LeBron with the and-1 finish … and the newest Laker is loving it.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Feb. 5, 2025
Tuesday’s Best: Boston’s statement, Lakers keep rolling, Embiid returns, D-Lo for the win & more
Welcome to L.A.: Sights & sounds from Luka Dončić’s introductory press conference
All-Star: Rising Stars drafted, Celebrity Game rosters & Slam Dunk participants announced
ESPN Doubleheader: De’Aaron Fox debuts for San Antonio, OKC goes for win No. 40
League Pass: LaVine debuts in Sacramento, East All-Star guards clash in Cleveland
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The countdown to Thursday’s Trade Deadline is on…
With the Trade Deadline set for Thursday at 3 ET, expect the chatter and the deals to ramp up over the next 24 hours. Keep up with all the latest moves with the Trade Tracker.
ESPN Doubleheader: We get our first look at the Fox-Wemby pairing when the Spurs visit the Hawks (7 ET). Then, the Thunder look to join the Cavs in the 40-win club this season when they host the Suns (9:30 ET).
1. A BOSTON STATEMENT, LAKERS ROLL, EMBIID RETURNS, D-LO FOR THE WIN
Celtics 112, Cavaliers 105: Derrick White scored 14 of his 20 points in the 4th quarter to help the Celtics hold off the Cavs for their second win over the East leader this season. | Recap
- Jayson Tatum added 22 points and seven dimes as Boston won its fourth straight while snapping Cleveland’s four-game win streak despite a big game from Donovan Mitchell (31 points, 10 reb, 6 ast)
- The champs join Atlanta and Houston as the only teams to beat Cleveland twice this season
Lakers 122, Clippers 97: Two days removed from the stunning trade that shook up their roster, LeBron James (26 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast, 3 stl) and the Lakers went into the Intuit Dome to face the Clippers and came away with their ninth win in the last 11 games. | Recap
- 20/20 Vision: L.A. got 20-point efforts from Rui Hachimura (20 pts, 4 3pm) and Austin Reaves (20 pts, 9 ast), while Norm Powell led the Clippers with 20 points of his own
Nets 99, Rockets 97: The Nets trailed 97-93 with 9.5 seconds left, but scored two 3s in the span of 6.1 seconds to take the lead. When Jalen Green’s potential game-winning 3 at the buzzer missed, the Nets sealed the improbable win. | Recap | Watch The Final 3:30
- The Final Sequence: Keon Johnson started it with a catch-and-shoot deep 3 off the inbounds pass to cut the deficit to one
- Then, an errant inbounds pass left the ball bouncing in the lane. Tosan Evbuomwan tipped it to D’Angelo Russell, who knocked down the game-winning triple with 3.4 seconds left
Sixers 118, Mavs 116: Playing in his first game in a month, Joel Embiid (29 pts, 11 reb, 10 ast) capped off his first triple-double of the year with the go-ahead basket with 22 seconds left that put Philly up for good. | Recap
- Maxey Rolling: Tyrese Maxey (33 pts, 13 ast) notched his sixth straight 30+ point game – now doubling the longest such streak he had before this run began on Jan. 25
- Dynamic Duo: Maxey & Embiid became the third Sixers duo to ever post 25+ points and 10+ assists in the same game, joining Embiid & James Harden (2023) and Wilt Chamberlain & Hal Greer (1965)
- Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 34 points, while Max Christie had 15 points and nine boards in his Mavs debut
Knicks 121, Raptors 115: Jalen Brunson (28 pts, 5 ast) and Karl-Anthony Towns (27 pts, 20 reb) combined for 55 points to lead the Knicks to their seventh win in their last eight games. KAT posted his fourth 20/20 game of the season, tying Nikola Jokić for most in the league. | Recap
Bulls 133, Heat 124: The Bulls trailed by nine entering the 4th, before winning the final frame 39-21 to defeat the Heat behind 24-point games from Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis. | Recap
- Perfection: Buzelis (10-10 FG) became the sixth rookie in NBA history – and the youngest at age 20 – to have a perfect game with at least 10 shot attempts
Blazers 112, Pacers 89: Portland and Indiana both entered Tuesday’s matchup riding four-game win streaks. The Blazers made it five straight – and nine wins in their last 10 games – with a wire-to-wire win behind a combined 42 points from Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant. | Recap
2. LAKERS WELCOME LUKA DONČIĆ TO LOS ANGELES
Two days after the trade that rocked the basketball world, the Lakers introduced Dončić – along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, who also came over in the trade – to the L.A. media on Tuesday.
Being a few days removed from the deal, Luka said his initial shock has been replaced by excitement to play for the Lakers and play alongside his childhood idol, LeBron James.
- Luka: “Honestly, it was hard at first. That first day was really hard. I felt like these last 48 hours was one month. Emotionally, it was really hard, but today was much better. This is the Lakers. It’s one of the best clubs in history, so I’m excited to be here.”
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, who quietly negotiated the trade with the Mavericks, could not hide his joy from bringing Luka to L.A.
- Pelinka: “We have one of the game’s biggest superstars and an international player coming to join the Lakers. I think it’s going to be something incredibly special that the NBA and basketball has never seen before.”
- Coach JJ Redick: “As much as we can hyperbolize this trade as the craziest trade in sports history, it really is a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to trade for a player of Luka’s caliber in his prime.”
In terms of when Luka will don the Lakers’ purple and gold for the first time, Pelinka said Luka will participate in 5-on-5 work at practice today, with the Lakers making a plan for his debut afterward.
Luka was on the Lakers’ bench during Tuesday win over the Clippers, getting a front row look at his new teammates.
- Luka On LeBron: “I always looked up to him. There’s so many things I can learn from him, and I’m just excited to learn everything and get to play with him. It’s an amazing feeling.”
