Nov. 28 Recap: Thunder Shock Best of the West, Rockets Soar, Orlando Lands Another Win

Jalen Suggs was enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving meal and made sure to save some room for seconds.

THE LINEUP

Nov. 28, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

West Duel & Hot Streaks: OKC & Golden State go down to the 

wire, Rockets & Magic stay sizzling

Thanksgiving Stuffing: Trae, Harden and Jokić cooked up Ws 

while stuffing the stat sheet

Marquee Wins Out West: Dallas grabs another dub, while the 

Lakers & Kings bounce back

14-Game Slate Roundup: Memphis, Indy & Brooklyn stay rolling, 

plus a standings update

Season Of Giving: How the NBA family made a difference off 

the floor this Thanksgiving

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A Black Friday special after a Thanksgiving Day breather…

After a day off on Thanksgiving to fill 

up on turkey and Wednesday’s highlights, the NBA returns with 10 

Emirates NBA Cup games on Black Friday

— marking the 

second-to-last day of Group Play.

Friday’s NBA Cup action tips off with a tripleheader on NBA TV

, starting at Noon ET. Then, an ESPN doubleheader headlines the 

evening slate as Anthony Edwards and the Wolves host James Harden 

and the Clippers (7:30 ET

), followed by a showdown between the Thunder and Lakers (10 ET

).

NBA League Pass Black Friday Sale: From now until Saturday, 

fans in the United States and Canada can get 50% off on a 

season-long subscription to NBA League Pass. Don’t miss the best 

deal of the season! Tap here for U.S. 

and here for Canada

. First time subscribers only.

Players Who Deserve More Thanks: For Thanksgiving, Shaun Powell 

is shouting out 10 players who deserve more props 

for their contributions to open the 2024-25 season.

1. BEST IN THE WEST BATTLE IN THE BAY, ROCKETS & MAGIC KEEP ROLLING

Thunder 105, Warriors 101: In a showdown between the top two 

teams out West, Buddy Hield and the Warriors — who were without 

Steph Curry — erased a 19-point deficit in the 1st half to take a 

three-point lead with 5:45 remaining in the 4th quarter.

But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sparked a late OKC burst with a 

pair of 3s, then hit two clutch free throws with 1.2 seconds left 

as the Thunder closed the game on a 12-5 run to edge out Golden 

State in the Bay. | Recap 

| Watch The Epic Ending 

Frantic Finish: The 4th quarter featured five lead changes

and four ties — a number which nearly increased to five on Andrew Wiggins’ contested layup in the final seconds

SGA, KD & Russ: Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points

, nine boards and five assists, marking his 50th 35+ point game with OKC. Only Kevin Durant (100) and Russell Westbrook (88) have more such games in a Thunder uniform

Stingy OKC: Jonathan Kuminga (19 pts) and Hield (17 pts) led

six Warriors in double figures, but OKC’s top-ranked defense held Golden State to a season-low 35.7% from the field

Rockets 122, 76ers 115 (OT): In a duel between two young stars

, Jalen Green erupted for a season-high 41 points while going 

back and forth with Tyrese Maxey (39 pts, 10 ast, career-high 5 

stl), who knocked down three game-tying free throws in regulation 

to force overtime.

But Houston outscored Philly 14-7 in OT thanks to Alperen 

Sengun’s 11 points, notching its ninth win in 11 games. | Recap 

| Watch The Dramatic Finish 

Not Just An Early-Season Spark: Houston — now 14-6 on the

year — has the third-best record in the NBA since March 1 of last season at 30-13, trailing only Boston (33-9) and OKC (30-11)

On The Rise: With the win and Golden State’s loss, Houston

jumps to second place in the West standings

Maxey Joins AI & McGinnis: Maxey is the third player in Sixers

history to record 35+ points, 10+ assists and 5+ steals in a game, joining Allen Iverson (4x) and George McGinnis (1x)

