Category: NBA

The Golden State Warriors came out hot to take advantage of a San Antonio Spurs team on the second night of a back-to-back. They were red-hot from three and jumped out to a 38-31 lead in the first quarter. The Spurs fought back by getting to the basket and crushing the Warriors in the paint on their way to a 126-113 win. A 24-8 run in the third quarter tied the game, and then San Antonio finished strong in the fourth, outscoring Golden State 32-19 in the final frame.

The Spurs were led by their stars. De’Aaron Fox was in control offensively all game, scoring a game-high 27 points on 11-16 shooting, adding 8 assists and 3 steals. Victor Wembanyama was quiet in the first half, but was crucial to San Antonio’s second-half comeback with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks. He was locked in defensively in the fourth quarter and completely disrupted the Warriors’ offensive attack.

San Antonio outscored the Warriors in the paint 60-42 and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. The Spurs turned things around with their physicality in the second half, propelling them to victory.

With Stephen Curry out for the game, Golden State got a vintage performance from Draymond Green, who led the team with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists.

The win extends the Spurs’ winning streak to 6 and improves their record to 38-16. They’ll now get a week off for the All-Star break.

Observations

• The Spurs gave up 38 first-quarter points against the Warriors, which felt like the inverse of San Antonio scoring 47 points in the first frame the night before. The Warriors shot 57% from the field and knocked down 5 three-pointers.
• This was a gritty, hard-nosed performance from Golden State. The crowd was really into it for a Wednesday night regular-season game. The Warriors played exactly how you should when you’re down key players. They moved the ball well, played really hard on both ends, and stuck to their scheme. It wasn’t until the Spurs matched their physicality in the second half that things started to slip away for them.
• San Antonio’s best work came at the end of quarters. The Spurs cut the lead to four with a late-second-quarter hot streak. They rode a 24-8 run at the end of the third quarter to tie the game at 94. In both stretches, San Antonio relentlessly attacked the paint while Golden State missed shots from deep.
• Keldon Johnson set the tone for the Spurs in the third quarter, kicking off their run by scoring on three-straight drives to the basket. Johnson had 21 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. When San Antonio needed clutch buckets in the fourth quarter, KJ delivered.
• Carter Bryant looked good in the first half, tallying 8 points and 5 rebounds in his 9 minutes. The rookie didn’t touch the floor in the second half as the Spurs fought to claw back into the game. This may be a sign that when the games really matter, come playoff time, Bryant may be the odd man out of the rotation.
• A funny moment in the fourth quarter happened when Dylan Harper lost Green defensively, leading to an open layup. Mitch Johnson immediately called a timeout and had some choice words for Harper. He ultimately stuck with the rookie, who closed out the game. Harper had a solid game with 14 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds off the bench.
• San Antonio finally got the monkey off their back by beating Golden State. This is a difficult matchup for the Spurs, as the Warriors have the floor spacing and passing to take advantage of the Spurs’ defensive scheme. On the other end, Golden State forces teams to beat them with jump shots. On Wednesday night, San Antonio displayed the blueprint for beating them – penetrating the paint and not settling for kick-out jumpers.

The Sacramento Kings are bad at basketball. Like really, really bad. Lose to the infamously tanking Jazz by nearly 30 points bad. Empty Delta Center bad. So bad that the official dictionary of basketball is this close to changing the definition of “bad” to simply: an organization that used to be a professional basketball team, but is no longer fit for that designation; the Sacramento Kings.

Minus DeAndre Hunter, Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and Malik Monk, the Kings are a shell of whatever vision was hatched in their front office over the offseason (Bulls 2.0). At no point in this contest with the Utah Jazz did the Kings resemble anything near a competent, put-together, playoff-contending basketball team, dropping their league-worst 44th loss of the year in Salt Lake City, 121-93.

The Utah Jazz, on the other hand, are good at basketball. At least when paired up against the truly putrid rosters stagnating at the bottom of the league standings, the addition of Jaren Jackson Jr and the invisible threat of a tanking fine have the Jazz playing at (nearly) full strength, and it’s a sight to behold.

Winning basketball is back on the menu, Utah.

With the addition of JJJ, a Utah lineup of him, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jusuf Nurkic, and Isaiah Collier (replace the last two with Walker Kessler and Keyonte George in 2026-27) is big, and not in an experimental way — in a tangible, sustainable way.

The Utah Jazz have size at every position. Highly switchable, highly skilled, and highly cohesive across the starting five, this game was one of the first glimpses into the new status quo of Jazz hoops. And as bad as Sacramento has been, the Utah Jazz sat with a 30-point cushion for the majority of this game, leading by 19 after the first quarter and 31 by half.

But true to form, the Jazz returned to dissolving the integrity of the game, as they sat their stars through the fourth quarter, letting the Kings claw back within 28.

Someone must stop the Utah Jazz from their unethical tanking will be the headline you can expect to read on the front page of ESPN tomorrow morning.

JJJ led all Jazz scorers with 23 points in just 22 minutes of play (not bad for a home debut), with Isaiah Collier tallying 14 assists to four turnovers in his starting spot.

𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐇 straight game with 20+ points for Trip, his longest such stretch this season 📈

add in the win and it's a solid home debut for our guy 🫡#TakeNote presented by @ZionsBankpic.twitter.com/6nOfyUAxHv

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 12, 2026

Vince Williams, a surprising bright spot in the shadow of the Memphis trade, put in some fascinating minutes at point guard, as he scored nine points, swallowed eight rebounds, and dished three assists off the bench. He even added a block for good measure. Good guy, Vince.

Brice Sensabaugh and Cody Williams round out Utah’s young supporting cast, taking on 19 and nine points, respectively, as Williams’ defensive presence gave the Kings fits — he posted three steals on the night. The Cody redemption arc of 2025-26 has been a breath of fresh air for Jazz fans worried that Utah had whiffed on their first two lottery swings of their rebuild. Still far from stardom, Williams is miles removed from the rock bottom he met as a rookie, finally scoring reliably and stuffing the stat sheet across the board.

Utah takes the court again on Thursday, February 12th, against the Portland Trail Blazers in the Delta Center.

---

Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.

The Golden State Warriors lost to the San Antonio Spurs at the Chase Center on Wednesday night 126-113. In the Dubs final game before the All-Star break, their depleted roster was unable to hold off the second-best team in the Western Conference.

