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Starting 5: Kawhi’s 45 keeps LA on tear, Philly finding its stride, Prime doubleheader awaits tonight

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Starting 5: Kawhi’s 45 keeps LA on tear, Philly finding its stride, Prime doubleheader awaits tonight

No one can hang with Kawhi right now.

45 more points for the Klaw and a sixth straight win for the red-hot Clips.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Jan. 2, 2026

Supreme Scoring: Kawhi stays scorching hot and the Sixers are clicking together

New Year’s Roundup: Heat rise to challenge in Detroit, KD assists Rockets, Celtics surge

Prime Doubleheader: OKC begins 2026 in the Bay, Murray meets Mitchell in Cleveland

League Pass Spotlight: Knicks bring homecourt advantage into new year vs. Hawks

On League Pass: Close West race on display with Lakers, Suns in action on 10-game Friday

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Victor Wembanyama is listed as “Out” for tonight with knee soreness, but Thursday’s additional testing on his hyperextended left knee showed no signs of major injury.

A relieved Spurs squad heads to Indy (7 ET, LP | Tap To Watch) in the first of Friday’s eight League Pass matchups, while Prime’s doubleheader showcases the Thunder visiting the Warriors (10 ET | Tap To Watch), and the Cavs hosting the Nuggets (7:30 ET | Tap To Watch).

Select Your All-Stars: With the calendar turned to January, there are just 13 more days to cast votes for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game starters (through Jan. 14) using your NBA ID. Don’t miss your shot, vote now.

1. NEW YEAR’S FIREWORKS: KAWHI GOES OFF AGAIN, FULL-STRENGTH SIXERS HIT STRIDE

The Klaw started the new year right where he left off: Tearing through defenses.

Clippers 118, Jazz 101: Kawhi Leonard caught fire again for 45 points, powering up in the 4th quarter with 20 while hitting four of his six 3s to deliver the league’s hottest team its sixth straight win. | Recap

On A Mission: Kawhi has scored under 30 points just once in LA’s six-game win streak, averaging 39.0 points, 8.5 boards, 53.2% from the field, 44.1% from three and 93.5% from the line
Has that been done before? Only Damian Lillard (2023) has matched such stats over a six-game span in NBA history
Early & Late: LA opened the game on a 16-0 run, and after a 21-point Utah comeback, took over the 4th 36-20 with Leonard’s hot hand (55.2 FG%, 7 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk)
“We’re starting to get the results that we want,” coach Ty Lue said as LA is now 1.5 games out of SoFi Play-In position. “I give those guys credit. Keep stacking days.”
Keeping Up With Kawhi: James Harden added 20 points and 7 assists in 3 quarters, while Kyle Anderson (22 pts) led Utah without Lauri Markkanen (knee) and Keyonte George (illness)

Meanwhile, for Philly, top-3 scorer Tyrese Maxey kept his hot hand — and got a little help from his star-studded friends.

Sixers 123, Mavericks 108: Maxey (34 pts, 8 reb, 10 ast) led a trio of 20-point scorers for the second straight game as VJ Edgecombe (23 pts, 4 stl) and Joel Embiid (22 pts, 6 ast) combined for 45 and Philly never looked back after a 41-point 2nd quarter. | Recap

“We’re starting to figure it out. We’ve only played all together… 5th game?” Maxey said postgame of a second consecutive win with Philly’s lineup of himself, VJ, Embiid and Paul George (14 pts). “Everybody is knowing their role.”
Dallas Duo: Anthony Davis returned for Dallas with 13 points and 8 boards, while Cooper Flagg (12 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast) added two soaring slams
VJ Shines: June’s 3rd overall pick Edgecombe again won the rookie showdown with Flagg, standing out with athletic plays like this hanging double block

2. ROUNDUP: HEAT MAKE STATEMENT, KD’S ROCKETS ROLL, CELTICS SEPARATE

Heat 118, Pistons 112: Norman Powell scored 34 of a game-high 36 points through three quarters to put Detroit down by 22, and Miami survived the Pistons’ 13-2 4th-quarter run with Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s daggerand Davion Mitchell’s clutch steal for a fourth straight win. | Recap

Final Stretch: Detroit stormed back to within two points in the final minute before Jaquez Jr.’s clutch jumper made it 116-112. After a timeout, Mitchell stole the inbound pass with 27.6 seconds left
Tough Crowd: Powell hit seven of Miami’s 14 3-pointers and Jaquez Jr. added 19 points off the bench as the Heat claimed just the third road victory in Detroit this season
East Chase: The Pistons got 31 points and 11 assists from Cade Cunningham, as their lead over the Knicks in the East is reduced to 1.5 games

Rockets 120, Nets 96: A 20-point trio of Amen Thompson (23 pts), KD (22 pts, 5 reb, 11 ast) and Alperen Sengun (20 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) led six double-figure Rockets’ scorers to their fourth straight win. Cam Thomas (21 pts) led the Nets with Michael Porter Jr. out (illness). | Recap

Seasoned Playmaker: KD’s first 10+ assist game since 2023 made him the first Rockets player to ever record a 20+/5+/10+ game after the age of 36, topping Clyde Drexler (35)

Celtics 120, Kings 106: Tied at 88 with neither team having led by double digits, Boston ignited a 32-18 4th quarter with 14 points from Derrick White and eight more from Jaylen Brown, closing on a 16-6 run for its sixth win in the last seven games. | Recap

Shared Scoring: Brown (29 pts, 10 reb) led seven Celtics in double figures, including 16 points apiece from White (7 ast) and Payton Pritchard (6 ast). DeMar DeRozan (25 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast) led six double-digit Kings

3. PRIME DOUBLEHEADER: CHAMPS START 2026 IN THE BAY, NUGGETS VISIT CAVS

Joshua Gateley/NBAE via Getty Images

Tonight, OKC could do something just two other teams have ever done.

