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Nightly Pulse: NBA News & Highlights from Jan. 9

The Grizzlies and Rockets headline a loaded slate of NBA action tonight. Follow along here for all the NBA news and highlights.

NBA.com Staff

๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ€Thursday’s Schedule๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ€

Cleveland Cavaliers 132, Toronto Raptors 126 (Final)
Golden State Warriors 107, Detroit Pistons 104 (Final)
Minnesota Timberwolves 104, Orlando Magic 89 (Final)
Houston Rockets 119, Memphis Grizzlies 115 (Final)
Dallas Mavericks 117, Portland Trail Blazers 111 (Final)
Phoenix Suns 123, Atlanta Hawks 115 (Final)
Miami Heat 97, Utah Jazz 92 (Final)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Charlotte Hornets (PPD)

Top Storylines of the Night ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿ“

1. Cleveland snatches 12th straight win. The Cavaliers are up to 33-4 after a comeback victory over the Toronto Raptors. They rode a 34-23 fourth quarter in that comeback win, thanks to Darius Garland’s 40 points and double-doubles from Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
2. Golden State snaps Detroit’s streak. The Warriors lost nine of 13 games coming into this matchup but handed the Pistons their first loss in 2025. They nearly blew an 18-point fourth quarter lead though, with Detroit missing a game-tying three at the buzzer. The Warriors are 18-18 while the Pistons are 19-18.
3. Dallas grabs a massive comeback win against Portland. The Mavericks trailed by 10 points with 4:20 remaining but ripped off a 16-0 run to complete their comeback victory.

๐ŸŒŸ๐ŸŒŸ Top Performers of the Night ๐ŸŒŸ๐ŸŒŸ

1. Darius Garland had 40 points, two rebounds, nine assists and two steals on 14-of-22 shooting in a win over the Toronto Raptors.
2. Cade Cunningham collected 32 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.
3. Alperen Sengun had 32 points, 14 rebounds and five assists in a narrow win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Suns Defeat Hawks, 123-115โ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธ

The Suns shot 58 percent from the field while holding the Hawks below 49 percent shooting.

Bradley Beal led the Suns with 25 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals off the bench. Grayson Allen also provided 23 points.

Kevin Durant led Phoenix’s starters with 23 points, two rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.

Devin Booker tallied 20 points, three rebounds and 12 assists.

Heat Defeat Jazz, 97-92 ๐Ÿฅต๐Ÿ”ฅโ˜„๏ธโค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿš’

Tyler Herro led Miami with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Jaime Jaquez had 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 23 points and five rebounds.

Collin Sexton collected 23 points and five assists.

Rockets Defeat Grizzlies, ๐Ÿš€๐Ÿš€๐Ÿš€

Alperen Sengun led Houston with 32 points, 14 rebounds and five assists.

Jalen Green had 27 points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return from a shoulder injury, while Jaren Jackson Jr had 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists and six blocks.

Dunk Score Update๐Ÿœ๐Ÿœ

Anthony Edwards is arguably the best dunker of this generation, and he had another special one tonight.

Check out the Dunk Score.ย 

The T’Wolves won that game over the Magic, 104-89.

See the video in the post below!

Mavericks Complete Comeback Against Portland๐Ÿค โœฎ๐Ÿค 117-111

Dallas trailed this game 109-99 with 4:20 remaining but closed the game on an 18-2 run from there to take command. That’s only their second win of the season without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Jaden Hardy led Dallas with 25 points off the bench.

PJ Washington provided 23 points and 14 rebounds, while Dereck Lively had 21 points and 15 rebounds.

Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe led Portland with 22 points apiece.

Warriors Defeat Pistons, 107-104๐ŸŒ‰๐ŸŒ‰

Golden State led this game 98-80 midway through the fourth quarter, but Detroit fought all the way back and had a game-tying shot at the buzzer. They were unable to overcome that massive deficit, though.

Buddy Hield led the Warriors with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Stephen Curry collected 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Trayce Jackson-Davis had 14 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 32 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals.

Timberwolves Defeat Magic, 104-89๐Ÿบ๐Ÿบ๐Ÿบ

Minnesota got out to a 29-18 lead after the first quarter, maintaining a double-digit lead for the closing 15 minutes.

The T’Wolves held the Magic to 38 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range while winning the turnover battle, 14-8.

Julius Randle led Minnesota with 23 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.

Anthony Edwards had 21 points, three rebounds and seven assists.

Cavaliers Defeat Raptors, 132-126. They are now 33-4๐Ÿ˜ฑ๐Ÿ˜ฑ๐Ÿ˜ฑ

Cleveland is off to a historical start and they were able to grab a comeback win here. The Cavs rode a 34-21 fourth quarter to this comeback win.

