Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from Feb. 5

Posted by February 5, 2025 NBA
Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from Feb. 5

🏀 NBA scores tonight (Feb. 5)

Spurs 126, Hawks 125

Cavaliers 118, Pistons 115

Bucks 112, Hornets 102

Grizzlies 138, Raptors 107

Heat 108, 76ers 101

Wizards 119, Nets 102

Timberwolves 127, Bulls 108

Nuggets 144, Pelicans 119

Jazz 131, Warriors 128

Thunder 140, Suns 109

Magic 130, Kings 111

✍️Tonight’s NBA takeaways

  • Thrilling finishes: The early window was action-packed with wild endings in Atlanta and Detroit. Victor Wembanyama played 3-D chess in the endgame against the Hawks to checkmate them into a desperation heave as time expired. Darius Garland put on the cape for the Cavaliers in Donovan Mitchell’s absence and buried a three from the logo to extinguish the Pistons’ comeback bid. 
    • The late window had plenty of intrigue as well with the Jazz mounting a furious comeback to secure a signature win over the Warriors.
    • See where Garland’s game-winner stacks up on the Horry Scale.
  • Another 50-point game for SGA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to build his MVP case as he recorded a 50-point game for the third time in the last three weeks. He fell just four points shy of tying his career-high which he set Jan. 22 against the Jazz.
  • Notable debuts from the trade deadline: De’Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine were each part of a major trade earlier this week and each debuted for their new teams tonight. Fox’s Spurs debut went a little more smoothly as San Antonio pulled out the win and the newcomer went for 24 points and 13 assists. LaVine had 13 points for the Kings as Sacramento fell to Orlando by 19.
  • Trade deadline looms: The NBA Trade Deadline is set for Thursday at 3 Eastern and the moves are starting to come in fast and furious. Among the notable reported moves from tonight, Jimmy Butler is expected to be on the move to Golden State as part of a blockbuster, multi-team trade.
    • More major moves are expected before the deadline hits, so be sure to bookmark our NBA Trade Deadline Tracker to stay in the know on all the latest movement around the league.

🥇 Top NBA performers tonight

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder: 50 points in 34 minutes vs the Suns, becoming the first player in OKC history to have 50 in under 35 MP.
  • Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves: 49 points, nine rebounds in win over Bulls. Edwards now has three 40-point games since Jan.1.
  • Onyeka Okongwu, Atlanta Hawks: Career-high 30 points to go with 12 rebounds and five assists against the Spurs.

🍔 50-burger for SGA in win over PHX

Thunder 140, Suns 109

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has recorded a 50-point game in each of the last three weeks as he lit up the Suns for 50 points in what was a blowout win.

SGA scored a career-high 54 points against the Jazz on Wednesday, Jan. 22 and went for 52 points a week later on Jan. 29. Must be something about Wednesdays.

If not for the game flow, Gilgeous-Alexander may have been able to set a new career best tonight but he headed to the bench with just over eight minutes remaining.

Aaron Wiggins had another strong effort for the Thunder with 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting in his third straight start.

The Suns were shorthanded going into this one with Kevin Durant (ankle) sidelined. Phoenix did not have answers down low as they were nearly doubled up in points in the paint (62-32).

🎷Jazz hit right notes in 4Q to beat Warriors

Jazz 131, Warriors 128

The Jazz stared down a 10-point deficit to a veteran Warriors team with just three minutes to go tonight and found a way to march back. They outscored the Warriors 21-8 in the final minutes to notch a signature win for the young club.

Jordan Clarkson led the scoring for Utah with 31 points but there were strong performances across the board, including youngsters Keyonte George (26) and Isaiah Collier (20).

This was the final matchup between these teams this season. The Warriors won the first two, including a 41-point margin in October. Utah finding a way to win in a close one is a huge morale boost for the Jazz as they get set to start a three-game road swing.

Here’s a nifty stat from the Jazz’s research and social teams:

⛰️ Nuggets find cruising altitude

Nuggets 144, Pelicans 119

A knotted game at halftime unraveled for the Pelicans in the second half as the Nuggets pulled away for a convincing win. The Nuggets took control in the third quarter with a 45-27 margin in the period and cruised from there.

