Top Stories from Nov. 18: Cleveland's Historic Streak, Harden's Record-Breaking Moment & Randle's Buzzer Beater

Are you not entertained?! Once again, I have secured victory with a game-winning shot at the buzzer. Another day, another thrilling finish.

THE LINEUP

Nov. 18, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

15-0! The Cavs just became the 4th NBA team to start a season at 15-0 … with a big showdown coming Tuesday

Big Nights For Beard, Randle, KAT: Harden’s milestone, Randle’s winner, KAT’s marquee MSG performance

Sunday Roundup: Win streaks, triple-double galore and young stars shining bright

Weekend Rewind: De’Aaron Fox did what?! Plus, more game-winners and Cup drama

Mark Your Calendars: This week’s marquee matchups that you absolutely cannot miss

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Monday means more hoops…

Eight games tip off tonight, headlined by a star-studded doubleheader on NBA TV, beginning with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks hosting the red-hot Rockets (8 ET). Then, the league’s top two all-time 3-point leaders, Steph Curry and James Harden, face off in a Warriors vs. Clippers clash (10:30 ET).

1. 15-0! CAVS MAKE HISTORY, WITH CELTICS WAITING TUESDAY

Fifteen games. Fifteen wins. One historic start — only seen three times before.

Cavaliers 128, Hornets 114: With Donovan Mitchell out, Darius Garland led the Cavs with 25 points and 12 dimes, while Ty Jerome matched his career-high in both points (24) and assists (8) to lead the Cavs to a near wire-to-wire win over the Hornets to improve to 15-0. | Recap

Balance & Control: Evan Mobley (23 pts, 11 reb) and Jarrett Allen (21 pts, 15 reb) added double-doubles for the Cavs, who only trailed for 17 seconds early in the 1st quarterClosing Time:

Led by LaMelo Ball’s game-high 31 points and 12 assists, the Hornets made it a three-point game entering the 4th quarter, but Cleveland outscored Charlotte 26-15 in the final frame to seal the win

The Cavs are just the fourth team to open a season 15-0, matching the second-best start in NBA history.

2015-16 Golden State Warriors: Started 24-01993-94 Houston Rockets: Started 15-01948-49 Washington Capitols: Started 15-02024-25 Cleveland Cavaliers:

15-0

All three previous teams made the Finals that season, while the ‘93-94 Rockets were the one club to win it all.

Up next? The defending champ Celtics on Tuesday, in an Emirates NBA Cup showdown at 7 ET on TNT. Head to section 5 for more.

2. BEARD MOVES TO NO. 2 ALL-TIME, RANDLE CALLS GAME, KAT SHOWS OUT

For reference, hitting 2,975 3-pointers at a 36% clip would take nearly an entire earth day. Twenty-three hours of nonstop shooting, if you were to take one attempt every 10 seconds.

James Harden has spread those 2,975 across a dazzling career — one of stepbacks, swishes and signature moments — and on Sunday, put himself in a class of 2.

Harden just added another milestone, surpassing Ray Allen (2,973) for second on the NBA’s all-time 3-point list with a pair of triples to go along with 20 points and 11 assists in a 116-105 win over the Jazz. | Recap

The Moment: Entering the night tied with Allen at 2,973 career 3s, Harden wasted no time making history, which came on his second attempt with 6:09 left in the 1st quarterA subtle dribble, jab and pop — like so many of his moves that have tormented defenders for over a decade — ended in a record-breaking splashThe Top 3 Of 3s: While Allen used 1,300 games to make his 2,973 triples, Harden passed him in 1,086 games and now stands alone at No. 2 all-time behind Steph Curry, who has made 3,782 3s“It’s an unbelievable accomplishment,”

Harden said postgame. “Just a testament to the amount of work I’ve been putting in … I never want to take it for granted.”

Harden’s game isn’t defined by just the 3. The Beard is also No. 14 on the NBA’s all-time assist list (7,748) and 19th in points (26,174).

The only other player who ranks in the top 20 in all-time points, assists and 3s? LeBron JamesUnprecedented Playmaker:

Harden is the only player in NBA history with 2,500+ career 3s and 7,000+ dimes and has the most games of 5+ 3s and 10+ helpers

Full Circle Moment: In October 2009, Kevin Durant assisted Harden on his first career triple while playing together for OKC. On Sunday, Durant relived the moment before congratulating his former teammate on his record achievement.

