NBA Starting 5, Dec. 22: Holmgren goes off the backboard to … himself
“I don’t know where it came from.”
The move by Chet Holmgren that briefly ‘broke’ the internet on Thursday night.
THE LINEUP
- Must-see from Thursday night
- SGA, OKC snap LA’s win streak
- Roundup: 7 games in 90 seconds
- Joel Embiid in superhero mode
- Chef Curry in the clutch
Today
️ On This Day: Bill Russell made his NBA debut 67 years ago (Dec. 22, 1956), posting six points and 16 rebounds in (of course) a Celtics win
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1. THURSDAY MORNING MUST-SEE
- Showtime Chet: Holmgren goes off the backboard to himself for the slam to give the Thunder the lead for good as OKC snapped LA’s nine-game win streak. Chet: “I don’t know where it came from”
- Block This! After Jonathan Isaac denied Giannis at the rim twice in one possession, Giannis returned the favor the very next possession with a poster dunk
- All Love for Russ: Westbrook returned to OKC for the fifth time. And for the fifth time, he got a rousing ovation from the OKC crowd
- Ja Gets Fancy: In his home debut this season, Morant hit Jaren Jackson Jr. with the over-the-shoulder dime for a wide-open 3 and Ziaire Williams for the alley-oop
- Let’s Do That Hockey: No. 1 NBA pick Victor Wembanyama got some hockey lessons from No. 1 NHL pick Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks before the two swapped jerseys
- Point Centers: Chet brought the ball up and called his own number for the driving baseline dunk, while Wemby dropped the behind-the-back dime to Jeremy Sochan for the easy bucket
- Family Affair: Check out Giannis with his sons pregame. When you’re that cute, you can get away with blatant traveling violations
2. SGA, THUNDER SNAP LA’S WIN STREAK
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s monster game leads the Thunder to a victory over the Clippers.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31 points, 8 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl, 2 blk) did a bit of everything to help the Thunder snap the Clippers’ nine-game win streak on Thursday — while putting himself into an elite class.
- Legendary company: SGA became the first player with 750+ points and 70+ steals through the first 25 games of a season since Michael Jordan in 1988-89
- 3 players in 50 years: SGA, Michael Jordan (who also hit those marks in 1987-88) and Rick Barry (1974-75) are the other players to do so since steals began being tracked in 1973-74
- Plays like this help: Gilgeous-Alexander poked the ball away from Daniel Theis, got the steal and the transition dunk to give him his fifth 30+ point game in the last six
- Shai postgame: “It’s just about playing to our identity … As we play, as we develop, as we grow as a team we’ll get better at it and we are.”
The Thunder took the lead for good on a Chet Holmgren play usually reserved for All-Star Games (shout out to Tracy McGrady) and playground hoops as he tossed the ball off the backboard to himself for the one-man alley-oop.
3. ROUNDUP: 7 GAMES IN 90 SECONDS
Bucks 118, Magic 114: With the Clippers’ loss, the NBA’s longest active win streak belongs to the Bucks, who defeated the Magic for their sixth-straight win. Giannis (37 pts, 10 reb) led the way as Milwaukee remained unbeaten (with all six games at home) since being eliminated in the In-Season Tournament semifinals in Las Vegas
Grizzlies 116, Pacers 103: Desmond Bane had 31 points and five 3s, while Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant combined for 41 points as Memphis won consecutive games for the second time this season
Bulls 114, Spurs 95: Coby White scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Bulls pulled away from the Spurs for their third straight win and fourth in their last five games
Wolves 118, Lakers 111: Anthony Edwards scored 27 points (including this slick reverse layup and-1) as the Wolves bounced back from Thursday’s loss to Philly. Minnesota used a late 12-4 run to pull away from Anthony Davis (31 pts, 8 reb, 3 blk) and the LeBron-less Lakers
Wizards 118, Blazers 117: Kyle Kuzma scored 32 points as Washington got the win despite Anfernee Simons’ 41 points (22 in the 4th) and seven 3s, a 20-8 Portland run in the final 5:44, and a wild final sequence: Simons tied it with a 3, Kuzma’s putback put the Wiz back up, Simons’ dunk cut the lead to one, but Jeremi Grant’s runner missed at the buzzer
⚔️ Pelicans 123, Cavs 104: Starting in place of Zion Williamson (illness), Trey Murphy III scored a season-high 28 points and matched his season-high with six 3s to lead the Pelicans past the Cavs
Jazz 119, Pistons 111: Kelly Olynyk (27 pts, 6 ast, 4 stl) led six Utah players with 13+ points as the shorthanded Jazz held off the Pistons
4. SIX PHOTOS OF EMBIID’S RUN WHERE HE KINDA LOOKS LIKE A SUPERHERO
What Joel Embiid’s doing right now seems almost otherworldly.
Not only did the Sixers star just record his 12th straight 30-10 game — becoming the first to do so since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1972 — the reigning Kia MVP is also on pace to become the second player since 1954-55 to finish with more points than minutes.
Ahead of Sixers-Raptors tonight (7 ET, NBA App), spin through a few of the most epic images we could find from a very epic month.
During this 12-game stretch of dominance, Embiid has posted impressive stats: an average of 38.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game, a shooting percentage of 57.4%, five games with over 40 points, two games with over 50 points, and at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in every game.
Embiid appears focused before a game.
Embiid is surrounded by five Timberwolves as he goes up for the dunk.
Embiid’s offense has been phenomenal, but he continues to perform on defense as well, averaging 2.2 blocks and 1.3 steals per game during the run.
Embiid, at 7 feet and 280 pounds, demonstrates equal skill in playing with both power and finesse.
Embiid has dominated the competition this season as he chases his second consecutive Kia MVP.
5. CHEF CURRY IN THE CLUTCH
Who would you prefer to take a shot when the game is at stake?
It’s a question that’s been argued about in barber shops, sports radio talk shows, sports bars, debate show and — we’re guessing — your holiday dinner tables over the next week.
Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Robert Horry.
Just to name a few.
And, of course, Steph.
In his 15th year, the career leader in 3-pointers made is experiencing his best clutch season ever.
- *91 points
- *26-51 (51.0%) shooting
- *15-31 (48.4%) on 3s
- 24-25 (96.0%) on FTs
- +30 in 72 minutes
* league leader
Curry’s 15 clutch 3s are seven more than any other player in the NBA has made this season. And just three shy of the most Curry has made in an entire season (18 in 2018-19 and 2020-21).
His 48.4% shooting on clutch 3s is the highest percentage of his career. He’s shooting the ball better than ever with the game on the line.
Steph’s Not New To This
Curry, who joined the NBA in the 2009-10 season, has scored 151 clutch 3s, which is eight more than the next closest player, Damian Lillard. What sets them apart is that Curry achieved his 151 in 186 less clutch minutes than the 143 of Lillard.
Here’s how Curry compares to the other top 12 players since he entered the league.
If the Warriors continue to participate in close games – with clutch time included in 23 out of their 27 games this season – Curry stands a chance to break the record for the most clutch 3s in a season (currently held by Kemba Walker with 21 in 2018-19) and provide numerous triumphant ‘Night, Night’s in the process.
Storytime with Steph in the App
- Steph tells the origin story of his famous ‘Night, Night’ Celebration
- Steph reads (and reacts) to his pre-draft scouting report. Safe to say he slightly outperformed expectations
