We’ve never had a Sunday quite like this one.
The first-ever Pioneers Classic tips at 3:30 ET on ESPN.
The NBA All-Star reserves announcement awaits at 6 ET on NBC & Peacock in the new Basketball Night in America, with Lenny Kravitz debuting the show’s signature intro.
Then, at 7 ET, Sunday Night Basketball premieres with a doubleheader on NBC, Peacock & Telemundo, starting at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Feb. 1, 2026
Sunday Night Basketball: Luka & LeBron’s MSG visit ushers in NBC/Peacock’s newest showcase
SNB Doubleheader: Shai faces Joker in season’s first rematch of Thunder-Nuggets West Semis
Pioneers Classic: Honoring the legacies of the NBA’s first Black players as Bucks visit Celtics
Play To Strengths: Hot Hornets handle Wemby, Embiid sends 40-pt reminder, Wolves surge again
Win Any Way: Rockets ride Amen, balanced Bulls feature Dosunmu, Indy solves Atlanta
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Feb. 1st features fresh new NBA showcases and a 10-game slate…
Cavs/Kings Trade (Reports): Ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Cleveland will send De’Andre Hunter to Sacramento, with Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis heading to the Cavaliers in return.
NBA Pioneers Day: In Section 3, celebrate the inaugural NBA Pioneers Day — honoring the 75th anniversary of the league’s first Black players, on this first day of Black History Month — and get set for the first-ever NBA Pioneers Classic on ESPN between the Bucks and Celtics (3:30 ET | Tap To Watch).
Then, Sunday Night Basketball: Check out Sections 1 & 2 to prep for tonight’s doubleheader premiere featuring Lakers-Knicks at MSG (7 ET | Tap To Watch) and Nuggets-Thunder (9:30 ET| Tap To Watch) on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo.
More All-Stars Unveiled: NBC/Peacock’s new Sunday night studio show Basketball Night in America will also reveal the 2026 NBA All-Star Game reserves at 6 ET, with seven players from each conference joining the 10 starters.
1. SUNDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL: NBC’S LATEST PREMIERES WITH LAKERS-KNICKS
Jesse D. Garrabrant /NBAE via Getty Images
It’s here: The place to close out your weekend with more of the best basketball this season has to offer.
Sunday Night Basketball premieres tonight with a star-powered doubleheader featuring Lakers-Knicks at MSG (7 ET), and Nuggets-Thunder (9:30 ET) on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo.
- Basketball Night In America: NBA On NBC’s familiar team of Maria Taylor and Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady will preview the night’s action from Basketball Night In America, starting at 6 ET
- From The (Peacock) Logo: WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark will join Basketball Night in America as a special contributor ahead of Lakers-Knicks
- More All-Stars Unveiled: Basketball Night in America will also reveal the 2026 NBA All-Star Game reserves at 6 ET
- Share The Rock: NBC Sports’ new weekly NBA primetime franchise will set a new tone with an intro starring GRAMMY Award-winning and Platinum artist Lenny Kravitz
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
Then, we tip it off.
Lakers at Knicks (7 ET, NBC / Peacock / Telemundo): All-Star starters and former Mavs teammates Luka Dončić and Jalen Brunson square off while LeBron James plays his 32nd career game at The Garden.
- LeBron at MSG: In 31 career games, James averages 28.2 ppg, 7.0 reb, 7.6 ast in the World’s Most Famous Arena, with a 23-8 record
- “Lotta excitement, I try to keep my composure,” James has said of playing in NYC. “It’s always special coming in this building. It’s the Mecca of basketball.”
- Garden Luka: In a smaller sampling, Dončić has strikingly similar numbers at MSG: 27.5 ppg, 8.8 reb, 7.6 ast (6 games, 4-2)
Known for its offense, New York has held four of its last five opponents under 100 points, after holding only three teams under 100 in the previous 43 games.
