Kawhi Leonard delivered an All-Star finish in Houston before heading home to help host NBA All-Star 2026 in LA.
The weekend gets an early start tonight when the world’s top basketball creators meet in the PlayStation NBA Creator Cup, live from the LA Convention Center at 10:30 ET (NBA App).
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
All-Stars Deliver: Kawhi takes over the 4th, Wemby sparks Spurs rally, Jokić rewrites more records
East Heat: Pistons hit 40 dubs, Knicks & Hornets answer, Cavs and C’s stay winning
Roundup: Pacers storm back, Randle pops off, OKC rolls and more from a stacked 14-game slate
Tonight’s Slate: LeBron leads Lakers vs. Mavs, Thunder face Bucks, Blazers visit Jazz
PlayStation Creator Cup: 16 of the world’s top hoops creators take the court tonight in LA
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The last night of NBA action before All-Star Weekend features three games, headlined by a Prime doubleheader as the Thunder host the Bucks (7:30 ET | Tap To Watch), before the Mavs visit the Lakers (10 ET | Tap To Watch).
Creator Cup Tonight: Before 2026 NBA All-Star tips off in Los Angeles on Friday, the world’s best basketball content creators take the floor tonight at the LA Convention Center for the PlayStation NBA Creator Cup (10:30 ET, NBA App). See Section 5 for more.
One Day ‘Til All-Star: The countdown is almost over. Catch every moment of All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles on the NBA App. Don’t have the NBA App? Download it here.
Friday, Feb. 13: Ruffles All-Star Celebrity Game at Kia Forum (7 ET, ESPN) & Castrol Rising Stars at Intuit Dome (9 ET, Peacock) – secure your tickets here using promo code NEWS26
Saturday, Feb. 14: NBA All-Star Saturday at Intuit Dome (5 ET, NBC & Peacock)
Sunday, Feb. 15: The 75th NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome (5 ET, NBC & Peacock)
HOF Class of 2026 Finalists: Blake Griffin, Doc Rivers and Candace Parker highlight the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Finalists announced Wednesday. Tap here for the full list.
1. ALL-STARS DELIVER: KAWHI BEATS THE CLOCK, WEMBY & JOKIĆ SHINE
Kawhi Leonard’s been on fire. His team has too.
And after last night, the All-Star hosts now head into the weekend as the NBA’s hottest team since the holidays.
Clippers 105, Rockets 102: One night after falling to the Rockets in Houston, Kawhi Leonard refused to let it happen again, scoring 19 of his 27 points in the 4th, capped by a game-winning and-one with 2 ticks left to cap a 15-point comeback. | Recap
Peak Clips: The Clippers, who will host this weekend at the Intuit Dome, enter the weekend with an NBA-best 20-7 record since Dec. 20
Peak Kawhi: In that stretch, Leonard (24 GP) has posted 30 ppg, the highest-scoring 24-game stretch of his career
Peak Closer: The finishing touch? His second game-winner in the final 5 seconds this season and his 10th since 2011-12, tied with Steph Curry for the most in that span
“It’s Kawhi,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue postgame. “Game on the line, we know where the ball’s going.”
All-Star Shine: Kevin Durant (21 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast) and Alperen Sengun (16 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast) led the way for Houston
Before breaking for the fun of All-Star Weekend, Victor Wembanyama had one last order of business to attend to.
“Fun for me is winning.”
Spurs 126, Warriors 113: San Antonio erased a 16-point deficit, closing the 3rd quarter on a 24-8 run and tied the game De’Aaron Fox’s (27 pts, 8 ast, 3 stl) buzzer-beater.
Wemby (9 reb, 2 blk) seized the moment from there, finding Harrison Barnes to open the 4th with the Spurs’ first lead. Wemby scored nine of his 26 points in the frame to key the win – the team’s sixth straight. | Recap
Alien & Fox: Vic and De’Aaron combined for 53 points to fuel the victory, overcoming Draymond Green’s big night (17 pts, 12 reb, 8 ast)
“It doesn’t matter if their best player (Steph Curry) is out,” Wemby said. “They’re a very hard team to beat. That’s why they’ve been so deep in the Playoffs so many times.”
Nikola Jokić’s triple-double streak has doubled as a history tour.
