Starting 5: Hornets keep rolling, key matchup in East looms

Miles Bridges and the Hornets had the hops to ground Houston Thursday.

Buzz City enters the East Play-In picture with its longest win streak since 1999.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Tonight On Prime: East beasts collide as New York visits Detroit, Kings host Clips

Kia MVP Ladder: ‘Team World’ All-Stars lead the Kia MVP race, Jokić returns with statement

Buzz-Worthy Battles: Hornets handle Houston for 8 straight, Wemby wins as Flagg makes history

Power Performers: Reaves sizzles, Hawks hit game-winner, Raptors roll

Roundup: Warriors turn tables on Suns, Suggs works his magic, Wizards storm Detroit

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A Prime doubleheader headlines tonight’s slate as the Pistons host the Knicks in a top-2 East clash (7:30 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Clippers visit the Kings (10 ET | Tap to Watch).

Trade Tracker: The NBA Trade Deadline passed yesterday after a flurry of moves over the past few days. Catch up on all the reported  & official moves here.

One Week ‘Til All-Star: 2026 NBA All-Star in Los Angeles is just seven days way. Plan your weekend accordingly:

• Friday, Feb. 13: Ruffles All-Star Celebrity Game at Kia Forum & Castrol Rising Stars at the Intuit Dome – secure your tickets here using promo code NEWS26
• Saturday, Feb. 14: NBA All-Star Saturday at Intuit Dome (5 ET, NBC & Peacock)
• Sunday, Feb. 15: The 75th NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome (5 ET, NBC & Peacock)

1. TONIGHT ON PRIME: EAST’S TOP 2 TEAMS COLLIDE, CLIPS VISIT KINGS

The wins just keep coming in New York.

Tonight (7:30 ET, Prime), the scorching-hot Knicks face a major challenge against the 1st-place Pistons — with a ninth consecutive victory and the league’s longest winning streak (tied with Charlotte) both at stake in Detroit.

• Spreadin’ The News: The Knicks — now in 2nd place — have won eight straight after losing nine of their previous 11 games and are reinvigorated on defense

The numbers tell a triumphant tale, and when it matters most, Jalen Brunson puts up plenty of them.

• He Strikes Again: In New York’s latest win, the reigning Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year took matters into his own hands with 42 points in a 2OT win
• “That’s what an MVP candidate does,” said coach Mike Brown. “And on a big stage, coming off a back-to-back, he showed why — again — he should be mentioned.”

The Pistons, though, boast the kind of gritty defense accustomed to shutting down stars.

• Wire-To-Wire: Detroit has ranked top-two on that side of the ball since its first game this season, and its 108.8 defensive rating trails only OKC
• Starry Night: Offensively, Cade Cunningham can go pound-for-pound with Brunson as a fellow All-Star guard. He leads the Pistons with 25.4 points and 9.8 assists per game

Action keeps rolling when the Clippers visit the Kings (10 ET, Prime). Darius Garland is the new kid on the block  — acquired Feb. 3 by LA as James Harden joins Cleveland.

Three of the last four games haven’t gone in the Clippers’ favor. Garland could very well have a say in bucking that trend, writes the AP.

“He’s different from James and we can play different with a faster pace,” (Coach Tyronn) Lue said. “We can play him off the ball more. It’s going to be exciting.”

“Ty is going to be great for Darius,” (Coach Kenny) Atkinson said. “Ty was a point guard himself and understands the position… I expect him to be great here and I’m rooting for him.” | Read More

• His Castle: For the Kings, Russell Westbrook (15.3 ppg, 6.7 apg) continues to produce in his 18th season, and passed Hakeem Olajuwon on Wednesday for 14th in scoring all-time

2. KIA MVP LADDER FIRST LOOK: TEAM WORLD LEADS, JOKIĆ MAKES STATEMENT

As the new U.S. vs. World All-Star Game approaches (Sunday, Feb. 15), international stars continue to lead Shaun Powell’s Kia MVP Ladder.

