Starting 5: A rookie duel, Tyrese Maxey shines & previewing Friday’s ESPN video games

Rivals for the Night. “Brothers for Life.”

Former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg & Kon Knueppel put their names amongst a few of the NBA’s all-time legends final night time in Dallas.

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5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Rookie Rumble: Coop & Knueppel mix for 83 as high rooks set career-highs in historic first duel

Signature Wins: 40 from Maxey, 77 with Embiid; Ant flips change vs. OKC; Brooks’ 40 raises Suns

Roundup: KD’s 30 retains Rockets roaring, Nuggets & Heat shut within the clutch

On ESPN: Raptors & Magic showcase scoring choices, defenses conflict when Dubs host Detroit

What’s Next: Saturday Primetime on ABC, NBA Pioneers Day & NBC’s Sunday Night Basketball

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BUT FIRST … ⏰

Nine video games tip off tonight, headlined by an ESPN doubleheader because the Raptors go to the Magic (7:30 ET | Tap to Watch), earlier than the Warriors host the East-leading Pistons (9 ET | Tap to Watch).

Kia MVP Ladder: The Starting 5 has your first take a look at Shaun Powell’s latest Kia MVP Ladder, with Luka Dončić climbing to the No. 2 spot forward of the Lakers-Wizards recreation tonight on League Pass (7 ET | Tap to Watch).

All-Star Friday Awaits: Tickets for the 2026 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and Castrol Rising Stars can be found now.

The motion ideas off Friday, Feb. 13, on the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA. Use promo code NEWS26 to grab tickets now.

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1. RIVAL ROOKS: COOP & KON DUKE IT OUT IN RECORD-SETTING FIRST MEETING

When Kon Knueppel acquired drafted 4th total final spring, three picks behind his Duke teammate Cooper Flagg, he — and Blue Devil nation — already had a date circled.

“That’ll be a special moment to play against your college roommate on an NBA floor,” Knueppel mentioned.

Thursday night time, in a battle of two former roommates who sit first and second within the Kia Rookie Ladder, all of us noticed simply how particular.

Hornets 123, Mavericks 121: Flagg erupted for a career-high 49 factors, however Knueppel acquired the sting with the game-winning free throws and career-bests of 34 factors and eight 3s as Charlotte escaped Dallas with a fifth straight win in a rookie showdown for the ages. | Recap | More on Coop & Kon’s Relationship

“It’s incredible, to have a night like this with him. That’s my brother for life.” Flagg mentioned postgame, after turning into the primary teenager in NBA historical past to attain 49+ pts. “Ten-plus years down the road, I think we’ll both be looking back on this as a pretty special thing.”

The file books doubtless will, too:

• Rival Rooks: This is the fifth time since 2000 that two opposing rookies scored 30+ factors in a recreation, as Coop and Kon mixed for 83 factors
• That’s the third-most points ever by opposing rookies in the identical recreation, behind Johnny Green & Wilt Chamberlain in 1960 (85) and Pete Maravich & Nate Archibald in 1971 (91)
• Elite & Efficient: Coop is the sixth rookie — and youngest participant ever — with a minimum of 49 pts and 10 reb in a recreation, becoming a member of Wilt (6x), Elgin Baylor, Elvin Hayes, MJ and Rick Barry. It’s essentially the most environment friendly ever amongst the group at 69 FG%
• Eighth With 8: Kon is the eighth rookie ever with a minimum of 34 factors and eight 3s in a recreation

With every rookie getting the record-setting began within the 1st half, Flagg (25 pts, 9-13 FG) and Knueppel (19 pts, 5 3s) spared no time settling into their duel.

• First Impression: Flagg’s 25 1st-half factors had been a career-high and counting, becoming a member of Luka Dončić and Roddy Beaubois as the one different Mavs with a 25+ level half since 1997-98
• Five From Far: Kon tied Saddiq Bey for many video games with 5 or extra 3s (13) by a rookie in NBA historical past

“This was awesome,” Knueppel mentioned postgame. “Cooper played like the best player we’ve played all season. He’s gonna have a heck of a career.”

• The Chase: Charlotte by no means trailed by way of 3 quarters, making two key runs to double-digit leads that Dallas finally dissolved
• The Catch: The 4th quarter featured all six of the sport’s lead adjustments, with three ties within the closing 3 minutes
• The Clinch: Tied at 121 with beneath 10 seconds left, Kon had Coop 1-on-1 on the break with the sport on the road, and drew contact to earn the profitable free throws

The Mavs celebrated historical past at halftime, as former star Mark Aguirre’s No. 24 jersey was retired with a ceremony attended by NBA greats Dirk Nowitzki, Isiah Thomas and extra.

