Top Headlines, Feb. 24: A groundbreaking Cade clinic, Shai & Ant showdown, Cavs & Celtics keep streaks alive.

Spida & the Cavs are soaring to start the 2nd half of the season.

See what else is trending around the league and the top reads from the NBA world with the Playoffs inching closer.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION

Feb. 24, 2025

East Heat: Cade’s brilliance highlights a Sunday of streaks in the East Playoff race

West Wins: OKC edges out Minny in epic battle, Jimmy & Steph dazzle, Pels storm back

Reads Of The Week: A few top stories from the NBA world as the final Playoff push begins

What’s Trending – East: The top teams are playing their best ball at the right time

What’s Trending – West: Here come a trio of contenders with championship DNA

BUT FIRST … ⏰
Monday means more hoops…

Run It Back: After a thrilling Sunday duel in Minnesota, the Wolves and Thunder meet again tonight in OKC (8 ET, NBA TV), headlining Monday’s 8-game slate.

1. EAST HEAT: TOP CONTENDERS EXTEND WIN STREAKS & MORE

“Don’t touch me,” Cade Cunningham said Sunday. “I’m sizzling.”

The numbers don’t lie — Cunningham is indeed sizzling, and so is his team.

Pistons 148, Hawks 143: In a historic showing, Cade carved up Atlanta for 38 points on seven 3s along with 7 boards, 12 dimes and 3 blocks to outduel Trae Young (38 pts, 6 3s, 13 ast), powering the Pistons to their sixth straight win. | Recap

Early Eruption: Cunningham entered the half with 29 pts, 10 ast, 5 reb and six 3s, joining Luka Dončić as the only players to hit such numbers in any half in the play-by-play era (1997-98)One Of Six: By Sunday’s final buzzer, he stood as just the sixth player in NBA history with multiple games of 35+ points, 10+ assists and 3+ blocksLegendary Company: The other five players? LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Nikola Jokić, Dwyane Wade and James HardenTrae Time: Meanwhile, Young passed Nate Archibald for the 4th-most games of 35+ pts and 10+ ast in league history

The Pistons are humming, but they’re not the only East contender stacking consecutive dubs.

Cavaliers 129, Grizzlies 123: In a showdown between the NBA’s top two offenses, Donovan Mitchell (33 pts, 6 ast, 1 poster) and Evan Mobley (25 pts, 13 reb, 8 ast) shined to outpace Ja Morant (21 pts, 10 ast) and the Grizz, marking Cleveland’s seventh straight win. | Recap

Cleveland Depth: Ty Jerome added 26 points off the bench as the Cavs finished with six scorers in double figures

Celtics 118, Knicks 105: After a 131-104 win at MSG on Feb. 8, the Celtics stamped another statement victory against their New York rivals, trailing for just 21 seconds – which came in the opening minute – to extend their win streak to five. | Recap

JT & JB: Jayson Tatum (25 pts, 10 reb, 9 ast) and Jaylen Brown (24 pts, 8 reb) led the way for Boston, which led 38-19 after the 1st quarterChampionship Reminder: The C’s are now 3-0 against the Knicks this season with an average victory margin of +21.0

Pacers 129, Clippers 111: Tyrese Haliburton was operating (29 pts, 12 ast, 3 stl), and dropped 17 points in the 3rd quarter as Indy pulled away from James Harden (31 pts, 7 reb, 11 ast) and LA for its third straight win and eighth in 11 games. | Recap

Bucks 120, Heat 113: Tyler Herro (40 pts, 7 reb, 11 ast) joined Dwyane Wade (5x) and LeBron James as the only Heat players to total 40+ points and 10+ assists in a game.

