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Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from Jan. 29

Catch the latest NBA news, scores and highlights from around the league with tonight's Nightly Pulse NBA live blog.

NBA.com Staff

🏀NBA Scores Tonight (1/29)

Raptors 106, Wizards 82

Pacers 133, Pistons 119

Nets 104, Hornets 83

Knicks 122, Nuggets 112

Celtics 122, Bulls 100

76ers 117, Kings 104

Cavaliers 126, Heat 106

Clippers 128, Spurs 116

Mavericks 137, Pelicans 136

Timberwolves 121, Suns 113

Warriors 116, Thunder 109

👇Big NBA takeaways tonight

  • Knicks knock off Nuggets at MSG: The Knicks notched a big win over one of the West’s best tonight with a 122-112 win over the Nuggets in front of a raucous Madison Square Garden crowd. A matchup between Nikola Jokić and Karl-Anthony Towns is always appointment viewing, but the guards stole the show tonight. Jalen Brunson popped off for 30 points and 15 dimes for the Knicks while Jamal Murray went for 33 points on the other side. 
  • Warriors take down Thunder: The Warriors had a tall task in front of them tonight with the West’s best team, the Thunder coming to town. Despite an early deficit and an incredible 52-point barrage from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Warriors found a way to pull the upset tonight. Golden State outscored OKC by 17 in the second half and shot just under 50 percent from the floor on the night. This was a huge win for a Warriors team hovering around .500 in a crowded and competitive Western Conference.
  • McCollum perched atop Pelicans’ record book: With his third three of the night, CJ McCollum moved past Jrue Holiday as the Pelicans’ all-time leader for made three-pointers (629). McCollum is closing in on J.R. Smith for 22nd all-time in NBA history in that category. Salute to 3J 🫡

Tonight’s NBA stat leaders

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: 52 points (16-29 FG, 18-21 FT), four assists, three rebounds for the 2nd 50-point game of his career.
  • Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks: 30 Points, 15 assists, two steals in win over Nuggets
  • Kristaps Porziņģis, Boston Celtics: Season-high 34 points (26 in 1H), 11 rebounds and three steals in win over Bulls.
  • Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers: Season-high 37 points, six rebounds and four assists in win over

💪 Dubs pull away late, take down Thunder

Warriors 116, Thunder 109

The Thunder raced out to a 14-point lead early in tonight’s game against the Warriors but Golden State stayed the course and navigated an impressive comeback against arguably the best team in the league thanks to a terrific second half.

The Warriors shot 50 percent from the floor on the night and got out in transition, outscoring the Thunder 18-5 in fastbreak points.

Golden State got contributions up and down its lineup and bench. Stephen Curry had his customary 21 points, and Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney went for 27 and 18 points, respectively.

Gary Payton II had a ferocious throwdown to put an exclamation point on the night and get his teammates fired up.

The Thunder got a remarkable performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the second 50-point game of his career.  Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe combined for 43 points between them. However, the rest of the Thunder mustered 14 points. Oklahoma City has hit a bit of a swoon relative to its torrid pace through the first half of the season. The Thunder are just 3-3 in their last six. They will look to get back on track Saturday against the Kings.

🌉 Crunch time by the Bay

The Warriors and Thunder are in a back-and-forth showdown at the Chase Center with the Warriors having made a furious comeback to lead by five as we tick below five minutes to go in the fourth.

Stephen Curry has come alive in the second half with 14 of his 18 points coming after halftime.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is carrying the load for the Thunder with 48 points. He’s attempted a career-high 21 free throws and converted 18 of them.

Tune into ESPN for the conclusion.

👀 Warriors aren’t going away

The Thunder rolled into Chase Center tonight and made it look like they’d have little trouble getting their 38th win. The Warriors have had other ideas, though.

Golden State now leads after trailing by 10 at halftime. Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney have been key with 31 combined points and Steph Curry has yet to truly get going with nine points.

Tune into ESPN for the exciting finish of Warriors-Thunder.

🐜 Ant-Man going off

Anthony Edwards is at it again tonight with yet another 30-point effort with time still to go in Phoenix. Edwards is up to 31 as the Timberwolves hold a 14-point lead over the Suns late in the fourth quarter.

🔔 76ers beat Kings, extend win streak to four

76ers 117, Kings 104

The 76ers have now tied their season-best win streak by notching their fourth consecutive victory tonight. They did so in impressive fashion by beating the ascending Kings by 13 points. A dominant fourth quarter was the difference as Philly outscored Sacramento 28-17 in the period.

Tyrese Maxey continues to put the team on his back with his third straight game of at least 30 points. He finished with 30 just one night after dropping 43 on the Lakers.

The Kings have now dropped three of four on their six-game road trip after getting off to a hot start in January. Things won’t get easier from here with Oklahoma City and Minnesota on tap to finish out the trip.

