Sunday Night Basketball, meet Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
In NBC’s first NBA Sunday broadcast since 2002, one of the game’s biggest stars extended one of its most ridiculous streaks:
120 straight games of 20+ points.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Sunday Night Basketball: Shai shines in West duel, Knicks best Luka & LeBron at MSG
Pioneers Day & East Standings: Brown delivers in first Pioneers Classic, Pistons roll, Allen drops 40, Raptors roar
Sunday Roundup: Clips stay scorching, Wemby wows, Heat & Wizards win
What’s Trending – All-Stars Set: Fourteen All-Star Game reserves unveiled
What’s Trending – Monday Heat: Surging squads on Peacock, Hornets buzz and more
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Four games tip off today, capped by a Peacock doubleheader as the Wolves visit the Grizzlies (7:30 ET), before the Clippers host the Sixers (10 ET).
All-Star Reserves Revealed: The 2026 All-Stars are set as the 14 reserves were announced Sunday on NBC’s Basketball Night in America.
Rosters will be announced Tuesday on Peacock’s pregame show (7 ET), with a new-look NBA All-Star Game (Feb 15, ET on NBC & Peacock) at LA’s Intuit Dome less than two weeks away.
1. SUNDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL PREMIERE: THUNDER STRIKE, KNICKS STAY ROLLING
How do you tip off your first NBA Sunday broadcast in 24 years?
With a Lenny Kravitz show open, a scene-setting introduction from Bob Costas, Lakers-Knicks at Madison Square Garden – and a second act featuring two West heavyweights.
NBC’s “Sunday Night Basketball,” the network’s new weekly primetime franchise, opened with a thriller at the World’s Most Famous Arena, and closed with the Thunder delivering a championship reminder in Denver.
Thunder 121, Nuggets 111: In his second game back after missing 16 contests with a knee injury, Nikola Jokić stuffed the stat sheet in limited minutes (16 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast, 29 min), while Peyton Watson poured in 29.
But the defending champs were too much, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was in full command (34 pts, 13 ast, 2 stl), while Cason Wallace caught fire from deep (27 pts, 7-11 3pm) to push OKC past Denver, improving to an NBA-best 39-11. | Recap
- The Depth: It’s a career-high in points and 3s for Wallace, while newly-named All-Star Chet Holmgren and Aaron Wiggins added 14 points apiece, with Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell and Alex Caruso all sidelined
- The MVP: Shai scored 19 in the 2nd half, helping spark a key 12-0 run in the 3rd quarter, where OKC hung 39 points to take control
- The Streak: It’s SGA’s 120th straight 20-point game, six shy of tying Wilt Chamberlain (126) for the longest such streak in NBA history
- “They need me every night, and I need them every night,” said SGA postgame of his teammates. “We gotta continue to bring it on both ends every night, and be there for each other.”
- ICYMI: Jokić picked up right where he left off in his Friday return, becoming the first player ever to tally 30+ pts, 10+ reb and 5+ assists in a game while logging fewer than 25 minutes
Sunday Night Basketball’s first chapter opened at MSG, where the stars shined bright and New York’s fight burned brighter.
Knicks 112, Lakers 100: Luka Dončić was clinical (30 pts, 15 reb, 8 ast), while LeBron James showed out (22 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast) for the MSG crowd, highlighted by this alley-oop finish that had Reggie Miller and the NBC crew shook.
But the Knicks were unshakeable, outscoring the Lakers 38-26 in the 3rd to take control, before holding Los Angeles to 18 points in the 4th to secure a sixth straight win. | Recap
- Triple Threat: OG Anunoby (25 pts, 8 reb, 3 stl), Landry Shamet (23 pts, 6 3s) and Josh Hart (20 pts, 8-11 FG) combined for 67, including a dagger 3 from Shamet that sent the Garden wild
- JB & KAT: Jalen Brunson orchestrated the offense (12 pts, 7 reb, 13 ast), while Karl-Anthony Towns, who joined Brunson as an All-Star on Sunday, added a double-double (11 pts, 13 reb)
- Back To 2: After a four-game skid, New York’s six-game heater has it back to 2nd in the East at 31-18 overal
Stars On Set: NBC’s Sunday Night Basketball doubleheader coincided with the debut of “Basketball Night in America,” with Maria Taylor hosting alongside Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Miller – plus a special guest.
- Clark On The Mic: Caitlin Clark made her broadcast debut as a special contributor on “Basketball Night in America,” where she discussed her mindset in high-pressure games
- Hoosier Heroes: Reggie’s thoughts on Clark? “I’m the 3rd-best shooter in the state of Indiana now.”
