Wake up with The Morning Dunk five days a week for some of the best NBA news updates and highlights, with today's edition featuring buzzer beaters, triple-doubles, air balls, and so much more.
Lillard Drills OT Game-Winner Vs. Kings
Checkmate, Kings.
The writing was on the wall when Damian Lillard brought the basketball up with 5.2 seconds remaining in overtime, as the Milwaukee Bucks superstar guard drilled a long-distance 3-pointer as time expired to beat the Sacramento Kings 143-142 in overtime on Sunday night.
DAMIAN LILLARD FOR THE WIN 🚨⌚️ pic.twitter.com/bJLRVh5OSr
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 15, 2024
Lillard led Milwaukee with 29 points, eight assists, and four rebounds across 41 minutes, while Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his fifth triple-double of the season (fourth in NBA) with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
The 285 points total points greatly surpassed the OVER/UNDER set at 248 prior to tipoff, marking the 11th-straight game between Milwaukee and Sacramento that the total went OVER.
Gobert Gets Last Laugh Vs. Cackling Clippers
Karma is a you know what.
The Los Angeles Clippers couldn't contain their laughter in the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves when center Rudy Gobert caught nothing but air on a free-throw attempt.
Gobert was the one smiling in the end, though, drilling four clutch free throws in the final minute while finishing with 15 points, 18 rebounds, and four rejections in a 109-105 victory.
Russ & the Clippers bench erupting in laughter after Rudy Gobert airballed back-to-back FTS.
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 15, 2024
Gobert got the last laugh by making 4 straight FTS in the final MIN of the Wolves win that ended with Russ missing an open layup.
(Via @Hibzx, @Timberwolves)pic.twitter.com/7FBJHaF70x
The win for Minnesota snapped the Clippers' three-game winning streak SU while preserving the Timberwolves' lead atop the Western Conference with a 28-11 record SU.
Jokic Regains MVP Lead After Stellar Performance
The odds are once again in Nikola Jokic's favor after the Denver Nuggets superstar put a hurting on the Indiana Pacers.
Jokic just missed out on his 13th triple-double of the campaign after recording 25 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists in a 117-109 win against the visiting Pacers on Sunday.
Nikola Jokic last night:
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) January 15, 2024
✅ 25 PTS
✅ 12 REB
✅ 9 AST
✅ 12-13 FG
It's the 157th game in which Jokic has led his team — either outright or tied — in points, rebounds, and assists, the second-most such games in NBA history (LeBron James, 231).
More here: https://t.co/LMAqaPehhD pic.twitter.com/AMQ6qvPiEQ
The two-time league Most Valuable Player now has the best odds to capture the hardware for a third time in 2024 at +170.
