NBA Recap: Bucks end losing streak, Wolves soar with Anthony Edwards' heroics

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In a flash, Ant and the Wolves turned a halftime deficit 

into the highest-scoring half of the season.

THE LINEUP

Nov. 8, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Bucks Bounce Back: Giannis & Dame’s milestone night puts 

Milwaukee back on track

Statement Ws: A balanced Spurs’ attack & a Minnesota tidal 

wave stamped two dubs

Big-Stage Battles: Durant, Luka, LeBron & PG take center 

stage tonight on ESPN

Friday Fire: A Cavs-Dubs Finals rematch highlights an 11-game 

slate on League Pass

Cup Countdown: A preview of East Group B, including two of 

last year’s semifinalists

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A Friday full of hoops…

Friday delivers a packed slate with 13 

games, featuring an ESPN doubleheader and 11 matchups on League 

Pass.

On ESPN, Kevin Durant and the Suns visit Luka Dončić and the 

Mavs (7:30 ET

), followed by LeBron James and the Lakers hosting Paul George 

and the Sixers (10 ET

).

On League Pass, fans can catch a handful of marquee matchups 

highlighted by two Finals rematches, with the Cavs hosting the 

Warriors (7:30 ET

), and the Heat facing the Nuggets (9 ET

).

1. DEER DUO GOES OFF, BUCKS BOUNCE BACK

The Bucks entered Thursday on a six-game skid. But their last 

two losses came against the unbeaten Cavaliers by a total of 

three points, and head coach Doc Rivers said his team was close 

to turning a corner.

“We believe we’re a really good basketball team that has

played poorly at times. The last two games you could say we played well and lost the games …

“The worry is outside the building, I guarantee you that.

There’s none inside the building.”

One game later, Milwaukee — led by its superstar duo — put it 

all together for their first win since Oct. 23.

Bucks 123, Jazz 100: Damian Lillard (34 pts, 7 ast, 4 stl, 4 

3s) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (31 pts, 16 reb) combined for 65 

points

 

and fueled a 31-16 Bucks’ 3rd-quarter as the Deer pulled away 

in the 2nd half for their second win of the season. | Recap

All-Time Deer Duos: It’s Giannis and

Dame’s 11th game with 30+ points each as Bucks teammates, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Dandridge for the most in franchise history

Takeover Time: Antetokounmpo (11 pts, 4-8 FG) and Lillard (11

pts, 5-8 FG) combined for 22 of Milwaukee’s 31 3rd-quarter points, as the Bucks took an 88-77 lead before shutting the door in the 4th

Star Power: In total, Giannis and Dame were responsible for 88

of the Bucks’ 123 points, while Bobby Portis (19 pts, 3 3s) and AJ Green (12 pts, 4 3s) each scored in double figures

Dame On Ending The Skid: “Getting off to a rough start, it’s

easy to get down on yourself … tonight we just came out with the right mentality.”

Jazz Leaders: Jordan Clarkson (18 pts, 4 3s) led five Utah

players in double figures, but the Jazz were outscored 66-39 in the 2nd half to drop to 1-7

2. WOLVES’ 2ND-HALF STORM + SPURS’ BALANCE LEAD TO DUBS

Timberwolves 135, Bulls 119: After entering the 

break trailing 65-56, Anthony Edwards (33 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast, 5 3s

) and the Wolves erupted for a season-high 79 points in the 2nd 

half, and outscored Chicago 45-24 in the 4th quarter to improve 

to 5-3. | Recap

 

Not So Minny Finish: The Wolves’ 45 4th-quarter points are the

most by any team in a single quarter this season and their 79 points in the 2nd half are the most by any team in any half this seasonAnt Leads The Way: Edwards dropped 20 points in the 2nd half, including 13 in the 4th quarter, while sinking four 3sRandle & Rudy: Julius Randle (22 pts, 10 reb) and Rudy Gobert (season-high 21 pts, 9 reb) combined for 43 points for Minnesota, while Jaden McDaniels added 19 points and three 3s

Bulls’ Buckets: Nikola Vučević (25 pts, 5 reb, 3 3s) and Coby

White (24 pts, 8 ast, 4 3s) led the way for Chicago, which fell to 3-6 with the loss

Spurs 118, Blazers 105: Eight Spurs 

scored in double figures – led by 17 points apiece from Keldon 

Johnson and Malaki Branham – as San Antonio posted season-highs 

of 35 assists and 44 made baskets to overcome 21-point nights 

from Portland’s Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton. | Recap

Wemby Dream: Victor Wembanyama (12 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl,

3 blk) tied Hakeem Olajuwon for the longest streak with at least one assist and one block at 47 games

Doing Wemby Things: Victor comes out of nowhere to protect the

rim … A 7-foot-3 center hitting a pull-up 3 off the screen

Welcome Back: Shaedon Sharpe had 13 points in 20 minutes off

the Blazers’ bench in his first game since Jan. 11 due to abdominal and shoulder injuries

3. ESPN DOUBLEHEADER: STARS TAKE CENTER STAGE

13 games get underway Friday, highlighted by a star-studded 

doubleheader on ESPN featuring four 2024 Playoff teams. 

Suns at Mavericks (7:30 ET): Riding a six-game win streak, will 

Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and the Suns stay hot when they visit 

Luka Dončić and the 5-3 Mavs?

