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Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from Feb. 4

Stay in the know on tonight's NBA action with the latest news, scores and highlights from around the league.

NBA.com Staff

🏀Tuesday’s schedule🏀

  • Mavericks 116, 76ers 118 (Final)
  • Celtics 112, Cavaliers 105 (Final)
  • Rockets 97, Nets 99 (Final)
  • Knicks 121, Raptors 115 (Final)
  • Heat 124, Bulls 133 (Final)
  • Lakers 122, Clippers 97 (Final)
  • Pacers 89, Trail Blazers 112 (Final)

📝Top stores📝

  1. Joel Embiid was triumphant in his return from injury to the 76ers’ starting lineup. He posted a 29-point, 11-rebound, and 10-assist triple-double, on the way to a 118-116 win over the Mavericks. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak and included another strong showing from Tyrese Maxey, who finished with 33 points and 13 assists. 
  2. The Celtics moved to 2-1 against the Cavaliers on the season, winning by a score of 112-105 in Cleveland. The home team had won the previous two matchups, but Boston was able to buck that trend in this one, as Derrick White came up clutch with a pair of triples late on his way to a 20-point effort. 
  3. The Lakers docked the Clippers, avenging a Jan. 19 loss to their city rivals. Although he didn’t play, Luka Dončić was in the house, to watch the Lakers earn the 122-97 victory. LeBron James led the team with a near-triple-double, while Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves each scored 20. 

🌟🌟Top performers🌟🌟

  • Joel Embiid: 29 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and one steal. 
  • Tyrese Maxey: 33 points, four rebounds, 13 assists, and two steals. 
  • LeBron James: 26 points (8-13 FG), eight rebounds, nine assists, and three steals.

Blazing trails

In a battle of two of the hottest teams in the Association, Portland slowed the Pacers, earning a 112-89 victory.

The Trail Blazers took over in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Pacers by 11 in the final frame.

They received a 22-point effort from Anfernee Simons, who also added seven assists, and also got 20 points from Jerami Grant. Sharpe and Henderson each added 17 off the bench.

Lakers win battle of Los Angeles, part two

In their first game since trading Anthony Davis and Max Christie for Luka Dončić, the Lakers were victorious, downing the Clippers, 122-97.

James finished a little shy of a triple-double, scoring 26 points, and adding eight rebounds, nine assists, and three steals. Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves each scored 20, while Reaves added six boards and nine dimes.

The Clippers were led by Powell who scored 20.

Looking Sharpe

The Blazers continue to lead the Pacers, 78-66 entering the final quarter of play.

Shaedon Sharpe is getting things done for Portland, and now has 17 points and four steals,

Lakers maintain control

The Lakers and Clippers each scored 25 in the third, with the former taking a 98-75 lead into the fourth quarter.

LeBron continues to fill up the box score, currently sitting on 26 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists with a triple-double in sight.

Despite the Clippers’ struggles tonight, this behind-the-back feed from Harden for a Derrick Jones Jr. dunk is worth a look,

Portland up at the half

Both the Pacers and Trail Blazers are on a back-to-back, and fatigue may be showing as each team is facing shooting struggles through the first half. Portland is up at the break, 45-38.

Fatigue doesn’t seem to be as much of an issue though for T.J. McConnell, who has scored six, with three boards, two steals, and two assists, including this lob to Bennedict Mathurin, who has scored 10.

Lakers rolling

The Lakers have slowed down some, scoring just 28 in the second quarter, but still have a large 73-50 lead over the Clippers at the half.

James continues to be a force, finishing with 21 points, five assists, and three steals through two quarters of play.

The Clippers are being led by Norman Powell with 15.

Portland blazing🔥

The Blazers are possibly the hottest team in the NBA right now, with their opponent tonight, the Pacers, the only other team that can possibly argue against that.

Part of why Portland has been so successful lately is playing like this, where suffocating defense gets them out on the break, followed by quick ball movement that leads to wide-open Scoot Henderson three-ball.

The Trail Blazers currently lead the Pacers, 34-26 at the midpoint of the second quarter.

The lake show is on

The Lakers scored a season-high 45 points in the first quarter, and now lead the Clippers 57-36 as they near the midpoint of the second quarter.

LeBron James has been a large part of the offensive outburst, scoring 16 points thus far, with four assists.

🐃Bulls charge ahead🐃

Chicago outscored Miami, 133-124 in a high-scoring affair that saw seven players surpass 20 points between the two squads.

For Miami, Adebayo (23), Herro (23), and Jovic (20) all managed the feat, while rookie Kel’el Ware added 17 and grabbed 12 rebounds in the loss.

The Bulls were led by their rookie forward, Buzelis, who scored 24 points off the bench, including shooting a perfect 10-10 from the field, and 4-4 from three-point land. Joining the 20-point club was Giddey, who also scored 24, Coby White (22), and Ayo Dosunmu (21).

🏙Brooklyn grounds Rockets🏙

The Nets were down 97-93 with just over eight seconds left. First, a triple by Keon Johnson brought them within one, then a Tosan Evbuomwan swipe on the inbounds pass set up a D’Angelo Russell triple, giving Brooklyn a 99-97 lead with three seconds to go. Unfortunately, for Houston a Jalen Green triple try as time expired failed to go in.

The Rockets received a massive performance from Sengun in the loss, who scored 24 and grabbed 20 rebounds.

☘️Boston triumphs☘️

The Cavaliers pulled within four late, but Derrick White came up clutch late, hitting back-to-back triples and pushing Boston’s lead back to 10.

White ultimately finished with 20 points, but it was Tatum with 22 points and seven assists that led the Celtics.

Mitchell poured in 31 and grabbed 10 boards, while Garland added 25. Mobley finished with 18 boards and 17 points.

