Week 12 of the 2024-25 NBA season is done and dusted so we’re looking into the notable moments with three big takeaways from the chaos.
The NBA can be somewhat hit-and-miss throughout the early weeks of January. However, the big numbers piled up this week to produce nightly highlights around the league.
Domantas Sabonis is a box score beast but even his 28 rebounds required a double-take. We’ve grown accustomed to Russell Westbrook and Nikola Jokic putting up triple-doubles throughout their career, but they became only the second duo in NBA history to have a 25-point triple-double in the same game this week.
Trae Young is leading the NBA in assists per game and found 20 teammates for points against the Utah Jazz. His final involvement on the game is what will be remembered, though.
UNBELIEVABLE SHOT FROM TRAE YOUNG…
GAME-WINNER FROM BEYOND HALFCOURT!#TissotBuzzerBeater #YourTimeDefinesYourGreatness pic.twitter.com/f5sWGEplNx
— NBA (@NBA) January 8, 2025
LeBron James continued to defy the odds and keep Father Time at arms length. His streak of consecutive regular season games scoring at least 10 points is no old enough to vote. His streak has played the 37th most games of any player in NBA history.
Another week ends with the Cleveland Cavaliers owning the longest winning streak in the NBA – now at 12 games. They ended the Oklahoma City Thunder’s run of 15 wins on the bounce in a thriller during the week. Meanwhile, the Washington Wizards once again played out another losing week. They’ve dropped five games in a row to be in possession of the worst record in the league.
3 Takeaways From Week 12
Cavaliers Pass Another Championship Test
It’s not often that we can sit here in January and make such significant claims to the NBA championship race, but the Cleveland Cavaliers beating the Oklahoma City Thunder this week wasn’t just any game.
Per the NBA:
– This was only the second time in history that two teams had won 30 of their first 35 games of the season.
– It is the only game between East and West teams with winning percentages of .850 or better.
– It marked the first time a team on a 10-game winning streak faced a team on a 15-game winning streak.
The game featured 30 lead changes before the Cavaliers eventually claimed the 129-122 win. The highlights are must-watch:
With the win, the Cavs became just the seventh team in NBA history to win at least 32 of their first 36 games.
Importantly for the Cavaliers ($4.50) and their quest to unseat the Boston Celtics ($1.91) as favourites to win the Eastern Conference, they beat the best in the West while Donovan Mitchell struggled, shooting 3-13.
Evan Mobley goes from strength-to-strength and added 21 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Ty Jerome picked up some of the slack left by Mitchell for 15 points. Darius Garland and Max Strus added 18 and 17 points while Jarrett Allen led the way with 25 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
The Cavaliers were too reliant on Mitchell last season. While a good team, they were never in the championship conversation. That has all changed this year under Kenny Atkinson who is the $1.25 favourite to win Coach of the Year.
In another Game of the Season contender given how well Tyrese Haliburton is playing, the Indiana Pacers are up next for the Cavaliers as $1.24 favourites.
NBA Championship Odds: Celtics – $3, Thunder – $3.75, Cavaliers – $7, Knicks – $13, Nuggets – $18, Mavericks – $18, Bucks – $21
Zion Williamson Returns – Sort Of…
Zion Williamson made his latest return from injury, getting straight into his work playing 28 minutes in the New Orleans Pelicans 104-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In only his seventh appearance of the 2024-25 NBA season, Williamson finished up with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and a block.
Zion Williamson made his return for the Pelicans tonight & New Orleans lost to Minnesota 104-97.
He impressed & didn't look like someone who was sidelined for two months.
Here's a look at his return, what his chemistry was like with Dejounte Murray & how Zion attacked rehab: pic.twitter.com/gEnjqqZQO9
— Jon Sokoloff (@JonSokoloff) January 8, 2025
However, Williamson’s eighth appearance of the season is delayed. It’s not another injury, though…
The Pelicans suspended their superstar for one game “for conduct detrimental to the team” after he was late for their flight to play the Philadelphia 76ers.
What does this say about Williamson and his future with the Pelicans? Rumours have started to swirl that front office is tired of Williamson’s constant injuries and the stop-start nature of his career. If it’s not an injury, it’s conditioning. However, he did slim down over the summer and when he’s on the court, there is little doubt about his potential to be one of the best players in the NBA.
Should the Pelicans have any interest in trading him, would they further drag his name through the mud with a suspension while his trade value sits at an all-time low?
Tankathon gives New Orleans a 14% chance of landing the No.1 pick in the NBA Draft. Put Cooper Flagg beside Williamson next season, and there might be hope for the Pelicans yet.
Defining The Defensive Player of the Year
Defence is sometimes a difficult area of NBA basketball to quantify with numbers. We all see good defence when it happens in front of us in in the form of a block or a steal.
Victor Wembanyama leads the league in blocks with four per game while Dyson Daniels averages an NBA-high 3.1 steals per game. Both are known around the league as premier defenders in the NBA.
Contested shots is another metric not quite as well-published, but easy to consume as a number.
NBA Stats: Contested Shots per game1 – Brook Lopez: 132 – Walker Kessler: 12.93 – Chet Holmgren: 11.24 – Kristaps Porzingis: 10.95 – Victor Wembanyama: 10.7
— Bet Sports (@betsports.bsky.social) 2025-01-11T23:24:13.787Z
Defensive win shares attempt to divvy up credit for team success to individuals on a team by dividing a player’s marginal defense by their team’s marginal points per win. When looking down the current list, it’s easy to see why voters often point to defensive win shares in their reasoning.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 2.8 defensive win shares is the best in the NBA and no doubt a massive reason he’s the $1.62 favourite to win the Most Valuable Player award. Teammate Jalen Williams isn’t far behind (2.6) with Alphren Sengun (2.4) third. Current $1.30 Defensive Player of the Year favourite, Wembanyama (2.3) is among the top in the NBA while Jayson Tatum, Rudy Gobert and Bam Adebayo (2.1) round out the elite numbers in the league.
It’s an award that so often relies on the eye test and Wembanyama passes it with flying colours every night. He’s towards the top of the key metrics, too. It’s his award to lose at the moment, but an injury before the All-Star game would open the field up.
Defensive Player of the Year odds: Evan Mobley – $9, Jaren Jackson Jr. – $11, Lu Dort – $26, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – $26, Rudy Gobert – $31, Bam Adebayo – $36
Bet Now NBA Futures