KD To Harden: “All the work that you’ve put in has paid off. You inspire so many people around the world with how you play … I love you, brother.”“He said all that?”

Harden replied with a smile

In a 2024 Playoff rematch that seemingly had it all, it was a new face who delivered a statement performance and the deciding shot.

Timberwolves 120, Suns 117: With Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal sidelined, Devin Booker cooked up a season-high 44 points, including 27 in the 1st half to help Phoenix build a 16-point lead.

But Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards willed the Wolves back. And with the score tied at 117 and Minnesota inbounding the ball with 2.7 seconds left, the rock found Randle, who shook a defender at the top of the arc, rose up and drained a game-winning 3 at the buzzer. | Recap | Relive The Epic Ending

New Wolf Leads The Way: Randle, who was traded to Minnesota by New York in October, finished with a season-high 35 points, seven assists and five 3sAnt Turns It Up: Edwards had 20 of his 24 points in the 2nd half, and the Wolves finished the game on a 16-5 run after trailing by eight with 4:12 to playRandle On His 3rd Career Game-Winner:

“Coach trusted me and put me in a position to make a play, and I came through for the team.”

Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns — Randle’s big-man counterpart in the trade between the Wolves and Knicks — also put on a show in his new home arena.

Knicks 114, Nets 104: After missing Friday’s “Battle of the Borough,” Towns was a force in Round 2, registering 26 points, 15 boards and six assists, while OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart all scored 20+ to power the Knicks past Cameron Johnson (22 pts, 5 ast) and the Nets for the second time in three days. | Recap

New KAT On The Block: Amid the win, Towns joined Willis Reed as the only players in Knicks franchise history to total 300+ points and 140+ rebounds through the first 12 games of a seasonOG On KAT:

“He’s a monster down there. He can do everything. He’s a special player, and we love having him.”

3. SUNDAY ROUNDUP: WIN STREAKS & YOUNG STARS SHINE

Rockets 143, Bulls 107: Houston, we have a win streak. Fred VanVleet turned in a season-high 28 points, and Alperen Sengun notched 20 points, 11 boards and 11 dimes for back-to-back triple-doubles as the Rockets raced past Zach LaVine (15 pts) and the Bulls for their fifth-straight dub. | Recap

Sengun The Beard: Sengun is the first Rocket to post consecutive triple-doubles since James Harden in Jan. 2020

Blazers 114, Hawks 110: With Trae Young (29 pts, 8 ast, 5 3s) and the Hawks making a late push, Shaedon Sharpe buried the Blazers’ last 11 points on his way to a game-high 32 to stave off Atlanta, marking Portland’s third win in a row. | Recap

Looking Sharpe: Following his 33-point performance over the Wolves on Wednesday, Sharpe (21y, 171d) became the youngest player in Blazers history to tally back-to-back 30-point games

Mavericks 121, Thunder 119: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 36 points along with eight helpers, but it wasn’t enough to top the Mavs, as P.J. Washington went off for 27 points, a career-high 17 boards and three 3s to help Dallas stave off OKC, despite being without Luka Dončić. | Recap | Watch The Final 2:20

PJ’s Dominant Day: Washington joined Dirk Nowitzki (10), Dončić (9), Kristaps Porzingis (4) and Josh Howard as the only Mavs to total 25+ pts, 15+ reb and 3+ 3s in a game

Pacers 119, Heat 110: After falling to Miami in NBA Cup Group Play on Friday, the Pacers responded with a wire-to-wire win in Sunday’s rematch, led by Myles Turner’s season-high 34 points and 20-pieces from Pascal Siakam (23 pts) and Bennedict Mathurin (21 pts). | Recap

Pistons 124, Wizards 104: Cade Cunningham entered the 2024-25 campaign with two career triple-doubles. On Sunday, he notched his fourth of the season with 21 points, 10 boards and 10 dimes to lead the Pistons past the Wizards for Detroit’s third win in four games. | Recap