Denver dominated in transition and in the paint, outscoring New Orleans 74-58 in the paint and 37-18 on fast breaks.

Michael Porter set a new season-high for points for the second game in a row with 39 points to top his 36-point outing from Monday.

The Nuggets are surging with four straight wins and a 7-3 mark in their last 10 to get within striking distance of Houston for the No.3 spot in the West as the All-Star break approaches.

On the Pelicans’ side, Trey Murphy was terrific again with a career-high nine assists to go with 25 points while Zion Williamson bullied his way to 28 points.

💪 Bring your SGA-Game

OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played 25 minutes so far tonight. The Thunder have 84 points. SGA has scored 36 of those points. Pretty good.

Gilgeous-Alexander is well within striking distance of his eighth game of at least 40 points. Even a 50-burger could be on the menu, which would be his third such game in the last three weeks.

👑 LaVine’s first bucket as a King

LaVine was the centerpiece of Sacramento’s return in a blockbuster trade earlier this week that also sent De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio.

LaVine is making a good first impression with his new teammates with six points and three assists in his first 12 minutes of action

Catch Kings vs Magic now on NBA League Pass.

🔥 Edwards finishes with 49 in T’Wolves win

Timberwolves 127, Bulls 108

Anthony Edwards came up just short of his second 50-point game of the season tonight. Ant-Man set his career-high earlier in 2025 with 53 points against the Pistons and nearly reached that mark again tonight.

Edwards caused problems for the Bulls defense all night as he shot just under 50 percent from the floor and made the free-throw line his second home with 18 attempts (17 FT Made).

Future Dunk Contest participant, Matas Buzelis, got his first start and chipped in 14 points for the Bulls. You can see why he made the Dunk Contest right here.

🎷Jazz, Dubs going back and forth

It’s been an eventful night off the court for the Warriors already with the reported Jimmy Butler trade but it’s also heating up on the floor. The Jazz and Warriors have had 17 lead changes through three and half quarters.

It began as a game of runs with the Jazz dominating much of the first quarter and the Warriors responding in the second. It has now settled into a bucket-for-bucket showdown as we’re knotted up at 74 mid-way through the third.

Heat get road win on wild night

Heat 108, 76ers 101

The Jimmy Butler trade rumors have swirled in recent weeks and finally came to a head Wednesday night with the reports of him being sent to the Warriors. Despite the outside noise, the Heat locked in and took care of business in Philly.

Tyler Herro poured in 30 points and Miami got a pair of 20-point efforts off the bench from Jikola Jović and Terry Rozier.

Tyrese Maxey logged his seventh straight 30-point outing, finishing with 31 along with four steals.

🧙‍♂️ Wizards notch third straight W

Wizards 119, Nets 102

Coming out of a tough stretch with a 16-game losing streak, the Wizards have gathered themselves to secure a third straight win tonight. All of those wins have come on the road, to boot.

Washington didn’t have a 20-point scorer tonight but instead got an array of contributions from the starting five and the bench. Four starters scored in double figures, led by Jordan Poole’s 19, and three players reached double figures off the bench.

The Wizards had a great night shooting with a 54.3 percentage from the floor and 46.5 percent figure from beyond the arc.

The biggest story for the Wizards was Bilal Coulibaly registering the first triple-double of his career with 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds over 31 minutes.

Keon Johnson continued his hot streak in the scoring column with a game-high 25 points.

🐜 Ant-Man takeover

Anthony Edwards is in the running to challenge for his season-high of 53 points tonight. Ant-Man is up to 44 points on 13-for-24 shooting as the Timberwolves lead the Bulls 115-99 with five minutes to go.

🐻 Grizzlies romp Raptors

The Raptors took a six-point lead into the half and that seemed to poke the bear as the Grizzlies charged for 85 second-half points to secure a 138-107 victory.

Jaren Jackson finished with 32 points to notch his third-straight 30-point game. The Grizzlies’ second-half was suffocating as well with the Raptors mustering just 48 points after the break.

