substantial number of games, and there is nothing wrong with formalizing such rules in an era when so many people have lost respect for tradition and are looking for loopholes/excuses. 

The NBA and NBPA jointly agreed to provide "extraordinary circumstances" exceptions for Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham so that both players will be eligible for awards. Prior to that announcement, when people talked about Doncic and Cunningham regarding the 65 game rule, emphasis was placed on their late season injuries without pointing out that if both players had not missed so many games throughout the season then their late season injuries would not have rendered them ineligible for postseason awards. I'll say this slowly so everyone can follow: the w-h-o-l-e season counts--games in November, games in December, and games in every other month all matter, and players are being paid huge guaranteed salaries to actively participate in as many games as possible. Such participation used to be the norm, but now must be enforced--and the 65 game rule is part of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, meaning that the players accepted this requirement.

Jokic played in 65 games this season, which is his lowest number since he played in 55 games and 59 games in his first two seasons. Last season, Jokic became the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to rank in the top three in the NBA in scoring, rebounding, and assists in the same season while also becoming the first center and third player to average a triple double in a season--and this season Jokic was even better, leading the league in rebounding (12.9 rpg) and assists (career-high 10.7 apg) while ranking eighth in scoring (27.7 ppg) with shooting splits of .569/.380/.830. He is not a lockdown individual defender, but he led the league in defensive rebounding (9.9 defensive rebounds per game) while also averaging 1.4 spg and .8 bpg. Jokic has finished first or second in the MVP voting in each of the past five seasons, but a case could be made that he is underrated. Jokic has averaged at least 24.5 ppg, at least 10.8 rpg and at least 7.9 apg for six straight seasons while never shooting worse than .566 from the field; no player in pro basketball history has matched each of those thresholds for a six season span. Moreover, the team numbers show that during that period the Nuggets performed at an elite level when Jokic is on the court and resembled a Draft Lottery team when he is off of the court (and their 11-6 record this season without him is loaded with wins against lower echelon teams); in other words, he is not just stuffing the stat sheet individually but he is productive in ways that help his team win.

This is the fourth straight season that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has performed at an MVP level, and in the previous three seasons he finished fifth, second, and first in the balloting. He averaged at least 30.1 ppg and at least 5.5 apg while shooting at least .510 from the field in each of those four seasons. Gilgeous-Alexander combines the elite midrange shooting touch of George Gervin with the ability to slash to the hoop, draw fouls, and dish to open teammates. He is also an excellent defensive player. There is nothing negative to say about him, and no reason that he should not be selected as MVP--except for the inconvenient fact that Jokic is even more productive and efficient.

Third year pro Victor Wembanyama has progressed rapidly in many areas: he is stronger, his shot selection is vastly improved, and he has learned how to impose his will on opposing teams (which is a subtler and more valuable skill than just accumulating gaudy individual numbers). This season, he set career highs in scoring (25.0 ppg), rebounding (11.5 rpg, fourth in the league), and field goal percentage (.512) while leading the league in blocked shots for the third straight season, a feat last accomplished by Marcus Camby (2006-08) and Dikembe Mutombo (1994-96). His Spurs limped to 22 wins in his rookie season, jogged to 34 wins in year two, and sprinted to 62 wins this season. Wembanyama would benefit from adding some more lower body strength, but he has no skill set weaknesses. He is an MVP caliber player--but Jokic is a better player who had an even better season. I rank Wembanyama behind Gilgeous-Alexander because Gilgeous-Alexander has already proven (1) he can sustain MVP caliber play for multiple seasons and (2) he can sustain MVP caliber play during a deep playoff run. One might argue that those two broad contextual factors are not relevant for selecting the MVP for this particular season but I disagree: in a close race, all factors have heightened importance and unless/until Wembanyama either laps the field of MVP candidates or leads his team on a deep playoff run I would select proven players Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander ahead of him. Put another way, you have to beat the champ to be the champ. We know that what Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander are doing is sustainable both year to year and in the playoffs, but we just assume that what Wembanyama is doing is sustainable.

I will share a few brief thoughts about three other players who have been mentioned as MVP candidates.

Doncic should not come close to the top three in the balloting. Doncic is a wunderkind on offense but too often he is missing in action on defense. His incessant whining to officials resulted in him accumulating 16 technical fouls, leading to an automatic one game suspension.

Jaylen Brown had a career year in terms of individual statistics, but the surprising Boston Celtics often performed just as well or even better when he did not play. He is an All-NBA First Team caliber player, but he is not as great as the top three MVP candidates. 

Cade Cunningham is an elite scorer/playmaker who also plays good defense, but he is not more skillful or impactful than Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, or Wembanyama.

A review of the 2025-26 season would not be complete without mentioning tanking, which has become so widespread that up to 10 of the league's 30 teams are actively losing on purpose. This has major implications for ticket-buying fans, media sponsors, gamblers, and the league's statistical records, which have been permanently skewed, most notably when Bam Adebayo scored 83 points versus the Washington "Wheez-hards." This trampling of the sport's record book matters in terms of historical rankings: Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama and other players have set various records, but how seriously should we take those numbers when a third of the league's teams are actively trying to lose?

Here are my first round predictions:

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Labels: Boston Celtics, Cade Cunningham, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Jalen Brunson, Jaylen Brown, New York Knicks, Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama

posted by David Friedman @ 1:52 AM

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Damian Lillard Earns Third Three Point Title, Knicks Win Shooting Stars, and Keshad Johnson is the 2026 Slam Dunk Contest Champion

NBA All-Star Saturday Night tipped off with the Three Point Contest, which has become the showcase event after living in the shadow of the Slam Dunk Contest from the 1980s through the early 2000s when Pantheon members (including Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant) strutted their high-flying stuff. Rookie Kon Knueppel started strongly with 27 points, setting a pace that few could match. Devin Booker had the highest first round score (30, surpassing his then-record 28 points from the final round in 2018 when he won this event), while Damian Lillard also scored 27 points to join Knueppel and Booker in the final round. Donovan Mitchell (24), Norman Powell (23), Jamal Murray (18), Tyrese Maxey (17), and Bobby Portis (15) failed to advance. In the final round, Knueppel slumped to 17 points, Lillard improved to 29 points, and Booker hit his first nine shots before missing his last three to finish with 27 points.  

This was Lillard's first on-court appearance in a Portland Trail Blazers uniform since rejoing the team last summer after tearing his left Achilles in his last game with the Milwaukee Bucks on April 29, 2025. Lillard played the first 11 seasons of his career with Portland before spending two seasons with the Bucks. Lillard, who previously won this event in 2023 and 2024, joins Larry Bird (1986-88) and Craig Hodges (1990-92) as the Three Point Contest's only three-time champions. I give Lillard credit for putting himself out in public view while recovering from his injury, particularly in an era when so many star players avoid participating in All-Star Saturday Night. In his remarks after winning the event, Lillard noted that fans want to see All-Stars competing hard, and he wanted to do his best to provide that. Let's hope that this spirit of competition carries over to Sunday night's main event. 

The Shooting Stars competition featured teams with a mixture of two current players plus one retired player. It is nice to see retired players have an opportunity to participate in All-Star Weekend. The retired players were Rip Hamilton (who joined Scottie Barnes and Chet Holmgren on Team All-Star), Ron Harper (who joined his sons Dylan Harper and Ron Harper Jr. on Team Harper), Allan Houston (who joined Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns on Team Knicks), and Corey Maggette (who joined Jalen Johnson and Kon Knueppel on Team Cameron). The event's format requires each team member to shoot in the same order from seven different marked spots within 1:10.

Team Knicks posted the first round's highest score (31), and then topped that with 47 in the final round to defeat Team Cameron, which had 38 points in the final round. Houston was also a member of New York's winning team in the 2012 edition of this event, which returned to All-Star Weekend after previously being held from 2004-15.