⚡ SGA, OKC off and running in Bay Area

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander accounted for 21 of the Thunder’s 34 first-quarter points as they lead by 14 over the Warriors at the first break. The MVP candidate has gone 7-for-8 from the floor and 6-for-7 from the line, and is giving the Warriors defense all kinds of issues.

Catch the action now on ESPN

😅 Mavs hold off Pels for road victory

Mavericks 137, Pelicans 136

A CJ McCollum three at the buzzer wasn’t quite enough for the Pelicans to close the gap with the Mavericks as Dallas held on for the win. The Mavs led by multiple possessions for much of the fourth but the Pelicans outscored them 25-17 over the final five minutes to make it close at the end.

Dallas got solid contributions from its starting five with three of its members — P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Kyrie Irving — all crossing the 20-point mark. Quentin Grimes had a quality outing off the bench with 17 points.

CJ McCollum hit three triples tonight to move into first place in Pelicans history for made 3’s (629). He passed Jrue Holiday in the franchise record books.

🥇 Pacers take season series from Pistons

Pacers 133, Pistons 119

The Pacers used an offensive barrage in the first half to set the tone tonight with 74 points to set a new season-high. They didn’t slow down much in the second half to finish with 133 points, one of their highest figures of the season.

Pascal Siakam was the star of the show with a season-high 37 points for Indiana while Tyrese Haliburton also crossed the 30-point mark.

The Pacers have the best win percentage in the league in January at 10-2

🗽 Knicks topple Nuggets for 5th straight win

Knicks 122, Nuggets 112

In a showdown of two of the league’s best from the East and West, the Knicks came out on top tonight. Jalen Brunson was unguardable with 30 points on 10-for-16 shooting and he also chipped in 15 assists. Brunson racked up 32 combined assists in two games against the Nuggets this season.

Nikola Jokić and Karl-Anthony Towns battled on the block for much of the night and it made for a statistical stalemate between the two of them. Jokić finished with 17 points and six rebounds while Towns went for 14 and 10 in the win.

The Nuggets go back to work Friday against the 76ers while the Knicks look to make it six in a row when they host the Lakers on Saturday.

💪 Cavaliers stay on track in Miami

The Cavs seem to have righted the ship after dropping three straight games last week. They notched their second straight win tonight with a 20-point victory over the Heat on the road.

The Cavaliers have won their last two games by a combined 39 points and both wins have come against playoff teams in the East (Heat, Pistons).

Donovan Mitchell led the way with 34 points and Ty Jerome was effective off the bench with 20 points and seven assists over 30 minutes of action.

☘️ Celtics get back in win column

Celtics 122, Bulls 100

The Celtics controlled this game throughout and trailed only once, by a single point, in the first quarter of tonight’s win. Other than that, it was all Celtics.

Kristaps Porziņģis had his best game of the season with 34 points and 11 boards. He hit eight three-pointers and the Celtics hit 18 as a team. Porziņģis has averaged 22.8 points per game over his last four since returning from a one-game absence.

Peyton Pritchard chipped in 10 points off the bench, including this stop-and-go sequence resulting in one of his two 3-pointers.

Coby White got back in the fold for the Bulls after missing four games with an ankle injury. He had a team-high 16 points and dished out three assists over 31 minutes.

🦖 Raptors make it five straight

Raptors 106, Wizards 82

The Raptors left no doubt tonight as they routed the Wizards in the Nation’s Capital. Toronto never trailed in this one and led by as many as 29 to secure its fifth straight victory and seventh in its last eight.

The Raptors had eight players score in double figures, led by Scottie Barnes’ 24 on 10-for-19 shooting.

Kyle Kuzma had himself a night for Washington, however. He not only had this ridiculous make from behind the backboard, he ran the floor and finished this impressive slam that registered a 101.3 dunk score.

✅ Nets snap seven-game losing skip, take down Hornets

Nets 104, Hornets 83

Injuries and a tough stretch of the schedule had been a struggle for the Nets of late, but they snapped out of their skid with a convincing win tonight in Charlotte.

Ben Simmons returned from a five-game absence and scored 10 points off the bench. Nic Claxton was a force on both ends with 12 points, eight boards and a season-high six blocks, which is one shy of his career best mark.

Miles Bridges led the way for the shorthanded Hornets with 23 points. Charlotte was missing LaMelo Ball, Cody Martin, and Mark Williams among others for this contest.

📈 Spurs surging

The Spurs have come screaming back into tonight’s game against Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers as we head to the fourth quarter. The Clippers led by as many as 16 in the third quarter but a 20-4 run by San Antonio helped cut that deficit to two points at the end of the third.

Four of San Antonio’s starters have scored in double figures led by Victor Wembanyama’s 17 to go with nine boards and three blocks.

Catch the finish now on NBA League Pass.

