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Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from Feb. 12

Keep up with the NBA news and highlights tonight with all 30 teams in action. Catch it all with the Nightly Pulse.

NBA.com Staff

🏀NBA scores tonight

Pacers 134, Wizards 130

Magic 102, Hornets 86

Celtics 116, Spurs 103

Cavaliers 131, Raptors 108

Nets 100, 76ers 96

Knicks 149, Hawks 148

Thunder 115, Heat 101

Kings 119, Pelicans 111

Bucks 103, Timberwolves 101

Pistons 128, Bulls 110

Rockets 119, Suns 111

Jazz 131, Lakers 119

Nuggets 132, Trail Blazers 121

Mavericks 111, Warriors 107

Clippers 128, Grizzlies 114

🔑 Key NBA takeaways tonight

  • Thunder complete amazing comeback: The Heat came out on fire and put the West’s top team in a 21-point hole as halftime approached. After a stalemate of a third quarter, the Thunder embarked on a 21-point run to start the fourth quarter and change the game completely. The Thunder went on to win by 14 to notch their 44th win.
  • Garden variety thriller between Knicks and Hawks: Any time the Knicks and Hawks get together, fans can expect a good one. Tonight’s game was yet another classic installment of this budding rivalry. The Hawks forced overtime by erasing a six-point deficit in the final 10 seconds. However, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns helped the Knicks outlast the Hawks in overtime as New York took the victory 149-148.
  • Jamal Murray goes off: Murray exploded for 55 points tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers to not only notch a new career high but also put himself in rarified air in the Nuggets’ record books. It is the third-most points ever scored in a game by a Nugget behind only Nikola Jokić’s 56 in December and David Thompson’s 73 points back in 1978. 

📊 NBA stat leaders tonight

  • Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets: 55 points (20-36 FG, 7-15 3PT), five assists, two steals in win over Trail Blazers.
  • Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks: 44 points, 10 rebounds in win over Hawks. Towns became the fifth Knick to score 40 in back-to-back games.
  • Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics: 32 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists in win over Spurs.

🌴 Clippers handle Grizzlies

Clippers 128, Grizzlies 114

Memphis saw an 11-point lead at the end of the first quarter evaporate in a heartbeat with Los Angeles storming back to outscore the Grizzlies by 14 in the second. The game flow remained tilted in Los Angeles’ direction in the third and by the time Memphis settled back in during the fourth quarter, it was too late.

The Grizzlies struggled to take care of the ball with 21 turnovers, and the Clippers capitalized with 41 points off turnovers.

Kawhi Leonard went for 25 points, but Kris Dunn was the unsung hero who helped fuel the comeback. It was his first start since January and he delivered a season-high 14 points along with a whopping five steals. Dunn finished with a +25 rating.

💪 Shorthanded Mavs outlast Warriors

Mavericks 111, Warriors 107

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson squaring off as opponents was a great draw for this game, but what unfolded was a thrilling game across the board featuring a vintage Kyrie Irving performance.

Irving popped off for 42 points and drained seven threes, the most of his Mavericks career.

The Mavericks had a commanding 15-point lead in the second half and a double-digit lead mid-way through the fourth, but the Warriors would not go quietly.

Curry and Jimmy Butler combined for 46 points and Moses Moody added a nice spark off the bench with 14 points. However, the Mavericks were able to hold on and seal the win despite being extremely shorthanded.

The Mavericks were without their primary pain patrollers in Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford. Luckily for Dallas, Irving was ready to step up.

🚀 Tari Eason fuels Rockets win over Phoenix

Rockets 119, Suns 111

This was a big time Western Conference matchup and it delivered the hype. Both teams needed a win as Phoenix looked to bolster its playoff chances and Houston looked to put its recent swoon behind it.

The result was a back-and-forth battle in which Houston came out on top. There were 21 lead changes, including five in the fourth quarter. Houston ultimately outlasted Phoenix thanks to some strong efforts from its young core.

Tari Eason’s 25 points marked his second-best scoring effort of the season and his first 20-point game since November. Amen Thompson logged another triple-double with 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.

Eason punctuated his outing with the best dunk of the night according to the dunk score.

🎷Jazz take down Lakers

Jazz 131, Lakers 119

Playing for the second time in two nights, tonight’s Jazz-Lakers game had a much different tenor than Monday’s 21-point victory by Los Angeles.

The Jazz improvised their way to a 12-point victory tonight to return the favor. Lauri Markkanen was sensational with 32 points (11-18 FG, 6-10 3PT) and every other Jazz starter scored in double figures. Keyonte George was excellent off the bench as well with 20 and 10 assists.