🤯 Buzzer Beater in Detroit

Cavaliers 118, Pistons 115

It’s been a tough week for the Pistons as they suffered their second last-second loss in three nights.

The Pistons stormed erased a nine-point deficit in the final minute thanks in part to a game-tying trio of free throws from Cade Cunningham. When the game looked destined for overtime, Cleveland All-Star, Darius Garland had other ideas.

31 feet. Nothing. But. Net.

It’s a big win for the Cavaliers after falling to the Celtics on Tuesday night and playing the second leg of a back-to-back.

For the Pistons, it’s another tough loss but their ability to battle back late against one of the league’s best was encouraging nonetheless.

🧠 Crafty Wemby helps secure Spurs W

Spurs 126, Hawks 125

Victor Wembanyama stepped to the line for two shots in a tie game with just under three seconds remaining against the Hawks.

After hitting the first, Wemby smartly fired his second FT off the rim, forcing the timeout-less Hawks to scramble for a full-court heave rather than set up an inbounds play.

The Spurs led by as many as 20 early in the second half but the Hawks admirably battled back. Trae Young’s late-game heroics were on display yet again when he hit the game-tying floater with 8.1 seconds remaining before Wembanyama spoiled the Hawks’ party.

Wembanyama finished the night with 24 points, 12 rebounds and a block. De’Aaron Fox had 24 points of his own in his Spurs debut and dished out 13 assists.

On the Hawks side, Trae Young racked up 32 points and Onyeka Okongwu had a career-high 30 points to go with 12 boards and five assists.

🦌 Bucks secure win in Charlotte

Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo being a late scratch due to left calf soreness, the Bucks notched a 112-102 victory tonight over the Hornets. Damian Lillard stepped up with a game-high 29 points to go with 12 assists to lead the way. Bobby Portis was a force on both ends with 23 points and 17 rebounds, including 15 defensive rebounds, to finish with a +32 rating.

Nick Smith paced the scoring for the Hornets with 23 points on 9 of 15 shooting and Moussa Diabate secured a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

🎬Blockbuster trade alert

Jimmy Butler heads to Golden State in massive trade

The Warriors have been looking to add at the deadline and did just that by acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Heat as the headliner in a multi-team trade. Per Shams Charania of ESPN, Butler agreed to a two-year extension with his new club that runs through 2027.

See the full Jimmy Butler trade details here at NBA.com.

⚡NBA score updates

  • Bucks lead Hornets by 17 mid-way through the fourth quarter
  • The Cavaliers and Pistons are locked in a close one with Cleveland up 3 entering the fourth quarter
  • The Hawks have clawed back from a 20-point deficit and trail by single digits going into the fourth quarter.
  • The Wizards lead the Nets by four at the break, 65-61.
  • The Heat hold a five-point lead early in the third quarter against the 76ers.
  • The Grizzlies have stormed out of the gate in the third to cut a six-point halftime deficit to just one against the Raptors.
  • The Bulls are hanging with the Timberwolves thanks to a strong second quarter and hold a one-point lead as halftime nears.

🗣️ Struuuuuus

Stephon Castle set the bar high tonight with his epic dunk earlier against the Hawks, but Cleveland’s Max Strus made a statement of his own with a slam that registered an 87.5 dunk score.

We’ve got you covered from multiple angles.

The Cavs took a nine-point lead into halftime against the Pistons but Detroit has trimmed the deficit to five early in the third. Tune in on NBA League Pass.

🤌Iconic uniform matchup in The North

The Raptors and Grizzlies are bringing their A1 Day 1 fits to the floor tonight in Toronto. The two franchises that came into the league together in 1995 as the first Canadian teams in the NBA. Both got it started with iconic uniforms and both are on display tonight.

Here’s Ja Morant doing Ja Morant things in the 🔥throwback Grizzlies uniform.

The Raptors even have the throwback court going. The vibes are immaculate at Scotiabank Arena tonight. Catch the action now on NBA League Pass.

🏰Stephon Castle clears the moat

The NBA Dunk Contest isn’t until next week but San Antonio’s Stephon Castle is already getting warmed up.

