NBA Recap | November 14, 2026
Saturday's five games all tipped in the early window and all five were done by 10:30 Eastern. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 14 rebounds, Klay Thompson scored 26 in 20 minutes in his return, and Miami beat Detroit 137-117 a night after scoring 133 on Cleveland. Those same Cavaliers, playing without Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, beat Dallas 127-117 behind Tyrese Proctor's triple-double and 22 from Mario Hezonja. Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray carried Denver past New Orleans 116-108, Memphis handled Brooklyn 129-110, and Chicago led from the first quarter on in a 117-106 win in Minnesota. Here's how it went down, every card graded, and where the record stands.
Antetokounmpo Goes for 34 and 14, Klay Thompson Scores 26 in 20 Minutes, and Miami Buries Detroit by 20
Detroit Pistons 117, Miami Heat 137
The first quarter had seven lead changes. Klay Thompson, back in the lineup after sitting Friday, had five points in an 8-0 run that his three at 9:05 capped at 14-7, and Detroit answered through Cade Cunningham and Kevin Huerter: Duncan Robinson's three at 3:19 put the Pistons up 28-27, Ronald Holland II's three at 42.4 seconds tied it at 37, and Javonte Green's two free throws at 30.2 sent Detroit to the second quarter up 39-37. Bam Adebayo's three at 7:34 of the second gave Miami the lead for good at 47-45 and sent Detroit to a timeout, Robinson's free throws tied it at 47 at 7:16, and Antetokounmpo scored 10 of Miami's 21 points as the Heat closed the half 21-13 to lead 68-60.
Thompson opened the third with a layup, a fadeaway and a 25-footer in 47 seconds, the last at 10:12 for 77-66 and a Detroit timeout. Daniss Jenkins's 25-footer at 8:45 cut it to 77-74, Miami called time at 8:43, and that was as close as Detroit got: the Heat outscored the Pistons 26-12 over the rest of the quarter, Davion Mitchell's three at 2:11 made it 97-82, and Ryan Conwell's tip at the buzzer made it 103-86 after three. Cunningham's three at 10:00 of the fourth got Detroit within 105-91 and brought a Miami timeout; Antetokounmpo's three at 4:57, Thompson's at 4:33 and Mitchell's at 4:00 pushed it to 121-102, and the lead reached 20 at 132-112 on Andrew Wiggins's layup at 1:27.
Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists on 13-of-17 in 31 minutes at a plus-17, Thompson scored 26 on 10-of-17 with six threes in 20 minutes, Adebayo had 20 points, three steals and two blocks and went 9-of-13 at the line, Mitchell had 15 points and nine assists on 3-of-5 from three, and Wiggins added 10. Miami blocked 14 shots, scored 28 in transition, and went 33-of-40 at the line. Cunningham had 33 points and eight assists on 8-of-20 and made all 14 of his free throws, Huerter scored 20 with seven assists off the bench, and Ausar Thompson had 10 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes. Detroit shot 39-of-97, 11-of-34 from three, and pulled down 22 offensive rebounds to stay in it as long as it did; John Collins went 3-of-13. Miami is 7-6; Detroit is 8-4.
THE CARD, GRADED · DET @ MIA
Side MIA +4.5 (Toss-up) · closing number DET -4.5 · Miami won by 20, 24.5 points past the number · cleared
Total Over 228.5 (Strong) · closing number 228.5 · the teams combined for 254, 25.5 points past the number · cleared
Our number had Miami ahead by 2.5 against a book that had Detroit by 4.5, so the side was a toss-up, and the Heat won by 20 with Thompson back. The over was our 240.1 against 228.5, almost 12 points of gap, and the teams were past the number with 2:49 to play.
