Starting 5: Dual Milestones, Dual Victories: LeBron & KD Ascend All-Time Ranks as Lakers & Rockets Claim Thrilling Wins

Starting 5 Daily Newsletter Starting 5: Double history, double winners: LeBron & KD climb all-time lists, Lakers & Rockets win thrillers

A vintage LeBron tomahawk to open his record 1,612th NBA game. A clutch KD triple to pass MJ for 5th on the all-time scoring list. Electric game-winners from both their squads to cap a historic night … before the Celtics & Wolves wrap up the weekend on Sunday Night Basketball tonight (8 ET, NBC & Peacock). 5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

1. All-Time Epic: LeBron & KD make history, Luka makes magic, Kennard & Thompson make winners
2. Best Out West: Shai’s 40 sparks OKC’s 11th straight dub, Wemby dominates as Spurs keep pace
3. More Fire: Garland erupts in OT win, Hornets roll, Harden & Mitchell ignite Cavs rally
4. Roundup: Hawks bounce back, Ace & Edgecombe duel, Bucks beat Suns
5. Sunday Night Basketball: Tatum, Brown and the surging C’s host the Wolves on NBC

BUT FIRST … ⏰ Sunday hoops… Five games tip off today, starting with Blazers-Nuggets on NBA TV (5 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Wolves and Celtics take center stage on NBC’s Sunday Night Basketball (8 ET | Tap to Watch). 1. LEBRON & KD CLIMB ALL-TIME LISTS IN THRILLING WINS The opening second of Lakers-Magic marked history, as LeBron James passed Robert Parish (1,611) for the most NBA games played all-time. The closing second? More Lakers magic, as Luke Kennard called game for their ninth straight dub.

Lakers 105, Magic 104: James did a bit of everything (12 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl), while Luka Dončić (33 pts, 8 ast, 4 stl) remained red-hot with his ninth straight 30-piece, but the Lakers still trailed by five entering the 4th. Then Austin Reaves turned up, dropping 11 of his 26 points in the 4th to give Los Angeles one last look, down one with 2.6 ticks left. And with Orlando focused on the Lakers’ star trio, Marcus Smart found Kennard slipping behind the defense: Catch. Shoot. Splash. Nine in a row for the Lakeshow. | Recap

The Closer: Kennard finished with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and three 3s, capped by the first-game winner in the final 5 seconds of his nine-year career

“We were looking at LeBron for the first option,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick. “Maybe Luka coming off the double … but [Marcus] recognized Luke was wide open. As soon as he caught it and released it, we knew it was in.”

The Conductor: While Kennard iced L.A.’s ninth straight dub, it’s been Dončić driving the charge, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 30+ pts in every game amid a 9-0 run

The Magic: He’s doing it at a 40 ppg clip, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to average 40+ over a 9-game win streak The King: As Luka posts unprecedented numbers amid the streak, LeBron continues to dunk on Father Time – not only breaking another all-time record, but making winning plays night after night. At age 41, James is averaging 19 points, 7.3 boards, 5.5 assists and 1.7 steals amid the Lakers’ streak, while shooting 60.3% from the field. And it’s not just the numbers, it’s the energy – from diving for loose balls in crunch time to opening his milestone night with a vintage tomahawk.

The Perspective: Just how absurd is James’ run?

The Players: Now in Year 23, he has played against 36% of all NBA players in history and appeared in 28.8% of all NBA seasons

The Production: That includes 200+ opponents from 4 different decades of draft classes (pre-2000, 2000-10, 2011-20 and 2021-current)

The Production: He still ranks top-3 on the Lakers in total points, assists and rebounds this season, pushing Los Angeles to 3rd in the West

“He’s had an awesome season. He’s had an awesome career,” said Redick of James postgame. “There’s just a deep-seated love for the game of basketball … a lot of guys love putting on a show – he loves all of it.”

While LeBron climbed atop the all-time games played list, Kevin Durant passed another legend on the all-time scoring list – capped by another wild win at the horn.

Rockets 123, Heat 122: Durant scored 27 points to pass Michael Jordan (32,292) for 5th all-time, but Bam Adebayo (32 pts, 21 reb) and the Heat used a late run to take a one-point lead with 5.4 seconds left. However, Houston had the last word, as Amen Thompson came flying in off a KD miss to tip home the game-winner at the buzzer, sending Toyota Center into a frenzy. | Recap

Young Finisher: Thompson ended the night with 24 points, 18 boards and his 2nd career game-winner as Houston outscored Miami 36-26 in the 4th to stay 2.5 GB of the Lakers for 3rd in the West

Young Floor General: Reed Sheppard was clinical (23 pts, 14 ast), becoming the youngest Rocket to post 20+ pts, 10+ ast and no turnovers since turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78

The Moment: But it was Durant who led the way, fittingly passing Jordan – his idol and one of the game’s all-time closers – with a lead-extending triple with 3:35 left, the second of his back-to-back 3s in clutch time.

“He personifies everything I believe in,” said Durant on Jordan postgame. “He set the bar high, and it’s pretty cool to reach that bar. And I want to keep inspiring the people that’s coming behind me as well.” In the final seconds, that inspiration showed up in real time. With Durant – a feared closer in his own right – swarmed and forced into an off-balance attempt, Thompson made his move, crashing the glass to cap a special night with a special win.

