Two legends, one timeless rivalry.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Jan. 26, 2025
All-Access Paris: Pacers bounce back, Wemby shines in global showcase
Rivals Week Finale: Steph battles LeBron (and AD), Ant erupts and a Finals rematch flex
Contenders On The Rise: Rockets & Grizz stay hot, Clips & Knicks collect big dubs
Roundup: Paolo and Franz are back, Sixers win 2nd straight & more from 14-game Saturday
Sunday Spotlight: Can the West-leading Thunder bounce back vs. the surging Blazers?
BUT FIRST … ⏰
A standalone Sunday matchup…
After a jam-packed Saturday, the Thunder and Blazers will take center stage in today’s lone matchup, available on League Pass (6 ET).
1. ALL-ACCESS PARIS: PACERS REBOUND
In the most-watched NBA game ever in France, Round 1 of the Paris Games saw French native Victor Wembanyama lead the Spurs to a 30-point win over the Pacers – marking their second-largest loss of the season.
In Round 2, Indy answered.
Pacers 136, Spurs 98: With 20 points and 12 rebounds, Wemby helped give the Spurs their first lead of the game in the 3rd quarter, but Indiana quickly regained control and outscored San Antonio 38-12 in the 4th to earn a bounce-back dub. | Recap
- Spurs Swing: With a 27-11 run, the Spurs went up 77-76 with 4:53 left in the 3rd, bringing Accor Arena to life as the crowd cheered on its native son, Wemby
- Tyrese Takeover: But then Tyrese Haliburton erupted, scoring 16 straight points to push the lead back to double digits entering the 4th, where Indy slammed the door
- Balanced Buckets: Haliburton (28 pts) and Pascal Siakam (23 pts, 11 reb) led seven Pacers in double figures as 11 different Indy players scored
- Back On Pace: Indiana moves to 9-2 in 2025 for the best record in the New Year
“This week was amazing,” said an emotional Wembanyama postgame on his return to his home country. “Everybody made [it] their job to make this week incredible … All this contributes to making our sport better.”
The 2025 Paris Games didn’t just give France a chance to see Wemby take the floor — it spotlighted how basketball’s reach continues to expand, bringing fans closer to the game than ever before.
- Fancy Footwork: Inside Wemby’s fútbol roots and best handles
- On-Site In Style: During Paris Fashion Week, the Pacers matched the city’s flair, rocking more standout fits for Saturday’s showdown
- Wired: Wemby and Haliburton brought the action — and the chatter — while mic’d up
- “It’s been really fun to be here,” said Haliburton after the win. “Just helping grow the game … we’re really thankful for the opportunity … and just wanted to leave the city on a good note.”
2. RIVALS WEEK FINALE: 3 SATURDAY STATEMENTS 
In another LeBron vs. Steph showdown, it was another superstar who stole the show.
Lakers 118, Warriors 108: After 14 lead changes in the 1st half, the Lakers took over in the 2nd behind a dominant performance from Anthony Davis, who finished with 36 points, 13 boards, 3 steals and 1 block.
James helped AD dissect Golden State’s defense with 25 points and 12 dimes to pull away from Curry and company in the Bay. | Recap
- AD Erupts: Davis scored 18 points in the 2nd half, while Los Angeles held Curry (13 pts) scoreless after the break to take a double-digit lead and never look back
- This Is 40: After hitting AD with a perfect full-court dime, LeBron hammered home a lob off an inbounds to punctuate the Lakers’ third straight win
In Game 7 of the 2024 West Semifinals, the Wolves staged a historic 20-point rally to stun Denver.
On Saturday, no comeback was necessary.
Wolves 133, Nuggets 104: In a wire-to-wire win, Anthony Edwards scored 16 of his 34 points in the 3rd quarter to help balloon an 11-point halftime lead into a 29-point dub, snapping the Nuggets’ four-game win streak. | Recap
- Histor-3: Edwards added nine assists and three 3s, passing Karl-Anthony Towns (975) for the most made triples in Wolves history
- Elite From Deep: Ant now has 187 treys on the season, joining Steph Curry, James Harden, Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard as the only players ever to reach that total through the first 45 games of a season
- Howling: The Wolves are 2-0 against the Nuggets this season and have won four straight games against them dating back to last year’s Game 6
- Nikola Jokić recorded 20 points, 11 assists and 3 boards as his five-game triple-double streak came to an end
In a 2024 Finals rematch, the defending champs flexed their muscle.
Celtics 122, Mavericks 107: Jayson Tatum (24), Jaylen Brown (22) and Derrick White (23) combined for 69 points as the C’s never trailed in the 2nd half, outpacing Kyrie Irving (22) and the Mavs in Dallas. | Recap
- Dunk Of The Year?! Quentin Grimes threw down a mammoth poster for a whopping 118.2 Dunk Score – the highest so far this season
3. COAST-TO-COAST CONTENDERS: HOUSTON & MEMPHIS ROLL, LA & NY DUB
On Wednesday, the Rockets became the only team to beat both the Thunder and Cavs this season.
Three nights later, they beat Cleveland again.
Rockets 135, Cavaliers 131: Darius Garland (39 pts, 9 ast) and Donovan Mitchell (33 pts, 7 ast) combined for 72 points and 16 dimes, igniting a 47-point 4th quarter for Cleveland to erase a 19-point deficit.