Magic 133, Bulls 119: Orlando can’t stop 

collecting dubs. Jalen Suggs finished with a career-high 31 

points, seven dimes and one drumstick, while Kentavious 

Caldwell-Pope tallied a season-high in points (24) and 3s (6) and 

Franz Wagner added 21 points to lead the Magic to their 10th win 

in their last 11 outings. | Recap 

The Magic have won four straight games and hold the No. 3 seed

in the East with a 13-7 record. With Cleveland’s loss, Orlando is the final team yet to lose on its home court, as the Magic improved to 9-0 last night

Winning With Defense: Orlando is allowing a league-best 102.9

ppg as well as the fewest second chance ppg at 10.5

2. FEASTING: TRAE, HARDEN & JOKIĆ STUFF THE STAT SHEET

Hawks 135, Cavaliers 124: Trae Young was feeling more than 

generous on Thanksgiving eve, as he dished out a career-high 22 

assists

 

— one shy of the Hawks’ all-time record — while adding 20 

points to hand Donovan Mitchell (30 pts, 7 ast) and the Cavs just 

their second loss this season. | Recap

Atlanta Answers: The Cavs jumped out to a 19-point lead in the

1st quarter, but Atlanta cut the deficit to three before the half and outscored Cleveland 74-60 in the final two quarters to get the win

History & Helpers: Young is the first player in Hawks history

to record multiple games of 20+ dimes (2) and it’s the second 20+ point, 20+ assist game of his career

No Longer Perfect In Cleveland: It’s the Cavs’ first home loss

of the season as they move to 10-1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and 17-2 overall

Clippers 121, Wizards 96: James Harden 

was unconscious in the 1st quarter, dropping 23 points on five 

3s on his way to a season-high in both points (43) and triples 

(7), plus seven helpers, as the Clips earned a wire-to-wire win 

over the Wizards. | Recap 

Harden Kobe: Harden finished the 1st half with 31 points

(11-15 FG), passing Kobe Bryant (28) for the most halves with 30+ points since 1997-98

Elite Clippers Company: Harden is just the fifth player in

Clippers franchise history to record 40+ points, 5+ assists and 5+ 3s in a game, joining Lou Williams (2x), Chris Paul, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard

Nuggets 122, Jazz 103: Did you expect anything less? Nikola 

Jokić (30 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast

) 

notched his fifth 30-point game in his last six outings while 

finishing three dimes shy of a triple-double, and the Nuggets led 

by double-digits the entire 2nd half in a win over Utah. | Recap

No Joke Numbers: In Jokić’s past six games, he’s tallied 186

points, 76 rebounds and 61 assists on 61.7% shooting

 The only other player in NBA history to record 185+ points, 75+

rebounds and 60+ assists in six games while shooting over 60%? Nikola Jokić (2022)

3. MARQUEE WINS OUT WEST: LAKERS, MAVS & KINGS GET DUBS

Lakers 119, Spurs 101: LeBron James posted his sixth 

triple-double of the season (16 pts, 10 reb, 11 ast) — trailing 

only Nikola Jokić for the most in the NBA — and six other Lakers 

scored in double figures as Los Angeles outpaced Victor 

Wembanyama (20 pts, 10 reb) and the Spurs. | Recap 

Streaks Snapped: The win halts a three-game slide for Los

Angeles (11-7) while ending San Antonio’s four-game win streak

Mavericks 129, Knicks 114: Jalen Brunson netted a game-high 37 points and seven assists against his former team, but the Mavs were too good top to bottom as Naji Marshall, Kyrie Irving, Quentin Grimes and Spencer Dinwiddie all scored 20+ to lead Dallas to a near wire-to-wire win. | Recap

Mavs Moving Up: Dallas — which was without Luka Dončić for a

fourth straight outing — has now won six of its last seven games to move to 11-8 for the No. 8 seed in the West

Marshall led the Mavs with 24 points and has now tallied four

straight 20+ point games for the first time in his career

Kings 115, Timberwolves 104: Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk 

poured in 27 points apiece, while De’Aaron Fox added 26 to help 

the Kings rally

 

from a 12-point deficit in the 4th quarter and steal one from 

Anthony Edwards (29 pts, 5 ast) and the Wolves. The win snaps 

Sacramento’s four-game skid. | Recap 

Wild West Shake-Up: After Wednesday’s action, the West standings 

continue to move with the Clippers, Nuggets, Mavericks and Kings 

all climbing at least one spot.

