Nightly Pulse: NBA News & Highlights from Feb. 24
FRAME IT. pic.twitter.com/fsA3ZcAKxc
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 25, 2025
Zach LaVine is having the kind of night Kings fans envisioned when he was acquired at the trade deadline. He is up to 42 points on 16-for-19 shooting, including 8-for-9 from three.
Per the Kings broadcast, LaVine has outscored the Hornets thus far in the fourth quarter. By a margin of 18-6 😱.
!!!!!! https://t.co/qMxBslTLHZ pic.twitter.com/ABL1Bh2NoL
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) February 25, 2025
Portland started its seven-game road trip with an important win in what’s becoming a potentially wide open race for the final spot of the Play-In tournament. The Blazers are now 12-5 in their last 17 with games against the Wizards and Nets on deck in the next two.
That’s not to say tonight’s win was easy, though. The Jazz hung tough and a pair of late threes from Keyonte George kept their hopes alive. overall, they erased a 13-point deficit in the third quarter to claw back to within two points and a chance to win on their final possession. However, the final quality look by George narrowly rimmed out.
McNuggets… ACTIVATED
😋: https://t.co/QBNFSdIG2J pic.twitter.com/W4XtM1jdEG
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) February 25, 2025
Zach LaVine had 22 first-half points as the Kings took a 20-point lead into the locker room. He’s a perfect 4-for-4 from deep and is also getting to the rack, as you’ll see below.
the lob ➡️
the finish 🤌 pic.twitter.com/hajSB1r9Jb— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) February 25, 2025
Catch the night cap of tonight’s NBA action on NBA League Pass.
The Blazers have gone on a 12-5 run to reclaim the lead after falling behind to the Jazz mid-way through the fourth, prompting a timeout from coach Chauncey Billups.
Catch the end of the fourth quarter on NBA League Pass.
🔋 DENI 🔋 SHAE 🔋 pic.twitter.com/AvJl8AkmWi
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) February 25, 2025
The Timberwolves trailed by 25 points midway through the third quarter. Their win probability was less than 1%. It did not matter in the end.
Minnesota got itself in gear and outscored the Thunder 41-19 in the fourth quarter and even briefly took a late lead for the first time since the opening moments of the game.
Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid led the way in terms of the scoring for the Timberwolves. Of course, Anthony Edwards was always going to find a way to leave his mark on the game.
Ant-Man blocked an attempt from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the rim that would have given the Thunder the lead with 13 seconds to go.
ANTMAN GAME-WINNING BLOCK 🚨
MINNESOTA COMES BACK FROM DOWN 25 TO WIN IT 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gQl16acsQX
— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2025
This will go down as one of the games of the year. The only downside is this concludes their season series, so we’ll have to wait for the Playoffs for a potential rematch.
Close games have not been the norm for the 46-10 Thunder this season. They had played in just three one-possession games all year.
And when they took a 25-point lead in the second half, it looked like that trend would continue tonight.
The Timberwolves got themselves off the mat and got after it in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Thunder 41-19. Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid carried the torch for the T’Wolves in crunch time with Anthony Edwards heading to the bench with 3:41 to go in the fourth.
Get to NBA TV now to catch the thrilling conclusion.
OT IN OKC 🚨
Tune in NOW on NBA TV 📺 pic.twitter.com/qbVILtiuFW
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 25, 2025
Get to NBA TV ASAP as the Timberwolves have pulled within three points of the Thunder after trailing by as many as 25. This rematch is delivering the goods.
YESSIR NAZ 👀 pic.twitter.com/fsIePVYhpM
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 25, 2025
Dyson Daniels was at it again tonight as he racked up seven steals in what was a terrific defensive effort by the Hawks as a whole, holding the Heat to a season-low 86 points. With that performance, Daniels now has 11 games of at least five steals this season. No other player has more than four such games.
DYSON DANIELS' DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE CONTINUES 😳
After 7 steals in tonight's win, it's now his 11th game this season with 5+ steals!
The next closest player has 4 such games. pic.twitter.com/q0WCjv4nwU
— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2025
It was a full team effort on both ends of the floor for the Hawks. The bench chipped in 49 of the team’s 98 total points. The Hawks (27-31) and Heat (26-30) have now flip-flopped in the Eastern Conference standings with Atlanta ahead by percentage points.
It was a back-and-forth matchup between the Nets and Wizards tonight. Washington jumped out to an early 14-point lead that was eventually turned into a 7-point deficit by the third quarter. Ultimately, the Wizards snapped back into gear and held the Nets in check in the fourth to get the win. The Nets were held to just 12 points in the final period.
BIG block from Rich ❌
Block of the Week x @zksync pic.twitter.com/Qd2Ekkmf0E
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) February 25, 2025
Detroit continues to roll as it banked yet another impressive win tonight by defeating the Clippers by nine. Cade Cunningham was electric yet again with 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to lead the way.
still thinking about this Cade to JD lob https://t.co/fUVNt0dqWU pic.twitter.com/1ZnIuQNdpW
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) February 25, 2025
The Pistons defense was lockdown as well. They held the Clippers under 100 points, something that has only happened 10 other times this season. The Clippers shot just 26.8 percent from deep and they didn’t have a single player score 20+ points.
Bulls 142, 76ers 110
The Chicago Bulls had it going tonight with a season-high 142 points in the blowout win over the 76ers in Philly.
It was an important win for the Bulls as they extended their advantage over the Sixers in the standings.
The Bulls led by in this one and there were stretches where they just couldn’t miss. They shot 50.6 percent from the floor for the game and 45 percent from three. Josh Giddey and Kevin Huerter each racked up over 20 points. Rookie Matas Buzelis had one of his better games of the season with 17 points and a whopping +40 rating.
