Stop, pop, hit, brag to mom.
The week of rivalries continued in Detroit, sibling style, with Amen taking down Ausar Thompson.
Read on for a great one in Detroit, a new Pacers-Thunder classic & what to know about Saturday’s hoops marathon — from an ABC tripleheader to D-Rose’s jersey retirement.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Jan. 24, 2026
ABC Saturday: Sixers visit Knicks, Ant hosts Steph for final day of AWS Rivals Week on Primetime’s premiere
Saturday Primetime: Luka & Lakers head to Dallas, Chicago set to honor Derrick Rose
Friday Finishes: Pacers prevail over Thunder, Celtics survive 2OT, Bey pulls Pelicans back
AWS Rivals Week: Durant ignites in Detroit alongside Thompson twins, deep Denver survives Bucks
Roundup: Jalen Johnson helps Hawks catch Suns, Toronto’s team effort tames tough trail
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Spend Saturday on-court with over 12 hours of hoops to choose from…
Derrick Rose’s jersey will be retired tonight in Chicago, as the Bulls celebrate his legacy all night. Watch D-Rose’s jersey retirement ceremony LIVE in the NBA App following Celtics vs. Bulls (8 ET | Tap To Watch).
AWS Rivals Week concludes with a Saturday Primetime on ABC tripleheader, as the Knicks head to Philly (3 ET | Tap To Watch), the Warriors visit the Wolves (5:30 ET | Tap To Watch) and Luka returns to Dallas with the Lakers at Mavs (8:30 ET | Tap To Watch).
1. ABC’S PREMIERE: KNICKS IN PHILLY, STEPH SEES ANT IN AWS RIVALS WEEK
AWS Rivals Week concludes today with this season’s first Saturday Primetime on ABC showcase.
The tripleheader premiere gets started early with a pair of recent Playoff rematches.
Knicks at Sixers (3 ET): It’s the 479th all-time matchup between these I-95 rivals, who gave us one of the closest-played Playoff series in NBA history in 2024.
- 2024 Refresher: Two of the six games of this 1st Round matchup from two seasons ago were decided by one possession, and Game 5 required overtime. The Knicks prevailed 4-2, but by just a single point (650-649) across the six games
- This season, the Sixers hold a 2-0 edge, averaging a 10.0-point margin of victory, as 5th-place Philly trails No. 3 New York by 1.5 games
- Max Opponent: Entering as a top-5 Kia MVP Ladder candidate for the first time this season, with a career-best 30.1 ppg, Tyrese Maxey has leveled up to 33.0 ppg in the two wins vs. New York
- He’s Not Alone: VJ Edgecombe has also shined against New York this season, scoring 33 of Philly’s 59 4th-quarter points from the two matchups
- VJ vs. NY: When he sees New York, his scoring (24.5 ppg) and shooting splits (58.8/46.7) increase by near double-digits from his season averages (15.6 ppg, 42.9 FG% / 36.8 3P%)
Warriors at Wolves (5:30 ET): Ant was the answer (26.2 ppg) for a 4-1 series win in last season’s Western Conference Semis between these budding rivals and premiere 3-point purveyors.
- Ascending, Revisiting: Edwards keeps climbing, up to a career-high 29.6 ppg (6th-most), while Curry is having his best scoring season since 2022-23 (27.4 ppg, 11th-most)
- Ant’s Added Weapon: Edwards upped his distance shooting to join Steph as the only players with 400+ made 3s over the last two seasons
- The Bay’s M.O.: Golden State leads the league with 17.4 made 3s per game in its last 14 games (9-5), rising to 8th in the West and just 2.5 games behind No. 7 Minnesota
2. SATURDAY PRIMETIME: LUKA BRINGS LAKERS BACK TO DALLAS
Luka is back in Dallas leading the NBA in scoring this season (33.4 ppg) – just as he did as a Maverick in 2023-24.
Lakers at Mavericks (8:30 ET): This time around, Cooper Flagg is leading the way, with 2025’s No. 1 draft pick leading Dallas in total points (791), rebounds (268), assists (172) and steals (53).
