Stay in the know on tonight’s NBA action with the latest news, scores and highlights from around the league.
⛹🏽♂️Sunday hoops⛹
- Knicks 105, Celtics 118 (Final)
- Mavericks 102, Warriors 126 (Final)
- Clippers 111, Pacers 129 (Final)
- Pistons 148, Hawks 143 (Final)
- Wizards 90, Magic 110 (Final)
- Suns 109, Raptors 127 (Final)
- Heat 113, Bucks 120 (Final)
- Spurs 96, Pelicans 114 (Final)
- Grizzlies 123, Cavaliers 129 (Final)
- Thunder 130, Timberwolves 123 (Final)
📝Final stories📝
- The Pistons upended the Hawks for their sixth win in a row and 31st of the season. Detroit hasn’t seen a six-game win streak since the 2014-15 campaign, and their 31 wins match their total victories from the last two seasons combined. They remain No. 6 in the East, just 1.5 games back of Milwaukee, and with a three-game cushion on No. 7 seed Orlando.
- In a battle of two of the league’s best, the Cavaliers outscored the Grizzlies, 129-123. The win extended Cleveland’s win streak to seven, helping them maintain their 6.0-game lead atop the East. Meanwhile, Memphis’s loss dropped their record to 37-20 and tied them with Denver for the rights to the No. 2 seed in the West.
- Oklahoma City still has its foot on the gas, blowing through Minnesota, 130-123. The Thunder move to 46-10 with a 9.5 game lead atop the Western Conference standings. Minnesota falls to 31-27 and is now tied with the Mavericks, who also lost today, for the No. 7 spot in the West.
🌟🌟Top performers🌟🌟
- Cade Cunningham: 38 points (7-10 3PT), 12 assists, seven rebounds, three blocks.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 37 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, and three steals.
- Donovan Mitchell: 33 points, six assists, and two rebounds.
- Trae Young: 38 points, 13 assists, two rebounds, and one steal.
- Tyler Herro: 40 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds.
⚡Thunder roll⚡
Oklahoma City picked up their 46th win of the season, with a 130-123 win over Minnesota.
Gilgeous-Alexander showed why he’s a prime candidate to win the Kia NBA MVP award, with a box score stuffing, 37-point effort, that included eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and three blocks, while shooting 13-for-24.
Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren were also impressive, with Williams racking up 18 points, nine assists, and three steals, while Holmgren added 19 points and three blocks.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in the loss.
🤺Dueling cousins🤺
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has scored 11 straight points, helping keep the Timberwolves in it, although they trail, 120-112 with less than five to play in the game.
On the other side, his cousin Shai has hit 34 points, helping spur their now 15-2 run over the last three minutes of play.
🌩️Call it a Thunder dunk🌩️
Lu Dort cuts to the lane, and Isaiah Hartenstein spots him for the bounce pass and he elevates for a big-time throwdown.
Oklahoma City has taken back the lead late in the third quarter, 98-96.
Wolves howling
After trailing by as much as 19, the Timberwolves have gone on a massive 30-9 run to close out the second half. They’ll take a 63-61 lead over the Thunder into the break.
Naz Reid has been clutch in the outburst, putting up 16 points, and he’s also grabbed eight rebounds, filling in for Rudy Gobert, who is out of action. Anthony Edwards has scored 10, including this big three as part of the run,
However, despite trailing now and being on the wrong end of the run, this halfcourt buzzer-beater from Jalen Williams may halt Minnesota’s momentum going into halftime.
Thunder hitting early
Oklahoma City has jumped out to a 35-23 lead over the Timberwolves after a quarter of play.
Behind the offensive flurry is none other than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has already scored 11, completing two and-1 plays.
⚔️Cavaliers tame Grizzlies⚔️
Cleveland got the job done against the No. 2 team in the East with a 129-123 victory.