The Warriors jumped out to a 16-8 lead to start the game. After a recent stretch of rough games, Draymond Green delivered an exquisite all-around performance against San Antonio. As was the case in the team’s previous two matchups against the Spurs, Green is clearly motivated to play his best against Victor Wembanyama.

Green made an early three, but was consistently pushing the pace and effectively orchestrating the team’s offense. He finished the game just 6-for-14 from the field (2-for-8 from three), but racked up 17 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, and just 2 turnovers. He did that while serving as the primary defender against the toughest player to guard in the league.

Golden State controlled the game for most of the first three quarters. The Spurs cut the deficit to four at the end of the first half, but a pair of threes by De’Anthony Melton early in the third quarter led a 9-0 run that helped the Dubs build a 16-point lead. However, San Antonio quickly began to make its move.

After a scorching hot shooting start, the Warriors began struggling from behind the arc. Those shooting woes combined with a few untimely turnovers that helped the Spurs answer with an 11-0 run. As time expired at the end of the third quarter, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox swished a fadeaway jumper over Green to tie things up at 94.

San Antonio’s run continued with a 15-5 run in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. Playing from behind for the first time in the game, the Warriors needed to put another run together. However, the Spurs had already dealt with the best Golden State had to offer. The depleted Dubs simply didn’t have enough talent left in the tank.

Alongside Draymond, Melton was also excellent for the Warriors. He finished with 17 points and 7 assists on 6-for-7 shooting from the field (5-for-6 from three). Moses Moody (17 points), Brandin Podziemski (16), Quinten Post (12), and Gary Payton II (10) all finished in double figures, but were largely absent offensively in the final 18 minutes of regulation.

Podziemski’s minutes were particularly ugly late. Several possessions were wasted with Podziemski dribbling around for several seconds despite being clearly overmatched by the Spurs length and athleticism. He finished with a game-worst -23 plus/minus.

Even in a relatively quiet performance, Wembanyama finished with 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal. Keldon Johnson provided 21 key points off the bench, helping stop several Warriors runs that could have put San Antonio away early. Fox, however, scored a game-high 27 points on incredibly efficient shooting (11-for-16 shooting) with 8 assists and 3 steals.

The Warriors will head into the All-Star break with a 29-26 record, firmly in the Western Conference 8th-seed. They face an uphill battle to avoid the play-in tournament, but seem on track to play in the 7-8 game for a chance to play the two-seed in the first round, which would be the Spurs at the moment. Given how well the Dubs have played against the Spurs all season, even without Steph Curry tonight, that would be far from the worst-case scenario.

Get away day is always an adventure. Everyone’s trying to get on the road and on the way to their next destination. You’re constantly looking at the clock and hoping to finish up work as soon as possible. In the NBA, the last game before an extended break is always hit or miss. And with a renewed focus on draft positioning, this get-away day took on a whole new meaning.

Tuesday night, the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks went to overtime in a gritty battle at Madison Square Garden. Indy came away with the win and snapped a four-game losing streak. In the game preview, we expected some absences for Indy tonight. And a few hours before tipoff, we got an accounting for who would be missing…

Pacers (likely) available players tonight vs. Nets:

Ben Sheppard
Quenton Jackson
Kam Jones
Jarace Walker
Jay Huff

Kobe Brown
Taelon Peter
Ethan Thompson

Going to be tough for the Nets to lose against this egregious level of tanking. https://t.co/cDprYA8PrK

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) February 11, 2026

The Nets had their share of absences as well as Nic Claxton (right hip soreness) and Noah Clowney (left ankle sprain) were ruled out prior to game time.

So get-away game and everyone’s looking forward to the time off. You’d think that would make for a sleepy night at Barclays Center, right? NOPE!

Brooklyn got off to a fast start as they built an early 13-point lead to end the first quarter. Day’ron Sharpe grabbed six early rebounds and looked like he was on track for a 20/20 game. After one, Brooklyn led 31-18 and had plenty of highlights for the home crowd.

Nolan Traore has been starting since the end of January and has been rewarding the coaching staff’s confidence in him.

rooks out here hoopin'

🎯 b2b triples from Drake and Wolf
⚡️ NT getting to bucket in a flash pic.twitter.com/poQ1vSl4fk

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 12, 2026

Traore picked up his third 20-point game of the season as he finished the night with 20 points and eight assists.

The Nets built a lead as big as 18 points, but though they are severely depleted, the Pacers’ resilience shined through. They gradually chipped away at the lead before jumping ahead in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn got clutch plays from Traore, Sharpe, and Egor Dёmin to get them back in front by two points. However, the biggest shot of the game came from a rookie that’s only shooting 21 percent from three point range…

Kam Jones' dagger with less than 20 seconds remaining was tonight's Shot of the Game 🥶 pic.twitter.com/ectxO6u4bk

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 12, 2026

Brooklyn had one more chance to tie the game, but Dёmin’s catch and shoot wing three pointer was off-line and that spelled the end of the night for the Nets.

After a good start on defense, the Nets allowed Indiana to score 30+ points in each of the final three quarters.

“Only one quarter of defense doesn’t help in the NBA,” Jordi Fernandez said after the game.

“Starting with me, we all have to be better and I think we will.”

Even with the loss, the Nets came up winners in the area fans are most interested in:

The Nets are one game back of second place in the draft lottery standings.

Twelve out of their next 17 games are against teams with winning records. pic.twitter.com/nS6FXPnfco

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) February 12, 2026

Everyone hopes losses like these will lead to the biggest victory imaginable during Draft season. We’ll se how things go from here.

Final Score: Indiana Pacers 115, Brooklyn Nets 110.

Milestone Watch

• Nolan Traore became the first Nets rookie with at least 20 points and eight assists in a game since Terrence Williams on April 9, 2010. He is the ninth rookie with such a game in franchise history.
• Day’Ron Sharpe tied his season high tonight with 19 points (third time) and his 12 rebounds tied his third most. It was his fourth career game with at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists and second of the season.
• Three Nets (Dëmin, Traore, Sharpe) had at least five assists tonight, tied for Brooklyn’s most in a game this season (fifth time).
• This is the first time that both Dëmin and Traore logged at least five assists in the same game. It is their sixth time starting together.
• Ochai Agbaji made his Nets debut after being traded to Brooklyn by Toronto last week. He didn’t score going 0-of-3, but grabbed six rebounds, registered a block and handed out two assists in 16 minutes. Josh Minott, acquired from Boston also at the deadline, has yet to make his Nets debut.
• Ben Saraf tied his career high with 12 points tonight on 4-of-5 shooting and 4-of-6 from the line. He also contributed four rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes.

