Nightly Pulse: NBA news and highlights from December 2nd
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Nightly Pulse: NBA news and highlights from December 2nd

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

NBA Monday🏀🏀

Convincing wins are the theme of Monday’s four-game slate:

⭐⭐TOP PERFORMER⭐⭐

  1. CJ McCollum: 29 points (12-26 FG), six rebounds, two assists, one steal
  2. Josh Giddey: 20 points (9-17 FG), 13 rebounds, 11 assists, one steal, one block
  3. Yves Missi: 23 points (11-14 FG), 12 rebounds, one steal, one block
  4. Jaylen Brown: 29 points (8-21 FG), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal

Top storylines👉📝

  1. Minnesota’s 8th-ranked defense stopped the Lakers’ 7th-ranked offense. Minnesota pulled away after the first quarter and outscored Los Angeles by 27 points in the final three frames.
  2. Josh Giddey recorded his first triple-double as a Bull and the 12th of his career while also delivering his second 20-point game of the season.
  3. Trae Young outpoints Dejounte Murray in his first matchup since Murray joined the Pelicans last offseason.

Minnesota suppresses the Lake Show🐺🐺

The Timberwolves forced 21 turnovers and limited the Lakers to a season-low 80 points in a 109-80 win.

Julius Randle led Minnesota with 18 points (6-13 FG, 2-3 3PM, 4-4 FT) and joined three teammates in scoring at least 15 points.

D’Angelo Russell finished the game with 20 points (8-12 FG, 4-5 15p), becoming the only Laker to score more than 12 points on Monday. LeBron James finished the season with a season-low 10 points (4-16 FG, 0-4 3PM). Anthony Davis had 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists – a subdued performance after he boomed with 36 points and 16 rebounds in an opening win over the Timberwolves to start the 2024-25 season.

Bulls cruise despite Nets’ youth on display

Chicago’s 128-102 win over Brooklyn included a triple-double from Josh Giddey (20 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists), a game-high 21 points Nikola Vučević and good goal performances from Matas Buzelis (20 points) and Zach LaVine (18 points).

Dennis Schröder led Brooklyn in both categories with 16 points and 10 assists until Dariq Whitehead (18 points, 18:10, 15:00) caught fire from beyond the arc. Whitehead has endured extended absences due to foot and ankle injuries, but the 20-year-old is not far away from winning Naismith Prep Player of the Year honors in 2022 and MVP All-American Game honors this season from McDonald’s. He has what it takes to be part of Brooklyn’s future.

Boston dominates the second half and earns a 108-89 victory

Jaylen Brown led all players with 29 points and added seven rebounds and four assists. Jayson Tatum posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, marking his seventh double-double in 21 appearances.

Payton Pritchard (25 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals) has now scored more than 20 points in four straight games. He leads the league with eight 20-point performances off the bench this season.

Boston’s defense was stifling, limiting Miami to 35.6% shooting from the field. Luke Kornet was a threat from within, matching his career high with six blocks for the Celtics’ undermanned frontcourt. Tyler Herro (6-19 FG) and Jaime Jaquez (5-14 FG) each had 19 points and led the Heat in scoring.

HAWK W🦅🦅

Atlanta beat New Orleans 124-112, powered by seven players in double figures. De’Andre Hunter led the way with 22 points (8-14 FG, 4-7 3PM, 2-2 FT) off the bench. The Hawks dominated with 52 bench points and 74 team points.

Clint Capela added 17 rebounds to go along with his nine points, while Trae Young had 12 points (5-16 FG), eight rebounds and 15 assists. Young has now recorded at least 15 assists in six of 21 appearances this season.

Rookie Yves Missi looked smooth en route to a career-high 23 points and picked up his fifth double-double of the season with 12 rebounds. Dejounte Murray struggled in scoring (7 points, 2-15 FG) but added five rebounds, 10 assists and five steals. CJ McCollum’s 29 points (12-16 FG) led New Orleans to a one-point lead at halftime, but Atlanta’s strength ultimately overwhelmed the Pelicans team, which was missing Brandon Ingram (calf) and Zion Williamson (hamstring).

Launch release✈️✈️

Jalen Johnson hangs in the air, reaches his left hand and hits the rim protector for a slam. Atlanta leads 118-108 with 90 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Matas Buzelis hot, Bulls up 56-50

Buzelis leads all scorers with 13 points and has already achieved his season high with three triples (3-4 at 3:00 p.m.). The rookie entered Monday’s contest underwhelmed, shooting just 26.3% with 3.8 3PA per game in his last five contests.

Josh Giddey had 10 points for Chicago, while Shake Milton was the only Net in double figures with 11 points.

Sharing is important

Coins will be distributed in the club this evening! The Lakers execute a perfect transition break as Trae Young’s defense continues to collapse like no other.

PRAISE FESTIVAL

A basket after Dejounte Murray’s lob to Yves Missi, Trae Young counters with a lob to Onyeka Okongwu! Although it was only Murray’s fifth game of the season on Monday, his chemistry seems to be right in New Orleans.

New AE1 issued💎💎

Baby blue. Anthony Edwards in his freshly released new AE1 colorway:

Familiar faces🍿🍿🍿🍿

After two seasons playing alongside Trae Young in Atlanta’s backcourt, Dejounte Murray and Young are opponents again. Although the Hawks were unable to find postseason success with this duo, a deep friendship remains.

Important storylines for the night 🍿🍿

  1. In a battle of postseason opponents that have faced off in four of the last five playoffs, Boston hosts Miami headlines Monday’s games. Bam Adebayo averaged 22.6 points and 9.4 rebounds in last year’s Eastern Conference first-round contest.
  2. LeBron James and Anthony Davis welcome Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves – despite future backcourt mate Rob Dillingham (ankle) being sidelined.
  3. Lonzo Ball is expected to play his third straight game since returning from a several-week absence due to a wrist injury when Chicago takes on Brooklyn.

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