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What’s happening around the NBA on Oct. 31-

debutPublished inNBA 2025-01-23 13:59
What’s happening around the NBA on Oct. 31?

🔮 🐈‍⬛ Halloween Hoops 🧛🏻‍♀️🌙

Thursday’s four game slate:

  • Milwaukee vs. Memphis (Memphis 122, Milwaukee 99)
  • Houston vs. Dallas (Houston 108, Dallas 102)
  • San Antonio vs. Utah (San Antonio 106, Utah 88)
  • Phoenix vs. Los Angeles Clippers (Phoenix 125, LAC 119)

TOP STORYLINES FROM OCT. 31 👉📝

  1. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s excellence was squandered in a blowout loss to Memphis. Damian Lillard had four points (1-12 FG) in 33 minutes Thursday, while Milwaukee shot 21.4% from beyond the arc and now grades as a bottom-five defense in the league this season.
  2. Jalen Green (23 points) continues improving as a three-point bomber, clutch bucket-getter and multi-level scorer. His development could push Houston firmly into the playoff picture.
  3. Phoenix’s depth helps overcome Bradley Beal’s (elbow) absence, marking a new dawn in the Devin Booker and Kevin Durant era. Tyus Jones has been a smooth floor general and primary ballhandler. Royce O’Neale and Ryan Dunn are hitting shots and closeout-punishers with positional versatility defensively.

⭐TOP PERFORMERS FROM OCT. 31 ⭐

  1. Victor Wembanyama: 25 points (9-20 FG), 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks
  2. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 37 points (17-22 FG), 11 rebounds, 4 assists
  3. Ja Morant: 26 points (9-16 FG), 10 rebounds, 14 assists (only 29 minutes of action)
  4. James Harden: 25 points (8-19 FG), 10 rebounds, 13 assists

Huge numbers in loss

Harden’s triple-double marks his fourth as a Clipper — ascending to the fourth-most in franchise record. It also marks the 78th triple-double of his career, passing Luka Doncic and moving into a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for the seventh most in NBA history, although the former accomplishment is certainly a back-and-forth affair.

Harden’s pick-and-roll chemistry with Ivica Zubac (22 points, 9-10 FG), carved up Phoenix in the first half and represents a staple of the Clippers’ offense when functioning highly.

Devin Booker finishes 40-piece

Phoenix earned a 125-119 victory over the Clippers, with Booker carrying the offense. Kevin Durant (18 points) did not score in the fourth quarter, exemplifying the degree to which Booker was at the helm of the offense. In the absence of Bradley Beal (elbow), Royce O’Neale stepped up to be extremely efficient and impactful, providing 21 points (7-8 FG, 5-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and six rebounds.

Rookie Ryan Dunn was another clutch contributor, knocking down four threes en route to 16 total points. Dunn’s nightly contributions are a huge rotational swing factor on a squad that has previously struggled to deliver on three-point production at volume.

Los Angeles was limited to 49 second half points as Phoenix executed a 21-point comeback win.

Booker booming

Devin Booker has poured in 35 points (11-18 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 8-9 FT) along with five rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Booker has attempted at least eight free throws in each of his last three contests, while also knocking down multiple threes in all five games thus far.

Phoenix reborn🐦‍🔥🐦‍🔥

A 43-18 run throughout the second half propelled Phoenix into the lead, but the Clippers have largely kept it a one-possession game. Norman Powell (18 points) briefly exited after getting smacked in the nose, while the facilitation of James Harden (15 points, 13 assists) has largely been ineffective in the second half — marking key culprits of the Clippers’ offensive stagnation.

Rally the Valley

Phoenix is on fire in the third quarter — upping their streak to 15 consecutive field goals made to open the quarter. Turnovers from Los Angeles are a factor, but Phoenix’s ball movement and shooting are helping overcome what was an 18-point deficit at halftime. Currently tied at 89, Phoenix is still searching for its first lead of the contest, with 27 points from Devin Booker and 18 points from Kevin Durant leading the way.

Norman Powell: Professional Scorer 🕴🕴

Powell’s 15 points (6-12 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT) leads Los Angeles en route to a 70-52 advantage over Phoenix as the Clippers seek their first win at the Intuit Dome. Devin Booker’s 15 points (3-6 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 8-9 FT) ties Powell for the game-lead. Powell entered Thursday’s contest averaging 29.0 points on 56.9 percent shooting across his last three games.

Stuffs stat sheet👽🛸

Victor Wembanyama posted the second 5×5 game of his career Thursday, finishing with a game-high 25 points and a seismic plus-43 net rating in San Antonio’s 106-88 win over Utah. Wembanyama has now recorded at least five blocks in 25 of his 76 career appearances.

Outduels Doncic in Dallas

Jalen Green exchanged big shots with Luka Doncic down the stretch, but Green got the last laugh with a fade away three to ice Dallas and secure a cushion for Houston in the final minute. Green finished with a team-high 23 points (9-21 FG) while co-leading with 12 rebounds. Doncic finishes with a game-high 29 points (12-25 FG).

