Golden State Warriors (25-19, eighth in the Western Conference) vs. Dallas Mavericks (18-26, 12th in the Western Conference)
Dallas; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Golden State will try to prolong its four-game win streak with a victory against Dallas.
The Mavericks are 10-18 in Western Conference games. Dallas has a 7-10 record in games decided by 10 or more points.
The Warriors have gone 15-12 against Western Conference opponents. Golden State averages 116.9 points and has outscored opponents by 2.9 points per game.
The Mavericks are shooting 47.3% from the field this season, 0.2 percentage points higher than the 47.1% the Warriors allow to opponents. The Warriors average 16.4 made 3-pointers per game this season, 4.7 more made shots on average than the 11.7 per game the Mavericks allow.
The teams play for the second time this season. The Warriors won the last meeting 126-116 on Dec. 25. Stephen Curry scored 23 points to help lead the Warriors to the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Cooper Flagg is averaging 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the Mavericks. Naji Marshall is averaging 16.8 points over the last 10 games.
Curry is scoring 27.4 points per game with 3.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists for the Warriors. Jimmy Butler III is averaging 17.0 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 53.2% over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mavericks: 6-4, averaging 115.7 points, 45.3 rebounds, 26.3 assists, 7.6 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 48.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.8 points per game.
Warriors: 7-2, averaging 123.6 points, 41.0 rebounds, 31.7 assists, 9.1 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 49.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.0 points.
INJURIES: Mavericks: Daniel Gafford: day to day (ankle), P.J. Washington: day to day (personal), Dereck Lively II: out for season (foot), Kyrie Irving: out (knee), Dante Exum: out for season (knee), Anthony Davis: out (hand), D'Angelo Russell: day to day (illness).
Warriors: Jimmy Butler III: out for season (knee), Al Horford: day to day (injury management), Seth Curry: out (back).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Three-point shooting has been a major need for the Toronto Raptors this season, who are shooting the worst percentage in the league. But that was not nearly the case tonight.
The Raptors’s offense erupted in Chase Center Tuesday night, fuelled by a red-hot 21/34 shooting night from beyond the arc and crisp ball movement that resulted in a season-high 42 assists on 51 made field goals. Leading the charge was Immanuel Quickley, who tied his career-high 40 points along with 10 assists on 11/13 shooting. Scottie Barnes also had a great performance, putting up 26 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists on 12/18 shooting.
The Raptors finished with a season-high in points, beating the Golden State Warriors 145-127, and are now 1-1 to start their five-game Western Conference road trip.
The game was a true wire-to-wire win, with the Raptors jumping out to an early 10-0 lead and holding a double-digit advantage nearly the entire game. The impressive effort came despite yet another short-handed effort: Toronto was without two of its starters in RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl, and two of its rotation players in Ja’Kobe Walter and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles.
As a result, head coach Darko Rajakovic went with a new starting lineup for the eighth consecutive game, this time with Gradey Dick getting his first start of the season.
The Warriors, meanwhile, had injury woes of their own. While they entered the game on a four-game winning streak, this was their first contest since Jimmy Butler suffered a season-ending torn ACL that has dramatically altered their hopes of making noise in the postseason.
Indeed, the Warriors started the game looking like a team that had just gotten bad news. The Raptors were not simply hitting their shots, but they were also out-running and out-passing the Warriors out of the gate. The Warriors’ defensive rotations were slow in the halfcourt, and they offered little resistance in fastbreak and even semi-transition defense.
Meanwhile, Butler’s absence allowed the Raptors to hone in on Stephen Curry, who generally had one of Jamal Shead or Ochai Agbaji glued to him throughout the game. Curry is averaging 27 points per game this season, but managed just 16 points and three assists against the Raptors. (Butler’s absence also meant that Warriors coach Steve Kerr freed Jonathan Kuminga from purgatory; Kuminga, who hadn’t played since December 18, put up 20 points and five rebounds.)
Quickley’s career night got off to a quick start, going 3/3 on threes halfway through the first quarter.
Jamison Battle played some solid minutes off the bench. Barnes did an excellent job playing off the attention Battle commands off-ball as a shooter. On one play, Barnes drew a defender’s attention by looking at Battle on the perimeter – then fired a no-look pass to Agbaji under the basket for two easy points.
The Raptors finished the first quarter with a 41-28 lead.
That lead was blown open as the second quarter wore on and the Warriors looked even slower, their helpside defense even more absent. Sandro Mamukelashvili hit back-to-back threes, AJ Lawson and Jonathan Mogbo found easy buckets in transition, and Quickley hit his fourth three (on as many attempts) to extend the lead to 59-31. The Raptors were not only getting easy looks by pushing the ball off turnovers and misses, but even off of made baskets.
The Warriors brought the lead down to 20 heading into halftime. But Toronto grabbed the momentum right back, playing some of their strongest basketball of the game to start the third quarter and taking a 30-point lead.
That stretch included another pair of threes for Quickley, who made his first six threes of the game. Quickley was dangerous as a catch-and-shoot threat – a threat which we’ve seen be further unlocked when Quickley plays alongside Jamal Shead, who scored 10 points and eight assists. Quickley also had a nice lefty and-one layup off a dribble hand-off from Barnes – and the team followed that possession by forcing the Warriors into a 24-second shot clock violation.
Meanwhile, the Raptors’ best sequence of the game came on a 2014 Spurs-esque possession in which all five Raptors touched the ball, ending in a Brandon Ingram three in the corner.
Ingram provided his usual injection of necessary shot-making, scoring on a mix of catch-and-shoot threes and tougher mid-range looks that helped supplement the offense, albeit during a rare game that had practically no dry spells. He finished with 22 points, four boards and five assists.
But with Curry on the bench, the Warriors finally displayed some energy and fought back, going on a 29-13 run that brought the Raptors’ lead to 104-90. The same defensive breakdowns that had plagued the Warriors were now hitting the Raptors, who allowed easy transition buckets, plus a Kuminga layup to end the quarter after he ran the full length of the court right past the defense.
The Warriors managed to tighten the lead to just nine points about halfway through the fourth quarter. But the Raptors were able to survive the onslaught of Buddy Hield threes thanks to timely shot-making by Barnes in the mid-range, and clutch three-pointers by Ingram and Mamu that put them up by 15.
Mamukaleshvili finished the game with 14 points and 12 rebounds, including a couple of offensive rebounds that helped extend key possessions in the fourth.
Dick, in his first start of the season, shot ⅖ from beyond the arc, which was a promising return to form in a season where he’s shooting just 30% from three.
While Dick’s shooting night was a promising return to form, the team’s offensive performance as a whole would be more aptly described as a remarkable display of shot-making and togetherness. Sure, the 62% three-point shooting is an unsustainable clip. So was their 22/22 night from the free throw line. But the buzzing ball movement, which contorted the defense and led to assists on four in every five buckets? That’s something this team can keep up.