“Being on a team with greatness like that, it’s inspiring,” said Thompson of Durant, who has climbed from 8th to 5th on the all-time scoring list this season. “Witnessing him break these records, it’s been really cool to watch.”

Added Durant: “I want more.” 2. BEST OUT WEST: THUNDER WIN 11TH STRAIGHT, SPURS KEEP PACE Amid a record night, the reigning champs kept rolling.

Thunder 132, Wizards 111: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was masterful, dropping 40 points (17-27 FG) and 7 dimes, while Isaiah Hartenstein sparked OKC on both ends (9 pts, 20 reb, 10 ast) as the Thunder pulled away for their 11th straight W — the longest active win streak in the NBA. | Recap

Electric Company: Hartenstein joined Russell Westbrook & Shai as the only Thunder in the OKC-era to record 20+ reb and 10+ ast in a regular season game

Shai Scorching: It’s SGA’s second 40-ball in three games and his fifth 35+ point game amid OKC’s current 11-0 run

11 Squared: Following a 16-game heater in November and December, the Thunder now have two 11+ game win streaks this season, after also recording two last season

Rare Heat: They’re just the second team in NBA history to post multiple 11+ game win streaks in consecutive seasons, joining the Warriors (2014-15 to 2016-17), who did it in three straight years Three games back of OKC? The Spurs, who are also streaking.

Spurs 134, Pacers 119: Victor Wembanyama was dominant (20 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast, 5 blk), while rookie Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson dropped 24 points apiece, as San Antonio rolled to its fifth straight win. | Recap

Head Above: It’s Wemby’s 14th game this season with 5+ blocks. No other player has more than five such games 3. MORE HEAT: GARLAND ERUPTS, HORNETS ROLL, CAVS RALLY And how about one more eruption – with a side of extra hoops?

Clippers 138, Mavericks 131 (OT): Darius Garland went off for a season-high 41 points and 11 dimes, while Kawhi Leonard (34 pts) scored the game-tying bucket with 19 seconds left in the 4th to force OT, where LA outscored Dallas 16-9 to snap a four-game slide. | Recap

DG From 3: Garland went 8-of-12 from deep, joining Chris Paul and James Harden as the only Clippers to record 40+ pts, 10+ ast, and 5+ 3s in a regular season game

Flip For 8: With the win, LA jumps Portland for 8th place via tiebreaker, with both teams at 35-36

Don’t look now, but Charlotte is stacking wins again.

Hornets 124, Grizzlies 101: LaMelo Ball splashed seven 3s en route to a game-high 29 points, while Brandon Miller scored 22 as Charlotte earned its third straight dub with a near wire-to-wire win. | Recap

Humming: Charlotte is 5-1 in its last six, moving one game back of Miami for 9th in the East

Speaking of three straight…

Cavaliers 111, Pelicans 106: Down 15 with 10:13 left, Donovan Mitchell (27 pts, 7 reb) and James Harden (20 pts, 6 reb, 10 ast) fueled a 35-18 4th quarter for Cleveland, which raced past Zion Williamson (25 pts, 6 reb) and NOLA for its third win in a row. | Recap

Takeover Time: Mitchell (12 pts) and Harden (13 pts) combined for 25 in the 4th, with Harden scoring all 20 of his points in the 2nd half

Race For 3: The Cavs sit two games back of the Knicks for 3rd in the East, but New York is also hot, winners of five straight 4. ROUNDUP: HAWKS REBOUND, ROOKS DUEL, BUCKS WIN After seeing their 11-game win streak snapped on Friday, the Hawks got back on track.

Hawks 126, Warriors 110: Dyson Daniels shined on both ends (28 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast, 4 stl), CJ McCollum scored 23 and the Hawks used a 39-20 3rd quarter to seize control, topping the Steph-less Warriors for a bounce-back win. | Recap

76ers 126, Jazz 116: Ace Bailey was cooking for Utah (25 pts, 7 reb, 5 blk), trading buckets with fellow rookie VJ Edgecombe (22 pts, 13 reb), while Quentin Grimes added 25 (9-14 FG), lifting the shorthanded Sixers past the Jazz. | Recap

East Chaos: Both 39-22, Atlanta (6th) and Philly (7th) are separated via tiebreaker. Right behind them sit 8th-place Orlando (0.5 GB) and 9th-place Miami (1 GB)

Utah Ace: Bailey is the first rookie in Jazz history to record 25+ pts, 5+ reb and 5+ blk in a game

Bucks 108, Suns 105: Ryan Rollins was balling (26 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl) as the Bucks staved off Jalen Green (24 pts), Devin Booker (14 pts, 7 ast) and the Suns despite being without Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee). | Recap 5. NBC SUNDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL: SURGING CELTICS HOST WOLVES Sixteen days have passed since Jayson Tatum made his long-awaited return – and, as throughout his nine-year career, winning has followed. On Sunday Night Basketball (8 ET, NBC), Tatum and the Celtics welcome the Wolves, having won 18 of their last 23 games. Another victory would make five in a row for Boston as it tries to gain ground on the 1st-place Pistons.

Starting Strong: Tatum has averaged 19.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in seven games since his return, leading to six wins

All-Around Impact: That includes five games of 20+ points, along with three double-doubles, while posting a 103 DefRtg – the best mark of any