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The Golden State Warriors will face off against the Charlotte Hornets at 10 p.m. ET on Friday at Chase Center. Golden State is 28-26 overall and 15-14 at home, while Charlotte is 14-41 overall and 6-20 on the road. Golden State currently sits 10th in the Western Conference standings, while Charlotte is 13th in the East. Both teams played on Thursday and haven’t revealed official injury lists, though Chris Paul (hand) is still out for Golden State. LaMelo Ball (ankle) missed Thursday’s game and is day-to-day going forward.

Golden State is favored by 13 points in the latest Warriors vs. Hornets odds via SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 228.5 points. Before entering any Warriors vs. Hornets picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 18 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 60-36 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,300. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Warriors vs. Hornets You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:

Warriors vs. Hornets spread: Warriors -13
Warriors vs. Hornets over/under: 228.5 points
Warriors vs. Hornets money line: Warriors -920, Hornets +608
Warriors vs. Hornets picks: See picks here
What you need to know about the Warriors
Even though the Warriors had only won two of their prior 10 matchups against the Lakers, they reversed that trends on Thursday and got past Los Angeles with points to spare, taking that game 128-110. Stephen Curry was the offensive standout of the game as he scored 32 points along with eight assists and three steals.

Golden State has won seven of its last eight overall now. The Warriors can’t afford to overlook an improving Charlotte squad on Friday since they are in a precarious spot in terms of playoff positioning. Golden State has generally handled back-to-backs well this season, going 7-4 against the spread in the second game. See picks at SportsLine.

What you need to know about the Hornets
Meanwhile, the Hornets have caught fire, winning four straight, including knocking off the Jazz on the road on Thursday 115-107. The Hornets were underdogs in all four games during this stretch and they cashed as big +340 underdogs on the money line against the Jazz, so they are certainly capable of pulling off another stunner, or at least keeping it within the double-digit spread.

Grant Williams has helped galvanize this team after coming over from the Mavericks at the deadline. He’s averaged 18.8 and 5.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 42.9% from 3-point territory in his four games. Miles Bridges is playing extremely well also, recording two double-doubles in the last three games. See picks at SportsLine.

How to make Warriors vs. Hornets picks
The model has simulated Warriors vs. Hornets 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that has all the value. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

The Milwaukee Bucks will face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in an interconference matchup on Friday. Minnesota is 39-16 overall and 19-5 at home, while Milwaukee is 35-21 overall and 12-14 on the road. The Timberwolves defeated the Bucks, 129-105, in Milwaukee on Feb. 8 in their first meeting of the season.

Tip-off is set for 10 p.m. ET on Friday at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Minnesota is a 4-point favorite in the latest Bucks vs. Timberwolves odds, according to the SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 225.5 points. Before entering any Timberwolves vs. Bucks picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 18 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 60-36 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,300. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Milwaukee vs. Minnesota. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Bucks vs. Timberwolves:

Timberwolves vs. Bucks spread: Timberwolves -4
Timberwolves vs. Bucks over/under: 225.5 points
Timberwolves vs. Bucks money line: Timberwolves: -173, Bucks: +146
MIL: The Bucks are 2-2 ATS over their last four games
MIN: The Timberwolves are 4-0 ATS over their last four games
Timberwolves vs. Bucks picks: See picks at SportsLine
What to know about the Bucks
The Bucks are playing their first game since the All-Star break, and they may have needed the time off as much as anybody. Things haven’t gone great in the win/loss column since Doc Rivers took over as head coach. The Bucks are 3-7 under Rivers, including dropping back-to-back contests before the All-Star break. A Friday matchup against the Timberwolves, who have the second-best record in the NBA, won’t make things any easier.

Milwaukee still has one of the best duos in the NBA in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard and those two alone can take over a game at a moment’s notice. Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists with Lillard scoring 24.6 points with 6.7 assists. Although it hasn’t often translated into wins, the Bucks’ defense has played better since Rivers became head coach, allowing 113 ppg over his 10 games compared to 120.1 ppg before Rivers took over. Khris Middleton (ankle) is out for Milwaukee. See which team to pick here.