- LeBron On Playing With Luka: “It’s gonna be special.“
The Kobe Moment: Luka was asked about the clip of Laker legend Kobe Bryant speaking to him in Slovenian in 2019
- Luka: “Just for Kobe to know my name was amazing.”
3. RISING STARS TEAMS SET, CELEBRITY GAME & DUNK CONTEST PARTICIPANTS REVEALED
Amen Thompson’s breakout sophomore season has put the basketball world on notice.
It got the attention of Mitch Richmond, who made Amen the first pick in Tuesday’s 2025 Castrol Rising Stars Draft, as he and former Run TMC teammates Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin selected their seven-man teams from the pool of 21 rookies and sophomores.
- Richmond’s squad reunites the Thompson twins and also features two pairs of teammates with Portland’s Scoot Henderson & Toumani Camara and Washington’s Bilal Coulibaly & Bub Carrington
- Drafting NBA teammates was a common theme as Mullin’s squad features both Grizzlies (Jaylen Wells & Zach Edey) and Hardaway’s team has a double dose of Magic (Anthony Black & Tristan da Silva)
The fourth squad in the four-team, three-game mini tournament is comprised of seven NBA G League stars and led by former Warrior and G League alum Jeremy Lin.
The 2025 Castrol Rising Stars is set for Friday, Feb. 14 (9 ET, TNT) with the winning team advancing to compete in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 16 (8 ET, TNT), representing Team Candace.
History is on the line at this year’s AT&T Slam Dunk contest.
Two-time defending champ Mac McClung returns to defend his title and go for the first three-peat since the event’s inception in 1984.
- New Competition: McClung will have to contend with three first-time participants – rookies Stephon Castle (Spurs) and Matas Buzelis (Bulls) and sophomore Andre Jackson Jr. (Bucks)
- Dunk Talk: Vince Carter – whose had his famous Dunk Contest performance the last time All-Star was in the Bay Area in 2000 – spoke with this year’s participants
The AT&T Slam Dunk Contest is the final event of State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, which will be held at Chase Center on Feb. 15 (8 ET, TNT) and also features the Kia Skills Challenge and Starry 3-Point Contest. Participants for those events are still to come.
The NBA All-Stars won’t be the only stars to take the court in the Bay Area as part of NBA All-Star 2025.
The rosters and coaches for the 2025 Ruffles Celebrity Game were announced on Tuesday, with Shaboozey, Druski, Noah Kahan, Kai Cenat and a star-studded roster featuring celebrities from all walks of entertainment and sports, including music, film, Disney, Marvel, NFL, WWE & more.
The 2025 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will take place at Oakland Arena on Friday, Feb. 14 (7 ET, ESPN, ESPN + and Disney +).
All-Star Hub: For more on all 3 events, tap here.
4. TONIGHT ON ESPN: FOX DEBUTS WITH SPURS, OKC GOES FOR 40
De’Aaron Fox will don the black and silver for the first time tonight (7 ET) when the Spurs battle the Hawks, just two days after acquiring the former All-Star guard from Sacramento.
In honor of Black History Month, the cross-conference battle will feature ESPN’s inaugural all-Black NBA broadcast, featuring Mark Jones and Richard Jefferson on the call, with Lisa Salters reporting.
An OT thriller played out when these two last met Dec. 19, with San Antonio prevailing 133-126 courtesy of Victor Wembanyama’s 42 points.
- Potent Pairing: Fox (25.0) and Wemby (24.6) are one of five duos in the NBA with both players averaging 24+ ppg
- Finishing Touch: The 2022-23 Kia Clutch Player of the Year, Fox ranks fourth in 4th-quarter scoring with 302 points this season – a key addition for a Spurs team that ranks 17th in 4th-quarter scoring
Atlanta is 1-5 in six games following Jalen Johnson’s season-ending injury, but Trae Young has scored 34 points in consecutive contests, including his second game-winner of the season on Monday.
Tonight in the West, the Suns and Thunder clash (9:30 ET) for the second time as OKC aims to become this season’s second 40-win squad.
- MVP Watch: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the NBA with 32.5 ppg, and is on an even-hotter pace of 37.1 over OKC’s last 10 games
- Wild Wednesdays: Having just dropped his first- and second-ever 50-point games Jan. 22 and 29, SGA is going for a third consecutive Wednesday with 50 or more
Meanwhile, Phoenix has dropped two straight and finds itself in the jam-packed middle of the West standings.
- Neck-and-Neck: The Kings (8), Suns (9), and Warriors (10) – each at 25-24 – are in a three-way tie in the Play-In field
- KD Doubtful: Kevin Durant’s pursuit of 30,000 points – he needs only 26 points to become the eighth player to hit the milestone – may have to wait as he’s listed as doubtful with an ankle sprain
5. LEAGUE PASS: LAVINE DEBUTS FOR KINGS, EAST ALL-STAR GUARDS CLASH
While the trade deadline is still a day away, two blockbuster deals have already gone down, including the one that sent De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio and Zach LaVine to Sacramento as part of a three-team deal.
- LaVine makes his Kings debut tonight as Sacramento hosts Orlando (10 ET, League Pass) in their first game back home after a 2-4 road trip
- The Magic are currently on a six-game trip of their own, looking for their first win on their fifth stop
Half of the East’s six All-Star guards will share the court tonight as Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland visit Detroit’s Cade Cunningham in the Motor City (7 ET, League Pass).
- Bounce Back: After suffering their first three-game losing streak of the season, the Cavs responded by winning four straight before falling to Boston on Tuesday. Do they have another answer?
- Streak Buster? The Pistons are seeking their first win over the Cavs since February 2022. Cleveland has won 11 straight head-to-head matchups since
