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NBA power rankings 2025-26: Pistons take over top spot, with Thunder sliding to third

We took a week off in these power rankings for a little family holiday vacation, but we are back — and with a new No. 1 for the first time this season after the Thunder have started to look human.

1. Detroit Pistons

(26-9, last week No. 3)
Detroit may be a team on top of these rankings and on top of the East, but it also is a team with a lot of eyes on it headed toward the trade deadline. This is an elite team, but in playoff basketball, where opposing defenses will load up on Cade Cunningham and make his life difficult, who is the secondary shot creator they can trust? Will they look to add someone such as Michael Porter Jr. at the trade deadline to fill that role? The Pistons need more shooting as well if they are going to defeat the Knicks and other top teams in a seven-game series. That shooting will get tested Monday night when the Pistons face the Knicks on Peacock NBA Monday.

2. San Antonio Spurs

(25-10, last week No. 7)
San Antonio is getting up for the big games — beating the Thunder three times, defeating the Knicks — but is letting their guard down against teams like Portland and Utah and racking up losses. That's part of maturing for this team (the Duncan/Popovich era Spurs were the best at pummeling the bottom half of the league). Victor Wembanyama remains day-to-day after hyper-extending his knee, but that is about as lucky as one could hope for with that injury. San Antonio has four of its next five on the road, including a brutal back-to-back next weekend in Boston and then Minnesota the next night.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

(30-6, last week No. 1)
The Thunder may have looked human going 5-4 in their last nine games, but they have a +8 net rating in those games (second in the league in that stretch), they have just been a bit unlucky (and the Spurs are a matchup issue). Don't sleep on how great this team has been. Oklahoma City became the sixth team in NBA history — and the third franchise — to start a season 30-5. Only the Jordan-era Bulls (twice) and the peak Curry-era Warriors (three times) started a season that fast, and five of those six teams won the title (the one that didn't, the 2015-16 Warriors, had a 3-1 lead in the Finals).

4. Houston Rockets

(21-11, last week No. 6)
The peak Curry-era Warriors could play loose and fast, turn the ball over too much, and get away with it because of Curry/Thompson/Durant. It's less certain the Rockets can do the same. They have the second-best net rating in the league this season, but also turn the ball over on 16.2% of their possessions, the second-highest percentage in the league. They miss the ball security of Fred VanVleet out top, but that is not an easy fix at the trade deadline. Houston just has to take better care of the ball (and keep up the historic offensive rebounding pace it is on). Interesting test against a hot Phoenix team Monday night.

5. Boston Celtics

(22-12, last week No. 8)
Get Jaylen Brown into another Salsa dancing class. The Celtics star was sixth in the first round of 2026 NBA All-Star Game fan voting, just outside the starting five — what are we doing people? Brown should start without question, and he needs to be in the MVP conversation. His dropping 50 on the Clippers last week — and crediting taking a Salsa dancing class — was just the latest and greatest sign of how he has played all season. Give the man his flowers.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves

(23-13, last week No. 5)
Minnesota has been relatively lucky on the health front this season — they have had just four different starting lineups, the fewest in the league (by a fair amount, Boston and San Antonio are next at seven). The bellwether for this team is turnovers: in their wins they cough the ball up an average of 13.4 times, but in their losses that jumps to 15.7 — they are 7-10 in games with 15+ turnovers this season.

7. New York Knicks

(23-12, last week No. 2)
Jalen Brunson isn't just getting a shoutout from hoops fans — he is third in the East in the first round of fan voting and would be an All-Star starter — but also from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who did Brunson's signature 3-point celebration (putting his hand in front of his face) during his inauguration speech. "We expect greatness… from those who stride out onto our Broadway stages and from our starting point guard at Madison Square Garden. Let us demand the same from those who work in government." The Knicks are 5-5 since winning the NBA Cup, with a tough couple of weeks coming up, starting with the Pistons as the first game of a Peacock NBA Monday triple-header.

8. Phoenix Suns

(21-14, last week No. 15)
There is no hotter team in the league right now — the Suns are 6-1 in their last seven with a +9.3 net rating, and on Sunday pulled off an 18-point comeback against the Thunder, capped off by Devin Booker draining the game-winning 3-pointer over Alex Caruso. Booker is shooting just 29.5% from beyond the arc this season on the whole and 27.6% in his last five games. He's never been an elite 3-point shooter, but if that game-winner can get Booker's jumper back on track and closer to his 35.1% career average, Phoenix looks that much more dangerous.

9. Denver Nuggets

(23-12, last week No. 4)
There is actually, finally, some good injury news in Denver: Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun returned to the court Sunday. The Nuggets went 11-8 with both of them out of the lineup, and with Nikola Jokic out for a few more weeks, their return could not have come at a better time. Denver is 1-2 without Jokic so far. Jamal Murray being 14th in the fan vote so far for Western Conference All-Star is a crime, the man is having the best season of his career and is a lock to be an All-Star (Jokic will get in on the fan vote, whether he will be able to play is another issue).