What to know about the Timberwolves
The Timberwolves, however, probably had no interest in suspending their season when the All-Star break arrived. Minnesota entered its week off on a four-game winning streak to expand its lead atop of the Western Conference. This will also be the Timberwolves’ first game back since the break as they’ve had one of the strongest and most surprising starts to the 2023-24 NBA campaign.

Defensive dominance has been the key to Minnesota’s success as it’s allowing the fewest points per game (106.7) and lowest field goal percentage (44.6%) in the NBA this year. Opposing teams have the lowest 2-point field goal percentage against the Timberwolves in part due to the size and paint presence of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, while allowing the sixth lowest 3-point percentage. The Timberwolves allow the second-fewest points in the paint and rebounds per game as the Bucks will have to find ways to control Minnesota’s size if they want to pull out a victory on Friday. See which team to pick here.

How to make Timberwolves vs. Bucks picks
The model has simulated Bucks vs. Timberwolves 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it also says one side of the spread hits over 60% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

The Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets look to rebound from double-digit road losses on Thursday as they go head-to-head on Friday night. The Suns (33-23) fell to the Mavericks, 123-113, while the Rockets (24-31) lost to the Pelicans, 127-105. Phoenix won the teams’ only game against one another this season, 129-113 in December. The Suns are 24-31-1 against the spread, while the Rockets are 27-26-2 ATS in 2023-24.

Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center in Houston. Phoenix is favored by 3.5 points in the latest Suns vs. Rockets odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 233.5 points. Before entering any Rockets vs. Suns picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 18 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 60-36 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,300. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Phoenix vs. Houston. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Suns vs. Rockets:

Rockets vs. Suns spread: Suns -3.5
Rockets vs. Suns over/under: 233.5 points
Rockets vs. Suns money line: Suns -169, Rockets +143
Rockets vs. Suns picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Suns can cover
Playing without star guard Bradley Beal in the team’s first game following the All-Star Break, Phoenix fell in Dallas last night and likely won’t have Beal’s services against the Rockets either. Devin Booker’s 35 points, eight assists, and five rebounds weren’t enough for the Suns to open this crucial stretch of their season on a winning note. Booker is now averaging 27.7 points, 7.0 assists, and 4.6 rebounds, and along with Kevin Durant, must lead the Suns in scoring most nights for the team to have an optimal chance at success.

Durant had a slow Thursday, hitting 9 of 22 shots for only 23 points, below his season average of 28.1 points per game. Forward Royce O’Neale, acquired at the trade deadline, played 30 minutes and added 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench against Dallas. Former Rockets guard Eric Gordon, now thrust in the starting lineup with Beal out, scored 27 points against his old team in this matchup earlier this season and will be relied on heavily again tonight. See which team to pick here.

Why the Rockets can cover
Houston was thoroughly outplayed by New Orleans on Thursday and got its second half of the season off on the wrong foot in a 22-point loss. The Rockets were led in scoring by rookie Amen Thompson, who scored 22 points on 9 of 13 shooting off the bench. Houston’s emerging star, center Alperen Sengun, scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the loss. Sengun has taken his game to another level this season, averaging 21.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists nightly.

The Rockets’ second leading scorer, guard Jalen Green, failed to produce against the Pelicans, scoring 10 points on a poor 3 of 14 shooting. Averaging 17.9 PPG, Green will be expected to carry a heavier load in what should be another high-scoring game against Phoenix. Point guard Fred VanVleet, who averages 16.3 points and 8.1 assists, only had seven points and six assists last night, and will also need to make a more significant impact if Houston is to pull the slight home upset. See which team to pick here.

How to make Suns vs. Rockets picks
The model has simulated Phoenix vs. Houston 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick where one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

The Memphis Grizzlies (20-36) will try to record their first three-game winning streak since the end of January when they face the Los Angeles Clippers (36-18) on Friday night. Memphis had lost nine straight games, but it has bounced back with wins over Houston and Milwaukee. Los Angeles has lost two of its last three games, including a 129-107 setback at Oklahoma City on Thursday. This is the final game of a three-game road trip for the Clippers.

Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on Friday at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. Los Angeles is favored by 9 points in the latest Grizzlies vs. Clippers odds, while the over/under is 222.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Clippers vs. Grizzlies picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 18 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 60-36 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,300. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Los Angeles vs. Memphis. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Clippers vs. Grizzlies:

Grizzlies vs. Clippers spread: Grizzlies +9
Grizzlies vs. Clippers over/under: 222.5 points
Grizzlies vs. Clippers money line: Grizzlies: +321, Clippers: -411
Grizzlies vs. Clippers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Grizzlies can cover
Memphis had lost nine straight games before picking up consecutive home wins before the All-Star Break. The Grizzlies notched a 121-113 win over the Rockets and followed it up with a 113-110 win over the Bucks the following night. They were 14.5-point underdogs in their shocking win over Milwaukee, as rookie Gregory Jackson and small forward Ziaire Williams both scored 27 points.

The Grizzlies have been dealing with injuries throughout the season, but Jaren Jackson Jr. (probable; quad) is expected to return to the lineup on Friday after missing the final game before the All-Star break. Los Angeles is playing the second leg of a back-to-back on the road after getting blown out by Oklahoma City on Thursday. Memphis has covered the spread in 10 of its last 14 games, including seven of its last nine home games. See which team to pick here.

Why the Clippers can cover
Los Angeles had won 28 of its past 35 games prior to its loss to the Thunder on Thursday after returning from the All-Star break. However, the Clippers had a chance to get their legs underneath them after the break, while Memphis is getting set for its first game in eight days. The Clippers have already picked up two wins over the Grizzlies, including a 128-119 win in Memphis on Jan. 12.

Paul George poured in 37 points in that win, while Kawhi Leonard added 22 points. The Clippers have no current injury issues, while the Grizzlies are playing without Desmond Bane (ankle), Marcus Smart (finger) and Ja Morant (shoulder). Los Angeles has won five of its last six road games, and Memphis has only won three of its last 11 games against Pacific Division opponents. See which team to pick here.

How to make Grizzlies vs. Clippers picks
The model has simulated Clippers vs. Grizzlies 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

The New Orleans Pelicans will face off against the Miami Heat in an interconference matchup on Friday. New Orleans is 34-22 overall and 17-10 at home, while Miami is 30-25 overall and 15-12 on the road. The Heat have won six straight meetings against the Pelicans but this is the first time they are meeting this season.

Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on Friday at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The Pelicans are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Heat vs. Pelicans odds, according to the SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 220 points. Before entering any Pelicans vs. Heat picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 18 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 60-36 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,300. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Miami vs. New Orleans. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Heat vs. Pelicans:

Pelicans vs. Heat spread: Pelicans -3.5
Pelicans vs. Heat over/under: 220 points
Pelicans vs. Heat money line: Pelicans: -158, Heat: +133
MIA: The Heat are 5-0 ATS over their last five games
NO: The Pelicans are 16-11 ATS at home this season
Pelicans vs. Heat picks: See picks at SportsLine
What to know about the Heat
The Heat are playing their first game since the All-Star break and are expected to have Jimmy Butler back. The six-time All-Star missed the final three games before the break due to a death in the family. The Heat did win two of those three contests, but they’ll be happy to have one of their leaders back as Butler leads the team in scoring (21.4 points per game) and assists (4.6 per game).

Tyler Herro (questionable, foot) is averaging 21 ppg with Bam Adebayo adding 20.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest. Miami has traditionally had one of the best defenses in the NBA yearly, and the 2023-24 season is no exception. The Heat rank fourth in scoring defense (110.4 ppg) while holding opponents to the second-fewest field goal attempts per game. Miami allows the second-fewest offensive rebounds in the league, which is a huge reason it has been effective at keeping opponents off the scoreboard. Terry Rozier (knee) is out for Miami. See which team to pick here.

What to know about the Pelicans
The Pelicans won’t have to worry about any after All-Star break rust as New Orleans defeated the Rockets, 127-105, on Thursday. New Orleans had contributions throughout its lineup with six different players scoring double-digit points, led by 28 points, six rebounds and six assists from CJ McCollum. Zion Williamson added 27 points and nine assists, while Jonas Valanciunas had 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Brandon Ingram (illness) was out Thursday and is questionable for Friday. The 26-year-old small forward ranks second on the team in scoring (21.4 ppg) and leads in assists (5.8 per game). The Pelicans are one of the best ATS teams in the NBA, going 31-24-1 against the number. They have covered the spread in 56.4% of games, which is tied for the third-best clip in the league. New Orleans has the best 3-point defense in the NBA, holding opponents to 34.6% from deep, and that will be tested against shooters such as Herro and Duncan Robinson on Friday. See which team to pick here.