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2. SIGNATURE WINS: SIXERS SEND IN MAXEY, ANT AVENGES, SUNS STIFLE

From two stars within the making dueling, to 2 star teammates dueting for a last-second dub.

Sixers 113, Kings 111: Tyrese Maxey netted his fifth 40-point recreation on an and-1 layup with 1.3 seconds remaining and Joel Embiid added 37 as Philly recovered to outlast Dennis Schröder (27 pts), DeMar DeRozan (25 pts) and Sacramento’s 2nd-half comeback. | Recap

• Familiar Formation: Inbounding the ball tied at 111-111 with 4.4 seconds left, the Sixers used their go-to action with Embiid handing off to a full-speed Maxey, darting on the rim from midcourt
• “It’s a hard play to stop”, mentioned Maxey of the ultimate name for him and Embiid. “It’s a good play for us.”
• Closing Time: It capped Philly’s 21-8 closeout – erasing the Kings’ 11-point lead – with Maxey (11 pts) and Embiid (10 pts) dealing with all of the scoring

Combining for 77 factors, it’s the fifteenth time Maxey and Embiid have every scored 30+ in the identical recreation. The solely energetic duo with extra such video games is Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (29).

• January Joel: Embiid is averaging 28.9 ppg this month, his highest-scoring calendar month since Nov. 2023
• “Man, he’s back,” Paul George (15 pts) mentioned of Embiid. “He’s looking like his prime self. He’s shown that he’s ready to go every night.”

Another famous person known as on his prime self Thursday, towards a major opponent.

Wolves 123, Thunder 111: Ant Edwards (26 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast) went proper at SGA (30 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast) in a back-and-forth offensive show, as Minnesota’s pack of six double-figure scorers powered a wire-to-wire Wolves win.

They be part of the Spurs as the one groups to beat OKC a number of occasions this season. | Recap

• Takeaways & Treys: The Wolves scored 30 factors off turnovers whereas matching their season-high of twenty-two made threes
• “It’s super personal for me,” Ant mentioned of beating OKC. “They put us out last year and they’ve got the reigning MVP.”

Suns 114, Pistons 96: Dillon Brooks exploded for a career-high 40 factors and Grayson Allen added 24 to assist the Suns overpower Cade Cunningham (26 pts, 7 ast), Jalen Duren (23 pts, 13 reb) and the East-leading Pistons for Phoenix’s fifth win in its final seven video games. | Recap

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3. ROUNDUP: KD, ROCKETS KEEP CLIMBING; NUGGETS, HEAT FLEX

Rockets 104, Hawks 86: Kevin Durant’s sizzling taking pictures continued, dropping 31 factors on 54.5 FG% (12-of-22) as Houston’s top-10 protection held Atlanta to a season-low in factors to snap CJ McCollum (23 pts, 5 3s) and the Hawks’ four-game win streak. | Recap

• Rocket Fuel: KD is averaging 31.2 ppg over his final 5 video games, scoring over 30 factors in 4 of them, three of which had been wins

Nuggets 107, Nets 103: After Brooklyn erased a 19-point deficit to take a 4th-quarter lead in Michael Porter Jr.’s (38 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast) return to Denver, Jamal Murray (27 pts, 6 ast) entered nearer mode, netting 9 of the ultimate 12 Nuggets’ factors to protect the W. | Recap

• Scoring Heights: Tim Hardaway Jr. matched his season excessive of seven 3s in a 25-point, 8-rebound effort, with Peyton Watson including 19 factors

Heat 116, Bulls 113: Ayo Dosunmu (7 reb, 5 ast) scored 15 of his game-high 23 factors in a 4th quarter the place Chicago’s 15-6 run trimmed Miami’s 14-point lead down to 1. But Pelle Larsson’s (15 pts) dunk with beneath 5 ticks left sealed the Heat victory. | Recap

• Round 1: Norm Powell (21 pts), Bam Adebayo (20 pts, 12 reb) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (19 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast) led the Heat within the first of three straight tilts between these groups

Wizards 109, Bucks 99: Kyshawn George (23 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast) led all scorers and Alex Sarr (16 pts, 2 blk) grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, as two of Washington’s Castrol Rising Stars saved their squad forward for the ultimate 3 quarters to high Myles Turner (21 pts, 14 reb, 6 blk) and the Bucks. | Recap

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4. ON ESPN: RAPS, MAGIC SHOW DEPTH, DUBS GET DEFENSIVE VS. DETROIT

Depth has come to outline the Raptors and Magic, as they each eye the next rung on the East standings heading into February.

Tonight, they go head-to-head (7:30 ET, ESPN), with Toronto sitting one recreation again of 2nd place within the East on its go to to Eighth-place Orlando.