The Slam Dunk Contest featured four first-time competitors, none of whom have ever been selected as an NBA All-Star: G League player Carter Bryant, the Miami Heat's Keshad Johnson, the L.A. Lakers' Jaxson Hayes, and the Orlando Magic's Jase Richardson (whose father Jason won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2002 and 2003).

The Slam Dunk Contest judges were Dominique Wilkins (Slam Dunk Contest champion in 1985 and 1990), Dwight Howard (2008 Slam Dunk Contest champion), Corey Maggette (2001 Slam Dunk Contest participant), Brent Barry (1996 Slam Dunk Contest champion), and Julius "Dr. J" Erving (1976 ABA Slam Dunk Contest champion, 1984 NBA Slam Dunk Contest runner-up to Larry Nance). 

Full credit to each of the four young players who did their best to put on a show, but neither the dunks nor the star quality come close to matching the entertainment that the Slam Dunk Contest provided during its glory years. Johnson danced and strutted his way to the crown, walking out with Bay Area rap legend E-40 to get the crowd hyped up, soaring over over E-40 on his first dunk, and clinching the title with a between the legs reverse dunk on his final attempt. Bryant earned the lone perfect 50 of the night before falling flat in the final round with a pedestrian dunk after repeatedly missing the fancier dunk that he had originally prepared.

Erving presented the Julius "Dr. J" Erving Slam Dunk Contest trophy to Johnson:

Labels: Allan Houston, Damian Lillard, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Keshad Johnson, NBA All-Star Weekend, New York Knicks, Rick Brunson, Shooting Stars, Slam Dunk Contest, Three Point Contest

posted by David Friedman @ 12:11 PM

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Notes About the 2025 Christmas Day Quintupleheader

This is the 18th consecutive year that the NBA had a Christmas Day quintupleheader, and the 78th year that the NBA played games on Christmas Day, a tradition that began during the league's second season. Christmas Day may be the unofficial start of the NBA season for casual fans, but the reality is that we are more than a third of the way through the NBA season; we have seen enough to separate the contenders from the pretenders, which is why my Christmas Day game recaps examine the big picture along with the small picture of the individual game outcomes.

The 2025 Christmas Day quintupleheader featured the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets, the 2022 NBA champion Golden State Warriors, and the 2020 NBA champion L.A. Lakers; the Thunder are intact and dominant, while the latter three teams have had significant roster overhauls since winning their championships, and of those three only the Nuggets look like legitimate contenders this season.   

Game One: New York Knicks 126, Cleveland Cavaliers 124

1) The New York Knicks extended their NBA record by playing on Christmas Day for the 58th time, a nod to the league's East Coast roots. The Knicks reached the NBA Finals three straight times (1951-53) in the league's early years before suffering a playoff drought from 1960-66. The franchise's golden years extended from 1969-74 when the team reached the Eastern Division Finals or Eastern Conference Finals six straight times, capturing two NBA titles (1970, 1973) with Willis Reed and Walt Frazier leading the way. The Knicks did not reach the Eastern Conference Finals again until 1993. They lost in the NBA Finals in 1994 and 1999, and then did not advance to the Eastern Conference Finals from 2001 until last season's appearance. 

This season is championship or bust for the Knicks, who replaced coach Tom Thibodeau with Mike Brown. The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 to capture the 2025 NBA Cup, and they entered Christmas Day with the Eastern Conference's second best record. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers won their only NBA title in 2016 while making four straight NBA Finals appearances from 2015-18. They missed the playoffs for four straight years after LeBron James fled to L.A. before reaching the playoffs for each of the past three seasons. The Cavaliers posted the Eastern Conference's best record last season (64-18) before losing in the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

On paper, the Cavaliers have all of the necessary elements to make a championship run: an MVP-caliber player (Donovan Mitchell) paired with a multiple-time All-Star (Darius Garland) in a dynamic backcourt, a young and talented big man who has already made the All-NBA Second Team while winning the Defensive Player of the Year award (Evan Mobley), an athletic big man who has made the All-Star team as a rebounder and high percentage paint scorer (Jarrett Allen), and a deep, versatile supporting cast. However, the whole has consistently added up to less than the sum of the parts, and that should not be attributed just to injuries; the eye test indicates that the Cavaliers lack mental and physical toughness, demonstrated by the fact that they fold when they are challenged by good teams in the playoffs. The only way to refute that contention is to make a long playoff run, and if the Cavaliers could not do that after a 64-18 season then it will be a tall task for them to do it after a slow start that has them languishing in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

2) The Cavaliers jumped out to an 18-3 lead by the 6:42 mark of the first quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns was on the bench after picking up two quick fouls--undisciplined fouling is a recurring problem for him--and the Knicks looked shell-shocked. The Knicks cut the margin to nine (20-11) on a rare six point possession: Lonzo Ball was assessed a flagrant foul for a reckless closeout as Jalen Brunson drained a three pointer, resulting in a Brunson free throw followed by a Mohamed Diawara bucket after the Knicks inbounded the ball. The Cavaliers seemed to regain control, though, and they led 38-23 at the end of the first quarter as Mitchell (12 points on 5-6 field goal shooting) and Garland (nine points on 3-4 field goal shooting) set the pace offensively while the Cavaliers held the Knicks to 9-24 (.375) field goal shooting. ESPN's Doris Burke mentioned a pearl of wisdom from Doug Collins that I often cite: some people focus on so-called "clutch" stats or fourth quarter numbers, but the NBA is often a first quarter league, because what happens in the first quarter sets the tone for the rest of the game (although that did not prove to be the case in this game due to New York's comeback/Cleveland's collapse).

Jordan Clarkson drilled two three pointers at the start of the second quarter to slash Cleveland's lead to 38-29, and that foreshadowed the Knicks outscoring the Cavaliers 37-20 in the second quarter to take a 60-58 halftime lead. Towns had six points and five rebounds in the second quarter after going scoreless with one rebound in the first quarter. Clarkson paced both teams with 11 second quarter points, while Mitchell did not score in the second quarter.

The Cavaliers reasserted control by outscoring the Knicks 38-24 in the third quarter to go up 96-84 heading into the final stanza. Jaylon Tyson led the way with 11 third quarter points on 5-6 field goal shooting off of the bench.

The Cavaliers led 103-86 early in the fourth quarter, and they were up 107-91 at the 8:11 mark of the fourth quarter after Garland dished to a cutting Tyson for a layup. They seemed to be in control--and then they collapsed. The fourth quarter boxscore is beautiful from the Knicks' point of view but brutal from the Cavaliers' perspective: the Knicks outscored the Cavaliers 42-28, outrebounded them 16-12, and shot .556 (15-27) from the field while holding the Cavaliers to .346 (9-26) field goal shooting. Brunson (13 points on 4-8 field goal shooting) and Tyler Kolek (11 points on 4-5 field goal shooting) did most of the scoring damage for the Knicks, while Mitchell Robinson had eight rebounds. Mitchell scored 15 points but shot just 4-11 from the field. No other Cavalier had more than four fourth quarter points.

Brunson has a track record of producing in the clutch, and his teammates follow his example. The Cavaliers rely on their talent, but when the going gets tough and they need defensive stops they fall apart, and hope that Mitchell's shot making will bail them out. That is not how championship caliber teams operate. 

3) Brunson finished with a game-high tying 34 points on 10-25 field goal shooting. Clarkson provided a huge boost with 25 points in 29 minutes off of the bench, and Kolek added 16 points in 25 minutes. Towns finished with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, and Robinson had 13 rebounds in 17 scoreless minutes.