How to make Pelicans vs. Heat picks
The model has simulated Heat vs. Pelicans 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it also says one side of the spread hits 60% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

The Oklahoma City Thunder (38-17) will try to extend their three-game winning streak when they host the Washington Wizards (9-46) on Friday night. Oklahoma City returned from the All-Star Break with a 129-107 win over the Clippers on Thursday. Washington has not won a game since beating the Pistons and Spurs in back-to-back games at the end of January. The Thunder are in second place in the Western Conference standings, while the Wizards have the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference.

Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Thunder are favored by 16 points in the latest Wizards vs. Thunder odds, while the over/under is 241 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Thunder vs. Wizards picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 18 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 60-36 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,300. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on Washington vs. Oklahoma City. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Wizards vs. Thunder:

Thunder vs. Wizards spread: Thunder -16
Thunder vs. Wizards over/under: 241 points
Thunder vs. Wizards money line: Thunder: -1540, Wizards: +871
Thunder vs. Wizards picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Thunder can cover
Oklahoma City closed the first half of the season with a pair of wins over the Kings and Magic, covering the spread as small favorites in both of those games. It returned from the All-Star Break with a fantastic showing on Thursday night, cruising to a 129-107 win over the Clippers as 1-point favorites. Los Angeles did not outscore Oklahoma City in any quarter of that contest.

Shooting guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, dished out eight assists and grabbed four rebounds, shooting 12 of 19 from the floor. All five OKC starters scored in double figures, including a double-double from rookie center Chet Holmgren. The Thunder are riding a five-game home winning streak and are 11-4 in their last 15 home games against the Wizards. See which team to pick here.

Why the Wizards can cover
Washington has been a valuable team to back on the road in recent weeks, covering the spread in seven of its last eight road games. The Wizards are wrapping up a four-game road trip, and they covered the spread against the Mavericks and Pelicans to open that stretch. They have already played one close game against the Thunder this season, losing by eight points last month.

Power forward Kyle Kuzma leads Washington with 22.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, while Jordan Poole is scoring 15.7 points and dishing out 3.6 assists. Poole came off the bench for the first time this season on Thursday, finishing with 18 points at Denver. The Wizards have covered the spread in four of their last six games. See which team to pick here.

How to make Thunder vs. Wizards picks
The model has simulated Wizards vs. Thunder 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns made a bunch of history on Monday night. Embiid scored a career and franchise high 70 points in the 76ers’ win over the Spurs, and Towns followed that with 62 points — also a career and franchise high — in the Timberwolves’ loss to the Hornets.

Embiid’s final line: 70 points, 18 rebounds, five assists on 24-for-41 shooting, including 1 of 2 from 3-point land and 21 of 23 from the free-throw line.
Towns’ final line: 62 points, eight rebounds, two assists, seven turnovers on 21-of-35 shooting, including 10 of 15 from 3 and 10 of 14 from the free-throw line.
Here’s a look at how the night breaks down by the numbers:

1
Embiid is the one and only player to score 70 points in a Sixers uniform, supplanting Wilt Chamberlain’s previous franchise high of 68. Chamberlain previously set the record Dec. 16, 1967.

historic night in South Philly. pic.twitter.com/lCU12aTM2H

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 23, 2024
Towns was already the only player in Timberwolves history to score 60 in a game, and now, obviously, his 62 is the new franchise record. The highest single-game total for a Timberwolves player not named Towns is the 52 points Mo Williams put up in 2015.

A NEW CAREER-HIGH 👏👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/I8rWvuGaXa

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 23, 2024
2
Towns joins Chamberlain as the second center in history to record multiple 60-point games. Chamberlain did it a hilarious 32 times. Towns’ previous career and franchise high was 60 against the Spurs in 2022.

KAT left it all on the floor, including scoring 44 1H PTS and knocking down 10 triples on way to a new career high of 62.

