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Shaedon Sharpe soars above a stuffed Saturday of thrilling hoops.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Dec. 21, 2025
Saturday’s Best: KD energizes Rockets in Joker’s house, VJ bests Coop as Maxey shines
Can’t-Miss: Clippers crash LeBron’s season high, Bane guides Magic in OT
West Play-In: Steph & Jimmy out-clutch Book & Brooks, Sharpe’s Blazers clear Kings
Up East: Cade, Detroit back in win column, Boston shoots toward the top
Give & Grind: Norman Powell is giving back while he laces up on a six-game Sunday
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Saturday’s scores give way to Sunday’s six tips…
Today is World Basketball Day: Celebrate the power of basketball to unite communities and connect people around the world on the day Dr. James Naismith first introduced the game at a YMCA in Springfield, MA in 1891.
In the Second Game of Christmas, the Spurs and Thunder give to us…
A new chapter in the rivalry, and classic in the making. OKC and San Antonio are 1-2 in the West standings — the latest into a season that’s happened since 2013-14. Tap for what to know about this year’s slate.
- Cavaliers at Knicks (Noon ET)
- Spurs at Thunder (2:30 ET)
- Mavericks at Warriors (5 ET)
- Rockets at Lakers (8 ET)
- Wolves at Nuggets (10:30 ET)
A gift so nice, you get it twice. OKC and San Antonio also meet this Tuesday, Dec. 23 (8:30 ET, LP | Tap to Watch).
1. GAMES OF THE NIGHT: ROCKETS ERUPT, SIXERS EDGE FLAGG, MAVS
Down 0-2 vs. Denver this season, and coming off back-to-back losses, KD was fed up.
“I just felt like we needed a little extra juice.”
Rockets 115, Nuggets 101: Durant poured in 31 points with five 3s to fuel the Rockets to their first win this season over Nikola Jokić (25 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) and the Nuggets, ending their six-game winning streak. | Recap
- Two-Way W: Houston’s top-5 defense (111.8 DefRtg) held the league’s highest-scoring offense to a season-low 101 points, while the Rockets’ top-5 offense (121.1 OffRtg) shot 54.3% from deep
- Big Boosts: Reed Sheppard (28 pts) hit a career-high six 3s off the bench, while Jabari Smith Jr. added a big 22-point, 10-rebound double-double
- “I can’t even explain how great [Reed] was tonight,” KD said postgame. “I just fed off that.”
Mitchell Leff/NBAE via Getty Images
Cooper Flagg and VJ Edgecombe carried their recent heroics into a Saturday night showdown – but Tyrese Maxey stole the show.
Sixers 121, Mavericks 114: Maxey got 16 of his 38 points in a 4th quarter where Philly held Dallas to 17 points to pull away, despite 24 points apiece from Flagg and AD (14 reb). | Recap
- Race For 35: This was Maxey’s 10th 35+ point game of the season, trailing only Luka Dončić (12) for most in the league
- 18 Was Great: Flagg went over 20 points for the fourth straight game, joining LeBron as the only players 18 or under with such a streak in NBA history – as today is his 19th birthday
- Slight Edge: VJ Edgecome (26 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast) continued his own four-game 20+ point streak, edging out Coop in this showdown of top-3 picks
2. MUST-SEE MOMENTS: OT MAGIC, CLIPS CLAIM BATTLE OF LA, AS LEBRON LEADS LAKERS
Magic 128, Jazz 127 (OT): Isaiah Collier (18 pts) capped a 36-21 Jazz comeback with a tough two to force OT, and Keyonte George (27 pts, 9 ast) converted a 4-point play with 4.1 left in the extra frame, but Desmond Bane (32 pts) guided in the Magic game-winner. | Recap
- Magic Trio: Bane got to 30 points for the fourth time in his last nine games, with key support from Paolo Banchero (23 pts, 9 reb, 9 ast) and Anthony Black (20 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast)
- “He doesn’t get rattled. He knows how to make winning plays,” coach Jamahl Mosley said of Bane. “Just doing all the little things in those situations to be able to put the team on his back.”
Clippers 103, Lakers 88: Kawhi Leonard (32 pts, 12 reb) helped the Clippers end a five-game skid, as they held the Lakers to a season-low in points to claim their first Battle of LA in the last five tries. | Recap
- LBJ Steps Up: LeBron led the Lakers with a season-high 36 points after Luka (12 pts) did not return for the 2nd half (leg)
- All-Time Assists: James Harden added 21 points and 10 assists in the win, while moving into 12th place all-time in dimes, passing Andre Miller (8,524)
The Lakers remain in 4th place by a game on either side; one ahead of the Rockets and a game back of the Nuggets.
