A night fit for a King.
Another Luka masterpiece.
A through-the-legs jam to finish the job.
Check, check and check.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Star Takeovers: LeBron and Luka spark Lakers’ Showtime, Mitchell can’t miss in Cleveland
All Cylinders: KD stays hot as Rockets roll, C’s rebound with a complete team dub
Roundup: Hawks storm back to extend streak, Wolves and Hornets win big
Coast 2 Coast Tuesday: The Sixers & Bucks seek timely dubs, while the surging Clips face Jazz
Power Ranking Spotlight: Why John Schuhmann has a new No. 1 atop his weekly team rankings
BUT FIRST … ⏰
NBC’s Coast 2 Coast Tuesday headlines tonight’s slate as the Sixers host the Bucks (8 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Clippers visit the Jazz (10 ET | Tap to Watch).
The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars were announced Monday on Peacock. Tonight, the selected rookie and sophomore standouts will be drafted onto three teams (7 ET, Peacock), with a fourth squad comprised of NBA G League players.
- Be There: The Castrol Rising Stars mini-tournament takes place on Friday, Feb. 13, in Inglewood, CA. Use promo code NEWS26 to grab tickets now
NBA 2K Heated Rivalries: The biggest beefs are getting squashed in a live, no punches pulled, NBA 2K event. Tune in to see Lonzo Ball challenge his brother, LiAngelo, and Jeff Teague try to silence outspoken rapper Veeze. Watch SHOWDOWN tonight at 4 ET.
1. STARS ERUPT: LUKA & LEBRON SHINE, MITCHELL POPS OFF
LeBron James opened Monday in Chicago with a record-setting 1st half.
Luka Dončić finished it with a franchise-level masterclass.
Lakers 129, Bulls 118: James (24 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast) was dialed from the jump, dropping 20 points in the 1st half to build the Lakers a 69-56 lead.
When the Bulls cut the deficit to one in the 3rd, Dončić delivered (46 pts, 7 reb, 11 ast, 8 3s), hanging 28 points and 8 dimes in the final two quarters to power Los Angeles past Chicago, snapping the Bulls’ four-game win streak. | Recap
- Fire At 41: James is the first player in the play-by-play era to score 20+ points in a half after turning 41
- Even Wilder? Only two other players have recorded multiple 20-point games at 41 or older: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (three) and Vince Carter (three). LeBron has 11
As LeBron’s longevity continues to amaze, Luka continues to dominate.
In his NBA-best eighth 40-piece this season, Dončić joined Kobe Bryant as the only players in franchise history with multiple games of 40+ points, 10+ assists and 5+ 3s.
The records didn’t stop there.
- Lakers Lore: Luka is the first Laker to post 45+ pts, 5+ reb and 10+ ast in multiple games within the same season
- Quickest To 2K: He also became the fastest player to 2,000 points as a Laker, doing it in 65 games. The previous record? George Mikan’s 72-game mark, set more than 75 years ago (1948-50)
- “He’s an engine that’s fully on,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick on Luka. “He likes to create out there, that’s part of what makes him a great player … it’s that creative element that he needs to thrive.”
- Exclamation Point: Jaxson Hayes stamped the dub with a between-the-legs hammer, locking in Los Angeles’ fourth win in five games
The court was bright. Donovan Mitchell was brighter.
Cavaliers 114, Magic 98: Everything was falling for Mitchell in the 1st half as he dropped 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting, capped by this fallaway moonball at the buzzer.
After the break, Mitchell didn’t slow down, adding 21 more for a game-high 45 as Cleveland pulled away from Paolo Banchero (37 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast) and Orlando for its fourth straight win. | Recap
- Another Takeover: It’s the Cavs’ second win over the Magic in three days. In those two games, Mitchell has scored 81 points (36 & 45)
- Another Level: Seeking his seventh straight All-Star nod, Mitchell is averaging a career-high 29.5 ppg this season. He’s already notched 25 30-pieces, six shy of his career best (31 in 2022)
- Another Dub: Cleveland is 6-1 in its last seven games, jumping Philly for 5th in the East
2. ALL CYLINDERS: KD & SENGUN FUEL ROCKETS, CELTICS RESPOND
As the Cavs kept climbing, the Rockets kept rolling.
