For 20+ years, LeBron’s done some of his best work at MSG. Saturday night saw yet another masterpiece, boosting the Lakers to a season-best 8-2 in their last 10.
Hours later, reports broke around a blockbuster trade between LA & Dallas that, in turn, broke the internet.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Feb. 2, 2025
Triple-Double 2x: How LeBron made history at MSG while the Joker dazzled again
Saturday Stars: Bam at the buzzer, Wiggins’ unforgettable night and another Blazers dub
Roundup: Wizards & Jazz snap streaks, Pacers stay hot, Nets top Rockets
Maxey Unlocked: Can Philly’s scorching star fuel another win over the defending champs? (6 ET, ESPN)
JJJ Rolling: In peak form, Jaren Jackson Jr. squares off against Giannis in primetime (8:30 ET, ESPN)
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Late Saturday news…
Official: The Mavericks have agreed to trade Luka Dončić to the Lakers for Anthony Davis as part of a 3-team, 6-player deal. Tap here for more details.
ESPN Doubleheader: After Friday’s game-winner in New Orleans, Jayson Tatum leads Boston into Philly to take on Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers (6 ET). Then, the Grizzlies seek their eighth win in nine games as they battle Giannis and the Bucks (8:30 ET).
Black History Month: Tap here to see how the NBA and NBA teams are celebrating Black History Month all throughout February.
1. THE KING & THE JOKER: 2 MASSIVE TRIPLE-DOUBLES, 1 NIGHT
Already the only player ever to average 28/6/6 at MSG, LeBron James stepped into the World’s Most Famous Arena on Saturday and boosted those numbers with a historic performance.
Lakers 128, Knicks 112: In the Lakers’ sixth win in seven games, James put on a show, dropping 33 points on 14-of-26 shooting while adding 11 boards and 12 dimes to propel Los Angeles past New York, snapping the Knicks’ five-game win streak. | Recap
- LeBron & Larry: It’s LeBron’s fourth career triple-double at MSG, trailing only Larry Bird (6) for the most by any opposing player
- Leaving His Mark: It’s also LeBron’s second career 30-point triple-double at the Garden, trying Julius Randle – who spent five seasons with the Knicks – for the most all-time
- Bright Lights, Big Numbers: Already ranked 2nd in wins (23) and assists (235) at MSG as an opposing player, James moved into 2nd in points with 873 – trailing only Michael Jordan (985)
- Second To None: James is the only player ranked in the top three in all three categories
- Hart Shines: On the other side, Josh Hart tallied a 26-point triple-double for New York
34 days ago, LeBron turned 40. 16 games later, he’s the only player ever to record multiple triple-doubles at 40 or older – adding yet another chapter to his unmatched longevity.
- The Field: Of players to spend half a season at age 40 or older, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has the highest-scoring average of 14.6 ppg
- The King: James is on pace to shatter that mark, averaging 24.0 ppg this season
- The Greatness: Since hitting the big 4-0, LeBron’s actually been better, averaging more points (25.0) on higher shooting splits (54.1 FG%, 41.9 3P%)
- “I have no idea how I’m still doing this,” said James after the win. “I’ve put all the work and all the dedication to this game, and it’s given me so much.”
On Friday, Nikola Jokić scored eight points in the final minute to lift Denver over Philly.
One night later, he came up clutch in crunch time again.
Nuggets 107, Hornets 104: After squandering a 17-point lead, the Nuggets found themselves down four with 52 seconds left.
But then the Joker went to work. With 0:42 remaining, he cut Denver’s deficit to one with an and-1. Then with 19 ticks left, he sank two free throws to give the Nuggets the lead.