The Raptors and Warriors entered the game with identical 25-19 records. This was the first night of a back-to-back for the Raptors, who are now 26-19, and are set to take on the 12-32 Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
The Golden State Warriors began the post-Jimmy Butler III era on Tuesday and … well … it didn’t exactly go very well, as the Dubs were crushed by the Toronto Raptors 145-127. It perhaps wasn’t as bad as the score suggests though, as it was kind of a case of “one of those games.” The Raptors are the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA, yet shot 21-for-34 (61.8%) from deep, easily their best shooting performance of the season. They were led by a career game from Immanuel Quickley, who shot 11-for-13 from the field, 7-for-8 from deep, and 11-for-11 on free throws for 40 points, setting the NBA record for highest true shooting percentage (112.1%) on a game with 40 or more points. Painfully, while it was just the 18th time in NBA history that a player scored 40+ on 100% or better true shooting, it was the second time this season … with both instances coming at the expense of Golden State’s defense (Aaron Gordon, as you probably could guess, was the other).
So it wasn’t so much a case of the Warriors playing horribly, and more a case of them playing mediocrely, while running into the hottest shooting performance imaginable. My grades will reflect that (I’m also giving everyone a little bit of a pass given that they were only 19 hours removed from finding out that their second-best player is out for the season), and thus probably be a little bit better than you expect for a blowout loss. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each individual player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Tuesday’s games, league average TS was 58.1%.
Moody has been red hot from three-point range lately, though that didn’t carry over into this game. Instead, he heated up from inside the arc, which was nice to see. He’s a quality player as a good three-point shooter, but being able to get easy shots at the rim is one of the secrets to taking his game to the next level. Watching him shoot a perfect 5-for-5 on twos was a delight.
It wasn’t his best defensive performance, but it was more a case of “good offense beats good defense” than bad defense.
Green returned after a one-game absence to nurse a sprained ankle. He did a lot of good things in this game, though it wasn’t nearly enough given the quality of Toronto’s offense.
Grade: C+ Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in assists, worst plus/minus on the team.
I think I speak for everyone when I say it was great seeing Post have such a strong rebounding game. Seven boards in 18 minutes! That’s more like what we all want to see out of a center.
He also played well on offense. Quite well, I thought. He didn’t get a lot of minutes, and he was removed from the starting lineup in the second half, but that was more due to the way the Raptors were beating the Warriors up and down the court than anything he did.
Grade: A- Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.
Podz has been playing some inspired ball lately, but this game wasn’t really it. I liked a lot of what he did on defense, though his lack of speed was exposed on a few occasions. On offense, he tried to do a little bit too much and it came back to bite him.
This game just goes to show you that anything can happen on any given night in the NBA. The worst-shooting three-point team in the league had one of the best shooting performances we’ve seen in the NBA this year, while the greatest shooter in the history of the sport couldn’t buy a bucket. Curry missed more free throws than the entire Toronto team, and that basically sums up the entire night.
GPII was a little bit out of control on a few occasions, and he didn’t provide the rebounding boost that we’ve grown accustomed to, but he was an absolute spark plug on offense, and was probably the closest thing the Warriors had to shutting down Toronto’s offense.
Very nice to see Santos out there after missing two games with an ankle injury. The Warriors are going to need him in a post-Butler world: not just because they’re missing their best forward, but because high-energy players are critical for keeping a team afloat when they lose a leader. And one thing we know is that Santos will always bring the energy.
I’m very curious to see what happens with Melton’s minutes in the aftermath of Butler’s injury. He’s really been finding his rhythm and game lately, and I think it’s pretty clear that he’s — at worst — the third-best player on the team now. He’s also the player who makes the most sense to slide into Butler’s role of running the offense when Curry is sidelined. He obviously isn’t the scorer that Butler is, but he can still get buckets, and he’s a tremendous passer and facilitator. Keep an eye on his role and his minutes.
He really helped the Warriors in this game, even though the stats were ugly. Five turnovers is brutal — and the most he’d had in a game since November, 2022 — and he didn’t shoot the ball well. But the offense just clicked when he was on the court. Like Curry with his gravity and wizardry, you could see why Melton helps the Warriors so much, even though he gets a poor grade.
Grade: C- Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in assists.
TJD is settling back into a rotational rhythm where he plays 10-20 minutes when Al Horford sits, and is mostly out of the rotation when Horford plays. He did some nice things on defense in this game, but the Warriors can’t have a non-scoring center play 12 minutes without grabbing a rebound. He just really didn’t do much at all.
After two straight games in the starting lineup, Richard returned to the bench for this game and … well … it didn’t go particularly well. He continues to play with far more control and poise and intelligence than a rookie should have, but his game was entirely devoid of impact plays.
Hield shot the ball so well that you would have sworn he was wearing a Raptors jersey. If you didn’t watch the game, let me just tell you: he played every bit as well as that stat line would suggest. Maybe he was inspired by his close friend Butler. Maybe, being the lovable professional that he is, he just knew exactly what the team needed. Either way, Hield caught a Klay-esque heater and it was an absolute joy to watch. It also got the team back in the game late in the third quarter, when he had an outrageous sequence in the closing minute: he was fouled on a three, made all of the free throws and, nine seconds later, following a Melton steal, drained another three, pulling the Warriors to within 14 points when they had trailed by 30 earlier in the quarter.
He had been out of the rotation for a while, but with Butler out for the season, the Warriors are going to need Buddy’s offense.
Grade: A++ Post-game bonus: Led the team in points, best plus/minus on the team.
Hield may have been the best player for the Warriors on Tuesday, but Kuminga was the best story. Earlier in the day I opined that it was time for the Warriors to play Kuminga again. And shortly before tip-off, Mike Dunleavy Jr. held a press conference in which he plainly laid out reality, saying that while Kuminga did demand a trade, there still needs to be market demand for a trade to work.
And then the game came and Kuminga played for the first time in 33 days, and played double-digit minutes for the first time in 45 days. And if it weren’t for Hield’s all-world shooting performance, Kuminga would have been the best player on the Warriors.
He made his entrance to start the second quarter, and looked out of sorts — pretty understandable given the situation. He was a little unsure of where to be, and moved tentatively, something that anyone who played sporadic minutes during their playing days can relate to. He badly missed a pair of free throws.
That short stint in the second quarter was all he needed to shake off the rust, apparently. He returned in the third quarter and didn’t take a seat again until the white towel was waved. His offense was nothing short of ferocious: he punished Toronto’s defenders, and muscled his way to the hoop. Kuminga’s isolation offense may not be the Platonic ideal of a player in Steve Kerr’s system, but with Butler out, the Warriors need someone who can get a bucket by himself, moving downhill. Kuminga is that person.
He may be unhappy with the Warriors, but that didn’t show in his energy, effort, or selflessness. He made good passes. He played with a smile on his face and high-fived his teammates. And he gave it his all, especially on a sensational play to end the third quarter, when he rushed down the court for a buzzer-beating transition layup.