• Furious Five: Guided by main scorers Franz Wagner (22.2 ppg) and Brandon Ingram (21.7 ppg), they’re two of 14 groups whose starters common 80+ factors per recreation
• Move It: These squads excel at ball motion to create pictures. The Raptors common 52.4 ppg off assists, whereas the Magic put up 47.6 — each top-12 within the league
• All About Balance: Orlando has six gamers who common double figures in scoring, whereas Toronto has 5

One level determined their final matchup. The Raptors erased a 21-point deficit and wound up with a 107-106 victory as Paolo Banchero’s game-winning 3 did not fall.

• Resounding Resumés: Toronto is 17-7 in clutch video games for 2025-26 — Third-best within the NBA — whereas Orlando sits Fifth-best at 15-8

This doubleheader concludes (10 ET, ESPN) with a cross-conference conflict of defenses. The Warriors’ Fifth-ranked troop hosts the Pistons and their 2nd-ranked stoppers.

• Classic Recipe: At 37 years outdated and in his seventeenth season, Stephen Curry continues to cook dinner from past the arc, main the league in 3PM for the thirteenth time within the final 14 seasons
• All-Time Ascent: He simply cracked the highest 20 of the all-time scoring leaderboard by passing Paul Pierce and is 73 factors shy of passing Tim Duncan for 18th
• Big Year: Curry averages a team-high 27.3 ppg — his highest-scoring season since 2022 — and was named a starter for the eleventh time in his 12 All-Star Game appearances

And he’s not the one All-Star starter in motion.

• Cylinders Firing: Cade Cunningham has produced 25.3 factors, 5.7 rebounds and a career-best 9.8 assists per recreation, guiding Detroit to 1st place within the East

On League Pass, the Cavaliers go to the Suns (9 ET), hoping to push the league’s longest profitable streak to 6, whereas the Clippers pursue a tenth win of their final 11 towards the Nuggets (9 ET).

• Kings at Celtics (7:30 ET)
• Trail Blazers at Knicks (7:30 ET)
• Grizzlies at Pelicans (7:30 ET)
• Nets at Jazz (9:30 ET)
  

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5. UP NEXT: PRIME MATINEE, ABC SATURDAY, PIONEERS DAY & NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL

A monster weekend of basketball awaits, together with a Saturday Texas showdown on ABC, adopted by two landmark occasions on Sunday.

The motion begins tomorrow with six video games, beginning with a Prime Video matinee between the Spurs and Hornets (3 ET), earlier than the season’s second Saturday Primetime on ABC showcase ideas between the Mavs and Rockets (8:30 ET).

• Saturday Primetime On ABC: While Houston owns a 29-17 file in comparison with Dallas’ 19-29, the Mavs lead the season collection, 2-1, capped by two straight wins
• Rookie Versatility: Cooper Flagg continues to shine for Dallas, main the group in whole factors, rebounds, assists and steals whereas persevering with to set rookie data
• Legendary Heat: On the opposite aspect stands Kevin Durant (26.5 ppg, 51.4 FG%), on tempo to common 25+ factors on over 50% taking pictures for a file 14th straight season, together with 4 30-pieces in his final 5 outings

Sunday, Feb. 1, is NBA Pioneers Day, beginning with the first-ever NBA Pioneers Classic on ESPN between the Bucks and Celtics (3:30 ET).

• The History: The day highlights the NBA household’s season-long celebration of the seventy fifth anniversary of the NBA Pioneers: Chuck Cooper, Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton and Earl Lloyd, the league’s first Black gamers
• The Pioneers Classic: Beginning this 12 months, the NBA Pioneers Classic will probably be performed yearly on Feb. 1 – NBA Pioneers Day – to acknowledge the beginning of Black History Month and honor the legacy of the NBA Pioneers

Then, Sunday Night Basketball, NBC Sports’ new weekly NBA primetime franchise, premieres with a doubleheader that includes Lakers-Knicks at MSG (7 ET), adopted by Nuggets-Thunder (9:30 ET) on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo.

• Kravitz Opens: Sunday Night Basketball will start with a present open starring GRAMMY Award-winning and Platinum artist Lenny Kravitz, harkening in a brand new period of the NBA on NBC
• Basketball Night In America (6 ET): The SNB doubleheader coincides with the debut of Basketball Night in America on NBC & Peacock, hosted by Maria Taylor alongside Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady
• Clark In Studio: WNBA famous person Caitlin Clark will be part of Basketball Night in America as a particular contributor forward of Lakers-Knicks
• All-Stars Unveiled: Basketball Night in America will even reveal the 2026 NBA All-Star Game reserves at 6 ET (NBC/Peacock), with seven gamers from every convention becoming a member of the ten starters

The seventy fifth All-Star Game will happen on Feb. 15 (5 ET, NBC/Peacock) on the LA Clippers’ Intuit Dome.

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