Starting 5: Thunder power past Spurs behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

All ball. All business.

OKC denies the Spurs’ quest for four straight wins over the defending champs with a signature Thunder bolt.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Round 4: Shai & OKC ignite in 3rd quarter, lock in on defense for first win this season over Spurs

Big West Wins: KD fuels Rockets in thriller, Luka & LeBron dazzle, Wolves keep howling

Roundup: Murray & Watson pop off, Bam closes in crunch time, Warriors roll

Kia Rookie Ladder: Dallas’ teenage star keeps delivering, and his game keeps growing

More Tonight: Maxey & Embiid lead surging Sixers vs. Cavs and five duels on League Pass

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Seven games tip off tonight, headlined by an ESPN doubleheader as the Sixers host the Cavs (7 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Nuggets visit the Mavs (9:30 ET | Tap to Watch).

Last Call For All-Stars: Today’s 3-for-1 voting day marks the final chance to submit ballots for the 2026 All-Star Game starters. Every vote counts triple with your NBA ID. Tap to vote before polls close at 11:59 p.m. ET.

On The Ground In Berlin: The stage is set for Thursday’s NBA Berlin Game 2026 between the Magic and Grizzlies (2 ET, Prime), with both squads soaking in the sights and scenes across the pond.

• Home Roots: German natives Franz and Moe Wagner delivered a little history lesson at the Brandenburg Gate for their Magic teammates, before recreating a childhood photo at practice
• Reunited: Meanwhile, Desmond Bane caught up with his former Grizzlies teammates as he prepares to face his old squad for the first time

AD Update: Mavs big man Anthony Davis is expected to miss six weeks with a hand injury, but he won’t need surgery. | Read More

1. THUNDER STRIKE BACK: DEFENDING CHAMPS ANSWER IN OKC

Twenty-four minutes into Round 4 of the NBA’s next great rivalry, neither of the West’s top two teams could separate.

Then, thunder struck.

Thunder 119, Spurs 98: SGA had 15 of his game-high 34 points in a decisive 3rd quarter where OKC outscored San Antonio 40-24 and never relented, holding the Spurs to 40 2nd-half points and a season-low 98 overall. | Recap

• Do It Defensively: After neither team led by double-digits in the 1st half, the league’s top defense leveled up, limiting San Antonio to 9-of-21 shooting in the 3rd, while hitting 16-of-23 on the other end
• “We were able to get stops,” Shai said. “Since that first time [vs. Spurs] in Vegas, we weren’t able to get stops. We got set enough tonight to keep them in front of us.”
• Speed Limit: OKC won the fastbreak battle Tuesday, 11-7, keeping San Antonio out of double-digit fastbreak points for the first time in the series

“This team had gotten the better of us,” Shai said. “Uncomfortable feelings and adversity is where you find who you are, and we showed it tonight.”

• Business Shai: SGA logged his 111th straight game of at least 20 points on the way to his league-leading 28th 30+ point game this season
• Spurs’ Stars: In his first start against OKC this season, Victor Wembanyama had 17 points, seven rebounds and his 500th career block, while Stephon Castle (20 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast) led the Spurs
• Thunder Coverage: Jalen Williams scored 10 of his 20 points in OKC’s breakout 3rd quarter, and Chet Holmgren (8 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk) manned the paint against Wemby

OKC’s first win over San Antonio this season gives the team four Ws in a row and eight in its last 10 games, bolstering its 1st-place lead to 6.5 games over the Spurs.

• “Tonight wasn’t our Super Bowl,” SGA said. “It wasn’t anything else but another game on an 82-game season. We gotta find ways to get better.”
• “I think they trusted what they do,” Wemby said of OKC. “They’ve got all the reasons to do so. That’s a team that’s been deep in the Playoffs – as deep as it gets.”
• “These games will help us,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “These games will be learning experiences that we need to go through, clearly, and they will serve us well.”

OKC and San Antonio meet one more time this season on Feb. 4, the eve of the trade deadline

2. BIG WEST WINS: ROCKETS TAKE THRILLER, LAKERS & WOLVES ROLL

Thirty-five lead changes. Nineteen ties. No lead greater than nine.

But only one KD.

Rockets 119, Bulls 113: In a back-and-forth game that featured the most lead changes this season, Durant was the difference. He dropped a team-high 28 points, 10 boards and 4 dimes to fuel Houston and spoil Tre Jones’ career night (34 pts, 7 ast, 11-12 FG). | Recap

• The Spark: Down 104-103 with 3:24 left, Durant delivered the game’s final swing, punching home an emphatic go-ahead tomahawk to lift the Toyota Center to its feet
• The Dagger: The jam ignited a 16-9 closing run for Houston, highlighted by another KD dunk – this time, a two-handed hammer with 40 ticks left to seal it
• The Trio: Durant scored 16 in the 2nd half, while Alperen Sengun (23 pts, 11 ast) and Amen Thompson (23 pts) also shined, helping Houston halt its three-game slide
• Special Company: Despite the loss, Jones joined Damian Lillard as the only players in NBA history to record 30+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ 3s while shooting over 90% from the floor

One night after dropping their third straight game, the Lakers’ two superstars unleashed one of their biggest outbursts of the season.