Hall of Fame nominees announced

Earlier in the evening, the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame announced the nominees for this year’s Hall of Fame class. This year’s nominees are a who’s who of basketball royalty:

• Candace Parker
• Elena Delle Donne
• Kevin Johnson
• Doc Rivers
• Chamique Holdsclaw
• the 1996 United States Women’s National Team

The Nets franchise appears a few times as former New Jersey Nets great Buck Williams is among this year’s finalists. Former Brooklyn Net Blake Griffin is also among the finalists for induction. Although Griffin was only on the team for 1.5 seasons, he was an integral part of the team’s success in the 2021 postseason and had one of the best games of his career in the epic Game 5 Nets vs. Bucks matchup in the semifinals.

Former Nets assistant coaches Mike D’Antoni and Amar’e Stoudemire are up for induction as well. Of course, those two were most known for their roles in the Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns area that also featured… former Nets head coach Steve Nash!

Next up

Egor Dёmin is heading to Los Angeles for the Rising Stars Game this Friday night. The rest of the Nets are off for the All Star break and will return on February 19 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tip after 7:30 p.m. ET.

• Boxscore: Indiana Pacers 115, Brooklyn Nets 110 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Indiana Pacers 115, Brooklyn Nets 110 (Video) – NBA
• Jordi Fenandez PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Nolan Traore PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Pacers beat Nets 115-110 as Kam Jones hits key 3 with 16 seconds left – AP
• Nets blow late lead in ugly loss to Pacers — but gain boost in tank race – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Bulls’ Collin Sexton fined $35K for flipping off basket in frustration – Christian Arnold – New York Post
• Nets blow 18-point lead, fall to Pacers 115-110 before All-Star break ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets celebrate Lunar New Year while keeping focus before break ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Pacers going full tank mode vs. Nets after beating Knicks – Erik Slater – Clutch Points
• Nets player grades: Nolan Traore drops 20 in 115-110 loss to Pacers – Sharif Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Freshman Sash Gavalyugov scored 21 points off the bench and Santa Clara won its ninth straight game with a 84-72 victory over Seattle on Wednesday night.

The Broncos (22-5, 13-1 West Coast Conference) are off to their best start since the 1969-70 season when they were also 22-5. The nine-game win streak is Santa Clara's longest since the 1994-95 season.

Vying to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 30 years, Santa Clara has tied its record for most conference wins in a single season. The Broncos also won 13 games in conference play in the 1967-68 and '68-69 seasons, when they went on to win league titles and advance to the Elite Eight.

Junseok Yeo and Brayden Maldonado each had 17 points for Seattle (15-11, 4-9).

Santa Clara, which sits atop the WCC standings having played one more game than Gonzaga (12-1), jumped out to an early 17-5 lead on Allen Graves' 3-pointer that capped a 15-0 run. Graves finished with 15 points.

Seattle closed to within 25-24 on a 3 from John Christofilis with 5:49 left in the first half but the Redhawks trailed 33-29 at the break.

Brenton Knapper's layup put the Santa Clara in front 57-46 with 8:23 to go. The Redhawks closed within 76-70 with 2:54 left on Maldonado's 3-pointer and a pair of free throws from Yeo, but Seattle could not get closer.

Next Up

Santa Clara hosts No. 12 Gonzaga on Saturday.

Seattle hosts Oregon State on Sunday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Captain Dasun Shanaka broke his own record for the fastest Twenty20 half-century for Sri Lanka as they crushed Oman by 105 runs at the T20 World Cup on Thursday.

Shanaka’s 19-ball 50 along with Kusal Mendis' 61 and Pavan Rathnayake's 60 against a weak bowling attack propelled Sri Lanka to a tournament-best 225-5.

Oman labored to 120-9 in reply, the wickets shared by five bowlers. Off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana led with 2-11 off four overs.

Sri Lanka was two wins from two games but yet to meet Group B rivals Australia and Zimbabwe.

Oman's 43-year-old Mohammad Nadeem became the oldest man to score a half-century in the history of the T20 World Cup with an unbeaten 53 from 56 balls. Nadeem was one of the only two Oman batters to reach double figures with Wasim Ali scoring 27.

Sri Lanka lost Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishra inside the power play but Rathnayake and Mendis featured in a brisk 94-run third-wicket stand off 52 balls.

Shanaka smacked five sixes to surpass his previous Sri Lanka record of a 20-ball half-century against India in 2023 before he holed out at long-off of the very next ball.

Italy fields against Nepal

Debutant Italy opted to field against Nepal as both teams chased their maiden victory at the tournament in Group C.

Co-host India, which beat the United States in its Group A opener, plays Namibia at New Delhi later.

___

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

PHILADELPHIA — Xfinity Mobile Arena is truly Madison Square Garden South.

Knicks fans have taken over the arena twice this season, and were in full voice during the 138-89 Knicks rout of the 76ers on Wednesday night.

“It’s fun,” Josh Hart said. “Kind of getting used to it now. Everywhere on the East Coast it’s really Knick fans coming out and showing love. Boston is tough obviously. Everywhere else we feel like we always have the majority of the fans on the East Coast. Shoutout to them.

“They come and show love and we appreciate it.”

Jose Alvarado, who made his MSG debut in his hometown New York City on Tuesday, was serenaded like it was another homecoming.

Chants of “Jose, Jose, Jose, Jose” rang around the arena as he erupted in the fourth quarter.

“I see the fans, their energy is unmatched,” Alvarado said. “They show their support, they’re gonna use their voice and it gets me going, so I’m gonna do the same energy back for them.”

---

The Knicks went into the All-Star break with their best representation of one of coach Mike Brown’s core principles.

---

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

---

They recorded 41 total assists Wednesday, the most they’ve had in a game this season.