But Giannis was a force (23 pts, 16 reb, 7 ast), while Damian Lillard posted 28 points and 8 dimes, stamped by the game-sealing bucket with 22 ticks left, marking Milwaukee’s fourth win in a row. | Recap

Magic 110, Wizards 90: Anthony Black scored a career-high 23 points, while Franz Wagner also notched 23 and Paolo Banchero added 19 to pull past Washington for Orlando’s third win in four outings. | Recap

Raptors 127, Suns 109: RJ Barrett (7 ast), Immanuel Quickley (8 ast) and Chris Boucher (10 reb) all scored 23 points apiece as the Raptors beat the Suns, despite a combined 61 points from Devin Booker (31) and Bradley Beal (30). | Recap

2. WEST WINS: SHAI SHINES vs. WOLVES, JIMMY & STEPH COOK, PELS RALLY

Nobody’s averaged more ppg since the New Year than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (33.8) and Anthony Edwards (31.5).

And in an epic duel between two of hoops’ hottest stars, it was the Kia MVP Ladder leader who came out on top.

Thunder 130, Wolves 123: After trailing by 19 in the 2nd quarter, Edwards ignited a 32-11 run to take the lead into the half, then dropped 19 points after the break to put the Wolves up five in the 4th.

But Shai was just as sharp, pouring in 22 points in the 2nd half while sparking a 25-13 closing run, as the West leaders held off the Wolves for their ninth win in 10 games. | Recap

Shai & Ant Explode: SGA stuffed the stat sheet (37 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl, 3 blk), marking his NBA-best 34th 30-piece this season, while Edwards finished with 29 points, 10 boards, 7 dimes and 2 stealsBack & Forth Battle: The game featured four ties and 18 lead changes as the Thunder improved to 2-1 vs. the Wolves this seasonOne More Time: Tonight, they’ll run things back in OKC for their fourth and final matchup of the regular season (8 ET, NBA TV)

The Bay’s new duo is buzzing.

Warriors 126, Mavericks 102: Jimmy Butler tallied 18 points and 5 assists in his first home game as a Warrior, while Steph Curry put on a show with a 16-point flurry in the 3rd quarter on his way to 30 points in 28 minutes, along with 7 dimes and 1 dub. | Recap

Golden Pair: Butler (20.0 pts, 5.5 ast) and Curry (29.0 pts, 5.7 ast) are combining for 49.0 ppg and 11.2 apg as a duo, leading Golden State to a 5-1 recordKlay’s Return Part II: In his second game at Chase Center as an opponent, Klay Thompson notched 11 points on three triplesIggy Honored: Andre Iguodala, the 2015 Finals MVP who won four titles with Golden State, saw his No. 9 jersey raised to the rafters after the game“You expected greatness from all of us,” Curry told Iggy during the ceremony. “That’s why we’re here tonight. Your legacy is bigger than banners.”

Pelicans 114, Spurs 96: After trailing by as many as 17 points in the 3rd, New Orleans outscored San Antonio 39-17 in the 4th to storm past the Spurs. Zion Williamson (22 pts, 9 reb, 2 stl, 2 blk) led seven Pelicans in double figures. | Recap

3. READS OF THE WEEK: STORIES FROM AROUND THE NBA WORLD

With roughly 25 regular-season games remaining for each NBA team, check out some of the top stories from around the league.

Golden Reunion: Why Klay Thompson felt lucky to be a part of Andre Iguodala’s jersey retirement ceremony – Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News‘Locked In’ Luka: Inside Luka’s first Lakers explosion that ended the Nuggets’ nine-game win streak – Dave McMenamin, ESPNSmart Mentor: Marcus Smart has always been a vocal leader. Now, he’s embracing the role of teacher in Washington – Josh Robbins, The AthleticStepping In, Standing Out: Mitch Johnson is earning high praise while filling in for Gregg Popovich – Tom Orsborn, SA Express News2nd-Half Storylines: Can the Knicks make a run? Will Luka and LeBron mesh? How far can the Pistons go? And more – Lorenzo Reyes & Jeff Zillgitt, USA TodayEndless Aces: Nikola Jokić celebrates his 30th birthday amid one of his best seasons ever – and the reigning MVP shows no signs of slowing down – Pat Graham, APMilestones To Watch: 18 major individual milestones that could be toppled before this season is complete – Jeff Case, NBA.com

4. WHAT’S TRENDING – EAST HEAT: STREAKS & SEPARATION

The Cavs & Celtics have held the top two respective spots in the East since Oct. 30.