Mitchell had a game-high tying 34 points on 12-25 field goal shooting. Media driven narratives often link Cleveland's success to how frequently Mitchell shoots--suggesting that the Cavaliers are better off when he shoots less often--but he is not the problem: he plays hard and makes clutch shots; the problem is that the Cavaliers lack the necessary toughness to get stops and to complete defensive possessions with rebounds.

Garland added 20 points and a game-high 10 assists.  

Game Two: San Antonio Spurs 117, Oklahoma City Thunder 102

1) This is becoming one of the NBA's most intriguing rivalries, pitting the young reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder versus the even younger up and coming San Antonio Spurs; this will not be a full-fledged rivalry until the Spurs (1) make the playoffs and (2) face the Thunder in the playoffs, but the Spurs made their presence felt even before this game by beating the Thunder twice in 10 days after the Thunder started the season 24-1. The Thunder overwhelm most teams with their depth, defensive pressure, and quickness, but the Spurs effectively counter with their own depth, their ability to handle defensive pressure, and a horde of perimeter players who are able to contend with the Thunder's quickness. 

The Spurs are led by Victor Wembanyama, who has become more productive, efficient, and focused, slashing his three point field goal attempts per game from 8.8 last season to 4.1 this season; he is a force in the paint at both ends of the court, and the only question about him is if he will be durable enough to be a dominant player throughout the long regular season and then in a deep playoff run. Wembanyama is remarkably versatile, but it is worth noting--as ESPN's Jay Bilas did during the game telecast and as I did during Wembanyama's rookie season--that more than 40 years ago Ralph Sampson had similar talent in an era when big men were deployed in a much more restricted fashion than they are now.

The Thunder's early season success is remarkable not only considering that championship teams have to fight complacency, but also because 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams missed the season's first 19 games due to injury. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the most statistically efficient 30-plus ppg scorer in NBA history, averaging 32.5 ppg with shooting splits of .557/.435/.884 while committing just 2.0 turnovers per game--and he also rebounds (4.8 rpg), passes (team-high 6.6 apg), and defends (1.5 spg). The Thunder rank first in points allowed, first in defensive field goal percentage, first in turnovers forced, second in steals, second in points scored, and third in field goal percentage. They rank 12th in rebounding after ranking 11th last season; they are not a physically overpowering team, but they are so dominant in most other categories that their relative lack of physical presence in the paint does not seem to matter.

2) The Spurs led 41-36 at the end of the first quarter. The Thunder usually win the possession game by forcing a high number of turnovers while committing few turnovers, but in the first quarter the Spurs had just two turnovers while shooting 15-21 (.714) from the field. The pace slowed a bit in the second quarter, but the Spurs again came out on top, 28-24, to lead 69-60 at halftime. De'Aaron Fox scored 21 first half points on 9-11 field goal shooting, Stephon Castle added 13 points on 5-8 field goal shooting, and Wembanyama came off of the bench (because he is still on a minutes restriction) to contribute nine points, six rebounds, and one blocked shot in 12 minutes. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 16 points on 5-9 field goal shooting.

When the Thunder don't force turnovers they are not able to get easy scoring opportunities, which compels them to rely on their halfcourt offense--and their halfcourt offense can be balky, particularly when confronted with Wembanyama lurking as a mobile and long-armed rim protector. The Thunder had just five fast break points in the first half, and they shot 23-48 (.479) from the field. Conversely, the Spurs turned their stops into easy scoring opportunities, producing 15 fast break points in the first half.

The Spurs won the third quarter, 26-19, and led 95-80 heading into the fourth quarter. They committed just two turnovers while holding the Thunder to 7-26 (.269) field goal shooting with just two fast break points. No Spur scored more than five points, but seven Spurs scored during the third quarter.

The fourth quarter was more of the same: the Thunder had no fast break points and they shot just 7-21 (.333) from the field. The Thunder won the quarter, 23-22, but the Spurs led by double digits for most of the quarter--and never by less than nine points--while cruising to victory. Often, the Thunder's starters sit out the last part of the fourth quarter because the Thunder are winning comfortably, but in this game they sat out the final two minutes because the game was out of reach.

It cannot necessarily be said that the Spurs have created a blueprint to beat the Thunder, because a blueprint is a plan that can be used by anyone to build something; the Spurs' "blueprint" works because of the way that they integrate Wembanyama's talents with a corps of athletic perimeter players, so a team would have to have similar personnel to effectively utilize the "blueprint." Nevertheless, the Spurs have shown that the Thunder are not unbeatable, and that alone provides hope to other contending teams. Basketball, like many sports, is about matchups, and this matchup is clearly difficult for the Thunder.  

3) Fox scored a game-high 29 points on 12-19 field goal shooting. Castle contributed 19 points, a game-high seven assists, and four rebounds. Wembanyama finished with 19 points, a team-high 11 rebounds, and a +13 plus/minus number in 26 minutes. 

Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 22 points and he did not commit a turnover, but he shot just 7-19 from the field. Isaiah Hartenstein chipped in 13 points and a game-high tying 12 rebounds. Jalen Williams (12 points on 5-13 field goal shooting plus a team-high six assists), Alex Caruso (12 points on 3-13 field goal shooting), and Chet Holmgren (10 points, game-high tying 12 rebounds) all had quiet games by their standards.

Game Three: Golden State Warriors 126, Dallas Mavericks 116 

1) The Golden State Warriors began this season with high hopes after closing last season with a 21-7 sprint before losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round; the Warriors believed that they could have won that series if Stephen Curry had not suffered a series-ending injury in game one. This season, the Warriors entered Christmas Day with a 15-15 record that stamps them as a Play-In Tournament team, not a championship contender. Jimmy Butler's arrival late last season provided a boost, but the consistent pattern in his career is that there is a short shelf life before either he becomes disenchanted with his team or his team becomes disenchanted with him. Butler's numbers this season are solid but they are not translating into wins.

The Dallas Mavericks have been in turmoil since they traded franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic to the L.A. Lakers for Anthony Davis; the negative repercussions--on and off the court--from that baffling move led to the firing earlier this season of general manager Nico Harrison. The Mavericks lucked out in the 2025 Draft Lottery, receiving the number one overall pick. They cashed in that prize for Cooper Flagg, who needed just a few games to adjust to the NBA before emerging as a high level performer; he averaged 24.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, and 4.5 apg in his first 10 games in December with shooting splits of .527/.308/.809, and Flagg broke LeBron James' record for being the youngest player to score 40 points in an NBA game.

The injury-riddled Mavericks started the season 3-10 before going 9-9 in their next 18 games. If Kyrie Irving--who has not yet played this season because he is rehabbing from the torn left ACL he suffered last season--and Anthony Davis are healthy and productive down the stretch then the Mavericks could reach the playoffs via the Play-In Tournament. 

2) Other than trailing 6-4 at the 10:05 mark of the first quarter and four ties later in that quarter, the Warriors led for the entire game, and they led by double digits for most of the second half. Davis scored three points in 11 minutes before being shut down with a groin injury; the Mavericks were +6 during those minutes, and -16 the rest of the way, which is the story of the post-Doncic Mavericks in microcosm: Davis has played well in brief spurts, but he is injured and out of action more often than he plays.

The Warriors shot just .444 (44-99) from the field, but they had 13 offensive rebounds while the Mavericks had just three, and the Warriors made 14 three pointers while holding the Mavericks (who do not shoot a lot of three pointers) to four three pointers. Those extra possessions and extra three pointers proved to be the difference.

3) Curry, who has generally not played well on Christmas Day, scored a team-high 23 points on 6-18 field goal shooting (including 2-10 from three point range). De'Anthony Melton scored 16 points off of the bench and had a game-best +19 plus/minus number in 24 minutes. Butler added 14 points, nine rebounds, and a game-high nine assists. Al Horford provided a boost with 14 points off of the bench in just 11 minutes. He shot 4-6 from three point range. Draymond Green contributed his usual triple single (seven points on 2-7 field goal shooting, five rebounds, three assists), he had more fouls (five) than field goals made, and he had a team-worst -9 plus/minus number. 

