A Darius Dagger from DEEP.
Wednesday’s electric night of hoops leads into a stacked Thursday:
- NBA trade deadline (3 ET)
- NBA All-Star Draft (6:30 ET, TNT)
- TNT Doubleheader: Mavs-Celtics (7:30 ET), Warriors-Lakers (10 ET)
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Feb. 6, 2025
Wilt Wednesdays: SGA stands alone with a legend, Ant makes franchise history
Clutch Time: Garland says goodnight, Wemby delivers late in Fox’s dazzling debut
Dominant Duos: Jokić & MPJ go off, JJJ & Ja pour it on, Franz & Paolo deliver and more
Tonight On TNT: A Finals rematch, LeBron vs. Steph Round 3 & the All-Star Draft
Blazing Ahead: How Portland’s young core has sparked its best run in years
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Deadline drama, All-Star Draft and a massive doubleheader…
Reports: The Warriors have reportedly acquired Jimmy Butler in a deal that, among other trades, sends Andrew Wiggins to the Heat and Dennis Schröder to the Jazz. See the full details here.
Reports: The Pelicans have reportedly traded Brandon Ingram to the Raptors for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk and two draft picks. Tap here for more details.
The Trade Deadline hits at 3 ET today, and the final frenzy is here. Stay locked in with the Trade Tracker for all the latest moves.
Reads Of The Week: The Athletic on the Thunder staying present with a ‘0-0 mentality’ … Andscape: Mark Jones on the importance of ESPN’s Black History Always broadcast.
TNT Doubleheader: In a Finals rematch and Anthony Davis’ potential Dallas debut, the Celtics will face the Mavs at TD Garden (7:30 ET), before LeBron and the Lakers host Steph and the Warriors (10 ET).
NBA All-Star Draft: But first, TNT’s Inside the NBA crew will host the NBA All-Star Draft as they make their picks for Team Chuck, Team Shaq and Team Kenny (6:30 ET).
1. SGA JOINS ELITE LIST WITH 50, ANT MAKES WOLVES HISTORY WITH 49
Three straight Wednesdays, three straight 50-pieces – three more notches on a growing legacy.
Thunder 140, Suns 109: 15 days ago, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped a career-high 54 points. Eight days ago, he hung 52. Last night? He went off for a casual 50 flat in yet another mid-week masterclass, lifting the Thunder over the Suns for their 40th win. | Recap
- Elite Efficiency: SGA only needed 34 minutes and three 3s to get there, as he went 18-of-29 from the floor and 11-of-12 from the line before exiting the game with 8:21 left
- Still Hungry: Despite being the first player in franchise history to drop 50+ points in less than 35 minutes, Shai wasn’t satisfied: “Could’ve been 70.”
SGA entered Jan. 22 averaging a league-best 31.5 ppg. That night, he posted his first career 50-piece, breaking the dam for one of the greatest scoring surges the league has ever seen.
- Shai Tsunami: Since then, SGA is averaging a career-best 40.7 ppg, and he’s the first player ever to record his first three 50-balls in a 7-game span
- The Next Closest Player? Gilbert Arenas, who did it in 15 games (Dec. 2006-Jan. 2007)
- But It Doesn’t Stop There: SGA is just the ninth player in NBA history to tally three 50-pieces in any 7-game span
- The List? Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, James Harden, Damian Lillard and Luka Dončić
- Humpday History: But only one other player has dropped three 50-pieces on three consecutive Wednesdays – Wilt in 1961
Meanwhile, another electrifying young guard filled it up in Minnesota.
Wolves 127, Bulls 108: In another scoring clinic, Anthony Edwards went off for 49 points, including 20 in the 3rd quarter, to power the Wolves past the Bulls, halting Minnesota’s two-game slide. | Recap
- Ant Alone: It’s Edwards’ fifth career 45+ point game – including his second in 2025, as he dropped 52 on Jan. 4 – marking the most in Wolves history
- Ant & KAT: It’s also Ant’s 13th career 40-point game, tying Karl-Anthony Towns for the franchise record
- Ant On The Record: “Hopefully, I can get some more.”
2. GARLAND BEATS THE BUZZER, WEMBY SEALS WIN IN FOX’S DEBUT
In one of the wildest finishes you’ll see all season, one of the league’s most clutch players called game.
