LeBron vs. Steph… did you expect anything less?!

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Feb. 7, 2025

All-Star Draft: Teams set, as LeBron, Ant & Joker go in 1st round for Team Shaq, Kenny & Chuck

Thursday History: LeBron & Steph enter the record books together, Ant shines solo

Roundup: Klay turns back the clock, Jokić and MPJ go off again, Portland & Indy stay hot

Cade’s Leap: How clutch play and historic numbers are fueling Detroit’s Playoff push

LP Spotlight: Chet’s return, KD’s quest for 30k and a series of potential debuts

BUT FIRST … ⏰
The dust has settled…

The NBA Trade Deadline passed yesterday after a flurry of moves over the past few days. Catch up on all the buzz and see every official deal here.

Seven games tip off tonight, headlined by the red-hot Tyrese Maxey leading the Sixers against Cade Cunningham and the Pistons (7:30 ET, ESPN).

1. BREAKING DOWN THURSDAY’S NBA ALL-STAR DRAFT

The 2025 All-Star rosters for the event’s first four-team, three-game mini-tournament – taking place Sunday, Feb. 16 in San Francisco – are officially set.

In Thursday’s All-Star Draft, TNT’s “Inside the NBA” commentators and team general managers Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith each selected eight players from the pool of 24 All-Stars.

Here’s how their rosters stack up:

Team Shaq: With the first overall pick, Shaq selected his former teammate, LeBron James, setting the foundation for a squad filled with veteran greats.

• The OGs: Joining James were his fellow NBA OGs and USA Olympic teammates Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, who – along with Jayson Tatum and Anthony Davis – helped lead the Stars & Stripes to a gold medal this summer in Paris
• All-Star Royalty: The team boasts the five most decorated All-Stars in the field: LeBron (record 21 selections), KD (15), Steph (11), James Harden (11) and AD (10)

Team Kenny: While Shaq snatched up the all-time greats, Kenny dipped into the fountain of youth, with the 2nd overall pick Anthony Edwards leading a group of dynamic young stars.

• Fresh Faces: Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Tyler Herro and Jalen Williams will all be making their All-Star debuts, and Jalen Brunson, 28, is the only player on the team older than 25
• New Era: When the tournament tips off on Feb. 16, Team Kenny will have an average age of 24 years and 295 days old

Team Chuck: The Round Mound of Rebound went global to build his roster, with six of his eight players hailing from outside the United States, including first-time All-Star Victor Wembanyama and a slew of Kia MVP candidates.

• Leading The Race: Chuck landed the top four players on the most recent Kia MVP Ladder in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić (3rd overall pick), Giannis Antetokounmpo and Karl-Anthony Towns

The three teams’ uniforms were also unveiled yesterday, along with the NBA All-Star Court, drawing inspiration from the vibrant cultures of San Francisco and Oakland.

Format: Team Chuck, Shaq & Kenny will be joined in the tournament by the Castrol Rising Stars champion, coached by Candace Parker. The four teams will compete in single-elimination semifinals before the winner-take-all championship (Feb. 16, 8 ET, TNT).

2. A HISTORIC LEBRON vs. STEPH SHOWDOWN, PLUS ANT’S RECORD NIGHT

Hours after being named All-Star teammates, LeBron and Steph delivered yet another timeless duel.

Lakers 120, Warriors 112: After trailing by as many as 26, Steph Curry dropped 19 of his 37 points in the 4th quarter to get the Warriors within five.

But LeBron James refused to let the Lakers cede control, finishing with a historic 42 points, 17 boards and 8 assists to lift Los Angeles over Golden State. | Recap

• LBJ & MJ: James went 14-of-25 from the floor and 6-of-9 from deep, joining Michael Jordan (43 pts) as the only players to record 40+ points in a game at 40 years or older
• For the Ages: At 40 years and 38 days, LeBron is the oldest player to score 40+ points in a game. The youngest? LeBron, at 19 years, 88 days old
• James is also the first player older than 30 to record 30+ pts, 15+ reb, 5+ ast and 5+ triples in a game
• His Final 3? A dagger with 1:08 left to put Los Angeles up 9, stamping its fourth straight win and its 10th in 12 games
• “We’ve run out of words to capture what he’s doing at this stage of his career,” said JJ Redick on LeBron postgame. “It continues to be remarkable.”

