Image Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

NBA Daily Recap, January 03 – LeBron scripts history, Wemba steals win from Jokic and more

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

Image Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Here’s the NBA Daily Recap for Jan. 03, 2025, where we witnessed nine matchups. It was a cracking day where top teams faced off each other like the Thunder and Knicks who were on a season’s best winning streaks. Players like Nikola Jokic, Derrick White, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, LeBron James and Evan Mobley delivered top-class performances. Jalen Suggs also got injured in Orlando’s game.

From Malik Monk coming up with clutch buckets for the Kings to LeBron James surpassing Michael Jorden in Lakers’ win, let’s go through the key highlights from the NBA action on Friday night.

Rockets 86-109 Celtics

Boston Celtics squeezed past the Houston Rockets for their third straight win. Derrick White scored 23 points while Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard had 20 apiece. Jalen Green finished with 27 points for the Rockets, who lost third in four games.

Boston had a 10-point lead heading into the final quarter and scored 11 points in a row to take a 93-72 lead with four and a half minutes to play. Rockets fought hard but they couldn’t cross the line. Porzingis finished with 11 points and five rebounds on his return.

Thunder 117-107 Knicks

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander highlighted a 33-point performance to help the the Oklahoma City Thunder extend their winning streak to 14 games, one win away to tie with Caves’ season’s best winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 20 points and Aaron Wiggins chipped in with 15 of his 19 points in the final frame. Oklahoma City cut an 8-point deficit after outscoring the Knicks 39-19 in the final quarter.

Isaiah Hartenstein had four points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists against his former team. Mikal Bridges finished with 24 points for New York, who snapped their season-best nine-game winning streak. Karl-Anthony Towns added 17 points and a season-high 22 rebounds while Jalen Brunson had 22. OG Anunoby scored 20 points and Josh Hart added 19.

Down 5 with 6 minutes to play and their win streak in jeopardy…

The @okcthunder came STORMING back to win their 14th in a row!

Watch their late-game run 👇 pic.twitter.com/OuBzeXC0xA
— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2025

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Mavericks 122-134 Cavaliers

Evan Mobley dropped a double-double with 34 points and 10 rebounds as the NBA-leading Caves secured their ninth straight win after beating injury-hit Dallas Mavericks. The Caves are now 10-0 against the West and 4-0 in a four-game road trip. Caris LeVert added 17 points off the bench for the Caves.

The Mavericks, who lost their fourth straight game, played without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving due to injuries. Quentin Grimes scored 26 points for Dallas, including 20 in the third quarter. Jaden Hardy chipped in with 17 off the bench and Klay Thompson added 16. Caves flipped a four-point deficit to 16-point lead with a 20-point run in the first half.

Nuggets 110-113 Spurs

Wembanyama scored 35 points and 18 rebounds to help Spurs snatching a nail-biting win against Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic, who fell just short of his 15th triple-double, scored 41 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists. Porter scored 22 points and Jamal Murray chipped in with 14 points for Nuggets, who halted their three-game winning streak.

Spurs had a one-point lead with 17 seconds to play and Nuggets got a golden chance to win. Jokic tried to pass to a teammate but Wembanyama stole it with 4 seconds left and Devin Vassell made a game-winning dunk. Denver had one more chance to tie the game but he missed a 34-footer at the buzzer. Spurs’ two reserves, Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie scored in double-figures.

Lakers 119-102 Hawks

LeBron James became the NBA’s career leader in 30-point games to surpass Michael Jordan in Lakers’ stunning win over Hawks. It was his 563rd 30-point game of his career. Lakers end their four-game homestand with 3-1 and moved into fourth place in the Western Conference with seven win out of last nine.

Congrats to @KingJames of the @Lakers for moving into 4th all-time in GAMES PLAYED! pic.twitter.com/YzlIzmwRfn
— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2025

Anthony Davis had 18 points and 19 rebounds after returning from ankle injury while Austin Reaves added 20. Trae Young again led the Hawks with 33 points and nine assists. Jalen Johnson added 19 points. Atlanta dropped their second straight in their six-game road trip. Bronny James appeared for the Lakers for the first time since Dec 8 but he was in action for the final 1:41 minutes.

Other results

Pistons 98-94 Hornets

Raptors 97-106 Magic

Pelicans 132-120 Wizards

Kings 138-133 Grizzlies

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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.