Flagg scored a game-high 27 points on 13-21 field goal shooting, and he had six rebounds plus a team-high five assists while committing just one turnover in 36 minutes. Flagg is 19 years old, but he plays with a mature poise that belies his youth. ESPN's Charles Barkley said that the Mavericks should trade Davis and Irving, and rebuild with Flagg as the franchise cornerstone; of course, the Mavericks would like to see how good their team is when that trio plays together before they dismantle their squad. Brandon Williams scored 26 points in 30 minutes off of the bench. 

Game Four: Houston Rockets 119, L.A. Lakers 96

1) The Houston Rockets lost four of their last five games prior to Christmas Day, including three overtime losses--two of which were against poor teams (New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings). The Rockets gave up at least 125 points in each of those four losses, and that skid dropped the Rockets to sixth in the Western Conference. Adding Kevin Durant has sparked the offense--the Rockets rank third in the league in scoring and fifth in field goal percentage after ranking 13th and 21st respectively in those categories last season--so if the Rockets can reestablish their typically strong defense then they will climb back toward the top of the Western Conference standings.

The L.A. Lakers entered Christmas Day in fourth place in the Western Conference, but back to back blowout losses to the L.A. Clippers (103-88) and Phoenix Suns (132-108) exposed the Lakers' poor defense, lack of overall team speed, and lack of hustle. The Lakers feasted on an easy early season schedule, but they rank 19th in points allowed and 26th in defensive field goal percentage, two indicators that they will struggle when they play good teams.

Luka Doncic has clearly surpassed LeBron James as the Lakers' best player, putting James in a position that he has never faced during his unprecedentedly long NBA career. Will he accept being the second option, or even sometimes the third option when Austin Reaves is cooking? James' success--both individually and from a team perspective--has been founded on his superior talent, not on his leadership and certainly not on being willing to accommodate any role short of being the man in charge and the focus of attention. James has a checkered history at best as a leader, including quitting in the playoffs at least twice as the best player on a championship contending team (versus Boston in the 2010 playoffs and versus Dallas in the 2011 NBA Finals). Even after James won two titles with the Miami Heat, his contentious departure from Miami inspired Pat Riley to refer to "No more smiling faces with hidden agendas," a clear reference to James' divisive impact on the team. 

James is a major part of the problem defensively, and because Doncic and Reaves are also subpar defenders it will be difficult to put all three players on the court at the same time, particularly against good teams. Will coach J.J. Redick bench James at key moments for a superior defender if Doncic and Reaves are carrying the load offensively? Considering that James and Redick were podcast buddies before the Lakers hired Redick, this will be a fascinating dynamic to watch--and, despite what Redick and his media friends insist, Redick is not a savvy or even above average NBA coach, which places the Lakers at a disadvantage.

According to Redick, there is no way that the Lakers' defensive shortcomings are his fault; he recently told media members that the Lakers practice all of the right rotations, so it is up to the players to do better. In short, he is a defensive genius, and his players are fools. The players must love how their coach stands up for them, and they'll love it even more during the inevitable losing streak that will happen once the Lakers start playing good teams. 

2) The Rockets exploited the Lakers' poor defense to race out to an 18-8 lead by the 6:48 mark of the first quarter, and they never looked back. By the end of the first quarter, the Rockets led 37-25, and James had a -19 plus/minus number, the worst by far of any player from either team. The Lakers won the second quarter, 28-26, to trail 63-53 at halftime, but the Rockets opened the third quarter with a 20-7 blitz to remove any doubt about the game's inevitable outcome. The Rockets' lead never dipped below 15 points the rest of the way. 

3) Amen Thompson scored a game-high 26 points on 12-19 field goal shooting, and he had a game-high tying +26 plus/minus number. Kevin Durant had 25 points on 8-14 field goal shooting while dishing a game-high nine assists, and amassing a game-high tying +26 plus/minus number. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Alperen Sengun added 14 points, a game-high 12 rebounds, and four assists as the Rockets outrebounded the Lakers 48-25. 

Doncic led the Lakers with 25 points, seven assists, and a team-high tying five rebounds; when your point guard is your leading rebounder with five rebounds, that is not good. James finished with 18 points, five assists, two rebounds, and a game-worst -33 plus/minus number. James and starting center Deandre Ayton had four rebounds in a combined 69 minutes, less than reserve Jarred Vanderbilt had (five) in 26 minutes. Reaves scored 12 points in 15 minutes before being sidelined by a calf injury.

Game Five: Denver Nuggets 142, Minnesota Timberwolves 138, OT

1) Nikola Jokic continues to move up in the all-time rankings. He recently broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record for career assists by a center (5660), and after this game he is two triple doubles away from tying Oscar Robertson (181) for second on the career list behind Russell Westbrook (207). Jokic has 15 triple doubles in 30 games this season, and in nine of those games he had a triple double before the end of the third quarter.

2) Prior to this game, the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves by double digits in each of their first two games this season, which is noteworthy because the Timberwolves have been the better team for the past two seasons.

In the 2024 playoffs, the Timberwolves dethroned the reigning NBA champion Nuggets by using a large lineup featuring Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid; the Timberwolves overcame a 20 point third quarter deficit to win game seven in Denver. After losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves traded Towns to New York for Julius Randle. The Timberwolves lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 Western Conference Finals. The Timberwolves entered Christmas Day in fifth place in the Western Conference, a disappointing position for a team with championship aspirations.

The Nuggets lost in the second round of the playoffs in each of the two seasons after winning the 2023 NBA title. They entered Christmas Day in third place in the Western Conference behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and the surging San Antonio Spurs. 

3) This game featured a sensational performance by Jokic, and big runs by both teams. Jokic erupted for 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two blocked shots in the first quarter, but the Nuggets only led 32-29 because Anthony Edwards countered with 14 points and three steals.

The Timberwolves used a 17-0 run in a little over five minutes to take a 46-38 second quarter lead, but the Nuggets closed the second quarter with a 19-9 run to end the half with a 57-55 lead.

The Nuggets opened the third quarter with a 22-8 burst extend their lead to 79-63. The Timberwolves countered with a 7-0 run in a little over a minute, but the Nuggets pulled away again, and led 92-78 entering the fourth quarter. Jokic had 32 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and two blocked shots in 31 minutes through the first three quarters while shooting 10-13 from the field and 10-10 from the free throw line.

Non-Jokic minutes have been troublesome for the Nuggets in recent years--and were disastrous in the second quarter of this game--but the Nuggets held firm in the fourth quarter without Jokic and led 101-89 when Jokic rejoined the fray at the 6:53 mark. 

In an unexpected twist, the Timberwolves erased the Nuggets' lead with Jokic on the court. Jokic missed three straight shots, and the Timberwolves converted those empty possessions into points to pull within 106-102 before Jokic answered with a step back jumper. The Timberwolves called a timeout, and then Edwards drained a three pointer to cut Denver's lead to 108-105. After a Jamal Murray miss, Edwards' strong drive pulled the Timberwolves to within one point, but Murray hit a three pointer to give the Nuggets a 111-107 lead. Spencer Jones' putback put the Nuggets ahead 113-107 before Murray fouled a triple-teamed Edwards while Edwards was attempting a three pointer. Edwards made all three free throws. The Timberwolves converted a Murray turnover into a Jaden McDaniels fast break layup to cut the margin to 113-112 with 4.8 seconds remaining. Jokic hit two free throws with 3.6 seconds left, and the Timberwolves took their last timeout to set up their final shot--an Edwards turnaround three pointer from the left baseline to tie the score at 115 with 1.1 seconds left! Jokic's full court heave missed the mark, sending the game to what turned out to be a frenetic overtime.