But Houston regained control, closing the game on an 11-6 spurt to earn back-to-back wins over the East leaders. | Recap
- Rockets Fuel: Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green notched 26 points apiece, while Amen Thompson recorded a triple-double (23 pts, 14 reb, 10 ast)
- Last 10: Houston is now 8-2 in its last 10 games, while Cleveland is 5-5, including three straight losses
- OKC Passes Cleveland: With the Cavs at 36-9, the Thunder now own the best record in the NBA (36-8)
Grizzlies 125, Jazz 103: Right behind Houston for 2nd in the West? Memphis, which notched its sixth straight win behind big nights from Jaren Jackson Jr. (28 pts, 2 blk) and rookie Zach Edey (19 pts, 4 blk). | Recap
Clippers 127, Bucks 117: Giannis Antetokounmpo (36 pts, 13 reb) and Damian Lillard (29 pts, 10 reb, 10 ast) stuffed the stat sheet, but it wasn’t enough to slow down James Harden as the Beard went off for 40 points and 9 dimes to lift the Clips over the Bucks. | Recap
- 2nd-Half Spark: Harden dropped 17 points in the 3rd quarter, and LA outscored Milwaukee 33-24 in the 4th to secure the win
- Norman Powell added 33 for the Clips, who snapped the Bucks’ 5-game win streak with the dub
Knicks 143, Kings 120: OG Anunoby (33), Mikal Bridges (27) and Jalen Brunson (25) combined for 85 points, while Josh Hart tallied his sixth triple-double of the season (20 pts, 18 reb, 11 ast) to outpace the Kings at MSG. | Recap
- NY 5K Club: In his 190th game with New York, Brunson reached 5,000+ points, surpassing Carmelo Anthony and Bernard King (191 games) as the fastest Knick to hit the mark
- Sac-Town Standouts: Domantas Sabonis notched a triple-double (25 pts, 13 reb, 12 ast), while Malik Monk turned in 31 points
4. SATURDAY ROUNDUP: STARS SHINE AS MORE SQUADS HEAT UP
Magic 121, Pistons 113: In just their second game together since Oct. 30, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner each tallied 32 points and 7 assists, and Wagner dropped 25 in the 4th to secure a key Magic dub over Cade Cunningham (35 pts, 11 ast) and the Pistons. | Recap
- Playoff Push: With the victory, Orlando (24-23) owns the same win percentage as Detroit (23-22) as they race for the 6-seed — and final Playoff spot – in the East
76ers 109, Bulls 97: Tyrese Maxey poured in 31 points along with 9 dimes as the Sixers closed the game on a 14-4 run to earn their second straight dub following a win over Cleveland on Friday. Maxey now has 10 straight games of 25+ points. | Recap
Suns 119, Wizards 109: Kevin Durant splashed 5 triples on his way to 29 points, as the Suns jumped out to an 18-point lead in the 1st quarter and never looked back for their fourth win in five games. | Recap
Heat 106, Nets 97: Tyler Herro dropped a game-high 25 points and 8 assists as the Heat pulled away from D’Angelo Russell (22 pts) and the Nets, who raised Vince Carter’s No. 15 jersey to the Barclays Center rafters. | Recap
- 4 Months Of Forever: After being enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame in October, Carter has seen his jersey retired by both the Raptors and Nets this season
Raptors 117, Hawks 94: Don’t look now, but the Raptors are on the rise. Scottie Barnes packed the box score (24 pts, 12 reb, 7 ast), while RJ Barrett and Chris Boucher added 23 points apiece for Toronto’s second win over Atlanta in three days and its fifth dub in six games. | Recap
Hornets 123, Pelicans 92: LaMelo Ball’s electric year continues as he turned in 25 points and 7 dimes in Charlotte’s biggest win this season. Zion Williamson tallied 28 points and 11 boards in the loss. | Recap
5. SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT: NBA-BEST OKC vs. SURGING PORTLAND
After all but two teams were in action on Saturday, the squad that owns the best record in the NBA takes center stage on Sunday.
At 36-8, the Thunder are off to their best 44-game start in franchise history but are coming off a loss to Dallas – their second in four games.
Tonight, they’ll look to right the ship. But a red-hot Blazers squad stands in their way (6 ET, League Pass).
- OKC D: The Thunder are allowing an NBA-best 104.3 ppg, but in their 2-2 stretch (with both losses coming to Dallas), they’ve allowed 110.5 ppg
- Leveling Up: The team allowing the fewest points in that span? The Blazers (96.3 ppg), who are on a season-best 4-game win streak
Blazers Boost: After entering the New Year with 11 wins on the season, Portland has six in January, powered by guards Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson.
- Hot Hand: Leading the team in scoring this season, Simons is averaging 24.0 ppg amid Portland’s win streak and 4.1 3s per game in January — the 4th-most in the NBA (min. 3 GP)
- Scoot Spark: Meanwhile, Henderson – now in Year 2 – has flashed with a career-high 39 points on Jan. 14 and three other 20-pieces this month
On the other side, the Kia MVP Ladder leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is also recently coming off a career-high with a 54-ball on Wednesday – adding to his sensational season.
- January Jump: SGA leads the league with 32.0 ppg on 52.9% shooting. In January, he’s been even better, posting 34.2 ppg on 53.3% shooting
- Winning Formula: In his 43 games this season, SGA has led OKC in scoring 34 times. 29 of those games have resulted in wins
Will SGA guide OKC to a bounce-back win, or will Portland knock off the NBA’s top team?