On Saturday, he passed Oscar Robertson for the 2nd-most triple-doubles all-time
On Monday, he moved within 25 of eclipsing Russell Westbrook’s all-time record
Last night, he added another milestone that now places him alongside both
Nuggets 122, Grizzlies 116: Jokić recorded his fourth straight triple-double – and the 184th of his career – in style, racking up 26 points, 15 boards and 11 dimes, while Jamal Murray (23 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast) helped push Denver past Memphis. | Recap
One Of Four: Despite missing 16 games with a knee injury, it’s Jokić’s NBA-best 20th triple-double of 2025-26, marking the fourth time he’s reached 20 in a season
One Of Three: Only two other players have achieved such a feat – Westbrook (4 seasons) and Robertson (5)
One Of Two: All four of Jokić’s 20+ triple-double seasons have come consecutively, something only the Big O accomplished
One Of One: Wednesday also marked the Joker’s 45th game of 25/15/10. No other player has cracked 40.
2. EAST HEAT: PISTONS HIT 40 WINS, KNICKS & HORNETS REBOUND, CAVS SURGE
For the second time in franchise history, the Pistons enter the All-Star break with 40+ wins.
Pistons 113, Raptors 95: Cade Cunningham was in full control (28 pts, 7 reb, 9 ast, 3 stl), going 9-of-14 from the field and hitting six 3s to fuel Detroit past Toronto, despite Scottie Barnes’ two-way effort (17 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, 3 blk). | Recap
Motown Momentum: The Pistons (40-13) have won three straight and six of their last seven, joining OKC (42-13) as the only team to reach 40 wins this season
Elite Company: The only other time they eclipsed 40 dubs before the All-Star break? In 2005-06, when they were coming off back-to-back NBA Finals appearances
Knicks 138, Sixers 89: All 13 active Knicks scored in the second-largest victory (49 pts) in franchise history, led by Jose Alvarado (26 pts, 8 3s, 5 stl) in his third game with the team. New York never trailed after the game’s first possession, despite Tyrese Maxey’s 32 points. | Recap
Rolling: New York enters the All-Star break winners of 10 of its last 12 games
Balanced Ball: While the Knicks’ offense has ranked top-3 (119.1 OffRtg) in that 12-game stretch, the league’s best-rated defense (101.4) has fueled the charge
Strong defense helped New York bookend this stretch with the biggest win margins in team history, limiting Brooklyn to 66 points on Jan. 21
Reserve Record: Alvarado became the first Knick to log 25+ points, 5+ steals and 5 3s off the bench, energizing the defense with his patented inbound swipes
Karl-Anthony Towns (21 pts, 11 reb, 5 ast) got his league-leading 37th double-double, while Mikal Bridges added 22 points
Two nights after seeing their nine-game win streak end, the Hive got back to work.
Hornets 110, Hawks 107: Brandon Miller (31 pts, 9 reb, 5 3s), LaMelo Ball (24 pts, 6 ast, 7 3s) and Kon Knueppel (18 pts, 6 reb, 4 3s) lit it up from long range, combining for 16 treys, 73 points and 1 epic poster to stave off Jalen Johnson (19 pts, 13 reb, 9 ast) and Atlanta. | Recap
The Turnaround: It’s Charlotte’s 10th win in 11 games, improving to 26-29, five more wins than it had last season
Tops In 2026: That run caps a 15-7 mark since the New Year, tied for the most wins in the NBA in that span
Also 10-1 in their last 11? The Cavs, who are unbeaten since acquiring James Harden, while getting buckets at a blistering rate.
Cavaliers 138, Wizards 113: Sam Merrill was unconscious from 3, going 7-of-7 from deep in the 1st half en route to 26 points. He finished with 32, while Donovan Mitchell added 30 and James Harden posted a double-double (13 pts, 11 ast) to keep Cleveland hot. | Recap
Beard Boost: The Cavs have won five straight amid their 10-1 run, and are 3-0 since Harden entered the lineup. In those three games, they’ve averaged 129.7 points
Money Merrill: Merrill is the first Cav to record 25+ points and 5+ triples on 100% shooting in a half (9-9 FG) in the play-by-play era
Celtics 124, Bulls 105: Jaylen Brown scored 18 of his 24 points in the 1st half, helping Boston build a 28-point lead at the break. Payton Pritchard (26 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast) and the C’s never looked back. | Recap
Vooch Shines: Facing his former team, Nikola Vučević (19 pts, 11 reb) had his highest-scoring game as a Celtic
3. ROUNDUP: PACERS RALLY, OKC & WOLVES ROLL AND MORE
Pacers 115, Nets 110: One night after an OT win at MSG, Indy rallied from 18 down to beat Brooklyn as rookie Kam Jones (11 pts, 6 ast) splashed a tiebreaking 3 with 16 seconds left to secure the Pacers’ second straight W. | Recap