Hits 2,500th career three📈📈

Klay Thompson becomes the sixth player in NBA history with 2,500 made threes, joining Stephen Curry, Ray Allen, James Harden, Damien Lillard and Reggie Miller. Miller’s 2,560 career three-point makes is the next threshold Thompson could eclipse.

Heating up offensively🔥🔥🔥🔥

Kyrie Irving is up to 28 points (10-18 FG), while Luka Doncic (16 points) represents the only other Maverick in double-figures as Dallas works to overcome a 91-80 deficit versus Houston. Irving has found momentum  coming off a season-high 35 points (13-23 FG) in Tuesday’s win over Minnesota.

Big double-double brewing

Alperen Sengun has compiled 17 points (5-15 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 7-9 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists and one block in 27 minutes as Houston has built an 82-59 lead over Dallas with two minutes remaining in the third quarter. He leads Houston in both statistical categories, while Kyrie Irving’s 18 points (7-13 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT) represents the game-high scoring total.

Dunk Score tracking

Victor Wembanyama’s slam from Chris Paul’s lob registered a 82.5 Dunk Score, ranking as the highest-quality dunk of the night thus far. Check out Dunk Score calculations and more advanced analytics at NBA.com.

Morant on pace for huge triple-double👀👀

Ja Morant has notched his first triple-double since April of 2023 and the 12th of his regular-season career. With Memphis holding a considerable lead midway through the third quarter, could a 20-20-20 game be flirted with???

Pick-and-roll success early

Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama connect on a first quarter alley-oop against a Utah squad ranking 24th in defensive rating. Wembanyama has a team-high eight points along with three rebounds and three blocks in just under seven minutes of action thus far.

Houston firing on all cylinders🚀🚀🚀

Houston is out to an early 34-21 lead over Dallas at the beginning of the second quarter. Dillon Brooks leads all scorers with 10 points, while seven Rockets have scored thus far. Jalen Green has five points (2-3 FG) as he looks to build a follow-up performance to a 36-point outing in Monday’s win over San Antonio.

Insane oop from Morant

Ja Morant recovers his loose ball, notices Santi Aldama calling for the lob, and delivers a perfect alley-oop without getting off the ground! Morant has 15 points and six assists in just 12 minutes of action.

Giannis Antetokounmpo🚂🚂🚂

Antetokounmpo has 13 of Milwaukee’s first 35 points to represent the only Buck with double-digit scoring amid a nine-point deficit to Memphis with just under nine minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Antetokounmpo has induced multiple fouls on Jay Huff and Zach Edey, looking unstoppable in the halfcourt when he puts his head down and gets to the cup.

Ja Morant: Offensively maestro

Morant’s no-look dish headlines his four assists alongside 10 points (4-7 FG) as Memphis drops of 40-point first quarter on Milwaukee, finishing the frame with a 40-26 lead. Scottie Pippen Jr. has a team-high 13 points for the Grizzlies.

Morant and Pippen will be primary initiators with Desmond Bane (oblique), Marcus Smart (ankle), Luke Kennard (foot) all inactive Thursday.

Huff Stuff

Jay Huff with a big rejection patrolling the paint and helping anchor Memphis’ defense amid a 14-0 run. He has recorded multiple blocks in three of five contests entering Thursday’s game.

Circus shots underway

Luka Doncic getting loose in advance of an 8:30 ET tipoff versus Houston. Are he and Stephen Curry in a tier of their own for pro trick-shots?

Jay Huff as Kyle Kuzma

Memphis’ newest center Jay Huff tapped into a classic NBA callback with Kuzma’s oversized sweater from 2021. Huff’s apparel isn’t quite Kuzma’s designer Raf Simons garment, but his entire costume is on point.

Walker Kessler as Woody from Toy Story

Kessler having jeans that fit so well deserves kudos. There’s a joke in here somewhere about “snake in my boot” and the Jazz playing the Spurs tonight.

Victor Wembanyama in Spirited Away

Wembanyama arrives for Halloween game day as No-Face (顔無し) from the Japanese film Spirited Away. His costume had a high bar to follow after going viral as Slenderman last Halloween.

Key Storylines🍿🍿

What to monitor across tonight’s games:

  • The Suns and Clippers will rematch following an opening-night duel in which Kevin Durant delivered clutch buckets in the final minutes to push Phoenix to a 116-113 win. Both teams have gone 2-1 since that meeting, with Durant averaging a booming 29.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists on 53.3% shooting in 40.0 minutes  on the year.
  • Luka Doncic and the Mavericks square up against red-hot Jalen Green and the Rockets in a battle of two teams with top-8 net ratings in the league through four games. Green has combined for 65 points (21-45 FG) across his last two contests.
  • Ja Morant leads a skeleton backcourt against Milwaukee as absences from Desmond Bane (oblique), Marcus Smart (ankle), Luke Kennard (foot) create shades of déjà vu from last year’s injury-riddled campaign in Memphis.

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