“I’m blown away with our guys’ ability to share the basketball with one another,” Brown said. “A lot of good playmakers, a lot of good passers, so to see that was a lot of fun.”

Hart led the way in that department with nine. All five starters had four or more.

---

OG Anunoby’s injury is a bit grosser than originally thought.

He missed his fourth straight game, the last game before the All-Star break.

The Knicks originally listed his ailment as right toe soreness, but earlier this week changed it to right toenail avulsion.

Brown said before Wednesday’s game that it’s not expected to be a long-term problem after the All-Star break, designating him day to day.

---

The 76ers were without Joel Embiid (knee) and Quentin Grimes (illness).

And they still don’t have Paul George, who is suspended.

HOUSTON (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points and his three-point play with two seconds remaining lifted the Los Angeles Clippers to a 105-102 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

Leonard, who had 12 rebounds, scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to extend his career-best streak of 20-point games to 33.

The Clippers led by four points when Kevin Durant made one of two free throws before a layup by Alperen Sengun cut the lead to 102-101 with 43 seconds left. Leonard missed a 3-pointer and Jabari Smith Jr. grabbed a rebound to give Houston the ball.

Sengun shot 1 for 2 from the line with 7.2 seconds left to tie it and Leonard got the rebound before the Clippers called a timeout. Leonard then made a fadeaway jumper as he was fouled and hit the free throw to make it 105-102.

Houston had a chance to tie it, but Tari Eason’s shot was off.

Durant led the Rockets with 21 points and Reed Sheppard added 17 points off the bench.

CAVALIERS 138, WIZARDS 113

CLEVELAND (AP) — Sam Merrill scored a career-high 32, Donovan Mitchell added 30, and Cleveland rolled to a victory over Washington in James Harden’s first home game wearing wine and gold.

Harden had 13 points and 11 assists in 28 minutes for his second double-double in three games since being traded by the LA Clippers to the Cavaliers on Feb. 4. He was only 1 of 4 from the field, but went 10 of 12 from the foul line.

Cleveland has won five straight and 10 of its last 11. It was the fifth time this season the Cavaliers haven’t trailed in a game.

Mitchell, fifth in the league in scoring at 29.0 points per game, had his 28th 30-point game. Jarrett Allen had 21 points and nine rebounds.

Kyshawn George had 17 points and Jamir Watkins 16 for Washington, which has dropped three straight and four of five.

HORNETS 110, HAWKS 107

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller had 31 points and nine rebounds, LaMelo Ball made seven 3s and scored 24 points and Charlotte held on to beat Atlanta, just hours after two of of its starters were suspended by the NBA for fighting.

Kon Knueppel added 18 points on four 3s, and Miller hit five 3s as the Hornets finished 19 of 51 from beyond the arc for their 10th win in 11 games.

Dyson Daniels scored 21 points for Atlanta. Jalen Johnson added 19 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.

The NBA suspended Hornets forwards Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate for four games for their role in a fight on Monday night against the Detroit Pistons.

The short-handed Hornets didn’t get much out of replacements Ryan Kalkbrenner and Grant Williams, but G League call up PJ Hall had 11 points and 10 rebounds. And Charlotte got contributions from scoring leaders Miller, Ball and Knueppel, who combined for 10 3-pointers in the first half as the Hornets opened a 17-poiint lead.

CELTICS 124, BULLS 105

BOSTON (AP) — Payton Pritchard scored 26 points and Boston rolled past Chicago in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break.

Jaylen Brown added 24 points. Nikola Vucevic finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who have won six of their last seven games.

The Celtics carried a 28-point into halftime, taking advantage of a Chicagos team that was missing several top contributors. Boston’s lead rose as high as 33 in the second half.

Rob Dillingham had 16 points and seven assists to pace Chicago, which has lost six straight. Matas Buzelis added 15 points and eight rebounds.

Vucevic and Chicago’s Anfernee Simons played against their former teams for the first time since being swapped in a trade deadline deal last week.

It was Vucevic’s second double-double in three games with the Celtics. Simons finished with seven points. It marked his first time being under 15 in his four consecutive starts for the Bulls.

BUCKS 116, MAGIC 108

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Cam Thomas scored 34 points in his second game with Milwaukee and Kevin Porter Jr. added 18 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a win over Orlando.

Jericho Sims and Ousmane Dieng scored 17 points apiece for Milwaukee. Sims added 11 rebounds, leading the Bucks to a 47-30 advantage on the boards.

Desmond Bane led the Magic with 31 points. Paolo Banchero added 17 and Jalen Suggs had 16 points, 10 assists and four steals.

Thomas, who signed with the Bucks as a free agent on Sunday, made 12 of 20 shots and hit four 3-pointers in 39 minutes. He went 4 for 6 from 3-point distance.

Porter had the fifth triple-double of his career.

PISTONS 113, RAPTORS 95

TORONTO (AP) — Cade Cunningham scored 28 points, Paul Reed had 16 of his 22 in the first quarter and Detroit beat Toronto in the final game before the All-Star break for both teams.

The Eastern Conference-leading Pistons won for the sixth time in seven games despite playing without centers Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren. The two began serving suspensions handed down earlier in the day for their roles in a fight Monday in a win at Charlotte.

Duncan Robinson scored 13 points and Tobias Harris added 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Pistons improved to 18-7 on the road. Detroit never trailed in posting its seventh consecutive victory over Toronto.

Toronto’s Immanuel Quickley scored 18 points and Scottie Barnes added 17 . RJ Barrett had 16 points and Brandon Ingram 13.

The Pistons outscored the Raptors 50-34 on points in the paint and had 46 rebounds to Toronto’s 35.

Cunningham finished with seven rebounds and nine assists, and matched a season-high by making six of 11 attempts from 3-point range. His career-high is seven, set last season.

KNICKS 138, 76ERS 89

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jose Alvarado scored a season-high 26 points and Mikal Bridges added 22 points as New York beat Philadelphia.

The Knicks bounced back from an overtime home lost to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night for their 10th win in 12 games. Two of those victories have come against the Sixers. The teams split their four-game season series.

Alvarado, acquired last week from New Orleans, shot 8 for 13 from 3-point range and finished with five steals.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Mohamed Diawara scored 14 points. Jalen Brunson, who scored 40 points against the Pacers, scored eight on Tuesday.

