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Wolves 4th straight victory, Carlisle's 1,000th career win highlight Thursday's action around the NBA

Follow along with live updates around NBA action on Thursday Jan. 8 with key games, moments and highlights from 3-game schedule.

NBA.com Staff

Pascal Siakam (30 points) and LaMelo Ball (33 points) went toe-to-toe tonight during Indiana’s 114-112 win over Charlotte. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Enjoy the best of Thursday’s 3-game slate with the NBA.com live blog, featuring all of the meaningful moments, performances, observations, news, notes and highlights.

Tonight’s Finals

Indiana Pacers 114, Charlotte Hornets 112

Minnesota Timberwolves 131, Cleveland Cavaliers 122

Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls (PPD)

Utah Jazz 116, Dallas Mavericks 114

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 11:25 PM

What we know after Thursday’s games

  • Indiana’s Rick Carlisle becomes the 11th coach in NBA history to reach 1,000 wins with the Pacers’ 114-112 win over the Hornets. The victory snaps a 13-game losing streak for Indy.
  • Heat-Bulls game at United Center was postponed due to moisture on the court. Rescheduled date will be announced at a later time.
  • Anthony Edwards (25 pts, 7 reb, 9 ast) and Julius Randle (28 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast) fuel Minnesota to a fourth consecutive win.
  • Utah’s duo of Lauri Markkanen (33 pts) and Keyonte George (19 pts) lead a 13-7 run to close the fourth quarter to take down the Mavericks.
  • Anthony Davis appeared to injure his left hand and exited Dallas’ loss with 2:08 remaining and did not return.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 11:19 PM

Jazz snap 5-game skid

Keyonte George’s turnaround jumper in the lane seals a 116-114 win for Utah, ending a five-game losing streak. George finishes with 19 points on an efficient 8-for-12 shooting with 7 assists and 3 steals.

Lauri Markkanen drops a game-best 33 points on 14-for-26 from the field.

Cooper Flagg records a team-high 26 points (10-18 FG, 3-6 3PM), 8 assists and 3 steals to go along with 10 rebounds and a block in 38 minutes.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 11:00 PM

Mavs up 4 in crunch time!

Cooper Flagg is up to 26 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists for Dallas, while Lauri Markkanen tallies 27 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks to lead Utah.

Dallas leads 107-103 with 3:55 remaining in the fourth!

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 10:40 PM

Mavs-Jazz battling in 3Q

Lauri Markkanen is up to 23 points (9-16 FG), 7 rebounds and 4 assists, and Keyonte George adds 14 points, 6 assists and 3 steals.

Cooper Flagg has 20 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and a block, while Anthony Davis leads Dallas with 21 points. The Mavericks hold an 87-85 edge with 43.9 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 10:35 PM

Wolves halt Cavs’ comeback, win 131-122

Minnesota wins their fifth consecutive game thanks to balanced offense, as Anthony Edwards (25 points), Julius Randle (28 points), Jaden McDaniels (26 points) and Donte DiVincenzo (22 points) drive the victory.

Donovan Mitchell finishes with a game-high 30 points (10-20 FG) with 7 rebounds, 8 dimes and one steal in 37 minutes.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 10:24 PM

6-point game in Minnesota

The Wolves have a 128-122 lead over the Cavs with 29.4 seconds remaining in the contest, live on League Pass!

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 10:10 PM

Ant reaches 10K career points

Congratulations to Anthony Edwards on reaching 10,000 career points at just 24 years of age!

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 10:07 PM

Jazz up 3 at halftime

Utah takes a 58-55 edge going into the break, with Lauri Markkanen leading the way with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting.

Cooper Flagg (14 points) and Anthony Davis (13 points) combine for 27, while Klay Thompson chips in 12 points (3-6 3PM) and 5 assists off the Dallas bench.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 9:54 PM

Heat-Bulls postponed

Here’s the statement on tonight’s postponement of the Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls contest:

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 9:52 PM

Pacers win, Carlisle wins 1,000th as coach

Congratulations to Rick Carlisle for earning his 1,000th career victory in Indiana’s 114-112 triumph over Charlotte.

Pascal Siakam drops a team-high 30 points (12-23 FG, 3-4 3PM) and 14 rebounds, while T.J. McConnell posts 23 points (10-17 FG), 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals off the bench.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 9:41 PM

Wolves sprinting in 3Q

Minnesota is outscoring Cleveland 26-8 in the third quarter, giving the Wolves an 89-75 lead with 6:14 left before the final frame.

