Daily Dose of NBA with BN - Dec. 13

Giannis' 64, Embiid continues hot streak; Jazz upset Knicks, Ingram's 40 ball, Wemby goes against AD and the Lakers. Jaren Jackson's big night was not enough against the Rockets, and the Suns' big three flop in an eventful nine-game slate of NBA action.

The Lakers hang on against the Spurs

The Los Angeles Lakers handed the San Antonio Spurs their 18th straight loss last night, prevailing 122-119.

Lakers superstar LeBron James was held out of the contest on the second night of a back-to-back, but running partner Anthony Davis suited up and continued his impressive recent form. It would be the first time AD faced off against rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama, and it turned into a noteworthy duel between the two generational talents.

Wemby finished the contest with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks and hit multiple step-back three-pointers down the stretch to nearly steal the game as the Lakers took their foot on the gas.

They would give up a whopping 45 points in the final period, with the Spurs cutting the lead to just one with a chance to send the game into overtime at the end of regulation. A pivotal steal from Davis after a made basket would ultimately prove the difference, as the Lakers big man led the way with 37 points, 10 boards and four blocks.

Ingram sizzles as Pels crush the Wizards

The New Orleans Pelicans continued the Washington Wizards' miserable season, running away 142-122 winners in the Nation's Capital.

Wizards guard Jordan Poole struggled yet again with just 11 points on five-for-12 shooting, while Kyle Kuzma put up numbers again with 27 points and seven boards.

Washington had no answer for Pelicans scorer Brandon Ingram on the evening, who proved the difference, shining for 40 points while hitting an array of shots throughout the contest.

C.J. McCollum added 22 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 18 rebounds, and Trey Murphy III posted 27 points off the bench in a high-scoring outing for Willie Green's men.

Embiid dominates Pistons in routine win

The Philadelphia 76ers handed the Detroit Pistons their 21st straight loss, cruising to a 129-111 win inside Little Caesars Arena.

Philly superstar Joel Embiid stacked another game on his MVP case with a dominant 41 points and 11 rebounds, while Tobias Harris had 21 points and Kelly Oubre registered 17 off the bench.

It was a quiet night for point guard Tyrese Maxey with nine points on 2-of-13 shooting from the field, but his offensive punch wasn't needed as the Sixers had more than enough to get the job done. Bojan Bogdanovic had his best game of the season since returning from injury with 33 points, while Cade Cunningham put up 21 points and seven dimes in the loss.

Siakam and the Raptors click into gear against the Hawks

The Toronto Raptors found their form against the Atlanta Hawks at home, surging to a 135-128 win. With the loss, the Hawks fall to 9-14 on the year.

In what has turned into a rare occurrence this campaign, the Raptors' offense was free-flowing, resulting in six players in double-figures including 33 points from Pascal Siakam, 27 points and 10 rebounds from Scottie Barnes, 22 points from OG Anunoby, 17 from Dennis Schroder and 15 points and 13 boards from Jakob Poeltl.

As for the Hawks, 35 points from Trae Young wasn't enough, as Dejonte Murray posted an inefficient 20 points, and no one else scored above 20 in the loss.

Heat take Hornets number in South Beach

The Miami Heat remained unbeaten against the Charlotte Hornets this season, climbing to a 115-104 win at home. The Heat improved to 14-10 with the win.

The Heat rotation had to balance the scoring without big man Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, but rookie Jamie Jaquez put up 17 points and eight assists, and Duncan Robinson scored 23 points to lead the team in the win.

In what has been a common theme for the Hornets all season long, they went dry for long periods and couldn't put enough points on the board to keep it close. Terry Rozier was the game's high man with 28 points and seven assists, while Gordon Hayward had 20 points in the defeat.

Giannis goes nuclear as Bucks top Pacers

The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Indiana Pacers behind a career night from superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak powered to his career-high against the high-scoring Pacers, exploding with 64 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals and shooting an NBA record 32 free throws in the performance.

He became the first player in NBA history to make at least 20 field goals and 20 free throws in a game while shooting at least 70% on each. It's also the most points with fewer than 30 field goal attempts in a game.

Damian Lillard added 21 points and six assists, while Myles Turner had 22 points, and Tyrese Haliburton posted 22 points and seven assists for the Pacers.

JJJ's big night was not enough for the Grizzlies against the Rockets

The Houston Rockets collected their 12th win of the season last night, winning 117-104 in Texas.

The Grizzlies' misfortunes continued despite Center Jaren Jackson Jr's big night of 44 points, seven rebounds, and four steals. Derrick Rose helped out with 19 points in the starting lineup, but Memphis missed the scoring of Desmond Bane as the guard missed his first game of the season due to illness.

Tari Easton continued his strong play off the bench for the Rockets with 25 points and 14 rebounds, while Jabari Smith had 20 points and 10 boards. With the win, Houston moved three games above .500.

Sexton and Jazz upset the Knicks

The Utah Jazz collected a rare win against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, beating the New York Knicks 117-113 in Salt Lake City. The defeat sees the Knicks move to 13-10 on the campaign.

Julius Randle's uptick in production continued with 32 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, while Donte DiVincenzo put up 21 points, and point guard Jalen Brunson posted 23 points and eight assists.

Colin Sexton was brilliant for the Jazz in the win, putting up 26 points and seven assists in a starting role in the absence of Jordan Clarkson, while big man Lauri Markkanen chipped in with 23 points and eight rebounds in the victory.

Suns big three falter against Nets

The Phoenix Suns lost to the Brooklyn Nets 116-112 in the Valley. It was the first outing for Suns big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, but the fairytale ending did not come to fruition as they couldn’t overcome the Nets in their debut.

Durant finished the game with 27 points, Beal had 14 points, and Booker ended with 32 points and 12 dimes, but it wasn’t enough for Frank Vogel’s men as the roster couldn’t generate enough scoring overall.

Cam Thomas was the high-man for the Nets, while Mikal Bridges notched 21 points in the win as the Nets boasted the entire starting five in double-figures. The win sees the Nets improve to 13-10 on the season and stay in touch with the playoff picture.

Nightly Notables

Tomorrow sees a seven-game offering in the association, with the Warriors visiting the Clippers, the Thunder clashing with the Kings, the Cavs travel to Boston to take on the Celtics, and the Timberwolves locking horns with the Mavs.