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Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from Jan. 22

Follow the NBA Rivals Week action tonight with the latest NBA news, highlights and highlights from around the association.

NBA.com Staff

🏀 NBA Scores tonight (Jan.22)

Timberwolves 115, Mavericks 114

Suns 108, Nets 84

Pistons 114, Hawks 104

Thunder 123, Jazz 114

Grizzlies 132, Hornets 120

Rockets 109, Cavaliers 108

Kings 123, Warriors 117

Celtics 117, Clippers 113 (OT)

🏀 Key NBA takeaways tonight

  • Rockets outlast Cavaliers in thriller: In a matchup of two of the league’s best, the Rockets prevailed in front of the home crowd. Things got dicey at the end for Houston as Darius Garland stepped to the line with a chance to ice the game for Cleveland, but the Rockets managed to escape. The Rockets are the only team to beat both the Thunder and Cavaliers this season.
  • New career-high for Shai: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a night to remember as he dropped 54 points against the Jazz, besting his previous career-high of 45 points. He did it by getting to the bucket and the line as he went 17-for-35 from the floor and 17-for-18 from the line. SGA and the Thunder prevailed 123-114. He joins Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant as the lone Thunder players to register a 50-point game since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City.
  • Clutch Kings: The Kings found themselves in a familiar situation tonight: a close game late in the fourth quarter. As has been the case under coach Doug Christie, that meant the Kings found a way to win. They had runs of 13-0, 12-0, and 10-0 in the second half to erase a 17-point halftime deficit en route to another win. The Kings are now 23-20 after starting the year 13-19.

🌟Top NBA performers tonight

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: Career-high 54 points (17-35 FG, 17-18 FT), eight rebounds, three steals in win over Jazz
  • Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets: Career-high 38 points, nine rebounds, five assists vs Grizzlies
  • DeMar DeRozan, Sacramento Kings: 32 points (12-21 FG), five rebounds, two blocks, two steals in comeback win over Warriors.

🍀 Celtics bounce back in OT, hold off Clippers

Momentum had swung entirely in Los Angeles’ favor going into overtime after the Clippers’ wild run to force the extra period.

The defending champs locked in, though, and shut the door in OT. An unlikely hero emerged for the Celtics with Jaden Springer seemingly sealing it with a three to put the C’s up five with 34 seconds remaining. It was Springer’s second 3-pointer of the season, with the other coming earlier in the contest.

The Clippers would answer back with three quick points but the champs ultimately held on to get off to a 2-0 start on their current four-game road swing.

Still, it was a valiant effort from a Clippers team that was missing two key pieces in Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Derrick Jones was terrific with 29 points to notch a new career high.

😱 Clippers ride late surge to force OT

The shorthanded Clippers, missing James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, erased a five-point deficit in the final minute to force overtime against the defending champion Celtics.

Derrick Jones wasn’t ready for the night to end as he forced the turnover and went coast to coast with time winding down to tie it up. He had 24 points in regulation.

👑Kings come through in clutch once again

Kings 123, Warriors 117

Sacramento and close games go hand-in-hand this season. They trailed by 17 at the half but used several big runs to close the game and ultimately take the lead over the rival Warriors.

DeMar DeRozan had 19 of his 32 points in the third quarter and helped hold Steph Curry to 14 points on the night. Domantas Sabonis had yet another double-double with 26 points and 18 boards while Malik Monk helped ice the game late with nine fourth-quarter points.

One of the big separators in this game was transition. The Kings forced 19 turnovers and converted those opportunities into 28 points. On the other side, the Warriors registered zero fast break points and forced only eight turnovers.

The Kings are now 9-2 in 11 games under head coach Doug Christie. That includes a perfect 6-0 mark in clutch time.

🍿 Crunch time for Kings, Warriors

The Kings find themselves in yet another close game as they trail the Warriors by two with just over two minutes remaining. This is their 27th game that has gone into “Clutch Time” which is a game within five points with under five minutes to go.

Flip over to ESPN for the thrilling conclusion of this battle of Northern California rivals.

👑Kings tie Warriors entering 4th

The Kings have erased a 17-point halftime deficit to the Warriors to knot it up going into the fourth quarter. Sacramento went on a furious 12-0 run to end the 3rd.

DeMar DeRozan has helped fuel the comeback with 19 3rd-quarter points on a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the line.

🎢 Celtics and Clippers go back-and-forth

The Celtics hold a 60-59 advantage over the Clippers at halftime in LA. Boston’s dynamic duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have combined for 25 points while Sam Hauser has been an x-factor with 12 points all coming via the three.

