Starting 5, Feb. 9: Lakers honor Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry sizzles and more
“Leave the game better than you found it. And when it comes time for you to leave, leave a legend.” – Kobe Bryant
THE LINEUP
- Curry’s 11 3s + win streaks
- ️ Roundup: MIN + DEN top West
- Kobe statue ceremony
- ⏰ Trade deadline roundup
- All-Star Saturday participants
Nuggets-Kings highlights four games in NBA App: After beating the Lakers in L.A., the Nuggets head north to Sacramento (10 ET) looking for their fourth-straight win. With Minnesota idle, a Nuggets win would put them back at the top of the Western Conference.
NBA TV doubleheader: After making moves at the deadline, the Sixers host the Hawks (7 ET) looking to snap a three-game slide. The Pelicans go for their fifth-straight win when they visit the Lakers (10:30 ET).
1. CURRY’S 11 3S GIVES WARRIORS 3 STRAIGHT WINS
One night after scoring just 9 points, Steph Curry erupts for a game-high 42 to elevate Golden State to its 3rd straight win.
Steph Curry needed only 45 seconds to splash his first of a season-high 11 3-pointers on Thursday. He scored a game-high 42 points as the Warriors beat the Pacers 131-109 for their first three-game win streak since December.
- First-half eruption: Curry made his first seven 3s of the game and tied his career-high for 3s in a half with eight as he put up 29 points
- Lucky 13: Curry posted his 13th career game with 11+ 3s made, his first since May 8, 2021. The next closest players with 11+ 3pm games: Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard with four apiece
- Exclamation point: Curry drilled his 11th trey with just under four minutes to play to put the Warriors up by 20
Cavs win 8th straight: Cleveland opened the third quarter on a 21-0 run to cruise to the 118-95 win, matching their longest win streak since 2018. The Cavs got a game-high 27 points from Donovan Mitchell and double-doubles from Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
Nightly Notable: Luka Doncic | Feb. 8
Luka Doncic heats up for 39 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds to lead the Mavericks over the Knicks, 122-108.
Mavs win 3rd straight: Luka Doncic posted his third-straight 30+ point game at MSG, finishing with 39 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists and seven 3s to lead Dallas to a 122-108 win. Josh Hart (23 pts, 10 reb, 12 ast) posted his second triple-double of the season for NY, who had just seven players in the second half because of injuries and trades.
Pistons win consecutive games for first time since October: After beating the Kings on Wednesday, the Pistons overcame a 23-point deficit to beat the Blazers 128-122 in overtime.
- Jalen Duren (season-high 27 pts, career-high 22 reb) had his second 20-20 game in two weeks, while Jaden Ivey (26) and Cade Cunningham (23) combined for 49 points to overcome a career-high 49 from Jerami Grant
2. ROUNDUP: WOLVES, NUGGETS NOW 1-2 IN THE WEST
Wolves back atop West: Minnesota used a 39-22 third quarter to build a commanding 27-point lead entering the fourth as they defeated the Bucks 129-105 to move back into first place in the West.
- Anthony Edwards led the Wolves with 26 points, while the big trio of Karl-Anthony Towns (19), Naz Reid (17) and Rudy Gobert (16) combined for 52 in the win
Nuggets move to 2nd in West: After the Lakers rallied back from 19 points down to tie the game with 2:18 to play, the Nuggets closed the game with a 10-2 run to secure the 114-106 win. Jamal Murray (29 pts, 11 ast) started Denver’s game-ending run with five straight clutch points.
- The Nuggets won their third straight to stay even with the Wolves in record (36-16) but sit in second since Minnesota holds the head-to-head tiebreaker
- The Lakers, wearing their Black Mamba jerseys to coincide with the Kobe statue unveiling, got a combined 57 points from Anthony Davis (32 pts, 4 blk) and LeBron James (25 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast)
Wagner’s 34 leads Magic: Franz Wagner has two 30+ point games this season – they’ve both come in the last five days. He dropped 34 points to lead the Magic to a 127-111 win over the Spurs. Devin Vassell had a perfect third quarter (23 pts, 9/9 FG) but it wasn’t enough for the Spurs to rally.
Suns big 2 is enough: With Devin Booker sidelined (hip), Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal combined for 61 points to lead the Suns to a 129-115 wire-to-wire win over the Jazz. Grayson Allen filled the playmaking role for Booker, dropping a career-high 14 dimes as the Suns shot 59% as a team.
