NBA Starting 5, Jan. 3: Thunder knock off league-leading Celtics

Two of the NBA’s most viral players met in Memphis on Tuesday.

And Ja and Wemby showed out.

THE LINEUP

  1.   Must-see: Ja vs. Wemby
  2. ⛈️  OKC continues hot streak
  3.   OG vs. DeMar in NYC on ABC
  4.   Iconic Bulls/Knicks at MSG pics
  5.   Strength of schedule preview

Bulls at Knicks (8:30 ET, ABC): The new-look Knicks host the Bulls in the first of five straight Wednesdays in January with NBA games on ABC primetime. Mic’d Up: DeMar DeRozan

Heat at Lakers (10 ET, ESPN): After winning the first-ever NBA Cup, the Lakers closed out 2023 going 3-8. They’ll look to start 2024 off right when they host the Heat in a rematch of the 2020 Finals.

1. MUST-SEE FROM TUESDAY

Ja Wemby

  • The Dunk: We gave you the GIF. Here’s the full video. Here’s the slo-mo. And that’s not all …
  • The Layup: Ja with the crossover, the elevation, the hangtime, the double pump to the lefty finish
  • Right Place, Right Time: The deflection somehow ended up in Wemby’s hands and he did the rest with a monster dunk. We’ve got slo-mo for this one, too
  • The Runner 3?!: Wemby pulled up for the one-legged 3-pointer. The clock was not about to expire. He just did it. And made it.

The Dime Bros?

  • Klay Gets It Going: Thompson drove the lane and found Trayce Jackson-Davis with the lefty behind-the-head dime for the layup
  • Steph Joins the Fun: Curry dribbled out of traffic against two defenders and found Brandin Podziemski with the dime for another layup
  • They Also Shoot 3s: Curry with the quick move on Jalen Suggs to clear space for the pull-up 3, plus the foul for a four-point play and an epic Steph reaction

Block Party

  • Rookie Spike: Chet Holmgren had four blocks in OKC’s win over Boston, including this emphatic rejection on Jayson Tatum
  • Right on Time: Jaden Springer made a late appearance in this highlight as he flew in out of nowhere for the two-handed chasedown block

️ Slow It Down

  • BI with the Handles: Brandon Ingram’s spin move looks even smoother in slow motion
  • Phantom Ja: Let’s finish where we started with five of the best high-def slo-mo shots of Ja Morant against the Spurs

2. ROUNDUP: OKC CONTINUES HOT STREAK

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (36 points, 7 assists) gets the Thunder past the Celtics for their 5th straight win.

⛈️ Thunder 127, Celtics 123
OKC 23-9, BOS 26-7 | Recap

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (36 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast, 0 tov) and the Thunder held off a late rally by the Celtics to continue their run of knocking off elite teams in the NBA.

OKC won its fifth straight and eighth in the last nine games. During that run, they have:

  • Beat the defending champion Nuggets twice
  • Snapped the Clippers’ nine-game win streak
  • Beat the West-leading Wolves by 23
  • Beat the NBA-leading Celtics to open 2024

SGA – who ranked fourth in the final Kia MVP Ladder of 2023 – was showered with “M-V-P” chants from the OKC crowd as he iced the game from the free-throw line with 2.8 seconds left

Kristaps Porzingis (34 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk) and Jayson Tatum (30 pts, 13 reb, 8 ast) combined for 64 points for Boston, which had its six-game win streak snapped.

Sixers 110, Bulls 97
PHI 23-10, CHI 15-20 | Recap

Joel Embiid (31 pts, 15 reb, 10 ast) posted his second triple-double of the season (in just three quarters) in his return from a four-game absence to lead Philly to a wire-to-wire win.

  • With five career 30+ point triple-doubles, Embiid passed Charles Barkley for second-most in Sixers history behind Wilt Chamberlain (15)
  • Embiid extended his streak of 30/10 games to 14 games. Only Kareem (16 games) and Wilt (seven streaks, longest 65) have had a longer streak in NBA history

Warriors 121, Magic 115
GSW 16-17, ORL 19-14 | Recap

Steph Curry was coming off a three-game stretch averaging 18.7 points on 31.1% shooting to close out 2023. He opened 2024 with 36 points on 12-20 (60%) shooting, including four 3s. Check out his reaction to his final 3 of the night as the Warriors staved off the Magic

Hornets 111, Kings 104
CHA 8-24, SAC 19-13 | Recap

Terry Rozier scored 14 of his game-high 34 points in the fourth quarter as the Hornets rallied past the Kings to end an 11-game losing streak. Miles Bridges added 27 points for Charlotte, which closed the game on a 17-4 run