Of course, there was still some magic from Luka Dončić  in his second outing as a Laker. His passing was other-worldly once again. Here’s one of his several highlight reel helpers.

⛰️Jamal Murray in rarified air

Nuggets 132, Trail Blazers 121

Denver’s Jamal Murray is climbing the Nuggets’ franchise leaderboard for most points in a game. Murray notched a career-high 55 points tonight against the Trail Blazers, which stands as the third-highest scoring output in Nuggets history behind only Nikola Jokić (56 in December) and David Thompson (73 in 1978).

The Nuggets polished off a 132-121 win over the Blazers to head into the break at 36-19.

The Trail Blazers had some bright spots in this one despite the loss. Rookie Donovan Clingan had another solid outing against a formidable Denver frontcourt for the second time in three nights. The rook had 17 points and 20 rebounds, a new career high. Perhaps most impressive was that Clingan split the boards evenly with 10 offensive and 10 defensive rebounds.

😤 Air Cade

Pistons 128, Bulls 110

Cade Cunningham is just different. Watch as he takes off, challenges a defender and switches hands in mid-air to slam it home.

Cunningham finished with 29 points and seven assists to help the Pistons beat the Bulls for the second time in as many nights.

👀 21-point deficit no hurdle for Thunder

Thunder 115, Heat 101

Oklahoma City was staring at a 21-point deficit mid-way through the second as the Heat came out on fire and the Thunder were stuck in neutral.

The Heat pounded the Thunder in the post early with 38 points in the paint in the first half.

Then, the Thunder locked in. OKC went on a 24-point run, including 21-0 to start the fourth quarter. It wasn’t all Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, either. Five other Thunder players scored in double figures, led by Jalen Williams’ 18 points and Luguentz Dort’s 17.

The Thunder move to 44-9 with one game to go before the All-Star break.

😱 Knicks scratch out win in OT over Hawks

This game had it all. Huge performances from stars like Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson and Trae Young. A late comeback. A wild finish to force OT. And an unbelivably entertaining extra period at the Garden.

The Hawks mounted a six-point comeback with under 10 seconds remaining in the fourth to force overtime. A stunned Knicks team stumbled in the early going of the extra frame and fell behind by five points as the Hawks seemed to have all the momentum working in their favor.

The Knicks got up off the deck thanks to captain Jalen Brunson who had his fingerprints all over New York’s OT surge.

He helped ice the game with a go-ahead pullup J with 11.0 seconds remaining.

Anytime the Knicks and Hawks get together, you know it’s going to be a good time. And tonight was no different.

🦌 Bucks get gritty W before the All-Star Break

The Bucks went into Minnesota without either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Damian Lillard and still left with the win tonight.

Solid efforts from Kyle Kuzma and Taurean Prince paced the starting lineup for the Bucks, but it was Gary Trent who played the hero with a team-high 21 points off the bench, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter.

The recently acquired Kevin Porter Jr. also made his mark with a clutch bucket late as part of his 11 points.

🤯 Wild finish at MSG

Trae Young has a history of putting on a show at Madison Square Garden and tonight was no different. Ice Trae’s Hawks trailed by six points with 10 seconds remaining and a win probability next to zero.

Young didn’t blink. He dished a pass out to Georges Niang to pull the Hawks within three. Then, Dyson Daniels stole the inbound and got to the line. He gathered his miss on the second FT and got it out to Young, who was fouled and sunk the tying free throws to send it to overtime.

Young had 16 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter and has dished out 18 assists.

Catch the thrilling finish now on NBA League Pass.

😤 KAT going for 40 again

The Hawks don’t have an answer for Karl-Anthony Towns tonight as the All-Star starter has notched his second straight 40-point game. KAT went for 40 against the Pacers last night and is up to 42 with 4:00 to go in a close game against Atlanta.

Towns has hit seven of nine 3-pointers and also pulled in eight rebounds.

Per the Knicks PR team, Towns joins an illustrious list of Knicks to go for 40 in back-to-back games. That list includes Bernard King, Patrick Ewing, Carmelo Anthony and teammate Jalen Brunson.

Catch the end of Knicks vs Hawks on NBA League Pass.

🕸️ Spida Slam

Donovan Mitchell put what might be the exclamation point on tonight’s game against the Raptors with this drive through the lane for the jam. Spida is up to 21 points to go with six boards and five assists. The Cavs lead by 19 with just under five to go.

🚨OT in Washington

The Pacers and Wizards are knotted at 120 after 48 minutes and we’re onto OT in the Nation’s Capital. Jordan Poole has 35 points to notch his eighth 30-point game of the season. Obi Toppin, meanwhile has popped off for a season-high 28 points with room for more as the extra period gets underway.