11 seconds later, Jokić grabbed a defensive board, turned and found Jamal Murray streaking down the floor for a lead-extending layup. Ball game. | Recap
- Another Ace: Jokić finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 17 assists for his NBA-best 22nd triple-double of the season, including his ninth since Jan. 1
- To put that in perspective, LeBron’s 10 triple-doubles are the second-most in the NBA this season
- Super Sized: It’s also Jokić’s second triple-double of 28+ points and 17+ assists in the span of 10 days, making him just the third player in NBA history to achieve such a feat
- His Company? Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson (2x) – the only two players with more all-time triple-doubles than him
2. BAM AT THE BUZZER, AARON WIGGINS ERUPTS, BLAZERS KEEP COOKING
In a game that featured 16 ties and 16 lead changes, Bam Adebayo delivered the final blow.
Heat 105, Spurs 103: Inbounding the ball with the score tied and 3.2 seconds left, the Heat put the rock in Bam’s hands, who took two dribbles, rose above a double team and splashed the game-winner at the horn to walk it off in San Antonio. | Recap
- Big-Time Bam: It’s Adebayo’s third career game-winning buzzer-beater, trailing only Dwyane Wade (5) for the most in Heat franchise history
- Big-Time Night: Bam finished with 30 points, 12 boards, 9 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks, leading Miami to its third win in four games
- “He’s been the rock of stability for us,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra on Bam after the win. “And he did all the big muscle things tonight.”
Saturday’s highest scorer? Aaron Wiggins.
Thunder 144, Kings 110: Entering the night averaging 9.3 ppg this season, Wiggins entered a zone like no other, posting a career-high in points (41), 3s (6) and rebounds (14) to lead OKC to a bounce-back dub after falling to Golden State on Wednesday. | Recap
- “Just a surreal feeling,” said Wiggins on his career night. “The guys are super happy for me. It’s awesome being a part of such a great group.”
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 29 points and 9 dimes in the dub
Blazers 127, Suns 108: The Blazers are ballin’. Portland’s starting 5 combined for 88 points, including 20-pieces from Deandre Ayton (24) and Jerami Grant (20), as the Blazers earned a near wire-to-wire win over Phoenix, despite Devin Booker’s 37 points. | Recap
- Red-Hot: It’s Portland’s seventh win in eight outings, marking its best eight-game span since the 2020-21 season
- Book & KD’s Quests: Booker is now 23 points shy of breaking the franchise scoring record (15,666), while Kevin Durant (22 pts) moved 53 away from joining the 30,000 career points club
3. ROUNDUP: WIZARDS SNAP STREAK, PACERS STAY HOT & MORE
The 16-game skid is over.
Wizards 105, Wolves 103: Kyle Kuzma dropped a game-high 31 points, including 9 in the 4th quarter, as the Wizards edged out the Wolves to earn their first win since New Year’s Day. Anthony Edwards sat out with an illness. | Recap
Pacers 132, Hawks 127: Trae Young dished out 17 dimes and doubled that number in points (34), but Pascal Siakam (20 pts, 9 reb) and Tyrese Haliburton (17 pts, 9 ast) were too much, as Indy staved off Atlanta, improving to 11-2 in its last 13 games. | Recap
Nets 110, Rockets 98: Led by Ziaire Williams (21), all five Nets starters scored 13+ points, as they knocked off the Rockets for their first consecutive wins since November, while handing Houston back-to-back losses. | Recap
Jazz 113, Magic 99: Franz Wagner dropped a game-high 37 points, but the Jazz got the dub behind Collin Sexton (22) and five other double-digit scorers, halting their eight-game slide. | Recap
4. MAXEY UNLOCKED: CAN HE LEAD PHILLY PAST BOSTON AGAIN? 
Only four players in Sixers history have notched 13 straight 25+ point games: Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson, Joel Embiid and now, Tyrese Maxey.
With injuries piling up, Maxey has stepped up, pouring in an Eastern Conference-best 479 points in January – the most he’s ever scored in a single month by 80+ points.
That includes 35.0 ppg in his last five outings – the best five-game scoring stretch of his career – resulting in four wins.
- The Key To His Recent Surge? “Playing with a free mind,” said Maxey. “Earlier in the year, I was worried with injuries and all that…
- “Now, I have the mindset of whoever is out here is out here. We got to go out and play extremely hard … and I know that starts with me.”