Darius Garland led the Cavs with 40 points, two rebounds, nine assists and two steals on 14-of-22 shooting.

Evan Mobley had 21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.

Jarrett Allen amassed 18 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

ANT Poster Alert ๐Ÿœ๐Ÿœ Dunk of the Night! See the Dunk Score๐Ÿœ๐Ÿœ

Anthony Edwards has made a career of poster dunks, and he added another to his resume here.

Minnesota leads Orlando at the end of the third quarter, 78-62.

Edwards has 21 points, two rebounds and six assists.

See the Dunk Score here.ย 

Beautiful Alley-Oop for Ayton๐Ÿ‘Š

Anfernee Simons throws Deandre Ayton a clean lob, and DA throws down the monster jam.

We’re approaching halftime in that game, with Portland leading, 50-47.

Shaedon Sharpe leads Portland with 12 points.

Jaden Hardy leads Dallas with 18 points off the bench.

Houston’s Starting Five๐Ÿš€๐Ÿš€๐Ÿš€๐Ÿš€๐Ÿš€

With Jabari Smith still out, Amen Thompson will continue to start.

Thompson has quietly been one of the best sophomores in the NBA, posting double-double averages as a starter while playing elite defense.

They face the Grizzlies tonight.

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Houston Rocketsย (League Pass, Live)

Portland’s Starting Five๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒฒ๐ŸŒฒ

This matchup between Dallas and Portland was moved up due to weather.

The Mavericks will try their best to cope without Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic in this game.

The Trail Blazers only missing piece is Jerami Grant, who continues to nurse a facial injury.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Portland Trail Blazersย (League Pass, Live)

TJD Poster Slam๐Ÿ’ฅ๐Ÿ’ฅDUNK SCORE ALERT

Trayce Jackson-Davis is having a breakout season, and this monster slam over Tobias Harris is the dunk of the night so far.

We’re midway through the first quarter, with Detroit leading Golden State, 17-14.

TJD, Curry and Green all have four points apiece.

Check out the Dunk Score!

Ja Back in Action Tonight๐Ÿ›ซ๐Ÿ›ซ๐Ÿ›ซ

Ja Morant has been out for two weeks due to a shoulder injury, but the superstar point guard will be ready to roll tonight.

The Grizzlies have a matchup with the Houston Rockets. Both clubs are sitting at 24 wins, and the winner will move to second place in the Western Conference.

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Houston Rocketsย (League Pass, 8:00 ET)

Dubs Starters Tonight๐ŸŒ‰๐ŸŒ‰๐ŸŒ‰๐ŸŒ‰๐ŸŒ‰

There was some concern about how this would look with Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Dennis Schroder all questionable, but all three guys are starting tonight.

They need a good performance from those vets, with the Warriors losing nine of their last 13 games.

They also face a Detroit Pistons team that’s won eight of their last nine outings.

Orlando’s Starting Five๐Ÿง™๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿ”ฎ๐Ÿช„โœจ๐Ÿ’ซ

The Magic have been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA, and they’re only going to get better.

Paolo Banchero is projected to return tomorrow after missing the last two months due to an oblique strain.

As for tonight, they’ll stick Cole Anthony into the starting lineup until then.

Toronto’s Starting Unit๐Ÿฆ–๐Ÿฆ–๐Ÿฆ–๐Ÿฆ–๐Ÿฆ–

The Raptors come into this matchup losing 14 of their last 15 games but they’ve looked much better since Immanuel Quickley returned to action.

They have an uphill battle here in a road matchup against a 32-4 Cleveland Cavaliers team.

That game stats in less than 20 minutes.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptorsย (League Pass, 7:00 ET)

Cleveland’s Starting Five๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ

The Cavaliers had a fantastic win in the most important game of the season last night, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 129-122.

That moved Cleveland to 32-4, which is obviously the best record in the NBA.

They’ll look to continue their success without Donovan Mitchell (rest) tonight.

Top Storylines ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿ“

1. Houston and Memphis renew rivalry. These teams have 24 wins apiece, tied for the second-best record in the Western Conference. There’s also been animosity between these teams in the past, and it could get even better with Ja Morant (shoulder) possibly returning.
2. Orlando and Minnesota battle with some of the best defenses in the NBA. This could be a low-scoring matchup between these defensive-minded teams, with the Timberwolves allowing the fourth-fewest points in the NBA while the Magic are allowing the fewest. That has both clubs above .500 and many fans believe these are two up-and-coming teams.
3. Detroit looks to continue surge against struggling Golden State. The Pistons are above .500 for what feels like the first time in a decade (19-18), entering this matchup winning eight of their last nine games. The Warriors are going the other way, losing nine of their last 13 games to drop to .500.

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