UFO sighting over Utah.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Dec. 28, 2025
Thrilling Endings: Joker, Nuggets trade late leads with Magic, Knicks survive Hawks comeback
Dose of Dunks: Wemby and Giannis star in slam-packed throwdown showdowns
Sky-High Scoring: KD, Rockets blast off and Heat rise to 140 points as top offenses thrive
Saturday Summary: Russ & Cooper join elite company in showdown, while Suns & Nets surge
Sunday Spotlight: How SGA and Tyrese Maxey evolved into two of the game’s top scorers
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Saturday’s scores and a look at Sunday’s slate…
Six games tip off today on League Pass, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder visiting Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers (3:30 ET | Tap to Watch).
Who Are Your All-Stars? Fans can vote for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game starters every day through Jan. 14 using their NBA ID. Don’t miss your shot, vote now.
1. MAGIC HOLD OFF JOKIĆ, KNICKS HOLD ON LATE
Gary Bassing/NBAE via Getty Images
On Christmas night, Nikola Jokić showcased his wizardry with the game’s first 55+ point, 15+ rebound, 15+ assist triple-double.
Saturday he continued cooking, collecting his 180th career triple-double… with over 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
But the Magic shifted in the 4th, as Orlando summoned a game-changing 22-8 run.
Magic 127, Nuggets 126: Joker’s monster 34-point, 21-rebound, 12-assist follow-up couldn’t stop the Magic, as Anthony Black’s career-high 38 points and a 15-point 4th quarter from Desmond Bane helped Orlando snag its 4th win against top-5 teams. | Recap
- Clutch B&B: Black (career-high 7 3s) and Bane (24 pts, 6 ast) combined for 24 of Orlando’s 43 4th-quarter points, guiding the Magic through the final 2:30 that saw eight lead changes
- Do-It-All: Black then dug in defensively to challenge Jamal Murray’s buzzer-beater attempt, capping his big night
- Magic Legends: Black added 6 rebounds and 5 assists to join Paolo Banchero, Shaquille O’Neal, Tracy McGrady and Dwight Howard as the only Magic players with a 35+/5+/5+ game before turning 22
“I play with such good players that I’m open a lot of the time,” Black said postgame. “So I’m just being ready, stepping into my shots.”
- Holiday Heater: Jokić has totaled 90 points, 37 rebounds and 27 assists over his last two games, numbers never before achieved in any two-game span in NBA history
- Trip-Dub Lore: Joker secured his 8th career 30+/20+/10+ game, passing Oscar Robertson for 2nd most in NBA history. He’s one more trip-dub away from tying Robertson (181) for second‑most in NBA history
Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images
In Atlanta, the rallying Hawks traded leads with the Knicks three times in the final minute — but the East’s No. 2 seed held on.
Knicks 128, Hawks 125: OG Anunoby (15 pts, 10 reb, 3 stl) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (25 pts) exchanged clutch steals and scores in that last minute, with New York putting a stop to Atlanta’s 18-point comeback to hand the Hawks their 6th straight loss. | Recap
- NYC Combo: Karl-Anthony Towns (36 pts, 16 reb) and Jalen Brunson (34 pts, 5 ast) combined for 70 points to fuel New York’s ninth win in the last 11 outings
- Atlanta Standouts: Onyeka Okongwu (31 pts, 14 reb) was one point off his career high, while Jalen Johnson (20 pts, 9 reb, 12 ast) was a board shy of a seventh triple-double this season
2. DUNK DEPARTMENT: JAZZ OUT-SLAM WEMBY & SPURS, GIANNIS ELEVATES IN RETURN
In a game that saw a mini Dunk Contest break out, Wemby finished and flexed on this Dunk of the Year contender.
But it was the Jazz who went home flexing after back-to-back wins against top-3 teams.
Jazz 127, Spurs 114: The NBA’s leading 30-point duo, Lauri Markkanen (29 pts) and Keyone George (28 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast), nearly hit that mark again while powering the Jazz to stop Wemby (32 pts, 7 reb, 5 blk), Keldon Johnson (27 pts, 10 reb) and the Spurs’ 8-game win streak. | Recap
- Dunk-Packed Duel: Dylan Harper out-Dunk Scored Wemby with his own and-1 poster, then sent Vic up in his UFO with this lob. Markkanen got in on it with this traffic cram
- Elite Encore: Utah followed up its clutch win over East-leading Detroit Friday by dishing the league’s hottest team just its second regular-season loss of December
- Offensive December: Scoring the 2nd-most points per game (124.9) in the league this month, the Jazz have pulled even with the Blazers for the West’s final Play-In spot
After missing Milwaukee’s last eight games, Giannis and his calf were ready to rock the rim.
Bucks 112, Bulls 103: Antetokounmpo threw down 29 points in 25 minutes, with support from Ryan Rollins (20 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast, 5 3s) and Bobby Portis (17 pts, 11 reb), as the Bucks pulled away late from Nikola Vučević, Coby White (16 pts each) and the Bulls. | Recap
3. FIERY OFFENSES: ROCKETS, HEAT PUT ON SCORING DISPLAYS
Kevin Durant had it cooking Saturday night, joining an all-time great as he did so.