Kuminga didn’t look like a player who had spent the last six weeks accumulating rust, other than in the first few minutes. He looked like a player who spent the last six weeks determined to come back stronger than ever. Maybe his play will make another team excited to trade for him; but if not, he has to be a big part of the rotation going forward. He just has to.
That’s one hell of a stat line there, Pat. My word! Nine points on perfect shooting, and five assists in nine minutes? The Warriors may have lost a one-sided game, but their bench positively showed out.
Grade: A+ Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in assists.
LJ Cryer
2 minutes, 0 points, 1 foul, -3
Cryer made his NBA debut on Monday, but I wasn’t working and thus didn’t do grades. So I missed the chance to congratulate him, so we’ll do that today, instead.
Grade: A+++ for a lifetime of hard work resulting in a dream accomplished
Leons also made his season debut last night, but it wasn’t his NBA debut, as he briefly appeared in six games for the Oklahoma City Thunder last year. So he gets spared the sentiments — still fun to see him out there, though.
Grade: Incomplete
Tuesday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, Seth Curry, Al Horford
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Arseny Gritsyuk and Cody Glass each had a goal and an assist and the New Jersey Devils held on to beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 on Tuesday night.
The Devils, who improved to 17-0-0 when leading after two periods, have won four of their last five outings, including a 2-1 overtime victory on Monday against the host Calgary Flames.
Matthew Savoie scored for the Oilers, who had a two-game winning streak halted — the ninth time this season they have failed to extend a winning streak to three games.
Jake Allen survived a barrage in the third and recorded 21 saves to earn the win in net for New Jersey, while Tristan Jarry made 15 stops in his Oilers’ home debut.
Defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who was a healthy scratch against the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 10, picked up an assist to extend his points streak to six games, during which he has collected seven points.
The Oilers' Curtis Lazar skated in his 600th career NHL game against his former team, where he spent portions of three seasons from 2022-25. He has played for seven NHL squads and has 50 goals and 80 assists.
The Devils regained the lead a minute-and-a-half after Edmonton tied the game 1-1 as they caught the Oilers on a bad change and Glass beat Jarry cleanly to the stick side for his 11th goal of the season.
Connor McDavid came into the game with at least one point in all 17 of his career games against the Devils (7 goals, 24 assists), which stood as the second-longest active point streak by a player against a single opponent. However, he was held pointless on the night and the streak came to an end.
SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga finally was called off the bench and into action during a 145-127 loss to the Toronto Raptors at Chase Center on Tuesday night.
On the second night of a back-to-back — with the Warriors now having to go forward without Jimmy Butler, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear Monday night — head coach Steve Kerr said he would look more toward his bench depth, including Kuminga who hadn't played in 16 games due to a coach's decision.
Kuminga received a roar from the Chase Center crowd when he subbed into the game to start the second quarter of the contest.
He finished with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 21 minutes. He added five rebounds and two assists. Teammate Buddy Hield led the team in scoring with 25 points off then bench, including a perfect 6-of-6 from deep, in 19 minutes of play.
“JK [Kuminga] been a factor in here," head coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "Really pleased with the way he’s stayed ready and stayed prepared, and he got his opportunity and played really well.”
With Butler out, Kerr said that he would tinker with different lineups on various "trial and error" runs. Kerr told USA TODAY that it's possible Kuminga could even jolt into the starting role.
"Everything’s a possibility right now," Kerr said. “When you have an injury to, not only one of your best players but one of the best players in the league, it just changes everything. The puzzle completely changes. So we will definitely experiment with some different lineups and combinations. One guy effects the other four and so it will be under consideration, for sure.”
How did Jonathan Kuminga play?
The Warriors were down 41-28 after the first quarter before Kuminga was subbed into the game to start the second period.
In his first stint, a little under five minutes, Kuminga missed his only shot attempt: An alley-oop tip-in on a pass from Draymond Green. He was fouled but missed both free throws. He managed to grab two rebounds in his limited action.
His plus/minus was a minus-10 in four minutes and 39 seconds of playing time.
Golden State is looking for a spark from their bench depth after Butler was lost for the season with a torn ACL.
Kerr said after the Warriors' win over the Miami Heat that Kuminga could see the floor following Butler's devastating injury.
"Sure, absolutely," Kerr said responding to a question about Kuminga playing against Toronto.
Warriors trailed 91-63 when Kuminga returned to the game at the 6:12 mark of the third quarter.
He scored 12 points in the period, throwing down a ferocious two-handed slam off an alley-oop pass from Green, a couple of mid-range shots through contact and going the length of the court to make a buzzer-beating layup to end the third.
Golden State trailed 108-94 at the end of three quarters. Kuminga played the remainder of the quarter since subbing in at the 6:12 mark and was a plus-4 after the period.
Kuminga played the entire fourth quarter as his play continued to help the Warriors to cut into that huge double-digit deficit. It was cut to as low as 11 points.
However, the Raptors ran the score back up late and held on to win the game.
The Raptors were led by Immanuel Quickley tied a career-high 40 points to lead all scorers in the game. He shot 11-of-13 from the field, including 7-of-8 from 3-pointers and a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line.
Jonathan Kuminga's future with Warriors
With the NBA trade deadline looming on Feb. 5, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. spoke to reporters before Monday night's game, expressing disappointment in losing Butler to injury.
"He was having a great year and obviously that's over now. So we're disappointed as a team, as an organization but most especially individually for Jimmy," Dunleavy said. "He's been so much to this organization since he got here. It's hard to believe he hasn't even been here a year. He's fit in so well, we hate it for him. But the beat goes on, we have to keep going."
There are questions about whether Kuminga can become a focal point of the team's rotation or is still a key trade component. Kuminga reportedly requested for a trade from Golden State last week.
"I think as far as the demand, I'm aware of that," Dunleavy said. "I think in terms of demands, for you to make a demand there needs to be a demand in the market. So we'll see where that goes."
He added: "Always with these guys I tell them I'm willing to work with them. I want to help people out, whether that's JK [Kuminga] or any player on our roster. I'm good with [it], if that's his wishes, trying to figure that out but we have to do what's best for our organization and that's as far as it goes."
However, Dunleavy said with the deadline coming up, he will take the time to evaluate the team.
"I felt pretty good with where we're at ending last night's game in terms of what we need to do. Thought our team was playing well, heading in the right direction," Dunleavy said. "Obviously things have changed so I wanna take a couple weeks here to watch these games and see our team and what we can do better."
Dunleavy still holds Kuminga in high regard and believes he can be an asset as a member of the Warriors, and not just a trade piece.
"He's available every night. I think there's a path and a way for him to help us win games," Dunleavy said. "He knows what that is. If he can do those things, there's no doubt if he can help us."
He added: "Disappointed it hasn't worked out better, but it is what it is. But there's still time left here. He's still on our roster. The trade's been requested but nothing's imminent. Things in this league change in a heartbeat as they did [against Miami]."
