NBA Starting 5, Dec. 13: Luka & LeBron duel, Beal & Booker unite
In the time it takes you to read this sentence, Luka will have just dished out three more assists.
THE LINEUP
- Must-see from Tuesday
- ✨ Luka too much for L.A.
- ☀️ New backcourt, who dis?
- Photos of the night
- Milestone Watch
Lakers at Spurs: 8 ET, NBA TV
8 more games on NBA App
1. WEDNESDAY MORNING MUST-SEE
Note to self, don’t take these Luka vs. LeBron duels for granted. Every time these two share the court, it’s special.
- It was on Tuesday night in Dallas. 33 points apiece. Luka (17 assists) got the win. LeBron still holds a 7-6 edge in head-to-head games. It was all respect after the battle
- Another note to self: don’t bet push-ups that Luka won’t make a halfcourt shot
- “I did not expect that pass to come”: That was Dante Exum’s reaction after receiving this RIDICULOUS lefty dime from Luka at the top of the key. How many players, ever, could pull this off?
- From his reaction, it’s safe to say Dereck Lively II did not expect this step-back 3 from Luka to drop. But he was ready to throw down Luka’s 17th dime
Steve Kerr came prepared for the club at the Footprint Center as his Warriors visited the Suns in the return game for Bradley Beal.
- VIP access: A pair of two-time MVP point guards – Steve Nash and Steph Curry – met up pregame
- The Warriors did everything they could to stop the party in Phoenix – Steph with the ludicrous bank shot and run-away 3, Jonathan Kuminga throwing down the dunk off the CP3 lob – but it wasn’t enough to spoil Bradley Beal’s return
While Kerr couldn’t pick up the W in one club, he was announced as a member of another – the Chicago Bulls’ inaugural Ring of Honor class.
- Ring Of Honor: Kerr enters as a member of the 1995-96 championship team, while teammates Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman headline the list of 13 individual honorees
2. CONDUCTOR LUKA TOO MUCH FOR LAKERS
Mavs 127, Lakers 125
Recap | DAL 15-8, LAL 14-10
Luka has often been compared to a magician. On Tuesday, he played the role of conductor as he masterfully orchestrated the Mavs’ offense to a 127-125 win over the Lakers.
- 33 points scored
- 43 points created by his 17 assists
- Quick math…
- That’s 76 total points generated by Luka – his second-highest total of the season
Tim Hardaway Jr. (32 points) and Dante Exum (26 points) each posted season-highs in scoring as they made up for the injured Kyrie Irving, who missed his second-straight game (foot).
- Hardaway went to work early, scoring 20 in the first half, including this slam off the full-court dime from Luka
- Exum did his damage in the fourth, scoring 17 points and knocking down five 3s as Dallas took control after L.A. had taken the lead
Luka wasn’t the only All-Star to shine on Tuesday.
- Anthony Davis followed up his 40/20 game in the In-Season Tournament championship with 37 points and 11 boards
- LeBron James had 33 points (including a vintage hammer dunk in transition), eight boards and nine assists
- LeBron hit a three at the buzzer to match Luka in scoring, but Tuesday’s duel was won by the Maverick
3. SUNS WIN DEBUT GAME WITH NEW-LOOK BACKCOURT
☀️ Suns 119, Warriors 116
Recap | PHX 13-10, GSW 10-13
While we have yet to see the Suns’ big three together this season, Tuesday gave us our first regular season look at the backcourt of Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
- In his return from injury, Beal scored the first points (including this 3-pointer 22 seconds in) and the final points (two FTs with five seconds left) of his first game in a month
- The Warriors used a 20-10 run in the final 3:34 to make it interesting, but clutch FTs by Booker and Beal sealed the game
- Steph Curry (24) and Brandin Podziemski (20) led the scoring for Golden State, who saw Draymond Green ejected with a flagrant 2
Successful debut: Booker led the way with 32 points and seven assists, while Beal added 16 points and three dimes in his return game as the Suns backcourt outscored the Splash Bros. 48-31
- “Keep it rolling”: Hear from Beal and Booker as they walk off the court after the tough win
Celtics 120, Cavs 113
Recap | BOS 17-5, CLE 13-11
- Good In The Garden: The Celtics are the only team in the NBA that has yet to lose at home, improving to 11-0 at TD Garden thanks to a 22-9 run over a 7½ minute stretch midway through the fourth to seize control of the game
- Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 25 for the Celtics, while Kristaps Porzingis had his first 20/10 game as a Celtic. Darius Garland had the move of the night as he shook an elite defender in Derrick White for the baseline floater
⚒️ Nuggets 114, Bulls 106
Recap | DEN 16-9, CHI 9-16
- Next Man Up: Denver entered the game without Jamal Murray (ankle) and lost Nikola Jokic late in the second quarter (ejection), but still got the road win.
