Starting 5: Kevin Durant calls game, Celtics rise to No. 2 in East & more

One cool customer.

One epic close.

On a wild night around the league, KD provided the punctuation.

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5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

To The Wire: KD calls game to cool Suns, Denver depth delivers in OT

East Shakeup: Pistons clamp Knicks in statement win, Celtics surge into 2nd

Heat Checks: Charlotte uses 3s to stun OKC, Kawhi & Clips keep climbing

Roundup: Barnes sparks complete Raptors win, Avdija shines again

Coast 2 Coast Tuesday: Two red-hot scorers, one shining rook and a legend who refuses to slow down

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BUT FIRST … ⏰

Six games tip off tonight, headlined by NBC’s Coast 2 Coast Tuesday as Norman Powell and the Heat visit Anthony Edwards’ Wolves (8 ET | Tap to Watch), before Cooper Flagg and the Mavs face Russell Westbrook and the Kings (8 PT | Tap to Watch).

Name Your All-Stars: Fans can vote for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game starters every day through Jan. 14 using their NBA ID. Don’t miss your shot, vote now.

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1. TO THE WIRE: KD SINKS SUNS, DENVER ANSWERS SHORTHANDED

One night after Devin Booker called game against OKC, Kevin Durant had his turn – burying his former team.

Rockets 100, Suns 97: Down 13 late in the 3rd, Houston used a 22-9 run to seize control in the 4th, only for Phoenix to answer with a 10-0 burst to set up a finish well worth the wait.

Tied at 97 with 1:59 to play, two of the league’s top defensive teams exchanged stands until just five seconds remained.

That’s when Durant stepped in. With time ticking down in a slugfest, KD delivered the ultimate haymaker, a patented pull-up 3 with 1.1 seconds left to shake the Toyota Center, icing Houston’s fifth win in six games. | Recap

• Cold-Blooded: Durant was 1-of-11 from 3 before he took the final shot. But it didn’t matter. With no hesitation, the 19-year-vet was nothing but net – marking his 11th career game-winner in the final 10 seconds
• Built For This: Since entering the league in 2007-08, only LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony have more (12 each)
• Sweet Spot: It’s also Durant’s eighth go-ahead 3 in the final 5 seconds of a game, the 2nd-most of any player since 1997-98 (trailing only Vince Carter’s 10)

• Special Scene: Durant finished the night with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 4 dimes and 1 shot Amen Thompson will never forget
• “I told him, ‘That was the best moment I’ve had as a Rocket,’” said Thompson postgame. “Just the shot, the home crowd and how loud they got.”
• More Shine: Thompson and Jabari Smith added 17 points and 7 boards apiece while Booker paced Phoenix (27 pts)

As Houston rode its star in crunch time, Denver leaned on its supporting cast.

Nuggets 125, 76ers 124 (OT): With Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and the rest of their starting 5 out, the Nuggets’ entire bench stepped up, outscoring Philly 33-27 in the 4th quarter to force OT, where it edged Philly in the final 5 seconds to secure a gutsy dub. | Recap

• By Committee: Six different Nuggets finished in double-figures, including Peyton Watson (24 pts, 7 reb), Zeke Nnaji (21 pts, 8 reb, 2 blk, 2 stl) and Bruce Brown (19 pts)
• But The Star Of The Night? Jalen Pickett, a 3rd-year guard making his eighth career start, who entered the night averaging 3.8 ppg this season
• Gold Rush: He finished with nearly 8x that total, erupting for a career-high 29 points on seven 3s while dropping seven dimes – halting Denver’s two-game skid
• “We felt like we didn’t play well last game, so we needed to come out with a bunch of energy,” said Pickett postgame. “With all our starters out, we needed a leader.”
• Sixer Stars: Joel Embiid (32 pts, 10 reb) and Tyrese Maxey (28 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) led Philly, while VJ Edgecombe stuffed the stat sheet (17 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk)

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2. EAST SHAKEUP: PISTONS STATEMENT, CELTICS SURGE

In the First Round of last year’s Playoffs, the Knicks ended the Pistons’ season in six games. Each of the final four games in that series was decided by three points or fewer.

In their first matchup this season – a game between the East’s top two seeds – Detroit responded by removing all doubt.