Jonathan Kuminga 2025-26 regular-season stats
Here are Kuminga's average statistics so far though the 2025-26 regular season, prior to Tuesday's game against the Raptors:
Games played: 18
Minutes: 24.8
Points: 11.8
Rebounds: 6.2
Assists: 2.6
Steals: 0.3
Blocks: 0.3
Field goal %: .431
3-point field goal %: .320
Free throw %: .741
Jonathan Kuminga career stats
These are Kuminga's career averages through five seasons in the NBA, prior to Tuesday's game against the Raptors:
SEATTLE (AP) — Lexie Adzija scored Seattle's first short-handed goal of the season in the third period to take the lead for good, and the Torrent beat the Toronto Sceptres 6-4 on Tuesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
The expansion Torrent set the franchise's single-game record for goals (six) and tied for the most in the PWHL this season. The 10 combined goals were the most in a PWHL game this season. Minnesota and Seattle combined for eight goals — the previous high — in the Frost's 6-2 win Jan. 11.
Jessie Eldridge had a goal and two assists and Hannah Bilka added a goal and an assist for Seattle (4-1-2-5). Hilary Knight. Julia Gosling, and Megan Carter, who played 19 games for Toronto as a rookie last season, also scored for the Torrent. Carter’s goal — the first of her career and the first by a Seattle defender this season— made it 5-3 with 14:34 left in the game. Corinne Schroeder had 31 saves.
Blayre Turnbull, Jesse Compher, Kali Flanagan and Natalie Spooner each scored a goal for Toronto (4-1-3-6), which beat Vancouver 2-1 in overtime Saturday at home to snap a four-game losing streak. Raygan Kirk had 27 saves.
Turnbull opened the scoring 78 seconds into the game and Compher added a goal to give Toronto a 2-0 lead less than three minutes in.
Flanagan scored her first goal of the season with 9:30 remaining in the second period to make it 3-3.
Up next
Toronto: The Sceptres visit Vancouver on Thursday.
Seattle: The Torrent play Vancouver at Ball Arena in Denver on Saturday as part of the PWHL’s Takeover Tour.
This might be the best Rockets win of the season. It’s certainly my favorite win.
There’s been a lot of negativity around here (looks at self) regarding aspects of this year’s Rockets team, a good bit of it deserved. This is all positivity, though. That’s because this victory carried two great signs that we can all hope continue. The first is a return of the determination, fight, and intensity of last year’s Rockets team. A team that sometimes simply enforced their collective will on opponents, despite not necessarily playing better than that opponent. The second is a victory of awareness, of recognition of problems and some positive responses to those problems. Long may it continue.
If you watched the first half of this game, you may be forgiven for finding something better to do with your life in the second half. This game was mostly a reward for Rockets degenerates, and a just punishment for those Spurs fans who think their team plays ethical basketball.
The first quarter was all Spurs, almost to the point of absurdity. It wasn’t that the Rockets came out flat, or didn’t score the ball. After a good 15-20 minutes levelling a rim with a big ladder and a fine German level, to repair Stephon Castle’s vandalism, the Rockets started with plenty of fire. It was more a case of absurdly hot Spurs being even more fiery from three, and Udokan Math not mathing. That is, trading threes for twos, constantly. The Spurs attempted 27 shots for the quarter. 13 of those shots were three pointers, of which they made 8. They went 4-14 around the basket, and in the paint, and 1-1 on a longer two point attempt. The Rockets? They had 21 FGA, and made 11-16 twos, and 2-5 threes. The Rockets also missed several free throws, while San Antonio didn’t.
There can be fewer clearer demonstrations of “three is more than two” and “quantity has a quality all its own” than this first quarter. Certainly there were Rocket defensive mistakes, mainly Alperen Sengun helping away from Julian Champanie, a 36% three point shooter on the season, who went 4 for 5 from three in the first. (He’s shooting a robust 16-29 from three against the Rockets overall this season, so maybe don’t leave him?). In any case, the quarter ended 39-28 Spurs.
The second seemed much like the first, only the Spurs cooled off, from 70% to 45% on threes, and the Rockets made a few more shots. The Rockets defense was much better, and they started fixing defensive mistakes. Still a quarter ending 32-31 in favor of the Rockets wasn’t going to do much to close the gap established in the first quarter. But the quarter began all Spurs, like the first, and slowly the impetus changed to the Rockets. Hard to spot, but the Rockets were now showing a more energy and determination, perhaps.
The Rockets would definitely display their 2024-25 season fire in the third quarter, where it seemed the Rockets were defending very well, and if the Rockets were going to go down, they’d drag the Spurs to hell with them. The quarter ended in a tie, with only 22 points scored by either side.
This defensive display by the Rockets was matched by an offense that couldn’t gain any ground in the third. This, perhaps, is at the heart of some of the criticism of Ime Udoka and his black clad cult member coaching staff. It’s very hard to solely defend your way to victory in the NBA. Holding the Spurs to 22 points is a great accomplishment. Scoring 22? Not so much. The Spurs maintained their 10 lead going into the 4th.
Then it happened. Something many of us have been waiting for all season. Perhaps it was genius, perhaps it was madness, perhaps it was pure desperation, but Reed Sheppard was turned loose on the Spurs. Not only did he pass and shoot well, he defended well, too. He almost single handedly sparked a comeback, swinging the game to the Rockets. With confidence the other Rockets played well, and got timely passes, too. The defense, very good in the third quarter, got even better. The offense, moribund in the third, came to life with a triple threat point guard leading the way. The Rockets won this quarter 29-14, and not so coincidentally, the game.
Alperen Sengun, after a not especially great first half, was dominant on both ends in the second. He finished with 20pts/13rbs/9ast. All of KD, Jabari and Amen had good games, too. KD didn’t shoot it as much, but he was 7 of 12, with 18pts/4rbs/7ast/1stl/1blk and an unfortunate 4 TO. Jabari was Dr Jaswishy, he went 7-13, and 3-5 from three, for 17pts/4rbs/1ast/1blk. Amen also had a very good game – 16pts/10rbs/6ast/1stl/2blk.
Then there was Reed, who as much as I have appreciated all that Josh Okogie brings to the table, should be starting. At point guard. He went for 21pts on 8-17 shooting, 4-10 from three, with 1rb/4ast/1stl/1blk and no turnovers in 29 minutes. He played good defense, after a fairly shaky first half. There’s no comeback without Reed. More Josh Okogie minutes won’t get the Rockets there.
Dorian Finney-Smith also looked like the players the Rockets signed. He kept Victor Wembanyama away from his spots in the second half. The Rockets overall defense really told in the second half. Here are the final shooting stats for the key Spurs. Wemby 5-21. Fox 6-15. Castle 5-19. Barnes 2-6. Champagnie, well, 8-17. Keldon Johnson drove right. Teams aren’t going to win many games in which they shoot 22 fewer shots than their opponents, but the Rocket can with the kind of defense they played in the second half of this game. The Spurs average 117 points per game, tonight they were held to 11 below that average.
