Image Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

NBA Daily Recap, January 17 – Lakers edge out Nets, Nuggets spoils Butler’s return and more

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

Image Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Here’s the NBA Daily Recap for Jan. 17, 2025, where we witnessed nine matchups. Jimmy Butler made his return from the suspension and the Lakers ended their homestand amid LA wildfires.

It was one of the high-scoring days in the regular season. We saw some top-class performances from Jayson Tatum, Jamal Murray, Nikola Vucevic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Austin Reaves.

From D’Angelo Russell missing a winning shot against his former team to Thunder felling short against Maves without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, let’s go through the key highlights from the NBA action on Friday.

Celtics 121-94 Magic

Jayson Tatum scored 30 points to guide the Boston Celtics to overcome the Orlando Magic. The Celtics had a 12-point advantage after the first half and their excellent shooting helped them to rout Orlando. Kristaps Porzingis chipped in with 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting while Jaylen Brown added 20. Cole Anthony was the top performer for the Magic with 23 points, and Paolo Banchero had 21. Orlando suffered a combined 56-point blowout loss on a two-game road-trip.

Cooper Flagg pulled up to Magic-Celtics 🍿 pic.twitter.com/nTfmoax47p
— ESPN (@espn) January 18, 2025

Knicks 99-116 Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards continued his excellent run with 36 points and a season-high 13 rebounds to help the Minnesota Timberwolves overcome the New York Knicks, who dropped the fourth game at home out of the last six. Naz Reid scored 23 points and eight rebounds for Minnesota, who matched their season-best with 22 3-pointers. Julius Randle had seven rebounds and six assists during his first game in New York. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 26 points. OG Anunoby and Cam Payne added 18 apiece.

Pelicans 136-123 Jazz

New Orleans Pelicans Squeezed past Utah Jazz in the first of the two-game series set. Zion Williamson scored 24 points and 14 rebounds while CJ McCollum added 26 points. Jose Alvarado and Trey Murphy III each scored 19 points for the Pelicans, who won their third straight game. Keyonte George paced the Jazz with 26 points and Collin Sexton added 24. Utah now have the fewest victories in the Western Conference.

Bulls 123-125 Hornets

Charlotte Hornets held the nerves against the Chicago Bulls to win second straight game for just the second time this season. LaMelo Ball scored 26 points, and Miles Bridges contributed 21 in the win. Mark Williams highlighted a 19-point and 19-rebound performance for Brandon Miller-less Hornets. Nikola Vucevic led all the scorers with 40 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter but the Bulls lost a season-high fourth straight game. Zach Lavine added 19 points and Coby White chipped in with 18.

Heat 113-133 Nuggets

Denver Nuggets spoiled the return of Jimmy Butler, who came after the seven-game suspension. Jamal Murray scored 30 points, and Nikola Jokic posted his 17th triple-double of the season. Jokic finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Aaron Gordon contributed 16 for Denver, who won the fifth straight game on the road. Tyler Herro led Miami with 22 points and Butler had 18 on his return. Bam Adebayo chipped in with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Nikola Jovic had 16 points.

JOKIC NO-LOOK DIME BEHIND HIS HEAD 😱 pic.twitter.com/TS5SCHkzMB
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 18, 2025

Bucks 130-112 Raptors

Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his 12th straight double-double to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to an 18-point victory over the Toronto Raptors. Damian Lillard finished with 26 points and eight assists. Bobby Portis added 15 and Khris Middleton chipped in with 13 points off the bench for the Bucks, who made a series sweep over Toronto. RJ Barrett paced the Raptors with 21 points and 10 assists while Bruce Brown added 17. It was a first loss for the Raptors after beating the Warriors and Celtics at home.

Mavericks 106-98 Thunder

Short-handed Mavericks surprised the Oklahoma City Thunder and snapped a three-game losing skid. Kyrie Irving scored 25 points, while Spencer Dinwiddie and P.J. Washington Jr. added 16 apiece. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed his first game of the season. Oklahoma City’s all five starters scored in double-figure. Mavericks outscored Thunder 41-17 in the second quarter to take full control of the game. Despite a 33-14 comeback in the third, the Thunder fell short and halted a four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 19 points and Lu Dort had 18 for the Thunder.

KYRIE SILKY IN-AND-OUT DRIBBLE 🤤🤤 pic.twitter.com/NoaULUXlwT
— NBA (@NBA) January 18, 2025

Spurs 112-140 Grizzlies

San Antonio suffered their largest losing margin of the season as the Memphis Grizzlies routed the Spurs 140-112. Desmond Bane finished with 22 points and 14 assists, while Jaylen Wells chipped in with 22. Memphis made a sweep in the two-game set in Antonio and ended a four-game road trip with 3-1. Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 21 points while Stephon Castle contributed 20. Victor Wembanyama finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Ja Morant will not earn any All-NBA honors this season due to a foot injury.

Lakers 102-101 Nets

Los Angeles Lakers escaped a narrow loss as D’Angelo Russell missed a three-point shot before the buzzer against his former team. The Nets star scored 19 off the bench on his return to LA since the trade. Austin Reaves scored a career-high 38 points for the Lakers, who ended a three-game homestand with 2-1. LeBron James finished with 29 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Ziaire Williams and Tosan Evbuomwan scored 15 points apiece for the Nets. Brooklyn entered this game following a 59-point blowout loss to the Clippers.

Image Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-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.