CJ McCollum stays clutch for Atlanta, Minnesota locks up Denver, Toronto shines in Game 3 plus we look ahead to Friday’s Game 3s.
Barnes, Barrett duo make Raptors playoff history, Hawks score another one-point victory and Minnesota stifles Denver on Thursday.
Final seconds. CJ down the sideline. Fadeaway for the win.
McCollum met his Game 2 finisher with a Game 3 winner, and Atlanta’s up 2-1.
Hawks Go Ahead: More CJ McCollum heroics and shut-down D lifts Atlanta to 2-1 lead on New York
Wolves Stifle Nuggets: Dosunmu & McDaniels spark 2-1 lead as Joker’s Nuggets held to season-lows
Raptors Rise Up: Scottie Barnes erupts, RJ Barrett ignites and Raps cut Cavs’ lead to 2-1
Lakers at Rockets: LeBron leads L.A. into Houston as KD’s Rockets seek a crucial win
Prime’s Pivotal Game 3s: With series tied 1-1, Philly welcomes Boston while Wemby’s questionable in Portland
The NBA Playoffs continue tonight with three Game 3s on Prime, with Celtics-Sixers and Spurs-Blazers tied at 1-1, while the Lakers seek a 3-0 series lead in Houston
White Wins Sportsmanship Award: Celtics guard Derrick White has been named the 2025-26 NBA Sportsmanship Award winner, earning the Joe Dumars Trophy.
See the full NBA Awards announcement schedule and results below:
Jan. 1, 2026:
CJ McCollum played for the Wizards.
Jonathan Kuminga played for the Warriors.
And the 10th-place Hawks were on the Play-In bubble.
Last night, McCollum and Kuminga — both midseason acquisitions by the Hawks — keyed 6-seed Atlanta’s Game 3 win for a 2-1 series lead over No. 3 New York.
Hawks 109, Knicks 108: McCollum (23 pts) hit the game-winning jumper with 12.5 seconds left and Kuminga (21 pts) led the defense late, shutting down Jalen Brunson’s (26 pts) final drive to put Atlanta in control of the series. | Recap
After Brunson and Jalen Johnson (24 pts, 10 reb, 8 ast) traded buckets with the Knicks out in front, Hawks coach Quinn Snyder called McCollum’s name in the clutch again.
“Picture-perfect. That’s what we work on,” McCollum said of that final stand. “When it was time to get a stop, our guys dug deep and did what it takes to win in these types of environments.”
Up 2-1, Atlanta hosts Game 4 Saturday (6 ET, NBC & Peacock).
Minnesota worked for most of its Game 2 win Monday to erase a Nuggets’ lead as large as 19 points.
Thursday at home, the Wolves built their own 19-point advantage – 19 minutes into Game 3 – and ran away from there.
Wolves 113, Nuggets 96: Off the bench, Ayo Dosunmu (25 pts, 9 ast) led six double-digit Minnesota scorers while starter Jaden McDaniels supplied a 20/10 night and dominant defense in a wire-to-wire Wolves win for a 2-1 series lead.
Anthony Edwards added 17 points in 24 minutes (5 fouls), while Nikola Jokić (27 pts, 15 reb, 3 ast) paced a Nuggets offense held to season-lows in shooting (34.1 FG%) and assists (12). | Recap
“In Playoffs, the most important [game] is the next one,” Joker said of taking on another 2-1 deficit. “We need to get out there with urgency and play much better.”
That next one, Game 4 from Minnesota, comes Saturday (8:30 ET, ABC).
Two of Toronto’s longest-tenured Raptors fueled the franchise’s first Playoff win since 2022.
Raptors 126, Cavaliers 104: Matching 33-point Playoff career-highs for Scottie Barnes (Playoff career-high 11 ast) and RJ Barrett (6 3s) and a 43-23 4th-quarter eruption powered Toronto back into the series, cutting Cleveland’s edge to 2-1.
James Harden (18 pts) led six Cavs in double figures, including 15 points and five rebounds from Donovan Mitchell, as Cleveland struggled (31.1%) – and Toronto soared (60.9%) – from long range. | Recap
“We want it so bad,” said Barnes, the only carryover from Toronto’s last Playoff win. “We’re so passionate about it, we want it so bad. We’re trying to do whatever it takes out there on the floor.”
Toronto has the chance to tie the series up, hosting Game 4 Sunday (1 ET, ESPN).
It was moments before tipoff of Game 1 of the 2012 NBA Finals when two superstars dapped up at center court. LeBron James was 27 years old. Kevin Durant was 23. They were about to face off in the Playoffs for the first time.
Fourteen years later, the stage is different, but the feeling remains.
Tonight on Prime (8 ET), the two greats meet in Houston for a crucial Game 3:
Through two games, James – the all-time Playoff leader in points (8,336), games (294) and wins (186) – has done more than deliver vintage moments: he’s controlled the series.
At 41 years old, it’s not just a reminder of his longevity – it’s greatness in real time.
Legends Collide: On the other side, Houston will look to answer behind Durant, who returned Tuesday after missing Game 1 with a knee contusion.
It was KD & LeBron’s 15th Playoff duel. Fourteen years after their first, their head-to-head scoring is strikingly similar, while each holds an edge in a signature strength – James’ playmaking and KD’s shot-making.
Witnessing Greatness: Game 2 marked just the fifth time since 1972 that two top-5 scorers (No. 1 James, No. 5 Durant) have gone head-to-head in the Playoffs.
It ended with James (28 pts) and Durant (23 pts) each leading their teams in scoring, becoming the first two players 37 or older to score 20+ in the same Playoff game.
Now, something’s got to give: James’ teams are 24-0 in Playoff series when leading 2-0, while Durant’s Rockets were one of the league’s best teams at home this season (30-11).
Teams that win Game 3 of a 1-1 Playoff series have advanced 73.7% of the time.
The 76ers and Trail Blazers have earned that opportunity. After stealing home court advantage, they’ll take on the Celtics (7 ET, Prime) and Spurs (10:30 ET, Prime) tonight, respectively.
Boston, meanwhile, can steal back a win on the road, looking to regain the sharp-shooting form it thrived off in 2025-26.
The Trail Blazers enjoyed a season-high 31 points from Scoot Henderson and ended Game 2 on a 24-8 run, earning a three-point victory.
Henderson missed the first 51 games of this season while rehabbing a left hamstring tear.
Victor Wembanyama’s status is in question for tonight. If the Spurs do have to play without him, they’ve shown before that success is within reach.
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Rudy Gobert locks it down, Ayo Dosunmu provides the punch, and more from the Timberwolves’ Game 3 win over the Nuggets.
The Raptors rip off an insane 47-23 2nd-half run, clawing back a game in their first-round series against the Cavaliers.
Trade acquisitions Jonathan Kuminga and CJ McCollum spark the Hawks to a go-ahead Game 3 victory over the Knicks.
Victor Wembanyama must complete additional steps in the NBA’s concussion protocol before being cleared for Game 3 in Portland.