Tyrese Maxey led the way with 32 points in three quarters for the 76ers, who played without center Joel Embiid, who sat due to right knee soreness. VJ Edgecombe added 14 points, and Dominick Barlow scored 13.

The 76ers, who lost their second straight and for the third time in four games, were held to a season-low point total, just their third game under 100 points this season.

PACERS 115, NETS 110

NEW YORK (AP) — Jarace Walker had 23 points, Kam Jones secured the victory with a 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining, and short-handed Indiana beat Brooklyn.

Micah Potter had 19 and Ethan Thompson had 15 for the Pacers, who won for the second straight night after winning in overtime over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night to end a four-game losing streak.

Potter shot 6 of 8 from the field and 6 for 8 from the line. He scored 14 in the second half.

Nolan Traore had 20 points to lead the Nets, who had won two in a row. Day’Ron Sharpe had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Ziaire Williams also had 19.

The Pacers played without eight key players, including T.J. McConnell (right hamstring soreness); Andrew Nembhard (lower back injury management); Aaron Nesmith (lower back soreness); Pascal Siakam (left hamstring soreness); and Ivica Zubac (left ankle sprain).

HEAT 123, PELICANS 111

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Bam Adebayo had 27 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks and short-handed Miami beat New Orleans in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break.

Miami used only nine players, with Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Pelle Larsson and Andrew Wiggins sidelined. Herro missed his 15th straight game.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 23 points, Kel’el Ware had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Simone Fontecchio scored 15 points. Eighth in the Eastern Conference, the Heat improved to 29-27. Miami has won 11 of its last 12 against New Orleans

Zion Williamson had 26 points for New Orleans. He has played a career-high 30 straight games and 40 of 56 this season. In his first six seasons, he played 214 of 472 games and never had more than 25 in a row.

Trey Murphy III added 19 points before leaving late in the third quarter because of soreness in his right shoulder. The Pelicans dropped to 15-41. They had won two in a row.

TIMBERWOLVES 133, TRAIL BLAZERS 109

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Julius Randle had 41 points and Minnesota beat Portland to end its winning streak at three.

Randall, who also had seven rebounds, capped his night with a windmill dunk that put the crowd at the Target Center on its feet. Jaden McDaniels added 21 points for the Timberwolves, playing their final game before the All-Star break.

Jrue Holiday scored 23 points for the Trail Blazers, who trailed by 28 points and were hurt by 25 turnovers. Scoot Henderson, playing just his third game back since missing the first half of the season because of a hamstring injury, finished with 18 points.

Minnesota scoring leader Anthony Edwards was listed as questionable going into the game because of an illness but he started and finished with 14 points.

THUNDER 136, SUNS 109

PHOENIX (AP) — Jalen Williams scored 28 points, Isaiah Joe added 21 and hot-shooting Oklahoma City cruised to a victory over Phoenix.

Oklahoma City led by at least 20 points for the entire second half, pushing the advantage to 37 in the third. Williams shot 11 of 12 from the field and added five assists and four rebounds. Joe made 6 of 8 3-pointers.

Kenrich Williams added 15 points and Chet Holmgren had 13. The defending champion Thunder — who have won four of six — shot 58.4% from the field and got 74 points from players coming off the bench.

Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 23 points. Royce O’Neale and Jordan Goodwin both added 12.

The Thunder jumped to a 75-52 lead by halftime, shooting 11 of 18 (61.1%) from 3-point range. Joe came off the bench to lead the Thunder with 15 points before the break. Brooks led the Suns with 14.

Despite the lopsided loss, the Suns go into the All-Star break with a 32-23 record, which is much better than most anticipated after the franchise traded 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant to the Rockets during the summer.

JAZZ 121, KINGS 93

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jaren Jackson Jr scored 23 points in his home debut to lead Utah to a victory over Sacramento.

Lauri Markkanen scored 19 points to help the Jazz win their second straight game. Isaiah Collier added 12 points and 14 assists. Brice Sensabaugh added 19 points off the bench.

Utah shot 54.7% from the field and made 15 3-pointers. Jackson and Markkanen combined for 15 baskets over three quarters.

Demar DeRozan led Sacramento with 20 points and Devin Carter added 19. The Kings lost their 14th straight game after trailing by double digits over the final 40 minutes.

Utah outscored Sacramento 25-6 in fastbreak points and 58-42 in the paint.

NUGGETS 122, GRIZZLIES 116

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray warmed up for their appearances in the NBA’s All-Star festivities by teaming up to help Denver hold off Memphis.

Jokic had the 184th triple-double of his career with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists. Murray added 22 points and was 4 for 4 from the foul line in the final 11.7 seconds.

Tim Hardaway Jr. added 21 points for the Nuggets, who head into the break at 35-20 despite an injury-riddled season that has seen all five starters miss time and six of their top rotation players go out for significant stretches.

The Grizzlies, losers of 10 of 12, erased a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit, largely with Jokic on the bench, but never could take the late lead.

Jokic reached the triple-double when he assisted Hardaway on a 3-pointer with 5 seconds left in the third quarter for a 93-81 lead.

SPURS 126, WARRIORS 113

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — De’Aaron Fox scored 27 points and Victor Wembanyama added 26 to send San Antonio into the All-Star break on a six-game winning streak after beating Golden State.

Wembanyama followed up his 40-point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night with another strong outing to give the Spurs a 38-16 record at the break. After missing the playoffs the past six seasons, the Spurs have the second-best record in the Western Conference.

Keldon Johnson scored 21 for San Antonio.

Draymond Green had 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Warriors. Moses Moody and De’Anthony Melton also scored 17 for Golden State.

Golden State fell to 29-26 heading into the All-Star break after losing three of five games with star Stephen Curry sidelined by a knee injury. The Warriors are hopeful Curry will return after the break as they look to make a late-season push.

If you didn’t notice, the Utah Jazz have become a point of interest for the entire NBA this week because of how they decided to rest their players. Considering the Jazz are the last thing the NBA and media outlets worry about, it’s a little surprising. Utah has done nothing different than the other tanking teams, until two games ago.

For some reason, Utah’s decision to rest players in the fourth quarter brought the absolute ire of every team in the league. But to be quite honest, it’s a bunch of bad-faith nonsense that the Utah Jazz should ignore.