At the center of that group is Nikola Jokić, who returned last Friday in record fashion, then notched his 181st regular-season career triple-double on Wednesday, tying Oscar Robertson for the 2nd-most all-time.

In his latest Ladder, Powell examines the international talent leading the MVP race – and why Jokić’s return has him firmly back in the thick of it:

He’s not quite on his pre-injury pace — yet, anyway — but looks and moves very well here in his return.

And even more surprising is this: He lasted 45 minutes (and double-OT) against the Knicks the night after playing 33 minutes in Detroit. 

That’s an impressive showing of stamina for someone coming off injury and it demonstrates two things: The Nuggets have faith in his body and recovery powers, and Jokić really, really hates to miss games. | Read More

3. BUZZY BATTLES: HORNETS’ HIVE KEEP STREAK ALIVE, WEMBY BESTS FLAGG

Charlotte’s clicking like it’s 1999.

Hornets 109, Rockets 99: Kon Knueppel’s team-high 24 points and LaMelo Ball’s (20 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast) play helped Charlotte win its eighth straight, the team’s longest streak since last millennium.

Buzz City never trailed by more than a point and expanded its lead to as many as 22 in the 4th to handle Houston, despite Kevin Durant’s 31 points and five steals. | Recap

• High-Flying: The Hornets have outscored their opponents by 107 points during the streak, tied for 3rd highest in franchise history
• “Just taking every chance we get to get better,” Knueppel said of the win streak. “Finished that game strong.”

With Brandon Miller in foul trouble, Knueppel got 1-on-1 opportunities to defend KD, one of his favorite players to watch growing up.

• “That’s really fun, to get out there and battle him a little bit.”
• What’s Next: Charlotte goes for their ninth straight, the second-longest win streak in franchise history, Saturday in Atlanta (7:30 ET)

Two of the game’s top young stars met again on Thursday for the first time since Opening Night.

Spurs 135, Mavericks 123: Victor Wembanyama (29 pts, 11 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk) starred on both ends and was flanked by six other double-digit Spurs scorers, as San Antonio separated from Dallas late despite 64 combined points from Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall (32 pts). | Recap

• Hot Start: San Antonio built a double-digit lead with 74 1st-half points after Wemby hit his first five 3s and got to 20 points by the break
• Turn The Tide: Flagg’s 22 2nd-half points got Dallas rolling, including a 16-5 3rd-quarter run to pull within a point (95-94)
• Final Blow: Stephon Castle (18 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast) and De’Aaron Fox (17 pts, 7 ast) combined for 16 points in the 4th, where the Spurs used a 15-4 run to finish the 12-point win

Flagg (32 pts, 6 reb, 3 blk) kept rolling with his fourth straight 30+ point performance, the youngest player ever with four straight, at age 19.

• Flagg & MJ: Coop is the first rookie since Michael Jordan with four consecutive 30+ point, 5+ rebound games
• Coop & AI: Flagg’s 151 points in that four-game span are the most points by a rookie in four games since Allen Iverson (1996-97)

4. POWER PERFORMERS: REAVES REIGNITES, HAWKS HIT WINNER

On Thursday, the Lakers’ top 3 scorers shared the court for the 10th time this season.

Lakers 119, Sixers 115: After Luka Dončić (hamstring) left with 3:03 remaining in the 1st half and did not return, Austin Reaves (35 pts, 12-17 FG) ignited for 21 2nd-half points and combined with LeBron (17 pts, 10 ast) for the comeback that snapped Philly’s five-game win streak. | Recap

• Chipping Away: Los Angeles closed the 3rd quarter on a 34-22 run to cut Philly’s 14-point advantage to just two
• That’s when Reaves started the 4th with back-to-back triples to give the Lakers their first lead. L.A. hit five of its nine 3s in the 4th
• Big Swing: Austin went on to net 13 points in the final frame, with LeBron adding ten, as the Lakers built to a game-high 16-point lead

“Everybody bought in to one goal… winning the game,” Reaves said. “Nothing’s gonna be easy after losing Luka, because he does so much for us.”

