Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from Nov. 7

Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Edwards headline a three-game Thursday:
San Antonio earned a 118-105 victory over Portland, fueled by eight Spurs posting double-digit scoring. Keldon Johnson and Malaki Branham each finished with 17 points to co-lead San Antonio. The Spurs generated assists on 35 of 44 made field goals, as Chris Paul and Stephon Castle co-led with six dimes a piece.
Shaedon Sharpe finished with 13 points (6-9 FG, 1-4 3PM) two rebounds, one assist and one block in 20 minutes of action for Portland — which represented his first NBA action in nearly 300 days. Deandre Ayton posted a double-double of 21 points (10-15 FG) and 10 rebounds, tying with Jerami Grant for the team high in scoring. Scoot Henderson finished with 11 points (5-12 FG, 1-2 3PM), three rebounds, three assists and one steal in 20 minutes.

Giannis Antetokounmpo boomed for 31 points (11-21 FG, 9-12 FT) and 16 rebounds, while Damian Lillard finished with 34 points (12-22 FG, 4-11 3PM, four rebounds, seven assists and four steals to elevate Milwaukee to a 2-6 record. Lillard is on a tear, combining for 111 points across his last three games.
Lillard and Antetokounmpo tallied their 11th game with 30+ points each as Bucks teammates, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Dandridge for the most in franchise history.
Bobby Portis (7-15 FG) supplied 19 points and six rebounds, teaming up with AJ Green (12 points, 4-6 3PM) to provide a scoring punch off the bench.
Jordan Clarkson finished with a team-high 18 points for Utah, but only six came in the second half. Johnny Juzang posted 12 points in what was the 11th double-digit scoring game of his three-year NBA career, although he was held scoreless in the second half.
Despite falling to 1-7 on the season, Utah remains a potent offense, as the team knocked down 41.5 percent of 41 3-point attempts Thursday, with six players hitting multiple threes.

Anthony Edwards finished with a game-high 33 points (13-23 FG, 5-9 3PM, 2-2 FT) to lead a cast of six Timberwolves each scoring at least 13 points in an offensively-oriented affair versus Chicago. Mike Conley had a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists.
Minnesota outscored Chicago by 25 points in the second half, headlined by Minnesota notching 45 fourth-quarter points, which is the most by any team in a single quarter this season.
Josh Giddey racked up 13 assists without recording a turnover to lead a holistically efficient performance from Chicago’s offense, which generated assists on 30 of 47 made shots. The Bulls posted 20 assists in the first half, which stands as the highest mark league-wide thus far in 2024-25. Nikola Vucevic (25 points, 11-15 FG) and Coby White (24 points, 9-15 FG) led Chicago in scoring.
Minnesota’s record improves to 5-3, while the Bulls drop to 3-6.

Anthony Edwards has climbed to 33 points, while Rudy Gobert (21 points) and Julius Randle (22 points) are helping fuel Minnesota to a dominant fourth quarter, outscoring Chicago by 22 points in the frame to mount a 131-114 lead in the final minutes.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (27 points, 14 rebounds) and Damian Lillard (29 points, four assists) are cooking Thursday, representing the only Bucks with double-digit scoring thus far, as Milwaukee holds a 88-77 entering the fourth quarter.
Milwaukee outscored Utah by 15 points in the third quarter, fueled by the aforementioned duo generating 22 points. Jordan Clarkson has a team-high 15 points for the Jazz.

Vucevic is booming to a game-high 25 points (11-12 FG, 3-3 3PM), while Josh Giddey (12 assists) has been a key facilitator for Chicago. The Bulls lead the Timberwolves 87-83 with over three minutes remaining in the third quarter of a high-octane affair.

Deandre Ayton’s 17 points (8-10 FG) and Jerami Grant’s 12 points (4-6 FG) represents the majority of Portland’s 55 points, as the they trail San Antonio by one point at halftime.
San Antonio has eight players with at least six points, while Malaki Branham’s nine points is the team-high.

Following recovery from shoulder surgery, Sharpe checks in for his first game action since Jan. 11. The 21-year-old averaged 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists across 32 appearances last year.