Derrick Jones has been the answer on offense for the Clips with 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting, including 3-for-3 from distance.

Catch the second half on NBA League Pass.

🌉Warriors lead Kings at half

In a clash of Northern California squads, the Warriors have raced out to a 17-point halftime lead. The Kings entered tonight having gone 9-1 in their last 10 while the Warriors found themselves at 5-5 in that span and on the outside looking in for a spot in the play-in.

True to form, the Warriors have got it done from distance, going 14-for-26 from beyond the arc. Steph Curry has accounted for just one triple while Andrew Wiggins, Buddy Hield and Gui Santos have each canned three 3’s.

Catch the second half action on ESPN.

Hornets’ comeback bid falls short in Memphis

Grizzlies 132, Hornets 120

The Hornets outscored the Grizzlies by 10 points in the fourth quarter and 18 points in the second half but it wasn’t enough to overcome the 78-point barrage from the Grizzlies in the first half.

The Grizzlies had three players (Jaren Jackson, Desmond Bane, and Luke Kennard) go for over 20 points and Kennard hit seven three-pointers. Ja Morant played the role of facilitator with 16 points (5-9 FG) and 13 assists to fall one dime shy of a season high. He was also active on the defensive end of the floor.

There were positive takeaways for Charlotte, though. Mark Williams, who is having a terrific month, logged a new career-high in points with 38. This comes just one week after Williams set his previous career best with 31 points against the Jazz. Williams is now averaging 20.4 points in eight January outings.

⚡ SGA drops 54 in OKC win

Thunder 123, Jazz 114

Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander popped off for a new career-high in points with 54 on tonight’s win over Utah. SGA was aggressive all night, going 17-for-35 from the floor and 17-for-18 from the line. He added eight rebounds and three steals as the Thunder held off a solid effort from the Jazz.

SGA set his previous career-high earlier this season with 45 points against the Clippers in November and tied that mark in December against the Pacers.

😅Rockets hang on to beat Cavaliers

The Rockets were in the danger zone late against the Cavs, holding onto a two-point lead as the Cavaliers stepped to the line with a chance to ice it with three free throws. Only one of the three FTs fell and Houston was able to hang on for the win.

The Rockets got strong efforts across the board, including a combined 35 points from the bench unit. Cam Whitmore provided the dunk of the night from this game with a powerful finish to the alley-oop.

🐺 Timberwolves hold off Mavericks

NBA Rivals Week delivered the goods with a WCF rematch between the Mavericks and Timberwolves tonight. It was a four-quarter battle but the Timberwolves were able to salt it away at the free throw line despite some clutch shooting from Kyrie Irving, who hit two 3’s in the final 30 seconds.

Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels was a star tonight with 27 points to complement Anthony Edwards’ 21 points and seven assists.

Irving was in his bag for the Mavs with 36 points as he crossed the 18,000-point milestone in his career.

Cavs heating up in H-Town

Cleveland has gone on a 12-0 run to spark a comeback against Houston. Catch the finish now on NBA League Pass

😤 Cunningham powers Pistons to W in ATL

Pistons 114, Hawks 104

Cade Cunningham went for 29 points and 11 assists tonight in Atlanta as the Pistons moved to 23-21 on the season and into the 6th spot in the East. Malik Beasley provided a punch off the bench with 19 points, including five threes.

Peep one of Cunningham’s assists as he delivered a full-court time to Ausar Thompson for an easy two.

🍿 Mavs coming back vs T’Wolves

The Mavericks trailed by 12 early in the fourth quarter against the visiting Timberwolves but used a 13-2 run to climb back into the game. P.J. Washington (28 points) and Kyrie Irving (26 points). The Mavericks now trail by four after some clutch shooting by Jaden McDaniels but it’s still anybody’s game with four minutes to go.

☀️Booker gets into history books as Suns bank W

Suns 108, Nets 84

Devin Booker cooked up 32 points in tonight’s win over the Nets and in the process became the 10th shooting guard in NBA history with 200 career 30-point games.

Book now has 14 30-point games in 37 appearances this season.

🎷Jazz hanging with Thunder

The Jazz and Thunder are locked in a back-and-forth battle through nearly three quarters. There have been 14 lead changes, 10 ties, and no lead bigger than nine points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is doing his thing with 29 points, but the Jazz are hanging tough with strong efforts from John Collins, Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler and others.

