A dozen straight wins for OKC, and JDub back getting buckets.
Six in a row for San Antonio … and Wemby doing what?!
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
West Streaks: OKC rumbles in JDub’s return, Wemby wows, Pistons clip Lakers in crunch time
Big Buckets: Bulls overcome KD & Sengun, Siakam halts Pacers’ skid, Hawks & Raptors erupt
Roundup: Warriors edge Mavs in OT, Clippers & Blazers win amid wild West race
Coast 2 Coast Tuesday: Magic & Cavs meet again, Jokić’s Nuggets face DBook’s Suns
Power Rankings Spotlight: Streaking Knicks climb Schuhmann’s latest list, host Pels tonight
BUT FIRST … ⏰
NBC’s Coast 2 Coast Tuesday headlines tonight’s four-game slate, as the Cavs host the Magic (8 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Nuggets visit the Suns (8 PT | Tap to Watch).
1. WEST STREAKS: THUNDER & SPURS STAY SIZZLING, PISTONS COOL LAKERS
The West’s top three teams – the Thunder, Spurs and Lakers – all entered Monday night riding 5+ game win streaks.
Two kept rolling. The other fell just short, at the hands of the East’s No. 1 team.
Thunder 123, 76ers 103: In his first game since Feb. 11, Jalen Williams picked up right where he left off with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 22/5/5 without playing the 4th, as OKC rolled to its 12th win in a row, despite VJ Edgecombe’s eruption (35 pts, 7 3s, 6 reb). | Recap
- Strikes Twice: There have been three 12+ game win streaks this season … and OKC owns two of them
- Big Clamps: Amid the current 12-0 run, the Thunder have held their opponents to 104.8 ppg, and have now tallied three straight 20+ point victories
- Big Dubs: It’s their 22nd 20+ point win this season, tying last season’s mark for the most in franchise history
- And Now, JDub Is Back: “Dub looked great,” said OKC coach Mark Daigneault. “Great force … he didn’t miss a beat.”
- McCain Rain: Jared McCain sparked OKC with two early triples, finishing with 13 points in his first game back in Philly since being traded
Make that six straight for San Antonio – and another otherworldly show from Victor Wembanyama.
Spurs 136, Heat 111: Wemby did it all (26 pts, 15 reb, 4 ast, 5 blk), throwing oops, finishing oops, swatting reverses and slinging dimes – in reverse – to power the Spurs past the Heat, as San Antonio remains three games back of OKC for 1st in the West. | Recap
- Another World: It’s Wemby’s 10th game with 25+ points and 5+ blocks this season. The rest of the NBA has 10 combined
- Backcourt Boost: Rookie Dylan Harper (4 reb, 6 ast, 2 blk) and Keldon Johnson (6 reb) each scored 21, while Stephon Castle also stuffed the stat sheet (19 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast)
- Spurs Ball: San Antonio is an NBA-best 22-2 since Feb. 1, leading the league in OffRtg and assists (30.0) in that span, with seven players posting 10+ ppg and none averaging more than 9 FGA
- “It’s unselfishness,” said Wemby postgame. “We get along super well on and off the court, and we see the results.”
As the Spurs and Thunder kept winning, the 3rd-place Lakers looked to extend their nine-game heater with another clutch dub.
But Daniss Jenkins and Detroit had other plans.
Pistons 113, Lakers 110: With Cade Cunningham out (lung), Jenkins poured in a career-high 30 points, capped by a go-ahead stepback with 25 ticks left and a pair of free throws to follow.
Then, with nine seconds to play, Detroit’s defense forced Luka Dončić (32 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast) into a turnaround heave that fell short at the buzzer, sealing a gutsy win. | Recap
- “My team needs me,” said Jenkins, who scored 10 in the 4th. “We got something special brewing .. This is a brotherhood. This is a family.”
