FloaterDaily Brief
Wednesday, December 25, 1996Regular season · 2 games
← Dec 23CalendarDec 26 →

2 games, none went to overtime. Every winner was ahead or tied at every quarter break.

Final · Box score
Pistons83
Bulls95
Q1 CHI +5; Q2 CHI +12; Q3 CHI +12; Q4 CHI +12
Final · Box score
Lakers108
Suns87
Q1 LAL +9; Q2 LAL +6; Q3 LAL +11; Q4 LAL +21
On this day · 1995–96Dec 25, 1995: 2 games. Top scorer: Hakeem Olajuwon (Rockets-Magic), 30 points.
Dec 25 in other seasons2025202420232022202120202019201820172016201520142013201220112010200920082007200620052004200320022001200019991997
The lead · Pistons-Bulls

Chicago makes it eight straight

Scottie Pippen goes for 27 points

Game flow · CHI margin at each break
-20-100+10+20TipEnd Q1HalfEnd Q3Final0+5+12+12+12CHI AHEAD ↑DET AHEAD ↓
By quarter
Q1Q2Q3Q4T
Pistons2314242283
Bulls2821242295
Who led
Scottie PippenPoints, last 10 games: 14, 28, 26, 24, 10, 35, 19, 22, 20, 27CHI27 PTS · 8 REB · 8 AST
Michael JordanPoints, last 10 games: 37, 13, 27, 32, 29, 30, 35, 31, 24, 23CHI23 PTS · 10 REB · 2 AST
Grant HillPoints, last 10 games: 14, 12, 26, 13, 25, 27, 17, 18, 25, 27DET27 PTS · 8 REB · 2 AST
Otis ThorpePoints, last 10 games: 19, 6, 6, 6, 16, 14, 12, 16, 11, 17DET17 PTS · 7 REB · 2 AST
Second story · Lakers-Suns

Lakers lead Phoenix wire to wire

Lakers were ahead at every break and won 108–87. Best quarter: the fourth, 32–22. Shaquille O'Neal led Lakers with 26 points, 16 rebounds and 5 assists.

Top-scorer duel · Lakers-Suns
Shaquille O'Neal · LALSam Cassell · PHXPTS2617REB161AST54Top scorer on each side. Bars scale within each stat. Pink = the winning side.
The night in charts
Lakers-Suns combined for 195, 17 more than any other game
Points by game
Lakers-SunsLakers 108, Suns 87
195
Pistons-BullsPistons 83, Bulls 95
178
CHI won the closest game by 12
Closest finishes
Pistons-BullsPistons 83, Bulls 95
+12 CHI
Lakers-SunsLakers 108, Suns 87
+21 LAL
Thorpe shot 8-of-14 for the night's hottest hand
Hottest shooting · min 10 FGA
ThorpeDET · 17 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST
57% (8-14)
Eddie JonesLAL · 24 PTS, 5 STL, 2 REB, 2 AST
56% (9-16)
Grant HillDET · 27 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL
50% (12-24)
CampbellLAL · 13 PTS, 12 REB, 1 BLK
50% (6-12)
RodmanCHI · 22 REB, 11 PTS, 7 AST
50% (5-10)
Final · Pistons-Bulls
Pistons 83Bulls 95
TeamQ1Q2Q3Q4T
Pistons2314242283
Bulls2821242295
The story
Michael Jordan had 23 points and 10 rebounds as Chicago beat Detroit 95-83

Grant Hill led Detroit with 27 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST 23 PTS, 10 REB, 2 AST · 9-21 FG, 0-4 3PT

The swing

The Bulls won the second 21-14, their biggest quarter edge.

CHI lead by quarter
200 +5+12+12+12 Q1Q2Q3Q4
Final · Lakers-Suns
Lakers 108Suns 87
TeamQ1Q2Q3Q4T
Lakers23282532108
Suns1431202287
The story
Shaquille O'Neal's 26 points and 16 rebounds carried Los Angeles past Phoenix, 108-87

For Phoenix, Rex Chapman had 15 PTS, 6 AST, 3 REB 26 PTS, 16 REB, 5 AST · 11-24 FG, 0-1 3PT

The swing

The fourth quarter, 32-22, was where the Lakers built it.

LAL lead by quarter
300 +9+6+11+21 Q1Q2Q3Q4
Fantasy angle
Heating up
+6.9points, last 5 vs season avg
Points per game
15.3Season avg22.2Last 5

22.2 points a game over his last five games, against 15.3 in 28 earlier games. Today: 9 points in 37 minutes.

Losing minutes
−6.2minutes, last 3 vs season avg
Minutes per game
28.5Season avg22.3Last 3

22.3 minutes a game over his last three games, against 28.5 in 26 earlier games. Today: 4 points in 20 minutes.

Stepped-up role
+16.7minutes, today vs season avg
Minutes per game
24.2Season avg40.9Today

41 minutes today, against 24.2 a game in 25 earlier games. Line: 5 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assists.

Top performances

Scottie Pippen leads the day with 27

Scottie PippenPoints, last 10 games: 14, 28, 26, 24, 10, 35, 19, 22, 20, 27Bulls-Pistons · W
19.7 PPG season to date · +7.6 vs his regular-season average before tonight
27 PTS · 8 REB · 8 AST
Grant HillPoints, last 10 games: 14, 12, 26, 13, 25, 27, 17, 18, 25, 27Pistons-Bulls · L
20.9 PPG season to date · +6.3 vs his regular-season average before tonight
Ties season high27 PTS · 8 REB · 2 AST
Shaquille O'NealPoints, last 10 games: 21, 25, 22, 27, 33, 34, 27, 41, 21, 26Lakers-Suns · W
26.1 PPG season to date · −0.1 vs his regular-season average before tonight
26 PTS · 16 REB · 5 AST
Eddie JonesPoints, last 10 games: 4, 6, 11, 8, 5, 17, 21, 19, 10, 24Lakers-Suns · W
16.4 PPG season to date · +7.9 vs his regular-season average before tonight
24 PTS · 2 REB · 2 AST
Michael JordanPoints, last 10 games: 37, 13, 27, 32, 29, 30, 35, 31, 24, 23Bulls-Pistons · W
30.4 PPG season to date · −7.7 vs his regular-season average before tonight
23 PTS · 10 REB · 2 AST
Otis ThorpePoints, last 10 games: 19, 6, 6, 6, 16, 14, 12, 16, 11, 17Pistons-Bulls · L
12.7 PPG season to date · +4.5 vs his regular-season average before tonight
17 PTS · 7 REB · 2 AST
Hot and cold

Last 10 games against the season so far

Hot
Anthony PeelerVAN+5.5 18.8 last 10 · 13.3 season
Rony SeikalyORL+4.9 20.3 last 10 · 15.4 season
Kerry KittlesNJN+4.3 19.3 last 10 · 15.0 season
George LynchVAN+4.2 12.3 last 10 · 8.1 season
Mitch RichmondSAC+3.6 26.9 last 10 · 23.3 season
Cold
Armen GilliamMIL−4.1 5.9 last 10 · 10.0 season
Eddie JonesLAL−3.9 12.5 last 10 · 16.4 season
Mark PriceGSW−3.2 9.0 last 10 · 12.2 season
Shawn KempSEA−3.1 18.9 last 10 · 22.0 season
Hakeem OlajuwonHOU−3.1 20.3 last 10 · 23.4 season