- All-Stars Revealed: The crew also unveiled the 2026 All-Star reserves, with the final nod going to a certain 22-time All-Star selection
- His Thoughts? “That ain’t bad.”
2. NBA PIONEERS DAY & A JAM-PACKED EAST RACE
Sunday was also NBA Pioneers Day, as the NBA family continued its celebration of the 75th anniversary of the NBA Pioneers: Chuck Cooper, Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton and Earl Lloyd – the league’s first Black players.
As part of the celebration, the Bucks and Celtics tipped off Black History Month with the inaugural NBA Pioneers Classic, a game that will be played each year on Feb. 1 to honor the legacy of the NBA Pioneers.
Celtics 107, Bucks 79: In the new landmark event, the C’s stayed winning behind Jaylen Brown (30 pts, 13 reb), while Anfernee Simons added 27 points on six 3s to roll past Ryan Rollins (25 pts, 7 ast) and the Bucks, claiming the first Pioneers Classic trophy. | Recap
- JB Guiding C’s: Powered by Brown’s career-high 29.4 points and 4.9 assists per game, Boston (31-18) is tied with 2nd-place New York and is 7-3 in its last 10 games
- But Sunday Meant More: “What an honor to be able to celebrate the legacy of the people that came before us,” said Brown on winning the Pioneers Classic trophy
- “I pride myself on paying respect to the people that came before [us], so it’s an honor to be here and accept this award.”
- Celebrating Legends: Brown also addressed the crowd ahead of the game alongside family members of Cooper, Clifton and Lloyd, who were honored throughout the day
Five and a half games up on Boston and New York, East-leading Detroit just keeps winning.
Pistons 130, Nets 77: Right after being named to his first All-Star Game, Jalen Duren showed why (21 pts, 10 reb), while Cade Cunningham joined him with a double-double (18 pts, 12 ast) to power the Pistons past the Nets. | Recap
- Record Win: It’s the Pistons’ largest win in franchise history (53 points) as they have won four of their last five games to reach 36-12
- “It’s a blessing,” said Duren on becoming a first-time All-Star. “It’s hard not to smile.”
And here come the Cavs.
Cavaliers 130, Blazers 111: Jarrett Allen was a beast, piling up a career-high 40 points (16-23 FG), 17 boards, 5 assists and 4 blocks in just 29:30 of action, lifting the Cavs past the Deni Avdija-less Blazers. | Recap
- Big-Time Performance: Allen is the first player to record 40+ pts, 15+ reb and 5+ ast while playing fewer than 30 minutes
- Big-Time Run: It’s Cleveland’s sixth win in seven games, moving it to 30-21 – tied with Toronto for 4th in the East.
Speaking of which…
Raptors 107, Jazz 100: RJ Barrett (21 pts, 6 reb) led the way in scoring, while Scottie Barnes’ impact was felt both ways (14 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 4 blk) as Toronto pulled away from Lauri Markkanen (27 pts, 11 reb) and Utah. | Recap
- Scottie’s All-Star Moment: Barnes found out he’d made his second All-Star team thanks to an assist from the jumbotron, and his teammates were loving it
3. ROUNDUP: CLIPS STAY HOT, WEMBY WOWS, HEAT & WIZ WIN
Can anyone contain the Clippers?
Clippers 117, Suns 93: Kawhi Leonard dropped 25 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, while Jordan Miller scored 20 off the bench to guide LA past the Suns for its 17th win in its last 21 games, jumping Portland for 9th out West. | Recap
- Full Sail Ahead: Entering Dec. 20, the Clips were 6-21. They’re now 23-25 – but more on that in Section 5 ⬇️
As LA climbed to 9th out West, San Antonio reclaimed its 2nd-place spot.
And Wemby did more Wemby things.
Spurs 112, Magic 103: Victor Wembanyama was a menace, dropping 25 points, 8 boards, 4 steals, 5 blocks and 1 defender as the Spurs sprinted past Desmond Bane (25 pts) and the Magic to move to 33-16. | Recap
- Back To 2: With the win and Denver’s loss, the Spurs jumped the Nuggets for 2nd out West. San Antonio now sits 5.5 games back of OKC
Heat 134, Bulls 91: Bam Adebayo (9 reb, 3 ast) and Pelle Larsson (4 ast) each went 8-of-11 from the field for 20 points apiece as Miami racked up a franchise-record 44 assists to beat Chicago. | Recap
Wizards 116, Kings 112: A shorthanded Wiz squad overcame big nights from Zach LaVine (35 pts) and DeMar DeRozan (32 pts) thanks to six double-digit scorers.