- Winning DNA: Jalen Duren added a double-double (20 pts, 11 reb), while Detroit held Los Angeles to 23 points in the 4th, handing the Lakers just their seventh clutch loss this season (NBA-best 22-7 record)
- Luka’s Tear: Dončić became just the fifth Laker to record 10 straight 30-pieces, joining Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor
2. BIG BUCKETS: BULLS & PACERS WIN LATE, HAWKS & RAPTORS TURN UP
More superstars went off Monday, but not all of them walked away with the win.
Bulls 132, Rockets 124: Kevin Durant (40 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) and Alperen Sengun (33 pts, 13 reb, 10 ast, 1 poster) were masterful, but the Bulls’ balance was too much, as Collin Sexton (25 pts) and Matas Buzelis (23 pts, 5 3s) led seven double-digit scorers to edge Houston. | Recap
- Buzelis Seals It: After trailing by 22, KD scored 15 in the 4th to get Houston within 3 in the final minute, but Buzelis dropped in a dagger layup with 10 ticks left to ice it ⬆️
Pacers 128, Magic 126: Paolo Banchero dropped 39 points and 6 dimes for Orlando, but Indy got the win behind Pascal Siakam (37 pts, 6 reb), who blocked Banchero’s attempted layup in the final seconds to end the Pacers’ franchise-record 16-game skid. | Recap
Hawks 146, Grizzlies 107: Atlanta tied its franchise record for 3s in a game with 25, as Nickeil Alexander-Walker (26 pts, 6 ast, 4 3s) and Jonathan Kuminga (16 pts, 4 3s) led a shooting barrage to outpace GG Jackson (26 pts) and Memphis. | Recap
- Scoring, Flying: Atlanta shot 46.3% from deep (25-of-54), improving to 13-1 in its last 14 – its best 14-game stretch in 11 years
Sitting right above Atlanta for 5th in the East is Toronto, which maintained its edge via tiebreaker thanks to its own outburst.
Raptors 143, Jazz 127: At 19 years old, Ace Bailey (37 pts, 7 3s, 6 reb) became the youngest Jazz player to score 35+ points in a game, but Utah couldn’t contain the Raps.
RJ Barrett (27 pts, 6 ast) led four 20-point scorers, Scottie Barnes posted a near triple-double (20 pts, 7 reb, 10 ast) and Jamal Shead (7 pts) dished out 14 dimes as Toronto earned a near wire-to-wire win. | Recap
- Roaring Scoring: The Raptors entered the New Year with two 140+ point games in franchise history. They now have four (145 pts on Jan. 20)
3. ROUNDUP: BIG WINS IN WEST PLAY-IN RACE
Seed Nos. 8-10 in the West – the Clippers, Blazers and Warriors – entered Monday separated by just two games.
All three picked up key dubs.
Warriors 137, Mavericks 131 (OT): Cooper Flagg led the Mavs with 32 points and 9 dimes, while Klay Thompson drilled five 3s en route to 15 points against his former team.
But the Dubs were too strong top to bottom, as Moses Moody (23 pts) and Kristaps Porziņģis (22 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) led eight scorers in double figures, while Golden State outscored Dallas 11-5 in OT to secure the win. | Recap
- Moody Injured: Moody was stretchered off late in overtime after suffering a non-contact knee injury
- Bench Boost: The Warriors’ reserves scored 61 points, halting a three-game slide as Golden State sits 10th in the West
- Record Rook: Flagg is the fourth rookie in the last 50 years to tally 1,200+ pts, 350+ reb and 250+ ast in his first 60 career games
- His Company? Luka Dončić, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird
Clippers 129, Bucks 96: Kawhi Leonard was cooking (28 pts, 5 reb, 3 stl), while Brook Lopez (5 3s) and Kobe Sanders (8-10 FG) added 19 points apiece as the Clippers ran past the Bucks for a second straight dub. | Recap
Blazers 134, Nets 99: Toumani Camara notched a career-high in points (35) and 3s (9), shooting 10-of-12 from the field to power Portland past Brooklyn. The Blazers remain a half-game back of the Clips for 8th in the West. | Recap
4. COAST 2 COAST TUESDAY: MAGIC-CAVS ROUND 4, NUGGETS AT SUNS
These teams know each other well.