Utah is doing things in a better way

So apparently, there’s an unwritten rule (and that’s literal because Utah has not broken any actual rules this season) that it is better for a team to trade for a player and not play them for the rest of the season than what the Jazz are doing. The Washington Wizards traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis but have announced they’re out for the season. The Pacers just traded for Ivica Zubac, and they won’t play him “for a while.”

Utah, on the other hand, traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. and played him immediately. Yes, they rested him in the fourth quarter in the last two games, but they actually won one of them. Both games came down to last-second shots. They were competitive, interesting games, and Jazz fans got a taste of what the team would look like with Jaren Jackson Jr. playing with Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George (before he turned an ankle and had to leave the game). What’s better for fans? Getting to see their new player with their team in a competitive game? Or is it better to not see them at all and get clobbered by 20 points each night?

Obviously, the best answer is neither. But Adam Silver has created this environment that Utah, Indiana, and Brooklyn are in, they’re just doing what’s best for their future. And, from everything I read from fans and the message boards I monitor, fans understand it. If anything, they’re anxious with every game the Jazz win.

But if we’re being honest, the NBA isn’t actually worried about the integrity of the game, and most likely won’t do anything to the Jazz, as long as they do this the way they want them to.

The “Integrity” of the game, Kalshi, and Gambling

As always, you want to understand the motivations for something? Follow the money. You can understand this situation much better in that context, but maybe not the way the NBA wants you to.

The NBA might be saying publicly, through its various preferred media outlets, podcasts, and reporters, that the Jazz are hurting the integrity of the game. But it’s completely vapid, and every Jazz fan and NBA fan knows it. No one cared at all what the Jazz were doing this year until something like this happened. But why?

The answer is the lines, not the integrity of the game.

The reason this bothers so many is that it affects the various gambling sites, which offer so many props and lines based on what happens in these games. Don’t believe me? Why hasn’t the league said anything about what Giannis Antetokounmpo’s recent post after the trade deadline? If you didn’t see it, here it is.

We all on @Kalshi now pic.twitter.com/cCNGxfLWO8

— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) February 6, 2026

Don’t know what Kalshi is? It’s another gambling site that allows people to gamble on everyday things like the weather, politics, and sports. But why is this bad? Well, you could have gambled on whether Giannis was staying with the Bucks. Before the trade deadline, Giannis had made it clear it was time for him and the Bucks to part ways. Was he creating gambling interest with Kalshi? It certainly looks like it. But does the NBA have anything to say about that? Not a word. On Zach Lowe’s recent pod, where he clutched pearls about the Jazz for ten minutes, he mentioned Kalshi but said he didn’t know what it was (sure). If anything, you could see this as an opportunity for the league to avert attention from something that did not look good. Great work, Adam Silver.

And I get it, gambling sites are a big money maker for the sport and for media, even for this site. But if it gets to the point where players are making decisions like that to affect gambling lines, it’s a big problem. We’ve already seen some of that with players in the alleged gambling scandal earlier this year with Terry Rozier.

Back to Adam Silver.

Adam Silver screwed the Jazz and every other losing franchise

Apparently, in an effort to never let bad teams get better, the NBA flattened lottery rules. Now, I know that’s not why they did it, but that’s what happened. The NBA tried to improve tanking by making the lottery odds flatter, but all it did was give playoff teams a better opportunity to win the lottery. The other side of the coin was that the bad teams had a worse chance. Utah has felt the brunt of this each of the last three seasons, where they haven’t jumped in the lottery once. And it’s not just the Jazz that Adam Silver has screwed over, but all the other bad teams desperate to get cornerstone players in the draft.

Since the draft lottery odds change in 2019:

– The team with the worst record has not picked #1 for 6 years straight.

– The team with the worst record has fallen to #5 three years in a row.

– Play-In Tournament teams have
won the last two #1 picks (Mavs and Hawks)

Bad teams… pic.twitter.com/epx3esKv2H

— NetsMuse (@NetsMuse) February 9, 2026

So, the bad teams never get better, and only a select few play-in teams have won the lottery. You did this, Adam Silver. You are the one who created this environment. What else are the Jazz supposed to do? The first two seasons after the Jazz traded Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, they did things the “right way.” They won more games than they should have but didn’t win the lottery. Then, last season, to try to up their odds, they still didn’t win, even with the worst record in the league. This season, they have developed the talent they’ve drafted, kept Lauri Markkanen to build with their core, and have now traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. They have been a bottom-ten team all season and have no shot at the play-in. And what do the Jazz get for doing something that undoubtedly helps their team? Two media days of getting blasted when they’ve done nothing different than everyone else. Just a reminder, Brooklyn tanked earlier than Utah. Don’t believe me? They rested Michael Porter Jr. in their first meeting with Utah on December 4th. Utah played its full roster and won. If you’re going to talk about the Jazz doing this earlier than they should, then you’d better talk about the teams like Brooklyn and Washington, who were doing it earlier than the Jazz. But we know that won’t happen because apparently the only thing that matters is the integrity of the gambling lines and the prop bets.

What’s next?

Despite the odds being literally stacked against them, Utah has come up with a way to build its team for a long window of contention. At the trade deadline, they traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. with picks they’ve smartly accumulated during the rebuild. Utah still owns all its own picks and now has another core player for next season.

But it’s time to give the finger to the league, Adam Silver, and the entire sports media that has piled on this week against them. Rest the players, Jazz. Rest all of them. Play the two-way guys, play 10-day contract guys. It’s time for development for the rest of the season for Cody Williams and Ace Bailey. The rest of the lineup can have the opportunity to mend their gastric distress and back spasms. That’s apparently the most acceptable, ethical move in the current NBA Adam Silver has created. Utah just has to adjust to what is allowed.

BOSTON (AP) — Ebuka Okorie scored 22 points and Benny Gealer added 21 to lead Stanford to a 70-64 victory over Boston College on Wednesday night.

Jayden Hastings scored four points in a 6-0 surge to pull Boston College to 65-62 with 1:53 remaining. Gealer answered with a 3-pointer and then Jeremy Dent-Smith made two free throws with 22 seconds left to seal it.