No rookie has done that since Michael Jordan in 1984-85.
As for Luka’s Lakers, a 11-13 record since Dec. 1 has them holding 5th place in the West. The Athletic’s Law Murray writes that there’s reason for optimism in L.A.:
“Luka Dončić is an All-Star starter and the league’s leading scorer. LeBron James is fully settled into the season, missing just three games since Nov. 18 and playing in each game of the Lakers’ five-and-seven stretch despite being 41 years old. Before the Denver win, Redick said Austin Reaves is nearing a return from a calf injury that has limited Reaves to just two games since Dec. 10…
The third quarter of the season takes the Lakers through this eight-game road trip, the trade deadline and the All-Star break. When they return to Denver on March 5, they will have 20 games left in the regular season.
Here’s a closer look at what went right and what didn’t for the Lakers in the second quarter of the season…” | Read More
League Pass Roundup: Cleveland looks to keep rolling, visiting the Magic (7 ET), plus JB and the C’s are in Chicago on Derrick Rose’s jersey retirement night (8 ET).
- Wizards at Hornets (Noon ET)
- Heat at Jazz (9:30 ET)
3. FRIDAY FINISHES: INDY OUTPACES OKC, 2OT FOR C’S
In their first visit to Oklahoma City since the 2025 NBA Finals, the Pacers played like no time had passed at all.
Pacers 117, Thunder 114: Indy jumped out with a 39-point 1st quarter and led wire-to-wire, staying ahead of a 47-point effort from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an OKC comeback to split the season series in another clutch finish with their Finals nemesis. | Recap
- On The Gas: Andrew Nembhard (27 pts, 7 reb, 11 ast) helped Indy get ahead with 16 1st-half points while Pascal Siakam (21 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) helped keep them there
- X Factor: The Pacers got a career-high 26 points from Jarace Walker – who missed the Finals due to injury – including their final four points in clutch free throws
- “It was definitely circled on the calendar, especially when we went out how we did last year,” Walker said of visiting OKC. “It was a great team win.”
Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images
SGA crossed the 45-point threshold for the 10th time in his career, his latest feat in an illustrious season of scoring.
- Thunder Elite: Only Russell Westbrook (19) and Kevin Durant (13) have more 45+ point games than Shai in OKC team history
- Forecast For 40: This is OKC’s first loss when Shai scores 40 or more in nearly a year (Jan. 29, 2025), who are now 26-5 when he does
- OKC Options: Chet Holmgren supported Shai with 25 points and 13 rebounds, while the Thunder were without four regulars
Celtics 130, Nets 126 (2OT): Payton Pritchard (32 pts, 6 3s) and Jaylen Brown (27 pts, 10 reb, 12 ast) led Boston to a thrilling double-OT win, their fourth W in the last five, despite 30 points from Michael Porter Jr. and a career-high 21 from Nolan Traore. | Recap
- Brooklyn Hero: Down by 10 with 3 minutes to play in regulation, Brooklyn finished with a 13-3 run punctuated by Claxton’s put-back dunk with 01.9 seconds remaining to force OT
- Boston Hero: In overtime, the C’s were the ones coming back, closing on a 6-1 run with Hugo Gonzalez’ corner three with 0.4 on the clock to force a 2nd OT
- JB In 2OT: From there, Brown scored four of Boston’s 12 points to seal the win and grabbed four rebounds to achieve his fifth career triple-double
“Jaylen played with a sense of poise,” coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Seeing a bunch of different coverages; The discipline and the poise to make the right play.”
Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
Pelicans 133, Grizzlies 127: Saddiq Bey erupted for 19 of his 36 points in the 4th quarter, helping to erase a 13-point deficit alongside strong outings from Trey Murphy III (32 pts) and Zion Williamson (24 pts, 11 reb) to outmatch six Grizzlies in double-figures. | Recap
- Grizz Grind: Memphis got a combined 71 points from Jaren Jackson Jr. (26 pts, 12 reb), Jock Landale (24 pts, 11 reb) and Cam Spencer (21 pts, 11 ast)
4. AWS RIVALS WEEK: KD STEALS SHOW, UNSUNG HEROES RISE IN MILWAUKEE
Rockets 111, Pistons 104: Kevin Durant (32 pts, 7 reb, 5 3s) topped 30 points for a second straight night, avenging Thursday’s OT loss in Philly by guiding the Rockets past Jalen Duren (18 pts, 7 reb) and six double-figure Detroit scorers for a fourth win in the last five games. | Recap
- Final Thrusters: Detroit trimmed Houston’s double-digit lead to just three with eight minutes to play, but KD (team-high 6 pts in final 8 min) and crew closed out
- Shooting Star: Durant shot his way into 11th place on the all-time 3-pointers list, passing Jason Terry (2,282 3s)
Thompson twins Amen and Ausar’s sibling rivalry took center stage in their fifth career meeting.
- Measuring Stick: Amen (15 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl) took a 3-2 edge with the win and scoring advantage over Ausar (12 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl)
- Proud Parent: The brothers battled back and forth, and the camera caught mom Maya particularly loving this Amen bucket
- “I might keep wearing them.” Amen and Ausar admire their color-coordinated matching kicks from this showdown
After the game, mom was handing out snacks like the good old days, while grandma framed a family photo.
Nuggets 102, Bucks 100: With five regular starters unavailable down the stretch, six Denver reserves scored in double-figures and built a 23-point 4th-quarter lead, led by a season-high 20 from Julian Strawther, hanging on through Milwaukee’s 37-16 run and Kyle Kuzma’s (11 pts, 10 reb) heave at the buzzer. | Recap
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 13 straight of his 17 points across the end of the 3rd and start of the 4th quarters to fuel a lead just large enough to make Denver victorious.
- “We’ve got a group that listens,” Hardaway Jr. said of Denver’s deep roster overcoming injuries. “When we… do that, we can go a long way.”
- Five Down: Aaron Gordon netted 13 1st-half points before exiting (hamstring) for a Nuggets squad already without Jamal Murray (inflammation), Peyton Watson (ankles), Jonas Valančiūnas (calf) and Nikola Jokić (knee)
- Clutch Buck: Ryan Rollins scored 15 of his 21 points in the Bucks’ 4th-quarter comeback, including two triples in the final minute to cut the deficit to one
Giannis (22 pts, 13 reb, 7 ast) played 32 minutes but was unable to stay in for the final 34 seconds, saying postgame he heard his rehabbed right calf “pop” earlier in the game.
5. ROUNDUP: HAWKS CATCH SUNS, RAPS ROLL IN PORTLAND
Hawks 110, Suns 103: Jalen Johnson scored 12 of his 23 points in the 4th quarter, where Atlanta erased a seven-point deficit and held Phoenix to 12 total points to snap the Suns’ three-game win streak. | Recap
- JJ Dub-Dub: Johnson grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds for his league-leading 30th double-double of the season
- Hawks Helpers: Onyeka Okongwu’s 25 points led Atlanta and CJ McCollum added 21
- Book Was Cookin’: Devin Booker led all scorers with 31 points through 3 quarters before exiting with an ankle injury
Raptors 110, Blazers 98: Sandro Mamukelashvili (22 pts, 6 reb) led seven Raps in double-figures to top Portland’s 21-point scorers in Shaedon Sharpe and Jrue Holiday – without Deni Avdija (back) – snapping the Blazers’ four-game win streak with Toronto’s third straight W. | Recap
- Pack Attack: Toronto was also bolstered by 20 points apiece from Immanuel Quickley (8 reb, 7 ast) and Brandon Ingram
Cavaliers 123, Kings 118: Donovan Mitchell (33 pts, 8 ast, 5 3s) and Evan Mobley (29 pts, 13 reb, 4 blk) overpowered the Kings’ 20-point trio of Domantas Sabonis (24 pts, 16 reb, 6 ast), Dennis Schröder (21 pts) and DeMar DeRozan (20 pts) and their 73 bench points for Cleveland’s fourth win in the last five games. | Recap