- The Result? A five-game win streak, and a defense identity, to settle back into 2nd place in the East
- Opponents may revere MSG, but these Knicks are 19-6 there – the 4th best home record in the NBA – and winners of three straight
2. SUNDAY NIGHT FINALE: MVPS CLASH IN THUNDER-NUGGETS PLAYOFFS REMATCH
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
With NBC/Peacock’s Sunday Night Basketball stage set, the premiere doubleheader concludes in Denver with a 2025 West Semis rematch — and a battle of the last two Kia NBA MVPs.
Thunder at Nuggets (9:30 ET, NBC / Peacock / Telemundo): It’s Strength vs. Strength as Denver’s top-ranked offense (121.0 OffRtg) hosts OKC’s top defense (105.7 DefRtg).
- Rivalry Crash Course: It’s the first meeting between these two since OKC took Game 7 in last year’s 2nd Round. They’ll play four times in the final 33 games of this season
- Recent History: Denver won last year’s regular season series 3-1, before OKC turned the tables in the West Semis, 4-3, en route to their first championship
- “Their main guys are great players that require unbelievable effort and energy to neutralize,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said of Denver
Denver kept pace in 3rd place during 31 days without Nikola Jokić, dating back to his Dec. 29 knee injury.
- Full Strength: Jokić’s return Friday night produced a one-of-a-kind 31-pt, 12-reb, 5-ast statline in less than 25 minutes played
- No Slack: Jamal Murray (career-best 25.8 ppg) kept the Nuggets near the top of the West in Jokić’s absence, while Peyton Watson (career-high 14.7 ppg) stepped in as a bona fide No. 2 option
- During the same stretch when Denver maintained 3rd place without Jokić, OKC kept their defense atop the West (107.7 DefRtg), averaged the West’s third-most points (117.9) and maintained a 5 game lead over everyone
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander aims for his 120th consecutive game of 20 points or more in this matchup of the two most recent Kia MVPs.
3. PIONEERS CLASSIC: HONORING THE LEGACIES OF FIRST BLACK PLAYERS
The NBA is marking the start of Black History Month today with the first-ever NBA Pioneers Classic on ESPN between the Bucks and Celtics (3:30 ET), on the inaugural NBA Pioneers Day.
NBA Pioneers Day honors the legacy and 75th anniversary of the NBA Pioneers: the league’s first Black players, Chuck Cooper, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton and Earl Lloyd.
Steve Aschburner has more on the moment — and the legacy — of the 1950 season, and the Pioneers who changed the game:
The NBA’s integration had begun, with three men shouldering the load Jackie Robinson had lugged for baseball three years prior.
“Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd, and Nathaniel Clifton transformed the NBA and inspired countless individuals through their courage and determination,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum. “These men embody the values of our game, and their legacy as pioneers is integral to our history.” … | Read more
Go to the NBA Pioneers Hub for much more on today, and the season-long celebration of the 75th anniversary.
With Boston and Milwaukee on the floor, this Pioneers Classic will heavily feature an aspect of the game that didn’t exist when Cooper, Lloyd and Clifton made NBA history: the 3-point line.
- Long-Distance Specialists: The C’s sink the second-most triples per game across the league this season (15.6) behind only the Bay, while the Bucks boast the second-best shooting percentage from 3 (39.0 3P%)
- Brown Returns? After missing Friday night’s game due to hamstring tightness, Celtics leading scorer Jaylen Brown isn’t on today’s injury report
- Turner Rising: As the Bucks look to stop a 4-game skid and go without Giannis, they’ll look Myles Turner to help: over the past four, Turner’s averaging 20.8 ppg and 8.3 reb
4. PLAY TO STRENGTH: HORNETS PASS HEAT CHECK, EMBIID’S CLASSIC 40-BALL
The NBA’s longest active win streak belongs to Charlotte, where not even nine inches of snow and an Alien can stop the Buzz.
