Image Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

NBA Daily Recap, December 16 – Nuggets’ thrilling win, James Harden show & more

Let's take a look at what happened on Monday in the NBA.

Image Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Here’s the NBA Daily Recap for Dec. 16, 2024, where we witnessed six matchups. Ahead of the NBA Cup Championship game, fans had a great dose of entertainment in the regular season. Three matches out of six had a winning margin of just one point.

From Jamal Murray nailing the winning jumper for Denver to an overtime thriller between the Pistons and Heat, let’s go through the key highlights from the NBA action on Monday night.

Hornets 108-121 76ers

Philadelphia spoiled LaMelo Ball’s return with a convincing win over the Hornets, fueled by a combined 73-point performance from Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. Maxey had 40 points, Paul George added 33 and Kelly Oubre Jr. chipped in with 19 points for the Sixers, who won their fourth straight game on the road.

Tyrese Maxey and Paul George go OFF for a combined 73 PTS in the @sixers win!

🔥 Maxey: 40p, 5a, 5r, 4s, 6 threes
🔥 PG: 33p, 8a, 5r, 2s, 6 threes, 13-20 shooting pic.twitter.com/YCJD45Qols
— NBA (@NBA) December 17, 2024

Pistons 125-124 Heat

Detroit Pistons held the nerves in the overtime to snatch a one-point victory against the Miami Heat. Cade Cunningham posted his sixth triple-double of the season, scoring 20 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-high 18 assists. Malik Beasley added 28 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 16 points.

Jimmy Butler led with Heat with 35 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists. Miami was 16 points behind the Pistons heading to the fourth quarter but an 18-2 run in the end allowed them to level the score at buzzer.

Tim Hardaway Jr. hit two 3-pointers to help Detroit lead 122-120 with 1:35 left in OT. Tyler Herro missed a three-pointer at the buzzer and Miami ended their four-game winning streak.

Cade Cunningham's triple-double and Malik Beasley's 7 threes propel the @DetroitPistons to the OT win!

Cade: 20 PTS, 18 AST (career high), 11 REB
Malik: 28 PTS (9-18 FGM), 4 AST, 7 3PM pic.twitter.com/je6dDzgiCi
— NBA (@NBA) December 17, 2024

Raptors 121-122 Bulls

Chicago Bulls managed to beat the Toronto Raptors in a nail-biting finish. Nikola Vucevic added 24 points, and Coby White had 19 for the Bulls to secure their fourth win in six games. Talen Horton-Tucker added 15 points and Ayo Dosunmu chipped in 12.

Josh Giddey had 11 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in 24 minutes before sustaining an ankle injury. The Raptors added a fourth-quarter comeback from a 16-point deficit but suffered a fifth straight loss. RJ Barrett led Toronto with 32 points and Gradey Dick added 27.

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Nets 101-130 Cavaliers

Cavaliers continued their dream run of form to win their second straight and sixth in the last seven games. Kenny Atkinson returned as a head coach to Brooklyn and his side dropped the game’s first seven points. However, Caves replied with a 32-5 run to set the momentum. The Caves have now scored at least 130 points in seven games.

Evan Mobley scored 21 points, and Caris LeVert added 19 for the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell scored 18 points while Georges Niang chipped in 17 points and nine rebounds. Cameron Johnson was the top performer for the Nets with 22 points. Day’Ron Sharpe contributed 15 points and seven rebounds for Brooklyn, who dropped their third straight game.

Kings 129-130 Nuggets

Nikola Jokic scored his 10th triple-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists to help the Denver Nuggets beat the Sacramento Kings in one of the best thrillers of the season. Domantas Sabonis led the Kings with 28 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. De’Aaron Fox added 29 points and seven assists while Malik Monk chipped in 25.

Jamal Murray added 28 points, and Russell Westbrook scored 18 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists for the Nuggets. The former made a match-winning 16-foot jumper with 8.6 seconds remaining after a baseline dunk from DeMar DeRozan. It ended Sacramento Kings’ three-game winning streak and they fell to 13-14 in the West.

Clippers 144-107 Jazz

James Harden highlighted a 41-point performance, including 24 in the first quarter to lead a dominating win for the Clippers over the struggling Utah Jazz. With this win, the Clippers ended a three-game losing streak.

Norman Powell scored 29 points, while Ivica Zubac chipped in 19 points and 12 rebounds to reach a season-high scoring total. Amir Coffey had 16 points for the LA Clippers. Los Angeles had a 34-point advantage at halftime. Jordan Clarkson paced Utah with 20 points, while Lauri Markkanen added 17. With a third straight loss, Jazz dropped to 5-20 in the West.

Image Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.