10. Cleveland Cavaliers

(20-17, last week No. 14)
Have the Cavaliers started to find their footing? The team went 3-1 through a rough gauntlet of games with wins against the Spurs, Suns and Nuggets (the lone loss was to the Pistons). Cleveland did it with their defense — second-best in the NBA over their last five games, and Evan Mobley's return should help that — but the offense continues to stumble. Cleveland's season will be based on their postseason success, not the first 82 games, but they need to get out of the play-in — the Cavaliers sit eighth in the East, just half a game out of the top six and avoiding the play-in. That has to be the goal. Two games against Minnesota this week continue the run of tests for this team.

11. Los Angeles Lakers

(22-11, last week No. 9)
There have been a lot of questions and criticism of the Lakers' defense of late (with good reason), but this team is doing a lot of things right. Luka Doncic is averaging 53.9 points scored or assisted a game, second in the league (to the injured Nikola Jokic). Behind Luka and LeBron James, the Lakers are 11-0 in clutch games. And, when the Lakers get a lead, they hold on to it: the Lakers are 13-0 when leading at the half, and 17-0 when leading after three quarters. When the Lakers lose, they tend to get blown out (they are 4-11 when entering the fourth quarter behind), but they are good frontrunners.

12. Toronto Raptors

(21-15, last week No. 12)
Scottie Barnes has had two triple-doubles in his last four games and is playing his best basketball of the season. In his last five games, he has averaged 18 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 6.6 assists a game. A strong push now makes him more likely to be an All-Star reserve, he is on the bubble after the first round of fan voting where he finished outside the top 20 (Brandon Ingram was 12th).

13. Philadelphia 76ers

(19-14, last week No. 10)
VJ Edgecombe may not win Rookie of the Year (Cooper Flagg and Kon Knuppel are your frontrunners), but he has been the most clutch rookie this season — including a game-winner against Memphis last week. Memphis doubled Tyrese Maxey to get the ball out of his hands and he found Edgecombe open for the 3. "The moment's never too big for me," Edgecombe said postgame. “It's never too big. I was ready, to be honest." Edgecombe is doing well in the non-clutch minutes, too (15.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and four assists a game, shooting 37.4% from 3-point range). Philly's win over the Knicks this weekend was a reminder of why, when fully healthy, this team is a playoff threat in the wide-open East.

14. Miami Heat

(20-16, last week No. 13)
The most unexpected thing in Miami this season: Kel'el Ware, 3-point marksman. He's not exactly a high-volume shooter from deep, 2.8 attempts a game, but he's hitting 47.3% of those this season, which is a higher percentage than Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns and other bigs. Teams have to at least respect Ware from deep. Miami just keeps on running — they still start 17.8% of their possessions in transition (second highest in the league) and have the fastest pace in the league.

15. Golden State Warriors

(19-17, last week No. 16)
Throw out the loss to OKC, where Golden State sat all its stars, and this team has won 6-of-7 (and the one loss was in OT). It's a good sign entering 2026. The key to keeping this run going may be getting a little more from Draymond Green — first, keeping him on the court (he's been ejected in two of the last four games he's played at the Chase Center), then getting a little more scoring. Stat of the day: Green has more personal fouls (94) than made baskets (90) this season.

16. Orlando Magic

(20-16, last week No. 11)
Anthony Black was always a high-level defender, but in recent weeks he has made a huge leap offensively. In his last 10 games, Black is averaging 20.6 points a night, shooting 43.3% from 3-point range (on 5.5 attempts a game) and dishing out 4.5 assists. Orlando has been looking for a point guard, maybe Black is ready for that job. Fun random stat: Magic coach Jamahl Mosley has been correct on 82.6% of his coach's challenges this season, the highest percentage in the league.

17. Milwaukee Bucks

(16-20, last week No. 22)
The Bucks are 4-1 since Giannis Antetokounmpo re-entered the lineup, and we're just going to ignore that it came against a soft part of the schedule because Milwaukee needs the good news. The key to keeping that going is two-fold: 1) Keeping Antetokounmpo on the court (the most consecutive games he has played this season is six); 2) Getting some wins on the road against good teams. That can start this week at the Warriors, at the Lakers and at the shorthanded Nuggets.

18. Chicago Bulls

(17-18, last week No. 18)
If you're looking for a silver lining to a disappointing season in the Windy City, the team has a league-leading 10 wins coming back from 10+ down. Chicago has gone a respectable 2-1 with Josh Giddey and Coby White missing time with injuries (White could return later this week, but Giddey is going to miss more time). Giddey finished 14th in the first round of East All-Star fan voting, but he stands a chance of making it as a coaches' selection as a reserve; he is on the bubble.

19. Los Angeles Clippers

(12-22, last week No. 27)
While Boston ended the Clippers' six-game win streak, the run was still impressive — every win by double-digits with an average spread of 20.3 points a game. They were blowing teams out. That run was thanks to one of the best regular-season stretches of Kawhi Leonard's career, including dropping 45 on the Jazz. The streak was bound to end, the Clippers had been unsustainably hot from 3-point range (41.2% from beyond the arc on increased volume in the six wins, while their opponents have gone cold from deep in that same stretch). Ivica Zubac is back, but rookie Yanic Konan Niederhäuser stepped up with him out and earned minutes even with Zubac back. You can see what the Clippers are doing right on Peacock NBA Monday when they take onthe Golden State Warriors.