Bulls rally in the 4th: The Bulls outscored the Grizzlies 33-19 over the final nine minutes to secure the 118-110 win behind DeMar DeRozan’s 30 points and 20/10 games from Andre Drummond and Nikola Vucevic. Memphis’ GG Jackson (19y, 53d) became the youngest player to score 25+ points off the bench – beating Kobe Bryant’s record by 25 days.
3. LAKERS UNVEIL KOBE BRYANT STATUE
Watch as the Los Angeles Lakers unveil Kobe Bryant's statue.
On Thursday, the Lakers unveiled the first of three statues that will celebrate the career and legacy of Kobe Bryant at Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena.
The Pose: The 19-foot, 4,000-pound statue depicts Bryant in his white No. 8 jersey, the number he wore for the first half of his 20-year career, with his right index finger raised as he walked off the court following his 81-point performance in 2006.
The Sequels: The second statue will feature Kobe in his No. 24 jersey, while the third will feature Kobe and his daughter, Gianna.
The Details: The statue’s triangle base – a nod to the Tex Winter and Phil Jackson offense – is surrounded by five championship trophies. Etched in the base is Kobe Bean Bryant “Black Mamba”, along with many of his career accolades.
Speaking at the ceremony: Lakers’ governor Jeanie Buss, Kobe’s former teammate Derek Fisher, Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe’s former coach Phil Jackson, and Kobe’s widow Vanessa Bryant. Watch the entire ceremony.
During the unveiling, the Inside The NBA crew discussed Kobe’s legacy, with former teammate Shaquille O’Neal closing his remarks with: “If I had one wish, I wish we would be talking to him right now.”
Elite Group: Kobe joins 12 other NBA legends with statues outside NBA arenas.
4. ROUNDUP: TRADE DEADLINE BUZZ
Chris Haynes discusses the big moves from the 2024 trade deadline, the teams that stood pat and more.
For the first time in three years, after James Harden changed teams in 2022 and Kevin Durant did the same in 2023, a former MVP didn’t swap squads at the Trade Deadline.
However, 14 deals were reported on deadline day, with a number of teams looking to fill gaps as they head into the home stretch. Those reports include:
- Buddy Hield to the 76ers
- Bojan Bogdanovic to the Knicks
- Gordon Hayward to the Thunder
- Kelly Olynyk to the Raptors
- Dennis Schroder to the Nets
- P.J. Washington to the Mavs
- Patrick Beverley to the Bucks
Recap all the reported moves with the trade deadline roundup.
Check out every official deal (including deals made before the deadline) with the NBA.com Trade Tracker.
Keep In Mind: A trade is considered official once the NBA has approved the agreement. Teams will announce the deal when it’s official.
Looking Ahead: With the trade deadline passed, NBA.com’s John Schuhmann examines 25 players to watch in free agency this summer.
5. PARTICIPANTS REVEALED FOR STATE FARM ALL-STAR SATURDAY
Kia Skills Challenge: A team competition that tests dribbling, passing and shooting skills in a relay format.
- Team Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Myles Turner
- Team Top Picks: Paolo Banchero (Magic), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
- Team All-Stars: Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Tyrese Maxey (76ers), Trae Young (Hawks)
Passing: No better player to illustrate the skill of passing than Haliburton, the NBA’s assist leader, with a behind-the-back dime
Dribbling: Wemby, the top pick in this year’s draft, can do it all, even breaking out the Shammgod crossover against the Wolves this season
Shooting: The competition tests shooting from all over the court, including from as deep as the logo a.k.a. ‘Trae Range’
Starry 3-Point Contest: Defending champion Damian Lillard headlines an eight-player field of shooters. To celebrate the field … let’s go big. Did you know that NBA.com/stats lets you see EVERY 3 a player’s made in a season? It’s true. Tap next to each contestant below to check it out.
- Trae Young (Hawks): 156 3-pointers made (T-5th), 38% 3-point percentage
- Lauri Markkanen (Jazz): 140 3pm (13th), 40.6% 3p%
- Malik Beasley (Bucks): 139 3pm (T-14th), 43.7% 3p%
- Damian Lillard (Bucks): 139 3pm (T-14th), 34.7% 3p%
- Donovan Mitchell (Cavs): 136 3pm (17th), 35.9% 3p%
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks): 131 3pm (T-19th), 41.1% 3p%
- Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers): 124 3pm (28th), 39.5% 3p%
- Karl-Anthony Towns (Wolves): 118 3pm (T-31st) 44.2% 3p%
Stephen vs. Sabrina 3-Point Challenge: Vote now with your free NBA ID to decide who shoots last in the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Challenge between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu.
Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Heat)
Mac McClung (G League, Osceola Magic, defending champ)
Jacob Toppin (Knicks)