To get there, they’ll need to beat one of those teams.

Thunder at Warriors (10 ET, Prime): As OKC looks to become the third team to start 30-5 in consecutive seasons, it faces a Golden State team that’s won five of its last six — one out for its first win against OKC in attempt No. 3 this season.

In their last six games, the Warriors (5-1) have averaged 124.0 points, 30.2 assists with a 113.8 defensive rating
The driving force? The league-leader in threes per game (4.8), Curry has averaged 4.0 in this six-game stretch, along with 28.2 points. He is questionable (ankle) tonight
Tough Task: The Dubs need to solve SGA (33.0 ppg, 7.5 ast, 55.0 FG%) and Chet Holmgren (22.0 ppg, 9.5 reb), who have starred in the teams’ two meetings so far

Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

OKC starts the work of making 2026 as successful – if not more so – as its historic 2025.

“We’ve been able to do a lot of really good things, and there’s no reason for us not to continue that going forward and keep trying to be the best versions of ourselves,” Holmgren said following OKC’s New Year’s Eve win.

With a win tonight, OKC would start 30-5 for the second straight year and join the 2014-’16 Warriors and ‘96-’97 Bulls as the only NBA teams with back-to-back starts to a season of 30-5 or better
Auspicious Beginnings: Four of those five 30-5 starts ended in a championship — the lone exception being 2016
“They kind of just plug and play, which is how we were during those [championship] times,” Draymond Green said of OKC earlier this season. “They are a well-oiled machine.”

Nuggets at Cavaliers (7:30 ET, Prime): Cleveland and Denver meet for the first time this season, with Donovan Mitchell fueling the Cavs to four wins in their last six tilts.

In those six games, Mitchell is averaging 25.5 points on 50.0% shooting, while adding 42 4th-quarter points to his league lead (284, +38)
Life Without Joker: Denver earned its first win without Jokić this season on New Year’s Eve, holding off Toronto in dramatic fashion
Call On Jamal: The Nuggets will look to Jamal Murray (25.1 ppg, 6.9 ast, 48.2 FG%, 45.3 3P%) to lead the way, whose career-year has elevated Denver as the league’s top-scoring offense (125.1 ppg)

4. LEAGUE PASS: KNICKS RETURN TO HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE, HOSTING HAWKS

Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

The East’s winningest home team returns from a 2-1 road trip tonight.

Hawks at Knicks (7:30 ET): New York’s 15-2 mark at MSG is the NBA’s second-best home record, and the Knicks’ best home start since 1989. Tonight the Hawks come knocking, having just ended a 7-game skid, for a rematch of Saturday’s 128-125 Knicks win in ATL.

NYC Comforts: New York hits more threes at home (16.4 per game) than any other team, while scoring the 4th-most points (123.1 ppg), producing the 3rd-best Net Rating (11.7)
Last Week In Atlanta: The Knicks claimed their season’s first clash with the Hawks with Karl-Anthony Towns (36 pts, 15 reb) and Jalen Brunson (34 pts) outdoing Jalen Johnson (20 pts, 9 reb, 12 ast)
December To Remember: Johnson averaged a 25-point triple-double (25.8 ppg, 11.2 reb, 10.1 ast, 12 gp) in a dominant final month of 2025, becoming the first Hawks player and just the seventh all-time to do so
“The statistics are great, but he wants to win,” coach Quin Snyder said of Johnson. “It’s reflective of a guy that’s done a lot of work, that we need to make a lot of plays for us. Jalen’s doing a heck of a job of that.”

5. LEAGUE PASS: SUNS & LAKERS LINKED IN TIGHT WEST RACE

With just four games separating five West teams from 4th to 8th place, one week can be the difference between SoFi Play-In survival and home-court advantage.

Battling in that bunch, 7th-place Phoenix eyes upward movement, sitting two games back of 5th-place Los Angeles.

Kings at Suns (9 ET): Phoenix has won its first two meetings with Sacramento this season; one by completing a 20-point comeback and the other in wire-to-wire fashion. Devin Booker had 50 total points in those two Ws.

Desert Defense: Phoenix and first-year head coach Jordan Ott have emphasized defensive identity this season, boosting its Defensive Rating from 27th last season to 11th
Book It: The Suns count on leading scorer D-Book (25.5 ppg, 6.3 ast), who boasts the 10th-most clutch points (58) in the league this season
Call On Collin: Gillespie has shined in a breakout season with career-best numbers across the board: 14.0 points, 5.1 assists and 3.0 3s per game, while shooting 43.3% from distance

Grant Burke/NBAE via Getty Images

Grizzlies at Lakers (10:30 ET): Los Angeles took the previous matchup with Memphis on Halloween, with Luka Dončić supplying 44 points. The Lakers hold a four-game win streak against the Grizz dating back to Nov. 2024.

Dominant Dončić: Leading the league in scoring with 33.5 points per game, Luka has logged 11 straight games of at least 25 points against Memphis
LA Outlook: Entering back-to-back home matchups with Memphis, LA has dropped four of its last five games, with Minnesota looming just a half-game back
Strong Signs: Ja Morant meets Luka and LA fresh off a 40-point outing against Philly. Rookie Cedric Coward logged career highs with 28 points and 16 rebounds in that OT loss

Roundup: With a positive outlook on Wemby’s hyperextended knee, the Spurs roll into Indy seeking their 25th win (7 ET), plus the Bulls go for a seventh W in their last nine games, hosting the Magic. (8 ET)