Starting 5: Franz’s magic touch snaps Lakers’ win streak

A Hollywood ending for Franz and the Magic.

THE LINEUP 🏀
Nov. 22, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?
Abracadabra: How Wagner & Orlando pulled out a W to end L.A.’s streak
Miller & LaMelo Masterclass: Early birthday buckets and a Thursday roundup 
Golden Chase: The Dubs open Friday’s doubleheader looking to stay perfect in NBA Cup action
Rivalry Reignited: Pacers vs. Bucks tonight in an Emirates NBA Cup & Playoff rematch
“Something We’ll Always Remember”: Boston celebrates its 2024 title at the White House
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Buckle up because it’s Cup Night…

A Pivotal Friday Cup Night: With Group Play heating up, the fourth night of the Emirates NBA Cup delivers eight matchups, headlined by a marquee doubleheader in West Group C on ESPN.
To tip things off on the national stage, Steph Curry and the Warriors will look to improve to 3-0 in Group Play as they face the Pelicans (7:30 ET). Then, Jamal Murray and the Nuggets will host Kyrie Irving and the Mavs (10 ET).
Looking for an Emirates NBA Cup standings check? We got you covered.

1. WAGNER WORKS MAGIC TO SNAP LAKERS’ WIN STREAK

One night after seeing their six-game win streak snapped in a loss to the Clippers at the Intuit Dome, it was the Magic’s turn to play spoiler in Los Angeles.
Magic 119, Lakers 118: In a thriller that featured 13 ties and 21 lead changes, Anthony Davis (39 pts, 9 reb) and LeBron James (31 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast) put on a show at Crypto.com Arena and scored the Lakers’ final 23 points to give them a 118-114 lead with 27 seconds left.
But the Magic refused to go away, and after cutting their deficit to two, Franz Wagner took the rock and took the lead, splashing a go-ahead stepback 3 with 2.5 ticks left to hand the Lakers their first home loss of the season while ending their six-game win streak. | Recap | Catch the WILD Final 2:11
Magic Man: Wagner finished the game with a season-high 37
Orlando Legends: Penny Hardaway (3x) and Tracy McGrady (3x) are
4th-Quarter Duel: Wagner had 15 points in the 4th quarter as he

Triple Threat: Jalen Suggs
added 23 points, five assists, two steals and two blocks in the 
win, while Mo Wagner finished with 19 points and four helpers
LeBron Matches Kobe: Despite the loss, James tied Kobe Bryant
2. MILLER & LAMELO MASTERCLASS, BARRETT & BARNES TURN UP

“Happy birthday to me.”
Brandon Miller may have asked for buckets for his birthday. Because that’s what he got.
A night before his 22nd birthday, Miller caught fire for a career-high 38 points on eight 3s and invited LaMelo Ball (35 pts) to the party as the two combined for 73 to help the Hornets hold off Cade Cunningham and the Pistons for a 123-121 overtime win. | Recap | Watch the OT Finish 
Buzzing Backcourt: Miller and Ball are the first Hornets duo
Tandem Takeover: They also combined for 13 assists (Ball: 9,

The Icing On The Cake: After the Hornets
“Great team win,” said head coach Charles Lee. “Every
Cade Exit: Cunningham led Detroit with 27 points, seven boards

Raptors 110, Timberwolves 105: After snapping a seven-game skid with a victory over Indiana on Monday, the Raptors earned their second straight win as RJ Barrett (31 pts, 7 reb) sparked a 22-8 run to close the game and power past Anthony Edwards (26 pts) and the Wolves. | Recap 
RJ 🤝 The Claw: In his 45th game with the franchise, Barrett
Roaring Raptors: It was Barrett’s second straight 30-piece and
Ant & Others: Edwards, the NBA’s 3-point leader with 72 on the

Spurs 126, Jazz 118: With Victor Wembanyama out, Harrison Barnes turned in a season-high 25 points and 10 boards, and got help from Chris Paul (13 pts, 10 ast) as San Antonio outscored Utah 75-51 in the 2nd half to overcome a 20-point deficit for a comeback dub. | Recap 
CP3 & Company: Paul scored all 13 of his points in the 2nd
The win moves San Antonio to 8-8, marking the first time the