😬 Crunch Time updates

  • The Pacers just put a bow on a season series-clinching win over the Pistons, 133-119.
  • The Celtics and Cavaliers are cruising with Boston leading Chicago by 16 at the under-six mark of the fourth quarter and Cleveland up 15 with four minutes to go over Miami.
  • The fourth quarter is just getting underway at Madison Square Garden where the Knicks are holding onto a seven-point lead over the Nuggets
  • The 76ers and Kings are battling with the Sixers up eight with just over four to play.

♨️ Kristaps is cooking

Kristaps Porziņģis has poured in a season-high 29 with the bulk of the fourth quarter still to go against the Bulls. Porziņģis has gone 7-for-12 from beyond the arc and has added seven rebounds and a pair of steals to his output thus far. 

The Celtics lead by 20 early in the fourth at TD Garden.

📸 Pelicans bringing the highlights

Another night, another ridiculous dunk from New Orleans’ Trey Murphy. Windmill finish on the oop? Sheesh.

Of course, we have to include some Zion action for a Pelicans look-in. Tough bucket here.

The Pelicans trail the Mavericks by one early in the third quarter at the Smoothie King Center. Catch the second half on NBA League Pass.

🔨 Jalen Duren with authority

Jalen Duren threw down one of the best dunks you’ll see all season with this coast-to-coast effort finished off with a thunderous slam.

His 107.1 dunk score rates as the second-highest dunk score of the month and the eighth highest of the season.

☕Close game brewing in Philly

The 76ers lead the Kings by four points at the break after a well-played half of basketball on both sides. Eric Gordon has gone a perfect 3-for-3 from deep on his way to 14 first-half points and Tyrese Maxey leads the way for the Sixers with 17.

Malik Monk has paced the Kings’ scoring with 16 points and Domantas Sabonis is well on his way to another double-double with seven points and nine boards already.

💪 Pacers set season-high in first half

The Pacers dropped 74 points in the first half of tonight’s game against the Pistons, marking a new season-high for the team. Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton each scored over 20 points in the opening 24 minutes and T.J. McConnell chipped in 14 off the bench.

The Pacers lead by 10 going into the third quarter. Catch the second half now on NBA League Pass.

📜 Harden makes more history

James Harden passed Rod Strickland for 13th on the all-time assists leaderboard in tonight’s game against the Spurs.

🙅‍♂️ Do Not Challenge Kuzma to a game of HORSE

Washington’s Kyle Kuzma hit the classic “behind the basket, falling down, off one foot, swish” move that our editors would only dare try in a game of H-O-R-S-E. He did it in an NBA game to help the Wizards cut into the Raptors’ first-half lead.

🎛️ Porzingis dialed in

Kristaps Porzingis scored 13 of Boston’s first 15 points tonight against Chicago. He went 4-for-5 from the floor and hit all three of his 3’s to give Boston an early jolt.

The Bulls are hanging tough thanks in large part to Lonzo Ball’s nine early points.

Catch the action now on NBA League Pass.

🤯 Tyrese Haliburton. Resourceful

Tyrese Haliburton got himself out of a jam with the help of the backboard with one of the best plays you’ll see this week. It counts for two, but the style points are off the charts.

😯 Pacers off to scorching start

The Pacers are off and running tonight against the Pistons with 28 points in the first seven minutes of action. Indiana is 6-for-9 from three and shooting 73.3 percent from the floor overall.

Pascal Siakam (12 points) and Tyrese Haliburton (11 points) are leading the way early for the Pacers.

🍿 Knicks vs Nuggets set to tip

The Knicks (31-16; 7-3 L10) host the Nuggets (28-18; 7-3 L10) in one of tonight’s marquee matchups.

Knicks starting lineup tonight

Josh Hart (knee) is good to go tonight after landing on the injury report with right knee soreness.

Nuggets starting lineup tonight

🔑Key NBA Storylines Tonight

  1. Joker vs KAT at MSG: Two of the league’s best bigs will square off at Madison Square Garden as Nikola Jokić’s Nuggets take on Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks. Jokić and Towns each rank in the top five in win shares and Player Impact Estimate. The two are plenty familiar with each other from Towns’ days with the Timberwolves. Catch the action on ESPN at 7:30 ET.
  2. Big matchup in the Central: The Pistons (23-23) and Pacers (25-20) tip off the action tonight at 7 ET in our League Pass Game of the Day. A Pistons win would mean a split in the season series while the Pacers could clinch a 3-1 head-to-head advantage over their division rivals with a victory.
  3. Streaking Suns, Timberwolves face off in Phoenix: Both the Suns and Timberwolves have won three straight games and sit right next to each other in the Western Conference standings with Minnesota (25-21) in the 7th spot and Phoenix (24-21 in the 8th. The Timberwolves took the first meeting 120-117 all the way back in November, and the teams still have two matchups ahead of them in March.

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