Rivals for the Night. “Brothers for Life.”
Former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg & Kon Knueppel put their names among some of the NBA’s all-time legends last night in Dallas.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Rookie Rumble: Coop & Knueppel combine for 83 as top rooks set career-highs in historic first duel
Signature Wins: 40 from Maxey, 77 with Embiid; Ant flips switch vs. OKC; Brooks’ 40 raises Suns
Roundup: KD’s 30 keeps Rockets roaring, Nuggets & Heat close in the clutch
On ESPN: Raptors & Magic showcase scoring options, defenses clash when Dubs host Detroit
What’s Next: Saturday Primetime on ABC, NBA Pioneers Day & NBC’s Sunday Night Basketball
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Nine games tip off tonight, headlined by an ESPN doubleheader as the Raptors visit the Magic (7:30 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Warriors host the East-leading Pistons (9 ET | Tap to Watch).
Kia MVP Ladder: The Starting 5 has your first look at Shaun Powell’s newest Kia MVP Ladder, with Luka Dončić climbing to the No. 2 spot ahead of the Lakers-Wizards game 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 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. RIVAL ROOKS: COOP & KON DUKE IT OUT IN RECORD-SETTING FIRST MEETING
When Kon Knueppel got drafted 4th overall last 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 said.
Thursday night, in a battle of two former roommates who sit first and second in the Kia Rookie Ladder, we all saw just how special.
Hornets 123, Mavericks 121: Flagg erupted for a career-high 49 points, but Knueppel got the edge with the game-winning free throws and career-bests of 34 points 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 said postgame, after becoming the first teenager in NBA history to score 49+ pts. “Ten-plus years down the road, I think we’ll both be looking back on this as a pretty special thing.”
The record books likely will, too:
Rival Rooks: This is the fifth time since 2000 that two opposing rookies scored 30+ points in a game, as Coop and Kon combined for 83 points
That’s the third-most points ever by opposing rookies in the same game, 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 player ever — with at least 49 pts and 10 reb in a game, joining Wilt (6x), Elgin Baylor, Elvin Hayes, MJ and Rick Barry. It’s the most efficient ever amongst the group at 69 FG%
Eighth With 8: Kon is the eighth rookie ever with at least 34 points and eight 3s in a game
With each rookie getting the record-setting started in 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 points were a career-high and counting, joining Luka Dončić and Roddy Beaubois as the only other Mavs with a 25+ point half since 1997-98
Five From Far: Kon tied Saddiq Bey for most games with five or more 3s (13) by a rookie in NBA history
“This was awesome,” Knueppel said postgame. “Cooper played like the best player we’ve played all season. He’s gonna have a heck of a career.”
The Chase: Charlotte never trailed through 3 quarters, making two key runs to double-digit leads that Dallas eventually dissolved
The Catch: The 4th quarter featured all six of the game’s lead changes, with three ties in the final 3 minutes
The Clinch: Tied at 121 with under 10 seconds left, Kon had Coop 1-on-1 on the break with the game on the line, and drew contact to earn the winning free throws
The Mavs celebrated history 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 more.
2. SIGNATURE WINS: SIXERS SEND IN MAXEY, ANT AVENGES, SUNS STIFLE
From two stars in the making dueling, to two star teammates dueting for a last-second dub.
Sixers 113, Kings 111: Tyrese Maxey netted his fifth 40-point game 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 at the rim from midcourt
“It’s a hard play to stop”, said Maxey of the final call 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) handling all the scoring
Combining for 77 points, it’s the 15th time Maxey and Embiid have each scored 30+ in the same game. The only active duo with more such 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) said of Embiid. “He’s looking like his prime self. He’s shown that he’s ready to go every night.”
Another superstar called on his prime self Thursday, against a prime opponent.
Wolves 123, Thunder 111: Ant Edwards (26 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast) went right at SGA (30 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast) in a back-and-forth offensive display, as Minnesota’s pack of six double-figure scorers powered a wire-to-wire Wolves win.