4. ROUNDUP: GRIZZ, PACERS, NETS STAY HOT & MORE

Grizzlies 131, Pistons 111: Make that four straight dubs for 

the Grizz. Marcus Smart (25 pts) led seven Memphis players in 

double-figures as the Grizzlies outscored Detroit 37-18 in the 

2nd quarter and never looked back to extend their win streak. | 

Recap

Pacers 121, Blazers 114: Tyrese Haliburton (28 pts, 10 ast, 5 

3s) was operating, while Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 29 

points as Indiana pulled away from Anfernee Simons (season-high 

30 pts, 6 3pm) and the Blazers for its third straight W. | Recap 

Nets 127, Suns 117: Devin Booker (31 pts) and Kevin Durant 

(30 pts) combined for 61 points, but it wasn’t enough to keep up 

with Brooklyn as Tyrese Martin scored a career-high 30 points on 

eight treys, and the Nets knocked down 18 triples to close their 

three-game West road trip with three wins. | Recap 

Heat 98, Hornets 94: LaMelo Ball turned in 32 points to help 

Charlotte rally from a 20-point deficit and take the lead with 42 

seconds left. But Tyler Herro (27 pts) responded with a go-ahead 

3 for Miami with 28.4 ticks remaining and then came up with a 

steal on the ensuing possession to help seal the win. | Recap 

Raptors 119, Pelicans 93: Ochai Agbaji and Jamison Battle scored 

24 points apiece and the Raptors never trailed in the 2nd half to 

beat the Pels in NOLA for their first road win of the season. 

Dejounte Murray finished with 14 points in his first game back 

since fracturing his left hand in New Orleans’ season-opener. | 

Recap

5. NBA FAMILY PROVIDES SUPPORT IN SEASON OF GIVING

As part of the NBA Cares Season of Giving, the NBA family is 

going beyond the hardwood to make a difference for thousands of 

fans and families this Thanksgiving.

From distributing turkeys to hosting meals and events, players, 

coaches and staff have rolled up their sleeves to give back, 

reminding us all of the impact hoops can have off the court and 

in the community.

Below are just a few highlights of how teams are bringing smiles 

and Thanksgiving Day essentials to those who need them most.

The Heat hosted their 33rd annual Thanksgiving celebration 

at the Miami Rescue Mission to provide meals for hundreds of

underprivileged families.

Bam Adebayo: “We’re giving out plates to the community … They 

come to watch us play, and we can do the little things by giving 

them meals … For us, it’s just giving those little things back.”

The Pacers held their 27th Annual Come To Our House 

Thanksgiving dinner

 

for the Indianapolis community, welcoming more than 700 

Hoosiers experiencing homelessness for a warm holiday meal.

Tyrese Haliburton: “A big part of me growing up is my family

always preached giving back and doing whatever you can to give back to the community that supports you.”

The Timberwolves held their annual Holiday Shopping event

, where each player was paired with a child from A Mother’s Love 

initiative for a shopping spree at Target.

The Pistons served over 500 Metro Detroit families 

with turkeys and essential non-perishable items. Tobias Harris 

and Tim Hardaway Jr. contributed to cover the costs of Kroger 

turkeys and Feed the Children items.

The Mavericks held their 15th annual Turkey Drive

, giving out Thanksgiving meals to those in need in DFW.

The Lakers were recently out spreading holiday cheer and 

serving Thanksgiving dinner 

to local students from Crete Academy.

Check out NBA Cares on Instagram

or X

to see more players and 

teams making a difference in their communities. Happy 

Thanksgiving!