Rockets 108, Grizzlies 99: Kevin Durant (8 reb, 4 3s) and Alperen Sengun (9 reb, 6 ast, 15-17 FG) each poured in 33 points apiece, as Houston outscored Memphis 32-22 in the 4th to claim a back-and-forth duel that featured 12 lead changes and no edge greater than 11. | Recap
- Houston Humming: Amen Thompson added eight points, eight boards and a career-high 14 dimes as the Rockets moved to 5-1 in their last six and 16-3 at home
- Scorching At 37: It’s KD’s third straight 30-piece, a feat only four other players have accomplished at age 37 or older: Steph Curry, LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Karl Malone
- Shining At 23: Sengun became just the second player in Rockets history to post 30/5/5 while shooting over 85%, joining Mike Dunleavy (Jan. 1980)
Celtics 102, Blazers 94: Payton Pritchard buried 5 treys en route to 23 points, while Jaylen Brown shined on both ends (20 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl), as the C’s held the shorthanded Blazers to a season-low in points for a bounce-back win after Saturday’s last-second loss in Chicago. | Recap
- What He Does: Pritchard nailed back-to-back buzzer-beaters in the 1st and 2nd quarters to ignite TD Garden
- X-Factor: The C’s are 10-3 this season when he scores 20+ points
- Holiday Returns: In his first game back in Boston since being traded, Jrue Holiday received a tribute video before showing off the two-way impact (14 pts, 3 ast, 3 stl) that made him a fan favorite
3. ROUNDUP: HAWKS STORM BACK, WOLVES & HORNETS WIN BIG
Hawks 132, Pacers 116: Staring at a 15-point hole in the 3rd, Atlanta took flight, ripping off a 17-0 run as it outscored Indy 62-31 the rest of the way for its third straight win. | Recap
- Whole Flock: CJ McCollum (23 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast), Dyson Daniels (22 pts, 9 ast, 1 poster) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (21 pts) combined for 66 points, leading seven Hawks in double figures
Wolves 108, Warriors 83: With Anthony Edwards out, Julius Randle (18 pts, 7 reb) and Rudy Gobert (15 pts, 17 reb) stepped up, while Bones Hyland flashed (17 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) to push the Wolves past the Steph and Draymond-less Warriors, snapping Minnesota’s five-game skid. | Recap
Hornets 130, 76ers 93: LaMelo Ball’s lob to Brandon Miller (30 pts, 8 reb, 6 3s) shook the Spectrum Center, punctuating a 31-9 2nd-quarter run. Charlotte entered the half up 25 and never looked back for its third straight win. | Recap
4. NBC’S COAST 2 COAST TUESDAY: BUCKS-76ERS, CLIPPERS-JAZZ
Seven weeks ago, the Clippers lost to the Grizzlies 121-103 at home to fall to 5-20.
On the heels of LA’s worst 25-game start in 16 years, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue was asked one simple question.
What’s missing?
- “Mentally, when it gets hard, you gotta get tougher,” said Lue. “When a couple things go wrong, it’s like, ‘Here we go again,’ instead of having the mindset that we gotta get tougher – we gotta get stronger.”
Lue’s squad, which faces Utah on NBC/Peacock tonight (10 ET), has done exactly that.
Five days after the Memphis loss, LA snapped a five-game skid by beating the Lakers on Dec. 20. It was the Clippers’ third win in 35 days.
They’ve dropped just three games since, going an NBA-best 15-3 to revitalize their season.
- Tougher: In that span, LA ranks 6th in DefRtg, a 20-spot jump after ranking 26th before the run
- Stronger: In that same stretch, the Clips are 5-0 in clutch games, where they’ve outscored their opponents by an NBA-best 4.8 ppg
Missing Piece: On the other end, Kawhi Leonard has poured in an NBA-best 31.8 ppg amid LA’s 15-3 surge, while James Harden has orchestrated at an elite level (25.1 ppg, 8 apg).
- “That’s why our season has turned around, because of those two guys,” said Lue of Leonard and Harden after LA’s win on Sunday. “Every night … locking in and carrying this team. Those two guys have been phenomenal.”
Tonight, Leonard and Harden carry that momentum into Utah, where another star pairing, Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George, awaits.
To open NBC’s Coast 2 Coast Tuesday, the Sixers will look to rebound from Monday’s loss as they host Ryan Rollins and the Bucks (8 ET, NBC/Peacock).
For Philly, the response starts with its co-stars, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.
- Maxey & Embiid: Despite Embiid’s absence in Monday’s loss, the duo has combined for 679 points this January – the 2nd-most in the NBA – with Embiid averaging a team-high 28.2 ppg since the New Year
- “Physically, he looks good. He’s moving well,” said Maxey last week of Embiid. “He’s just really locked in and really bought into this team.”
It’s shown. The Sixers are 8-4 over Embiid’s last 12 games, with him notching six 30-pieces in that span.
Now, they’ll hope to get him back to halt a two-game slide.
5. POWER RANKING SPOTLIGHT: PISTONS JUMP THUNDER FOR NO. 1
The top of John Schuhmann’s weekly Power Rankings has a new look – one built on steady wins and sustained control.
Last week, Detroit hit the season’s midpoint holding 1st place in the East for the first time since 2005-06.
This week, it jumped OKC for the No. 1 spot on Schuhmann’s rankings, a move he unpacks in his latest update:
The Pistons lost a rest-advantage game to the Rockets on Friday, but they won their more important game (vs. Boston) last week. They still have the East’s best record (8-3) in January and their coaching staff is going to L.A. for the All-Star Game(s).
… Despite the loss to Houston, the Pistons still have the best record (14-6) in games played between the 17 teams that are currently over .500. Of course, their visit to Denver on Tuesday will be their first game against one of the top three teams in the West. | Read More
Detroit’s showdown with Denver tips off at 9 ET on League Pass, as the Pistons seek their ninth win in 11 games. Four more matchups get underway on League Pass, including OKC looking to halt a two-game slide as it hosts NOLA (8 ET).
- Blazers at Wizards (7 ET)
- Kings at Knicks (7:30 ET)
- Nets at Suns (9 ET)
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