NBA Starting 5, Dec. 3: George's winner caps furious comeback
History last night.
Quick breath today.
History coming all week.
Let’s catch you up.
THE LINEUP
- Must-see from Saturday
- Two rallies, two different results
- Roundup: 10 games in 2 min ⏱️
- Knockouts: Look ahead
- Tournament: Look back
No games today
Knockout Rounds Start Monday
Celtics-Pacers, 7:30 ET, TNT
Pelicans-Kings, 10 ET, TNT
1. SUNDAY MORNING MUST-SEE
- PG calls game: The Warriors led for 47:51. The Clippers led for the final 8.9 only after Paul George’s game-winning step-back 3
- Bend don’t break: The Mavs posted the first-ever 30-0 run of the play-by-play era and had a massive triple-double from Luka Doncic, but OKC rallied late for the win
- Poster night: Get Sunday going with these four monster poster dunks: Jonathan Kuminga, Paolo Banchero, Dereck Lively II, and Shaedon Sharpe
- Move of the night?: Pick your favorite from these four finishes: Trae Young freezing himself and the defense for the assist, SGA shaking Luka on a step-back 3, Devin Booker’s beautiful spin move in slo-mo, or LeBron with the baseline drive into a 360-degree layup (reminder he’s in season 21 )
- What about dance moves?: We’ve seen Giannis hit the two-step and long-stretch layup plenty of times. This time we got a shimmy celly to go with it. Meanwhile, LeBron was vibing out pregame in L.A.
2. TWO RALLIES, TWO DIFFERENT RESULTS
⛵ Clippers 113, Warriors 112
Recap | GSW 9-11, LAC 9-10
- Only lead: Paul George’s step-back 3 with 8.9 seconds left gave the Clippers their only lead of the game, capping off a 22-point second-half comeback win
- Comeback Clippers: LA’s rally began with a 17-2 run to close the third. Golden State pushed the lead back to 10, but LA kept clawing back, setting up a fantastic finish in the final 4:33
- Big three: George (25 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast, 4 3s) led the way, while James Harden (21 pts, 9 ast) and Kawhi Leonard (20 pts, 7 ast) combined for 41
⛈️ Thunder 126, Mavs 120
Recap | OKC 13-6, DAL 11-8
- No lead is safe: The Mavs’ never-before-seen scoring run erased a 24-point fourth-quarter lead and set up a dramatic ending
- Historic run: Dallas’ 30-0 run is the largest of the play-by-play era (since 1996-97), topping Cleveland’s 29-0 run against Milwaukee in 2009
- OKC escapes: After absorbing that 30-0 blow, OKC regained its composure and closed the game on a 15-3 run in the final 4:18
- 30/15/15 club: Luka Doncic (36 pts, 15 reb, 18 ast) became the fourth player ever with multiple 30/15/15 games, joining Oscar Robertson (11), Wilt Chamberlain (two) and Nikola Jokic (two). He also tied Larry Bird for ninth all-time in triple-doubles (59)
3. ROUNDUP: 10 GAMES IN 2 MINUTES
Kings 123, Nuggets 117
Recap | DEN 14-7, SAC 11-7
- Kings snap Nuggets’ streak: De’Aaron Fox had 26 points and career-high 16 assists, Malik Monk added 26 off the bench and the Kings withstood Nikola Jokic’s monster triple-double (36 pts, 13 reb, 14 ast) to end Denver’s four-game win streak
Wolves 123, Hornets 117
Recap | MIN 15-4, CHA 6-12
- Dominant duo: Despite Anthony Edwards missing his second-straight game, Minnesota got its fourth-straight win. KAT (28 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast, 4 3s) and Rudy Gobert (season-high 26 pts, 12 reb, 3 blk) helped Minnesota close the game
Nets 129, Magic 101
Recap | BKN 10-9, ORL 14-6
- Nets snap Magic streak: Mikal Bridges scored 26 of his game-high 42 points in the first quarter, and showed off his two-way game, as Brooklyn ended Orlando’s nine-game winning streak
Bucks 132, Hawks 121
Recap | MIL 14-6, ATL 9-10
- Antetokounmpo’s triple-double: Antetokounmpo dropped his first triple-double of the season (32 pts, 11 reb, 10 ast) to lead the Bucks past the Hawks despite a combined 62 points from Trae Young and Dejounte Murray
Bulls 124, Pelicans 118
Recap | CHI 7-14, NOP 11-10
- Coby for 33333333: Coby White scored a season-high 31 points, matched his career-high with eight 3s and tied a franchise record with his eighth straight game with at least three 3s in Chicago’s win
☀️ Suns 116, Grizzlies 109
Recap | PHX 12-8, MEM 5-14
- Booker is back: After missing Friday’s loss to Denver (ankle), Devin Booker dropped 34 points, 10 boards and seven dimes, while KD added 27 to lead the Suns past the Grizz despite a season-high 37 from Jaren Jackson Jr.