Pelicans 128, Pacers 109: Zion Williamson matched his season high with 29 points in just 23 minutes to lead the Pelicans over Pascal Siakam (22 pts) and the Pacers, in a fourth straight win for New Orleans. | Recap
3. PLAY-IN POSITION: WARRIORS, BLAZERS KEEP PACE OUT WEST
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
Warriors 119, Suns 116: In a tale of two halves and dueling duos, Steph and Jimmy Butler overcame Phoenix’s Book & Brooks with the help of Will Richard’s 20 points, as the Warriors stormed back to end a three-game skid and split back-to-back clutch finishes with the Suns. | Recap
- Game of Runs: Phoenix built a 14-point lead after a 44-point 1st quarter, but Golden State was back within reach by the time Butler scored 12 of his 25 points in a crucial 3rd quarter
- Stage Was Set: Curry then scored 14 of his Dubs-high 28 points in the 4th, outdueling Booker (12 of his game-high 38 pts) to give the Bay’s third-ranked defense (111.5 DefRtg) the chance to close out
Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Trail Blazers 98, Kings 93: Deni Avdija (24 pts, 7 reb, 10 ast) led the Blazers to a third straight win, topping Dennis Schröder (21 pts) and the Kings for the second-consecutive game. | Recap
Portland remains in the 10th-and-final Play-In spot out West, with a 1.5 game lead over Utah and Dallas.
4. EAST UPDATE: PISTONS BOUNCE BACK, CELTICS CLIMB
Brian Sevald +Vaughn Ridley + Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
Pistons 112, Hornets 86: Cade Cunningham (22 pts, 10 reb, 10 ast) collected his 3rd triple-double of the season and the second-ranked Pistons defense (109.7 DefRtg) limited Charlotte to 14 4th-quarter points and a season-low 86 overall, with 19 from Kon Knueppel. | Recap
Celtics 112, Raptors 96: Payton Pritchard (33 pts, 7 reb, 10 ast) took over for Boston with Jaylen Brown out ill, as the Celtics shot past Brandon Ingram (24 pts, 7 ast) and the Raptors and into 3rd place in the East. | Recap
Wizards 130, Grizzlies 122: Facing a 20-point deficit before halftime, Kyshawn George powered up for 24 2nd-half points, matching CJ McCollum with 28 overall, as the Wiz closed on a 26-10 run in the final 6 minutes to burn the Grizz. | Recap
- Santi’s Big Night: Santi Aldama’s career-high 37 points led Memphis, which dropped just its 3rd game in the last ten
5. NORMAN POWELL’S WORK ON & OFF COURT LEADS SUNDAY’S SLATE
Norman Powell speaks to kids at a clinic for his Understand the Grind Foundation.
Norman Powell is a busy man. If he’s not sweating in the gym and pouring in buckets, there’s a good chance he’s making calls to brighten someone’s holiday.
Powell, averaging a career-high 24.6 points per game for the Miami Heat this season, also plays the role of point person for his Understand the Grind Foundation, active in his hometown of San Diego.
The foundation — with the help of charitable donations and support from local food providers — distributed 500 turkeys to families this Thanksgiving, and is following up with a Christmas gift drive.
Joining Powell in running the foundation are his mother, Sharon Powell, sisters Margaret Powell-Smart and Joniece Benjamin, and a handful of lifelong friends from his hometown.
That’s fitting, he says, for an organization dedicated to families — and because and his mother is his inspiration in all of his charitable endeavors.
“She was a big advocate in giving back to the community, helping the next family, somebody else in need,” Powell said. “Watching her as a kid rubbed off on me. And I always thought that if I made it to the NBA, I’d never forget where I came from and I’d always try to give back and help the next generation go after their own dreams.”
Tap here to read the full article from NBA.com
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Powell is working his “day job” tonight at Madison Square Garden.
Heat at Knicks (6 ET, LP | Tap To Watch): Miami aims to be the only team to beat New York three times this season (2-1) as the Knicks come off just their second loss at MSG, which ended a six-game win streak.
- Heat Forecast: Expect a high-scoring affair between these top-5 offenses (Knicks: 120.2 ppg, 4th; Heat: 120.0 ppg, 5th)
Ronald Cortes/NBAE via Getty Images
Roundup: Wemby and the Spurs look to replicate Thursday’s win against the Wizards (7 ET), plus KD and the Rockets visit Russ and the Kings (10 ET).
- Bulls at Hawks (3:30 ET)
- Raptors at Nets (6 ET)
- Bucks at Timberwolves (7 ET)