• Big Boost: Coming back from injury himself, Reaves (calf) is the 4th player in NBA history to get 35+ points and 5+ 3s in 25 minutes
• Hawkeye: He’s the first to ever do it with while shooting 70% or better from the field
• No other Laker has multiple 30+ point, 5+ 3s games with 70+% shooting

“It’s tough to wake up every single day having to go to work knowing that you can’t do the best part of your work,” Reaves said of staying sharp while injured. “That stuff keeps you in as much rhythm as you can.”

Joel Embiid (35 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast, 2 blk) and Tyrese Maxey (26 pts, 13 ast, 4 stl) combined for 61 points in the loss.

Hawks 121, Jazz 119: A tight game of 22 lead changes and 13 ties came down to the final minute. After an Ace Bailey (20 pts, 6 reb) triple tied it at 119, Nickeil Alexander-Walker (23 pts, 5 ast) hit the winning jumper with 1.3 seconds left. | Recap

• New To The Nest: Wednesday acquisition Jock Landale (11 reb, 5 ast, 5 3s) led the Hawks with a season-high 26 points, joining Glenn Robinson as the only other player to put up at least 25/10/5 in their Hawks debut
• Piling Assists: Following his 22-assist game Tuesday, Isaiah Collier (25 pts) dished 11 dimes for the most Jazz assists in a two-game span (33) since Deron Williams in 2010

Jalen Johnson (22 pts, 16 reb, 15 ast) logged his third straight triple-double and franchise-record tenth this season, trailing only Nikola Jokić (17).

• All-Star Playmaker: Johnson attained his second 20/15/15 game this season, just the ninth in NBA history with multiple in a career

Raptors 123, Bulls 107: Brandon Ingram (33 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) and Immanuel Quickley (24 pts) led Toronto as it never trailed by more than a point in its first matchup this season with Chicago. | Recap

• New Bulls: Anfernee Simons scored a team-high 22 points and Guerschon Yabusele (15 pts, 11 reb) and Jaden Ivey (13 pts, 6 ast) made key contributions in their Chicago debuts

5. ROUNDUP: WARRIORS FLOURISH LATE, WIZARDS DOWN EAST LEADER

Warriors 101, Suns 97: Pat Spencer (20 pts, 6 3s) led the Warriors past Dillon Brooks (24 pts, 6 reb) and the Suns, with Golden State using a 22-5 closeout run to erase a game-high 14-point deficit and take its first lead of the 4th quarter with under 30 seconds to play. | Recap

• Tables Turn: Phoenix’s 7th-ranked defense (112.3 DefRtg) held the Bay to 17 points in the 3rd to build its largest lead, before the Warriors’ 8th-ranked defense (112.4) returned the favor and held PHX to a 15-point 4th
• Last Stand: The Dubs’ D locked in on Phoenix’s final possession, defending Brooks’ attempted winner and battling for multiple loose balls to get out on a breakaway at the buzzer
• Desert Rain: With Steph out, Golden State had six players step up to hit multiple 3s, as the Warriors reached 20 3s in a game for the 11th time this season, improving to 10-1 in those games

Magic 118, Nets 98: Jalen Suggs recorded his first career triple-double in 29 minutes played while Desmond Bane (23 pts) and Paolo Banchero (22 pts) combined for 45 points as Orlando never trailed despite a career-high 26 pts (6 3s) from Egor Dëmin. | Recap

• Do-It-All: Suggs (15 pts, 11 reb, 11 ast, 3 stl, 4 blk) was everywhere, becoming the first Magic player ever with this expansive statline, and 14th overall since 1973-74

Wizards 126, Pistons 117: Eight Wizards players scored in double figures, with career-highs from Will Riley (20 pts) and Sharife Cooper (18 pts) leading the way, as Washington never trailed in dealing the Pistons their 13th loss to snap a three-game win streak. | Recap

• Cade Cunningham (30 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast) & co. got within 4 points inside 4 minutes to play, but Bilal Coulibaly then rattled off 6 of his 11 points to close out

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