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Nightly Pulse: NBA News & Highlights from Feb. 7

Catch up on the night’s NBA action with highlights, analysis and final scores provided in real-time.

NBA.com Staff

🏀 Friday’s Final Scores 🏀

Hornets 117, Spurs 116

Cavaliers 134, Wizards 124

Hawks 115, Bucks 110

Nets 102, Heat 86

Pistons 125, 76ers 112

Thunder 121, Raptors 109

Suns 135, Jazz 127 (OT)

Tonight’s Headlines ⤵️

  1. One costly made free throw: In a desperate attempt to extend the game, Phoenix sent Lauri Markkanen to the free throw line, down just one point with less than a second left in regulation. He made them both, instead of missing the latter to force an improbable heave. It resulted in Grayson Allen’s second three-pointer in less than four seconds, and Phoenix ran away in overtime. Devin Booker was remarkable, scoring a season-high 47 points and 11 assists. Allen had 21 of his own, including seven made threes.
  2. Fox’s winner waived off: The Charlotte Hornets came to play, and led San Antonio for nearly the entire game before a frantic comeback in the 4th quarter. De’Aaron Fox gave the Spurs the a two-point lead in the final moments, before LaMelo Ball’s drive and kick to Miles Bridges for three put Charlotte back in front. Fox believed to have gotten the last laugh, hitting a stepback as time expired – but after further review, the ball did not leave his hands in time, and the Hornets escaped with the exciting win.
  3. Thunder roll as Holmgren returns: Chet’s statline was completely modest tonight, scoring just four points and grabbing a handful of rebounds, though he did finish with four blocked shots. It was the reminder that the best team in the Western Conference, is just now getting to full strength. They already hold the league’s top defensive rating by a wide margin, and now have two rim protectors on their back line.

⭐️ Top Performers ⭐️

  1. Devin Booker: 47pts (18-33 FG, 3-10 3PM), 11 assists, six rebounds, one steal
  2. Malik Beasley: 36pts (13-23 FG, 9-19 3PM), three rebounds, one assist
  3. Jordan Poole: 45pts (16-32 FG, 4-17 3PM), four rebouonds, five assists, one steal
  4. LaMelo Ball: 24pts (9-26 FG, 4-11 3PM), 10 assists, four rebounds

Suns Win Overtime Stunner 🌵

Devin Booker guided Phoenix all night long, and he continued to do so in overtime – which wouldn’t have been possible without Grayson Allen’s incredibly clutch shooting. In the end, Booker finishes with 47 points and 11assists to secure the win for his team without Kevin Durant or Bradley Beal suiting up.

Allen Scores 6 Points in 4 Seconds – OVERTIME ‼️

Grayson Allen channels Reggie Miller and sinks two incredibly clutch shots that sends this one to overtime. It was made possible due to a made free throw with 0.9 seconds left on the game clock – allowing Phoenix to advance the ball and execute the sideline inbounds play. Wow!

COLLIER IS COLD 🤧

Isaiah Collier has been setting his teammates up all night long, with a career high 13 assists, but his clutch scoring gave Utah a 4-point. He scored six points in the final two minutes, including a fadeaway in the final 10 seconds.

Booker Doing it All ☀️

Without Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal tonight, Devin Booker is the Phoenix’s leading scorer and playmaker. He’s up to 37 points, eight assists and five rebounds tonight and we’ve still got 10 minutes to play. He was the engine behind a 40-point third quarter for the Suns.

Rookie Record 👏

Isaiah Collier is flourishing as the starting point guard for the Utah Jazz. Tonight he piled up 10 assists in the first half alone, establishing a new team record for most helpers in one half of play. It’s his third consecutive game with double-digit assists.

The 2nd half is getting underway, and with both teams knotted up, it’s anybody’s game.

4 Hawks Finish w/ Double-Doubles 

Four Hawks players finished tonight’s game with a double-double, and none of whom were Trae Young. Mouhamed Gueye was the surprise star of the show due to his energy and big time blocks. He finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, good for his first career double-double.

Dyson Daniels’ versatility continues to shine. He had 15 points and 10 assists, finding Onyeak Okongwu for in the 4th. The Hawks center registered 14 points and 12 rebounds. Meanwhile Vít Krejčí contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Nets Shut Down Miami

This one was close throughout, until the 4th quarter. Brooklyn showcased high-level defense, winning the final period 30-9. With that, they pull off the comeback and send their fans home happy. Cameron Johnson led a balanced scoring attack, finishing with 18 points followed by D’Angelo Russell with 17. Terry Rozier was the Heat’s leading scorer with 20 points off the bench.

No Fly Zone 🚫

Chet Holmgren skies for the two-handed block on Scottie Barnes’ baseline dunk attempt. It’s a reminder of what opposing teams have to contend with when he’s in the lineup for Oklahoma City. The Thunder cruised to a 121-109 victory over the Raptors.

Game-Winner Waived Off  🙅‍♂️

Fox had a chance with just one second on the game clock and sunk another huge basket as the buzzer sounded – but after review, he did not release the shot in time and the Hornets win 117-116.

BIG SHOTS LATE 😳

De’Aaron Fox showed why San Antonio sought him at the deadline, draining a stepback jumper to put the Spurs in front by two with seven seconds remaining. LaMelo Ball answers by finding Miles Bridges in the corner for a three-pointer that ultimately gave Charlotte the win.