20. Atlanta Hawks

(17-20, last week No. 19)
For all the focus on how the team is 2-8 in games when Trae Young plays, and they are more than 9 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the court, that ignores the other big factor for the Hawks this season: Kristaps Porzingis. He returned in a win against Minnesota and had 16 points off the bench, and it was a reminder of how the construction of this team was based around him — the Hawks have a +5.5 net rating when he is on the court this season. His availability is an issue, which is why the Hawks are looking into a trade for Anthony Davis (he has his own injury/availability issues). The Hawks have been one of the most active teams as we move toward the trade deadline, and the headline is they are willing — maybe even eager — to get out of the Trae Young business, according to multiple reports. The problem is that there is not much of a market for his services, league sources have told NBC Sports. Look for Young to be traded in the offseason and for a lot of people to say, “That's all the Hawks got for him?"

21. Memphis Grizzlies

(15-20, last week No. 17)
Memphis has dropped four in a row, all clutch losses at that. The Grizzies have played the sixth-most clutch games (within five points in the final five minutes) in the league this season and are 8-13 in those games, with a -7.9 net rating in clutch minutes. Make that games within three points in the final three minutes and the Grizzlies have a -11.2 net rating. Things are not going to get easier as Memphis has a brutal January schedule, and this week that includes the Spurs, red-hot Suns, and Thunder (but all at the FedEx Forum, at least).

22. Portland Trail Blazers

(16-20, last week No. 20)
The Trail Blazers are 4-1 in their last five games, doing so mostly thanks to a top-10 defense in the league during that stretch (against some good offenses). It's hard not to wonder what this team would look like if its guards were healthy: Jrue Holiday has been out since mid-November with a calf strain, Scoot Henderson hasn't played yet this season due to a torn left hamstring suffered in training camp, and don't forget that Damian Lillard has taken the season off to rehab his Achilles. There are good reasons to be positive in Portland.

23. Charlotte Hornets

(12-23, last week No. 23)
We all need more Kon Knueppel: His 3.6 made 3-pointers per game is the most ever by an NBA rookie (besting the other guys on the list, such as Stephen Curry and Tyrese Haliburton, by more than one made 3 per game). This offseason, expect to see a big pivot in Charlotte to start building around Knueppel (which is the smart thing to do). The Hornets have been one of the least lucky teams in the league this season, they have the net rating of a team that should be 15-20 (which still is outside the play-in).

24. Brooklyn Nets

(11-22, last week No. 26)
The Nets are now 0-6 in games Michael Porter Jr. has missed, the latest being a loss to the Wizards when Porter had an illness. He could be missing a lot more Nets games in the future as he is the hottest name on the trade market right now, with a number of teams — Milwaukee and Golden State are at the front of the line, and a lot of people around the league are watching Detroit — interested in the wing with a ring. Porter is having the best season of his career (having a full-time green light as the primary scorer helps), averaging 25.8 points and 7.5 rebounds a game while shooting 41% from 3-point range.

25. Dallas Mavericks

(13-23, last week No. 21)
Dallas went 0-2 when Anthony Davis went out with an adductor strain, and has split the two games since his return. The Mavericks are on the road for three games this week, which his worth watching because this team is clearly far more comfortable at home, where they are 9-9, but they have dropped seven straight on the road and are 3-13 away from Big D. Fans will show up on the road because they want to see Cooper Flagg, who scored 15+ points in 14 straight game up until that streak ended two games ago (when Davis returned and got some of those touches). Consider this a reminder that Flagg is the youngest player in the NBA this season.

26. Washington Wizards

(9-24, last week No. 28)
Washington has won 4-of-6 and is no longer sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. That will not be the focus for the next month, as Washington should be finding a new home for CJ McCollum — because he could help a playoff team down the stretch (he's averaging 18.6 points a game), because he deserves to be in a better spot, and because the Wizards need to focus on the future.

27. Utah Jazz

(12-22, last week No. 24)
The Jazz are sixth in the league in fourth-quarter scoring, averaging 29.4 points a game in the final frame. The problem is that, because of a porous defense, they are playing teams a little less than even in the fourth quarter rather than pulling away (-0.7 net rating in the fourth). That defense is not just a fourth-quarter issue, Utah has the worst defense in the NBA this season.

28. New Orleans Pelicans

(8-29, last week No. 25)
Zion Williamson is back in the starting lineup and putting up numbers. For the first seven games after his return from an adductor strain Zion came off the bench, but he has started the last four games and put up 30+ points in three of them, his first three 30+ games of the season. However, this has not led to winning, with the Pelicans dropping seven in a row. For people saying it is time to sell high on Zion at the trade deadline, there is no market for him, league sources tell NBC Sports. Not at a fair price, anyway (teams want to talk more about Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III). The challenges are his injury history and the fact that he is guaranteed $87 million over the two seasons after this one. If he gets traded, it will be in the offseason.

