Lakers and Rockets Kick Off AWS Rivals Week with Fierce Matchup

All rivals. All smiles. Luka Magic in the Mile High and a U-turn on I-10 opened AWS NBA Rivals Week with a bang. 5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀 AWS Rivals Week Rallies: Luka’s masterclass powers Lakers, Rockets erupt in 4th to stun Spurs Career Nights: Keyonte outduels Ant, Quickley leads Raptors to franchise-high 145 Roundup: Booker & bench boost Suns, Heat & Bulls handle West foes On ESPN: AWS Rivals Week continues with SGA, Giannis and a 2024 NBA Cup title rematch Kia Rookie Ladder: Knueppel takes over No. 1 ahead of Rivals Week shootout on ESPN BUT FIRST … ⏰ AWS NBA Rivals Week continues with an ESPN doubleheader as the Cavs visit the Hornets (7 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Bucks host the Thunder (9:30 ET, Tap to Watch). All-Star Friday Is Calling: Tickets for the 2026 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and Castrol Rising Stars are on sale now. The fan-favorite events tip off Friday, Feb. 13, at the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA. Use promo code NEWS26 to grab tickets now. 1. AWS RIVALS WEEK RALLIES: LUKA FUELS LAKERS, ROCKETS STORM PAST SPURS The Lakers-Nuggets rivalry is built on big games, big series and big shots. At the forefront is Jamal Murray, who, in the 2024 Playoffs against Los Angeles, did this. Then this to end L.A.’s season. So when Murray beat the buzzer from 54 feet before halftime in Tuesday’s AWS Rivals Week showdown, it felt like another one of those magical nights for Denver. Luka Dončić had other plans. Lakers 115, Nuggets 107: Denver came out scorching, hitting 12 3s in the 1st half as Murray poured in 26, capping an 8-0 run with his half-court heave to ignite Ball Arena. But the Lakers slowly chipped away. And with 8:27 left, they made their move, forcing 10 straight Denver misses as Luka (38 pts, 13 reb, 10 ast) orchestrated a 12-0 surge to seize control. When Peyton Watson finally stopped the run, LeBron James answered right back, throwing down an emphatic hammer with 1:48 to push the lead back to 8. The Lakers never looked back. | Recap Magic Out West: It’s Dončić’s seventh 35/5/10 game this season, passing Jerry West (1969) for the most by a Laker in a single season Used To This: It’s also his 32nd career 30-point triple-double, passing Nikola Jokić for the 2nd-most in NBA history King & Clamps: James (19 pts, 9 reb, 8 ast) also delivered, posting 12 points and 5 dimes in the 2nd half, where Los Angeles held Denver to 17.6% from 3 The Result? A 16-point rally, tied for the Lakers’ largest comeback this season “Big-time win,” said Luka postgame. “We stayed together, and we fought this thing out.” Just before heading to Denver, AWS Rivals Week tipped off with two Texas titans and another 16-point comeback. Rockets 111, Spurs 106: Houston rode Reed Sheppard’s hot hand (21 pts), Alperen Sengun’s near triple-double (20 pts, 13 reb, 9 ast) and KD’s playmaking (18 pts, 7 ast) to its biggest comeback of the season, securing a three-game win streak while ending San Antonio’s. | Recap Top-10 Defense: Houston limited San Antonio to 36 2nd-half points, including 14 in the 4th quarter Top-3 Offense: That’s where the Rockets carried over a 13-0 run to cut their 16-point deficit to one Reed’s Ready: Sheppard’s 12 4th-quarter points and three 3s helped Houston expand that run to 21-6, taking its first lead (99-98) since it was 11-9 “We knew we just had to stick together and play the right way and keep putting the pieces together,” Sheppard said. “It was a great team win.” Spurs Scorers: Julian Champagnie hit six of his eight 3s in the 1st half, leading San Antonio with 27 points, while Victor Wembanyama added 14 points and 10 rebounds 2. CAREER NIGHTS: KEYONTE OUTDUELS ANT, QUICKLEY & RAPS SET FRANCHISE RECORD Keyonte George just keeps cooking. Jazz 127, Wolves 122: Anthony Edwards went off for 38 points and 8 boards, building Minnesota a 12-point edge entering the 4th. But the Wolves couldn’t contain George, who dropped a career-high 43 points, while Jusuf Nurkić added a triple-double (16 pts, 18 reb, 10 ast) to rally Utah and snap its four-game skid. | Recap The Rhythm, The Run: Playing without Lauri Markkanen (illness), George and Nurkić steadied Utah throughout, while Isaiah Collier came alive in the 4th with 12 points and 4 dimes to spark a 43-26 closing quarter Making The Leap: Averaging a career-best 24.4 ppg, George now has seven games of 30+ points and 5+ assists this season To Elite: Only Jamal Murray, Donovan Mitchell, Steph Curry and Edwards have more such games Out in The Bay, Immanuel Quickley and the Raptors could not be cooled off. Raptors 145, Warriors 127: Quickley matched career highs in points (40) and 3s (7) while shooting 84.6% from the floor (11-13 FG), in a historically hot performance that boosted Toronto to a franchise high in points and snapped the Dubs’ four-game win streak. | Recap On Fire: Quickley (10 