Okorie shot 8 of 14 from the floor with two 3-pointers, and made 4 of 5 free-throw attempts to go with five assists. He has 515 points this season, one shy of Todd Lichti’s (1985-86) program record for most points scored by a freshman.

Gealer made 7 of 14 field-goals attempts and was 6 of 13 from long range. Dent-Smith finished with 11 points for Stanford (16-9, 5-7 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Boden Kapke made three 3s and scored 15 points for Boston College (9-15, 2-9), which has lost five consecutive games. Fred Payne added 14 points, Luka Toews scored 13 and Hasting had 11. Payne was 0 of 6 from distance.

Stanford closed the first half on a 16-2 run to tie it 34-all at the break. In the second half, Gealer started and ended a 14-2 run with 3-pointers to give the Cardinal a 52-43 lead with 10:23 remaining.

Up next

Stanford: Plays Saturday at Wake Forest.

Boston College: Hosts California on Saturday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

ATLANTA (AP) — Juke Harris scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Mekhi Mason scored 17 points off the bench and Wake Forest beat Georgia Tech 83-67 on Wednesday night to end a five-game losing streak.

Cooper Schwieger and Tre’von Spillers each scored 13 points for Wake Forest (12-12, 3-8 ACC), which shot 53% (28 of 53), including 46% (13 of 28) from 3-point range.

Kowacie Reeves Jr. scored 18 points, and Baye Ndongo scored 14 points for Georgia Tech (11-14, 2-10).

Wake Forest opened the second half with an 11-0 run, turning a 37-33 lead at the break into a 15-point advantage. The Demon Deacons stayed ahead by double digits the rest of the way.

With 11:32 left before halftime, Reeves broke a 15-all tie with a 3-pointer and followed that with a second-chance dunk. Wake Forest countered with a 3 from Isaac Carr, and Tre’von Spillers followed with another with 9:47 before the break for a 21-20 lead as the Demon Deacons led the rest of the way.

Up Next

Wake Forest: Hosts Stanford Saturday.

Georgia Tech: Will try to end its six-game losing streak at Notre Dame on Saturday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Trent Pierce scored a season-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting, Shawn Phillips Jr. had the go-ahead dunk and a block in the closing seconds, and Missouri beat Texas A&M 86-85 on Wednesday night to snap a five-game skid against the Aggies.

Mark Mitchell threw a lob to Phillips for an alley-oop dunk that gave Missouri an 86-85 lead with 17 seconds left.

Rylan Griffen missed a 3-point shot eight seconds later but Zach Clemence grabbed the offensive rebound. After a timeout with 4.1 seconds left, Rashaun Agee took the inbounds pass and drove to the hoop, but his layup attempt before the buzzer was blocked by Phillips.

T.O. Barrett added 17 points for Missouri (17-7, 7-4 SEC), Phillips had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Jacob Crews and Jayden Stone each scored 11. Mitchell finished with nine points and eight assists.

Clemence led Texas A&M (17-7, 7-4) with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Griffen scored 17 and Agee had 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Griffen hit a 3 and Marcus Hill made a layup to cap a 13-4 run that gave Texas A&M a 79-78 lead with 4:57 to play, the first of eight lead changes in the final five minutes.

Pop Isaacs hit a 3-pointer that made it 29-27 with 9:40 left in the first half and Texas A&M led until Anthony Robinson II made a fast-break layup with 13:03 to go in the game gave the Tigers a 60-59 lead.

Up next

Missouri: Hosts Texas on Saturday.

Texas A&M: Plays Saturday at No. 19 Vanderbilt.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

In the final game before the All-Star break, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the visiting Washington Wizards138-113. Here are the winners and losers in James Harden’s home debut.

Winner – Sam Merrill, certified sniper

The importance of Merrill to the Cavs has been well-documented, but he was unconscious in the first half, going 9-9 from the floor, including 7-7 from beyond the arc. Even the heat check at the end of the half was no match.

THE MOST FIRE HALF YOU COULD HAVE. @smerrill05 | #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/ZuZ1IeNxYC

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 12, 2026

Merrill was just one three-pointer shy of tying the Cavs record for threes in a half (C.J. Miles in 2014 and Kevin Love in 2016), but the swingman showed his versatility with a big block early in the third quarter as well. While he is normally acting as a connector on the offensive side, Merrill was downright lethal shooting the basketball. He had a tough and-one at the end of the first half, just for good measure, and ended up with a career-high 32 points.

The wavering health of Merrill has impacted the consistency of lineups that head coach Kenny Atkinson can put together, but there is no doubt of his impact when he is available. The Cavs are 7.5 points per 100 possessions better with Merrill on the floor than off per Cleaning the Glass. That’s the second-best mark on the team behind only Donovan Mitchell (+10.8).

Winner – Jarrett Allen’s toughness

It is a rare sight to see Jarrett Allen get angry at a referee and get called for a technical foul, but he did tonight. And immediately followed it up with an absolutely smothering block that led to a Donovan Mitchell lay-in.

JA's block -> Don's basket. #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/xUewJ0fpXi

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 12, 2026

Washington was without its usual big Alex Sarr (and of course, no Anthony Davis, either), so they operated without a center. It makes sense that Allen plays with an extra fire given his advantage over the Wizards’ bigs — or lack thereof. Like Merrill, Allen was perfect from the field and finished with 21 points.

Allen continues his excellent play following the five-game Western Conference swing, including a very good effort against Nikola Jokic on Monday night. Bear in mind, this good stretch comes with Evan Mobley still sidelined with a calf injury, though the reigning Defensive Player of the Year appears to be coming back very soon.

Winner – James Harden’s Rocket Arena debut

Against the backdrop of Cavalier fans wearing fake beards on a stick, James Harden put on a dazzling – and seemingly effortless – performance. The veteran guard displayed his generational passing capabilities with some insane finds, including this full-flow behind-the-back dime to Jaylon Tyson.

This pass rocks, man. @JHarden13 | #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/YqtSs14NTv

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 12, 2026

Harden had nine assists in the first half and notched his second-straight double-double early in the third quarter, and it would have been easy to miss. The passing skills make everyone better, but it’ll prove especially valuable for Allen and Mobley.

