Starting 5: Thunder, Pistons stand tall in Game 2 wins

Storm Warning: A signature OKC surge gives the reigning champs a 2-0 series lead – extending a historic stretch of home Playoff dominance.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Thunder Strike Again: Shai’s 37, Chet’s monster 3rd and a 2-0 series lead for OKC

Pistons Pull Even: The East’s No. 1 seed sends message with 30-3 run to tie series 1-1

Nuggets at Wolves: How Gobert’s clutch defense helped reset the series for tonight’s Game 3

In The East: Hawks eye home edge after Game 2 stunner, Cavs chase 3-0 lead

Sacrifice Rewarded: Keldon Johnson’s journey to Kia Sixth Man of the Year

BUT FIRST … ⏰

The NBA Playoffs deliver three Game 3s tonight on Prime, with Knicks-Hawks and Nuggets-Wolves even at 1-1, while the Cavs look to seize a 3-0 series lead in Toronto.

• Knicks at Hawks (7 ET, Prime | Tap to Watch)
• Cavaliers at Raptors (8 ET, Prime | Tap to Watch)
• Nuggets at Wolves (9:30 ET, Prime | Tap to Watch)

Johnson Wins Sixth Man: The Spurs’ Keldon Johnson has been named the 2025-26 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year, earning the John Havlicek Trophy. The Kia Sportsmanship Award will be announced today at Noon ET.

See the full NBA Awards Week announcement schedule and results here.

• Monday: Kia Defensive Player of the Year | Victor Wembanyama (SAS)
• Tuesday: Kia Clutch Player of the Year | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)
• Wednesday: Kia Sixth Man of the Year | Keldon Johnson (SAS)
• Thursday: Sportsmanship Award (Noon ET, @NBAPR)
• Friday: Kia Most Improved Player (6:30 ET, Prime)

1. THUNDER ROLL TO 2-0 LEAD BEHIND SGA & HOLMGREN

Another night. Another Thunder strike. Another reminder why they’re reigning champs.

Thunder 120, Suns 107: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was masterful (37 pts, 5 reb, 9 ast), as he and Chet Holmgren (19 pts, 8 reb, 4 blk) sparked a decisive 35-20 3rd quarter run to seize control, propelling OKC past Dillon Brooks (30 pts, 6 reb) and Phoenix to take a 2-0 series lead. | Recap

• Rolling In: Jalen Williams scored all 19 of his points in the 1st half, going 7-of-8 from the field to give OKC a 65-57 lead at the break
• Raining Down: Then, the storm. SGA (12 pts, 4 ast) and Holmgren (11 pts, 3 blk, 4-5 FG) erupted for 23 combined points in the 3rd, combining to outscore the whole Phoenix team (20) and build a 23-point lead
• Last Wind: Brooks scored 13 in the 4th to spark a 20-4 run that cut the lead to 10 late. But it wasn’t enough, as SGA – fresh off collecting the Kia Clutch POY Jerry West Trophy – scored or assisted on OKC’s next 10 points to ice it

Signature Strikes: Over the past two regular seasons, the Thunder have notched 64 quarters in which they’ve outscored their opponent by 15+ points.

En route to last year’s title, OKC tallied 11 such quarters in the Playoffs.

Both marks are all-time NBA records.

Two games into the 2026 Playoffs, the Thunder already have two more – one in Game 1 and one in Game 2 – a reminder of their ability to turn spurts into tsunamis.

And at the epicenter has been their pair of 2025-26 All-Stars.

• Tone-Setting Surge: OKC opened Game 1 with a 35-20 1st quarter, as SGA (8 pts, 3 ast) and Holmgren (13 pts, 6 reb, 2 stl) again outscored Phoenix
• 2-0 Tidal Wave: Last night? Another 35-20 quarter behind the two All-Stars, with Holmgren becoming just the third player in 15 years to record 10+ points and 3+ blocks on 80% shooting in a Playoff quarter
• “He’s special, man,” said SGA of Holmgren postgame. “He affects the game at a really high level, every time he steps on the floor …
• “Since the day he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, we’ve been the 1st seed in the West, and it’s no coincidence.”

Thunder Dome: OKC has taken advantage of those No. 1 seeds with homecourt dominance, going 13-2 in Playoff games at Paycom Center since last season.