Pistons 121, Knicks 90: After allowing the first point of the game, an OG Anunoby free throw, Detroit never trailed again as Cade Cunningham (29 pts, 13 ast) operated while its defense held New York to its fewest points all season, rolling to an emphatic win. | Recap

• Franchise Floor General: It’s Cunningham’s 13th career 25/10 game, the 2nd-most in Pistons history behind only Isiah Thomas
• Detroit Defense: Cunningham added 1 steal and 2 swats, while Ausar Thompson shined defensively (10 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl), helping limit New York to 32 field goals – also a season-low
• Detroit Depth: Jaden Ivey (16), Javonte Green (17) and Daniss Jenkins (12) added 35 points off the bench as the Pistons won the 2nd half 57-36 to slam the door, improving to an East-best 27-9
• “We knew there was a little extra to this game,” said Cunningham after the win. “We want to beat them … and we want to continue this momentum.”

As Detroit extended its East lead over New York, another contender surged into 2nd.

Celtics 115, Bulls 101: Payton Pritchard (21 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast) helped spark a 31-14 1st quarter for Boston, before Anfernee Simons caught fire – scoring all 27 of his points in the 2nd half and drilling eight 3s — to secure the C’s fourth straight win amid an 8-1 run. | Recap

• The Spark: Boston went 20-52 (38%) from deep, marking its 10th game this season with 20+ triples – more than any other team. Its record in those games? 10-0
• The Turnaround: The C’s opened the year 5-7, ranking 24th in scoring during that span (113.2). Since then, they’ve jumped to 3rd in scoring (120.9), going an NBA-best 18-5
• The Rise: With the win, Boston (23-12) leapfrogged New York (23-13) for 2nd in the East

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3. HEAT CHECKS: CHARLOTTE STUNS OKC, CLIPS KEEP CLIMBING

Speaking of 3s, how ‘bout those Hornets?

Hornets 124, Thunder 97: Brandon Miller was feeling it (28 pts, 7 3s), Kon Knueppel was too (23 pts, 5 3s, 5 reb, 5 ast) and the Hornets jumped out to a 21-9 lead and never looked back, handing OKC its largest loss of the season. | Recap

• The Difference: Charlotte held OKC to 28.2% from 3 (11-39), while shooting 51.4% itself (19-37)
• Triple-Threat: Sixteen of those 3s came from either Miller (7-10), Knueppel (5-7) or LaMelo Ball (4-7), who went a combined 66.7% from beyond the arc, including this ridiculous LaMelo heave
• Whole Hive: Ball finished with 16 points, while Miles Bridges added a double-double (17 pts, 11 reb) as six Hornets scored 10+
• Still Shai: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC (21 pts, 6 ast), extending his 20+ point streak to 108 straight games
• OKC Slide: The Thunder are 6-6 in their last 12 games, but still hold a 4-game edge atop the West

While the Hornets stung OKC, the Clips kept humming.

Clippers 103, Warriors 102: Steph Curry (27 pts, 6 ast) and Jimmy Butler III (24 pts, 6 reb, 4 stl) combined for 51 points, but it wasn’t enough to chase down LA, as Kawhi Leonard (24 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast) helped stave off a late rally for the Clips’ seventh win in eight games. | Recap

• Spark Plugs: With James Harden out, Kobe Sanders (20 pts, 7 reb) and Kris Dunn (16 pts, 6 ast) stepped up, with Dunn scoring 9 points in the 4th, including a pair of late free throws to extend LA’s lead to 3
• Final Shot: Draymond Green’s driving layup cut the deficit to 1 with 33 seconds left, but Butler’s potential game-winner at the horn was off the mark
• Clip Clamps: While Kawhi has cooked amid LA’s 7-1 stretch (NBA-best 35 ppg), the Clippers’ defense has been just as sharp, holding opponents to a league-low 104.6 ppg
• Snoop On The Call: Snoop Dogg hit the Peacock booth and broke down “Stephisticated” Curry’s game before flashing back to his own bucket-getting days with Reggie Miller

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4. ROUNDUP: RAPTORS ROLL, AVDIJA SHINES AGAIN

Raptors 118, Hawks 100: Scottie Barnes (18 pts, 8 reb, 10 ast) and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles (17 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk) were everywhere, while Brandon Ingram added a game-high 19 points as Toronto topped Atlanta in a wire-to-wire win. | Recap