He only attempted four shots from the field, but took 12 free throws to make up for it. That rim pressure is something the Cavs were lacking with Darius Garland, who inexplicably failed to get to the free-throw line despite having an excellent handle and great speed. Harden’s ability to generate and absorb contact is a valuable tool in the playoffs.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Jizzle James scored 24 points, Baba Miller had a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double, and Cincinnati rolled past Kansas State 91-62 on Wednesday night.

Miller also recorded six assists and four blocked shots. He has 11 double-doubles this season and is one of three players nationally with the stat line of at least 13 points, 10 rebounds and three assists per game.

James buried 6 of 8 3-pointers and Jalen Celestine, who scored 18 points, made 4 of 6 3s. The Bearcats hit on 16 of 28 3-pointers.

Sencire Harris scored 12 points, and Day Day Thomas added 10 for Cincinnati (13-12, 5-7 Big 12).

Needing 31 points to reach 2,000 for his career, K-State’s P.J. Haggerty scored 24. With seven more points, he will join Gonzaga’s Graham Ike, Indiana’s Tucker DeVries and Oklahoma’s Nijel Pack as the only active Division I players with 2,000 points.

Celestine, Miller and James all hit two 3-pointers as Cincinnati opened the game with 6 of 8 3s, building a 30-11 lead in the first eight minutes. The Bearcats led 53-31 at halftime after shooting 57% from the floor and making 9 of 14 3-pointers.

A 10-0 run helped Cincinnati stretch the lead to 28 points early in the second half, and the margin peaked at 32 when Jordi Rodriguez hit a 3 with about 3 minutes remaining.

The Bearcats won on the road for the first time this season after being 0-6 in true road games.

The Wildcats (10-14, 1-10) have lost five straight.

Up next

Kansas State: The Wildcats hit the road to play No. 3 Houston on Saturday.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats return home to face Utah on Sunday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

The Dallas Mavericks (19-34) will try to end their eight-game losing skid on Thursday at 9 p.m. as they play the Los Angeles Lakers (32-21) at Crypto.com Arena. The game, both teams’ last before the All-Star break, will be the fourth in an eight-game homestand for the Lakers, who last played Tuesday in a 136-108 scheduled loss to San Antonio in which LeBron James (foot, back-to-back rest), Luka Dončić (hamstring), Austin Reaves (calf), Marcus Smart (ankle), and Deandre Ayton (knee) did not play.

For the Mavericks, who last played Tuesday in a 120-111 loss to Phoenix, the game will be the third of a six-game road trip. Against the Suns they were led in scoring by Naji Marshall’s 31 points, and as a team made only five of their 22 attempts from three. Flagg, who scored 27 in that game, will sit against the Lakers with a foot injury. He’ll miss the Rising Stars game All-Star weekend but is expected to return after the break.

The game’s emotional resonance as well as its on-court play will be greatly impacted by the absence of Dončić, who last played Feb. 5, sustaining a hamstring injury in win against Philadelphia. The approaching break presents an opportunity for a long recovery in preparation for a playoff run, though Luka has expressed a desire to play in the All-Star game if healthy. Without Luka, the Lakers have played some pretty good ball, winning both their first two games, then hanging tough against the Thunder in a 119-100 loss before throwing their reserves and two-way players into the deep end against the Spurs. The 41 year-old James can still run a team, averaging 21 points and 10 assists in the two complete games without Luka, but their championship aspirations depend on both stars’ health.

Deep cover

The biggest change in the Lakers since these teams last met is the recent addition of shooting guard Luke Kennard, who arrived in a Feb. 5 trade with Atlanta. In three games with the Lakers, Kennard is a cumulative 4-of-9 from three-point range. Kennard joins forward Rui Hachimura (.448 three-point percentage this year) as elite deep threats for the Lakers. They need it in Dončić’s absence; one notable deficit in James’ game this year has been his long-range shooting; the career 35% three-point shooter is making only 30.5 of his tries in 2025-26.

Paging Max Power

Dallas’ current slide overlaps perfectly with a cold stretch for the team from 3-point range, having connected on just 9.37 threes per game during that time; and overlaps nearly perfectly with a cold stretch from guard Max Christie, whose most recent standout performance came Jan. 24 in the first game of the streak, a 116-110 loss to the Lakers in which he made 4-of-10 from 3-point range on the way to 24 points. In the seven games since, Christie has shot 11-of-43 from deep for a .255 percentage, leaving the club without a reliable outside threat to keep defenses honest (Klay Thompson is a middling 15-of-43 in the same span). Shooters have many ups and downs over a season, though Christie’s recent issues also correlate with the team’s instability at point guard, with Ryan Nembhard, Brandon Williams, and Tyus Jones each getting turns at the starting role lately. Though it’s just a four-game sample, Christie has historically performed well against the Lakers, his former team, averaging 14.5 points on .385 shooting from 3-point territory. Dallas is 0-4 in those games.

If it seems like this piece is especially focused on 3-point shooting, it’s because there’s not a lot to focus on at center for the Lakers. While the springy Hayes is an exciting lob threat, neither he nor Ayton, questionable for Thursday, have looked like a long-term answer for a championship contender. The Lakers seemed likely to try to upgrade there at the deadline, instead addressing their other deficiency as a contender by adding a serious deep threat in Kennard. The Mavericks and Lakers, two franchises forever linked over Luka, also feature the two players drafted ahead of him in 2018: Ayton (No. 1) and new Mavericks reserve center Marvin Bagley III (No. 2). Bagley, 8-of-10 from the field so far as a Maverick, could well end up the more appealing player of the two.

Familiar faces

Even though fans of the Mavericks’ odds in NBA draft lottery have had much to salivate over during the Mavericks’ recent stretch of futility, fans of watchable basketball have had to make do with scraps of competitiveness, such as the 18-1 second-half run that cut the Suns’ lead in half Tuesday. Meanwhile, for fans of NBA players with local ties, the Lakers bring a rich tapestry of Remembering Some Guys, including Marcus Smart (Flower Mound Marcus HS), Drew Timme (J.J. Pearce HS), Jaxson Hayes (University of Texas), Maxi Kleber (a Maverick from 2017-25), and assistant coach Scott Brooks (a Maverick in 1994-95).

How to watch/listen

Thursday’s game will be broadcast on Prime Video; you can catch the radio broadcast on KEGL 97.1FM (English) or KFZO 99.1FM (español).