Hornets 111, Spurs 106: Brandon Miller (26 pts, 8 reb) led all scorers while helping limit Wemby (16 pts, 8 reb), Collin Sexton hit a season-high five 3s with 21 pts, and LaMelo Ball (16 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast) was everywhere as Charlotte won its sixth straight game. | Recap
- Best In 10: The Hornets’ six-game win streak is the team’s best since winning seven straight in 2016
- Offensive Rise: During the streak, Charlotte ranks first offensively with a 123.1 OffRtg, along with the second-best Net Rating (15.6). They also lead the league in EFG% (60.0) and True Shooting (63.4%) in that span
- “When they threw their best shot, we threw ours right back,” Sexton said of battling San Antonio. “We just dug deep and continued to fight.”
“We’re coming,” Sexton said of playing on national TV (Prime) Saturday. “It’s not gonna happen overnight. It’s gonna take an everyday process, and I feel like tonight was one of those.”
Sixers 124, Pelicans 114: Joel Embiid surged for 40 points with a furious finish of 17 points in a 4th quarter where Philly’s once 15-point lead evaporated. The big man closed spectacularly to ensure the Sixers’ third straight win. | Recap
- Philly Finisher: After NOLA took a 107-104 edge with 6 minutes to play, Embiid (11 reb, 2 blk) poured in 10 in a 20-7 Philly victory closeout
- Joel’s first 40–ball since Jan. 22 2024 places him with Tyrese Maxey as Philly’s only 40-point scorers this season
Tyler Clouse/NBAE via Getty Images
Out West, the Wolves are once again the Conference’s hottest team.
Timberwolves 131, Grizzlies 114: Anthony Edwards (33 pts) and Julius Randle (27 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast) combined for 60 to give Minnesota a wire-to-wire win, its fourth in a row — all by double-digits. | Recap
- Instant Impact: Ty Jerome (calf) made his season debut for the Grizzlies and led the team with 20 points and six assists
5. WIN ANY WAY: ROCKETS TAP THOMPSON, DOSUNMU LEADS BULLS
Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images
Rockets 111, Mavericks 107: Despite a 34-point follow-up to Cooper Flagg’s NBA record for points in a game by a teen (49), Houston never trailed after the 2nd quarter or by more than two in this one, matching a season-high with 33 assists in a balanced attack. | Recap
- Shine Time: Amen Thompson (21 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast, 2 stl) led six Rockets in double figures, including Kevin Durant (13 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast)
- Racing Back: Flagg led Dallas with 10 points during a 4th quarter comeback that saw the Mavs erase a double-digit deficit to tie the game with under a minute to play before Houston held on
- Encore: Coop’s back-to-back 30+ point, 10+ rebound games mark just the third time this century a rookie has had two straight 30/10 games, joining Michael Porter Jr. (2020) and Blake Griffin (3x)
Houston has now won eight of its last 11 games.
Issac Baldizon + Bobby Goddin/NBAE via Getty Images
Bulls 125, Heat 118: Ayo Dosunmu went off for a season-high 29 points (8 reb, 9 ast, 5 3s), scoring 10 in the final frame to help Chicago survive Miami’s 9-point rally to set up a rubber match for their three-game, four-day series tomorrow at 6 ET. | Recap
- Not Alone: Buzelis (21 pts, 8 reb) supported Dosunmu tonight alongside Isaac Okoro (20 pts)
- Bring the Heat: Miami got 63 combined points from Pelle Larsson (22 pts 7 reb, career-high 5 stl), Bam Adebayo (21 pts, 11 reb), and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (20 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast)
Pacers 129, Hawks 124: Indy turned a 9-point deficit into a 9-point, lasting advantage in a pivotal 45-34 2nd quarter where Jay Huff (16 pts) and Aaron Nesmith (23 pts) had 10 apiece. Andrew Nembhard (26 pts, 6 reb, 10 ast, 5 3s) paced the Pacers after a 15-point 1st. | Recap
- Return To Statlanta: Jalen Johnson led all scorers (33 pts, 12 reb, 10 ast, 3 stl) in his Eastern Conference-leading 8th triple-double this season and first since Jan. 2