This is the best win I can remember this season. I hope we see more of what we saw in that glorious fourth quarter going forward. We’re halfway through the season, with everything still to play for.
Luka Doncic is fouled by Denver Nuggets forward Spencer Jones in the first half. (Jack Dempsey / Associated Press)
The first time chants of “Let’s go, La-kers” rang out in Ball Arena, Denver’s rowdy home crowd booed the unwelcome slogan into silence. Minutes later when the game ended, there weren’t enough home fans left to quiet the purple and gold faithful.
The Lakers overcame a 16-point deficit in the third quarter to notch one of their most significant wins of the season, taking down the Denver Nuggets 115-107 on Tuesday. Luka Doncic recorded his fifth triple-double of the season with 38 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists while LeBron James had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Despite losing center Deandre Ayton to a left eye injury in the second quarter, the Lakers still held the Nuggets to 36 points in the second half. Marcus Smart, the team’s perimeter defensive stalwart, sparked a 16-0 fourth-quarter run to put the game away, scoring 11 of his 15 points during the six-and-a-half-minute streak.
“Just contributions from everybody,” coach JJ Redick said, noting the second-half performance from Jaxson Hayes (nine points, five rebounds) after Ayton's injury, nine points from Drew Timme off the bench and defensive energy from Jarred Vanderbilt. “It was a great team win.
Redick is hopeful that Ayton was just poked in the eye and he will be back by the time the Lakers play the Clippers at Intuit Dome on Thursday.
The Lakers (26-16) slowly are returning to full health as guard Austin Reaves’ calf injury is “progressing well,” coach JJ Redick said before the game, and they hope he could play on the eight-game trip that will stretch until Feb. 3. Reaves is approaching the four-week point after aggravating his calf injury on Christmas Day.
For the first time since the injury, Reaves went on a trip with the team. He blended seamlessly into the bench group, wearing head-to-toe black next to the coaches.
On the other bench, Denver’s injured superstar was dressed in a forest green suit. Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets’ three-time most valuable player, has been sidelined because of a knee injury since Dec. 30.
Three members of the Nuggets’ season-opening starting rotation were sidelined Tuesday. Starting guard Christian Braun has been out since injuring an ankle Nov. 12 and Cameron Johnson has missed 15 games because of a knee injury. Backup center JonasValanciunas, who has missed the last 11 games with a calf injury, sat next to Jokic.
Denver (29-15) still had no problem controlling the first half, finishing the second quarter on a 14-3 run to claim a 14-point lead. Jamal Murray drained a three-pointer from almost three-quarters court at the buzzer to punctuate a chaotic final 35 seconds that was preceded by Doncic’s 13th technical foul of the season and featured an 8-0 run for the Nuggets.
For a team that had lost five of its last seven games and was beginning a difficult eight-game road trip with the NBA trade deadline looming in two weeks, the moment could have broken the Lakers.
Instead, Doncic showed why he led the league in All-Star fan voting. After scoring 16 points on six-of-six shooting in the first quarter, Doncic started distributing to his teammates. He had nine points and four assists in the third quarter as the Lakers trimmed a 16-point deficit to two entering the fourth. Doncic scored or assisted on 11 unanswered Lakers points.
“It showed the character of our team,” Doncic said of how the Lakers responded to the end of the first half. “… We just stayed together.”
The Lakers could have wilted when the Nuggets hit nine three-pointers in the first quarter too, Doncic said. But they calmly locked back in on defense and committed to the plan to blitz Murray, who scored 26 in the first half. Then Doncic continued his take over.
“Luka, you can't turn the engine halfway with him,” Redick said. “Once the engine's on, like he's in kill mode. And it's on me as a coach to make sure that everybody else is involved, and it's on him too, on the court to make sure that. And truthfully, I think he's done a phenomenal job of that the last couple weeks.”
After Doncic’s third-quarter domination, James tagged in and scored five consecutive points to end the quarter. He assisted on a basket by Drew Timme on the Lakers’ opening possession of the fourth quarter that tied the score 88-88. The Lakers outscored the Nuggets by 20 points when James was on the floor in the second half after he was held to just seven points with four turnovers in the first.
While Doncic will return to the All-Star stage next month at Intuit Dome, James was not named a starter for the first time in 22 years. He will have to wait for a vote from coaches or a special selection from NBA commissioner Adam Silver to earn his 22nd All-Star honor.
“Given the missed games early, wasn't surprised,” Redick said, referring to James missing the first 14 games because of sciatica. “I believe he'll be in the All-Star game.”
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Bam Adebayo scored 25 points, Norman Powell added 22 and the Miami Heat cruised to a 130-117 road win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
The Heat have won three of their last five and led by double digits the entire fourth quarter. Andrew Wiggins added 19 points, while Pelle Larsson had 16 points and a team-high nine assists.
Simone Fontecchio scored 15 points off the bench on five 3-pointers. Miami shot 50% from 3-point range, hitting 21 of 42.
Miami guard Tyler Herro (ribs) and center Kel’el Ware (hamstring) missed the game, leaving the Heat without two key rotation players. Ware — who is averaging a team-high 9.8 rebounds — missed his first game of the season.
Sacramento has dropped two straight games after winning a season-high four in a row. DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 23 points, while Russell Westbrook added 22 on 9-of 14 shooting.
Malik Monk scored 18 points, while Dylan Cardwell added 12 rebounds.
The Heat took a 77-64 lead at halftime on the strength of a 45-point second quarter that included nine 3-pointers. Miami made 15 of 24 shots (62.5%) from behind the arc before the break.
Miami snapped a streak of four straight road losses that all came by at least 12 points.
The San Antonio Spurs left Toyota Center Tuesday night with a familiar and frustrating feeling, undone once again by a late-game collapse in a 111–106 loss to the Houston Rockets that spoiled an otherwise encouraging road performance.
For much of the evening, the Spurs were the sharper, more composed team. They opened the game with one of their best offensive quarters of the season, building a 39–28 lead behind quick ball movement, confident shooting, and an aggressive defense that kept Houston scrambling. San Antonio pushed the pace, shared the ball freely, and capitalized on early mismatches to seize control.
That momentum carried into the second quarter, where the Spurs continued to dictate tempo. Victor Wembanyama provided flashes of brilliance throughout the night, but Houston’s defense on him was on point. He finished with just 14 points on 5-of-21 shooting, his worst performance of the season. Despite that, San Antonio entered halftime with a double-digit advantage and appeared well-positioned to secure a road win.
But as has been the case too often this season, sustaining that level proved difficult.
“A lot of things went wrong in the fourth quarter,” Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson said. “Houston did a heck of a job… but we had a rough whole half. We missed open shots, we weren’t strong in creating leads, passing, and mental stuff. It was a variety of things across the board.”