Grizzlies 106, Spurs 98
MEM 11-22, SAS 5-28 | Recap

Ja Morant (26 pts, 10 ast) and Desmond Bane (24 pts) combined for 50 points to help the Grizzlies snap a three-game losing streak. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 20 points, seven boards and four blocks

⚜️ Pelicans 112, Nets 85
NOP 20-14, BKN 15-19 | Recap

CJ McCollum (16 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast) led seven Pelicans in double figures in a wire-to-wire win over the Nets. This was New Orleans’ sixth win by 20+ points, tied for the second-most in the NBA

3. OG & DEMAR: FROM TEAMMATES TO RIVALS

OG Anunoby has developed into one of the NBA’s top on-ball defenders. And DeMar DeRozan knows why.

Before the two meet tonight when the Knicks host the Bulls (8:30 ET, ABC), let’s rewind to the 2017-18 season for OG’s rookie season and DeMar’s final season in Toronto.

  • ️DeMar on OG: “It’s incredible. His anticipation, his strength, his movement, his athleticism… That makes him an elite perimeter defender in this league. It definitely started from me kicking his ass in practice every single day”

After all of those practices in their one season as teammates in Toronto, DeRozan was traded to San Antonio, where he spent three seasons before heading to Chicago, where he’s in his third season.

  • Head-to-Head: DeMar and OG have faced each other 14 times entering Wednesday. The record is an even 7-7 overall and 4-4 over the past three seasons since DeRozan returned to the East
  • OG Defending DeMar: In nearly 52 minutes of defensive matchup time, Anunoby has held DeRozan to a total of 38 points on 11-32 (34.4%) shooting. DeRozan has 10 assists but was forced into eight turnovers. OG did commit 10 shooting fouls, giving DeMar 16 of those 38 points at the free-throw line

With Zach LaVine sidelined and unknown statuses for Patrick Williams and Coby White, who both left Tuesday with ankle injuries, the burden on DeRozan to score only increases.

And so does the task of slowing him down for OG in his second game as a Knick.

4. 8 ICONIC KNICKS-BULLS PHOTOS AT MSG

5. WEDNESDAY PREVIEW x STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

One of tonight’s biggest games – the No. 1 vs. No. 6 team in the West, between two teams exceeding expectations – sees the Timberwolves & Pelicans (8 ET, NBA App) looking at two different Januaries.

  • Different Paths: The Wolves head into the first month of 2024 facing teams with the sixth-lowest opponent win percentage (.467). Meanwhile, the Pelicans, winners of 8 of 11, now stare at the hardest strength of schedule over the next month (.582), in John Schuhmann’s rankings

On a 12-game Wednesday, with All-Star 2024 just six weeks away, what do the roads ahead look like for a few of the league’s top teams?

Bucks at Pacers, 7 ET | Preview

The Bucks and Pacers are set to meet for the second time in three days and the fifth and final time this season. Looking through the strength-of-schedule lens, this is a near-mirror image of the Wolves and Pelicans.

  • Deja Vu: Milwaukee is second in the East with the eighth-easiest January schedule (.469 opponent win percentage), while the Pacers are sixth in the East and have both the second-hardest (.570) and busiest schedule (17 games) in the league

Thunder at Hawks, 7:30 ET | Preview

This is a matchup of two teams heading in opposite directions. OKC has won eight of its last nine games, while Atlanta has lost four of its last five. Will their January schedules change those fortunes?

  • Home vs. Road: OKC will be tested this month with the most road games (11) and most back-to-backs (5) in the league. Meanwhile, Atlanta is one of five teams with 10+ home games in January

Clippers at Suns, 9 ET | Preview

The Suns (four straight) and Clippers (three straight) started the year off right with New Year’s Day wins over Portland and Miami, respectively, to keep their win streaks alive.

  • Similar Paths: The Suns (.510) and Clippers (.519) face opponents with near-matching win percentages. Both teams have nine road games in January. The only key difference is that Phoenix (4) plays twice as many back-to-backs as LA

Heat at Lakers, 10 ET, ESPN | Preview

The Heat have won five of the last seven meetings with the Lakers since L.A. beat Miami in the 2020 Finals, including a one-point win earlier this season in Miami.

  • Advantage LA: Miami faces the ninth-hardest schedule (.520) in January, while L.A. has the 12th-easiest (.486). The Lakers have five more home games than road games, and face just one back-to-back, while the Heat have two

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