29. Sacramento Kings

(8-28, last week No. 29)
Losers of five in a row and 11-of-13, with a bottom-three offense and defense, the focus in Sacramento needs to be on making trades to build for the future. Which is why the return of Zach LaVine to the lineup this week matters, he needs to show teams he's healthy (Domantas Sabonis remains sidelined with a knee injury that likely has hit out until the trade deadline, which is bad because he was drawing the most trade interest of Sacramento's veterans).

30. Indiana Pacers

(6-30, last week No. 30)
Rick Carlisle has 999 career wins and has been stuck on that number for weeks as the Pacers have dropped 12 straight. That losing streak may cost Pascal Siakam an All-Star spot — he deserves it, averaging 23.8 points and 6.7 rebounds a game while shooting 37.2% from 3, but the losses are going to hurt his cause when the coaches select the All-Star reserves.

How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock

Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.

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Four-time All-Star Trae Young working with Hawks on a trade, report says

Four-time All-Star Trae Young working with Hawks on a trade, report says originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

A new NBA star is about to be on the move.

The Atlanta Hawks are working with star guard Trae Young on a trade away from the franchise, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday.

Longtime NBA insider Marc Stein added that the Washington Wizards have emerged as a potential landing spot, with a deal possibly centered around CJ McCollum‘s expiring contract.

Young, 27 and the No. 5 overall pick in 2018, has seemed to plateau with Atlanta ever since leading the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018.

With the Hawks at 17-20 at the time of the report, Young has featured in just 10 games and has seen a drop in per-game averages.

He’s posting 19.3 points, 8.9 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 28.0 minutes on a 41.5/30.5/86.3 shooting split. Just last season, he averaged 24.2 points, 11.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds on a 41.1/34/87.5 split in 36.0 minutes, but Atlanta hasn’t developed into a serious contender for multiple seasons.

Despite a small sample size, Atlanta has fared better without him thus far.

A four-time All-Star, Young can still provide a team with a focal point at the 1-spot thanks to his elite playmaking, but his dip in long-range shooting numbers and playoff defense will be notable concerns.

Jalen Johnson has led Atlanta with 24 points per game, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 27, is averaging a career-high 20.7 points on a healthy 45/38/85 split at the guard spot.

The 2026 trade deadline is set for Thursday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.

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Four-time All-Star Trae Young working with Hawks on a trade, report says

Four-time All-Star Trae Young working with Hawks on a trade, report says originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

A new NBA star is about to be on the move.

The Atlanta Hawks are working with star guard Trae Young on a trade away from the franchise, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday.

Longtime NBA insider Marc Stein added that the Washington Wizards have emerged as a potential landing spot, with a deal possibly centered around CJ McCollum‘s expiring contract.

Young, 27 and the No. 5 overall pick in 2018, has seemed to plateau with Atlanta ever since leading the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018.

With the Hawks at 17-20 at the time of the report, Young has featured in just 10 games and has seen a drop in per-game averages.

He’s posting 19.3 points, 8.9 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 28.0 minutes on a 41.5/30.5/86.3 shooting split. Just last season, he averaged 24.2 points, 11.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds on a 41.1/34/87.5 split in 36.0 minutes, but Atlanta hasn’t developed into a serious contender for multiple seasons.

Despite a small sample size, Atlanta has fared better without him thus far.

A four-time All-Star, Young can still provide a team with a focal point at the 1-spot thanks to his elite playmaking, but his dip in long-range shooting numbers and playoff defense will be notable concerns.

Jalen Johnson has led Atlanta with 24 points per game, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 27, is averaging a career-high 20.7 points on a healthy 45/38/85 split at the guard spot.

The 2026 trade deadline is set for Thursday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.

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Keegan Murray ruled out for Kings vs. Mavericks game with left ankle injury

Keegan Murray ruled out for Kings vs. Mavericks game with left ankle injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The hits keep coming for the Kings as the injury bug has bitten Keegan Murray once again.

The 25-year-old rolled his left ankle on Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner’s foot in the third quarter of Sunday night’s 115-98 loss.

Murray, who has missed 17 games this season – 15 due to a torn UCL in his thumb and two because of a calf strain – will miss his 18th game on Tuesday when Sacramento hosts the Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center, according to the NBA’s injury report.

The former first-round pick had missed just 13 games in his first three seasons combined prior to the string of bad luck he has faced this year.

In Murray’s 19 games played, he has averaged 14.6 points and 6.1 rebounds in 35.9 minutes per game.

The fourth-year forward has shown glimpses of what the Kings had hoped to see out of him, especially early on against Milwaukee on Sunday as he started the game 6 of 13 from the field.

But his offensive impact has been a struggle this season – Murray is shooting just 27.2 percent from the 3-point line while also knocking down 42.9 percent of his field-goal attempts.

On the defensive side of the ball, however, Murray has proven to be above average. He’s currently eighth in the NBA in stocks (steals plus blocks) this season with 2.8 per game and trails top-tier defenders like Victor Wembanyama and Kawhi Leonard in the category.

For the Kings, who also have been without Domantas Sabonis since Nov. 19 due to a torn meniscus in his knee, they’ll be forced to once again play without a pair of starters.