Here Come The Suns: The Suns’ 7-1 record is their best start

since 2009-10 and their win streak began with a 114-102 win over Dallas on Oct. 26, led by Durant’s 31 points

Stars & Stops: In their past six games, Durant (27.8) and

Booker (26.2) are combining for 54.0 ppg, and Phoenix is holding its opponents to 41.8% from the field, tied for the lowest average in the league in that span

Luka Heating Up? In Dallas’ loss to Phoenix in October, Dončić

scored a season-high 40 points. Through three games in November, he’s averaging 31.0 points, 7.7 boards and 11.7 assists

76ers at Lakers (10 ET): After a 3-0 start, LeBron James and 

the Lakers (4-4) have dropped four of their last five games. Will 

they get back on track against Paul George and the 76ers?

PG’s Back: In his second game with Philly on Wednesday, George

scored a team-high 18 points along with seven boards and three steals in a loss to the Clippers

Home-Court Advantage: The Lakers are 3-0 this season at

Crypto.com Arena, averaging 121.3 ppg — the second-highest home mark in the NBA

Leading Scorers’ Status: While Anthony Davis — who leads the

NBA with 32.6 ppg — is probable for the Lakers (plantar fasciitis in left foot), Tyrese Maxey (76ers-best 27.6 ppg) is out with a right hamstring injury

4. UNBEATEN CAVS, ROAD WARRIORS CLASH ON LEAGUE PASS

Meeting in four straight NBA Finals (2015-2018) will forever 

link the Warriors and Cavaliers in basketball history. Although 

the rosters from their title bouts have changed, they each stand 

as one of the league’s top teams nearly three weeks into the 

2024-25 regular season.

The Cavaliers are 9-0 — their best start in franchise history

— and the only remaining unbeaten team in the NBAThe Warriors are 7-1, with five straight wins and a perfect road record

On Friday, the two sides will face off on League Pass (7:30 ET)

in a battle of strength versus strength as the Cavs’ No. 1 

offense (123.2 ppg) takes on Golden State’s No. 2 defense (105.3 

oppg) in Cleveland.

Statistical Heavyweights: The Warriors and Cavs are No. 1 and

No. 2 in PIE (Player Impact Estimate), respectively, and rank at the top in a slew of categories on both sides of the ball

Potent Cavs: In nine

games, Cleveland has scored 130+ points four times, matching their total from all of last season and one shy of the single-season franchise record of five

Cleveland Can’t Miss: The Cavs are the only team in the NBA

this season with their top six leading scorers all shooting above 48.0% from the field, and as a team, they’re shooting 52.6%

How rare are their shooting numbers? In the shot-clock era

(since 1954-55), only six teams have shot over 52% from the field in a season

But the Warriors have allowed just one opponent to shoot over

50% in a game this year

X-Factors From Deep: Steph Curry (21.2 ppg) and Donovan

Mitchell (23.8) lead their teams in scoring, while both Golden State and Cleveland’s second-leading scorers, Buddy Hield (21.1 ppg, 50.7 3P%) and Darius Garland (19.8 ppg, 46.9 3P%), are shooting a career-high from 3

10 more games tip off on League Pass throughout the night, 

highlighted by another Finals rematch between the Nuggets and 

Heat (9 ET

) after OKC looks to bounce back from its first loss of the 

season against the Rockets (8 ET

).

Pacers at Hornets (7 ET

)

Hawks at Pistons (7 ET

)

Pelicans at Magic (7 ET

)

Nets at Celtics (7:30 ET

)

Bucks at Knicks (7:30 ET

)

Wizards at Grizzlies (8 ET

)

Blazers at Wolves (9 ET

)

Clippers at Kings (10 ET

)

5. EMIRATES NBA CUP COUNTDOWN: EAST GROUP B PREVIEW

The Emirates NBA Cup 2024 tips off in just four days, with 

Group Play opening on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

Our countdown previewing every group in the competition began 

with Group A in the East and West and continues today with East 

Group B

, which includes two teams that advanced to the semifinals of 

the inaugural in-season competition last season.

Here are the five teams in the group, ranked in order of win 

percentage in head-to-head matchups from last season against the 

other teams within the group.

Indiana Pacers: 12-4 (.750)

Miami Heat: 9-5 (.643)

Milwaukee Bucks: 8-7 (.533)

Toronto Raptors: 6-8 (.429)

Detroit Pistons: 2-13 (.133)

The full 10-game Group Play schedule is 

above. Here are three matchups to circle: 

Heat at Pacers (Nov. 15, 7 ET, League Pass): Indy and Miami

were part of a three-team battle for the final guaranteed Playoff spot in the East last spring, with a two-point Pacers win over the Heat on April 7 helping Indy secure that No. 6 seed. This is the first of a two-game set over three days between these teams in Indiana, but the only one that counts toward the Cup

Pacers at Bucks (Nov. 22, 7:30 ET, ESPN): The Pacers ended the

Bucks’ hopes to play for the inaugural NBA Cup, then ended their 2023-24 season in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Over 11 head-to-head games in 2023-24, Indy won eight compared to Milwaukee’s three. To say the Bucks will be motivated for their first chance to face the Pacers this season is an understatement

Bucks at Heat (Nov 26, 7:30 ET, TNT): From 2020-23, either the

Heat (’20, ’23) or Bucks (’21) reached the Finals three times in four years. Each of those Finals trips included beating the other team along the way – either in the East Semis (’20) or the first round (’21, ’23). These teams already have so much playoff history and now we get to add NBA Cup competition into the mix