Proctor's Triple-Double and Hezonja's 22 Carry a Cleveland Team Missing Four Starters Past Dallas
Dallas Mavericks 117, Cleveland Cavaliers 127
Cleveland sat Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, started Mario Hezonja, Thomas Bryant, Jaylon Tyson, Tyrese Proctor and Meleek Thomas, and traded leads with Dallas for a quarter: Thomas's threes at 11:43 and 9:35 of the first had the Cavaliers up 13-7, P.J. Washington's 25-footer at 7:14 put Dallas ahead 15-13, Santi Aldama's three at 2:06 made it 29-28, Morez Johnson Jr.'s two free throws at 1:17 made it 33-30, and Thomas's third three of the quarter at 19.2 seconds tied it at 33. Daniel Gafford's dunk at 6:25 of the second had Dallas up 44-43 and sent Cleveland to a timeout, and the Cavaliers closed the half 28-9: Tyson's running jumper at 4:16 for 52-46, Craig Porter Jr.'s basket at 3:08 for 57-48 and a Dallas timeout, Norchad Omier's layup and free throw at 2:16 for 62-48, and Proctor's 30-footer at 1.5 seconds for 71-53.
Dallas spent the third quarter chasing. Hezonja's three at 8:15 made it 84-63, Kyrie Irving answered with a 29-footer at 8:06 and a three at 3:41, Irving's 29-footer at 1:39 got Dallas within 97-88, and Cleveland scored the next eight, Hezonja's three at 1:27 through Porter's basket and free throw at 32.2, for 105-88 and a 105-91 lead after three. Proctor's threes at 10:58 and 10:27 of the fourth made it 113-91, the largest lead at 22. Irving's 31-footer at 4:40, his 29-foot pullup at 3:03 and his jumper at 2:23 got Dallas to 122-112, Dallas called time at 1:25 after Omier's dunk made it 124-112, and Hezonja's basket at 1:11 put it away.
Proctor had 24 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists on 10-of-19 with four threes, Hezonja scored 22 on 9-of-12, Thomas had 20, Bryant had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Tyson scored 18 and went 5-of-5 at the line, and Omier had 13 on 5-of-5 off the bench. Cleveland shot 48-of-90, outrebounded Dallas 54-40 and had 31 assists. Irving had 34 points on 11-of-25 with seven threes for Dallas, Cooper Flagg had 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists but went 6-of-19 and 0-of-6 from three, Caleb Martin scored 15 on 6-of-7, Naji Marshall had 12 and five assists off the bench, and Gafford and Washington scored 10 apiece. Dallas shot 14-of-44 from three and 39-of-94 overall. Cleveland is 7-7; Dallas is 7-6.
THE CARD, GRADED · DAL @ CLE
Side DAL +2.5 (Lean) · closing number CLE -2.5 · Dallas lost by 10, 12.5 points short of the number · missed
Total Under 231.5 (Toss-up) · closing number 231.5 · the teams combined for 244, 12.5 points over the number · missed
Our number had Dallas by about one and a half on the road against a book at Cleveland by 2.5. The Cavaliers then sat four starters, the market at tip had swung all the way to Dallas by 8.5 per ESPN, and Cleveland's reserves won by 10 anyway; graded against that later number the side misses by the same margin. The under was our 230.8 against 231.5, and both teams were past 115.
Jokić's 26-8-10 and Murray's 23 Hold Off a New Orleans Team That Would Not Go Away
Denver Nuggets 116, New Orleans Pelicans 108
New Orleans led 5-2 on Jeremiah Fears's floater at 10:29 of the first, Nikola Jokić's three at 10:10 tied it, Zion Williamson's pullup at 9:06 tied it again at 7, and Jokić's floater at 8:28 put Denver up 9-7 for a lead it never gave back. Jamal Murray's reverse layup at 5:31 made it 17-11 and brought the Pelicans' second timeout of the quarter, and Denver led 29-23 after one. The Pelicans got it to 52-51 on Jaron Pierre Jr.'s layup at 53.7 seconds of the second, and Aaron Gordon's three at 26.3 sent the Nuggets to the half up 56-51.