- Reggie Jackson had 25 points and six assists (including this lob to DeAndre Jordan for the reverse dunk), while Coby White (27 pts, 5 3s) and Nikola Vucevic (26 pts, 16 reb) combined for 53 for Chicago
⛵ Clippers 119, Kings 99
Recap | LAC 13-10, SAC 13-9
- Clippers On Fire: Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points as the Clippers cruised past the Kings for their fifth-straight win – the longest active win streak in the NBA
- James Harden and Norman Powell added 15 apiece for LA. Russell Westbrook had the putback dunk on the court and danced to the chanting fans while on the bench
4. PHOTOS OF THE NIGHT
5. MILESTONE WATCH: LILLARD ON BRINK OF HISTORY TONIGHT
How many statistical categories will LeBron James lead before the end of his career?
- The NBA’s all-time leading scorer moved one step closer to another category on Tuesday: regular season minutes played
- LeBron passed Karl Malone (54,852) for second place and now trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (57,446). At his current rate (33.6 mpg), LeBron would need another 77 games to pass the Captain
Steph Curry entered Tuesday needing eight 3s to become the first player to reach 3,500.
- He got halfway there in Golden State’s loss to Phoenix. His next shot will be Thursday against the Clippers
Steph isn’t the only player to watch on the all-time 3-point list. He’s about to have some company in the top five.
- Tonight, Damian Lillard needs just two 3-pointers to pass Kyle Korver for fifth place, where he would join an elite group of shooters in Steph, Ray Allen, James Harden and Reggie Miller
- He’ll duel with Tyrese Haliburton in a battle of two of the East’s top point guards, when the third-place Bucks host the fifth-place Pacers (8 ET, NBA App)
Here are some additional milestones to keep an eye on in the days and weeks ahead.
Career Totals
- James Harden needs 20 points to become 24th player to reach 25,000
- LeBron James needs 766 points to become 1st player in NBA history to reach 40,000
- Chris Paul needs 351 assists to become 3rd player to reach 12,000
- LeBron James needs 425 assists to become 4th player to reach 11,000
- Russell Westbrook needs 141 FGs to become 24th player to reach 9,000
- Russell Westbrook needs 2 triple-doubles to become 1st player to reach 200
- Kevin Love needs 35 points to reach 15,000
- Dennis Schroder needs 11 points to reach 10,000
All-Time Ranks
- LeBron James needs 19 games played to pass Kevin Garnett (1,462) for 7th all-time
- Chris Paul needs 112 steals to pass Jason Kidd (2,684) for 2nd all-time
- Kevin Durant needs 35 FGs to pass Moses Malone (9,435) for 20th all-time
- Kevin Durant needs 809 points to pass Carmelo Anthony (28,289) for 9th all-time
- Wesley Matthews needs 2 3pt FGs to pass Kobe Bryant (1,827) for 23rd all-time
- Giannis Antetokounmpo needs 8 triple-doubles to pass Fat Lever (43) for 11th all-time
Team
- Trae Young needs 107 3pt FGs to pass Mookie Blaylock for 1st in Hawks franchise history
- Zach LaVine needs 72 3pt FGs to pass Kirk Hinrich (1,049) for 1st in Bulls franchise history
