If you make it here, you can make it anywhere.
Cade conquers The Garden with a rare 42-point, 13-assist game, as the 41-13 Pistons show why they’ve got the best record in the game.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Feb. 20, 2026
Statement Wins: Cade goes off at MSG, KD cools Charlotte, Kawhi & new co-star overpower Denver
On A Roll: Cavs’ combo now 4-0, seven straight wins for Wemby’s Spurs, C’s spoil Porziņģis’ Dubs debut
Thursday Roundup: Jalen Johnson, Hawks close out Sixers, Paolo’s Magic set long-range record
ESPN Doubleheader: All-Star Game MVP Ant readies Wolves for second-half sprint, Lakers, Clippers battle for L.A. again
On League Pass: Harden’s 4-0 Cavs, sharpshooting Hornets clash to decide who is league’s hottest
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Eight more teams start their second halves Friday…
ESPN Doubleheader: Leading Friday’s 9-game slate, the Wolves return to action against the Mavs (7:30 ET | Tap To Watch) and the Lakers host the Clippers in a Battle for LA (10 ET | Tap To Watch).
All-Star Viewership: All-Star 2026 from LA was the most watched All-Star Weekend in 24 years, with more than 46 million people in the U.S. tuning in across NBC, Peacock and ESPN – tripling last season’s audience.
1. STATEMENT WINS: PISTONS HANDLE KNICKS, ROCKETS QUIET BUZZ, LA CLIPS CONTENDER
Three straight wins over New York.
Three straight regular-season wins at MSG.
In the unofficial start to the season’s second half, Cade Cunningham dazzled like few others have at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
Pistons 126, Knicks 111: Cade Cunningham (42 pts, 8 reb, 13 ast, 5 3s) caught fire in The Garden like few ever have, as Detroit never trailed after the 1st quarter and led by as many as 19 to sweep the season series with Jalen Brunson (33 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast) and the Knicks. | Recap
- Cade, LeBron & AI: Cunningham is just the third opposing player ever to record 40+ points and 10+ assists in a game at MSG, joining LeBron James (2x) and Allen Iverson
- Garden Warming: After starting his career 0-4 there, Cade’s won three straight regular season games at The Garden, averaging 35.6 points and 10.6 assists in that stretch
- Luka-Like: He and Dončić are the only players this season with multiple 40+ point, 10+ assist games
- Pistons’ First: Cunningham is now the only player in franchise history with a 40+ point, 10+ assist, 5+ rebound, 5+ 3s performance
“I’m lucky to have a team like this,” Cunningham said. “I’m just glad we got this win… Great win for us.”
KD’s Rockets just reeled in the red-hot Hornets.
Rockets 105, Hornets 101: Kevin Durant (35 pts, 8 reb, 3 blk) scored Houston’s final 10 points to hold off Grant Williams (season-high 20 pts, 9 reb) and the Hornets, as the Rockets dealt one of the NBA’s hottest teams just its second loss since Jan. 22. | Recap
- “I think we won this game really at the end of that 2nd quarter,” Durant said of overcoming an early 11-point deficit. “They came out, hit us in the mouth… we weathered that storm.”
- Stacking 30s: Durant hit the 30+ point mark in the regular season for the 429th time, tying Kareen Abdul-Jabbar for the 6th‑most such games all‑time
- Hornets History: Kon Knueppel’s (15 pts, 5 reb) second of three 3s was his 185th this season, passing teammate Brandon Miller for most rookie triples in franchise history
- Kon Time, All-Time: Kon’s next connection from deep (186) shot him past Damian Lillard for 3rd-most 3s by a rookie all-time
Houston hops into 3rd place past Denver, who got all they could handle from a rolling Clippers team.
Clippers 115, Nuggets 114: Bennedict Mathurin (38 pts, 5 reb, 3 stl) matched his career-high and had the highest-scoring home debut in franchise history while Kawhi Leonard added 23 points as the surging Clips survived the Nuggets at the buzzer.