• Scoring: RJ Barrett (17 pts) and Immanuel Quickley (16 pts) joined seven Raptors in double-figures
• Roaring: Toronto has won four of its last five, improving to 22-15 overall – just 1.5 games back of New York for 3rd in the East

Blazers 137, Jazz 117: Two nights after dropping a birthday triple-double to sink the Spurs, Deni Avdija nearly added another (33 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast), dissecting Utah alongside Shaedon Sharpe (29 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast) to tally Portland’s third straight dub. | Recap

• All-Star Level: The Blazers are 8-4 in their last 12, with Avdija averaging 26.8 pts, 7.5 reb and 9 ast in that span

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5. TONIGHT: COAST 2 COAST TUESDAY & MORE ON LEAGUE PASS

Three nights ago, the Wolves left Miami with one of their most complete wins of the season.

Thirty-three points from Anthony Edwards. Twenty-nine from Naz Reid. Double-doubles from Julius Randle (23 pts, 10 reb) and Rudy Gobert (13 pts, 12 reb), all while holding Miami’s potent offense to 115 points.

To Edwards, it was more than a win. It was a sign of what his team is capable of.

• “I feel like we can beat everybody,” said Edwards postgame. “If we play to this level right here … we can hang with the best of them.”

On The Hunt: After a three-game skid in late November, Minnesota has gone 13-5 – tied with Boston for the most wins in that span – with victories over the Celtics, Spurs, Thunder, Knicks and Heat.

Tonight (8 ET, NBC), it meets Miami again, with both Edwards and Norman Powell scorching hot.

• Lead Wolf: Edwards has posted 30.8 ppg in that 13-5 span while shooting 40.8% from 3, boosting Minnesota’s scoring to 120.3 ppg
• Always Eating: He’s tallied nine 30-pieces in his last 15 outings, including three straight, capped by 35 points and six 3s to beat Washington on Sunday
• Powell Pop: Powell also caught fire Sunday, splashing a career-high nine triples for 34 points in a win over NOLA – Miami’s fourth dub in five games
• Sustained Flame: In that 4-1 stretch, Powell is posting 27.8 ppg while hitting 4.4 treys a night at a 51.2% clip
• The Result: Miami’s top-3 offense has hit another level – pouring in an NBA-best 129.4 ppg in that span

“I do believe I’m an All-Star,” said Powell after his Sunday outburst. “But for me, the goal is to go out there and win.”

In the nightcap, a 19-year-old phenom faces an 18-year vet as Cooper Flagg and the Mavs visit Russell Westbrook and the Kings (8 PT, NBC).

While Flagg has climbed atop the Kia Rookie Ladder, Westbrook has shown why he’s the league’s career triple-double king by climbing the all-time points, rebounds and assists list.

• Brodie Boards: On Nov. 5, Westbrook passed Jason Kidd for most career rebounds by a guard in NBA history, doing it the only way he knows how: with a 23/16/10 triple-double in a win over Golden State
• Brodie Dimes: On Dec. 27 – this time facing Kidd, Flagg and the Mavs – he jumped Magic Johnson for 7th on the all-time assists list, fueling a Kings’ dub (29 pts, 9 ast)
• Brodie Buckets: On Friday, Westbrook jumped Oscar Robertson – the man he once passed as the NBA’s triple-double king – for 15th on the all-time scoring list with another big night (17 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast)

But it’s not just the numbers that make Westbrook a legend – it’s the edge, the motor and his intensity night after night.

• “His will made him who he is, and I have the utmost respect for that,” said Kings coach Doug Christie last week. “It’s an honor and a blessing to coach him because you learn so much about a true pro…
• “I want somebody that I have to turn it down, [rather] than turn it up, and that’s what he brings – it’s part of his DNA … When you’re going against somebody that competes that hard, you better damn bring it.”

Tonight, Flagg gets a second look at that standard — set by the vet who refuses to slow down.

League Pass delivers four more matchups tonight, including the Lakers seeking their third straight win as they visit the Pels (8 ET), with LeBron James and Luka Dončić coming off back-to-back 25+ point games.

Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama aims to make his return from a two-game absence (knee soreness) as the Spurs face the Grizz (8 ET). Plus, Indy hosts Cleveland in a 2025 Playoff rematch (7 ET), while the Magic meet the Wizards (7 ET).