In those games, the Thunder have outscored their opponents by 307 points – the highest point differential over any 15-game span at home in Playoff history.

Up Next: The series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 on Saturday, as the Suns look to answer on their home floor (3:30 ET, NBC).

2. CADE, PISTONS GET EVEN ON HUGE GAME 2 RUN

Cade Cunningham and the Pistons knew how they needed to respond after dropping Game 1 to the 8-seed Magic.

The East leaders responded by putting on a show in the 3rd quarter, setting a new tone for the series.

Pistons 98, Magic 83: Cunningham (27 pts, 6 reb, 11 ast) was in the driver’s seat again for Detroit, which used a 38-point 3rd to cruise and even the series at 1-1, holding the Magic to a season-low 83 points. | Recap

• Stronger Start: Detroit jumped out to a 14-7 start, swatting a play-by-play era-high seven shots in the 1st quarter
• Keeping Pace: Orlando struggled from the field throughout, shooting a season-low 32.5%. Matching Detroit’s physicality, the Magic tied the game at 46 entering the half

But the Pistons erupted for a 3rd quarter to remember, winning the frame 38-16 for a double-digit lead they never surrendered.

• Getting Rolling: Tobias Harris’ (16 pts, 11 reb) stepback jumper opened the 3rd and a 30-3 game-deciding run for the Pistons
• Contagious Makes: Eight of nine Pistons who played in the quarter scored, with six tallying 5+ points
• Lockdown D: Detroit held Orlando to 16 points on 29.4% shooting and 25% from 3, while swiping four steals for a 22-point lead
• Rare Run: No team since 2022 has held an opponent to those marks while outscoring it by 20+ in a 3rd quarter

“It’s nothing to get flustered about,” Cunningham said of Detroit’s response to Game 1. “Today was a good step forward in the right direction for us …

“It’s gonna be a long series. Even this win doesn’t change anything, we gotta keep rolling.”

• Motor Cade: Cunningham leads all Playoff scorers through two games, adding to his 39-point Game 1 tally for 33 ppg
• Orlando’s Core: Jalen Suggs (19 pts) led four Magic starters in double figures, as Orlando got 64 of its 83 points from the first unit
• Up Next: Tied 1-1, the series shifts to Orlando for Game 3 on Saturday (1 ET, Peacock)

3. ON PRIME: GOBERT, WOLVES LOOK TO STOP NUGGETS AGAIN IN GAME 3

One of the league’s most iconic rivalries just added a wild new chapter.

When the Wolves climbed back from 19 down to win Game 2 — their 2nd-largest Playoff comeback ever, after a 20-point swing against Denver in 2024 WCF Game 7 — it tied the series and stole home-court going into Game 3 tonight (9:30 ET, Prime).

And while Anthony Edwards (30 pts) and Donte DiVincenzo (19) powered the rally on the offensive end, the series-altering turnaround does not happen without Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota defense.

• Crunch Time: When the game kicked into clutch time, Minnesota outscored Denver 13-7, clamping the Nuggets to just two field goals on 20% shooting
• No Joke: Gobert limited Nuggets in his path to 4-of-15 shooting, keying in on Nikola Jokić to force him to 1-of-8

And as Jon Krawczynski writes for The Athletic, the timing of Gobert’s big stand makes a lot of sense:

Jokić put up 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists against Minnesota in a Christmas Day win. Last season, he erupted for 61 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an overtime loss to the Wolves.

… But Edwards, and the rest of the Timberwolves… didn’t hesitate to put a generational defensive player on a generational offensive player and tell him to go to work. Gobert responded with one of the best performances of his life…” | Read More

4. IN THE EAST: HAWKS HOST KNICKS, CAVS VISIT RAPTORS

In the shot-clock era, 1,328 teams have trailed by 10+ points entering the 4th quarter of a Playoff game. Only 31 came back to win.

Then the Hawks – staring at a potential 2-0 deficit in Madison Square Garden – became No. 32.

In 12 minutes on Monday, a 12-point Knicks lead turned on its head – and so did the series – as the Hawks roared back to tie it at 1-1.

Tonight (7 ET, Prime), the series shifts to Atlanta for a pivotal Game 3.