Edwards opened the overtime with four straight points--a bank shot followed by two free throws--and then Donte DiVincenzo made two free throws to put the Timberwolves up, 121-115. Edwards delivered what seemed to be a dagger three pointer to give the Timberwolves their biggest lead of the game, 124-115. Jokic and Tim Hardaway Jr. each hit a three pointer to pull the Nuggets to within 124-121, followed by Julius Randle making two free throws. Jokic's three pointer from the right wing trimmed the Timberwolves' lead to 126-124, and then he tied the game with a one-handed runner in the paint. Jokic was called for a loose ball fall on Rudy Gobert, but the Nuggets won a coach's challenge, resulting in Gobert being called for his sixth foul and Jokic shooting two free throws. Jokic made both to give the Nuggets a 128-126 lead before Edwards' drive tied the score again. Before you could blink, Murray's three pointer handed the Nuggets their biggest lead yet in the overtime, 131-128. A loose ball foul sent Jokic to the free throw line, but he only made one out of two. Edwards answered with a two-handed dunk, but Edwards was called for a delay of game technical foul. Jokic made the free throw to put the Nuggets up 133-130. After a loose ball foul, Edwards got a second technical foul (and automatic ejection), resulting in Murray splitting a pair of free throws to put the Nuggets ahead 134-130. Jokic made both loose ball foul free throws, and McDaniels immediately answered with a three pointer to trim the margin to 136-133. Peyton Watson made two free throws, which DiVincenzo neutralized with a layup. Jokic reestablished a five point lead, 140-135, by making two free throws. Reckless fouling almost cost the Nuggets, as Spencer Jones fouled Bones Hyland behind the three point line. Hyland only made one free throw, inexplicably missing the third intentionally but failing to hit the rim on the attempt, thus giving possession to Denver. Jokic made two free throws, and then Hyland closed out the scoring with a layup. 

The Nuggets won despite being without the services of three injured starters: Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, and Christian Braun.

4) Jokic finished with game-high totals in points (56), rebounds (16) and assists (15) while shooting 15-21 from the field and 22-23 from the free throw line. His 18 overtime points broke Stephen Curry’s record (17, set in 2016). Murray had 35 points on 12-32 field goal shooting, and he dished for 10 assists.

Edwards led the Timberwolves with 44 points on 14-25 field goal shooting. Randle added 32 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Gobert contributed nine points, a team-high 12 rebounds, and a game-high six blocked shots while amassing a game-best +18 plus/minus number.  

Analysis of Previous Christmas Day Quintupleheaders:

Notes About the 2024 Christmas Day Quintupleheader (2024)

Notes About the 2023 Christmas Day Quintupleheader (2023)

Notes About the 2022 Christmas Day Quintupleheader (2022)

Notes About the 2021 Christmas Day Quintupleheader (2021)

Notes About the 2020 Christmas Day Quintupleheader (2020)

Notes About the 2019 Christmas Day Quintupleheader (2019)

Several Stars Shine During Christmas Day Quintupleheader (2018)

Christmas Day Quintupleheader Recap (2012)

Comments and Notes About the Christmas Day Quintupleheader (2011)

Thoughts and Observations About the Christmas Day Quintupleheader (2010)

Labels: Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Golden State, Houston Rockets, L.A. Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs

posted by David Friedman @ 1:52 AM

2 comments

Knicks Rebound in Second Half, Top Spurs 124-113 to Capture NBA Cup

The New York Knicks outrebounded the San Antonio Spurs 59-42--including 34-18 in the second half--en route to winning the NBA Cup Championship Game, 124-113. OG Anunoby scored a game-high 28 points on 10-17 field goal shooting, and he also grabbed nine rebounds. Jalen Brunson--who received the NBA Cup MVP--had a quiet game by his lofty standards, finishing with 25 points on 11-27 field goal shooting plus a team-high eight assists as he amassed a game-high tying +15 plus/minus number. Karl-Anthony Towns added 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Knicks would not have won without strong performances by bench players Jordan Clarkson (15 points, game-high tying +15 plus/minus number), Tyler Kolek (14 points, five assists, five rebounds, +14 plus/minus number), and Mitchell Robinson (four points, game-high 15 rebounds, +9 plus/minus number). 

Dylan Harper led the Spurs with 21 points off of the bench, and he also had a team-high tying seven rebounds. Victor Wembanyama, playing in just his second game after missing 12 games due to injury, had 18 points, six rebounds, and two blocked shots in 25 minutes off of the bench, but he had a game-worst -18 plus/minus number. Wembanyama has said that he modeled his game after several French players--including Tony Parker and Boris Diaw--and that his NBA role model is Russell Westbrook; his versatility is an asset, but in this game the Spurs would have benefited most if he had been a dominant rebounder instead of tying for third on his team in that category. De'Aaron Fox added 16 points and nine assists, but he shot just 5-13 from the field. Stephon Castle contributed 15 points, a game-high 12 assists, and seven rebounds while committing only two turnovers, but he also shot poorly from the field (5-15). The Spurs lost because of inefficient offense combined with an inability to complete defensive possessions with rebounds; they shot just .414 (41-99) from the field, and they barely grabbed half of the available defensive rebounds, controlling 24 defensive rebounds while giving up 23 offensive rebounds.

The Spurs never trailed in the first half, but they also never led by more than seven points before settling for a 61-59 halftime edge. Devin Vassell paced the Spurs with 12 first half points before going scoreless in the second half. Luke Kornet, who started at center because Wembanyama is still playing restricted minutes, had 10 first half points and a +9 plus minus number in 14 minutes before scoring just four points in 10 second half minutes. Wembanyama had a gaudy +21 plus/minus number in San Antonio's 111-109 NBA Cup semifinals win versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he only found his footing in spurts in this game, and he had a quiet first half (four points on 2-6 field goal shooting, four rebounds, -7 plus/minus number). Anunoby (20 first half points) and Brunson (15 first half points) did most of the damage for the Knicks in the first 24 minutes. 

Castle's free throw at the 5:50 mark of the third quarter pushed the Spurs' lead to 82-71, but the Knicks trimmed the deficit to 94-89 by the end of the stanza before taking their first lead of the game, 97-94, on Clarkson's three pointer with 10:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. That shot capped off a 10-0 Knicks'  run spanning the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Knicks led the rest of the way, but did not enjoy a double digit advantage until Kolek made a pair of free throws to put them up 120-110 with just 33.4 seconds left. 

I picked the Knicks to win the Eastern Conference, but I underestimated the Knicks in the NBA Cup Championship Game, picking the Spurs to beat the Knicks in a close contest. Perhaps I fell victim to recency bias after watching the Spurs end the Thunder's 16 game winning streak, but I think that there should be high expectations for the Spurs. In my 2025-26 Western Conference Preview, I wrote, "There are no more excuses for missing the playoffs. The Spurs have a generational talent--the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama--plus they have veteran former All-Star guard De'Aaron Fox, and they also have 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle." 

Robinson seized 10 offensive rebounds, including six in the fourth quarter when the Knicks took control of the game. Despite all of the talk about "range shooting" and "gravity," defense and rebounding are still essential elements for winning basketball games. Amazon Prime's announcing crew of Ian Eagle, Dwyane Wade, and Stan Van Gundy acknowledged Robinson's impact and they also praised Kolek's contributions as a scorer, playmaker, and secondary ballhandler who took pressure off of Brunson. After Brunson received the MVP trophy, he mentioned that the team win and the individual award would not have been possible without the contributions from OG Anunoby, Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson, and Mitchell Robinson. Anunoby and Robinson provided elite defense and rebounding, while Kolek and Clarkson contributed supplementary scoring. 

