Flying high and loving the view.
For the first time since 2005-06, Detroit reaches the season’s midpoint in 1st place in the East.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Best Of MLK Day: Top-2 East duel delivers, Wemby stays buzzing, OKC strikes
Heating Up: Mavs win at MSG, Harden & Clips extend streak, Steph & Warriors rain 3s
Roundup: Maxey & Embiid shine, Giannis comes up clutch, Suns stave off Nets
AWS NBA Rivals Week: A rare new test for LeBron and a Texas showdown tips off Rivals Week
ASG Starters Revealed: Four former Kia MVPs, four first-time starters and a tiebreak via fan vote
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The fourth annual AWS NBA Rivals Week tips off tonight with an NBC Coast 2 Coast doubleheader as the Spurs visit the Rockets (8 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Nuggets host the Lakers (10 PTÂ | Tap to Watch).
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game starters were revealed on Monday. See Section 5 for a full breakdown.
1. BEST OF MLK DAY: PISTONS EDGE C’S, WEMBY & SHAI FUEL WINS
On the MLK Day primetime stage, a back-and-forth game between the top two teams in the East came down to one last look.
Pistons 104, Celtics 103: In a contest where no team led by more than 5 for the last 22 minutes, Tobias Harris buried two late 3s to put Detroit up 5 with 1:37 left.
Jaylen Brown answered in kind, scoring back-to-back buckets to trim the deficit to 1 and set up a final chance with four seconds left.
Boston put the ball in Brown’s hands, but Detroit held firm, as Harris forced a tough fadeaway try that kissed off the rim, climbed the backboard, then spun back down before lipping out – sealing a hard-fought Pistons win. | Recap
- The Stars: Brown finished with a game-high 32 points and 11 boards, scoring Boston’s final 8 points, while Cade Cunningham orchestrated Detroit (16 pts, 14 ast)
- The Defense: Cunningham’s 14 assists were more than the Celtics’ total (13), as Detroit held Boston to 13-of-41 from deep
- The Village: Harris led the Pistons with 25 points, while Jalen Duren (18 pts, 9 reb) and Duncan Robinson (15 pts, 5 3s) joined him and Cunningham in double figures
- The Edge: It’s Detroit’s third straight win, improving to 31-10 for a 5.5-game lead over Boston atop the East
- “We wanted this game,” said Harris postgame. “Two of the best teams in the East. Our group is always up for the challenge … full team effort, everybody buying in. That’s the identity of this group.”
For some, a haircut is simply a six-or-so-week chore, another errand in an already full schedule.
For others, it’s a reset, a fresh look and a clean slate.
For Victor Wembanyama, it’s been a launchpad.
Spurs 123, Jazz 110: Wemby was everywhere, dropping 33 points on seven 3s while racking up 10 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals, powering the Spurs past Keyonte George (30 pts, 6 ast) and the Jazz for their third straight win. | Recap
Bald & Ballin’: The run coincides with Wemby and Keldon Johnson shaving their heads last Thursday. San Antonio hasn’t lost since, with Wemby cutting up defenses at will.
- Buzzing: It’s the first time in Wemby’s career that he’s averaged 30+ points and 5+ triples while shooting over 55% from deep across a three-game span
- Humming: The streak moves San Antonio to 30-13 overall, its fastest start to 30 wins since the 2016-17 season
- The Secret? Fewer follicles, according to Wemby: “I think everybody needs more bald players,” he said postgame. “I think it’s a show of dedication.”
Two nights after falling to Miami, OKC turned up the heat in Cleveland.
Thunder 136, Cavaliers 104: With exactly 30 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied his league-leading 30th 30-piece of the season, while Chet Holmgren was a problem inside and out (28 pts, 8 reb, 2 blk, 4 3s) to push the Thunder past the Cavs and move to an NBA-best 36-8. | Recap
- Lightning Strike: It’s OKC’s seventh 30+ point win this season. Only one other team has more than three (Boston: 4)
2. HEATING UP: MAVS WIN AT MSG, CLIPPERS & DUBS EXTEND STREAKS
In his first NBA game at MSG, Cooper Flagg delivered – but another Mav stole the show.
Mavericks 114, Knicks 97: Flagg flashed his all-around game, posting 18 points, 7 boards, 3 assists and a steal, while Max Christie couldn’t miss, going a career-best 8-of-10 from 3 for 26 points as the Mavs outpaced Karl-Anthony Towns (22 pts, 18 reb) and the Knicks. | Recap
- Mavs Momentum: It’s Dallas’ third straight win, all by 15+ points – something it hadn’t accomplished since the 2014-15 season
Without Kawhi Leonard (knee) for a second straight game, the Clippers came out ice cold, going 3-for-15 from 3 in the 1st half.
But the Beard had the answer.
Clippers 110, Wizards 106: James Harden took over for 36 points, 7 boards and 9 dimes, sparking a 24-9 run in the 2nd half to erase a 10-point deficit. Harden also sealed the win with a pair of clutch free throws with 4 seconds left. | Recap
- Full Sail: It’s the Clips’ sixth straight win, improving to an NBA-best 13-2 in their last 15 games
From the open seas to the Bay, another Cali squad kept rolling.
