Two of the NBA’s most viral players met in Memphis on Tuesday.
And Ja and Wemby showed.
THE LINEUP π
- π Must see: Ja vs Wemby
- βοΈ OKC continues hot streak
- πΊ OG vs. DeMar in New York on ABC
- πΈ Iconic Bulls/Knicks at MSG pics
- πͺ Schedule preview power
πΊ Bulls at Knicks (8:30 ET, ABC): The new Knicks host the Bulls for the first of five consecutive Wednesdays in January with NBA primetime games on ABC. π€ Mic’d Up: DeMar DeRozan
πΊ Heat at Lakers (10 ET, ESPN): After winning their first NBA Cup, the Lakers finished 2023 with a 3-8 record. They will look to start 2024 by hosting the Heat in a rematch of the 2020 Finals.
1. MUST SEE FROM TUESDAY
Yes π Wemby
- The Dunk: We gave you the GIF. Here it is full video. here you go the slo-mo. And that’s not all…
- The Layup: Ja with crossover, altitude, hangtime, double pump at the left end
- Right place right time: The deflection somehow ended up in Wemby’s hands and he did the rest with one monster dunk. We have slo-mo for itvery
- The Runner 3?!: Wemby pulled for the three-pointer with one foot. The clock wasn’t about to expire. He just did. And he succeeded.
π° The Dime Bros?
π« Block Party
- Rookie Spike: Chet Holmgren had four blocks in OKC’s win over Boston, including this emphatic rejection to Jason Tatum
- Right on time: Jaden Springer made a late appearance in this highlight as he flew out of nowhere for the two-handed chase block
ποΈ Slow It Down
- BI with the handles: Brandon Ingram’s rotation movement it looks even smoother in slow motion
- Ghost Ja: Let’s finish where we started five of the best high-def slo-mo shot of Ja Morant against the Spurs
2. EDIT: OKC CONTINUES HOT STRIKE
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (36 points, 7 assists) leads Thunder past Celtics for 5th straight win.
βοΈ Thunder 127, Celtics 123
π OKC 23-9, BOS 26-7 | to 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 streak of taking down elite teams in the NBA.
OKC won its fifth straight and eighth in the last nine games. During this journey, they have:
- He beat the defending champion Nuggets twice
- Snapped the Clippers’ nine-game winning streak
- Beat the West-leading Wolves by 23
- Beat the NBA-leading Celtics to open 2024
SGA β who was ranked fourth in the final 2023 Kia MVP Ladder β was showered with “MVP” 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 db) and Jayson Tatum (30 pts, 13 reb, 8 ast) combined for 64 points for Boston, which had its six-game winning streak snapped.
π Sixers 110, Bulls 97
π PHI 23-10, CHI 15-20 | to recap
Joel Embiid (31 pts, 15 reb, 10 ast) posted his second triple-double of the season (in just three quarters) on his return from a four game absence lead Philly to a wire-to-wire victory.
- With five career 30+ point triple-doublesEmbiid passes Charles Barkley for second in Sixers history behind Wilt Chamberlain (15)
- Embiid extended his streak from 30/10 games to 14 games. Only Kareem (16 games) and Wilt (seven streaks, longest 65) had longer streaks in NBA history
π Warriors 121, Magic 115
π GSW 16-17, ORL 19-14 | to recap
Steph Curry was coming off a three-game stretch of averaging 18.7 points on 31.1% shooting to close out 2023. opened 2024 with 36 points on 12-20 shooting (60%), including four 3s. Check out his reaction to the last 3 of the evening as the Warriors held off the Magic
π Hornets 111, Kings 104
π CHA 8-24, SAC 19-13 | to recap
Terry Rozier scored 14 of his own game high 34 points in the fourth quarter as the Hornets rolled past the Kings to end an 11-game losing streak. Miles Bridges added 27 points for Charlotte, who closed the game 17-4
π» Grizzlies 106, Spurs 98
π MEM 11-22, SAS 5-28 | to recap
Ja Morant (26 points, 10 ast) and Desmond Bain (24 points) scored 50 points to help the Grizzlies snap a three-game losing streak. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 20 points, seven boards and four squares
βοΈ Pelicans 112, Nets 85
π NOP 20-14, BKN 15-19 | to recap
CJ McCollum (16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) led seven Pelicans in double figures in a wire-to-wire victory over the Nets. This was New Orleans’ sixth 20+ point win, tied for the second most in the NBA
3. OG & DEMAR: FROM ALLIES TO OPPONENTS
OG Anunoby has developed into one of the top defenders in the NBA. And DeMar DeRozan knows why.
Before the two meet tonight when the Knicks host the Bulls (8:30 ET, ABC), let’s go back to the 2017-18 season for the OG’s rookie season and DeMar’s final season in Toronto.
- π£οΈDeMar at 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 with me kicking him in practice every day.”
After all those workouts 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 is in his third season.
- Head to head: DeMar and OG have faced each other 14 times on Wednesday. The record is 7-7 overall and 4-4 over the last three seasons since DeRozan returned to the East
- OG defends DeMar: In nearly 52 minutes of defensive play, Anunoby held DeRozan to 38 total points on 11-32 (34.4%) shooting. DeRozan has 10 assists but forced eight turnovers. OG committed 10 foul shots, giving DeMar 16 of those 38 points at the free throw line
With Zach LaVine sidelined and unknowns for Patrick Williams and Coby White, who both left Tuesday with ankle injuries, the onus 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 EFFECTIVE SCHEDULE
One of the biggest games of the night β the No. 1 vs. No. 6 team in the West, between two teams that are exceeding expectations β sees the Timberwolves & Pelicans (8 ET, NBA App) looking at two different Januarys.
- Different paths: The Wolves head into the first month of 2024 facing teams with the sixth-lowest opponent winning percentage (.467). Meanwhile, the Pelicans, winners of 8 of 11, now face the toughest power of schedule next month (.582), at John Schuhmann’s ranking
On Wednesday 12 gameswith All-Star 2024 just six weeks away, what do the roads look like ahead for some of the league’s top teams?
π 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 lens of program power, 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 winning percentage), while the Pacers are sixth in the East and have both the second-toughest schedule (.570) and busiest schedule (17 games) in the league
π Thunder at Hawks, 7:30 ET | Preview
This is a match between two teams moving in opposite directions. OKC has won eight of their last nine games, while Atlanta has lost four of their last five. Will their plans for January change those fortunes?
- House vs. Street: OKC will be tested this month with the most home games (11) and most back-to-backs (5) in the league. Meanwhile, Atlanta is one of five teams with 10+ home games in January
π 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 winning streaks alive.
- Similar paths: The Suns (.510) and Clippers (.519) face opponents with nearly identical winning percentages. Both teams have nine away games in January. The only major difference is that Phoenix (4) plays twice as many back-to-backs as LA
π Heat at Lakers, 10 ET, ESPN | Preview
The Heat have won five of the last seven meetings with the Lakers since Los Angeles beat Miami in the 2020 Finals, including a one-point victory earlier this season in Miami.
- Advantage LA: Miami faces the ninth-toughest schedule (.520) in January, while LA has the 12th-easiest (.486). The Lakers have five more home games than their home games, and face just one back-to-back, while the Heat have two