Coby with the strong finish 😤@CHSN__ | @CobyWhite pic.twitter.com/aongXnMQCD
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 25, 2025
Nuggets 125, Pacers 116
Nikola Jokić had more assists than points in tonight’s win over Indiana, which is no small feat. Jokić tallied 19 assists to go with 18 points and nine rebounds to fall one board shy of yet another triple-double.
Watch the big man set up his teammates for easy buckets to help seal the W.
Nikola Jokić TIES his career-high with 18 AST 🔥
He lofts in two picture perfect dimes for his 17th and 18th! pic.twitter.com/adA6RKwUV8
— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2025
Atlanta’s Trae Young went deep in his bag for this slick no-look setup for Mo Gueye. The Hawks lead the Heat 73-65 going into the fourth quarter of this matchup between the No. 8 and 9 seeds in the East.
Chilly handles pic.twitter.com/w5kW86Oc9h
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 25, 2025
OKC has had the upper hand in the rematch of last night’s game against the Timberwolves. The Thunder raced out to a 19-point lead at the break thanks in large part to a dominant second quarter in which they outscored the T’Wolves 32-17.
Hold up…who saw that 🤯 pic.twitter.com/yKBv8INtZz
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 25, 2025
Sure, Cade Cunningham’s leading the Pistons in scoring tonight. But he’s also dishing out dimes to his teammates like this nifty lob to Jalen Duren.
We’ve got a good one brewing in Detroit between the Pistons and Clippers with the home team holding a narrow lead late in the third quarter.
Cade TOYING with the defense ✨
Duren finishes the lob 💪 pic.twitter.com/WHnbD5ZqmH
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 25, 2025
Nikola Jokić showed off the creativity as he threw the kitchen sink at Myles Turner with a wild combo of post moves. Joker is up to 16 points and 14 assists as the Nuggets take a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter in Indianapolis.
WATCH. THIS. JOKIĆ. SPIN.
Ducks in hard.
Feels overplayed going right.
Immediately spins left off the pound dribble.
Scores the lefty lay with ease.🃏🃏🃏 https://t.co/nEmHlbdGRd pic.twitter.com/Oxk4321v66
— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2025
JOKIĆ TURNS ON THE BLENDER 🌪️
Just a remarkable split-second decision to hit the spin move. pic.twitter.com/cgmT0ERmFt
— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2025
Once trailing by 14 points, the Nets have surged back thanks to a dominant 3rd quarter to take the lead over the Wizards in Washington. Brooklyn has outscored Washington 22-8 through the first eight minutes of the third to catapult ahead. Cameron Johnson and Ziaire Williams have led the way on offense for the Nets.
Z FOR THE LEAD
He's made 4-of-5 from deep on the night! pic.twitter.com/k06qdNAkvv
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 25, 2025
Atlanta has gotten contributions across the board with nine players getting into the scoring column in the first half, led by Onyeka Okongwu’s nine points.
Andrew Wiggins has led the way for the Heat with 13 points, including a trio of three-pointers.
Mama there goes that Mann! pic.twitter.com/xVkofUElj2
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 25, 2025
The Thunder and Timberwolves are playing for the second time in as many days but Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are showing no signs of being road weary. Both of these elite scorers have five first-quarter points as we have a competitive game brewing at Paycom Center.
Ant crosses into the smooth stepback 3.
SGA responds with his own stepback 3.
Two top 5 scorers dueling early on NBA TV 🍿 pic.twitter.com/mBBbcNeWQf
— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2025
In a game with plenty of highlight jams, nothing tops this one on the break from Toppin.
The Pacers trailed by as many as 13 but cut the Nuggets’ lead to six at the half. Catch the second half on NBA League Pass.
Obi Toppin on the break with the left is tonight's @FlyWithLift Flying High Moment of the Night 🤯 pic.twitter.com/x473k3Mcwl
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 25, 2025
Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart gets a full head of steam going down the lane and finishes off a ferocious dunk that the Clippers defenders wanted no part of. Catch Pistons vs Clippers right now on NBA League Pass.
Big dawg got 🆙 pic.twitter.com/61199rPZ1Z
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) February 25, 2025
Jamal Murray drains the pull-up triple for three of his 14 first-half points thus far. The Nuggets are keeping the Pacers at arms’ length so far with a 10-point lead on the road mid-way through the second quarter. Catch the action on NBA League Pass.
Knock down pic.twitter.com/3EhwLBmjvT
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) February 25, 2025
Bilal Coulibaly has eight early points as the Wizards have raced out to a 21-7 lead over the Nets. The Wizards are a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the arc. Jordan Poole has also knocked down a pair of triples.
BC for 3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/HgNEzpVeXp
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) February 25, 2025
Josh Giddey finds Matas Buzelis for a nifty oop early in tonight’s big matchup against the 76ers. The Bulls are looking to extend their lead over the Sixers in the Eastern Conference standings.
Josh sends Matas upstairs 👀@CHSN__ | #SeeRed pic.twitter.com/67EimF3Ji7
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 25, 2025
🗣️The Thunder and Timberwolves square off for the second night in a row. OKC took Sunday night’s game 130-123 and gets to play this one in front of its home crowd. The Thunder have won six in a row at home.
Battles of East vs West: Tonight’s early window has a pair of interconference games with plenty of intrigue. The red-hot Pistons host the Clippers and the Pacers will test their mettle against the Nuggets. Both games tip at 7 ET on NBA League Pass.
🍿Play-In implications in Philly: The 12th-seeded 76ers are 1.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the final play-in spot. The two will face off in Philadelphia tonight and the 76ers will have a chance to take the season series from Chicago with a 3-0 head-to-head record.