Warriors 135, Heat 112: Steph Curry set the table (11 ast) and cooked from deep (5 3s), finishing with 19 points, while Brandin Podziemski added 24 to lift Golden State over Miami, extending the Warriors’ win streak to four. | Recap
- Straight Water: Golden State splashed 24 3s, becoming just the third team in NBA history to hit 20+ triples in four straight games
- Jimmy Exits: Playing against his former team, Jimmy Butler III (17 pts, 21 min) left the game in the 3rd quarter with a knee injury and did not return
3. ROUNDUP: MAXEY & EMBIID SHINE, GIANNIS COMES THROUGH, SUNS WIN
76ers 113, Pacers 104: With Philly trailing by 5 at intermission, Joel Embiid (30 pts, 9 reb) and Tyrese Maxey (29 pts, 8 ast, 8 stl) flipped a switch, fueling a 63-49 2nd half as the Sixers raced past Indy, halting a two-game slide. | Recap
- Cookies: Maxey’s 8 steals are tied for the most by any player in a single game over the last five seasons
- One Of Five: He’s just the fifth Sixer to post 25+ points and 8+ steals in a game since they were first tracked in 1973-74, joining Robert Covington, Allen Iverson (2x), Hersey Hawkins (2x) and Julius Erving
- Embiid Ignition: It’s Embiid’s sixth 30-piece this season, all coming in the last 14 games. Since Jan. 1, the former Kia MVP is averaging 26.7 points and 7.3 rebounds
- Oh My, VJ: VJ Edgecombe added 11 points, 5 boards, 4 assists and 1 ridiculously athletic jam
Bucks 112, Hawks 110: Down 1 with a minute left after squandering a 23-point lead, Giannis Antetokounmpo found Bobby Portis for a go-ahead 3, before Portis set up Giannis for a lead-extending oop with 36 ticks left, as the Bucks edged Atlanta in a wild MLK Day opener. | Recap
- Greek Freak Eats: Giannis finished with a monster double-double (21 pts, 17 reb, 6 ast), while Nickeil Alexander-Walker (32 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast, 7 3s) shined for Atlanta
Suns 126, Nets 117: Dillon Brooks (27 pts, 6 3s), Devin Booker (24 pts, 4 ast) and Collin Gillespie (22 pts, 5 ast) led six Suns in double figures, as Phoenix staved off Michael Porter Jr. (23 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast) and a late Brooklyn rally for its second win in a row. | Recap
4. TONIGHT: NBC’S COAST 2 COAST TUESDAY TIPS OFF AWS NBA RIVALS WEEK
One thousand eight hundred twenty-two.
That’s how many players LeBron James has faced in his NBA career. That’s 33.8% of all players who have ever set foot on an NBA floor – a staggering reminder of how long the King’s reign has stretched, writes Ryan Young of Yahoo. | Read More
James has seen just about every version of every matchup. But Tuesday brings a new twist.
On the first day of AWS NBA Rivals Week, LeBron will lead the Lakers against a familiar foe in the Nuggets (NBC, 10 PT). Since the 2019-20 season, the two teams have met 35 times, including three Playoff series.
The latter two were won by Denver, which bounced Los Angeles in the 2023 and ’24 Playoffs behind its dynamic duo of Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray.
But with Jokić sidelined, James will face a different Denver tandem – one powered by Murray and the rapid rise of Peyton Watson. His breakout month (22.3 ppg in January) has helped keep the Nuggets steady in 3rd out West.
But first, a Texas showdown between the Spurs and Rockets opens AWS NBA Rivals Week in Houston (8 ET, NBC), with both teams on the rise.
The Spurs, fresh off a jump to No. 3 in John Schuhmann’s Power Rankings, visit a Rockets squad that’s climbed to No. 8 in those rankings as it continues to make Toyota Center a problem for visitors.
Schuhmann’s numbers underline why this matchup looms large, with San Antonio’s elite offensive efficiency meeting a Houston team that’s been a force at home.
… The Spurs are 21-1 when they’ve scored at least 116 points per 100 possessions and 6-3 within the top five in the West, set to visit the fifth-place Rockets (1-0) twice in the next 10 days. They’ll be at a rest disadvantage for the first of those two visits (Tuesday).
Though they’re just 9-9 (ninth in the West) over the last five weeks, the Rockets are still 14-3 (second best in the league) at home, with that loss to the Thunder being their only home defeat since Nov. 21. | Read More
5. 2026 ALL-STAR GAME STARTERS UNVEILED: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game starters are set.
Revealed Monday on NBC, the 10 players selected as starters – five from each conference – will take the floor Sunday, Feb. 15 (5 ET, NBC/Peacock), at the LA Clippers’ Intuit Dome for the 75th All-Star Game.
Led by Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the group blends familiar Kia MVP-level mainstays with four first-time starters, including Victor Wembanyama, who earned the nod via a tiebreaker.
With this year’s All-Star Game introducing a new U.S. vs. World format, the 10 starters will be featured in a three-team round-robin tournament culminating in a winner-take-all championship.
Read the full voting breakdown here, including how the starters were selected and what comes next with All-Star reserves revealed Feb. 1.
Want to share Starting 5 with a friend? Send them this link.
Shape the Starting 5.  Email us here.
Don’t have the NBA App? Download it here.
