Top 5, Jan. 6: OKC & Cleveland keep win streaks alive

An OKC Sunday statement against the defending champs.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION
Jan. 6, 2025

Hot At The Top: West-leading Thunder (15) and East-leading Cavs (10) extend win streaks

Sunday Roundup: Rockets climb, Kings stay hot, Pels & Jazz dub again

What’s Trending – Shining Stars: Jokić & Wemby’s historic runs, the MVP race & LBJ at 40

What’s Trending – East Heat: The Cavs aren’t the only surging East squad

What’s Trending – Wild West Race: Nine teams separated by just 4.5 games

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Start your week off right…

An NBA TV doubleheader highlights Monday’s nine-game slate. To start, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and the Sixers will host Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and the Suns in a star-studded clash (7 ET). Then, Tyler Herro and the Heat will face the red-hot Kings (10 ET).

Vote For Your All-Stars: Fans can vote on starters for the 2025 All-Star Game every day until Jan. 20 on the NBA App or NBA.com with their NBA ID. Don’t miss out — tap to vote now.

1. HOT AT THE TOP: CONFERENCE LEADERS EXTEND WIN STREAKS

In the 58 seasons of Oklahoma City Thunder and Seattle SuperSonics basketball, the franchise had never won 15 games in a row.

Until Sunday. And they had to get through the defending champs to do it.

Thunder 105, Celtics 92: Facing a 65-55 deficit at the half, with history hanging in the balance, OKC’s top-ranked defense clamped down on Boston’s explosive offense, holding the C’s to just 15 points in the 3rd quarter to cut the deficit to four.

In the 4th, OKC locked down again, allowing just 12 points, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the offense poured in 29 to lead the Thunder to a statement win. | Recap

Swarming: OKC outscored Boston 50-27 in 2nd half, marking the C’s lowest-scoring half since 2012 and the fewest points in any half by any team this seasonOwning The Arc: Boston, which is on pace to break the single-season record for 3-point attempts (50.2) and makes (18.4), was held to 9-of-46 from 3 (19.6%) — its lowest percentage this seasonSGA Shines: Gilgeous-Alexander led the way offensively (33 pts, 11 rebs, 6 ast), notching his 20th 30+ point game this season — the most in the NBADort Closes: Luguentz Dort scored 11 points in the 4th, including back-to-back 3s in the final two minutes to put the game on iceHistoric Start: The win improves OKC to 30-5, tying the 1993-94 SuperSonics for the best 35-game start in franchise history

Winning With Defense: The Thunder lead the NBA in nearly every major defensive category, including points allowed (103.0), steals (11.8), forced turnovers (18.8) and points off turnovers (23.3).

Level Up: During their win streak, they’ve been even better, allowing fewer points (101.6), creating more steals (12.0) and scoring more points off turnovers (26.9)The Shai Show: SGA — now ranked second on the Kia NBA MVP Ladder — has also excelled, averaging 33.1 pts, 5.7 reb and 5.6 ast amid the run

Top-Seeded Streaks: While the Thunder have carved out a 7-game lead in the West with 15 straight dubs, the NBA-best Cavs are on a heater of their own atop the East.

Cavaliers 115, Hornets 105: Darius Garland scored a game-high 25 points, while Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen added 19 apiece as the Cavs took a 15-point lead into the half and didn’t look back for their 10th straight win. | Recap

2 Of 10: It’s the Cavs’ second 10+ win streak of 2024-25 (they opened the season at 15-0), marking just their second season in franchise history with two 10+ game win streaks (2008-09)Dominance: Amid the streak, Cleveland’s won every game by double digits, becoming just the fourth team in NBA history to earn 10 straight wins by 10+ pointsThe Conductors? Mitchell (23.3 ppg, 4.6 apg, 3.8 3s) and Garland (20.5 ppg, 6.6 apg, 2.9 3s), who lead Cleveland in points, assists and 3sThe Cavs’ star duo stands alongside Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving as the only pair of teammates averaging 20+ pts, 4+ ast and 2.5+ 3s this season

Collision Course: Who’s up next for the Cavs and Thunder? Each other, in a can’t-miss clash on Wednesday in Cleveland (7 ET, ESPN).