🥘 Luka dishing

Luka Dončić continues to make a strong impression with his new teammates. He was deep in his bag with this sequence including the stop on a dime, a fake behind-the-back, and a no-look kickout for a corner three. Sheesh.

🍿Close games brewing

  • The Wizards and Pacers are tied at 110 with just under five minutes to go. Obi Toppin has gone for 28 points for the Pacers and Jordan Poole has answered with 28 of his own in Washington. Catch the finish on NBA League Pass.
  • The Nets lead the 76ers by seven late in the third quarter
  • The shorthanded Bucks hold a one-point halftime lead over the Timberwolves
  • The Kings lead the Pelicans by two at the break in what was a back-and-fourth first half.

🌪️ Şengün spin cycle

Alperen Şengün put the Suns on skates with a nasty spin move followed by the slam.

Catch the Rockets- Suns action on NBA League Pass.

🥹 Splash Brothers reunion 🔜

The Mavericks host the Warriors tonight, which means Klay Thompson and Steph Curry will be squaring off. Steph and Klay combined to be one of the greatest shooting tandems in NBA history with the Warriors and won four titles together.

They’ve split the first two meetings. Thompson has gone for 29 and 22 points in those matchups while Curry has chipped in 37 and 26.

🪣 Zion getting to the bucket

Zion Williamson is already up to 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting early in the second quarter of tonight’s game against the Kings. Zion’s ability to get to the bucket has been on display all night and he’s helped the Pels reclaim the lead after by trailing by 17 early.

💥  Keon Ellis providing the spark

Sacramento’s Keon Ellis has a game-high 13 points at the end of the first quarter in new Orleans. He’s 5-for-6 from the floor and 3-for-4 from deep. He’s also got a reverse dunk to his credit.

⌚  Look at the flick of the wrist

Catchin’ plays

Donovan Mitchell hit the Euro step before snapping off a slick entry pass to Evan Mobley, who took it from there.

The East’s top team leads by 20 over the Raptors as they look to notch their 44th win before the All-Star break.

📜 More history for Wemby

With this block of Al Horford, Victor Wembanyama has now recorded a block in 85 consecutive games. That hasn’t been done in almost 30 years.

Catch the second half of Spurs vs Celtics on ESPN.

🐝No look alley oop? No look alley oop.

Elfrid Payton sees the floor so well he doesn’t even need to look where he’s dishing it. Payton, who inked a 10-day contract with the Hornets on Friday, notched four points and three assists in 15 first-half minutes against the Magic tonight.

Catch the second half on NBA League Pass

🔥Hot starts

  • Jaysom Tatum (14 points) and Kristaps Porziņģis (13) have helped fuel a big Celtics lead over the Spurs in the second-quarter.
  • Washington’s Corey Kispert has chipped in 15 points in 13 minutes off the bench  against the Pacers.
  • Cleveland’s Max Strus has come out firing, hitting four triples to get to 12 points early in the Cavaliers’ matchup with the Raptors.

🤩 Stars ready to shine

We’ve gotten good news on the injury front tonight with the likes of Trae Young, Anthony Edwards, and Zion Williamson all available for their squads.

Get to NBA League Pass to see Knicks vs Hawks, Timberwolves vs Bucks, and Pelicans vs Kings.

🚀 Tatum taking off

Boston’s Jayson Tatum just put the finishing touches on a monstrous first quarter against the Spurs. The superstar popped for 14 points to go with six rebounds and three assists while registering a +18 rating.

Here’s one of his buckets after he put the defense on skates with a nasty crossover

🦄 Unicorn sighting

Kristaps Porziņģis gave Victor Wembanyama his full menu of post moves to get past Wemby for one of the toughest buckets you’ll see tonight. Porziņģis has started a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor to help the Celtics to a 13-point first-quarter lead.

Catch Celtics vs Spurs now on ESPN.

🤓 Required reading

📰NBA news storylines tonight

  1. Full slate: All 30 teams are in action tonight, which is one of the four times this season where this will happen. Hoops fans will be treated to a feast of NBA action starting at 7:30 Eastern and going all the way to the final tip at 10:30 when the Clippers host the Grizzlies
  2. Winning streaks on the line: The Nuggets, Thunder and Lakers all enter Wednesday’s action with winning streaks of at least six games. They happen to comprise three of the top four teams in the Western Conference standings as the All-Star break looms. The Nuggets will take on the Trail Blazers, the Thunder will face the Heat and the Lakers take on the Jazz.
  3. Steph looks to extend scoring streak: Stephen Curry has been on a roll, having scored 30+ points in each of his last four outings. He joins a historic list including LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Karl Malone among NBA players 36-or-older to score 30+ points in four straight. He’ll need to do that three more times to tie James’ record of seven consecutive such games.

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