Tyrese Maxey made a little franchise history last night, and that was just the start of a great slate of hoops. Read up!

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Johnny Davis, Taelon Peter, and James Worthy! 🎉

Game Recaps

Maxey + Embiid fend off late Miami surge, hand Philly 124-117 win

The race to stay in the top six and out of the play-in is going to be a close one in the Eastern Conference. With a home win last night over the Heat, Tyrese Maxey (28 PTS, 11 AST, 5 STL) put the 76ers one step closer—and made some franchise history in the process.

Philadelphia leaned on its stars when things tightened after leading virtually the whole way, with Maxey—the new franchise leader in three-pointers—and Joel Embiid (26 PTS, 11 REB) stabilizing the offense after Miami took the lead in the fourth. Maxey controlled the pace, and Embiid lived at the line, but the supporting cast delivered too—Kelly Oubre (21 PTS, 8 REB) scored efficiently, and VJ Edgecombe (19 PTS, 8 REB) continued to look comfortable in heavy minutes.

Miami stayed competitive behind Bam (29 PTS, 14 REB), who carried a lot of the offensive load, while Tyler Herro (25 PTS, 7 AST) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (19 PTS) helped fuel the fourth-quarter push. The Heat shot well from three, but just couldn’t generate enough stops once Philly had regained control.

That’s a costly miss in what’s shaping up to be a crowded middle tier of the East standings. For Maxey and the Sixers, it’s a night to remember.

Jokic shines, Nuggets drub Celtics 103-84 in Denver

The 2023 and 2024 NBA champions faced off on Wednesday, and in many ways, it was an exhibition of the two positions these teams find themselves in post-championship—different in some ways, but similar in others.

On one hand, you have the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic (30 PTS, 12 REB, 6 AST) seems as poised as ever to go on another run, and behind OKC and San Antonio, Denver is up there with anyone in terms of talent, experience, and potential in the postseason this year. Jokic showed all that off on Wednesday, even with Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson still out

Meanwhile, the Celtics are also dealing with injuries—it's just that their major injury is to their best player. Jaylen Brown (23 PTS, 11 REB) has been great as the team’s new #1, and guys like Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, and new addition Nikola Vucevic do help, but the rest of the Celtics not being able to pick up the slack against a good Denver team (only two Celtics w/11+ PTS) is a sign of where this team might be lacking come playoff time.

Either way, it was great to see these championship-caliber squads face off. Here’s hoping we see Gordon, Tatum, and other sidelined guys on the court ASAP!

Elsewhere around the NBA:

• Desmond Bane (30 PTS) and Kevin Durant (40 PTS) went back and forth all night, but a crucial Orlando turnover with less than 40 seconds left, a Reed Sheppard (20 PTS) three at the other end, and four KD free throws sealed the win for the Rockets in the end. Jevon Carter (14 PTS) continued his solid streak since being picked up by Orlando despite the 113-108 Houston W.

• Another standout night from Kon Knueppel (28 PTS, 8-12 3PT) and company lifted the Hornets to a 133-109 win over Indiana last night. Brandon Miller (33 PTS) was the other main catalyst for Charlotte, who suffocated every Pacer not named Micah Potter (19 PTS, 5-7 3PT).

• Corey Kispert (33 PTS) and CJ McCollum (25 PTS) led the Hawks to a 126-96 blowout win over their former squad, while the Wizards got 14 PTS from Tre Johnson but not much else on the offensive end. Dyson Daniels (13 PTS, 11 AST, 5 STL) went crazy on defense for Atlanta in the 30-point blowout.

• With Oklahoma City’s top talent out, Detroit handed the Thunder a 124-116 loss on Wednesday. Jaylin Williams (30 PTS, 11 REB) led OKC with Jared McCain (20 PTS) helping off the bench, but the duo of Cade Cunningham (29 PTS, 13 AST) and Jalen Duren (29 PTS, 15 REB) was too much for the shorthanded Thunder.

• Without Donovan Mitchell or James Harden, the Cavaliers struggled to keep up with Milwaukee’s perimeter shooting (19-45 3PT, 42.2%) and gave up a 118-116 Bucks win. Milwaukee benefitted from a standout game from Kevin Porter Jr. (20 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST, 5 STL), and Jarrett Allen (27 PTS, 11 REB) continued his hot streak with another great night for Cleveland.

• On a night where Wemby struggled on offense (12 PTS), Julian Champagnie (26 PTS) stepped up next to Stephon Castle (18 PTS) to lead the Spurs to a 126-110 win over Brooklyn, their 11th-straight victory. The Nets put up an okay fight, but Michael Porter Jr.’s offensive effort (25 PTS) wasn’t enough to counter San Antonio’s sheer number of weapons.

Top Five Friday

As we move past the All-Star break, the Rookie of the Year picture is clearing up. It’s a two-man race at the top in many ways, but there are plenty of interesting candidates down the board who have been showing out recently. Let’s run down the top five!

1. Cooper Flagg (F, DAL): The hype around Flagg’s college teammate (who we’ll get to in a second) is real and deserved, but there’s a reason why the No. 1 pick is still the odds-on favorite to win ROTY. He leads rookies in scoring and continues to stack big nights that showcase his full array of skills: transition scoring, defensive activity, and flashes of total offensive takeover. His impact jumps off the screen because he’s affecting the game across the board.

2. Kon Knueppel (F, CHA): The 2025 No. 4 overall pick has turned a surprisingly good debut season into a real Rookie of the Year push, sitting at #1 on the NBA’s latest Rookie Ladder and holding strong near the top of pretty much everyone’s rankings. He's been a steady scoring presence all season, and his confidence attacking closeouts and creating midrange looks for himself has popped especially over the past few weeks.

3. VJ Edgecombe (G, PHI): Edgecombe leads all rookies in minutes, and while his game doesn’t rely on huge scoring nights, he’s been one of the most consistent presences of this class from opening night (remember that 34-point debut gem?). The No. 3 overall pick plays with a constant motor and has grown more decisive and confident as the year has gone on, from pushing the tempo and keeping Philly’s offense moving to putting in hard effort on defense.

4. Cedric Coward (G, MEM): The Grizzlies’ lottery pick hasn’t needed crazy usage to make an impact this season. Within Memphis’ offense, Coward has contributed through physical defense, efficient scoring, and smart off-ball movement. The Grizzlies have quietly found one of the steadiest rookies in the class, and they did it outside the top ten.

5. Derik Queen (C, NOP): The No. 13 pick has been one of the most enjoyable rookie bigs to watch this season. Queen’s touch around the basket has always been there, but his patience and passing have recently stood out just as much. The ample playing time in New Orleans, given their record and frontcourt injuries, has allowed Queen to grow comfortable at the 5 under mentor DeAndre Jordan.

Honorable mentions: Dylan Harper (SAS), Jeremiah Fears (NOP), Ace Bailey (UTA), Egor Dëmin (BKN), Maxime Raynaud (SAC), Tre Johnson (WAS), Collin Murray-Boyles (TOR)

Three in the Key

Signing Off

It’s Friday! Rest and relax and recharge—there’s a lot of great hoops on this weekend.

Austin Zeglis