Fouled behind the arc with 0.9 seconds left, Jamal Murray (20 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast) hit 2-of-3 free throws but couldn’t force overtime with his last attempt. | Recap
- Klaw’s Consistency: Leonard logged his 34th straight game of 20+ points, the second-longest active streak behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (121)
- Offensive Nuggets: Nikola Jokić (22 pts, 17 reb, 6 ast) was dominant while Bruce Brown (19 pts), Cameron Johnson (18 pts), and Julian Strawther (18 PTS, 6 3s) combined for 55 points
- At Home In LA: Mathurin netted 16 points in a back-and-forth 4th quarter to surpass Paul George’s previous high for a Clippers home debut (37 pts, Nov. 16, 2019)
More than score, Mathurin said postgame he wants to be an impact defender and playmaker for his new teammates.
“If I become that for my team, I think we have a pretty good chance of winning a lot of games.”
2. ON A ROLL: WEMBY’S SPURS RESUME STREAK, CAVS’ COMBO UNBEATEN, C’S CRUISE
Wemby’s Spurs returned from the break to slam home a seventh straight win.
Spurs 121, Suns 94: Stephon Castle (20 pts, 8-11 FG) led the offense and Victor Wembanyama (17 pts, 11 reb) swatted five shots as San Antonio never trailed Jalen Green (26 pts) and Phoenix after the 1st quarter.
The Spurs have now won seven straight in their best start to a season (39-16) since 2016-17. | Recap
- Diesel Numbers: This was Wemby’s 46th career game of five or more blocks, passing Shaquille O’Neal for most by a player before turning 23 years old since blocks were first recorded in 1973-74
The Spida-Beard connection continued converting W’s.
Cavaliers 112, Nets 84: Donovan Mitchell (17 pts, 5 ast) and James Harden (16 pts, 5 reb, 9 ast, 3 stl) connected to lead seven Cavs in double figures to a wire-to-wire win over Micheal Porter Jr.’s (14 pts, 5 reb) Nets for a season-high 6th straight win. | Recap
- The Land: Cleveland is now 4-0 since acquiring Harden and an NBA-best 11-1 in its last 12, entering Friday’s must-see matchup with the similarly surging Hornets (see Section 5)
Celtics 121, Warriors 110: Payton Pritchard (26 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast, 6 3s) led Boston off the bench and Jaylen Brown (23 pts, 15 reb, 13 ast) recorded his 6th career triple-double as the C’s won their 8th in the last 9 games in former Celtic Kristaps Porziņģis’ (12 pts, 17 min) Warriors debut. | Recap
- Channeling Bird: Pritchard logged 25+/5+/5+ off the bench for the third time in his Celtics career, trailing only Larry Bird (6x) in franchise history since starts were first tracked (1970-71)
- Warriors’ Rotation: Without Steph (knee), Porziņģis’ was one of seven Dubs in double figures, led by De’Anthony Melton (18 pts)
3. ROUNDUP: HAWKS HOLD OFF 76ERS, MAGIC SET TEAM TRIPLES RECORD
Hawks 117, Sixers 106: Jalen Johnson (32 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl) finished strong with five points in Atlanta’s 7-1 closeout run to snap a three-game losing streak and hold off Tyrese Maxey (28 pts) and the Sixers, who were without Joel Embiid (shin). | Recap
- JJ’s Signature Spread: Johnson logged his 9th 30+/10+/5+ game, the most in a season for a Hawks’ player since Bob Pettit (9) in 1962-63
- All-NBA Peers: Only Luka Dončić and Nikola Jokić (13 each) have more such games than Johnson this season, who’s locked with Giannis for 3rd-most
- A double-teamed VJ Edgecombe (20 pts, 9 reb) beat the 1st-quarter buzzer from deep, capping an 11-point first frame following his Castrol Rising Stars MVP win
- Ring The Bell: Doctor J was in the house to fire up the Philly faithful pregame
Raptors 110, Bulls 101: Up two with under 90 seconds to play, Brandon Ingram (31 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl) found Collin Murray-Boyles for a game-sealing and-1, before hitting the dagger himself from midrange as the Raps outlasted Anfernee Simons (20 pts) and the Bulls. | Recap
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Magic 131, Kings 94: Paolo Banchero (30 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 5 3s) led seven Orlando players in double figures as the Magic hit a franchise-best 27 3s (54.0%), beating the previous record they set on this court just over two years ago (25, Jan. 3, 2024). | Recap
Wizards 112, Pacers 105: Bub Carrington scored eight of his 13 points in the 4th quarter to help foil Indy’s 17-point comeback, as seven Wizards in double figures overpowered Jarace Walker (19 pts, career-high 13 reb, 7 ast) and the Pacers. | Recap
4. ESPN DOUBLEHEADER: ANT, WOLVES START STRETCH RUN WITH MAVS; LAKERS HOST BATTLE FOR LA
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Anthony Edwards is taking his game to new levels this season, in hopes of doing the same with his Timberwolves team.