The game began to tilt late in the third quarter when the Spurs’ offense stalled. Open looks that fell earlier in the night stopped dropping, and possessions grew increasingly stagnant. Houston took advantage, trimming the deficit with transition opportunities and second-chance points that energized the home crowd.
What followed in the fourth quarter was decisive.
The Rockets opened the final period with renewed confidence, while the Spurs struggled to find rhythm. The Rockets outscored San Antonio 29–14 over the final 12 minutes. The Spurs went cold at the worst possible time, going 0-for-8 before their first made basket of the frame. The prolonged scoring drought allowed Houston to erase the remainder of San Antonio’s lead, and the Rockets surged ahead behind a series of perimeter shots and aggressive drives to the rim. San Antonio managed just 14 points in the quarter, a stark contrast to the offensive efficiency that defined the opening half.
“They (Houston) got some good one-on-one defenders, and now you’re playing against those guys a lot of times against the clock. And then when that happens, you get rushed up again at times. And we saw that, not just with Victor, but the whole team,” Johnson said of his team’s offensive struggles in the second half.
Houston’s guards repeatedly penetrated the Spurs’ defense, forcing rotations that led to open looks and timely baskets. Meanwhile, San Antonio’s possessions were rushed, with contested jumpers and missed opportunities at the rim rearing their head as the main problem. The Spurs had chances to regain control, but key stops and baskets never materialized.
Late-game execution — both offensively and defensively — remains a work in progress for a Spurs team balancing development with the desire to win now. Missed rotations, untimely fouls, and an offense that bogged down under pressure proved costly against a Houston team that seized the moment.
“It’s the same as blowing a 15-point lead,” Wembanyama said when asked about blowing a 16-point lead to Houston. “The good thing is we’re all onto the problem, and we’re all putting our minds into it. But we’re conscious that it is a problem.”
For a young team still learning how to win in hostile environments, Tuesday night served as another hard lesson. Until San Antonio finds consistency in crunch time, strong starts and encouraging stretches will continue to be overshadowed by disappointing finishes.
Game notes
Someone needs to open an investigation to that rim situation. Can the Houston team get a more accurate level? I’m kidding obviously. but man that was annoying.
Outside of Julian Champagnie, who shot 50 percent from three, the rest of the Spurs struggled. San Antonio went 6-for-18 from beyond the arc sans Champagnie. That’s an issue that needs to be addressed at some point.
San Antonio had nine turnovers on the night with Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox having three each.
Keldon Johnson had an “off night” by his standards, scoring just 12 points on the night. That’s not so bad, but when Harrison Barnes (6 points, 33% shooting) continues to struggle, that number needs to be better for the Spurs to win.
San Antonio looked tired and it hit them in the fourth quarter. Maybe the back-to-back caught up with them, but in the end, you learn and move on.
The Texas back-to-back was fun, but in both matchups, a shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves team was edged in the last few minutes of each game. Minnesota looked to get back on track in a slightly later than usual 8 PM CT tipoff against the Utah Jazz in the place that Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, and Johnny Juzang called home.
Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert were both removed from the injury list and are expected to play in this one, while Naz Reid is listed as questionable after exiting the Spurs game with a left shoulder injury on Saturday night. While they played well for stretches in each of the last two games, it is important that they get back to their winning ways that have been lacking since the calendar year flipped, as the West is always tight when it comes to the seeding race.
Minnesota got off to a fast start early and used transition and fast break opportunities to get in a rhythm early. The Jazz kept fighting back and would not go away; however, they kept coming at the Timberwolves despite an early double-digit disadvantage.
The Timberwolves took their foot off the gas in the 2nd quarter, after leading the way for much of the first. The Jazz went blow for blow with them in the second. Rudy Gobert defended the rim well to the tune of multiple blocks, but Minnesota struggled a lot elsewhere on that end of the floor. Keyonte George was on fire in the first half, scoring 23 points and making difficult shots look easy. Ant led the way for the Wolves with 17 of his own, but Utah took a slight edge heading into the final 24 minutes with a one-point lead.
Minnesota used its pressure to force more Jazz turnovers and get open looks with numbers in transition. While the Jazz offense stayed strong to start the frame, with their cutting and spacing. The Timberwolves held steady and started to knockdown threes in short order, going on a 15-4 run. Ant finished the quarter by going on a heater – bumping guys off of him to get to his spot in the mid range. After trailing by one at halftime, Minnesota dominated the frame to take a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter.
This is when it all fell apart. The Jazz got an injection in their offense by running the floor and finishing in transition. They kept getting shots before the Timberwolves were set up. In the half-court, they spread out the offense to attack the space and got easy lay-ins on backdoor cuts that seemed to catch the Wolves by surprise every time. Utah caught lightning in a bottle, shooting 17/25 from the field in the fourth quarter and putting up 43 points after being stagnant for much of the third. Utah threw its punch, and the Timberwolves never got back up. An Ant flurry at the end of the game gave them a glimmer of hope, but bricked shots sunk them in the end as they dropped an ugly one, 127-122.
Keynote George Career Night
Keynote George was incredible and helped carry the Jazz back to a victory in this one. He scored 43 points on 15/28 shooting, including 6/13 from three. It seemed as though he had an answer to any coverage that the Timberwolves threw at him. He had his spots that he wanted to get to, and he got to them and converted at a high clip. This was a career-high in points for him, and he hit some big shots, including a 3-pointer off of an offensive rebound that proved to be the dagger in this one.
After a third quarter that seemed like the Wolves were leaning on their “taking care of business” attitude that has been a big part of 2026, Minnesota completely lost themselves in the final 12 minutes. Being loose with the ball, giving the Jazz energy, and letting it snowball all came together in a culmination of the loss this evening. Utah snatched the energy and momentum and never gave it back.
Usually, we have seen the Timberwolves be able to compose themselves after a hard stretch, but the opposite happened in this one. It seemed like every shot was a prayer that ended in a clank while they gave up backdoor layup after backdoor layup on the other side of the floor. Tough pill to swallow after how they looked in the third quarter.
some dimes mean more than others 🪙
with this assist, Nurk records the first triple-double by a Jazzman since January 1, 2024 🫡
The Timberwolves return home for the first of a three-game home stand, where they take on the Chicago Bulls on FanDuel Sports North. Tipoff is at 7 PM CT.
The Lakers surged in the second half on the shoulders of Luka Dončić and Marcus Smart to take the 115-107 win over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.
It was an offensive showdown early. Denver was a perfect 5-5 from the field, while Los Angeles was shooting at 80%. Luka couldn’t miss and was in double figures with 12 points. Jamal Murray was also perfect from the field with eight points. The only other Laker to score was Deandre Ayton on a layup.
After a timeout, Luka continued his hot start, converting on a jumpshot.
The Nuggets were shooting an impressive 81% from behind the arc. The Lakers had no answer for Spencer Jones, who had drained four of Denver’s nine triples in the quarter. Rui Hachimura provided some offense for LA with four points.