Shot fake ➡️ dribble drive ➡️ massive two-handed yam in traffic 💪

Castle’s dunk tops our Dunk Score leaderboard tonight at a 96.6. It’s still early, but the bar has been set high for tonight’s 11-game slate. It’s also Castle’s highest dunk score to date.

🦊 Fox debuts for Spurs

Get a first look at Fox stepping on the floor as a member of the Spurs as they take on the Hawks tonight.

How about a look at his first bucket? A little transition triple to get his new chapter started.

Spurs vs Hawks is live now on ESPN.

💪 Big time Central Matchup

The Cavaliers don’t have time to lick their wounds after Tuesday’s loss to the Celtics with the Pistons coming to town tonight. They will have to adjust with Donovan Mitchell (shoulder) sidelined for this contest.

The Pistons, meanwhile, have cooled off a bit after a great stretch in January and are back to .500 after playing 4-6 ball over their last 10. Records and recent trends can go out the window when two division foes square off, though. And with the way Cade Cunningham is playing, this should be a tightly contested matchup.

🎬 Wemby. Ice Trae. Right Now

The Hawks host the Spurs to tip off tonight’s nationally televised action on ESPN.

Last we saw Mr. Young, he had the ice water flowing as he drilled a contested game-winning three to cap off a 34-point night against the Pistons.

On the Spurs side of the equation, this is a team that is ready to step on the gas and make a run for a play-in spot. The Spurs traded for De’Aaron Fox as part of a blockbuster deal Monday to kick what’s already been a wild week in the NBA into another gear.

Fox will debut for the Spurs tonight and is in the starting lineup. Tune into ESPN to catch the action.

🔑Key NBA storylines tonight

  1. ‘Twas the night before the trade deadline…and all through the League, not a GM was stirring, not even a scout.
  2. Big time debuts: The trade market has heated up well in advance of Thursday’s deadline with some major moves already being made. De’Aaron Fox is set to be available for his Spurs debut against the Hawks at 7 ET while the other headliner of that deal, Zach LaVine, is in line to make his Kings debut in the nightcap.
  3. The Western Conference logjam: The 7-through-11 seeds in the West are separated by a grand total of 1.5 games entering tonight. Of those teams, the Timberwolves, Suns, Warriors and Kings are all in action this evening. Tune in to see which teams can keep pace in what’s shaping up to be a terrific playoff race in the second half of the season.

📰 Required Reading

  • 2024-25 NBA Trade Deadline Tracker: Stay up to date on all the trade deadline buzz and action as we inch closer to Thursday afternoon’s deadline.
  • Trade Analysis for the Bucks-Wizards deal including Khris Middleton and Kyle Kuzma: Wednesday saw some interesting movement in the Eastern Conference with Milwaukee sending longtime stalwart, Khris Middleton, along with AJ Johnson to Washington in exchange for Kyle Kuzma and Patrick Baldwin. There were additional draft picks exchanged in the deal.
  • League Pass Game of the Day: The Kings host the Magic to cap off the slate at 10 Eastern. RotoWire’s Austin Remo breaks down the five key things to watch for this showdown.

Related Articles

Top 5 All-Time Playoff Games Played Leaders: Miami Heat

Top 5 All-Time Playoff Games Played Leaders:…

2025 NBA Mock Draft: Duke’s Cooper Flagg the better pro prospect than Auburn’s Johni Broome

2025 NBA Mock Draft: Duke’s Cooper Flagg…

2025 NBA trade deadline buzz: Latest news around the league

2025 NBA trade deadline buzz: Latest news…

NBA DFS: Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks for Wednesday, February 5 include Nikola Jokic

NBA DFS: Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy…

NBA DFS (Wednesday, February 5): Top Model Picks and Value Plays on DraftKings | FantasyLabs

NBA DFS (Wednesday, February 5): Top Model…

Pistons vs. Cavaliers odds, score prediction, time: 2025 NBA picks, Feb. 5 best bets from proven model

Pistons vs. Cavaliers odds, score prediction, time:…

Follow Us

Recent post