A lob worth celebrating.
See why this Embiid slam was worth more than 2 points for Philly ⬇️
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Coast 2 Coast Dubs: Embiid, PG & Maxey turn up, Kawhi, Harden & Clips extend hot streak
East & West Best: Pistons escape in frantic finish, Shai & Chet lift Thunder
Roundup: Sarr & Clingan duel, Knicks pull away late, Suns clamp Nets in crunch time
ESPN Doubleheader: LeBron leads Lakers into Cleveland, KD’s Rockets host Wemby’s Spurs
Castrol Rising Stars Draft: Melo, T-Mac & Vince select their squads for All-Star Weekend
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Nine games tip off tonight, headlined by an ESPN doubleheader as LeBron James and the Lakers visit the Cavs (7 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Spurs face the Rockets (9:30 ET | Tap to Watch).
A day after Castrol Rising Stars teams were drafted, the Starting 5 has your exclusive first-look at Steve Aschburner’s newest Kia Rookie Ladder, where Kon Knueppel spends his second straight week at No. 1, followed by a top-5 spot swap.
1. COAST 2 COAST: SIXERS TRIO SHINES, CLIPS STAY SCORCHING
One night after a 37-point loss, the Sixers snapped right back behind their three stars.
76ers 139, Bucks 122: A Tyrese Maxey lob to Joel Embiid (29 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast) had the Sixers jumping, before Paul George (32 pts, 5 ast, 9 3s) dropped 16 in the 3rd as Philly tied its season-high in points to race past Myles Turner (31 pts) and the Bucks. | Recap
Triple Heat: George’s nine 3s tie a 76ers franchise record, a total he’s reached only two previous times in his career
Triple Threat: Maxey added 22 points and 9 dimes, marking the second time this season he, Embiid and George all scored 20+
January Joel: The Sixers are 8-4 this month with Embiid in the lineup and he’s averaging 28.3 ppg since Jan. 1
Lob Called: “My second year. Four years ago,” said Maxey when asked the last time he’d seen an Embiid oop. “I told him before the game I was going to throw him one.”
“Man, it feels so good,” said Embiid on finishing lobs again. “Every single time I step on the floor, I become emotional. The last few years have been extremely tough…
“So I’m just happy. Finally being consistent, being on the floor – I don’t take it for granted.”
Nineteen games. Sixteen wins. One electric turnaround.
Clippers 115, Jazz 103: Down 11 after the opening frame, LA outscored Utah 71-45 over the next two quarters, seizing control behind Kawhi Leonard (21 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast) and James Harden (16 pts, 10 ast, 4 stl) for the Clips’ ninth win in 10 games, improving to 16-3 over their last 19. | Recap
The Balance: Since falling to 6-21 on Dec. 20, LA’s 16-3 record leads the league. In that span, it ranks 2nd in points allowed (106.9) and 3rd in OffRtg (120)
The Buckets: In that same run, Leonard (31.1) and Harden (24.5) are combining for 55.6 ppg. Neither played the back-half of the 4th on Tuesday, as LA led by as many as 21 en route to their 22nd win
The Boost: The surge has jolted the Clippers from 13th to 10th out West, sitting just 3 games back of the 8th-place Warriors
The Buy-In: “We’re just taking it one game at a time,” said Leonard after the win. “We’re not thinking about our record. Just coming in, being locked in … and it’s showing.”
2. EAST & WEST BEST: PISTONS SURVIVE, THUNDER REBOUND
The dubs just keep coming for Detroit.
Pistons 109, Nuggets 107: Cade Cunningham was clinical (22 pts, 11 ast, 0 TO), Tobias Harris was feeling it (22 pts, 10-15 FG, 8 reb) and the Pistons withstood a 19-8 closing run from Jamal Murray (24 pts, 10 ast) and Denver in a wild finish. | Recap
The Response: Detroit led nearly wire-to-wire. When its advantage shrank to one late, Harris splashed a tough fadeaway with 18 ticks left before hitting the game-deciding free throws
The Run: It’s Detroit’s sixth win in seven games. In that span, the Pistons have allowed an NBA-best 103.4 ppg
Thunder 104, Pelicans 95: After a back-and-forth 1st half, OKC never relinquished its halftime lead, guided by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (29 pts, 6 reb) and Chet Holmgren (20 pts, 14 reb, 5 blk) to rebound from back-to-back losses. | Recap
Eight Away: SGA topped 20 points for the 118th consecutive game, putting him eight games away from tying Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time streak
Pels Points: Zion Williamson (21 pts, 11 reb) led NOLA, with contributions from Castrol Rising Stars Derik Queen (9 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl) and Jeremiah Fears (7 pts)
3. ROUNDUP: SARR & CLINGAN DUEL, KNICKS & SUNS DUB
In D.C., two sophomore Castrol Rising Stars put on a show down low.