• Months In Motion: Atlanta’s rally was improbable, but not random. The Hawks posted five comebacks of 14+ points this season and closed the regular season on an East-best 20-6 run after the All-Star break
• Closing Clamps: During that stretch, Atlanta ranked 3rd in 4th-quarter DefRtg, holding its opponents to an NBA-low 29.8% from 3
• Playoff Proof: In Monday’s rally, the Hawks held the Knicks to 5-of-22 shooting and 15 points in the final frame – their lowest-scoring 4th quarter of the season
• “We just kept competing,” said Hawks coach Quin Snyder. “New York was dialed in and knocked us back … we needed to raise our level – and the guys did that.”

Crunch-Time Collision: The Hawks have made a habit of elevating late, but so have the Knicks.

Led by Jalen Brunson, the 2024-25 Kia Clutch Player of the Year, New York has outscored its opponents by an NBA-best 238 total points in the 4th quarter – 76 more than the next closest team.

When those strengths collide, chaos has followed: three of the Knicks and Hawks’ five meetings this season have been decided by one possession – tied for the most between any two teams.

While Knicks-Hawks has been defined by late drama, Cavs-Raptors so far belonged to Cleveland’s two superstars: Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.

Tonight on Prime (8 ET), the series shifts to Toronto as Cleveland looks to take a 3-0 lead behind its dynamic duo.

• The Acquisition: On Feb. 3, the Cavs sat 4th in the East at 30-21, but they were searching for another level. So they made the move for Harden
• Beard Boost: At the time, Cleveland owned a 116.9 OffRtg. After Harden entered the lineup, that number jumped to 120.7 – the 4th-best mark in the NBA
• That Other Level: In Games 1 & 2, Cleveland’s been even better, posting an East-best 121.7 OffRtg, with Mitchell (31 pts, 4.5 ast) and Harden (25 pts, 7 ast) having scored or assisted on 66.4% of the team’s points
• “The James Harden effect is not only the gravity, but the IQ level,” said Mitchell last week. “What he brings, what he sees, what he’s able to do … he’s a basketball savant.”
• Savant 🤝 Spida: With Harden operating, Mitchell’s big-game gear has kicked in, posting back-to-back 30-pieces while shooting 47.1% from 3
• “He’s capable of the spectacular,” said Harden of Mitchell after Game 2. “Big-time shots from him. Big-time play from him.”

But Toronto isn’t out. The Raptors haven’t lost three straight games since Dec. 9, and now return home to Scotiabank Arena, where they’re 24-17 this season.

• “We’ve learned a lot,” said Raptors coach Darko Rajaković of Games 1 & 2. “We’re going home now to get a win.”

5. SPURS’ KELDON JOHNSON WINS KIA SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR

Keldon Johnson had a new calling for the 2023-24 season.

The Spurs saw him as a better fit on the bench than in the starting lineup and moved him accordingly. For the previous three seasons, he operated regularly as a starter.

• “I wanted to be part of something special here in San Antonio,” Johnson said. “At first, it was tough. I had to (control) my ego and put the team first … after that, the sky was the limit.”

Two seasons later, Johnson continues to reach for the sky. On Wednesday, the 7th-year forward was named the Kia Sixth Man of the Year. | Full 2025-26 NBA Awards Tracker & Schedule

• All Alone: Johnson is the first player in franchise history to score 1,000+ points off the bench in a single season, finishing this year with 1,081
• Joining Manu: He’s followed in the footsteps of four-time NBA champion Manu Ginobili, who, in 2007-08, became the first Spur to win the award

San Antonio won 22 games in 2023-24.

This season, Johnson helped power the Spurs to 62 wins and the West’s No. 2 seed, serving as the top option off the bench in all 82 games.

• On Both Ends: Among all NBA reserves, Johnson finished top-five in rebounds (303), free throws (154) and plus-minus (+3.9)
• “He has sacrificed more than anybody on this team,” said Victor Wembanyama. “(He) has outshone everybody on the team because he’s the soul of this team.”

Wembanyama was named Kia Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earned Kia Clutch Player of the Year on Tuesday.

The NBA Sportsmanship Award will be announced today at Noon ET, and the Kia Most Improved Player will be revealed Friday (6:30 ET, Prime).

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