Rockets 117, Cavaliers 100: The Rockets took off on a 17-4 run midway through the 1st quarter and never trailed again, as Durant surged for 23 1st-half points, fueling the Rockets to lead by as many as 31 over Jaylon Tyson (23 pts, career-high 15 reb) and the Cavs. | Recap
- Tying AI: KD recorded his 261st 20‑point half, tying Allen Iverson for the fifth‑most in the play-by-play era
- Long-Range: Houston shot true to its 2nd-best 3-point percentage (40.0%) in this one, hitting 45.7% of its triples and showing off its 3rd-ranked offense (121.2 OffRtg)
Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images
The Heat skyrocketed over 140 points for a league-high sixth time this season Saturday.
Heat 142, Pacers 116: Miami’s 44 points in the 4th quarter and 83 overall in the 2nd half overpowered Pascal Siakam’s (33 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) 24-point 1st half as Andrew Wiggins and Jaime Jaquez Jr. each logged 28 points. | Recap
- High Score Kings: Miami now has twice as many 140+ point games (6) as any team at that scoring threshold this season (Jazz, Pelicans: 3)
4. SATURDAY ROUNDUP: KINGS, MAVS SET RECORDS, SUNS & NETS SOAR
Thearon W. Henderson/NBAE via Getty Images
Kings 113, Mavericks 107: Russell Westbrook swiped and assisted his way up the record books and matched Keon Ellis’ season-high 21 points, as the pair kept the Kings ahead of Cooper Flagg (game-high 23 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast) and the Mavs for 45 straight minutes. | Recap
- Passing Magic: Westbrook (21 pts, 5 reb, 9 ast, 5 3s) passed Magic Johnson (10,141) for 7th on the all-time assists list with his second helper of the night
- Stealing & Scoring: Russ nabbed a steal to become the 14th player with 2,000 career steals. He joins Hakeem, MJ, Karl Malone and LeBron in the 25,000+ point–2,000+ assist club
- Coop’s Milestone: Flagg went over 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the third straight game, joining LeBron and Luka Dončić as the only players age 19 or under to ever do so
Layne Murdoch Jr. + David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
Suns 123, Pelicans 114: Devin Booker (20 pts) led seven Suns in double figures to top a trio of 20+ point Pelicans (Trey Murphy III: 24, Zion Williamson: 22, Derik Queen: 21) as Phoenix swept a Friday-Saturday set with New Orleans amid 3 straight wins. | Recap
Nets 123, Timberwolves 107: Cam Thomas netted a game-high 30 points in just 20 minutes after missing 20 games (hamstring), and Michael Porter Jr. added 27 as the NBA’s best December defense (103.5 DefRtg) stopped Anthony Edwards (28 pts) and the Wolves. Brooklyn has won three in a row and five of its last seven. | Recap
5. SUNDAY LEAGUE PASS SPOTLIGHT: TOP-3 SCORERS COLLIDE
Kenneth Richmond + Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images
The last time Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Maxey faced off, they combined for 59 points in a 127-123 Sixers win.
That was back in November 2023. In the 2+ years since then, the two guards out of Kentucky have evolved into two of the game’s best scorers.
Today on League Pass (3:30 ET), SGA and Maxey will meet again for the first time in 764 days – now established superstars, each ranking top-3 in scoring this season.
- First Impressions: Shai and Maxey share more than Kentucky blue. They were each first-round picks (in 2018 & 2020, respectively), entering the league at 20 years old and flashing as rookies
- Sophomore Jump: In their second season, they popped – both increasing their ppg by 8, before averaging 20+ the following year
- Star Status: In 2022-23, Shai earned his first All-Star selection. One season later, Maxey got his (2023-24). Last year, SGA made an even greater leap – capturing the Kia MVP
- Another Level: Now, both guards are at the peak of their powers. Maxey’s averaging a career-best 30.8 ppg – the 3rd-most in the NBA. Shai sits just ahead at 32.1 ppg, doing it on a career-best 55.1% shooting
In their last meeting on Nov. 25, 2023, Maxey and SGA entered averaging 16.2 and 21.5 career ppg, respectively. Since then, Maxey’s posted 27 ppg, Shai 31.6. (Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
The two guards didn’t blossom into superstars by chance. They worked for it – stacking hours in the gym, sharpening details most never see. Around the league, that work hasn’t gone unnoticed.
- Shai’s Craft: “He is ruthlessly consistent in the invisible spaces,” said Thunder coach Mark Daignault of SGA on Monday following his 100th straight 20-point game (now at 102).
- “It’s no accident he’s the player he is – he’s literally chiseled himself into this.”
- Maxey’s Growth: “You can tell who’s worked on their game, and he’s one of them,” said Mavs coach Jason Kidd on Maxey after his 38 points vs. Dallas last week
- “Always has added something in the summer … he’s one of the best guards in this league.”
NBAE via Getty Images
Sunday Streaks: Five more matchups tip off today on League Pass, with the Warriors (at TOR, 3:30 ET) and Clippers (vs. DET, 9 ET) both chasing their fourth straight win, while Boston looks to make it five straight, on the road in Portland (6 ET).
The league’s top scorer is also in action as Luka Dončić (33.7 ppg) and the Lakers host the Kings (9:30 ET). Plus, the Grizzlies visit the Wizards (6 ET).