Julius Randle has 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for the Timberwolves, while Donovan Mitchell paces the Cavs with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 9:35 PM

Hoop & harm for Keyonte

Utah takes a 34-29 lead over Dallas after one quarter of play. Keyonte George has 5 points and 4 assists while Lauri Markkanen leads with 7 points.

Cooper Flagg has a game-high 10 points in 9 minutes.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 9:33 PM

One-point game in Charlotte!

Indiana holds a 113-112 lead over the Hornets with 8.0 seconds remaining!

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 9:17 PM

Cavs lead Wolves at half

Cleveland was down by 12 after just four minutes of play against the Timberwolves, but they fight back to take a 67-63 lead at the break. The Cavs own advantages in bench scoring (21-6) and paint points (36-26) while turning 9 Minnesota turnovers into 13 points for.

Donovan Mitchell (11 points, 5 assists), Evan Mobley (12 points), Darius Garland (10 points, 5 assists) and Sam Merrill (11 points) are powering the Cavs.

All five Minnesota starters are in double figures scoring, led by Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle with 12 points each.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 8:59 PM

McConnell keeps Pacers in front

Indiana lead 90-87 after three quarters, but Charlotte ties it at 90 with 10:38 remaining in the contest.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 8:49 PM

Siakam doing it all for Indy

Pascal Siakam has a team-high 22 points (9-18 FG) and 12 rebounds to help Indiana hold an 83-77 advantage over Charlotte with 3:13 left in the third quarter.

LaMelo Ball is up to a game-high 30 points and six made 3s off the Hornets’ bench.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 8:47 PM

Cavs storm back to end 1Q

Cleveland closes the opening quarter strong to trim what was a 12-point deficit down to one, 32-21. Sam Merrill fuels the Cavs’ run with 11 points (3-4 FG) and two made 3s in 7 minutes.

Anthony Edwards (11 points) and Julius Randle (10 points, 4 assists) lead the way for Minnesota, who now trail Cleveland 39-34 with two minutes gone in the second quarter.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 8:36 PM

Heat-Bulls delayed on NBA TV

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 8:31 PM

Wolves off and running at home

The Timberwolves start the contest on fire led by Anthony Edwards’ 8 points.

Cleveland has responded to cut the deficit to 25-20 with 3:58 left in the opening frame on League Pass!

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 8:21 PM

Pacers lead Hornets at the break

It’s been that kind of night for LaMelo Ball, but Charlotte trails Indiana 60-58 after two quarters.

Pascal Siakam is right behind him, though, dropping a team-high 18 points (7-12 FG) and 7 rebounds in 18 minutes.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 8:07 PM

20-piece for LaMelo before half

Ball is on a heater tonight in Charlotte, dropping 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting in just 10 minutes off the bench.

The Hornets and Pacers are tied at 53 with 2:56 remaining before halftime.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 7:48 PM

LaMelo beats the 1Q buzzer

LaMelo Ball picks up the loose ball to get the Hornets to within 3 at the end of the first quarter. He’s up to 11 points, 2 assists and 2 steals in 7 minutes as a reserve.

Pascal Siakam has 15 points in 9 first-half minutes, and the Pacers hold a 41-33 lead over the Hornets with 8:50 remaining before halftime.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 7:36 PM

Siakam starts hot

Pascal Siakam is up to 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting with 4 rebounds and one assist, helping Indiana take an early 31-25 lead in the first quarter.

LaMelo Ball has 5 points (2-2 FG), 2 assists and a steal off the Hornets’ bench.

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 7:16 PM

Hornets make lineup change

The Pacers own a 9-4 edge with 8:02 to play in the opening quarter!

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 6:48 PM

Wizards to honor Wall

JANUARY 8, 2026 // 6:30 PM

Welcome to a 4-game night in the NBA!

Rudy Gobert has enjoyed a stellar start to his season for the Timberwolves, and he’s the backbone of Minnesota’s 111.9 defensive rating (6th in NBA) through 37 games.

Indiana is at Charlotte to kick off the light four-game evening (7 ET, League Pass), as the Pacers are looking to get coach Rick Carlisle’s 1,000th career win and snap a 13-game losing streak.

The Bulls play host to the Heat while aiming to stop a three-game skid of their own (8 ET, NBA TV). Miami is coming off of a 122-94 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday, but they’re expected to be fully healthy with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo ready to suit up.

Those same Timberwolves welcome the 21-17 Cleveland Cavaliers to town at Target Center (8 ET, League Pass), with Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle and Co. going for a fourth consecutive victory.

Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks look to make it three straight wins when they visit Keyonte George and the Jazz (9 ET, League Pass), while Utah looks to get back in the win column after dropping five in a row.

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