Towns becomes the first player in NBA history with 10+ 3PM, 10+ 2PM, and 10+ FTM in a game. pic.twitter.com/o6EoQtnpSg

— NBA (@NBA) January 23, 2024
Towns is also the second player in history to record 60 points and 10 made 3-pointers in the same game, joining Damian Lillard, who did it twice (71 with 13 3s vs. Houston last season, and 61 with 11 3s vs. the Warriors in 2020).

3
Towns now has the three highest-scoring games in Timberwolves history: 62 on Monday, 60, as mentioned above, in 2022 against the Spurs, and 56 in 2018 against the Hawks.

Towns is also the third player to commit at least seven turnovers in a 60-point game, joining Kemba Walker (9) and David Robinson (8).

4
The number of times in NBA history that two players have surpassed 60 points on the same night.

This is the 4th instance in NBA history in which 2 players have recorded 60+ points on the same night:

01/22/2024 – Joel Embiid (70) & Karl-Anthony Towns (62)
04/09/1978 – David Thompson (73) & George Gervin (63)
01/17/1962 – Jerry West (63) & Wilt Chamberlain (62)
12/08/1961… pic.twitter.com/eS2rAXfGO0

— NBA History (@NBAHistory) January 23, 2024
5
Embiid’s five assists on Monday set him apart from any other player in history. Two guys have gone for at least 70 points and 18 rebounds (Chamberlain did it five times, and Elgin Baylor, who went for 71 and 25 in 1960, once), but Chamberlain’s assist high was two and Baylor only carded one dime.

Lower the standard to 65 points and 15 rebounds, and Michael Jordan is the only other player to put up five assists with those first two numbers.

“Wilt never did this?” 😂

• Embiid couldn’t believe only him and MJ had 65 PTS, 15 REB, 5 AST in a game

(via @NBCSPhilly)
pic.twitter.com/3y1FPNhbgR

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 23, 2024
6
The number of games that Embiid can miss over the remainder of the season and still remain eligible to win a second MVP. The league’s new rule mandates a 65-game minimum of at least 20 minutes played. That means you can miss 17 games and still be eligible. Embiid has already missed 11. The Sixers have 40 games left.

7
Number of players who have recorded multiple 60-point games in their career: Chamberlain (32) Kobe Bryant (6) Lillard (5) Jordan (4) James Harden (4) Baylor (3), and now Towns (2).

9
Number of players to reach 70 points in an NBA game: Chamberlain, Baylor, David Robinson, David Thompson, Bryant, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Lillard, and now Embiid.

10
Towns is the first player in NBA history to record at least 10 made 2-pointers, 10 made 3-pointers and 10 made free throws in a single game. He is also the first center in history to make at least 10 3-pointers in a game.

18
Remarkably, Monday night marked the 18-year anniversary of Bryant’s 81-point game against the Raptors on January 22, 2006. Embiid and Towns certainly did the late legend proud.

History for KAT and Embiid on the anniversary of Kobe’s iconic 81-point game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IlNLucAclL

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 23, 2024
Embiid took time in his post-game press conference to pay homage to the late Hall of Famer. “Even though I started playing late, from the time I started playing, Kobe was my guy,” Embiid said. “He’s the reason why I started playing basketball.”

Shortly after, Embiid took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to post a tribute:

KOBE!!! 70 Piece pic.twitter.com/1qnYwTfhsB

— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) January 23, 2024
21
Minnesota became the 21st team in history to lose a game in which one of its players scored at least 60 points. It happened to Chamberlain 11 times and Jordan twice. And one time each to Gervin, Bernard King, Thompson, Booker, Kemba Walker, Bradley Beal, Lillard and now Towns.

Most Points in a Loss in Last 50 Years:

73 — David Thompson
70 — Devin Booker
64 — Michael Jordan
63 — George Gervin
62 — Karl Anthony-Towns

Tough Loss 💔 pic.twitter.com/MP0rpv5Iio

— Hoop Muse (@HoopMuse) January 23, 2024
44
Towns now holds the NBA record (play-by-play era, dating back to 1997) for first-half points with 44, two more than the 42 that Kobe Bryant scored in 2003 against Jordan’s Wizards (he wound up with 55 total).

All told, five players have scored at least 40 points in a first half: Towns, Bryant, Kyrie Irving and Lillard (41) and Klay Thompson (40).