ast) is the first player in Raptors’ history with at least 40 points, 10 assists and five 3s. He’s also the first in NBA history to get there on 80% shooting “Just the mindset to dominate,” Quickley said of his approach. “Be in attack mode from the jump, and that kind of got me going, as well as my teammates.” Scoring Support: Scottie Barnes (26 pts, 7 reb, 11 ast) and Brandon Ingram (22 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast) fed off Quickley, while Buddy Hield (25 pts, 6 3s) led Golden State 3. ROUNDUP: SUNS SHINE, BULLS RUN, HEAT DUB Suns 116, 76ers 110: Devin Booker poured in 27, while Grayson Allen (16 pts, 6 ast) keyed a 58-point night from Phoenix’s bench, lifting the Suns over VJ Edgecombe (25 pts, 7 reb), Tyrese Maxey (20 pts, 7 ast) and the Sixers for their third straight win. | Recap In Chicago, the Bulls’ offense was running in rare form. Bulls 138, Clippers 110: Coby White (27 pts, 6 ast, 6 3s) led seven Bulls in double figures as Chicago tied its franchise record with 25 3s to snap James Harden (24 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast) and LA’s six-game win streak. | Recap Running Bulls: Chicago followed up a season-high 41 assists last time out with 40 more, and outpaced LA 34-13 in fastbreak points Heat 130, Kings 117: Bam Adebayo (25 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) and Norman Powell (22 pts) led six Heat in double-figures to overpower DeMar DeRozan (23 pts, 5 ast), Russell Westbrook (22 pts, 7 ast) and the Kings, as all 10 active Miami players scored. | Recap 4. AWS RIVALS WEEK CONTINUES: GIANNIS LEADS BUCKS VS. SGA & OKC ON ESPN More than a year has passed since Milwaukee and OKC met in the Emirates NBA Cup Championship. Things have changed since then. The Bucks have revamped their roster. The Thunder are now the reigning NBA champs. But two superstars remain at the core of this interconference clash. Tonight (9:30 ET, ESPN), OKC and Milwaukee meet for the first time this season on AWS Rivals Week. Not only are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.8 ppg) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (28.5 ppg) two of the game’s best, but they have much in common. Star-Crossed: Both were named 2026 All-Star Game starters on Monday, marking the 10th selection for Antetokounmpo and the 4th for Gilgeous-Alexander High Achievers: The Greek Freak is a former back-to-back Kia MVP and 2021 Finals MVP, while SGA is the reigning Kia MVP and Finals MVP Exclusive Club: They’re also two of only eight players in league history to register multiple seasons with 30+ ppg and a 50% field-goal percentage or better It’s not their similarities alone that make for a marquee matchup in Milwaukee. Defensively, their differences shine. Inside: Antetokounmpo is an imposing presence around the rim, holding opposing scorers to a 51.6 FG% within 6 feet of the basket Outside: Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, forces contested shots around the perimeter, limiting shooters to a 41.6 FG% — 2nd-best in the league (min. 900 DFGA) They’re more than just high-volume scorers. When they do score, though, they thrive within the 3-point line like few others can. Paint Prince: With a 66.7 2P%, Antetokounmpo is on a career-best pace, and he’s gotten this far by taking 67.7% of his shots in the paint Midrange Master: SGA’s 60.0 2P% is also a career-high, but he operates largely in the midrange, where 51.2% of his shots are attempted On League Pass, this season’s third edition of the Battle of the Boroughs gets underway as the Knicks host the Nets (7:30 ET). Elsewhere, the Grizzlies return from the Berlin and London Games by welcoming the Hawks (8 ET). Pacers at Celtics (7:30 ET) Pistons at Pelicans (8 ET) Raptors at Kings (10 ET) 5. KIA ROOKIE LADDER & MORE AWS RIVALS: KON & HORNETS FACE CAVS ON ESPN Every Wednesday, Steve Ashburner’s Kia Rookie Ladder ranks the best-performing rookies of the 2025-26 class. Fittingly, ahead of today’s AWS Rivals Week matchup between the Hornets and Cavs (7 ET, ESPN), Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel edges past Dallas’ Cooper Flagg for the No. 1 spot. The two 2024-25 Duke teammates are friends in everyday life, “rivals” only for Ladder purposes, and, in a few months, are likely to be “rivals” again in the Kia Rookie of the Year balloting. Knueppel and Flagg have owned the No. 1-2 spots all season here, flipping once before, now flipping back. Knueppel got the nod this week after averaging 19 points, 7.3 rebounds and three assists while shooting 60% overall, 64.3% from the arc and 100% from the foul line since the last Ladder. It didn’t hurt that the Hornets went 2-1 and are 5-5 in 2026. | Read More See the Rookie Ladder’s leader in action tonight, opening ESPN’s Rivalry Week doubleheader, as top-3 3-point shooters Knueppel (3rd, 143) and Donovan Mitchell (2nd, 153) face off. Want to share Starting 5 with a friend? Send them this link. Shape the Starting 5. Email us here.