Lakers 107, Rockets 97
Recap | LAL 12-9, HOU 8-9
- Lakers defend home court: Anthony Davis (27 pts, 14 reb, 5 blk – all game-highs) helped the Lakers improve to 8-2 at home this season, while Houston (0-8) remains winless on the road
️ Pacers 144, Heat 129
Recap | IND 10-8, MIA 11-9
- 4 x 20 = W: Without leading scorer and playmaker Tyrese Haliburton, Indy still put up 144 points as Bruce Brown (30), Obi Toppin (22), TJ McConnell (20 and 11 assists) and Aaron Nesmith (20) each scored 20+ points in the win
Jazz 118, Blazers 113 (OT)
Recap | UTA 7-13, POR 6-13
- Some clutch blocks: Portland’s Toumani Camara showed some clutch defense, swatting Collin Sexton’s potential game-winning layup to force OT. However, Omer Yurtseven rejects Malcolm Brodgon’s drive with 7.4 seconds remaining and the Jazz prevailed
⚔️ Cavs 110, Pistons 101
Recap | CLE 11-9, DET 2-18
- Cavs take control late: Darius Garland and Max Strus each finished with 22 points and five assists, while Donovan Mitchell added 20 points in the Cavs victory
4. WIN-OR-GO-HOME QUARTERFINALS START MONDAY
The first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament champions will be crowned in less than a week.
But first, we have to see which four teams will head to Las Vegas for the semifinals on Dec. 7.
Monday
(3) Celtics at (2) Pacers
7:30 ET, TNT | Preview
1 Question: Could home-court advantage lift Pacers vs. Celtics?
(3) Pelicans at (2) Kings
10 ET, TNT | Preview
1 Question: Can Pelicans’ verticality stymie Kings’ speed?
Tuesday
(4) Knicks at (1) Bucks
7:30 ET, TNT | Preview
1 Question: Can Bucks find identity in time to KO Knicks?
(4) Suns at (1) Lakers
10 ET, TNT | Preview
1 Question: Will Lakers’ size override Suns’ scoring punch?
NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner breaks down each matchup and makes his picks for the four teams advancing to the semifinals. Who you got?
5. HOW WE GOT HERE
Road To The East Quarterfinals
- Bucks (4-0, +46): Won East B, tiebreaker with IND
- Pacers (4-0, +39): Won East A
- Celtics (3-1, +27): Won East C
- Knicks (3-1, +42): Won East Wild Card, tiebreaker over CLE, ORL and BKN
Road To The West Quarterfinals
- Lakers (4-0, +74): Won West A, tiebreaker with SAC
- Kings (4-0, +30): Won West C
- Pelicans (3-1, +33): Won West B
- Suns (3-1, +34): Won West Wild Card, tiebreaker with MIN
Here’s how it happened:
- 35 minutes of the top plays from Group Play
- 2 hours, 17 minutes of fantastic finishes from Group Play
- How an epic final night of Group Play unfolded