In two months, Cleveland and Orlando have met three times. They’ve both had their own successes during that span.
Time for the fourth and final round.
Tonight (8 ET, NBC), the Magic visit the Cavaliers, looking to tie their season series. Orlando sits in 8th place, only two games behind 5th, while Cleveland has a 4-game cushion for 4th.
- Rewind: It was Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane and Co. who took the last meeting, 128-122, on March 11 by coming up clutch in a wild 4th quarter
- Cavs Fight: Down 8 with 1:09 left, James Harden and Donovan Mitchell ignited a late charge, nailing back-to-back 3s to cut Cleveland’s deficit to two
- Magic Response: Bane, though, didn’t blink, drilling a dagger 3 with 18 seconds left to ice it, finishing with 35 points and a key Orlando win
The photo finish spoke to both teams’ strengths.
While the Magic’s 23 clutch wins are the 3rd-most in the NBA, Mitchell has thrived in big moments, clicking with his new co-star.
- Hocus Pocus: Mitchell is averaging 35.3 ppg against Orlando in 2025-26, and leads the NBA in 4Q scoring (477 pts) while shooting 39.3% from 3
- Beard Boost: When Harden joins him in the lineup, the Cavs are 10-4. Tonight, the team seeks a fourth straight win, sitting just 2.5 games back of the 3rd-place Knicks
It’s not just the East where the Playoff race is a neck-and-neck contest.
The West is also jam-packed.
The Nuggets are one such team fighting forward, now in 4th after Houston’s loss to Chicago on Monday. Tonight (8 PT, NBC), Denver visits Phoenix in hopes of gaining more ground.
- Big Boost: To pair with Nikola Jokić’s 28 triple-doubles and Jamal Murray’s 25.1 ppg, Denver got Peyton Watson back Sunday from injury
- X-Factor: Entering 2025-26, Watson had three career 20-pieces. This season, he has 15
- Watson’s Impact: The third-year guard is averaging a career-high 14.9 ppg, and Denver is 32-18 this season with him in the lineup
- Back On Track: After ending their 5-game skid on Sunday, the Suns seek a second straight win behind Devin Booker and Jalen Green
- Winning Duo: Booker (28.5) and Green (22.3) are combining for 50.8 ppg in March. When they each score 20+, Phoenix is 6-0
5. POWER RANKINGS SPOTLIGHT: KNICKS CLIMB, HOST PELS TONIGHT
Six straight wins for the Knicks have them just a half-game back of Boston for 2nd in the East – and climbing in John Schuhmann’s Power Rankings.
New York’s recent surge has it up to No. 4 in Schuhmann’s latest rankings, behind only the Thunder (1), Spurs (2) and Pistons (3).
Fueling the rise? Rare balance and a spark plug who’s added a new dimension to New York’s offense, writes Schuhmann:
The Knicks are now one of three teams – the Celtics and Spurs are the others – that rank in the top five on both ends of the floor.
Two seasons ago (7th and 9th) was the only time in the previous 29 seasons of play-by-play data that the Knicks ranked in the top 10 on both ends of the floor.
Josh Hart is now shooting 40.4% from 3-point range, up from 32.2% over the last two seasons. And if that carries over to the Playoffs, it makes the Knicks much tougher to defend. | Read More
Tonight on League Pass (7:30 ET), the Knicks seek their 7th straight win, hosting the Pelicans as they look to match Boston for 2nd in the East.
The Hornets – who made the biggest leap of any team in this week’s Power Rankings, jumping from No. 16 to 11 – open tonight’s League Pass slate as they host the Kings (7 ET).
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.