We’ve got a one-point Thunder lead late in the third. Catch the rest of the action now on NBA League Pass.

Book 🤝 KD combine for 50 (so far)

Devin Booker and Kevin Durant are locked in tonight for the Suns as they’ve provided 50 of Phoenix’s 94 points mid-way through the fourth quarter in Brooklyn. Durant had 19 in the first half and is up to 24 while Booker has exploded in the second half with 19 of his own.

Jalen Johnson. Elite Dunker. Confirmed

Per our NBA Stats department, Jalen Johnson became the fourth player this season to record multiple slams with dunk scores over 90.

In case you missed it, here’s Johnson’s throwdown from earlier tonight against the Pistons. You can check the rest of tonight’s dunk score leaders and the season-leaders here at NBA.com.

Cade 📧 Duren = 😤

The Pistons are one of the best teams in transition in the league this season and they can add this one to their highlight reel with Cade Cunningham setting up Jalen Duren off the backboard for the flush.

😱 It’s WhitMORE. Not WhitLess

Houston’s Cam Whitmore is having himself a night with 12 first-half points midway through the second quarter. He got all the way up to finish the oop and give the Rockets a three-point lead over the visiting Cavs.

Catch the action now on NBA League Pass.

Let’s get another look, shall we?

Whew.

🧃Mavs and T’Wolves providing the juice

Tonight’s highly anticipated Western Conference Finals rematch between the Mavericks and Timberwolves is living up to the hype so far. Seven lead changes. Seven ties. No lead larger than eight points.

Jaden McDaniels leads the way for the T’Wolves with 11 early points while P.J. Washington is pacing the scoring for the Mavs.

Spencer Dinwiddie has the highlight of the night from Dallas with this tough bucket with the shot clock ticking down.

We might need an @ArtButSports comp for this one

🌍This game is global

Rockets’ sideline reporter Vanessa Richardson gives us a cool story about the Karakurt family coming all the way to Houston from Izmir, Turkey to see Alperen Şengün play tonight against the Cavaliers.

Şengün has been worth the trip thus far with four points, four rebounds and two assists in eight minutes of action.

🔥Pistons start hot

The Pistons put up 36 points in the first quarter to take a 10-point lead over the Hawks. Seven different Pistons contributed to the scoring and they shot 62.5 percent from the floor, including 66.7 percent from downtown.

Tune in for the second quarter action now on NBA League Pass.

🛗 Jalen Johnson takes the elevator

Detroit’s Jalen Duren is one of the toughest rim protectors in the league. Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson can jump really high, though. The first round of Jalen vs Jalen goes to Johnson.

The Hawks’ bench seemed to love it, too. We think. It’s kind of hard to tell.

Tonight’s NBA Rivals Week action set to tip

The Rivals Week action gets underway at 7:30 with three great matchups including

  • Pistons vs Hawks
  • Suns vs Nets
  • Timberwolves vs Mavericks

Nets lineup

Here’s how the Nets will line up tonight with Cameron Johnson (ankle) sidelined.

Suns lineup

The Suns will counter with this starting five as KD makes his return to the Barclays Center

Mavericks lineup

Daniel Gafford steps in as the starting center for the Mavericks and gets a big test against Rudy Gobert and the T’Wolves.

Timberwolves lineup

Ant-Man and company head to Dallas to take on the Mavericks in a nationally televised showdown.

Pistons lineup

Cade Cunningham and the red-hot Pistons head to ATL to face Trae Young and the Hawks.

Hawks lineup

Trae Young and the Hawks look to improve to 12-7 in front of the home crowd but it’s be no easy matchup against a surging Pistons squad.

🤓 Required reading

📰 Top NBA storylines tonight

  1. Cavs vs Rockets showcase best from East and West: The East’s No.1 seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers, head to Houston to face the No.2 seed in the West. Stars like Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Green and more will be going toe-to-toe in one of the best regular season matchups of the year so far.
  2. Hawks, Pistons jockey for playoff position: There is half the season still to play but there is a logjam forming in the East with three teams (Heat, Magic, Pistons) all within one game of the Hawks for the coveted 6-seed in the East. The Pistons are just a half game back and have a big opportunity tonight as they face the Hawks in Atlanta.
  3. Red-hot Kings get national spotlight: The Kings are tied with the Pacers for the best record in the league this month (8-1) and are 9-1 in their last 10 overall. They will take on their regional rivals, the Warriors, tonight on national TV with a 10:30 ET tipoff on ESPN.

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