Let's take a look at what happened on Thursday in the NBA.
Here’s the NBA Daily Recap for Jan. 23, 2025, where we witnessed nine matchups including one game in Paris. The Bucks-Heat game was delayed due to snowstorm in New Orleans and Nikola Jokic produced a classic play during a record-breaking night.
From Victor Wembanyama and Spurs kicking off NBA Paris games with a win to Trail Blazers spoiling the return of Franz Wagner, let’s go through the key highlights from the NBA action on Thursday.
San Antonio Spurs snapped a three-game losing streak with a 30-point blowout win over Indiana Pacers in the first of two NBA Paris games. Victor Wembanyama scored 30 points in his first NBA game in Paris. He also tallied 11 rebounds, six assists and five blocks after getting a warm reception from the crowd.
Devin Vassell scored 25 points and Harrison Barnes added 20 for San Antonio. Bennedict Mathurin scored 24 points for the Pacers, who had won eight of its last nine games. Pascal Siakam finished with 18 points while Myles Turner scored 14 in the loss.
Portland Trail Blazers spoiled the return of Franz Wagner, who missed out 20 games due to injury. The German forward scored a team-high 20 points but Orlando faced a 22-point loss. Anfernee Simons scored 21 points and Toumani Canara had 16 points and six rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who extended their winning streak to three.
Tristan Da Silva scored 16 points off the bench and Paolo Banchero had eight points and nine rebounds. Magic committed 20 turnovers in the game and they are 2-8 in their last 10 games. Orlando were sitting third in the West when Wagner got injured.
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Scottie Barnes dropped a clutch basket in the final minute to script a close win for the Raptors against the Atlanta Hawks in opener of a two-game series. The 23-year-old finished with 25 points and Toronto won their fourth of five games. Bruce Brown chipped in 18 points, while Jacob Poeltl and Chris Boucher each had 17 in the win.
Atlanta had a chance to take the game into overtime but Onekya Okongwu missed a 3-pointer at buzzer. Bogdan Bogdanovic led Atlanta with 23 points off the bench. Dyson Daniels had 22 points, and eight rebounds. It was the third straight loss for the Hawks.
Oklahoma City failed to solve the Dallas-puzzle even in their third attempt as Mavericks clinched the season-series against the West-leading Thunder. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 28 points while P.J. Washington added 22 points and 19 rebounds. Kyrie Irving contributed 24 points for the Mavericks, who are 3-0 against the OKC in the regular season.
Jalen Williams paced the Thunder with a game-high 33 points. After earning the All-Star selection, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 31 points, including 16 in the fourth. Oklahoma City dropped a game after a 62-60 lead at break. Dallas held a 13-point lead in the third and didn’t allow a comeback from the Thunder.
Despite the travel issues, the Milwaukee Bucks squeezed past the Miami Heat for their fifth straight win in a delayed game. Damian Lillard scored 29 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. He completed the triple-double but his final rebound that had been credited to Lillard was changed.
Giannis Antetokounmpo celebrated his 9th All-Star selection with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Gary Trent Jr. finished with a season-high 21 points and shot 7 of 10 on 3-point attempts. Kel’el Ware led Miami with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Tyler Herro dropped 21 points and nine assists. Jimmy Butler couldn’t participate due to a two-game suspension.
Nikola Jokic posted his fifth straight triple-double before the fourth quarter and joined Wilt Chamberlain to make NBA history. The Serbian superstar tallied 35 points, 22 rebounds and 17 assists to guide the Denver Nuggets to a win over the Sacramento Kings. Denver held a 74-52 lead at halftime and sparked a 14-5 run at the end of the third quarter.
Jokic produced a classic 3-pointer from 3/4 court at the buzzer. The Kings cut the deficit to 5 points with a 14-0 run in the fourth. Domantas Sabonis led the Kings with 23 points and 17 rebounds. The Kings are 3-13 under the interim head coach Doug Christie.
Golden State Warriors secured a 25-point blowout win over the Chicago Bulls. The Dubs came off a disappointing loss to the Kings after taking an 18-point lead. Stephen Curry scored 21 points and went 5 for 12 on 3-pointers after earning 11th All-Star selection.
Quinten Post chipped in with a career-high 20 points. Gui Santos contributed 19 points and Andrew Wiggins had 17 in the Warriors’ first win in a six-game homestand. Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 24 points. Josh Giddey finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Chicago, who lost six out of last seven.
Los Angeles Lakers had the first laugh against the rivals week clash against Boston Celtics. Anthony Davis scored 24 points, while Austin Reaves had 23 in the Lakers’ fourth straight home win. LeBron James dropped 20 points and 14 rebounds after the 21st consecutive All-Star selection. He also passed Hakeem Olajuwon into 7th place in defensive rebounds in NBA history.
Kristaps Porzingis was a top performer for the Celtics with 22 points. Jaylen Brown added 17 points and Jayson Tatum had 16. Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 games. It was only the second game of the season when Boston scored less than 100 points in a game.
Los Angeles Clippers continued their home domination with a clinical win over the league-worst Washington Wizards. James Harden posted his 79th career triple-double and also surpassed Wilt Chamberlain for the eighth-most triple-doubles in league history. Norman Powell finished with 22 points and Derrick Jones Jr. had 19.
Kawhi Leonard dropped 15 points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes. Jordan Poole led Washington with 24 points and nine assists. Wizards lost their 12th straight game and fell to 6-37 overall. LA Clippers are 5-2 in their eight-game homestand.
Image Credit: Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters via Imagn Images
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