Denver opens this game 7 for 9 from 3, including 3 of 3 from fill-in starter Spencer Jones, to allow a 25-19 lead despite a 6-for-6 start from Luka Dončić.
LeBron James converted on a jumper at the buzzer to cut the deficit to nine going into the second period.
Drew Timme opened the quarter with five straight points to make it a four-point game. Timme time was in full effect as he also converted on a layup. LA looked like they were poised to go on a big run, until Denver responded to push their lead to eight.
LeBron gave Los Angeles some life with an emphatic dunk, staring down the crowd right after.
The Nuggets had been able to extend their lead to double-digits, but the Lakers responded to cut it down to six. LA’s defense was awful, though, as Murray was able to get to the rim with ease, scoring six quick points.
Los Angeles ended the half disastrously, falling apart. To make matters even worse, Murray heaved a shot that, of course, went in at the buzzer. At halftime, the purple and gold were down by 14.
LA pulled within 6 with 52 seconds left in the half, but then gave up an 8-0 run to find themselves down by 14:
– Gordon alley-oop (34.6) – missed 2 for 1 3-pointer (31.2) – uncontested 3 from Watson (07.3) – offensive foul on LeBron (02.3) – 56-foot 3-pointer from Murray (0.00)
LeBron opened the third period with a layup for LA. Peyton Watson started to cook for the Nuggets, scoring six points. After a quick four-point surge by Los Angeles, Denver called a timeout. Out of the break, the Nuggets turned the ball over, and it resulted in a jumper by Luka on the other end.
Denver’s lead was down to single digits after Luka converted on a triple.
The Lakers tightened their defense, which led to a 15-4 scoring run. Luka was now at 32 points for the game.
A dunk from Aaron Gordon and four points from Jones forced a timeout call from LA. LeBron scored five straight to make it a two-point game going into the fourth period. They outscored Denver 29 to 17 in the quarter.
The final frame began with the Lakers tying the game off a layup from Timme. Both teams then took turns tying the game again, with LA not able to take the lead. The Nuggets went up by four.
Los Angeles got their first lead of the game by two at the 6:42 mark, thanks to free throws from Luka. Smart scored six in a row to give the Lakers more cushion in their lead.
LA’s defense was suffocating the Nuggets, leading to a five-minute scoring drought. Smart’s second-half dominance continued with another triple. Denver’s drought ended as they scored six straight. LeBron responded with another powerful dunk.
Los Angeles kept their composure, and Denver played the foul game the rest of the way, as the Lakers cruised to victory.
Key Player Stats
Dončić scored 16 of his 38 points in the first quarter. He also ended with 13 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals. LeBron notched 19 points with nine rebounds and eight assists. Smart had 15 massive points and two rebounds. Ayton pitched in with four points and eight rebounds.
Timme had nine points and three rebounds. Hachimura ended with nine points and five rebounds. Jaxson Hayes scored nine points with five rebounds and two blocks.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday at 7:00 PM PT.
Another injury has hit the Lakers’ roster with Deandre Ayton hurting his left eye in the middle of LA’s road game against Denver.
Ayton suffered the injury during the first half and did not return at the start of the third quarter. Initially, the Lakers listed him as questionable to return, but he was officially ruled out of the contest at the start of the fourth quarter.
Ayton is LA’s starting center and was in the middle of a very solid performance against the Nuggets with four points and eight rebounds. With Ayton out, the Lakers will rely on Jaxson Hayes and two-way forward Drew Timme to provide them with enough size to compete with the Denver bigs.
Ayton has been relatively healthy this year. He has played in 37 of LA’s 42 games. Recently, Ayton missed a game against the Blazers due to left knee soreness.
On the season, Ayton is averaging 14.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. The Lakers will have to provide an update later to let us know whether this is a serious injury that will force him to miss additional games or if he can return immediately.
The Lakers have just started an eight-game road trip, so it would be best for the purple and gold if Ayton can suit up and play in those upcoming contests.
Los Angeles is currently in a play-in position, and a successful road trip could help them get back into the top six in the Western Conference.
LOS ANGELES — UCLA needed a major victory as it tries to build its NCAA tournament resume – and it got one.
The Bruins put up one of their best performances of the season to take down No. 4 Purdue, 69-67, for its first signature win of the season, and a massive one in the Big Ten.
It was all thanks to guard Donovan Dent, who broke out of a rough slump and showed all the reasons that made him such a highly-touted transfer out of New Mexico. UCLA coach Mick Cronin said he spoke with Dent earlier in the week about needing to "get in there and throw punches" after the struggling performances at Penn State and Ohio State.
"I had a little talk, he listened," Cronin said.
Dent picked apart the Purdue defense and was the catalyst in the offensive surge for a team that shot 56.9% from the field, finishing with a game-high 23 points and season-best 13 assists, his first double-double in more than a month.
"He's a player of the game," said Purdue coach Matt Painter. "There's no question about that."
While every dime brought out the energy for an electric home crowd, there was one no greater than the final one. With the Bruins down by one point, Dent drew two defenders off a screen that resulted in forward Tyler Bilodeau wide open. Dent dished it out to him and he drilled the game-winning 3-point shot with six seconds left.
Purdue had a chance to respond and tried to go for the win, but were unable to get the bucket when C.J. Cox's 3-point shot bounced off the rim and the Boilermakers were unable to secure the rebound.
In a game that honored the legendary John Wooden – who played for Purdue and later was coach at UCLA – Purdue got out to a hot start, flipping the script from its past couple of games; it looked like the Boilermakers would cap off their West Coast trip in perfect fashion with a 12-point lead in the first half. The strong presence of Purdue fans inside Pauley Pavilion drowned out the home crowd.
Then UCLA turned it up a notch. With Dent leading the charge, the Bruins were blocking shots and the offense started knocking down shots, using a 17-5 run in the final seven minutes of the half to go in the locker room tied.
The second half remained close, with the lead and momentum going back-and-forth. But UCLA's offense remained hot, shooting a whopping 65.2% from the field in the last 20 minutes. Thanks to some key buckets from star guard Braden Smith, Purdue again looked like it was closing in on a win when it grabbed a six-point lead with just under two minutes left.
However, Purdue couldn’t get more opportunities at the bucket to put the nail in the coffin. Two key turnovers resulted in UCLA baskets to close the deficit, punctuated by Bilodeau’s game-winning shot. UCLA ended the game on an 8-0 run.
It’s a much-needed win for UCLA as its tournament hopes were starting to fade thanks to some tough losses and no big wins on the season; the Bruins entered the night 12-6 with a 1-5 Quad 1 record. The win over Purdue dramatically boosts UCLA's resume as it tries to live up to preseason expectations it would be a contender in the Big Ten.
Despite the big win, Cronin couldn't help but throw a slight jab at the Big Ten for UCLA's start to its conference schedule.
"I want to thank the Big Ten for giving us five of our first seven on the road, and giving us the team picked to win the league on two days rest," he said. "I really wanna thank the Big Ten for that."