Open it up to either half, and Towns is fourth all-time behind Bryant (55), Booker (51) and Brandon Jennings (45), all of whom did their work in the second half.

59
Embiid’s previous career high, which came against the Jazz in 2022. Embiid had 59 by the end of the third quarter on Monday.

The NBA got a bit of history on Monday night when Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns became the fourth pair of players to each score 60 or more points on the same day. Embiid’s 70-piece went about as expected. Though the opposing San Antonio Spurs kept it a bit closer than Embiid would have liked, his Philadelphia 76ers ultimately escaped with the win. At that point, like 63 of the first 83 scorers in NBA history to reach 60 points in a game, Embiid was a winner on his historic night.

Of course, that means that entering Monday, we’d seen 20 players hit the 60-point mark in a game and still manage to lose. That figure rose to 21 an hour or so later, though, because Towns couldn’t lead his Minnesota Timberwolves past the lowly 10-31 Charlotte Hornets. Towns himself even managed to get blocked on a potential game-winner with five seconds to go and missed another possible game-tying shot as time expired.

A player losing a game in which they drop 60 points feels almost unthinkable, but it happens more frequently than you’d think. Around one-quarter of 60-point scorers ultimately fail to earn the victory. So let’s take a look at those players whose individual greatness was only overshadowed by their disappointing teammates.

The trendsetter
From the NBA’s inception in 1949 through the 1976-77 season, only one player ever scored 60 points in a game without earning a victory. However, that player did so a staggering 11 times. You’ve probably guessed by now that the player in question was Wilt Chamberlain. Suddenly, that ridiculous statistic makes a whole lot more sense. A player who averaged 50 points per game across an entire season was bound to lose plenty of enormous individual performances.

In the grand scheme of things, Chamberlain did fairly well in his 60-point outings. He may have lost 10 of them, but he won 22. That’s a win rate of 68.75%, not terribly far from the roughly 79% his contemporaries posted. As you’d suspect, Chamberlain holds the highest-scoring loss in NBA history. On Dec. 12, 1961, Chamberlain reached 78 points in a triple-overtime loss to the Lakers.

Interestingly, all 11 of Chamberlain’s 60-point losses came within a single four-year period. The first came in 1961 and the last came in 1964. The Big Dipper played nearly another decade, but won his last five 60-point games between 1966 and 1969. Chamberlain is the only player to lose more than two 60-point games. In fact, only one other player in league history has scored 60 and lost more than once.

The G.O.A.T.
Yes, that’s right, even Michael Jordan is mortal. Well, at least his teammates were. Technically, Jordan has a below-.500 record in 60-point performances. In the regular season, which is what we’ve been tracking so far, he went 2-2. The first of those two losses came in 1987 to the Atlanta Hawks, and the second came in a 1993 defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic. He had 60-point wins over Detroit and Cleveland to even out his regular-season record, but we haven’t even covered Jordan’s most well-known 60-point game.

That one came in the playoffs. In 1986, Jordan set an NBA record that hasn’t yet been broken by scoring 63 points in a first-round game against the Boston Celtics. Those Celtics were arguably the greatest team in NBA history, winning 69 regular-season games and losing just 13. Boston may have needed two overtimes to get there, but they ultimately beat the Bulls 135-131. Larry Bird famously said after the game that it was “God disguised as Michael Jordan” playing against the Celtics that day. It’s proof that a 60-point loss doesn’t need to be embarrassing. Its one of the most amazing things arguably the greatest player ever accomplished.

The duel
Only once in NBA history have we seen two separate players reach 60 points and lose on the same day. Ironically, those two defeats came as part of one of the most famous scoring races the league has ever seen. Let’s turn the clocks back to 1978, when David Thompson and George Gervin are both averaging roughly 27 points per game entering the last day of the season, April 9.

Thompson played first and wanted to lock up the scoring title. He very nearly did so with the fourth-highest scoring output in NBA history. Thompson scored 73 points, but with his Nuggets already locked into their No. 2 seed as a division winner, they had little motivation to actually win their game and ultimately fell 139-137 to the Detroit Pistons. The Spurs were in the same position later in the day when they suited up, because as a division winner, their seed was set and the outcome didn’t matter.