Cade Catching Fire: All four of Cunningham’s triple-doubles have come in the last two weeks, and with six in his career, he passes Isiah Thomas (5) for the second-most in Pistons franchise history

Grizzlies 105, Nuggets 90: Jaren Jackson Jr. led 11 Memphis scorers with 20 points along with six boards and three blocks, and the Grizzlies never trailed in the 2nd half to pull away from Jamal Murray (13 pts, 7 ast) and the Nuggets, who were without Nikola Jokić for a second straight game. | Recap

4. WEEKEND REWIND: FOX DAZZLES, LEBRON STAYS HOT & MORE

Sunday capped a historic weekend in the NBA. Catch up on the marquee moments from Friday and Saturday below in under two minutes.

Fox’s Historic Heater: After scoring a career-high 60 points — the most by any player this season — on Friday, De’Aaron Fox picked up right where he left off on Saturday, dropping 49 to lead the Kings to a win over Utah.

Fox’s 109 points over Friday and Saturday are the second-most over two consecutive days in the last 50 seasons, trailing only Kobe Bryant’s 110 points in back-to-back days of March 2007.

LeBron & The Lakers Remain Red-Hot: One night after becoming the oldest player in NBA history to record four straight triple-doubles, LeBron James delivered a dagger 3 against New Orleans on Saturday to punctuate Los Angeles’ fifth straight dub.

Tatum At The Buzzer: Speaking of dagger 3s, Jayson Tatum said goodnight from Boston on Saturday by splashing a stepback triple at the buzzer to lift the C’s over the Raptors in an OT thriller.

Brunson Ends Battle Of The Burrough: The second night of the Emirates NBA Cup on Friday produced a handful of epic finishes, highlighted by a classic at MSG between the Knicks and the Nets, where Jalen Brunson’s go-ahead 3 with 6.2 ticks left gave New York its first of two wins over Brooklyn this weekend.

5. WHAT’S NEXT: GAMES YOU CAN’T MISS & A STACKED MONDAY SLATE

Mark your calendars because this week boasts a slew of marquee matchups highlighted by a marquee, heavyweight, circle-the-date showdown between the undefeated Cavs and the reigning NBA champs on Tuesday, which opens Week 2 of the Emirates NBA Cup.

Cavaliers at Celtics (Tuesday, 7 ET, TNT): In a must-see NBA Cup clash featuring the top two teams in the East, the 15-0 Cavs will take on the 11-3 Celtics at TD Garden, where Boston ended Cleveland’s season in Game 5 of the 2024 East Semifinals. Now on a record win streak, can the Cavs avenge their Playoff exit, or will the C’s halt their historic run?

Knicks at Suns (Wednesday, 10 ET, ESPN): Nobody has won or played in more clutch games this season than Phoenix, which holds a 7-3 clutch record. But the Knicks have played in seven clutch outings themselves, and as he proved Friday, Jalen Brunson is no stranger to closing. Could we get another down-to-the-wire finish on Wednesday?

Magic at Lakers (Thursday, 10:30 ET, LP): Both entering the week on a five-game win streak, the Magic and Lakers will face each other this Thursday at Crypto.com arena, where Los Angeles is 6-0. The matchup also features the league’s second-leading scorer, Anthony Davis (31.1 ppg), against the league’s second-ranked defense, as Orlando is allowing just 102.4 ppg.

Mavericks at Nuggets (Friday, 10 ET, ESPN): Eight days ago, Kyrie Irving (43 pts) and Luka Dončić (24) combined for 67 points against Denver, but the Nuggets picked up a 122-120 win behind Nikola Jokic’s monster triple-double (37 pts, 18 reb, 15 ast). Will we see another sizzling stat sheet on Friday?

But first, Monday delivers a stacked eight-game slate. On NBA TV, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will host Alperen Sengun and the Rockets (8 ET), before a 3-point party between Steph Curry and the Warriors and James Harden and the Clippers (10:30 ET).

Six more games get underway on NBA League Pass.

Bulls at Pistons (7 ET)76ers at Heat (7:30 ET)Wizards at Knicks (7:30 ET)Pacers at Raptors (7:30 ET)Magic at Suns (9 ET, LP)Hawks at Kings

(10 ET, LP)