A living legend enters the top 20.
Steph Curry just hit another major milestone in a career unlike any other.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Sunday’s Best: Raptors edge Thunder in OKC, Steph jumps Havlicek in big win
Heat Check: Cade powers Pistons to another dub, Kawhi & Harden stay scorching
Roundup: Zion & Pels outlast Wemby, Bam & Jaime lead Heat past Suns
What’s Trending – Castrol Rising Stars: Rising Stars unveiled tonight, teams drafted tomorrow
What’s Trending – Shining Stars: Philly’s 1-2 punch, Luka & LeBron, Rockets trio, Brown & Mitchell balling
BUT FIRST … ⏰
A Peacock tripleheader highlights a full day of hoops as the Magic visit the Cavs (7 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Celtics host the Blazers (8 ET | Tap to Watch). To cap the night, the Warriors and Wolves run it back after Sunday’s showdown (9:30 ET | Tap to Watch).
Sunday Postponements: The Nuggets-Grizzlies and Mavs-Bucks games were each postponed yesterday while today’s Pacers-Hawks (1:30 ET) and Sixers-Hornets (3 ET) games were moved earlier due to inclement weather.
All-Star Awaits: Tickets for the 2026 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and Castrol Rising Stars are available now.
The action tips off Friday, Feb. 13, at the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA. Use promo code NEWS26 to grab tickets now.
1. SUNDAY STATEMENT: RAPTORS ROAR IN OKC, STEPH ENTERS TOP-20
All season, the Raptors have quietly hovered near the top of the East.
On Sunday, they made noise with a statement dub over the defending champs.
Raptors 103, Thunder 101: In a frantic finish, Immanuel Quickley nailed a 3 to put Toronto up four with 1:16 left. Chet Holmgren then answered to cut the lead to two with less than a minute to play.
But on OKC’s next possession, Scottie Barnes denied Holmgren’s potential game-tying jumper. Barnes grabbed a key offensive board on the other end to set up Quickley’s game-sealing free throws, helping Toronto knock off the NBA-best Thunder in OKC. | Recap
- New No. 3: It’s the Raptors’ fourth straight win as they improve to 29-19, jumping the Knicks (27-18) for 3rd in the East
- Whole Pack: Quickley tallied 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Barnes stuffed the stat sheet (10 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast, 3 blk) as the duo led eight Raptors with 9+ points
- Locking In: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (24 pts, 6 ast) paced OKC, but Toronto’s top-5 defense clamped down on the perimeter, holding the Thunder to just 11-of-43 from 3 (26%)
- No Pressure: The W moves Toronto to 17-7 in the clutch, the 2nd-best record in the NBA, with Quickley leading the way in points
- “We knew it was gonna be tough,” said Quickley on the win. “Champs, on the road, crowd is crazy here … it was big-time. Everybody chipped in.”
- Thunder Blip: OKC has dropped three of its last five games, including two straight, but is still an NBA-best 37-10
To close AWS Rivals Week, the Warriors and Wolves met yesterday in the first of two games in as many nights.
For Steph Curry, Sunday also marked a milestone.
Warriors 111, Wolves 85: With 26 points, Curry passed John Havlicek (26,395) for 20th on the all-time scoring list, fueling Golden State to a near wire-to-wire win over Anthony Edwards (32 pts, 11 reb) and the Wolves to halt a two-game slide. | Recap
- Quickly Climbing: With the performance, Curry is now tied with Paul Pierce for 19th on the all-time list with 26,397 career points
- Still Shining: He added 7 assists, 4 steals and 3 triples, moving his season 3-point total to an NBA-best 167 at a 39% clip
- Peacock Rematch: Minnesota and Golden State run it back tonight on Peacock to close Monday’s seven-game slate (9:30 ET)
2. HEAT CHECK: PISTONS & CLIPPERS STAY SIZZLING
One team has stood atop the East for 80 consecutive days.
The other opened the season with a 6-21 record.
Now, the Pistons and Clippers are two of the hottest teams in hoops. And on Sunday, both teams continued their surge.
Pistons 139, Kings 116: Cade Cunningham was in complete command (29 pts, 5 reb, 11 ast), powering Detroit to a season-best 78 1st-half points as the Pistons raced past Domantas Sabonis (12 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast) and the Kings to improve to an East-best 33-11. | Recap
- Setting The Table: Cade had 19 points and 8 assists at the half as Detroit finished with eight scorers in double figures
- Raising The Bar: After earning his first All-Star bid last season, Cunningham was named an All-Star starter last Monday and is averaging 25.3 points and a career-best 9.7 assists per game
- Defense Driving: Detroit has now won nine of its last 12 games, holding opponents to a league-best 102.7 ppg in that span
Even hotter than the Pistons? The Clips.
