Check out the top 10 plays of the night from around the NBA featuring Jayson Tatum, Kyle Kuzma, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, and more!
The Top 10 of the night in the NBA, tailored down to the very best plays. Tell us your favorites in the comments!
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On a day when LeBron James left early due to an injury, the Los Angeles Lakers sent a message to the Golden State Warriors with a 127-101 victory at Oracle Arena on Christmas Day.
James was officially listed as questionable to return after straining his left groin in the third quarter, but the Lakers kept him out for the remainder of the game. The four-time NBA MVP still contributed 17 points and 13 rebounds in 21 minutes before departing.
Per ESPN's Marc J. Spears, Lakers head coach Luke Walton said after the game James will have an MRI on Wednesday.
Head coach Luke Walton was able to rally his team thanks to another strong game from Ivica Zubac. The third-year center finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers with 19 points. Rajon Rondo had a double-double off the bench with 15 points and 10 assists in 23 minutes.
LeBron James reaction to Los Angeles Lakers beat Golden State Warriors 127-101
Stephen Curry struggled to find his rhythm, scoring 15 points on just 5-of-17 shooting. Kevin Durant led all Warriors starters with 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Pressure Is on Brandon Ingram to Lead Lakers After LeBron Injury
After last season ended, the assumption was Brandon Ingram was poised to become a superstar and an excellent No. 2 behind James for the Lakers.
During the preseason, James seemed to go out of his way to stoke the flames around Ingram and his potential.
"[Ingram's] got the juice," James told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. "He's going to be a special player."
Things haven't materialized for Ingram since the season started. The former Duke star has seen his scoring average drop from 16.1 points last season to 15.5 points per game. He's lost more than eight percentage points from his three-point shot (39.0 to 30.8) and went from averaging 5.3 rebounds to 4.1 per game.
Through an up-and-down season, though, Ingram is still capable of showing off the skills that had everybody excited just two months ago. This move he put on Durant in the first quarter is something few players are capable of:
NBA ✔@NBABrandon Ingram with the clean footwork and finger roll!
#LakeShow x #DubNation #NBAXmas on ABC/ESPN
NBA ✔@NBAIngram making plays early for the @Lakers! #NBAXmas#LakeShow 10#DubNation 7
: ABC/ESPN pic.twitter.com/IGtT56lxd0
Ingram finished with 14 points in 24 minutes. He's averaging 17.3 points in three games since returning from a sprained ankle.
BOSTON -- As the Celtics trailed by two in the final 30 seconds of regulation time in Tuesday's Christmas Day thriller against the Philadelphia 76ers, they had the ball right where they wanted it: in Kyrie Irving's hands. There is, perhaps, no better shot-maker in the NBA than Irving, who has never found an angle he couldn't utilize or an arc he couldn't put on a basketball to get it to drop through the hoop.
The Sixers, meanwhile, had Jimmy Butler -- one of the league's top perimeter defenders, who himself was delivering a spectacular defensive performance -- guarding Irving for the game's most important possession. It was, in short, exactly the matchup both teams were hoping for.
Butler, true to form, was draped all over Irving, preventing him from going anywhere.
Irving kept dribbling, kept moving, trying to create enough space to get off a potential game-tying shot. Eventually, he did. And eventually -- after the ball hit seemingly every part of the rim -- it fell through the hoop with 20.9 seconds remaining, tying the game at 108 and sending it into an extra session.
"I'm about used to it now," Celtics forward Marcus Morris said. "When he first came, it was crazy. But some of the s--- don't even surprise me no more with how often he does it.
"I knew [it would go in]. I've seen it already. I've seen it a lot of times. ... It's like a replay."
Irving did it often enough Tuesday night that the Celtics emerged from the cauldron of energy that was TD Garden with a heart-stopping 121-114 victory -- a win powered by a 40-point, 10-rebound effort from Irving that, even for someone with the number of exploits he previously has had in these types of moments, had to be seen to be believed.
"That's what people, and there aren't many, in his sort of weight class do," Sixers coach Brett Brown said.
"Kyrie was elite tonight."
Kevin Durant is about to dive into a swimming pool full of gold coins-sized contract when he hits free agency. And he's visualizing that future with his custom-made Christmas Day kicks.
SoleCollector.com ✔@SoleCollectorWe all know @KDTrey5 IS NOT NICE, so @NikeBasketball hooked him up with "Scrooge McDuck" KD 11 PEs for today's Christmas game against the Lakers.
Durant wore Scrooge McDuck-themed Nike Zoom KD 11's with gold coins and matching accents during his game against the Lakers. The move might be a subtle message to the Lebron-led team, who are looking for a few superstars to put around James.
Gobert dominates, Jazz pull away for 117-96 win over Blazers
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Tough defense has reemerged as a staple for Utah. It starts with Rudy Gobert.
Gobert has seemingly regained the edge he possessed last season when he won NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors. His attitude and energy is spreading to his teammates and turning the Jazz into a nightmare matchup for most opponents once again.
Gobert totaled 18 points, 14 rebounds and a season-high seven blocks to lead Utah to a 117-96 victory over Portland on Tuesday night. He spearheaded a defensive effort that resulted in the Trail Blazers shooting just 39 percent from the floor and become the 11th Jazz opponent to fail to reach 100 points this season.
"Our mindset has changed over the last few games," Gobert said. "We want to play defense and we're having fun playing defense. It changes the way we play."
Gobert's seven blocks were three more than his previous season-high, which he tallied on four occasions. The Jazz center described himself as giving 200 percent in the game and Utah coach Quin Snyder felt like Gobert made his presence felt over the entire court.
NBA Top 10 Plays of the Night
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