Thunder 136, Suns 109: Jalen Williams scored 19 of his 28 points (11-12 FG) in the 3rd quarter before exiting (leg) with OKC up by 34. OKC led for the final 46 minutes, beating Dillon Brooks (23 pts, 5 reb) and the Suns to improve to an NBA-best 42-13. | Recap
Bench Boom: Isaiah Joe scored 21 points on six 3s, helping OKC’s six scoring reserves earn a 74-50 edge in bench points
Wolves 133, Blazers 109: Julius Randle caught fire late for 41 points, punctuating his highest-scoring night as a Wolves player in style, as Minnesota never trailed to snap Jrue Holiday (23 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 5 3s) and Portland’s three-game win streak. | Recap
Randle surged for 31 2nd-half points, including 23 in the 4th – his highest-scoring 4th quarter ever
Bucks 116, Magic 108: Cam Thomas went off in his second game as a Buck, dropping 34 off the bench, including a deep dagger 3 with 21 ticks left to cap a 10-2 closing run, edging Desmond Bane (31 pts, 5 ast, 8 3s) and Orlando. | Recap
Heat 123, Pelicans 111: Bam Adebayo (27 pts, 14 reb, 4 blk) and Kel’el Ware (16 pts, 12 reb, 2 blk) were forces inside, powering the Heat past Zion Williamson (25 pts) and the Pels despite being without Norman Powell (back), Tyler Herro (ribs) and others. | Recap
Jazz 121, Kings 93: In his third game with Utah, Jaren Jackson Jr. notched his third straight 20-piece (23 pts), as he and Lauri Markkanen (19 pts, 7 reb) lifted the Jazz over DeMar DeRozan (20 pts) and Sacramento for their second win in a row. | Recap
4. THURSDAY SPOTLIGHT: FINAL 3 GAMES BEFORE 2026 ALL-STAR
LeBron James turned 19 during his rookie season, the last time he was not selected to the All-Star Game. Since then, he has spent a record 22 straight seasons earning the nod — with the streak now older than his age when it began.
The Beginning: As a young, explosive rook in 2003-04, James averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, earning Kia Rookie of the Year honors
The Now: Two-plus decades later, in his 23rd season at age 41, he’s been better across the board (21.8 pts, 5.7 reb, 6.9 ast)
Along The Way: Oh, and he has four NBA championships, four Kia MVPs and 21 All-NBA selections in between
“It’s remarkable,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick of James’ longevity in January. “His competitive stamina is off the charts … I don’t take (it) for granted.”
Tonight (10 ET, Prime), James – coming off three straight double-doubles of points & assists – leads the Lakers against the Mavs, who will look to put together a complete team effort with Cooper Flagg out (foot).
Can Dallas knock off the Lakers in Los Angeles, or will the King keep cooking?
Earlier in the evening (7:30 ET, Prime), first-time All-Star Chet Holmgren and the Thunder play host to the Bucks.
Powerful Presence: While averaging 17.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, he has earned a 103.4 DefRtg this season, good for 4th in the league
Buck Boost: On the other side, Cam Thomas will look to ignite Milwaukee, coming off a 34-point night with his new squad
On League Pass (9 ET), another fresh face on the All-Star scene, Deni Avdija, leads Portland into Utah before heading to Los Angeles.
5. ALSO TONIGHT: PLAYSTATION CREATOR CUP IN LOS ANGELES
The world’s top basketball content creators will take the court tonight before All-Star 2026 in the PlayStation Creator Cup, streaming live from the LA Convention Center at 10:30 ET (NBA App).
With a combined total of over 160 million followers across all social media platforms, Creator Cup’s 16 competitors will fill out four teams of four for a 3v3 basketball tournament (with one sub per team) to crown a champion.
Creator Cup’s roster includes trickshot artists, explosive dunkers and fast-rising digital stars, all showcasing the diversity of the basketball world. Here’s a look at the participants:
YPK Raye, Cam Wilder, Argentinian comedian Lucho Mellera, Carson Roney, Kris London, Jay Cinco, Chris Staples, Stephania, ZackTTG (The Traveling Gamer), Pika, Driftyjay, Bree Green, Overtime Mikey, Whit3 Iverson, Tyy2.0 (Ty Jackson) and Dude Perfect’s Sparky.
Serving as in-game hosts, Strictly Bball’s Joe Doerrer will call the game action live on the stream with analysts Jesser and SeanDoesMagic. Da Kid Gowie will serve as in-arena host, with a special appearance by Tristan Jass.
Beyond the Creator Cup, All-Star 2026 will feature more than 200 global creators at NBA Crossover, an immersive fan event centered around Creator Court at the LA Convention Center.
PlayStation Creator Cup streams live tonight across the NBA App, NBA.com, @NBA YouTube, and @NBA Facebook.
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