That moment you realize that after tomorrow, there will be no NBA games on for a whole week… 😔

Luckily, there’s still a ton of hoops action to catch you up on. Let’s dive in.

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday Tony Battie, Nassir Little, and Nikola Mirotić! 🎉

Game Recaps

Kevin Durant reaches yet another scoring milestone as Rockets defeat Clippers 102-95

Every win in the jam-packed western conference is important, but this one had to feel a little sweeter for Kevin Durant, as he accomplished a feat that only three other players in the history of the league have done en route to Tuesday’s win:

KD reached his 1,000th 20 point game in steady fashion, ending the game with 26 points to go along with six rebounds. Alperen Sengun (22 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST) stuffed the statsheet, while Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard put up 16 points a piece.

The Clippers, led by Kawhi Leonard (24 PTS) put together a late run to cut a 15 point fourth quarter deficit down to seven with two minutes remaining, but Sheppard hit a dagger three in the corner to push the lead back up to double digits, and Houston closed the door on LA.

Congrats on your incredible milestone, KD! 🙌

Pistons snap Hornets nine game win streak in intense 110-104 win

What do you get when the league’s hottest team meets the team with the East’s best record?

Madness.

In perhaps one of the most heated and intense games of this regular season, this game had it all. Cade Cunningham (33 PTS, 9 REB) and the top-seeded Pistons were in control for most of this one, but the fiesty Hornets turned up the heat and made a late run in the fourth that was lead by Brandon Miller (24 PTS) and Kon Knueppel (20 PTS), but some timely buckets by Cade and Tobias Harris (11 PTS) got Detroit to the finish line to snap Charlotte’s nine game win streak.

The bigger story of this game was the on-court antics, which included a bench-clearing brawl that included four player ejections and one coach ejection. 😳

Here’s our best impression of what went down:

Based on the current East standings, there’s a fair likelihood we see these two squads match up in round one of the playoffs in a few short months.

Sign. Us. Up.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

• At this point, it’s basically a guarantee that when the Knicks and Pacers matchup, the game is going to come down to the wire. Though Indy was undermanned (as they have been all season), the reigning east champs pulled through with a big time road win at MSG in overtime, 137-134. For the Pacers, Pascal Siakam (30 PTS) hit one clutch shot after another, and was able to out-duel Jalen Brunson (40 PTS, 8 AST) and give Knicks fans a little PTSD from the ‘24 and ‘25 playoff series. 😎

• The sun in Phoenix was just a little too bright for the Mavericks on Tuesday, as the Suns built an early 30 point lead that carried them to their 120-111 victory. Dallas did make a run late, trimming the lead all the way down to just six thanks to Naji Marshall (31 PTS) and Cooper Flagg’s (27 PTS) big scoring efforts, but Dillon Brooks (23 PTS) and the Suns hand the Mavs their eighth straight loss…

• For the second time in the last week, the Warriors rally to victory (without Steph Curry). Golden State stole this one from Memphis, using an 11-0 run capped off with the go-ahead layup from Gui Santos (16 PTS, 7/10 FG) on a wild possession to come out on top with the 114-113 win. Without Steph, GSW won by committee, with seven players scoring in double figures. Strength in Numbers!

• The James Harden era in Cleveland could not have gotten off the a better start. The Cavs moved to 2-0 since Harden’s arrival in the Land, and pulled off a heist in Denver by stealing the game late from the Nuggets in their 119-117 win. Harden (22 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST) nailed a ridiculously tough three to tie the game, and Donovan Mitchell (32 PTS, 10 AST) got fouled with less than a second to go and sunk the clutch FTs to put the Cavs on top for good.

Wayback Wednesday

With the dunk contest coming up this weekend, it only feels right to highlight one of the greatest dunkers (and scorers) ever for this week’s Wayback Wednesday- David Thompson! 🔥

You don’t just end up as a poster in a young Michael Jordan’s room for no reason. David “Skywalker” Thompson was that dude in the 70s. Entering the ABA in 1975 coming off a national championship with NC State, Thompson became the first real face of the Denver Nuggets franchise very early on in his career. Skywalker exploded onto the NBA scene a year later following the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, and in 1976-77 his stats were off the charts (25.9 PTS, 4.1 REB, 4.1 AST) going on to take home the rookie of the year award, an All-NBA first team selection, while finishing seventh in MVP voting!

If Social Media was around in the 1970s, Thompson would be headlining our feeds around the clock. His electrifying style of play routinely had fans in awe. Take a look at the top 10 plays of his career here (trust me, it’s worth the watch): ⬇️

Thompson was able to put the Nuggets on the map in their early days as an NBA franchise, leading the squad to the playoffs year after year, including a trip to the 1978 Western Conference Finals. Not too shabby for a team that wasn’t in the NBA just two years prior!

Although Skywalker’s peak was shorter than anticipated, he was still able to carve out a Hall of Fame career, as he was abducted into the Hall in 1996. Speaking of the Hall of Fame, Thompson had the honors of inducting one of his biggest admirers- that same Michael Jordan who idolized him, into the HOF in 2009! 🙌

David Thompson retired in 1984 with five all-stars, two All-NBAs, and a spot on the ABA All-Time team on his resume. Though it’s been nearly a half-century since his prime, he is still widely regarded as one of the best dunkers in the history of the game. And based on his highlight tape, we’re pretty sure he’ll still be near the top in another half-century.

Three in the Key

This season has been flying by….

In the latest episode of Numbers on the Board pod, the guys drop their bold predictions for the upcoming second half of the season. Give it a watch! ⬇️

Signing Off

That’s all for today, Enjoyers! Thanks for making us a part of your day. We’re almost through the winter, the days are getting brighter and longer. Hang in there!

We’ll catch you on Friday.

Bobby Kasmire