While James stands alone in the record books, he’ll always be intertwined with Curry on the court, where the two have produced countless classics time and time again.

But even after more than a decade of battles, last night provided a chapter unlike any before.

• Unprecedented: Thursday marked the first day in NBA history that two players age 36 or older scored 35+ points, done by LeBron and Steph – in the same game
• Timeless: Despite it being their 55th career meeting, it was just the second regular-season matchup in which they both scored 35+ points against each other

One night after dropping 49 to tie the Wolves’ record for most career 40-pieces, Anthony Edwards claimed it for himself.

Wolves 127, Rockets 114: In another electrifying performance, Edwards poured in 41 points, including 11 straight in the 4th quarter to ignite a 22-8 closing run as the Wolves outpaced the Rockets for their seventh win in nine games. | Recap

• Ant Alone: It’s Edwards’ 14th career 40-point game, passing Karl-Anthony Towns (13) for the most in franchise history
• Triple Threat: He’s also just the third player in Minnesota history to tally back-to-back 40-pieces, joining Andrew Wiggins (2017) and Kevin Love (2014)
• Youngest Ever: Edwards added 7 boards and 6 dimes while splashing 5 triples, becoming the youngest player to reach 1,000 3s in NBA history (23y, 185d)
• “He’s been special these last couple games,” said Wolves coach Chris Finch. “Absolutely special.”

3. MAVS TAKE FINALS REMATCH, NUGGETS, PACERS & BLAZERS STAY HOT

The last time the Mavs walked out of TD Garden, the Celtics were spraying champagne, celebrating an NBA title.

Eight months later, Dallas left Boston with a statement win.

Mavericks 127, Celtics 120: Klay Thompson exploded in the 1st half for 23 points, as the Mavs led by as many as 27 before staving off a late 30-10 Celtics push to top the defending champs in Beantown. | Recap

• Vets Step Up: Klay went 11-of-17 for 25 points, while Kyrie Irving (19 pts, 4 ast, 4 stl) and Spencer Dinwiddie (22 pts) each made big contributions
• AD Status: Anthony Davis sat with an abdominal strain as he ramps up for his Dallas debut

Nuggets 112, Magic 90: After each posting 35+ point double-doubles on Wednesday, Nikola Jokić (28 pts, 10 reb, 12 ast) and Michael Porter Jr. (30 pts, 5 3s) delivered an encore on Thursday, leading Denver to its fifth straight dub to jump Houston for 3rd out West. | Recap

• Joker Brilliance: It’s Jokić’s NBA-best 24th triple-double this season. The next closest players? LeBron (10) and Domantas Sabonis (8), who combined, would still fall six short of Jokić
• Even More Amazing? Jokić has only played in 46 games this season, meaning he’s hit the mark 52.2% of the time
• MPJ Heating Up: Meanwhile, Porter Jr. is the first player in Nuggets history to record three straight games of 30+ points and 5+ 3s

Blazers 108, Kings 102: The Blazers are ballin’, and the wins keep coming. Anfernee Simons scored 16 of his game-high 30 points in the 4th to help Portland stave off Sacramento for its sixth straight W, improving to 10-1 in its last 11 outings. | Recap

• Zach LaVine posted 22 points in his second game with Sacramento, while DeMar DeRozan matched him (22 pts)

Pacers 119, Clippers 112: Led by Pascal Siakam’s 33 points and 11 boards, Indy edged out James Harden (22 pts, 10 ast) and the Clips to improve to 13-3 in 2025 – the best win percentage in the NBA since the New Year (81.3%). | Recap

4. CADE’S LEAP: CAN DETROIT KEEP CLIMBING TONIGHT vs. PHILLY?

Only one player in NBA history has averaged 25/5/9 in a season at age 23 or younger – Oscar Robertson.

But this season, Cade Cunningham is on pace to do just that, averaging career-highs across the board (25.6 pts, 6.3 reb, 9.4 ast), while leading the Pistons to a 25-26 record.

The last time Detroit won 25 games? In 2018-19 (41-41), also the same season it last made the Playoffs.

On Friday, Cunningham has a chance to push the Pistons back into Playoff position, sitting just one game behind the 6-seed as they take on the Sixers (7:30 ET, ESPN).