Cavaliers 118, Pistons 115: After trailing by 10 with 56 seconds left, Cade Cunningham fueled a 13-3 run to tie the game with 5 ticks to play. But Darius Garland refused to go to OT.
Garland received a give-and-go inbound under his own hoop, glided through three defenders at halfcourt and pulled up from 31 feet to splash an epic game-winner at the buzzer, stunning Little Caesars Arena. | Recap | Watch The Frantic Finish
- All-Stars Duel: With Donovan Mitchell out, Garland (25 pts, 5 ast) and Evan Mobley (30 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast) led Cleveland, while Cade stuffed the stat sheet for Detroit (38 pts, 7 reb, 9 ast)
- Clutch Haymakers: Cunningham dropped 21 points in the 4th, including 9 in the final 20 seconds to tie the game. But Garland was just as good, with 18 in the closing frame, including the final 3
- Cavs Closer: In the clutch this season, Garland is shooting 22-of-37 (59.5%), the best FG% in the NBA among players with 25+ attempts
- Clutch Gene: He also ranks first in overall plus-minus (+56), leading Cleveland to the best clutch win percentage this season (72.7%)
- “That’s what great players do,” said Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson on Garland’s shot. “They make big plays.”
On a landmark night in Atlanta, De’Aaron Fox posted unprecedented numbers in his Spurs debut.
And his new co-star sealed the dub.
Spurs 126, Hawks 125: With 24 points and 13 dimes, Fox became the first player to tally 20+ pts and 10+ ast in his Spurs debut, while Victor Wembanyama (24 pts, 12 reb) added a late go-ahead putback and a tiebreaking free throw with 2.9 ticks left to stave off Atlanta. | Recap
- Breathtaking Finish: Trae Young (32 pts, 12 ast) willed Atlanta back from 20 points down and nearly sank a 45-foot heave at the buzzer after Wemby purposefully missed his second FTA
- Fox On His New Team: “Playing with all these young guys, they make me feel old. But then they’re all dunking, and I feel young again.”
- Black History Always: To honor Black History Month with their “Black History Always” campaign, ESPN’s coverage featured the inaugural all-Black staffed NBA broadcast
3. ROUNDUP: JOKIĆ & MPJ SHINE, GRIZZ STAY ROLLING & MORE
And what’s an unforgettable night in the NBA without a little Joker history, too?
Nuggets 144, Pelicans 119: Nikola Jokić (38 pts, 10 ast, 8 reb) and Michael Porter Jr. (39 pts, 12 reb) put on a show, becoming the first-ever Denver duo to record 35-point double-doubles in the same game, leading the Nuggets to their fourth win in a row. | Recap
- MPJ tied a career-high in points, and he and Jokić are just the 10th duo in NBA history to each record a 35-pt double-double in the same game since 1999-2000
Jazz 131, Warriors 128: Steph Curry (32) and Brandin Podziemski (career-high 29) combined for 61 points, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Jordan Clarkson (31), Keyonte George (26) and Utah, who finished the game on a 20-6 run to stun Golden State. | Recap
Bucks 112, Hornets 102: With Giannis out, Damian Lillard (29 pts, 12 ast) and Bobby Portis (23 pts, 17 reb) turned in monster double-doubles as the Bucks ended their four-game slide. | Recap
Grizzlies 138, Raptors 107: The league’s leading offense dropped 130+ points for an NBA-best 16th time this season, fueled by Jaren Jackson Jr. (32 pts) and Ja Morant (26), who guided Memphis to its fourth straight W and its 10th in 11 games. | Recap
Heat 108, 76ers 101: Tyrese Maxey (31 pts, 4 stl) extended his career-best streak to seven straight 30-pieces, but the Heat staved off the Sixers thanks to Tyler Herro’s huge night (30 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast). | Recap
Wizards 119, Nets 102: Make that three straight dubs for the Wiz. Jordan Poole (19) led seven Wizards in double-figures as Washington pulled away from Brooklyn for its first three-game win streak of the season. | Recap
Magic 130, Kings 111: Franz Wagner (31 pts) and Paolo Banchero (23 pts, 9 ast) led the way for the Magic, who outscored the Kings 42-23 in the 3rd to pull away, snapping Orlando’s four-game slide. Zach LaVine tallied 13 points in his Kings debut. | Recap
4. TONIGHT ON TNT: FINALS REMATCH, STEPH VS. LEBRON
For the first time since confetti littered their parquet, the Celtics host the Mavericks tonight (7:30 ET) in what could be Anthony Davis’ debut with Dallas, as he’s listed as questionable with an abdominal strain.