Sacramento’s 8-28 record is tied for the worst all-time in franchise history with the 1958-59 Cincinnati Royals, as well as the 2010-11 and 2008-09 Sacramento teams.

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Kings Keegan Murray sidelined three-to-four weeks with moderate ankle sprain

Kings Keegan Murray sidelined three-to-four weeks with moderate ankle sprain originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The hits keep coming for the Kings as the injury bug has bitten Keegan Murray once again.

The 25-year-old rolled his left ankle on Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner’s foot in the third quarter of Sunday night’s 115-98 loss.

Sacramento announced on Tuesday that Murray underwent imaging that revealed a moderate left ankle sprain and that the young forward will be reevaluated in three-to-four weeks.

Murray, who has missed 17 games this season – 15 due to a torn UCL in his thumb and two because of a calf strain – will miss his 18th game on Tuesday when Sacramento hosts the Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center and possibly 10 to 14 more before potentially returning in late January or early February.

The former first-round pick had missed just 13 games in his first three seasons combined prior to the string of bad luck he has faced this year.

In Murray’s 19 games played, he has averaged 14.6 points and 6.1 rebounds in 35.9 minutes per game.

The fourth-year forward has shown glimpses of what the Kings had hoped to see out of him, especially early on against Milwaukee on Sunday as he started the game 6 of 13 from the field.

But his offensive impact has been a struggle this season – Murray is shooting just 27.2 percent from the 3-point line while also knocking down 42.9 percent of his field-goal attempts.

On the defensive side of the ball, however, Murray has proven to be above average. He’s currently eighth in the NBA in stocks (steals plus blocks) this season with 2.8 per game and trails top-tier defenders like Victor Wembanyama and Kawhi Leonard in the category.

For the Kings, who also have been without Domantas Sabonis since Nov. 19 due to a torn meniscus in his knee, they’ll be forced to once again play without a pair of starters.

Sacramento’s 8-28 record is tied for the worst all-time in franchise history with the 1958-59 Cincinnati Royals, as well as the 2010-11 and 2008-09 Sacramento teams.

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How to watch New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons: TV/live stream info for tonight's game

Head to Peacock and NBCSN tonight for an exciting NBA tripleheader. The action begins at 7:00 PM ET when the top two teams in the Eastern Conference — New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons — meet for the first time this season.

At 8:30 PM, the Denver Nuggets go head-to-head with the Philadelphia 76ers. At 10:00 PM, the action heats up on the West Coast with a Golden State Warriors vs LA Clippers showdown.

See below for additional information on how to watch each game and follow all of the NBA action on NBCSN and Peacock. Peacock will feature 100 regular-season games throughout the course of the 2025-2026 season.

Click here to sign up for Peacock!

New York Knicks:

The Knicks fell 130-119 on Saturday, in the team's third straight loss. Jalen Brunson scored 31 points. With 29.3 points per game this season, Brunson is on pace for career highs in scoring and field goal attempts per game (21.8)

Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds in his first game back since sitting out with an illness (Jan. 2). Miles McBride scored 20 off the bench.

New York has allowed over 125 points per game over its recent three-game losing streak, but looks to bounce back tonight.

“We’ve hit a little bit of adversity, said Knicks head coach Mike Brown after Saturday's loss. "I’ve never been part of a team that has not gone through adversity throughout the course of the year ... now for us it’s about how do we respond?”

Detroit Pistons:

The Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-110 yesterday afternoon, improving to a 26-9 record. Last season, the Pistons didn't earn their 26th win until February 7.

Cade Cunningham scored 27 points, 7 assists, and finished with 6 rebounds. Daniss Jenkins added 25 off the bench, and Duncan Robinson finished with 12.

The Pistons have been first in the Eastern Conference since November 7 and own the second-best record in the league behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (30-6).

RELATED:Pistons’ starters Jalen Duren, Tobias Harris to miss several games with injuries

How to watch New York Knicks vs Detroit Pistons:

  • When: Tonight, Monday, January 5
  • Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
  • Time: 7:00 PM ET
  • Live Stream:Peacock and NBCSN
NBA: Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks
2025-26 Fantasy Basketball Top 200 Rankings: Tyrese Maxey jumps into the top five
Fantasy managers expected big things from Maxey, and he has delivered thus far.

What other NBA games are on tonight?

  • Denver Nuggets vs Philadelphia 76ers - 8:30 PM ET on Peacock and NBCSN
  • Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Clippers - 10:00 PM ET on Peacock and NBCSN
NBA: New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs
Fantasy Basketball Week 12 Schedule Primer: Will Victor Wembanyama be able to play?
With the holidays in the rearview mirror, the Week 12 NBA schedule is more evenly spread out.

How to watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock:

Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones.

Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.

How to sign up for Peacock:

Sign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports, sports shows, documentaries, classic matches, and more. You'll also get tons of hit movies and TV shows, Originals, news, 24/7 channels, and current NBC & Bravo hits—Peacock is here for whatever you’re in the mood for.

NBA on NBC 2025-26 Schedule

Click here to see the full list of NBA games that will air on NBC and Peacock this season.

What devices does Peacock support?

You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here.