Mitchell showed up big, scoring 33 points and adding six dimes. Mobley also registered a strong performance, finishing with 25, 13 boards, eight assists, and three blocks. Lastly, Ty Jerome was a problem for Memphis off the bench, posting 26 points on 9-16 shooting to go with five boards and four assists.
Memphis got it close in the end, but two highlight dunks, first from Allen, and the second from Mitchell slammed the door shut on the Grizzlies.
🪽Pelicans soar🪽
New Orleans took over in the second half, including outscoring San Antonio 39-17 in the final frame, to win 114-96.
The Spurs struggled to get much going offensively, with no one in their starting five scoring more than the 13 points that Fox did. Instead, their leading scorers were Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson with 18 each off the bench.
The Pelicans were led by Zion Williamson who owned the paint tonight and finished with 22 points, nine boards, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.
🛠️Dee-Troit Basketball🛠️
The Pistons came out on top in a high-scoring affair against the Hawks, 148-143.
Cunningham cooled off in the second half but still finished with 38 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds, and three blocks on the way to victory. Malik Beasley was clutch off the bench, adding 24 on 6-10 long-range shooting.
Trae Young tied Cunningham with a game-high 38 while adding 13 dishes in the loss.
Raptors roar
Toronto pulled out a 127-109 win over the Suns, in a game featuring multiple notable performances.
Both Devin Booker and Bradley Beal hit the 30-point mark, with Booker scoring 31 and adding eight assists.
The Raptors had four players score at least 20 points, with Chris Boucher, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett all putting up 23, while Scottie Barnes added 20.
Come🔙complete✅
Despite a massive 40-point, 11 assists, and seven rebound effort from Herro, the Bucks pulled out a 120-113 win over Miami.
Milwaukee outscored the Heat by 17 points in the second half to complete the comeback, fueled by a 28-point effort from Lillard, while Giannis added 23 points, 16 boards, and seven assists. Also key in the W was a 14-minute effort from Kevin Porter Jr., which saw him finish +8, with 11 points, three boards, two assists, and two steals.
Orlando earns the win🪄✨
The Magic took care of business against the Wizards, getting a 110-90 victory.
Anthony Black was clutch off the bench tying a career-high with 23 points, and added three rebounds and seven assists. Wagner also posted 23 for Orlando and added seven boards and five assists.
🧨Giannis🧨
Antetokounmpo continues to make plays, as the Bucks try to get a lead against Miami. They currently trail 93-85 late in the third, with Tyler Herro going off for 28 points for 10 assists.
First, he shows off the 360-spin to break through the defenders,
He also gets the lob from Lillard for a strong two-handed slam.
🍧Serving up a scoop🍧
Donovan Mitchell gets in the lane and hangs, then hits the scoop layup around Ja Morant for two of his early 12 points.
The Cavaliers hold a 31-26 lead over the Grizzlies late in the first.
You can watch this one live on ESPN.
🎉To the rafters🎉
After Golden State’s 126-102 win over Dallas, the Warriors retired Andre Iguodala’s No. 9.
Iguodala spent eight seasons with the Warriors, winning four NBA championships, including earning the 2015 NBA Finals MVP.
Congrats, Andre!
💪🏽That’s strong💪🏽
Andrew Wiggins is getting his cake and eating it too for his birthday with a rim-attacking slam for two of his 15 first-half points for Miami.
The Heat’s offense is ignited, posting 65 points at the break, and holding a 10-point lead over the Bucks.
✈️Taking flight✈️
Bilal Coulibaly gets way up on the Jordan Poole lob for a strong two-handed slam over Cole Anthony, and two of his seven points.
The Wizards and Magic are in a tight duel, with Washington holding a 47-45 advantage late in the first half.
Throw it⬇️
Cade Cunningham picks up the loose ball in the paint and finds Ron Holland on the break who throws it down with a strong right hand for his only two points.
Cunningham has a whole game’s worth of stats at halftime. The first-time All-Star has scored 29 on 6-8 three-point shooting, to go with 10 assists and five rebounds, as the Pistons lead the Hawks 76-68 at the break.