This was a competitive and entertaining NBA game, but I still have mixed feelings about the NBA Cup because it should not be necessary to provide over $500,000 per player in bonus money to extract maximum effort and focus from these very highly paid professionals. It also is not necessary to keep telling fans how great the NBA Cup is as a concept and how well-played the NBA Cup games have been; fans can see with their own eyes, and make their own judgments.

Van Gundy is very knowledgeable about basketball, but it has become difficult to listen to him call a game because of his not so thinly veiled political commentary that no one requested or needs (regardless of whether you agree or disagree with him), and because of bombastic statements such as, "If you're not a fan of the NBA Cup then you just don't like basketball." Not only is that a self-serving statement--he is being paid by the NBA to like and promote the NBA Cup--but it is a ridiculous statement. I have loved basketball for my whole life, and I have very good, logical reasons for not being a fan of the NBA Cup. The NBA Cup quarterfinals, semifinals, and Championship Game were competitive, but by putting extra emphasis on these games--and by offering bonus money for these games--the NBA is implicitly saying that non-NBA Cup games are not as important. It is strange for the NBA to devalue the vast majority of its regular season games, and to admit that the league's multimillionaire players will not play hard without being offered more money on top of the lavish, guaranteed sums that they are already paid.

To the extent that NBA Cup games are better than regular season NBA games, that could be interpreted as an indictment of the attitude that players have toward the regular season more than as a recommendation for the NBA Cup. A cynic could suggest that if the players' effort and attention is affected to this extent by money then perhaps the NBA should get rid of guaranteed contracts and directly connect compensation to performance; most of us who have real world jobs outside of the fantasy worlds of sports/entertainment are evaluated every year based on our performance, and our compensation is impacted by how well we perform. I understand that due to the nature of collective bargaining there is a 0.00% chance that guaranteed contracts will be eliminated, but Van Gundy's relentless politicking about the NBA Cup's greatness did not resonate with me at all. 

Van Gundy is at his best when he analyzes team strategy and the skill sets of individual players, and he is at his worst when he ventures beyond his expertise to become a shill for the NBA. The excellent Amazon Prime studio crew of Taylor Rooks, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Blake Griffin, and Udonis Haslem interviewed NBA Commissioner Adam Silver before the game, and it was interesting to hear Silver criticize unnamed commentators who he claimed talk badly about the NBA instead of just analyzing the games; it does not take a conspiracy theorist to figure out that he was most likely referring to Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal, not does it take a conspiracy theorist to contrast Van Gundy's gushing praise for the NBA Cup and Adam Silver with the way that the NBA managed to largely remove the very popular--and very candid--NBA on TNT crew from the regular broadcast rotation. As the kids would say, Van Gundy understands the assignment; he is keenly aware of Silver's views about both politics and about the league. I did not agree with everything that the NBA on TNT guys said--or sometimes failed to say--about basketball and about social issues, but I always felt that they were being honest as opposed to reciting the company line.

The NBA and its media partners promote the NBA Cup as if it is very significant, but the NBA Cup Championship Game is not included in the regular season standings, nor does it not confer any advantage for playoff seeding, and the game's statistics do not officially count. The NBA Cup Championship Game is all about the money; that does not change the fact that this particular game was competitive most of the way, but it should be noted that each NBA Cup Championship Game has been decided by double digits: in 2023 the L.A. Lakers dominated the Indiana Pacers, 123-109, and in 2024 the Milwaukee Bucks routed the Oklahoma City Thunder, 97-81. We have not come close to seeing an NBA Cup Championship Game being decided on a buzzer beater.

I enjoyed watching and writing about the NBA Cup games, but I would enjoy the NBA even more if the league got rid of tanking and load management while also figuring out how to have a competitive, entertaining All-Star Game instead of the travesty that the NBA All-Star Game has become for the past several years.

Labels: Dylan Harper, Jalen Brunson, Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks, OG Anunoby, San Antonio Spurs, Stephon Castle, Tyler Kolek, Victor Wembanyama

posted by David Friedman @ 2:20 AM

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Knicks Make Magic Disappear and Spurs Silence Thunder in NBA Cup Semifinals

The New York Knicks defeated the Orlando Magic 132-120 to reach the NBA Cup Championship Game, which will be played next Tuesday night in Las Vegas. Jalen Brunson authored yet another virtuoso performance, scoring a game-high 40 points on 16-27 field goal shooting while also dishing for a game-high eight assists and committing just two turnovers in 39 minutes. Brunson has now scored at least 30 points in 88 regular season games as a Knick, surpassing Hall of Fame guard Richie Guerin for third place in franchise history. Carmelo Anthony's second place total (108) is well within reach, but it will take Brunson a while to top Patrick Ewing (203). Karl-Anthony Towns (29 points on 9-11 field goal shooting, eight rebounds) and OG Anunoby (24 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals) also had strong games as all five New York starters scored in double figures. Former New York coach Tom Thibodeau was criticized for allegedly playing his starters for too many minutes, but in this game--with NBA Cup bonus money on the line--current New York coach Mike Brown played four of New York's five starters at least 37 minutes, while the banged up Josh Hart battled through 31 minutes. Mitchell Robinson only scored five points, but he was a force in the paint, compiling a game-high nine rebounds and a game-high four blocked shots in just 17 minutes off of the bench. 

Jalen Suggs led the Magic with 26 points on 10-16 field goal shooting, but he had 25 of those points in the first half before injuring his left hip in the third quarter. He limped through nine scoreless third quarter minutes and scored just one point in a cameo appearance in the fourth quarter before the Magic shut him down. Suggs, who had a team-high +8 plus/minus number, will be reevaluated after the Magic return to Orlando from Las Vegas. Paolo Banchero added 25 points and eight rebounds, but he shot 0-7 from three point range and he committed a game-high five turnovers; that is a lot of empty possessions created by the team's best player. Banchero is a strong and talented player who should must improve his decision making in general and his shot selection in particular. Desmond Bane scored a game-high 37 points when Orlando beat Miami 117-108 in an NBA Cup quarterfinal game, but he had just 18 points on 7-17 field goal shooting versus the Knicks. 

This game was physical and well-contested but also very fast-paced, which resulted in the high scoring totals for both teams. Each team had 41 rebounds, but the Knicks shot .607 (51-84) from the field while holding the Magic to .464 (45-97) field goal shooting. The Magic led by as much as six in the first quarter, but the Knicks rallied to take a 71-64 halftime edge. The third quarter featured two lead changes and four ties, but the Knicks did not trail in the fourth quarter. 

The Magic have a faster paced, more efficient offense than they did last season, but the goal is not to lose while scoring 120 points; the Magic pride themselves on their defense, so this performance is very disappointing, and below their usual standard. Perhaps the Magic would have fared better if the injured Franz Wagner had been able to play and if Suggs had not gotten injured during the game, but defense is about effort and execution, not just personnel. If the Magic are at full strength during the playoffs, a New York-Orlando playoff series could be very competitive and interesting.