However, Gervin came into the game knowing he needed exactly 59 points to win the scoring title. He finished with 63, but he easily could have had more. He scored 63 in the first half, secured his title, and went to the bench having played only 33 minutes. To this day, that is the fewest minutes ever played in a losing 60-point effort, and the Gervin-Thompson battle was the closest scoring race in league history.

The Grinch(es)
This time period produced only one more 60-point loser, and it also came from a scoring champion. Bernard King’s legendary 1984-85 campaign saw him average 32.9 points per game when no other player even reached 29. Sadly, it’s often forgotten as it came on a pathetic 24-58 Knicks team. Sure enough, the New Jersey Nets managed to ruin King’s Christmas when they defeated the Knicks 120-114 at Madison Square Garden despite a Herculean 60-point effort. King’s monster day is still the highest-scoring Christmas game in NBA history, but his Knicks teammates couldn’t find it within themselves to put a victory underneath his tree.

The new wave
We’ve covered 16 of the 21 regular-season 60-point losses thus far as well as the only playoff defeat. That leaves us with five more. All of them have come since 2017, meaning we went 24 years without a 60-point defeat after Jordan’s last one. Let’s cover the last five in chronological order:

On March 24, 2017, Devin Booker joined Chamberlain and Thompson as the only players ever to score 70 points in a game and still lose. Booker’s game was somewhat controversial at the time, as Suns coach Earl Watson called two timeouts down the stretch to create extra looks for Booker despite the outcome of the game being out of reach. Yet even to this day, only nine players have ever reached the 70-point threshold, so it’s hard to find too much fault when anyone does so.
Kemba Walker (60 points) did just about everything he reasonably could have done to help the Charlotte Hornets defeat the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 17, 2018. He scored 19 of Charlotte’s 24 fourth-quarter points and finished with more than half of the 119-point total, but he faded in overtime by scoring just two points in those last five minutes. The more balanced 76ers got the win behind 33 Embiid points.
Poor Damian Lillard. He may not have two 60-point losses like Jordan, but he managed to lose both a 50-pointer and a 60-pointer in the same calendar. The 50-point defeat came in March of 2019, and then, eight months later in November, the Nets beat the Blazers 119-115 to give Lillard his 60-point loss. He reached double-digit points in all four quarters and scored 34 in the second half, but his teammates shot 21-of-64 from the field while the Nets got 67 combined points from Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Bradley Beal’s marvelous performance on the road in Philadelphia was one of the best games of his career. On Jan. 6, 2021, Beal put on a show, but offense and defense don’t always align in the end. Beal’s 60 helped the Wizards score 136, but the 76ers outdid them with 141 behind 38 from 60-point slayer Joel Embiid.
That leads us to tonight. Towns scored 44 points in the first half, the most ever in the play-by-play era (starting in 1996-97). He slowed down with 18 in the second, a strong half by normal standards, but he needed 18 field goal attempts to get there. The Timberwolves force fed him the ball when they led by double-digits, and it slowly chipped away at their lead. After leading by as many as 18 points, the Timberwolves fell by three thanks to a furious Charlotte rally.

It’s a disappointment to be sure, but Towns made plenty of history on Monday. As The Ringer’s Zach Kram noted, there have been only five 60-point games from centers since Wilt Chamberlain’s last one in 1969. Towns is the only center with two of them. He fortunately won his first, which came in March of 2022. That should make this one a bit easier to swallow. If nothing else, his defeat put him in very good company.

The Golden State Warriors practiced for the first time on Monday since the death of assistant coach Dejan Milojevic. The Warriors assistant died the morning of Jan. 17 after suffering a heart attack the previous day while at a restaurant in Utah for a team dinner. The NBA subsequently postponed Golden State’s game against the Utah Jazz that was slated to take place that night, as well as a Friday home game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr addressed the media for the first time on Monday since Milojevic’s death, sharing how difficult the past five days have been.

“It’s hard to describe the week. Heartbreaking, devastating. It’s just the saddest thing I’ve ever been a part of in the NBA, where we lose someone who’s so close to us,” Kerr said. “And then, more importantly, seeing his family suffer. So this last week has been — last five days, I guess — has been full of all of the above. The shock, the emotion, the extreme outpouring of love from all over the world.”