🥱Showing off now🥱
Tyrese Haliburton and Toppin get alone on the break, and Haliburton goes between the legs to serve up the alley-oop finish.
The Pacers continue to roll, leading the Clippers 105-87. At the forefront of their success has been Haliburton, who’s sitting on 27 points and 12 assists as they head to the final frame.
🦌Charging Buck🦌
Giannis Antetokounmpo is showing why you never stop moving, by rebounding his own miss and getting the dunk, for two of his nine early points.
The Bucks are trailing the Heat though, 24-18 late in the first quarter.
💥Obi explosion💥
The Pacers have brought the offense, dropping 66 points in the first half, and are heading to the break with an 11-point lead.
James Harden has cooked for the Clippers, scoring 22 points and tallying eight assists, but it’s his squad that is trailing.
Indiana provided the fireworks, with Myles Turner setting it off from long-range, scoring 17 on four triples, and this booming dunk from Obi Toppin with a strong left hand.
Get your W’s🆙
After falling behind by five early, Golden State took the lead and never looked back, cruising to a 24-point victory, 126-102.
Curry dropped 30 on 12-for-20 shooting, tacking on seven dimes and four boards. Brandin Podziemski brought the Windex, cleaning the glass 13 times, to go with 17 points, and Jimmy Butler put up 18 and five assists.
Kyrie Irving and Washington led Dallas with 17 points each.
🕹️ Warriors came out to play🕹️
Golden State wasted no time in the second game of a matinee double-header on ABC, jumping out to a 33-18 lead after a quarter of play. They’ve since extended that lead out to 75-56 over the Mavericks nearing the midpoint of the third quarter.
Big contributions from their new dynamic duo, the Chef and the Butler have been pivotal in doing so. Stephen Curry has already dropped 20 on 8-for-14 shooting, while Butler has added 14 with three dishes and two rebounds.
Dallas’ contributions have been spread out, with P.J. Washington (10 points) the only player in double figures.
Check out some of the highlights thus far,
🍀Celtics win matinee🍀
Boston got the best of the Knicks earlier this afternoon, defeating the New York squad 118-105.
All five of the Celtics’ starters scored at least 14 points, with Jayson Tatum finishing an assist shy of a triple-double, and adding 25 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylen Brown was effective as well, scoring 24 in addition to eight boards, two assists, and two steals.
The Knicks received their usual solid contribution from Karl-Anthony Towns in the loss, as he poured in 24 and added 18 boards. Brunson pitched in 22, while Josh Hart flirted with a triple-double, posting 20 with 11 boards, and nine dimes.
📚Top3️⃣stories📚
- The streaking Pistons visit Atlanta looking to pick up their sixth win in a row. Detroit hasn’t accomplished winning that many consecutive games since their 2014-15 season. This game will feature a duel between two of the elite point guards in the NBA with Cade Cunningham and Trae Young dueling it out. The last time these teams squared off was a high-scoring 132-130 final, with Trae Young hitting a long-range fadeaway with 1.6 seconds left to deliver Atlanta a victory.
- The Grizzlies visit Cleveland for a showdown between the No. 1 team in the East and No. 2 in the West. These two teams are extremely similar on the surface, with these two squads tied for the league lead in points per game with 122.8. They’re also tied for seventh in the NBA with 111.0 defensive ratings. Each of these teams features an elite guard duo with Ja Morant and Desmond Bane in Memphis’ backcourt and Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland fueling the Cavaliers. Both teams also feature big men who are the favorites to take home the Defensive Player of the Year award, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Evan Mobley.
- Our nightcap features two more elite guards as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder visit Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves. Nothing has slowed down Oklahoma Cty this season, as they remain atop of the West, while Minnesota continues to tread water, hovering near the middle of the Western Conference standings throughout much of the season. The Timberwolves lost their first game in their return from the All-Star break, and sit at 5-5 in their last 10. A win over the Thunder could provide some much-needed momentum, as they look to catapult themselves up the standings down the stretch.