Denver pushed it to 72-60 on Cameron Johnson's two free throws at 7:29 of the third, New Orleans called time at 6:51, and the Pelicans came back again: Pierre's three and dunk at 4:50 and 4:33 made it 75-69 and brought a Denver timeout, Derik Queen's three at 2:39 made it 82-77, and Karlo Matkovic's three at 32.1 seconds made it 84-82 before Jokić's two free throws at 13.7 left it 86-82 after three. Denver opened the fourth 9-0: Spencer Jones's layup at 11:17, Marvin Bagley III's tip at 10:37 and a Pelicans timeout, Murray's layup at 10:04, and Johnson's layup at 9:11 for 95-82. DeMar DeRozan's turnaround at 6:38 made it 102-87, the largest lead at 15. Saddiq Bey's three at 5:03 cut it to 104-93 and Denver called time at 5:01; Christian Braun's 27-footer at 3:32 answered for 109-96, Williamson's layup and free throw at 1:56 made it 109-101, and Jokić's two free throws at 58.9 and Braun's dunk at 39.5 for 113-101 closed it.
Jokić had 26 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists on 9-of-14 with three steals, Murray had 23 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, Braun had 17 points, seven rebounds and four steals, Johnson scored 12 on 3-of-11, and Gordon had 11. Along the way, Jokić and Murray became the first pair of teammates since play-by-play tracking began in 1997-98 to each record at least 1,000 assists to the other. Denver shot 42-of-80, scored 62 in the paint, and went 28-of-37 at the line; the Nuggets made four threes all night. Williamson led New Orleans with 24 points and six rebounds on 9-of-16, Bey had 16 on 4-of-15, Jordan Poole scored 14 and went 7-of-7 at the line, Fears had 13 points and seven assists, Pierre scored 13 off the bench, and Queen had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists. Yves Missi, back after sitting Friday, had eight rebounds and four blocks in 22 minutes. New Orleans made 13 threes and blocked eight shots. Denver is 7-4; New Orleans is 4-10.
THE CARD, GRADED · DEN @ NOP
Side DEN -11.5 (Strong) · closing number DEN -11.5 · Denver won by 8, 3.5 points short of the number · missed
Total Over 234.5 (Strong) · closing number 234.5 · the teams combined for 224, 10.5 points short of the number · missed
Our number had the Nuggets by almost 18 against a book at 11.5 and the total at 243.7, and ESPN showed the market at 12.5 and 235.5 by tip. Denver led by 15 with 6:38 left and New Orleans, with Missi back, outscored the Nuggets 21-14 from there. Denver made four threes, New Orleans shot 42 percent, and the game had 70 free throws, which is how a 224 happens.
The Rest of the Slate
Memphis Grizzlies 129, Brooklyn Nets 110: Brooklyn's last lead was 5-2 on Julius Randle's three at 10:43 of the first. Cedric Coward's step-back three at 9:31 put Memphis ahead 8-7, Cam Spencer's three at 2:47 made it 35-17, and the Grizzlies led 38-23 after one and 71-54 at the half. Randle's step-back three at 5:12 of the third got the Nets within 85-77, and Memphis scored 16 of the next 17, Taylor Hendricks's running dunk at 39.6 seconds making it 101-78; the lead reached 26. Coward had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Hendricks scored 22 off the bench, and Javon Small had 19; Memphis, without Zach Edey, had 34 assists. Randle led Brooklyn with 22. Memphis is 9-4; Brooklyn is 3-9.
THE CARD, GRADED · BKN @ MEM
Side MEM -4.5 (Strong) · closing number MEM -4.5 · Memphis won by 19, 14.5 points past the number · cleared
Total Over 226.5 (Lean) · closing number 226.5 · the teams combined for 239, 12.5 points past the number · cleared
Chicago Bulls 117, Minnesota Timberwolves 106: Minnesota's last lead was 4-0 on Jaden McDaniels's tip at 10:49 of the first. Zach Collins's layup at 8:28 put Chicago up 7-4 for good, and the Bulls led 58-45 at the half. Minnesota ran off 13 straight in the third, McDaniels's three at 8:37 through his basket at 6:01 for 65-64, before Buddy Hield's three at 4:39 made it 72-66; Chicago led 88-80 after three. LaMelo Ball's three at 7:47 of the fourth cut it to 102-94, and Chicago scored the next nine for 109-94 at 5:24. Norman Powell had 24, Matas Buzelis had 18 and nine, and Hield and Tre Jones scored 16 apiece. Ayo Dosunmu had 24 for Minnesota, Ball went 7-of-25 with 4-of-19 from three, and Rudy Gobert went 0-of-7. Chicago is 3-9; Minnesota is 9-4.