Rookie Will Riley (18 pts, 6 ast) and AJ Johnson (17 pts) led the way off the bench for Washington’s third win in four games. | Recap
4. WHAT’S TRENDING: 2026 ALL-STAR RESERVES UNVEILED
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game player pool is set.
Last night on NBC’s “Basketball Night in America,” the 14 reserves – seven from each conference, voted on by NBA head coaches – were revealed.
The 14 reserves will join the 10 previously named starters at the LA Clippers’ Intuit Dome on Sunday, Feb. 15 (5 ET, NBC/Peacock), marking the debut of the All-Star Game’s new U.S. vs. World format.
Key Takeaways: Before breaking down how the format works, let’s look at some notable highlights from the 2026 All-Star reserves and the field as a whole.
- Fresh Faces: Six of the 14 reserves will make their first All-Star appearance: Jalen Duren (DET), Jalen Johnson (ATL), Norman Powell (MIA), Deni Avdija (POR), Chet Holmgren (OKC) and Jamal Murray (DEN)
- All-Star King: LeBron James extended his record number of selections to 22, joining his fellow Laker teammate Luka Dončić, who led the West starters in total fan votes
- All-Star Duos: They won’t be the only teammates suiting up as the Knicks (Jalen Brunson & Karl-Anthony Towns), Pistons (Cade Cunningham & Duren), Thunder (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Holmgren) and Nuggets (Nikola Jokić & Murray) also boast All-Star tandems
U.S. vs. World Explained: In the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players (the World team) will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games.
The top two teams will then square off in a winner-take-all championship.
- Up Next, Roster Reveal: The three teams will be revealed Tuesday on Peacock’s pregame show at 7 ET, ahead of Celtics-Mavs (8 ET) on NBC & Peacock
5. WHAT’S TRENDING: SURGING SQUADS TAKE CENTER STAGE TONIGHT
The LA Clippers are an NBA-best 17-4 since Dec. 20.
In that span, they’ve climbed from as low as 14th out West into Play-in position, have allowed the 4th-fewest ppg in the NBA (106.8) and made a fan eat his words … like, literally, writes AP’s Tim Reynolds:
The date was Dec. 20. It was the day everything changed for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard has been the 4th-leading scorer in the NBA since, averaging 30.2 ppg. James Harden has averaged 24.6 points in that stretch. The Clippers have the best scoring differential in the Western Conference over that span. They’ve been rolling.
This is where Robert Flom enters the story. | Read More
Tonight on Peacock (10 ET), the surging Clips run into a red-hot star, Joel Embiid, as LA hosts Philly.
- Embiid Balling: Embiid led Philly with 29.7 ppg in January and totaled 416, his highest-scoring month since November 2023
- Big Buckets: That includes seven straight games of 28+ points, capped by 37 on Thursday and a season-high 40 on Saturday
- The Result? The Sixers have gone 11-4 in Embiid’s last 15 games, and are on a three-game win streak
Earlier on Peacock (7:30 ET), Anthony Edwards’ Wolves visit the Grizzlies, with Minnesota seeking its fifth win in a row.
- Ant Ignition: Edwards is fresh off his highest-scoring month of the season, as he averaged 30.1 ppg in January, trailing only Luka (34) and SGA (31.7) for the most in the NBA
- The Key? Ant has been lights out from 3, hitting 3.8 triples per game since Jan. 1 at a 43.4% clip
- Tonight, he’ll look to stay hot against the Grizz, who aim to snap a six-game skid
Speaking of red-hot, Pelicans-Hornets (3 ET) opens today’s slate on League Pass, with Charlotte riding a six-game heater – its longest win streak since March 2016.
- Sustained Buzz: The Hornets finished January with an NBA-best +187 plus/minus and an 11.5 NetRtg – 3.5 points higher than the next closest team (BOS: 8)
- Backcourt Buckets: Leading the way? Brandon Miller (22.1), Kon Knueppel (17.8) and LaMelo Ball (17.2), who have combined for 57.1 ppg in 2026
- Kon & Coop Callback: Knueppel, the current Kia Rookie Ladder leader, ranks 3rd in the NBA in total made 3s (162), including eight on Thursday in a historic rookie duel against his former Duke teammate, Cooper Flagg
- Later on League Pass, Kevin Durant’s Rockets aim for their third straight win as they visit the Pacers (7 ET).