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DeMarcus Cousins blasts Steve Kerr for comments about Warriors' title chances

DeMarcus Cousins blasts Steve Kerr for comments about Warriors' title chances originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

DeMarcus Cousins didn’t mince words when discussing his former coach, Steve Kerr.

On Monday’s episode of “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV, Cousins criticized the message Kerr sent to the Warriors and their fans about the franchise’s championship outlook.

“I don’t like it one bit,” Cousins noted. “If this was a player saying this, how it would be viewed? This doesn’t instill confidence in your locker room. To me it actually shows who is the real problem in this situation.”

Kerr’s comments came during a recent appearance on the “Tom Tolbert Show,” where he pushed back on the idea that Golden State should expect to compete for championships every season.

“I just don’t want anybody to think that we’re all disillusioned and we’re thinking like, ‘Hey, we should be competing for titles year in and year out with San Antonio and Oklahoma City the next year,'” Kerr added. “That’s not realistic.”

Cousins took issue with that framing, arguing that publicly lowering expectations undermines belief within the team and reflects broader leadership concerns.

“You’re speaking down on your team,” Cousins emphasized. “You’re not really instilling confidence in this group … It’s obvious why you’re in this position that you’re in now with this group. But this type of message, this type of energy, this type of lack of confidence in your group, it’s only going to spread with the rest of the guys.”

Cousins, who spent the 2018-19 NBA season with Golden State, also questioned whether Kerr would be judged differently than a player making similar remarks.

“If the roles were reversed and this was a player speaking in this way, his name would be tarnished,” Cousins explained. “So I think the same thing applies to this coach. I disagree with everything he says.”

While Kerr emphasized perspective and process as the Warriors navigate the later stages of their dynasty, Cousins made it clear he sees the situation differently — believing that confidence, especially when spoken publicly, must start at the top.

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Four-time All-Star Trae Young working with Hawks on a trade, report says

Four-time All-Star Trae Young working with Hawks on a trade, report says originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

A new NBA star is about to be on the move.

The Atlanta Hawks are working with star guard Trae Young on a trade away from the franchise, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday.

Longtime NBA insider Marc Stein added that the Washington Wizards have emerged as a potential landing spot, with a deal possibly centered around CJ McCollum‘s expiring contract.

Young, 27 and the No. 5 overall pick in 2018, has seemed to plateau with Atlanta ever since leading the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2018.

With the Hawks at 17-20 at the time of the report, Young has featured in just 10 games and has seen a drop in per-game averages.

He’s posting 19.3 points, 8.9 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 28.0 minutes on a 41.5/30.5/86.3 shooting split. Just last season, he averaged 24.2 points, 11.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds on a 41.1/34/87.5 split in 36.0 minutes, but Atlanta hasn’t developed into a serious contender for multiple seasons.

Despite a small sample size, Atlanta has fared better without him thus far.

A four-time All-Star, Young can still provide a team with a focal point at the 1-spot thanks to his elite playmaking, but his dip in long-range shooting numbers and playoff defense will be notable concerns.

Jalen Johnson has led Atlanta with 24 points per game, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 27, is averaging a career-high 20.7 points on a healthy 45/38/85 split at the guard spot.

The 2026 trade deadline is set for Thursday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.

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Lakers lock back in on Deandre Ayton to earn comeback win against Grizzlies

Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) drives the ball against Memphis Grizzlies center Christian Koloko (35) and Memphis Grizzlies guard Javon Small (10) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Lakers center Deandre Ayton drives against Memphis Grizzlies center Christian Koloko, left, and guard Javon Small, right. (Ethan Swope / Associated Press)

Call it deja vu.

For the second time in three days, the Lakers played the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena, took a close game into the fourth quarter and pulled away late behind the scoring punch of the same three players.

Again fueled by LeBron James (26 points, 10 assists), Luka Doncic (36 points, nine rebounds, eight assists) and Jake LaRavia (26 points), the Lakers overcame a 16-point first-half deficit to win 120-114 on Sunday against the Grizzlies.

After James and Doncic each scored 30 in Friday's win that also featured a 20-point performance from LaRavia, the Lakers (22-11) won consecutive games for just the second time in five weeks.

Read more:Luka Doncic and LeBron James lead Lakers comeback to beat the Grizzlies again

Here are three takeaways from the win:

Lakers lock in on Deandre Ayton 

It wasn’t an accident that the Lakers’ first play went to Deandre Ayton. Or that the star big man got the first shot of the third. Or that teammates fed him for back-to-back dunks to help spark a run of five consecutive scoring possessions early in the second half.

After Ayton finished last Friday’s win on the bench, the 7-foot center bounced back with 15 points and eight rebounds against the Grizzlies on Sunday as the Lakers made a point to involve the big man early.

Ayton scored just four points with six rebounds during Friday’s win and watched a tight fourth quarter from the bench because, as coach JJ Redick said, backup Jaxson Hayes “was playing better.” Redick said Saturday that Ayton was “frustrated” he wasn’t getting the ball more in recent games, and his disillusionment showed up on the court.

“It's a tale as old as time for a big guy,” Redick said after Sunday’s game. “That's the reality of being a big: someone has to pass you the ball. You're not initiating the offense.”