They join the Spurs as the only teams to beat OKC multiple times this season. | Recap
Takeaways & Treys: The Wolves scored 30 points off turnovers while matching their season-high of 22 made threes
“It’s super personal for me,” Ant said 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 points and Grayson Allen added 24 to help 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 last seven games. | Recap
3. ROUNDUP: KD, ROCKETS KEEP CLIMBING; NUGGETS, HEAT FLEX
Rockets 104, Hawks 86: Kevin Durant’s hot shooting continued, dropping 31 points on 54.5 FG% (12-of-22) as Houston’s top-10 defense held Atlanta to a season-low in points 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 last five games, scoring over 30 points in four of them, three of which were 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 closer mode, netting nine of the final 12 Nuggets’ points to preserve the W. | Recap
Scoring Heights: Tim Hardaway Jr. matched his season high of seven 3s in a 25-point, 8-rebound effort, with Peyton Watson adding 19 points
Heat 116, Bulls 113: Ayo Dosunmu (7 reb, 5 ast) scored 15 of his game-high 23 points in a 4th quarter where Chicago’s 15-6 run trimmed Miami’s 14-point lead down to one. But Pelle Larsson’s (15 pts) dunk with under 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 in the first of three straight tilts between these teams
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 kept their squad ahead for the final 3 quarters to top Myles Turner (21 pts, 14 reb, 6 blk) and the Bucks. | Recap
4. ON ESPN: RAPS, MAGIC SHOW DEPTH, DUBS GET DEFENSIVE VS. DETROIT
Depth has come to define the Raptors and Magic, as they both eye a higher rung on the East standings heading into February.
Tonight, they go head-to-head (7:30 ET, ESPN), with Toronto sitting one game back of 2nd place in the East on its visit to 8th-place Orlando.
Furious Five: Guided by leading scorers Franz Wagner (22.2 ppg) and Brandon Ingram (21.7 ppg), they’re two of 14 teams whose starters average 80+ points per game
Move It: These squads excel at ball movement to create shots. The Raptors average 52.4 ppg off assists, while the Magic put up 47.6 — both top-12 in the league
All About Balance: Orlando has six players who average double figures in scoring, while Toronto has five
One point decided their last matchup. The Raptors erased a 21-point deficit and wound up with a 107-106 victory as Paolo Banchero’s game-winning 3 failed to fall.
Resounding Resumés: Toronto is 17-7 in clutch games for 2025-26 — 3rd-best in the NBA — while Orlando sits 5th-best at 15-8
This doubleheader concludes (10 ET, ESPN) with a cross-conference clash of defenses. The Warriors’ 5th-ranked troop hosts the Pistons and their 2nd-ranked stoppers.
Classic Recipe: At 37 years old and in his 17th season, Stephen Curry continues to cook from beyond the arc, leading the league in 3PM for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons
All-Time Ascent: He just cracked the top 20 of the all-time scoring leaderboard by passing Paul Pierce and is 73 points 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 11th time in his 12 All-Star Game appearances
And he’s not the only All-Star starter in action.
Cylinders Firing: Cade Cunningham has produced 25.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and a career-best 9.8 assists per game, guiding Detroit to 1st place in the East
On League Pass, the Cavaliers visit the Suns (9 ET), hoping to push the league’s longest winning streak to six, while the Clippers pursue a 10th win in their last 11 against 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)
5. UP NEXT: PRIME MATINEE, ABC SATURDAY, PIONEERS DAY & NBC’S SUNDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL
A monster weekend of basketball awaits, including a Saturday Texas showdown on ABC, followed by two landmark events on Sunday.
The action begins tomorrow with six games, starting with a Prime Video matinee between the Spurs and Hornets (3 ET), before the season’s second Saturday Primetime on ABC showcase tips between the Mavs and Rockets (8:30 ET).
Saturday Primetime On ABC: While Houston owns a 29-17 record compared to Dallas’ 19-29, the Mavs lead the season series, 2-1, capped by two straight wins
Rookie Versatility: Cooper Flagg continues to shine for Dallas, leading the team in total points, rebounds, assists and steals while continuing to set rookie records
Legendary Heat: On the other side stands Kevin Durant (26.5 ppg, 51.4 FG%), on pace to average 25+ points on over 50% shooting for a record 14th straight season, including four 30-pieces in his last five outings
Sunday, Feb. 1, is NBA Pioneers Day, starting with the first-ever NBA Pioneers Classic on ESPN between the Bucks and Celtics (3:30 ET).
The History: The day highlights the NBA family’s season-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of the NBA Pioneers: Chuck Cooper, Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton and Earl Lloyd, the league’s first Black players
The Pioneers Classic: Beginning this year, the NBA Pioneers Classic will be played annually on Feb. 1 – NBA Pioneers Day – to recognize the start 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 featuring Lakers-Knicks at MSG (7 ET), followed by Nuggets-Thunder (9:30 ET) on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo.
Kravitz Opens: Sunday Night Basketball will begin with a show open starring GRAMMY Award-winning and Platinum artist Lenny Kravitz, harkening in a new era 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 superstar Caitlin Clark will join Basketball Night in America as a special contributor ahead of Lakers-Knicks
All-Stars Unveiled: Basketball Night in America will also reveal the 2026 NBA All-Star Game reserves at 6 ET (NBC/Peacock), with seven players from each conference joining the 10 starters
The 75th All-Star Game will take place on Feb. 15 (5 ET, NBC/Peacock) at the LA Clippers’ Intuit Dome.
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