In the second game of Amazon Prime's NBA Cup semifinals doubleheader, the San Antonio Spurs rallied from a 16 point second quarter deficit to stun the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-109, ending the Thunder's 16 game winning streak and handing the 2025 NBA champions just their second loss this season. Victor Wembanyama dominated the game despite a minutes restriction that limited him to 21 minutes off of the bench. He scored 22 points on 6-11 field goal shooting and 9-12 free throw shooting while grabbing a game-high tying nine rebounds, notching a game-high two blocked shots, and posting a gaudy team-high +21 plus/minus number. This was his first game back after missing the last 12 games because of a left calf injury. The Spurs went 9-3 without Wembanyama, but in this game they looked vastly superior with him on the court compared to when he was not on the court. Devin Vassell scored a team-high 23 points while collecting five rebounds and four assists, while De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle scored 22 points each.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 29 points on 12-23 field goal shooting, but his teammates managed to produce just 80 points on 26-69 (.377) field goal shooting as the Thunder's vaunted strength in numbers vanished. The Spurs forced Gilgeous-Alexander to play in a crowd, and they denied him access to his favorite midrange areas. He responded by willingly making the right passes, but his teammates did not make enough shots. Jalen Williams (17 points on 5-16 field goal shooting) and Chet Holmgren (17 points on 3-8 field goal shooting) both had subpar games. Isaiah Hartenstein was solid (10 points on 5-9 field goal shooting, game-high tying nine rebounds), but the Thunder player who performed the best other than Gilgeous-Alexander was Alex Caruso, who had 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals, and no turnovers in 24 minutes off of the bench. Caruso had a game-high +22 plus/minus number, including +6 in a tightly contested fourth quarter.

The Spurs won the rebounding battle 52-51, and they only lost points in the paint 44-40. In a game where the outcome hung in the balance until the final buzzer sounded, the best thing that the Spurs did was remain composed through both the highs and the lows; the Thunder attack their opponents in aggressive waves of relentless pressure defense leading to high percentage shots, but the Spurs weathered each storm after a bumpy first quarter. The Thunder do not have many weaknesses or vulnerabilities, but the best recipe to beat them involves (1) controlling the pace, (2) limiting turnovers, and (3) attacking the paint. Controlling the pace does not necessarily mean only playing fast or only playing slow, but rather not letting the Thunder speed you up to force turnovers and bad shots; the Spurs did a great job of pushing the ball when they had an advantage in numbers and running a half court offense when they did not have an advantage in numbers. 

When the Thunder led 14-4 at the 8:18 mark of the first quarter, it seemed like this would be yet another double digit Thunder win with Gilgeous-Alexander watching the fourth quarter relaxing on the bench. The Spurs stabilized themselves for the rest of the first quarter, and even though they did not cut into the margin they also did not plummet into a 20 point deficit. The Thunder led 31-20 heading into the second quarter. Wembanyama did not play at all in the first quarter, and it soon became evident just how significant his absence was; he had five points and five rebounds in seven minutes in the second quarter, but his +20 plus/minus number just hinted at his impact at both ends of the court. The Spurs trimmed the lead to 33-29 at the 8:35 mark with Wembanyama in the game, but after he took a break the Thunder surged to a 47-31 lead with 3:52 left before Wembanyama returned. The Spurs closed the second quarter with a 15-2 run with Wembanyama seemingly everywhere at once at both ends of the court as he altered shots on defense and forced the Thunder to account for his presence on offense. 

The Spurs took their first lead of the game, 57-56, on a Fox fast break drive at the 8:45 mark of the third quarter. Neither team led by more than six points the rest of the way. One might expect that a championship team would have the advantage in a nip and tuck game versus a young and inexperienced team, but that was not the case in this game. Wembanyama's jump shot with 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter put the Spurs up 102-101, and they never trailed again; down the stretch, the Spurs played excellent defense and they made enough free throws to hold off the Thunder.  

In my December 3 NBA Cup article, I correctly picked each of the four quarterfinal game winners before picking Orlando and Oklahoma City as semifinal game winners; since I was wrong about both semifinal game winners it is time for me to make a new prediction about the NBA Cup Championship Game.

It does not make much sense to call Knicks versus Spurs a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals because many of the participants in the upcoming 2025 NBA Cup Championship Game were not even born yet in 1999. More relevant is that the Knicks reached the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals while the Spurs missed the playoffs; the Knicks began this season with championship aspirations while the Spurs entered this season intent on proving that they can be the first San Antonio team to qualify for postseason play since 2019. Both teams are 18-7 now, and both teams are on the upswing, with the Knicks 9-1 in their last 10 games and the Spurs 7-3 in their last 10 games (nine of which they played without Wembanyama). 

The matchups are fascinating. Will the Knicks try to muscle Wembanyama, or will they try to harass him by swarming him with pesky small defenders? How will the Spurs try to exploit Brunson's subpar defense, and how will the Knicks try to hide Brunson on that side of the court? The coaches who will make those decisions are Mitch Johnson, who is in his first full season at the helm in San Antonio, and Mike Brown, who led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals and has won four NBA titles as an assistant coach, including one with the Spurs (2003) and three with the Golden State Warriors (2017-18, 2022). Johnson's father John was the starting small forward for Seattle's 1979 NBA championship team. Brown has the edge on paper by virtue of his long resume full of NBA championships and NBA Finals appearances, but Johnson has shown a lot of promise in his short time on the job while presiding over the development of not only Wembanyama but also other young players on the roster. 

If this were a seven game series, I would pick the Knicks, much like I would have picked them over the Magic in a series but thought that the Magic would prevail in a one game winner take all scenario (never mind that I ended up being wrong about that!). Wembanyama has not proven that he can stay healthy for a whole season, let alone dominate during an extended playoff run--but he has shown that in just 21 minutes he can be a force even against the dominant Oklahoma City Thunder, so I will pick the Spurs to win a game that I expect (and hope) will be as closely contested and well-played as their victory over the Thunder.

Labels: Jalen Brunson, Jalen Suggs, Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama

posted by David Friedman @ 2:49 AM

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New York and Orlando Advance to the NBA Cup Semifinals

The Orlando Magic defeated the Miami Heat 117-108 in the first of the 2025 NBA Cup quarterfinals games. Last year, the Magic lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, but this year their offseason addition of Desmond Bane paid big dividends as he erupted for a game-high 37 points on 14-24 field goal shooting, including 6-9 from three point range for a team that ranked 30th (last) in the league in three point field goal percentage last season. Jalen Suggs contributed 20 points, four assists, and two steals, Paolo Banchero added 18 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, and Wendell Carter Jr. had 14 points plus a game-high 10 rebounds. The Magic won the rebounding battle 47-39 and they outscored the Heat in the paint 60-52. Norman Powell led a balanced Heat offense with 21 points on 8-19 field goal shooting, followed closely by Tyler Herro (20 points), Bam Adebeyo (19 points, team-high eight rebounds), and Andrew Wiggins (19 points).

In my December 3 NBA Cup article, I picked Orlando to beat Miami, but that was before the Magic's Franz Wagner suffered a left high ankle sprain that is expected to sideline him for several weeks. Wagner is averaging 22.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg, and 3.7 apg in 24 games this season, and initially the Magic struggled without him as the Heat jumped to a 15-0 lead by the 9:16 mark of the first quarter. The Magic outscored the Heat 17-15 the rest of the way in the first quarter, and then won the second quarter 39-27 to pull to within 57-56 by halftime. The Magic took the lead early in the third quarter before Bane fouled Adebayo on a three point attempt at the 8:53 mark. Adebayo made the first two free throws before missing the third, but Adebayo scooped up the rebound and Powell drained a three pointer a few seconds later to complete the rare five point possession, putting the Heat up, 69-66. Suggs answered with a three pointer to tie the score, and the Magic never trailed again. The Magic waste too many possessions and make too many careless plays to be a championship team, but Bane's 25 second half points proved to be too much for the Heat to overcome. 

Even with this loss, the Heat are still one of the NBA's pleasant surprises. They are playing at the fastest pace in franchise history, ranking third in the league in scoring (122.3 ppg) prior to this game. Jimmy Butler forced his way out of Miami last season and he landed with the Golden State Warriors, but so far this season the Heat have a better record than the Warriors. Butler's video message to Warriors' fans after he joined the team--"Championship coming soon"--is not aging well. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra proved that he can successfully handle the egos on a super team while leading the Heat to NBA titles in 2012 and 2013 with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh forming a "Big Three," and he has also shown that he can maximize the output of a team that does not have even one superstar. 