Rollercoster Ride 🎢

The seesaw has flipped back in favor of the Atlanta Hawks, as they outscore the Bucks by 20 in the 3rd quarter, and hold a slight lead early in the 4th. This after Atlanta was outscored by 28 in the 2nd frame.

The Hawks’ two previous games were both decided in the final seconds, and we could have another photo-finish tonight.

CRUNCH TIME 🚨

The Spurs have climbed back, led by a career-high scoring night for Stephon Castle. Charlotte has led for nearly the full game, but San Antonio hopes to steal the victory late.

Wizards not going away 👀

We’re in for an exciting 4th quarter as the Wizards trail the Cavaliers by just one point. All Wizards starters are in double-digits , led by Jordan Poole with 29 points through three. Donovan Mitchell leads all scores with 33.

AJ Johnson makes an emphatic arrival in Washington, throwing down a tomahawk slam in his first appearance for the team since being dealt from Milwaukee.

No Cade, No Problem 🤷‍♂️

Malik Beasley is leading the charge against the 76ers tonight, and it’s been all Detroit after one half of play. They lead 78-49 at halftime. Tyrese Maxey has 12 for Philly while Joel Embiid and Paul George have nine points combined.

Marcus Sasser also added this leaning buzzer-beater from beyond the arc at the first quarter horn.

10-10 from Deep ☔️

Milwaukee jumps in front on the back of 10 made threes without a miss in the 2nd quarter. The team ripped off a 30-8 run, and lead Atlanta 73-55 at halftime. They scored a whopping 47 points in the 2nd quarter.

They’re doing all of this without Giannis Antetokounmpo who is missing his third straight game. Bobby Portis leads the team with 16 points.

😱 MELO MAGIC 🪄

The Charlotte fans sure missed LaMelo Ball’s wizardry. His first-half highlight reel is getting too long to document. No-look passes, one-legged threes, banked shots – he’s doing some of everything.

More importantly, Charlotte leads at halftime. Check out some of his best plays below.

The Dish ➡️ The Slam 💥

Surging rookie Kel’el Ware shows his impressive wingspan as he skies for the slam, thanks to a sweet Terry Rozier behind-the-back pass. Miami holds on to a slim lead halfway through the first quarter.

OKC’s Twin Towers 🏙️

Chet Holmgren is back from a hip injury that sidelined him for months. The Thunder are starting him alongside Isaiah Hartenstein, a frontline that makes one of the league’s best defenses even more potent.

They’ll meet a Toronto Raptors squad tonight with Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley leading the charge.

Kuz’s First Bucket 🪣

Kyle Kuzma gets his patented hook shot to fall, scoring his first points since being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He came off the bench, a role that Khris Middleton was serving for the Bucks prior to the swap with Washington.

The Bucks are still trailing the Hawks who are playing well on both sides of the ball. Mouhamed Gouye denies Brook Lopez above the rim, while the team also drained seven threes in the first quarter.

Relentless Wemby 😤

Victor Wembanyama creates multiple opportunities around and refuses to be denied, flushing home a two-handed slam through several Charlotte defenders.

The Spurs are still playing from behind as the second half nears an end.

Roles Reversed 🔄

The Pistons have been on the outside looking in on the chase for a postseason spot for much of the last decade, however that’s not the case entering tonight’s game with the 76ers.

Philadelphia, this time, finds themselves playing catch-up in the 2nd half of the regular season. They’ll aim to get a big win over one of the teams they’re chasing in the East.

Read more about the historic statline that Cade Cunningham is averaging this season below.

⛹️‍♂️ Jordan Poole Dime 🪙

Poole makes a sweet dish to Richaun Holmes, who finishes through contact. The Wizards are competing early in this one against the conference’s top team. Washington is winless in three matchups with the Cavaliers this year.

Hornets Lead Early 👀

LaMelo Ball makes up this one on the fly, keeping the play alive and then draining the three. He’s guiding Charlotte to a double-digit lead against the Spurs in the opening quarter.

Following a Strong Debut

De’Aaron Fox warms up for his 2nd game with the San Antonio Spurs. He had a great debut, finishing with 24 points and 13 assists, demonstrating instant chemistry with Victor Wembanyama.

The reigning rookie of the year and 1st time All-Star had a 24 point double-double in their first game together as well. The two lead their team into Charlotte tonight to square off with the Hornets.

The Hornets on the other hand, will be led by LaMelo Ball who is returning from a sprained ankle that forced him to miss the team’s last five games.

📰 Friday’s Top Storylines👇

1. Chet Holmgren returns for OKC: The top-seeded team in the Western Conference has fared just fine without their lead big man – which makes his return that much scarier for their opponents. The Thunder were 8-2 when Holmgren went down last November, they are now 40-9 and get to play their first regular season game with both Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein in the lineup.

2. 76ers big-3 looking to win in Detroit: Philadelphia will have Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George all on the floor tonight. Embiid returned from an extended absence two games ago, yet sat in their most recent game versus the Heat. Paul George did suit up for that one, yet the the team fell to Miami 108-101. Currently 11th in the East, the full big-three will try to lead their team to victory against the 7th-seeded Pistons.

3. Intriguing Bucks-Hawks showdown: If recent trends continue, this could be the game of the night. Atlanta’s last two outings were shootouts decided by a combined three points. Trae Young drilled an unreal step-back, game winner to take down the Pistons on Monday, 132-130. On Wednesday, Victor Wembanyama’s free throw with two seconds left sealed defeat for the Hawks, 126-125. Be on the lookout for another exciting finish with the Bucks in town tonight.

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