THE CARD, GRADED · CHI @ MIN
Side MIN -14.5 (Strong) · closing number MIN -14.5 · Minnesota lost by 11, 25.5 points short of the number · missed
Total Over 236.5 (Toss-up) · closing number 236.5 · the teams combined for 223, 13.5 points short of the number · missed
Miami Wins by 20, Cleveland Wins Without Four Starters, and Chicago Leads From the First Quarter On in Minnesota
Miami is 7-6 and Detroit 8-4; Cleveland is 7-7 and Dallas 7-6; Denver is 7-4 and New Orleans 4-10; Memphis is 9-4 and Brooklyn 3-9; Chicago is 3-9 and Minnesota 9-4. The team the market expected won three of the five, and two of those, Memphis and Cleveland, won by more than the number; Miami and Chicago won outright as underdogs, Miami by 20 and Chicago by 11. Five teams were on the second night of a back-to-back, and four of them won: Miami, Cleveland and Memphis at home by double digits, Chicago on the road by 11. New Orleans, the fifth, lost by eight. Two of the five graded sides cleared and two of the five totals did, both in the same two games.
Star of the Night: Giannis Antetokounmpo, F, Miami Heat
34 PTS | 14 REB | 8 AST | 1 STL | 3 BLK | 3 TO | 13-of-17 FG | 1-of-2 3PT | 7-of-9 FT | 31 MIN | +17
Tyrese Proctor's 24-11-10 triple-double for a Cleveland lineup missing four starters, Nikola Jokić's 26-8-10 with three steals, Kyrie Irving's 34 with seven threes in a loss, Cade Cunningham's 33 on 14-of-14 free throws, Klay Thompson's 26 in 20 minutes and Cedric Coward's 23 and 12 all made their cases. Antetokounmpo scored 10 of Miami's 21 points in the run that closed the first half, finished 13-of-17 against a Detroit frontcourt without Jalen Duren, and added eight assists and three blocks in 31 minutes.
Dud of the Night: LaMelo Ball, G, Minnesota Timberwolves
19 PTS | 8 REB | 6 AST | 4 STL | 7-of-25 FG | 4-of-19 3PT | 1-of-2 FT | 30 MIN | −3
Rudy Gobert's 0-of-7 for one point in 27 minutes, Cooper Flagg's 6-of-19 with 0-of-6 from three, Daniss Jenkins's 4-of-14 at a minus-22 and John Collins's 3-of-13 were in the conversation. Ball took 19 threes and made four as a 14.5-point home favorite lost by 11 to a 2-9 team on the second night of a back-to-back, in a game Minnesota never led after the first two minutes.
THE RECORD · NBA REGULAR SEASON
Side 97-90-0 · 52% of 187 · Total 82-94-0 · 47% of 176 · through November 14
This slate: side 2-3, total 2-3 (10 leans).
Every card is graded against the number printed in the preview. The full ledger, by tier and by month, is on The Record.
What's next
Sunday has nine games spread across the whole day. Indiana is in Philadelphia at 1 PM ET, the Lakers visit Phoenix at 4, Charlotte is at the Clippers at 4:30, and San Antonio, winner of 11 straight, visits Utah at 5. Dallas plays the second night of a back-to-back in Boston at 6, the Knicks are in Toronto at the same hour, Houston visits Washington at 7, Atlanta is in Milwaukee at 8, and Oklahoma City closes the night in Sacramento at 9. We'll have the preview, the cards and every lean before the first tip.
Tome Collective is an informational publication. The Card and The Record describe how our number compared with the market; they are not advice.