In the second game of Amazon Prime's NBA Cup quarterfinals doubleheader, the New York Knicks beat the Toronto Raptors 117-101. Jalen Brunson poured in a game-high 35 points on 13-19 field goal shooting, including 6-9 from beyond the arc. He had 20 first quarter points on 7-9 field goal shooting to help the Knicks overcome an otherwise slow start. An alleged problem for the Knicks last season was that coach Tom Thiboedeau relied too heavily on his starters, but the formula that carried them to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000 also worked in this game for coach Mike Brown: the Knicks' starters scored 98 of the team's 117 points while four of New York's starters played at least 36 minutes each. Josh Hart contributed 21 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Mikal Bridges had 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists, Karl-Anthony Towns added 14 points, a game-high 16 rebounds, and two blocked shots, and OG Anunoby chipped in 13 points plus six rebounds. The Knicks outrebounded the Raptors 48-37, and they shot .525 (42-80) from the field while holding the Raptors to .433 (39-90) field goal shooting. Brandon Ingram led the Raptors with 31 points on 11-18 field goal shooting while also grabbing six rebounds and dishing six assists. Jamal Shead made his first start of the season in place of the injured Immanuel Quickley, and he scored 18 points while passing for a game-high eight assists. Scottie Barnes scored just 13 points on 6-18 field goal shooting, tying his second lowest point total of the season.

This game played out the way that I expected; in my aforementioned December 3 NBA cup article, I picked New York to beat Toronto by double digits, noting that Toronto "feasted on a weak schedule loaded with sub-.500 teams, and they lost to the Knicks 116-94 on November 30." The Raptors gave their fans some early (and false) hope by taking a 17-11 first quarter lead and they were still up 39-35 at the end of the first quarter--but the Knicks blitzed the Raptors 34-13 in the second quarter, shooting .583 (14-24) from the field while holding the Raptors to .238 (5-21) field goal shooting. The Raptors outscored the Knicks 49-48 in the second half, but that was not nearly enough to overcome their second quarter collapse.

The Knicks and Magic will play on Saturday December 13 in Las Vegas to earn the right to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Cup Championship Game. 

Labels: Desmond Bane, Jalen Brunson, Miami Heat, NBA Cup, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors

posted by David Friedman @ 12:51 AM

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Thunder Dominate NBA Cup Play--and Everything Else

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2024 NBA Cup Championship Game, but the Thunder have rolled since then, setting the NBA's single season point differential record (12.9 ppg) while going 68-14 before defeating the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals. The Thunder currently have a league-leading 21-1 record with an incredible 15.3 ppg point differential. Jalen Williams, the Thunder's second best player behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has appeared in just three of the Thunder's 22 games, and other key Thunder players--including Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, and Aaron Wiggins--have missed significant time as well.

The Thunder seem to be well on their way to not only winning 70-plus regular season games but also becoming the first repeat champion since the 2018 Golden State Warriors--but before the NBA playoffs, the basketball gods (also known as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver) have placed the NBA Cup. The Thunder are dominating the NBA Cup even more decisively than they are dominating the regular season overall; they went 4-0 in NBA Cup group play with an 18.8 ppg point differential, finishing first in West Group A to set up a quarterfinal game versus the Phoenix Suns on December 10. The winner of that game will face the winner of the December 10 game featuring the L.A. Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers have the second best overall record in the Western Conference (15-5), followed by the Houston Rockets (13-5), San Antonio Spurs (14-6), and Denver Nuggets (14-6). The Suns are seventh with a 13-9 record. 

The Thunder beat the Suns 123-119 on November 28 as Williams made his season debut with 11 points on 3-12 field goal shooting. The Suns have played surprisingly well this season, but Williams has looked better in each game that he has played so far and the Thunder's victory margin has increased in each of those games, so the Thunder should beat the Suns to advance to the semifinals. 

Only four of the Lakers' 15 wins are against teams that currently have winning records, so it will be interesting to see how the Lakers fare against tougher competition. The Lakers beat the Spurs 118-116 on November 5, but the Lakers have given up at least 118 points in four of their past five games and I expect the Spurs to win a close, high scoring game to earn a matchup with the Thunder.

The Thunder have yet to play the Spurs this season, but if they play in the semifinals I predict that the Thunder will win by at least 10 points.

In the Eastern Conference, the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors each went 4-0 in NBA Cup group play but the Magic earned the top seed because they had a better NBA Cup point differential (+64 compared to +55)--and they achieved that primarily by drilling the Philadelphia 76ers 144-103 on November 25. The Detroit Pistons have the best record (17-4) in the Eastern Conference and the second best record in the league behind the Thunder, but they went 2-2 in NBA Cup group play and failed to advance to the quarterfinals. The Cleveland Cavaliers had the Eastern Conference's best record last season (64-18) but they are just 13-9 this season, including 2-2 in NBA Cup group play.

The Magic are currently fifth overall in the Eastern Conference with a 13-8 record, and they will face the Miami Heat (14-7 overall, 3-1 in NBA Cup group play) in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on December 9. Orlando beat Miami 125-121 on October 22 in the season opener for both teams. The Magic lost their next four games, but they have won their last three games and six of their last seven; the Heat have also played very well recently, winning seven of their last eight games. I expect Orlando to beat Miami in a close game to advance to the NBA Cup semifinals. The other Eastern Conference quarterfinals matchup features Toronto versus the New York Knicks (13-7 overall, 3-1 in NBA Cup group play). The 15-7 Raptors are one of the league's early season surprises, but they have feasted on a weak schedule loaded with sub-.500 teams, and they lost to the Knicks 116-94 on November 30. I predict that the Knicks will beat the Raptors by double digits.

The Magic have already beaten the Knicks twice this season (124-107 on November 12, and 133-121 on November 22), and if they face each other in the semifinals I expect the Magic to win again.

The Thunder have not played the Magic this season, but if they meet in the NBA Cup Championship Game then I expect the Thunder to win.

The NBA Cup seems to be here to stay, so anyone covering the NBA is obligated to discuss it, but I still consider it to be a flawed concept, and in 2023 I pointed out the NBA Cup's two major drawbacks:

There are at least two drawbacks with the current NBA Cup format: (1) the use of point differential as the first tiebreaker in Group Play resulted in farcical situations during which teams ran up the score, and (2) there will be quirky scheduling this week for the teams that did not qualify for knockout round play. Regarding the first drawback, I am all for players and teams playing hard from opening tip to final buzzer, but intentionally running up the score in the waning moments of a blowout looks silly and renders those individual and team statistics meaningless: how many more points would the great teams and players of the past have scored if teams ran up the score instead of putting in the reserves? Regarding the second drawback, if a fan wants to see a particular visiting player or team how is he supposed to plan in advance for a week in which the schedule is dotted with "TBD"?  

The NBA has done nothing to fix either drawback, so we continue to see inflated statistics from blowout games along with a schedule that is frustrating and confounding for fans who are trying to make plans to see specific players or teams. 

The long term historical significance of the NBA Cup is unclear, but thus far NBA Cup success has not yet consistently translated to NBA playoff success. The L.A. Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the 2023 NBA Cup Championship Game, but the Lakers finished the season as the eighth seeded team in the Western Conference before losing 4-1 to the Denver Nuggets in the first round. The Pacers had the same record as the Lakers (47-35) but finished sixth in the weaker Eastern Conference and then advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before being swept by the Boston Celtics, who went on to capture the NBA title. The Milwaukee Bucks finished fifth in the Eastern Conference and lost in the first round of the 2025 playoffs after winning the 2024 NBA Cup. So far, the 2024-25 Thunder are the only NBA Cup Championship Game participant that has reached the NBA Finals.

Labels: L.A. Lakers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors

posted by David Friedman @ 5:03 PM

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