2. SUNDAY ROUNDUP: ROCKETS CLIMB, KINGS STAY HOT & MORE

Another day, another West standings shake-up.

Rockets 119, Lakers 115: Anthony Davis (30 pts, 13 reb, 5 blk) and LeBron James (21 pts, 13 reb, 9 ast) filled up the box score, but it wasn’t enough to top the Rockets, who held on down the stretch behind Jalen Green’s 33 points and 5 triples. | Recap

On The Rise: The win improved Houston to 23-12 on the season, jumping Memphis for second place in the West

Kings 129, Warriors 99: Make that four straight for Sactown. Malik Monk (26 pts, 12 ast) and Domantas Sabonis (22 pts, 13 reb) each tallied double-doubles as the Kings earned a wire-to-wire win over Steph Curry (26 pts) and the Warriors. | Recap

Solid Start: The Kings are now 4-1 under interim head coach Doug Christie

Pelicans 110, Wizards 98: After dropping 50 on Friday, CJ McCollum went for 25 on six 3s, while Dejounte Murray posted a triple-double (14 pts, 10 reb, 12 ast) to lead the Pels past the Wizards for their second straight win. | Recap

Jazz 105, Magic 92: And how about two straight dubs for Utah? One game after scoring a career-high 34 points, Brice Sensabaugh turned in 27 while going 5-of-6 from deep as the Jazz pulled away from the Magic in Orlando. | Recap

3. WHAT’S TRENDING: HISTORY AMONG STARS & THE KIA MVP RACE

SGA wasn’t the only shining star in the first week of 2025, as some more big names put up even bigger numbers, while a certain 40-year-old continues to flex on father time.

Jokić & Wemby’s Historic Weekend: In a home-and-home between the Nuggets and Spurs, the reigning Kia MVP Nikola Jokić and reigning Kia Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama put on a show, highlighting their red-hot runs.

Jokić finished the back-to-back with a total of 87 points, 27 rebounds and 19 assists — numbers no other player has ever met over a two-day span.

No Joke: Sitting atop the Kia MVP Ladder for an 8th straight week, the Joker not only leads the NBA in triple-doubles (14) — he’s nearly averaging a triple-double with a career-high 31.5 pts, 13.0 reb and 9.7 astMile High Elevation: Jokić has led Denver to four wins in its last five games, helping it climb from 9th in the West to 4th in the last month

Wemby, meanwhile, finished the back-to-back against Denver with a total of 55 points, 41 rebounds, six blocks and six 3s — also unprecedented numbers over a two-day span.

Stat Stuffer: In December, Wemby became the first player in NBA history to compile 300+ pts, 100+ reb, 50+ blk, 50+ ast and 40+ 3s in a calendar monthNow ranked 5th on the Kia MVP Ladder, Wemby is averaging 29.5 pts, 11.7 reb, 5.0 blk and 3.8 3s in his last 10 games — a stat line no player has ever matched in any 10-game span

LeBron’s Milestone Week: On the week of his 40th birthday, LeBron James also made history.

30-Piece King: With 38 points on Thursday and 30 on Friday, James passed Michael Jordan for the most 30-point games of all-time (563) while leading the Lakers to back-to-back wins — capping an 8-3 stretch for Los AngelesAnother One: In Friday’s victory over Atlanta, James passed Dirk Nowitzki for the 4th-most games played in NBA history (1,523)

Greek Freak Feeling It: Third on the Kia MVP Ladder is the league’s leading scorer, Giannis Antetokounmpo (32.3 ppg), who has notched eight 30-pieces in his last 10 games.

Must-See Matchup: On Wednesday, Giannis will square off with Wemby as the Bucks host the Spurs (9:30 ET, ESPN)

4. WHAT’S TRENDING: EAST SQUADS HEATING UP

The first-place Cavs are setting the pace out East — but several teams have hit their stride in a tightly contested Playoff race.