Dent and Bilodeau were two of four Bruins that were in double figures. Smith finished with 12 points and four assists for Purdue, with Cox as the team's leading-scorer with 16 points.
Purdue suffers its second loss of the season, snapping its nine-game win streak. It’s the first road loss for the Boilermakers.
HOUSTON (AP) — Alperen Sengun had 20 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists to help the Houston Rockets rally for a 111-106 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.
Reed Sheppard scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and Kevin Durant added 18 points to help the Rockets to their third straight victory.
The Rockets trailed by as many as 16 and were down by 10 before opening the fourth quarter with a big run to close the gap.
The game was tied with about two minutes to play when Sheppard blocked a 3-point attempt by Julian Champagnie. Jabari Smith Jr. put the Rockets on top 106-104 with a fadeaway shot a few seconds later.
Sengun made a basket with about 30 seconds left to extend the lead to 108-104 before Stephon Castle missed a 3-point attempt. Sheppard added two free throws after that to seal the victory.
Champagnie made eight 3-pointers and led the Spurs with 27 points on a night Victor Wembanyama was held to 14 points with 10 rebounds. Champagnie’s performance came after he set the franchise record by sinking 11 3-pointers in a win over the Knicks on Dec. 31.
Houston trailed by five midway through the fourth before Sheppard scored all of the team’s points during an 8-2 run that put the Rockets on top 101-100 with about four minutes to go.
SUNS 116, 76ERS 110
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Devin Booker scored 27 points and Jalen Green added 12 points in his return to the lineup as Phoenix beat Philadelphia in a matchup of teams playing the second game of a back to back.
Grayson Allen and Jordan Goodwin scored 16 points apiece and Collin Gillespie and Oso Ighodaro each added 12 as the Suns won their third straight game and for the 12th time in 16 games.
Rookie VJ Edgecombe led the 76ers with 25 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 21 points and Tyrese Maxey added 20. Andre Drummond finished with 15 rebounds and eight points for the Sixers, who lost for the fourth time in six games.
Philadelphia was without Joel Embiid (right ankle injury management) and Paul George (left knee injury management).
Green played in just his third game of the season, and his first since Nov. 8, because of a right hamstring injury. He is in his first season with the Suns, arriving in the offseason as part of the trade in which Kevin Durant was sent to the Houston Rockets.
BULLS 138, CLIPPERS 110
CHICAGO (AP) — Coby White scored 27 points and hit six of Chicago’s franchise record-tying 25 3-pointers in a win over surging Los Angeles.
White had the touch again after hitting a season-high seven 3s in Sunday’s blowout win over Brooklyn, and the Bulls made 25 of 47 from beyond the arc.
Matas Buzelis added 21 points, Ayo Dosunmu scored 18 and Kevin Huerter added 14. All three players made four 3s.
Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and eight rebounds, and the Bulls had their way with a team that came in rolling. The Clippers had won six straight and 13 of 15 since a 6-21 start.
Chicago led by 21 points at the half after matching a season high with 45 points in the second quarter and broke the game back open after Los Angeles made a run in the third.
James Harden led Los Angeles with 24 points. John Collins scored 23 and matched a season high with five 3-pointers.
JAZZ 127, TIMBERWOLVES 122
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Keyonte George scored a career-high 43 points, Jusuf Nurkic recorded his second career triple-double, and Utah rallied to beat Minnesota.
Nurkic finished with 16 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists in his first triple-double since Jan. 16, 2019, with Portland in a 129-112 win over Cleveland.
Rookie Ace Bailey scored 20 points and Isaiah Collier had 18 points and 10 assists for the Jazz (15-29), who delivered coach Will Hardy his 100th career victory.
George scored more than 30 points for the third time in his last six games.
Anthony Edwards scored 38 points for the Timberwolves (27-17), who squandered a 15-point lead and closed out a four-game trip with three straight losses. Julius Randle scored 19 points and Rudy Gobert added 11 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.
Edwards had a three-point play that pulled Minnesota within 121-119 before George responded with a 3-pointer from the corner with 59.2 seconds left that give the Jazz the cushion needed to halt their four-game skid.
Bailey sparked an 11-2 run with an electrifying dunk and a 3-pointer that gave the Jazz the lead with 7:47 to play in the fourth quarter. The Jazz scored on their first 11 possessions of the final period.
HEAT 130, KINGS 117
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Bam Adebayo scored 25 points, Norman Powell added 22 and Miami cruised to a road win over Sacramento.
The Heat have won three of their last five and led by double digits the entire fourth quarter. Andrew Wiggins added 19 points, while Pelle Larsson had 16 points and a team-high nine assists.
Simone Fontecchio scored 15 points off the bench on five 3-pointers. Miami shot 50% from 3-point range, hitting 21 of 42.
Miami guard Tyler Herro (ribs) and center Kel’el Ware (hamstring) missed the game, leaving the Heat without two key rotation players. Ware — who is averaging a team-high 9.8 rebounds — missed his first game of the season.
Sacramento has dropped two straight games after winning a season-high four in a row. DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 23 points, while Russell Westbrook added 22 on 9-of 14 shooting.
Malik Monk scored 18 points, while Dylan Cardwell added 12 rebounds.
LAKERS 115, NUGGETS 107
DENVER (AP) — Luka Doncic had 38 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and Los Angeles rallied to beat Denver.
LeBron James, who was not voted an All-Star starter for the first time since his rookie season, scored 19 points for Los Angeles, which played the second half without center Deandre Ayton due to a left eye injury.
Jamal Murray scored 26 of his 28 points in the first half for Denver and added 11 assists, but shot just 1 for 5 in the second half.
With Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II sitting courtside, the short-handed Nuggets led by 16 in the third quarter despite missing four rotation players, including Nikola Jokic, who has missed the last 12 games with a hyperextended left knee.
Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson scored 18 apiece for the Nuggets.
RAPTORS 145, WARRIORS 127
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Immanuel Quickley matched his career high with 40 points and added 10 assists, and Toronto ran away from Golden State for a win in the Warriors’ first game since losing star guard Jimmy Butler to a season-ending right knee injury.
Quickley shot 11 for 13 and made all 11 of his free throws, while Scottie Barnes added 26 points and 11 assists in the Raptors’ highest-scoring game and the Warriors’ worst defensive performance this season.
Buddy Hield had season highs of 25 points and six 3-pointers — making all of his attempts from deep — while Stephen Curry scored 16 points and Draymond Green added six points, six rebounds and five assists.
Hield’s 3 with 5:02 remaining cut Toronto’s lead to nine points but Brandon Ingram immediately hit from deep moments later.
With Butler out, Golden State coach Steve Kerr turned to Jonathan Kuminga for the first time in 17 games and the high-flying forward finished with 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting and five rebounds in 21 minutes. He has requested a trade given his status so deep on the bench, but now it’s unclear if the Warriors will move him by the Feb. 5 deadline. He and Kerr spoke last week.