Clippers 126, Nets 89: Kawhi Leonard (28 pts, 5 reb) and James Harden (19 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast) helped build a 38-14 1st-quarter lead, and LA never looked back, rolling to its eighth win in nine games. | Recap
- Full 180: After their 6-21 start, the Clippers have gone 15-3 – the best record in that span
- Full Takeover: During that run, Leonard has poured in a league-best 32.1 ppg, while Harden has added 25.4 points and 8 dimes a night
- Postseason Push: L.A. holds the final West Play-In spot and is just 1.5 games back of the 9th-place Blazers
3. ROUNDUP: PELS OVERCOME WEMBY, HEAT BEAT SUNS
Pelicans 104, Spurs 95: Victor Wembanyama was a menace (16 pts, 16 reb, 4 blk) and even found a new way to get open for 3, but Zion Williamson and Saddiq Bey were too much, posting matching double-doubles (24 pts, 10 reb) to stave off San Antonio. | Recap
- West Race Tightens: San Antonio and Denver are now each 31-15, but the Spurs hold 2nd-place out West via tiebreaker
Heat 111, Suns 102: Bam Adebayo tallied 22 points and 7 boards, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. provided a big spark off the bench (20 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 8-11 FG) to push Miami past Dillon Brooks (26 pts, 5 reb) and Phoenix, who were without Devin Booker (ankle). | Recap
- Creeping Up: It’s Miami’s second straight win as it improves to 25-22, just a half-game back of Philly for 6th in the East
- East Jam: Entering Monday, five teams in postseason position – from the 6th-place Sixers to the 10th-place Hawks – are separated by just 3.5 games
4. WHAT’S TRENDING: CASTROL RISING STARS ANNOUNCED TONIGHT
The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars will be announced tonight on Peacock at 6:30 ET, ahead of its tripleheader.
The event features a four-team mini-tournament spotlighting the league’s top rookies and second-year standouts, set to be played Friday, Feb. 13, at the LA Clippers’ Intuit Dome (9 ET, Peacock) as part of All-Star Weekend.
- How It Works: The Rising Stars will be drafted onto three teams on Tuesday (7 ET, Peacock), with a fourth team made up of NBA G League players
- Who’s Coaching: Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady will each lead a squad of Rising Stars, while Austin Rivers coaches the G League team
- Be There: The four teams will then square off in a fast-paced mini-tournament under the All-Star lights. Use promo code NEWS26 to secure tickets now
Two days later, the stage gets even bigger. The 2026 NBA All-Star Game tips off on Sunday, Feb. 15 (5 ET, NBC/Peacock), in the 75th edition of the marquee event.
- ICYMI: All-Star starters were announced last Monday, with Luka Dončić (West) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (East) as the top vote-getters in their respective conferences
- Up Next: All-Star reserves will be unveiled next Monday, rounding out the field for the event’s new U.S. vs. World format
5. WHAT’S TRENDING: STARS CLICKING AROUND THE LEAGUE
The first half of the season is behind us. Now comes the second-half sprint.
As February approaches, star duos, trios and rising supporting casts are stepping up around the league.
Philly Fireworks: Tyrese Maxey has been electric all season, earning an All-Star starting nod while averaging 29.9 ppg – the 3rd-most in the NBA. Now, his co-star and former Kia MVP, Joel Embiid, is finding his rhythm.
- Embiid Eating: Since Jan. 1, Embiid has led the Sixers in points (28.2) and rebounds (8.4) per game, including a 38-point outing on Saturday vs. New York, marking his fourth straight 30-piece
- Top Rooks Collide: Today on League Pass (3 ET), Philly visits Charlotte in a matchup that also features two of the Kia Rookie Ladder’s top-3 players: Kon Knueppel (No. 1) and VJ Edgecombe (No. 3)
Showtime Lakers: The only duo with more total points in January than Embiid and Maxey? Luka Dončić (33.4) and LeBron James (24.8), combining for 58.2 ppg and fresh off a big win in Dallas.
Wild West Race: Houston (4th) and Denver (3rd) are just ahead of the 5th-place Lakers. While a star trio powers the Rockets, the Nuggets have stayed afloat by finding answers without their superstar center.
- Rockets Roll: A statement win over Detroit on Friday and four wins in its last five games has Houston humming. Kevin Durant has topped 35 twice in that span, alongside steady contributions from Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson
- Next Nugget Up: Denver is 9-5 since Nikola Jokić’s injury on Dec. 29. Since then, Jamal Murray (28.2 ppg) and Peyton Watson (23.1) are shining, and both are shooting over 40% from 3
In the East, two superstars having career years are lifting their squads up the standings: Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell. Both play tonight on Peacock.
- Brown Balling: After posting an NBA-best 31.7 ppg in December, Brown is averaging 30+ again in January (30.7)
- Boston Rolling: Behind JB, the C’s sit 2nd in the East, up from 8th exactly two months ago
- Spida Spark: Holding the No. 8-seed entering the New Year was Cleveland. It’s now jumped to 5th amid a 10-4 run, with Mitchell’s career-best 29.1 ppg leading the charge
- Primetime: Tonight, Mitchell and Brown take center stage on Peacock, as the Cavs host the Magic (7 ET), before the C’s welcome the Blazers, led by a red-hot Dani Avdija
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