Knicks On The Rise: Despite dropping its last two games, 3rd-place New York (24-12) has solidified itself as a top team in the East, coming off nine wins in its last 11 outings.

The driving force? An offense that owns the third-best rating in the NBA (119.6), behind only Boston (119.7) and Cleveland (121.3) — the two teams it’s chasing atop the standings.

New York’s New Star: The East Player of the Month for December, Karl-Anthony Towns, has provided a big boost, averaging 25.3 ppg and an NBA-best 14.0 rpgMagic Matchup: Tonight, the Knicks host the 4th-place Magic (7:30 ET, LP), who have maintained a top-4 spot in the East since mid-November despite injuries to Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Mo WagnerCircle The Dates: The meeting opens a five-game homestand for NY, including big matchups against OKC (Friday, 7:30 ET) and Milwaukee (Sunday, 3 ET)

Pistons Purring: For the first time since 2019, the Pistons have won six of their last seven games for a 17-18 record — surpassing its win total from all of last season (14) while putting them in Play-in position.

Cade’s Career Year: Averaging career highs across the board, Cade Cunningham is on pace to join Oscar Robertson as the only players to average 24+ pts, 5+ reb and 9+ ast at 23 or youngerMonday’s Stakes: The last time Detroit owned a .500 or better record 5+ games into a season was in 2018-19. Tonight, they’ll look to end the drought as they host Portland (7 ET, LP)

Pacers & Sixers Finding Rhythm: Two 2024 Playoff teams are also climbing up the standings, as Indy and Philly are each 7-3 in their last 10 games thanks to star contributions.

Haliburton History: On Saturday, Tyrese Haliburton became the first player to record 25+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ 3s with 0 turnovers in back-to-back games since turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78Philly Rising: Meanwhile, after sitting in last place in the East on Nov. 21, the Sixers are now just a game back of the Bulls for the final Play-In spot thanks to the return of Joel Embiid (24.4 ppg)Tonight, Philly will host Phoenix on NBA TV (7 ET), while Indy travels to Brooklyn (7:30 ET)

Cluttered East Crowd: Seven East teams are separated by just three games, from the 5th-place Bucks to the 11th-place Sixers.

Tonight, Milwaukee will look to rebound from back-to-back losses as it faces Toronto (7:30 ET, LP)

5. WHAT’S TRENDING: WILD WEST RACE

If the East Playoff race is crowded, then the West race is positively jam-packed.

Behind OKC, seeds No. 2 through 12 are all separated by a total of just seven games.

How fast can things change? Well, of those 11 teams, nine of them hold a different seed today than they did last Monday (see above).

But there are a few key slices of the standings, with different themes to keep an eye on:

Hungry At The Top: While OKC has carved out a 7-game lead for the West’s top spot, Houston and Memphis — who each missed last year’s postseason — have owned seeds 2-3 since Dec. 19 and hold a small yet significant 2+ game lead over the rest of the pack.

Opposite Formulas: While the Grizzlies boast the league’s highest-scoring offense (123.2 ppg), the Rockets are allowing the third-fewest points (106.7)Tonight, the Grizzlies will take on the Mavs (8 ET, LP), who were neck-and-neck with Memphis and Houston but have dropped four games in a row

Legendary Hunt: Seeds 4-12 are separated by a total of 4.5 games, highlighted by a cast of all-time greats — LeBron, KD, Steph, Jokić, Harden and Russ, who’ve combined for 12 of the last 16 Kia MVPs — alongside young superstars like Wemby and Anthony Edwards.

The Last Time We Saw Ant? Was on Saturday, when he went for a career-high 53 points while draining 10 3s in a loss to the PistonsHere Comes Kawhi: Tonight, he and the Wolves will look to rebound against the Clips (8 ET), with Kawhi Leonard back in the fold, fresh off his season debut on SaturdayMore Matchups (And Stars): Meanwhile, Wemby and the Spurs will face the Bulls (8 ET), while De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and the surging Kings host the Heat on NBA TV (10 ET)