NBA Fast Break Classic | Run 6 | Day 3
Cavs Outlast Denver, Spurs Keep Rolling, Thunder Smash Warriors, Lakers Close Late
NBA Recap: January 2, 2026
It was the league’s first true “everyone’s back from the holidays” night, and the energy matched it.
Cleveland opened with one of the night’s tightest finishes, beating Denver 113–108 behind a balanced scoring effort and a fourth quarter that finally slowed the Nuggets’ push. Jamal Murray dropped 34, but Denver’s offense stalled late, and Cleveland closed on a 25–11 run to seal it. In Chicago, the Bulls handled Orlando 121–114, flipping the game with a 37‑point second quarter to tie the game and seize momentum for the second half. They took control the fourth and put away the Magic to get back to .500.
San Antonio kept its momentum rolling with a 123–113 win in Indiana, riding a 41‑point second quarter that blew the game open. The Pacers made a couple of pushes, but the Spurs’ pace and shot‑making held firm. Atlanta stunned the Knicks 111-99 in New York, the Wizards earned a big 119-99 win over fellow cellar dweller Brooklyn, and Milwaukee bounced back with a razor thin margin of victory as they beat Charlotte 122–121.
Additionally, Portland beat New Orleans 122–109, controlling the paint and the tempo from the opening tip. Phoenix handled Sacramento 129–102, scoring 30 or more points in each quarter to maintain control throughout the contest. And then came the blowout of the night: Oklahoma City smashed Golden State 131–94, a wire‑to‑wire dismantling powered by Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander’s 30 and Chet Holmgren’s 15 boards.
The slate closed in Los Angeles, where the Lakers outlasted Memphis 128–121 in a game that swung wildly across four quarters. Luka Dončić dropped 34 and LeBron scored 31 to lead the Lakers to a much needed victory.
Today’s Fast Break Objective(s): Day 3 of 11
Objective(s): 7 Steals & 45 Assists (1.4 STL & 9.0 AST)
You’ll need five (5) players who will accumulate 7 or more steals and 45 or more assists, which means each player will need to average 1.4 STL & 9.0 AST. The assists total have the higher chance of being the one that trips you up today unless your captain can carry forward the differential.
Top Player Options:
Little of Both: N/A
Pro Thieves: Dyson Daniels, Kawhi Leonard, OG Anunoby, VJ Edgecombe, Kris Dunn, Dru Smith
Distributors: Trae Young, Deni Avdija, Isaiah Collier, Jalen Johnson
Top Five (5) Players in Classic Lineups:
Upcoming Fast Break Objectives:
Tomorrow’s Objective(s): 50 Rebounds & 5 Blocks (10.0 REB & 1.0 BLK)
Objectives Remaining (after today):
2x: PTS, REB
1x: BLK, AST-TO, FGM, FGA, 3PM, 3PA, AST
Considerations:
Six teams are playing the tail end of a back-to-back today
Eight teams have the least number of games remaining (4)
Miami & Minnesota have the most games remaining (6)
The dreaded AST-TO day is on Day 6 (Jan. 6th)
Day 8 has the least number of teams in action (8)
Day 7, 9, & 11 have 20 or more teams in action
Day 3 (today) & 4 (tomorrow) have two divergent objectives whereas every other day has one primary objective
Statistical Approach:
Top players in steals & assists according to Rotowire & NBA.com, which is available in the table(s) below. Overall rank is based on daily projections, last 10 average, and season averages, which is stack ranked amongst peers for each objective. When there is a single objective, the three data points are still used to stack rank the players vs. ranking solely on projections. For tome+ members, all active player stats are available in the provided data file. Omission of certain players would be based on injuries at the time of data pull.
NBA Fast Break Classic Rewards:
Daily: Top 100 | Milestone: 3, 6, & 9 Wins | Run: Top 250
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Top Player Options for Fast Break:
The top players for today’s Fast Break objective(s). Source: nbatopshot.com, nba.com, & tomecollective.com, 2025.
Projected Steals
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Projected Assists
Projected STL & AST
NBA Fast Break Grid
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