3. DUBS SURGE INTO FRIDAY’S EMIRATES NBA CUP DOUBLEHEADER ON ESPN

Entering this week, 1,049 days had passed since the Warriors last held sole possession of first place in the West.
But with an 11-3 start, Golden State is back atop the standings for the first time since the 2021-22 season, when they went on to win the NBA Finals.
Tonight, they have a chance to take a step toward more hardware, as they’ll look to improve to 3-0 in NBA Cup Group Play when they face the Pelicans to tip off ESPN’s doubleheader (7:30 ET).
Round 3: Despite being without Steph Curry for both matchups,
“We feel like we have a very versatile roster,” Warriors coach
And They Have: The Warriors have used eight different starting
Road Warriors In NOLA: Golden State has the third-best road
Championship Measuring Stick: The Warriors’ 11 wins are their most through 14 games since 2021-22, when they opened the season at 12-2 and went on to win the title.
How do the two squads compare statistically? Well, in ten major categories, the splits are strikingly similar:

In the second leg of ESPN’s doubleheader, Kyrie Irving and the Mavs will take on Jamal Murray and the Nuggets (10 ET). Marked questionable last time out, could Nikola Jokic make his return to the lineup?
Last time these two teams met, Kyrie dropped a season-high 43
Joker’s Wild: In that game, Nikola Jokic became the 3rd player
Dubs’ Potential Clinching Scenario: With a victory over New
Luka Dončić is out for Dallas (knee)
4. EMIRATES NBA CUP NIGHT: BUCKS & PACERS REIGNITE RIVALRY

With the Pacers up one and 2:40 remaining in last year’s Emirates NBA Cup Semifinal against the Bucks, Tyrese Haliburton sparked a 15-7 Indiana run to close the game, capped by a dagger 3 with 48 seconds left.
The rally secured his team’s spot in the Championship. And it put the league on notice:
The win not only helped spark Indiana’s first run to the East Finals in a decade — it also set the stage for a season-long back & forth with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, igniting a budding rivalry between Eastern powers.
Giannis Answers: In a rematch six days after the Pacers’
Indiana Retaliates: On Jan. 1, Giannis logged a triple-double
Playoff Clash: In the first round of the 2024 Playoffs, the two

Now, with both teams at full strength, the rivalry renews tonight in the Emirates NBA Cup — where it all began one year ago (8 ET, League Pass).
This time, could it be the Bucks that use the victory as a springboard?
Bouncing Back: After a 2-8 start, Milwaukee has won four of
Setting The Pace: Last season, Giannis averaged 42.2 ppg
Indiana Outbursts: In addition to his career-high 64 points,
And He’s Heating Up: Giannis’ last four games include outings
Giannis: “We’re trending towards the right direction … At the
Five more Emirates NBA Cup Group Play games get underway on League Pass, beginning with the defending champion Celtics taking on the Wizards in D.C.
Celtics at Wizards (7 ET)
Nets at 76ers (7 ET)
Hawks at Bulls (8 ET)
Blazers at Rockets (8 ET)
Kings at Clippers (10:30 ET)
5. A DAY TO REMEMBER: CELTICS CELEBRATE TITLE AT WHITE HOUSE

Ahead of the C’s matchup against the Wizards tonight in the nation’s capital, the 2024 NBA champs visited the White House on Thursday to celebrate their 18th title.
After meeting President Joe Biden, the team ceremoniously gathered below the Truman Balcony, where the country’s commander-in-chief recounted the team’s historic season.
“I know it wasn’t easy,” Biden said. “You came close more

Following the president’s speech, Tatum and White presented Biden with gifts from the team, a No. 46 ‘Biden’ Celtics jersey and a personalized championship Celtics basketball, which the president dished to Horford with a playful underhand pass.
Celtics Governor Wyc Grousbeck and Biden then posed with the Larry O’Brien trophy to cap the team’s presidential celebration, which Tatum says will never be forgotten.
“[For] a lot of us it was our first time here. Getting to meet President Biden and having the ceremony is something that you always watch as a kid, and now to be a part of that tradition is something we’ll always remember.“