Redick said the team identified moments where teammates could have been better at finding the former No. 1 overall pick. There were also other times when Ayton could have been more active on his own. Redick said he mostly wanted to see Ayton being active, engaged and assertive in the game.

Ayton responded by converting six of his eight shots Sunday and helping the team lock down on defense in the fourth. The Lakers clawed back from an 11-point deficit late in the third and held the Grizzlies (15-19) to just 16 points in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. Ayton had two blocks in the fourth quarter.

“We're winning the right way,” Ayton said. “Bigs can't feed themselves and I just try my best to do what I can to bring effort. And I trust my playmakers out there to find me."

The Lakers had 30 assists on 38 made shots, their highest percentage of assisted field goals of the season.

Lakers clean up ‘unacceptable' execution after timeouts

Redick said Saturday the Lakers flubbed eight of their 12 after timeout plays against Memphis on Friday. They repeated two of the plays to only mess them up again. They tried one a third time and it still didn’t take.

Baffled, Redick said at practice that he chalked up the mistakes to “the holidays.”

“It's unacceptable,” James said Sunday when asked of the execution errors. “... If you mess up a play out of a timeout, that'd be another one to get you running sprints. That's just how I was brought up. It's great that we can have that type of conversation. Guys hear it, take it and take full responsibility and then come in here and be able to make that change like that, that 180 change, right away.”

The Lakers had just one mistake after a timeout Sunday, Redick noted. He said he challenged players before Sunday’s game on their execution overall, but especially their after timeout execution. It was especially strong down the stretch as the Lakers held on to improve to 12-0 in clutch-time games.

“The intent overall,” Redick said of the team’s ability to handle the simple things, “was at the very least a B-minus.”

Luka Doncic shakes off shooting slump late

Doncic watched with desperation as the shot soared through the air. When his clutch three that put the Lakers up by nine with 2:08 remaining splashed through the net, Doncic slumped his shoulders and leaned his head back in relief.

This shooting slump had been weighing on him.

Read more:Luka Doncic and LeBron James help fuel late Lakers surge in win over Grizzlies

Before hitting four of 10 three-point shots Sunday, including two in the fourth quarter to fuel the Lakers’ comeback, Doncic was 20-for-89 (22.5%) from three-point range since he returned from a two-game absence for the birth of his second daughter. His shooting Sunday was his most efficient performance from beyond the arc since Nov. 28 against Dallas when he made four of nine from three and finished with 35 points.

“It's hard with him, because he kind of gets into attack mode, and he's so good that he believes that he can make every shot,” Redick said before the game. “And in the same vein, he believes he can make every pass. And some of those decisions lead to very difficult shots, and they lead to very difficult passes that oftentimes lead to turnovers. … Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski] used to talk about Bobby Hurley all the time. His player trait was 'daring.' And when you have a daring player, you have to be willing to live with some stuff.”

Despite shooting almost a career-worst 31.7% from three this season, Doncic is still leading the league in scoring with 33.7 points per game. He is getting to the free throw line more than ever in his career, averaging 12.1 attempts per game. He was 12 for 13 on Sunday.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Knicks feeling Josh Hart's absence during current losing skid

The Knicks looked like they were marching towards the East’s first seed a week ago, but have since dropped three games in uncharacteristic fashion. It’s only their second losing streak of the young season, but it’s putting them in danger of slipping to the third seed or beyond with a tough opponent and travel sled ahead. 

There’s plenty of causes for the slide -- injuries and fatigue chief among them -- but perhaps none more glaring than Josh Hart’s absence due to a sprained right ankle. He turned it on Christmas Day, and despite pulling out the win, his team hasn’t looked the same without him since. 

It’s a testament to and necessary reminder of his value after fans were ready to call his number in the trade machine during a slow start to the year. He’s been a pivotal piece of this core’s success and this isn’t a championship team without him.

As a reminder, New York traded for Hart near the 2022-23 deadline, and he was an immediate impact addition on the court and to the locker room. The Knicks immediately rattled off nine straight wins after acquiring him, and his monster play in the first round was crucial in helping them advance over the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

In his first full season with the franchise, Hart had to step up as a starter after Julius Randle went down with a season-ending shoulder injury, and he responded with averages of 12 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists. He was once again key in the postseason, averaging 14.5 points and 11.5 rebounds, while hitting some of the biggest shots of his team’s run. 

Hart delivered more of the same last season, shouldering a ridiculous 37.6 minutes per game and adjusting to a new frontcourt mate without losing a step. He had another strong playoffs, including two 20-point games and a triple-double in the Knicks’ upset series over the Celtics.

Coming into this year, Hart re-aggravated a finger injury, forcing him to play with a splint and through some discomfort. It took four games of struggle and some angry tweets, but since then Hart’s put up 13.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists on 60 percent shooting from two and 41.7 percent from three, which would be a career high. 

Box score numbers don’t quite do his game justice of course. When Hart gets going he breathes a new life into the Knicks, and he can do it from any position, and whether starting or coming off the bench. 