Boston just became the third team this campaign to defeat Cleveland twice, and can now extend its winning streak to five – its longest since seven straight from Nov. 13 to 29.
The defending champs’ driving force? Jayson Tatum, who is on pace this season to join some legendary Celtics company.
- Not Seen Since Bird: Averaging 26.8 ppg along with career-highs in assists (5.7) and rebounds (8.8), Tatum is on track to join Larry Bird and John Havlicek as the only Celtics to post 25/5/5 in a single season
- Getting Buckets: Tatum’s versatility has been on display, as he ranks third in the NBA in isolation scoring (6.7 ppg) and fourth in pull-up points (439)
- Closing Time: He also joins Trae Young as the only players with two game-winners this season in the final five seconds, guiding the Celtics to the 2nd-best winning percentage (64%) in clutch games
- That includes a game-winner in New Orleans last week before Tuesday’s win over the Cavs, the only team with a better clutch win percentage than Boston
Marking the latest installment in the Steph Curry vs. LeBron James rivalry, the Warriors visit the Lakers later tonight (10 ET) for their third battle this season.
Los Angeles claimed victory in the previous two, but both were tightly contested, featuring final scores of 115-113 on Christmas Day and 118-108 on Jan. 25.
- Lake Show Rolling: The Lakers are 9-2 across their last 11, including wins over the Celtics and Knicks, and now sit two games back of a top-three seed
- Like Fine Wine: At 40 years old, James is averaging 9.1 apg while racking up 10 triple-doubles, good for the second-highest and fourth-most, respectively, in any season of his career
- Department of Defense: Los Angeles ranks first in opponent FG% and second in opponent ppg during its last 11 affairs
Curry is seeking his 30th win against James, currently leading their all-time head-to-head matchups 29-24, while James has a slight edge in regular-season meetings (13-12).
With both teams eyeing a run, and more reshaped rosters reportedly on the way, who wins tonight?
5. BLAZING AHEAD: PORTLAND’S YOUNG CORE IGNITES RED-HOT RUN
Through 51 games, the Blazers (22-29) have already topped last season’s win total (21) – and they’re playing some of their best ball in years.
Portland enters Thursday’s matchup vs. Sacramento (10 ET, LP) riding a season-best five-game win streak with a 9-1 record in its last 10 – its best 10-game stretch since 2020-21.
The only blemish? A loss to the West-leading Thunder (24.15) – the only team that entered the season with an average younger roster than them (24.20).
- “Obviously, we’re young,” said Blazers coach Chauncey Billups on Monday. “But I don’t allow those excuses … The longer this season goes, the more these guys become more familiar with one another…
- ”Our camaraderie and our chemistry is just really good. It’s really high.”
In their 9-1 stretch, seven Blazers are averaging 12+ ppg – more than any other team – and all of them except for Jerami Grant are 26 years old or younger.
In that same span, the team’s OffRtg has jumped from 27th in the NBA (108.4) to 9th (117.5).
Stars Emerging: In terms of total points, January was the highest-scoring month of both Deni Avdija’s (238) and Scoot Henderson’s (233) careers, highlighted by a season-high 39 points on Jan. 14 from Henderson – who was just named a Castrol Rising Star.
- Front & Center: Meanwhile, Deandre Ayton joins Giannis as the only players to average 20+ pts and 10+ reb on 60%+ shooting over their last six games
On the other end, another Castrol Rising Star for Portland, Toumani Camara, has begun to cement himself as one of the league’s top young defenders.
- Chaos Creator: Camara leads the NBA with 21 charges drawn and paces the Blazers in steals (68)
- The Energy: With a minimum of 3 games played and 20 minutes per game, Camara boasts the 2nd-best DefRtg in the NBA amid the Blazers’ 9-1 run (101.1)
- The Effect: In that span, Portland’s team DefRtg has sky-rocketed from 28th to 1st (104.7)
- “Our team is so together right now,” said Billups. “I’m really proud of where we’re at … these guys are playing for one another.”
Just 3.5 games back of the final Play-In spot, the Blazers’ heater highlights a big night out West on League pass, with a slew of other Playoff contenders in action.
- Rockets at Wolves (8 ET)
- Magic at Nuggets (9 ET)
- Pacers at Clippers (10:30 ET)