Lakers 141, Hawks 116: LeBron James (31 pts, 9 reb, 10 ast) and Luka Dončić (27 pts, 5 reb, 12 ast) were masterful, setting the table for a Deandre Ayton feast (17 pts, 18 reb) as the Lakers dropped their second-most points this season. | Recap

• Double: It’s just the second time James and Dončić have posted 25+ pts, 10+ ast, and 5+ reb in the same game, joining Jerry West and Elgin Baylor as the only Lakers duo to do so multiple times
• Trouble: It’s also their fourth game this month in which they’ve each scored 25+ points. The Lakers are 4-0 in those games
• Timeless: LeBron is averaging 26.1 ppg since turning 41 on Dec. 30, all while dealing with foot joint arthritis and right sciatica
• “He’s going to do everything he possibly can to play,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick postgame of James’ hunger. “In his 23rd year. It’s remarkable.”

Wolves 139, Bucks 106: With Anthony Edwards out (foot), Julius Randle (29 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast) scored eight of Minnesota’s first 15 points, as the Wolves jumped out to a double-digit lead and never trailed to beat Giannis (25 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast) and the Bucks. | Recap

• A Balanced Bunch: Randle led six Wolves in double figures, including a season-high 23 points from Bones Hyland
• Hardly Full: Minnesota improves to a league-best 17-6 since Thanksgiving, maintaining 4th in the West to keep pace with Denver

3. ROUNDUP: DENVER DUO SHINES, HEAT EDGE SUNS, DUBS WIN

Back from a two-game absence, Jamal Murray heated up – and so did the Nuggets.

Nuggets 122, Pelicans 116: Murray splashed five 3s en route to a game-high 35 points and 9 assists, while Peyton Watson was just as hot (31 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast), lifting Denver despite Trey Murphy III’s 31 points. | Recap

• Answering The Call: Denver is now 5-3 since Nikola Jokić (knee) went down on Dec. 29. In that span, Murray (27.8) and Watson (24.6) have combined for 52.4 ppg

Heat 127, Suns 121: Miami built a 71-54 halftime lead before Devin Booker (24 pts, 9 reb, 9 ast) and Phoenix answered with a monster 3rd quarter, pulling even at 92 entering the 4th. But the Heat had the final say and used a 19-7 run to seal the win. | Recap

• Good Mourning: Bam Adebayo powered Miami (29 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast), passing Alonzo Mourning (9,459) for 2nd on the franchise’s all-time scoring list
• Goodnight: He closed with 13 in the 4th, while Norman Powell (27 pts) splashed a go-ahead 3 in the final minute to put the Heat up for good, marking Phoenix’s third loss in its last 12 games

Warriors 119, Blazers 97: Steph was facilitating (7 pts, 11 ast) and De’Anthony Melton’s 23 points led the Dubs to a wire-to-wire win over Shaedon Sharpe (19 pts) and the Blazers, without Deni Avdija (back). Golden State has won eight of its last 13 games. | Recap

4. KIA ROOKIE LADDER FIRST LOOK: FLAGG HOLDS FIRM AT THE TOP

Every Wednesday, Steve Ashburner’s Kia Rookie Ladder ranks the best-performing rookies of the 2025-26 class.

This week, Cooper Flagg remains atop the list, fresh off an all-around clinic to lead Dallas past Brooklyn:

It’s hard to find a flaw in Flagg’s game – frankly, his overall approach to this season as a teenage sensation – that he doesn’t address and fix. 

How ‘bout his work against Brooklyn Monday, when he notched his sixth game with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists – and this time didn’t turn over the ball in 35 minutes, while chipping in three steals and a block? | Read More

See the Rookie Ladder’s leader in action tonight in the second game of ESPN’s doubleheader, as Flagg (who leads Dallas in scoring since Dec. 1 with 21.7 ppg) and the Mavs host the Nuggets (9:30 ET).

5. SURGING SIXERS HOST CAVS ON ESPN, FIVE MORE MATCHUPS ON LEAGUE PASS

The last eight games haven’t been easy on the hearts of 76ers fans.

Three of them have gone to overtime. Two were decided by one point. But despite those stressors, the squad has kept its cool.

As winners of six during that span, they’ve let the good times roll in Philadelphia.

Tonight (7 ET, ESPN), the 76ers host the Cavaliers in search of another victory. Just 1.5 games separate the 5th-place Sixers from 3rd in the East, with Cleveland sitting 1.5 games back of Philly in 7th.

• Fan Favorites: Tyrese Maxey and Donovan Mitchell will go toe-to-toe, having received the 3rd-most and 5th-most All-Star votes for the East, respectively, in the 2nd fan returns
• Maxey’s Method: The 25-year-old guard’s 30.9 ppg are just the tip of the iceberg — he also boasts career-high averages of 5.7 fastbreak ppg, 11.6 paint ppg and 3.8 3s per game
• Mitchell’s Method: Now in his 9th season, Mitchell has a knack for doing damage late. He leads the league with 316 total 4th-quarter points on a 51.4 FG% and 42 3P%

But as successful as they’ve been, those two former All-Stars are leaning on their teammates to help lift them up.

• Big Fella Boost: Joel Embiid has posted 27.3 ppg during the team’s 6-2 spree. Paired with Maxey’s 31.8 in that time, the pair of stars have combined for 59.1 ppg
• Resounding Resolution: Since Dec. 12, Embiid has dropped at least 22 points in every game he’s played — a streak that now spans 11 contests
• Darius Dominates: For Cleveland, it’s Darius Garland who has excelled in the New Year at Mitchell’s side. He’s averaging 20.7 points and seven assists per game in January

On League Pass, the Pacers can make it four in a row tonight against the visiting Raptors (7 ET).

Plus, the Clippers, having won 10 of their last 12, look to continue their climb up the West standings when they square off with the Wizards (10:30 ET).

• Jazz at Bulls (8 ET)
• Knicks at Kings (10 ET)

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