In each of the last two seasons, Minnesota lost in the West Finals. Both postseason runs ultimately ended without a conference or league title in hand.
Tonight (7:30 ET, ESPN), another playoff push begins for Edwards and Co. against the Mavericks — their first opponent after the All-Star Break.
- Big Hill: Ant’s 29.3 points per game this season ranks 3rd in the league, trailing only Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but represents a career-best pace
- Fire Ant: The recently minted All-Star Game MVP also scored 30 or more points in five of Minnesota’s last seven games before the break, posting a 47.2% field-goal percentage
The Timberwolves sit 6th in the West with 26 games, including tonight’s, still remaining on their schedule. They’re only 1 game shy of the 3rd-place Nuggets.
Eyeing that elusive next step in the postseason, Edwards and his teammates aren’t so concerned with individual numbers.
- “I told my teammates, after the break… all that matters is making the right pass, playing defense, and trying to win games,” And said Sunday.
Allen Berezovsky/NBAE via Getty Images
On the West Coast, the Lakers and Clippers will duke it out later in the evening (10 ET, ESPN) at Crypto.com Arena. It marks Part III of the ‘Battle of LA’ in 2025-26.
- Part I: The Clippers claimed the first, 103-88, on Dec. 20 behind 32 points from Kawhi Leonard. Since that date, their 21-7 record is the best in the Association
- Part II: Again, it was the Clippers who prevailed Jan. 22, earning a 112-104 victory with Leonard’s 24 points leading the way once more
The Lakers are in the middle of a tight postseason race in the West. They reside in 5th place at the moment, but are 1.5 games behind 3rd and 2.0 games ahead of 7th.
- Major Matchup: Dončić (32.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 8.6 apg) and Leonard (27.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.7 apg) will trade punches as a pair of potential MVP candidates
5. ON LEAGUE PASS: LEAGUE’S HOTTEST STREAKS ON THE LINE AS CAVS VISIT HORNETS
David Jensen + Lauren Leigh Bacho/NBAE via Getty Images
Charlotte’s sharpshooting vs. Cleveland’s new clutch combination.
The NBA’s two hottest teams measure up head-to-head on the second night back from break.
Cavaliers at Hornets (7 ET): These clicking offenses have ignited over the last 12 games, with Charlotte (10-2) in the afterglow of a franchise record-tying 9-game win streak, and Cleveland (11-1) benefitting from The Beard’s trade deadline arrival.
Here’s a look at how these two dynamic attacks are surpassing defenses in unique ways:
Twice The Finishing Power: Before Thursday’s 28-point win where neither played past the 3rd, James Harden led the league in clutch points (13) since his Cavs debut, complimenting Donovan Mitchell’s league-best 409 4th-quarter points.
Open Man: Harden controlling the rock sends Mitchell on the move through actions, with both drawing enough attention to free up open threes and dunks for teammates.
“We’ve got so many weapons, we gotta just get comfortable with that, in the sense of [feeding] whoever’s got it going that night,” Harden said after Thursday’s win.
Staying Alive: With career-years for offensive rebounds, Grant Williams (1.5) and Brandon Miller (1.1) extended back-to-back plays Thursday on the glass – against the top-rebounding Rockets, no less. As everyone crashes, top-2 distance shooter Kon Knueppel (186 3s) relocates, and a six-point deficit shrinks to two in under a minute.
Haunting Defenders: While LaMelo Ball’s handles have always required a crowd of defenders, Knueppel’s use of the ghost screen, a shooters’ specialty, pulls opponents apart from downtown.
So will Cleveland’s two-headed monster or Charlotte’s crafted shooting system continue cruising Friday?
Roundup: Chet Holmgren and the top-seeded defending champs begin their stretch run to the Playoffs, hosting the Nets (8 ET), plus Deni Avdija and the Blazers look to continue their postseason push, hosting Jokić, Murray and the Nuggets (10 ET).
- Pacers at Wizards (7 ET)
- Jazz at Grizzlies (7 ET)
- Heat at Hawks (7:30 ET)
- Bucks at Pelicans (8 ET)