His standout skill is rebounding, and he’s a large reason the Knicks are top 10 in offensive and defensive rebound rates. Hart’s ability to push off defensive boards opens up the Knicks to many transition opportunities not otherwise afforded, ones they’ve missed in recent contests. 

Even in the halfcourt, his connectivity and creativity can turn nothing possessions into something. This Knicks offense has looked much more jagged without Hart there as an added facilitator.

The hole is extending to the defense, where the Knicks have been borderline lifeless. It may be a coincidence this has happened as they lost their number one energy guy, but it’s doubtful.

Hart may not be their best defender, but he’s able to credibly guard up to four positions and is reliable when it comes to following scheme and bringing the right approach. Not having those momentum-turning hustle and backbreaking plays makes it tougher to fight through a deficit. 

His shooting has been the most impressive part of his game, a complete departure in accuracy and volume despite the injury on his shooting hand. Hart being willing and able to shoot catch-and-shoot threes has changed the way defenses treat him and supercharged this Knicks offense when he’s on the court. 

The good news for Knicks fans is Hart has begun light court work and will be re-evaluated in a week’s time, the team said late last week. This makes his return somewhat imminent, and this time around should make the New York faithful eternally grateful.

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Does Jaylen Brown have a real case for best two-way player in the NBA?

Does Jaylen Brown have a real case for best two-way player in the NBA? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Fresh off matching his career high in scoring with a 50-point outburst against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, Jaylen Brown boldly declared his belief that he is the best two-way player in the world.

Brown is now averaging 30.1 points per game for the Boston Celtics this season, ranking fourth in the NBA in scoring. Few would quibble with any suggestion that he’s among the very elite at scoring the basketball. 

And with all due respect to the 500 NBA players lingering down the list of the league’s leading scorers (and to all the recreational hoopers worldwide still waiting for their call-ups), it seems fair to suggest that Brown simply needs to be the best defender among the NBA’s other top bucket-getters to lay claim to the “best two-way player in the world” championship belt.

For the purposes of this exercise, we’re narrowing our field to Brown’s chief competition for another lofty NBA honor: Most Valuable Player. We’re crunching his defensive metrics compared to Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, New York’s Jalen Brunson, and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey. 

Squeezed out here are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama, who are all uncertain to reach the NBA’s 65-game threshold for award voting due to injuries. All three could make strong cases as the best two-way players in the world based on their overall impacts, but the top two-way player has to hit 65 games for this debate.

The case for Brown centers on the caliber of opponent he frequently defends. His declaration came Saturday night after he logged a game-high in matchup time against a previously white-hot Kawhi Leonard, and limited him to nine points on 3-of-7 shooting over seven minutes of matchup time. 

Over at the stat-crunching site BBall Index, they group players into six tiers based on usage to monitor how much time players spend defending various tiers of talent. A high usage rate doesn’t immediately confirm superstar talent, but if you look at this year’s usage leaders, there are very few outliers among the stars who dominate the top of the list. 

Brown not only logs the highest percentage of Tier 1 matchups compared to our field, but nearly 57 percent of his total defensive time is spent against players in Tiers 1-3. By comparison, that number sits just south of 36 percent for someone like Brunson (the worst among our candidates).

The closest player to Brown in terms of defending Tiers 1-3 is Cunningham, with 44.7 percent of his assignments there.

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The folks at BBall Index also have a metric tracking the percentage of defensive possessions that players specifically match up against the opponent’s star player.

Yet again, Brown is decidedly ahead of the field: 

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Simply logging a bunch of time against elite players doesn’t necessarily confirm defensive ability. But it does show some level of trust. In attempt to gauge how our MVP candidates are faring as defenders, we decided to examine how these players are faring with their defensive assignments compared to expected output.

Here’s a look at how the MVP candidates are impacting shot efficiency this season, with defensive field goal percentage (DFG%), expected output by the defended player (xFG%), and the resulting differential. Also listed is where the player ranks in differential among the 127 qualified players who have defended an average of 10+ shots per game with 25+ games played this season.

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Defensive data is noisy, and how the NBA assigns “closest defender” can often be maddening. ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted in a social media post Sunday that, based on GeniusIQ tracking, Brown is holding opponents to 39.37 percent shooting as the closest defender, ranking second among the 111 players who have defended at least 300 field goal attempts this year. Brown ranked behind only Oklahoma City’s Cason Wallace, but one spot ahead of Wembanyama.

Given his willingness to defend top opposing talent and the individual success he’s enjoyed this season, it doesn’t seem far-fetched for Brown to declare himself the best two-way player in the world. Given the difficulty in quantifying defensive impact, it’s a very subjective claim.

The bigger question to us is whether Brown’s impact on both ends of the court this season might vault him further into the MVP conversation. For most of the year, he’s lived on the periphery. But the injury woes for Jokic and Wembanyama have opened the door a bit for Brown’s contention.

The Celtics are outkicking most preseason expectations, and Brown is spearheading their play at both ends of the floor. Saturday’s outburst put him on the MVP radar for anyone who was sleeping on his impact this season.

The challenge for him is to keep it up for another 50 games and see if voters will consider him for the season’s loftiest award, because he is in fact one of the best two-way players in the game.