At 24 years old, Maxey’s seemingly just scratching the surface of his potential, which has flashed during Philly’s hot streak as he’s gone toe-to-toe with some of the game’s best.
- On Jan. 24, Maxey stuffed the stat sheet (29 pts, 7 ast, 2 blk, 2 stl) to lead the Sixers to a win over the NBA-best Cavs
- On Tuesday, he outdueled LeBron and the Lakers with 43 points, leading Philly to its third straight dub
- On Friday, he went tit-for-tat with the reigning Kia MVP, Nikola Jokić, dropping 42 points in a hard-fought 137-134 loss to Denver
The latest explosion marked Maxey’s ninth career 40-piece, passing Charles Barkley for the 2nd-most by a Sixer before the age of 25. Only AI has more (16).
Maxey’s growth – highlighted by his first All-Star nod last season and the Kia Most Improved Player award – has been even more evident against the defending champs.
- In his first 10 career matchups vs. Boston (from 2020-21 to ‘22-23), Maxey averaged 8.2 ppg
- In his last four matchups vs. Boston (dating back to last season), Maxey’s averaged 27.5 ppg
- His most recent showing? A dazzling double-double on Christmas Day, as he posted 33 points and 12 assists to lead Philly to a 118-114 win at TD Garden
In December, Boston threw a mix of defenders at Maxey, including a bigger Jaylen Brown and 2024 All-Defensive 2nd Team selection Derrick White. But nobody could keep up with his burst.
- “A lot of it doesn’t seem overly forced,” said 76ers coach Nick Nurse on Maxey’s scoring. “He makes a move, and he’s by you, and he’s in the lane and at the rim.”
Maxey’s speed forces defenders to sag off to prevent a blow-by. But he can also cause trouble with too much cushion.
- “The two things he can really do are turn on the jets and sidestep juke you for open shots,” added Nurse. “And he’s hitting a good number of them.”
Now facing Boston for the second time this season, can a red-hot Maxey fuel Philly to another win, or will the defending champs exact their revenge? (6 ET, ESPN).
5. ESPN NIGHTCAP: JJJ LEADS GRIZZLIES vs. GIANNIS & THE BUCKS
No team in the NBA is scoring more points than the Grizzlies this season.
In fact, if the season ended today, Memphis’ 123.2 ppg would be the second highest-scoring average in the last 40 years, trailing only last year’s Pacers (123.3).
On Sunday, the league’s most prolific offense will take the floor against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in the second leg of ESPN’s doubleheader (8:30 ET).
- Bears On The Run: With a minimum of 20 games played and 20 minutes per game, five of the top six players in pace this season are Grizzlies
- That includes 6-foot-10, 242-pound Jaren Jackson Jr., who was named to his second All-Star Game this week and is one of three players leading his team in total points, steals and blocks (min. 30 GP), joining AD and SGA
JJJ’s versatility doesn’t stop there. His offensive game has also evolved this season, resulting in a unique scoring skillset and a career-high 22.8 ppg.
- From All Angles: JJJ ranks 10th in post-up possessions per game, second among big men in drives per game and first in the NBA in spot-up possessions per game
- His athleticism shines in Memphis’ high-tempo attack, as he leads all centers in transition possessions, helping the Grizzlies to an NBA-best 34.7 ppg in transition
- “More dynamic, more pace, more versatile,” said JJJ on how his game has grown since his last All-Star selection in 2023.
- “I’m definitely a different player than the first time I got in.”
Tonight, as Memphis eyes its eighth win in nine games, Jackson Jr. will square off with Giannis in a battle between two of the league’s most dynamic bigs.
Three more games tip off on League Pass, including Kyrie Irving returning to Cleveland as the Mavs visit the Cavs (3:30 ET), who are looking to become the first team to notch 40 wins this season.
- Bulls at Pistons (3 ET)
- Clippers at Raptors (3:30 ET)