Wizards 115, Blazers 111: Donovan Clingan (14 pts, 20 reb) and Alex Sarr (29 pts, 12 reb, 6 blk) battled inside, with Sarr getting the final word as Washington outscored Portland 29-24 in the 4th to claim a back-and-forth showdown that featured 19 lead changes. The win ended Washington’s nine-game slide. | Recap
Shining Starr: Sarr is the first Wizard to post 25+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ blocks in a game since JaVale McGee in March 2011
Board Man: Clingan tallied 13 offensive boards, a Blazers franchise record since the stat was first recorded in 1973-74
Knicks 103, Kings 87: Tied at 72 entering the 4th, Jalen Brunson scored 11 of his 28 points in the final frame as the Knicks closed on a 31-15 run to outlast DeMar DeRozan (34 pts, 5 reb) and the Kings for their third straight win. | Recap
Suns 106, Nets 102: Michael Porter Jr. (36 pts, 6 3s) and the Nets used an early 4th quarter surge to take their first lead since the 1st half, but would not score again as Mark Williams (27 pts), Dillon Brooks (26 pts) and Phoenix closed out for their second win over Brooklyn in eight days. | Recap
Keep Shooting: Rising Star Egor Dëmin (15 pts, 3 3s) logged his 33rd straight game sinking a 3, tying the NBA’s longest streak by a rookie, joining Landry Shamet (2019) and Rudy Fernández (2008)
4. ESPN DOUBLEHEADER: LEBRON, LAKERS VISIT CAVS; SPURS AT ROCKETS
LeBron makes his annual return home to Cleveland tonight, stirring memories of greatness from 2016 and beyond.
But, as Shaun Powell writes for NBA.com, this current version of the Cavaliers is carving out its own identity – separate from 2016’s championship, and even from last year’s squad.
A completely different identity now comprises Cleveland, and with all of the injuries, the Cavs are still figuring themselves out. They cruised to the top seed in the East a year ago, but the outlook has changed.
“It’s a different story this year,” said Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson. | Read More
Tonight (9:30 ET, ESPN), the Spurs and Rockets clash for Round 3 of their rivalry this season. San Antonio claimed the first, 121-110, on Nov. 7, while Houston took the second, 111-106, on Jan. 20.
Act One: The Spurs won the first meeting behind Harrison Barnes’ 24 points and Julian Champagnie’s 22 points as each drained six 3s
Act Two: Alperen Sengun’s 20-point, 13-rebound double-double and a bench boost from Reed Sheppard (21 points) powered the Rockets to redemption
“We want to be the best team in Texas,” Champagnie said. “Every time we see them, we’ve got to play hard, and we know what kind of game it’s going to be.”
The Raptors hunt a fifth straight win against the Knicks (7:30 ET), while Florida’s own in-state rivalry features a fourth meeting (7:30 ET) between the Magic and the Heat this season.
Bulls at Pacers (7 ET)
Hawks at Celtics (7:30 ET)
Hornets at Grizzlies (8 ET)
Warriors at Jazz (9 ET)
5. CASTROL RISING STARS DRAFT: MELO, T-MAC & VINCE SELECT THEIR SQUADS
Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, the top two Kia Rookie Ladder contenders all season, were selected with the top two picks in Tuesday’s Castrol Rising Stars draft.
Ten rookies and 11 second-year players were drafted to three teams headed up by Hall-of-Famers and honorary coaches Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter. Here are the full results, in order of selection:
Team Melo: Flagg, Reed Sheppard, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Jeremiah Fears, Donovan Clingan, Collin Murray-Boyles
Rookie Ladder: Coach Carmelo selected two Kia Rookie Ladder regulars in Flagg (No. 2) and Fears (No. 8)
Draft Rich: Melo drafted the top two picks from June’s draft: Flagg and Dylan Harper
Hardware: Team Melo features the reigning Kia Rookie of the Year in Castle
Defensive Identity: Two of the top-10 rookies in total steals line up together on this team: Fears (2nd, 57) and Murray-Boyles (8th, 32)
Team T-Mac: Knueppel, Kel’el Ware, Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr, Ajay Mitchell, Jaylon Tyson, Cam Spencer.
Rookie Ladder: Coach T-Mac also picked two Rookie Ladder contenders: the top-ranking rookie for a second straight week, Knueppel, and Johnson (T10)
Decorated Shooting: Led by the fastest player ever to hit 100 career 3s in Knueppel and NBA champion in Mitchell, T-Mac’s team features five shooters averaging over 35% on 3s, along with Spencer, Tyson and Johnson
Rim Protectors: The league’s leader in blocks per game, Sarr (2.2), pairs with Ware, who ranks top-20 total blocks (48)
Team Vince: VJ Edgecombe, Derik Queen, Kyshawn George, Matas Buzelis, Egor Dëmin, Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells.
Rookie Ladder: Coach VC must be reading the Kia Rookie Ladder each week, with four of his seven picks contending: Edgecombe (3), Coward (4), Queen (5), Dëmin (9)
Veteran Soph: VC picked the most experienced Rising Star in the pool as Buzelis participates for a third time, following selections on the G League entry in 2024 and as a rookie last year
Memphis Connection: Vince rounded out his roster with a pair of Grizzlies in sophomore Wells and his rookie Coward
These three Rising Stars teams will tip it up with a fourth team of G League standouts in a mini-tournament on Friday, Feb. 13 (9 ET, Peacock), of All-Star Weekend.
Team Melo will face Austin Rivers’ G League team, followed by Team T-Mac vs. Team Vince. Winners advance to the championship, where the first team to 25 points clinches the trophy.
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