🗽Knicks win🗽

Toronto made it a game in the second half, outscoring the Knicks by 11, but ultimately fell to New York, 121-115.

Jalen Brunson led the team in scoring with 28, while Towns compiled a 27-point, 20-rebound effort. Precious Achiuwa and Mikal Bridges each chipped in 17, with Precious adding eight rebounds, three steals, and two blocks to his stat line.

The Raptors were led by a 23-point effort from Scottie Barnes.

Cleveland is clawing back into it

The Cavaliers have spent most of the game down double digits, but are now within four, 99-95 with just under five to play.

A big part of the comeback has been Jarrett Allen, who now has 17 points and 17 boards, including this bucket with an and-1 opportunity.

Embiid clinches it

The 76ers picked up a W, thanks to a Joel Embiid bucket that put Philadelphia up one with 22 seconds remaining. In the end, they came out on top over Dallas, 118-116.

Embiid recorded a triple-double in his return, scoring 29 points, pulling down 11 boards, and dishing out 10 assists. His return didn’t slow down Maxey either, who led the team with 33 points, and also dished out 13 dimes.

Dallas got a game-high 34 points from Kyrie in the loss and also got 15 points and nine boards off the bench from the newly acquired Max Christie.

Boston maintains the lead

Offense is no longer a problem in Cleveland, as these teams totaled 64 points in the third quarter, with Boston now out front 87-75.

Jayson Tatum had a productive third quarter and is now the team’s leading scorer with 21 points, including this dunk for two.

Meanwhile, Mitchell now leads all scorers with 24, after scoring 11 third-quarter points.

📜KAT makes history📜

Towns scored 20 points and pulled down 15 rebounds in the first half, helping lead the Knicks to a 68-51 lead over Toronto after two quarters of play.

His efforts make him the first Knicks player to record 20+ PTS & 15+ REB in a half in the play-by-play era (1997-98).

Sheppard leading Rockets

Reed Sheppard is making a difference for Houston off the bench, nailing two triples and scoring 11 points, aiding in a 46-44 halftime lead on the Nets.

Jalen Green also has 11 for Houston, while Keon Johnson leads all scorers with 12.

🚨Buzzer beater🚨

Brown hits the two-point bucket to beat the clock and give the Celtics a 54-44 lead at the half.

Brown continues to lead all scorers with 16 points, while Mitchell is tops for Cleveland with 13.

Matas skies⛅

Josh Giddey spots Matas Buzelis across the court and sends him a dime for the alley-oop dunk.

Buzelis has six points off the bench for Chicago, but it’s Miami holding a 37-32 lead after a quarter of play.

Town’s tallying up stats📝

Karl-Anthony Towns is off to a hot start in Toronto. The big man has already put up 15 points and 13 rebounds with a few minutes remaining in the first half.

The Knicks have a 56-50 lead on the Raptors late in the second quarter.

Boston finds offense

After a slow start, the Celtics have got going now, partly due to 12 points from Jaylen Brown on 5-7 shooting.

Boston built a 28-15 lead at the end of the first quarter and started the second on a 7-0 run. They now lead the Cavaliers 35-15.

✨Stars shining in Philly✨

The Mavericks and 76ers have entered halftime at a score of 65-58.

The stars of each team are leading the way, as Kyrie Irving has 17 points for Dallas on 6-10 shooting, while also grabbing six rebounds.

For Philadelphia, Joel Embiid has 18 points, four rebounds, and three assists in his return to action, while Maxey is right behind him with 16 and six assists.

Worth noting, Max Christie has 10 points on 3-3 long-range shooting, and five boards off the bench for Dallas in his debut with the team.

🤯Spida leaping🤯

Donovan Mitchell blows by the defenders on the perimeter, enters the lane with a clear path to the hoop, and explodes to the rim for this monster one-handed slam.

His dunk popped an 83.3 rating in the NBA’s dunk score ranking model.

These two teams are locked into a defensive battle early, shooting a combined 4-27, leading to a 6-6 tie halfway through the first quarter.

and from a different angle,

👀All eyes on Cleveland👀

A headlining showdown between the Cavaliers and Celtics is underway and this strong one-handed jam for Jarrett Allen opens the scoring.

These teams are knotted up at four, just a few minutes into the game, which you can catch live on either TNT or truTV, and it’s also available to stream on Max!

🪣Still getting buckets🪣

The return of Embiid hasn’t slowed down Maxey.

He put up 11 points in the first quarter, including this end-to-end bucket.

The 76ers are taking a 36-31 lead over Dallas into the second quarter.

🔄With the turnaround🔄

Embiid scores his first bucket with a turnaround fade and now has seven points on 3-3 shooting.

His performance is a big reason the 76ers are up 16-12 early against the Mavericks.

He’s back

After a month-long absence, Joel Embiid is back in the starting lineup for the 76ers.

Joining him in the starting five are, Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Guerschon Yabusele, and Justin Edwards.

3️⃣🔑Stories

  1. The top two teams in the Eastern Conference square off, as the Cavaliers host the Celtics tonight. This will be the third time these teams have met this season, with Boston winning the first matchup and ending the perfect start to Cleveland’s season on November 19, followed by the Celtics receiving payback Dec. 1. 
  2. Joel Embiid will make his return tonight. The superstar big man has been out of action since Jan. 4 due to swelling in his knee. His return comes at a good time, with the 76ers riding a two-game losing streak and 1.0 game out of the No. 10 seed in the East. 
  3. The Lakers and Clippers will tangle in the Battle of Los Angeles, part two. This will be the Lakers’ first game since the Anthony Davis for Luka Dončić trade, although Dončić remains out due to a calf injury. These two teams last met on Jan. 19, with the Clippers winning 116-102.

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