Kerr continued by talking about the love shown from Milojevic’s home country Serbia, where a tribute was held recently that featured the team Milojevic used to coach against the team he used to play for.

“I don’t know if any of you saw — we watched as a team this morning the event that they had in Serbia. Deki’s two teams were playing against each other, it just happened to be on the schedule tonight — Mega, the team he coached, versus Partizan, the team he starred for. And I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like the pregame dedication from the fans and the organizations there to Deki. It was incredible. We watched it as a team, so I think we got a better sense of just what Deki meant to his countrymen. Of course, [with] how much he meant to us and to Natasha and Masha and Nikola, it’s been a devastating week.”

Partizan shared video of the tribute held for Milojevic on X, formerly known as Twitter, where fans could be seen chanting in Serbian while images of Milojevic were shared on the jumbotron and a banner featuring him hung on one side of the arena.

DEJAN MILOJEVIĆ.🕊️🖤🤍#KKPartizan #ABALiga pic.twitter.com/CnAFMLmB40

— KK Partizan Mozzart Bet (@PartizanBC) January 22, 2024
Kerr also thanked the league, the Mavericks and Jazz for allowing their past two games to be postponed.

“We needed it, and I want to thank the NBA [and] Adam Silver, for postponing those two games, there’s no way any of us could’ve walked out onto a court and played a basketball game either Wednesday or Friday,” Kerr said. “So I want to thank Adam [Silver], and the Mavericks and the Jazz, because those games will be made up and it will complicate the schedule for them. So I want to thank everybody.”

When asked about his favorite memories about Milojevic, Kerr highlighted how much he enjoyed coming to work because of the joy Deki brought everyday.

“Deki had an amazing way of being very direct and honest without threatening anyone,” Kerr said. “Sometimes those coaches meetings can get contentious, you know we all have different ideas, and he always had a gleam in his eye and a laugh even when he was challenging us — especially when he was challenging the rest of the group. He had a lot of great, funny sayings that he would use, sometimes Serbian words, sometimes just kind of his English version of things. He was just a guy who constantly saw the good in people, and the joy in life. And how could you not embrace and love that everyday, when you’re coming into a season that goes from 7-9 months? That’s exactly the kind of person I want to be with everyday. Deki was that guy for everybody.”

During Golden State’s practice Monday, players and coaches were wearing shirts that had the word “Brate” printed on them, which is Serbian for the word “brother.” The shirts also feature a heart with the letters “DM” inscribed in them in honor of Milojevic.

With the Warriors returning to practice that likely means they will be playing in Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks in San Francisco. It will mark a week since Milojevic’s death, and while the team is still very much in the mourning process, Kerr shared how he tried to picture how the team could possibly move past this tragic event.

“I lean on [Warriors assistant coach] Ron Adams so much, Ron has been a mentor for me — obviously an amazing coach for all of our players and and for our coaches — but I lean on him for wisdom and I asked him a couple days ago, I said ‘How do we go on from here, what do we do?'” Kerr said. “And Ron thought for a second and he said, ‘It’s relatively simple, you ask the guys, what would Deki want us to do?’ And I thought about it and I literally could picture Deki smiling and laughing and saying, ‘You mother——s need to go win a basketball game,’ and then laughing. Sorry for the language, I just wanted to share my vision of Deki, that’s exactly what he would’ve said with a smile on his face.”

The National Blowout Association has transformed into the National Bucket-getting Association after a couple of outstanding individual performances on Monday night. Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns set a franchise record with 62 points against the Charlotte Hornets, but he played second-fiddle to another sweet-shooting 7-footer as Joel Embiid went bonkers, besting Wilt Chamberlain with 70 points in a win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Now that you mention it, an NBA player probably just scored a basket while you were reading this sentence.

Embiid’s performance capped a 4-0 week which saw the 76ers jump nine spots into the No. 1 slot in this week’s NBA Power Rankings. They sit just ahead of the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets, whom Embiid only had 41 against earlier in the week. Slacker.

Also rising were the Los Angeles Clippers, who entered the top five after two strong wins, and the Phoenix Suns, who rode three victories to a top-10 spot. The biggest fallers of the week were the Utah Jazz, who came back to reality after a scorching stretch of basketball. The Miami Heat also interestingly fell nine spots after three straight losses with Jimmy Butler back in the fold.