NBA Daily Rewind

Monday’s NBA action on December 8 delivered a mix of historic milestones, clutch finishes and standout individual performances across both conferences. The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Utah Jazz 131–101 to match the franchise record with their 15th consecutive victory. In Minneapolis, the Phoenix Suns snapped the Timberwolves’ five-game win streak with a 108–105 road victory. And in New Orleans, rookie Dylan Harper buried a go-ahead floater with 9.1 seconds remaining as the San Antonio Spurs edged the Pelicans 135–132 despite surrendering a 20-point halftime lead ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/thunder-crush-jazz-tie-franchise-mark-with-15th-straight-win--flm-2025-12-08/?utm_source=openai)).

Western Conference Showdowns

Oklahoma City Thunder 131, Utah Jazz 101
The Thunder improved to 23–1 on the season by dominating from start to finish, outscoring the Jazz 45–20 in the opening quarter and never looking back. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each poured in 25 points; Holmgren added nine rebounds and Williams chipped in eight assists. Oklahoma City shot 58 percent from the field and drilled 21 three-pointers, with Aaron Wiggins adding 19 off the bench. Kyle Filipowski led Utah with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the loss, which marked the Jazz’s third consecutive heavy defeat and underscored their ongoing struggles without Lauri Markkanen ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401810218?utm_source=openai)).

Phoenix Suns 108, Minnesota Timberwolves 105
In a rematch of their previous collapse, the Suns again stretched out a narrow lead late before holding off a furious Timberwolves rally. Mark Williams paced Phoenix with 22 points and seven rebounds, hitting his first career three-pointer in his 126th game. Collin Gillespie added 19 points—12 of them in the fourth quarter—and Dillon Brooks chipped in 18. Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 40 points on 15-of-21 shooting for Minnesota but could not secure the win. Rudy Gobert was ejected in the third quarter for a flagrant-2 foul on Williams, turning the tide in Phoenix’s favor; Gillespie’s two clutch free throws with 6.3 seconds left ultimately sealed the 108–105 outcome ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/mark-williams-leads-suns-past-timberwolves-despite-anthony-edwards-40--flm-2025-12-09/?utm_source=openai)).

San Antonio Spurs 135, New Orleans Pelicans 132
Despite leading by 20 at halftime, San Antonio barely held on as the Pelicans stormed back on the strength of rookie Derik Queen’s first NBA triple-double—33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Dylan Harper, starting in place of injured Victor Wembanyama, delivered a career-high 22 points off the bench, including the decisive floater with 9.1 seconds remaining. Harrison Barnes led the Spurs with 24 points, while De’Aaron Fox chipped in 14 and Julian Champagnie added 17. New Orleans fell to 3–22 despite Trey Murphy III’s 32 points, extending their losing skid to seven games ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/dylan-harpers-late-jumper-lifts-spurs-past-derik-queen-pelicans--flm-2025-12-09/?utm_source=openai)).

Eastern Conference Highlights

Los Angeles Lakers 112, Philadelphia 76ers 108
LeBron James and Luka Dončić returned in style at the Wells Fargo Center, combining for 60 points in a 112–108 road victory. Dončić registered a triple-double with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, while James poured in a season-high 29 points—10 of them consecutively in the fourth quarter—to stake the Lakers to the win. Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 28 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds, but foul trouble and a cold shooting night from Joel Embiid (4-for-21) hampered the Sixers’ comeback efforts ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sports/nba-roundup-luka-doncic-lebron-james-lead-lakers-past-76ers-return--flm-2025-12-08/?utm_source=openai)).

New York Knicks 106, Orlando Magic 100
Jalen Brunson spearheaded the Knicks’ offense with 30 points and nine assists at Madison Square Garden, improving New York to 16–7 and 13–1 at home. Josh Hart contributed a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double, while OG Anunoby added 21 points and seven boards. Orlando’s Franz Wagner exited early with a left high ankle sprain and is expected to miss two to four weeks; Anthony Black paced the Magic with 14 points and 11 rebounds in the loss ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401810212?utm_source=openai)).

Indiana Pacers 116, Sacramento Kings 105
Andrew Nembhard orchestrated the Pacers’ late-game surge with 28 points and a season-high 12 assists, and Indiana outscored the Kings 19–4 over the final 5:41 to claim a 116–105 victory. Bennedict Mathurin added 25 points and Pascal Siakam chipped in 23. Sacramento’s Russell Westbrook recorded his fourth triple-double of the season (24 points, 14 assists, 13 rebounds), but could not prevent Indiana from improving to 6–18 after their 2–16 start ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401810219?utm_source=openai)).

Other Key Results

Denver Nuggets 115, Charlotte Hornets 106
Jamal Murray scored 34 points and Nikola Jokić tallied 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds as Denver extended its franchise record road winning streak to 10 games. The Nuggets improved to 17–6, relying on a balanced attack and timely bench scoring to fend off Charlotte’s late runs ([espn.in](https://www.espn.in/nba/recap/_/gameId/401810214?utm_source=openai)).

Boston Celtics 121, Toronto Raptors 113
Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 30 points while Derrick White added 27 (14 in the first quarter) in Boston’s wire-to-wire victory. Payton Pritchard chipped in 15 points and Neemias Queta recorded an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double as the Celtics won their fifth straight and improved to 15–9 ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401810213?utm_source=openai)).

Golden State Warriors 123, Chicago Bulls 91
Brandin Podziemski came off the bench to score 21 points, and Jimmy Butler added 19 as Golden State shot 47.8 percent from three and overwhelmed Chicago in the fourth quarter. The Warriors snapped a two-game skid to move to 13–12, while the Bulls fell to 9–14 ([insider.espn.com](https://insider.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401810216?utm_source=openai)).

Standout Performances

– Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence has not slowed the Thunder; Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren continue to flourish.
– Mark Williams has emerged as a dependable secondary scorer for Phoenix in Devin Booker’s absence.
– Dylan Harper’s late-season surge and clutch gene have given Spurs fans reason for optimism.
– LeBron James at age 40 remains one of the NBA’s most dominant closers, while Brunson’s playmaking has elevated the Knicks in the East.

Monday’s results leave the Thunder atop the Western Conference at 23–1, followed by the Lakers (17–6) and Suns (14–10). In the East, the Pistons lead with a franchise-best 19–5 start, trailed by the Knicks (16–7) and Celtics (15–9). As teams now shift focus to the NBA Cup knockout rounds, December 8 proved that both established superstars and emerging talents will define the second half of the season.