• Rewind: On Wednesday, Cade dropped 38 points against the NBA-best Cavs, including 21 in the 4th quarter to spark a late rally, but Detroit lost on Darius Garland’s buzzer-beating 3

Detroit’s Engine: Despite the defeat, Cunningham once again delivered in crunch time – a trend that’s helped fuel both his and the Pistons’ breakout season.

• Clutch Cade: Cunningham ranks 8th in 2nd-half scoring this season (13.7 ppg), and he’s the only player in the top 10 adding 4+ assists
• The Result? More Ws, as the Pistons have jumped from having the fewest clutch wins last season (8) to the 7th-most this season (14)
• Full Circle: In fact, Detroit’s 14 clutch victories match its total win count from all of 2023-24
• “I think we’ve seen Cade make a step into the air of the elites in this game,” said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff in January. “Impacting winning in a major way and making his teammates better.”

A natural scorer, Cunningham has blossomed into a complete playmaker, resulting in his first All-Star selection while putting him on the verge of elite company.

• Historic Pace: Through 185 career games, Cade is just 39 points and eight boards shy of becoming the 3rd-fastest player to reach 4,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,300 assists
• The Fastest Two? Robertson (131) and Luka Dončić (169)
• Cade The Creator: Cunningham’s also generating 24.2 ppg off assists this season – trailing only Trae Young and Nikola Jokić for the most in the NBA – while ranking 4th in triple-doubles (7)
• Entering 2024-25, he had just two career triple-doubles across his first three seasons
• “Cade’s playing at a ridiculously high level,” said Paolo Banchero in January after seeing him tally 35 points and 11 dimes against Orlando
• “Cade’s the one making it all go, the way he controls the pace on offense … he’s a really unique player.”

Tonight, Cunningham faces a red-hot Tyrese Maxey, who’s seeking his eighth straight 30-piece, in a matchup between two of the East’s brightest young guards.

5. TONIGHT ON LEAGUE PASS: CHET’S POTENTIAL RETURN FOR OKC

“Every adversity has a choice: you can see it as an excuse, or you can see it as an opportunity.”

Those were the words of Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, spoken one day after the team’s star center, Chet Holmgren, went down with a pelvic fracture on Nov. 10.

At the time, OKC was tied for first in the West at 8-2, with Holmgren playing at an All-Star level, leading the team in rebounds (8.7) and blocks (2.6) while adding 16.4 ppg on 50.5% shooting.

Since then, OKC has dropped just seven games, standing firm atop the standings at 40-9 – the best 49-game start in franchise history – backed by the league’s most dominant defense. And tonight, with Holmgren off the injury report, they may get their young star back.

• Winning Formula: The Thunder rank first in points allowed (104.6), steals (11.1), opponent FG% (43.0) and forced turnovers (18.4)
• Robust Rating: OKC’s 103.9 DefRtg doesn’t just lead the NBA, it’s the best in five years, dating back to the 2019-20 Bucks (102.5)
• Rare Ranks: The Thunder are also on pace to become just the third team in the last decade to hold their opponents to 43.0% shooting or lower in a single season

Offensively, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has taken his game to new heights, leading the league in scoring (32.8), highlighted by three 50-pieces since Jan. 22. Meanwhile, Jalen Williams is averaging a career-high 21.0 ppg, earning his first All-Star bid.

• Do It All Duo: SGA and Williams are two of just six players averaging 20+ pts, 5+ reb, 5+ ast and 1.5+ stl this season, joining Jokić, De’Aaron Fox, James Harden and Franz Wagner
• Shai’s Scoring Tear: SGA has totaled 285 points (40.7 ppg) on 54.9% shooting over his last seven games, making him just the fifth player in the 3-point era to achieve such a feat
• His Company? Luka, Steph, Shaq and MJ

Tonight, amid a historic start, with a Kia MVP candidate in peak form, OKC gets back to full strength with Holmgren’s expected return against the Raptors (8 ET).

Five more games tip off on League Pass, capped by Kevin Durant’s chase for 30,000 points as he enters tonight’s matchup against Utah (10 ET) 26 points shy of the milestone mark.

Potential Debuts: Khris Middleton and De’Andre Hunter could make their first appearances with their new squads as the Wizards host the Cavs (7 ET), while Kyle Kuzma potentially debuts with the Bucks (7:30 ET) and Andrew Wiggins with the Heat (7:30 ET).