What’s up, Enjoyers! It’s NBA Rivals Week….and so far, I don’t think we could’ve asked for a better start. 🙌

Let’s catch you up on the latest in the Association.

Los Angeles, Numbers on the Board Podcast is headed your way on February 13th! 🔥

Make sure to get your tickets here!

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday Hakeem Olajuwon, Detlef Schrempf, and Sidney Lowe! 🎉

Game Recaps

Rockets Rally late in fourth, defeat Spurs 111-106

Rivals Week got off to a thrilling start on Tuesday night in H-Town.

The in-state rival Spurs and Rockets squared off in a Texas showdown, with Houston coming away with the comeback victory. After trailing by as many as 14 points late in the third quarter, the Rockets flipped the switch and pulled off their largest comeback win of the season.

The rally was led by Reed Sheppard (21 PTS), who scored eight straight points in a two minute span down the stretch that put the Rockets on top for the first time since the first quarter. See the electric run for yourself here:

Following the Reed run, Jabari Smith Jr (17 PTS) scored five huge points in the final minutes to keep the Rockets on top for good. Kevin Durant was a steady force in this one, going for a cool 18 points on 7/12 shooting.

With the win, the Rockets pick up a game on the Spurs in the standings, who were led by Julian Champagnie (27 PTS) in the loss. One thing’s for certain, the wild west just keeps getting wilder…

Pistons hold off Celtics 104-103 for Third Straight Win

There’s nothing like a down to the wire battle between the two top teams in the east.

Monday’s game was a tight one throughout, with both teams trading buckets down the stretch. The Pistons leaned on their veteran Tobias Harris (25 PTS, 11/20 FG) who hit some big shots in this one, including a go-ahead three pointer with two minutes to go.

Elsewhere for Detroit, Duncan Robinson gave a huge spark with his five threes, and Jalen Duren (18 PTS, 9 REB) was dunking EVERYTHING: 😱

The Pistons were able to pick up the huge win despite an overall rough shooting game from Cade Cunningham, who went just 4/17 from the field. As for the Celtics, Jaylen Brown (32 PTS, 11 REB) was able to bring the C’s within one point with less than a minute to go, but his game-winning jumper went off the rim at the buzzer. 

With these two teams having already played two games that have gone down to the final possession, let’s just say we wouldn’t exactly be upset if we got a seven game series between them this spring….

Elsewhere around the NBA:

• Though this game wasn’t labeled as a Rivals Week game, Tuesday’s game between the Jazz and Wolves was an intense division matchup. Utah held on to walk away with the 127-122 win led by a HUGE performances from Keyonte George, who went for 43 points on a blistering 15/28 shooting, and Jusuf Nurkic, who went OFF for 16 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists. The future is looking brighter by the day in Utah!

• Jalen Green is back! The Suns guard played in his first game since November 8th and put up 12 points in Phoenix’s 116-110 road win over the 76ers. The Valley saw major contributions across the board in the victory, with Devin Booker (27 PTS) leading the way, and Grayson Allen and Jordan Goodwin (16 PTS each) shooting a combined six for 13 from beyond the arc. The Suns continue to stay afloat in the thick of the western conference. 😎

• So far, 2026 has not been kind to the New York Knicks. They went into their matchup with the Mavericks having lost seven of their last nine games, and Dallas added insult to injury as they went into MSG on Monday and crushed New York 114-97. Max Christie exploded for 26 points on eight made triples, and Cooper Flagg’s Garden debut saw him go for 18 points and seven rebounds. The Knicks shot just 40% from the field as a team, and continue their losing ways. Fortunately for them, there’s still a lot of season left to right the ship.

• The hottest team in the association picked up their sixth straight W on Monday, as James Harden (36 PTS) and the Clippers held on to defeat the Wizards 110-106. After starting the season 6-21, the Clips have gone a remarkable 13-2 and have put themselves back in a prime position for a postseason spot. We only see turnarounds like this in the movies….which makes sense when you consider the Clippers play in Hollywood.

League Updates

Jimmy Butler Tears ACL, will miss the rest of the season

Following a tough 49ers playoff loss on Saturday, fans of San Francisco sports got hit with more gut-wrenching news early Tuesday morning… 😔

Warriors star Jimmy Butler will miss the rest of the season with a Torn right ACL, per Shams. Butler and the Warriors had seemed to have finally turned a corner after a subpar first few months of the season, but it now feels like they’re back to square one following the devastating injury.

Jimmy contributes so much on a nightly basis for the Warriors, and his absence will be strongly felt on the court…

One thing about Jimmy Butler that will never be questioned is his resilience. We know he’ll use this setback as motivation to comeback stronger. Get well soon, Jimmy! 🙏

2026 All-Star Starters Announced, LeBron’s 21 year streak of starting comes to an end

It’s hard to believe we’re nearly at All-Star weekend…. 😳

The ten starters for the 2026 NBA All-Star game were announced on Monday, with mostly familiar faces headlining. However, for the first time in 21 seasons…there is one guy missing:

That’s right, for the first time since 2005, LeBron James was not selected to be a starter, ending his ridiculously impressive streak. Luckily, the starter pool is still absolutely STACKED with talent across the board. 🌟

With the starters announced, the reserves are expected to be revealed next week, and we’ll have the full rosters for each conference set!

Three in the Key

Signing Off

That’s all for today Enjoyers! Thanks for making us a part of your day. This week, try and allow yourself a few minutes to be bored. Sometimes our best creative ideas come to us when we have nothing to distract us!

See you on Friday!

Bobby Kasmire