Now, the two East powers are playing some of their best ball – further distancing themselves from the field.

The Cavs (47-10), leading Boston by six games, have won an NBA-best seven straight as part of an 11-1 runThe Celtics (41-16) have won five in a row, including nine games in their last 10Weekend Separation: Both teams extended their heaters with wins over the 3rd-place Knicks this weekend, pushing New York four games below Boston

High-octane offenses power both the Cavs and Celtics, who boast the game’s top two 3-point attacks.

Boston 3 Party: Ranked 3rd in OffRtg (119.0), the Celtics are on pace to break the NBA single-season record for the most 3-point attempts (48.3) and makes (17.8) per gameCavs’ Clip: Meanwhile, Cleveland is averaging the 2nd-most 3s per game (16.1) and the highest 3P% (39.1), leading to an NBA-best 122.0 OffRtgPlayoff Rematch: On Tuesday (7:30 ET, TNT), the Cavs visit the Magic, who fell to Cleveland in seven games in the First Round of last year’s PlayoffsTop 2 Collide: Cleveland travels to Boston on Friday (7:30 ET, ESPN) for their fourth and final regular-season matchup, with the C’s holding a 2-1 series lead

The Knicks hold a 4-game lead for 3rd-place in the East, while seeds 4 through 6 – the Pacers, Bucks and Pistons – are all on the rise, separated by just two games.

Motown Momentum: The 6th-place Pistons entered the All-Star break above .500 for the first time since 2008-09. Now, they’re riding their first six-game win streak since 2014-15Cade Cooking: Amid Detroit’s run, Cade Cunningham is averaging 26.2 ppg and 10.0 apg while shooting 44.3% from 37 Straight? The Pistons will look to extend their streak tonight as they host the Clippers on League Pass (7 ET)Hitting Their Stride: Indy (W3) and Milwaukee (W4) are each riding heaters of their own, with the Pacers owning the best record in the East since the New Year (16-5)

5. WHAT’S TRENDING – WILD WEST RACE: FORMER CHAMPS RISING

OKC continues to set the pace out West, holding a 9.5-game lead atop the standings as they close in on history – with the league’s top-rated defense and the Kia MVP Ladder leader guiding the way.

Rolling Thunder: With a 46-10 record, OKC is on pace to record 67 wins – which would mark the most in Thunder/SuperSonics historyThe Shai Way: SGA is on track to become just the second player to average 30+ points on 50% shooting, along with 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists, 1.5+ steals and 1+ blocks in a single seasonThe Other Player? Michael Jordan (1987-88, 1990-91)

Behind OKC, a photo finish for the No. 2 seed is taking shape between four squads, including two rising contenders with championship experience.

Denver Elevation: At 37-20, the Nuggets are now tied with the Grizzlies for 2nd-place out West thanks to a recent 9-game win streakLake Show Surge: That streak was snapped on Saturday by the 4th-place Lakers, who jumped Houston behind an NBA-best 12-3 record in their last 15 outingsLuka & LeBron Jelling: The key to victory? A breakout performance from Luka Dončić (32 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast), who combined for 57 points with LeBron James (25 pts, 5 ast) in their fourth game as a duoJoker Brilliance: Despite the loss, Jokić tallied his NBA-best 26th triple-double of the season – 16 more than the next closest player (LeBron: 10)Historic Pace: Averaging 29.4 pts (3rd in NBA), 10.2 ast (2nd) and 12.7 reb (3rd), Jokić is on pace to become the first player to finish in the top 3 in all three categories since the NBA began ranking player averages in 1969-70Elite East Road Trip: Jokić and the Nuggs visit the Pacers tonight (7 ET, LP), before facing Giannis & the Bucks on Thursday (8 ET, TNT) and the Pistons on Friday (7 ET, LP)L.A’s National Home Stretch: The Lakers host the Mavs on Tuesday (10 ET, TNT), the Wolves on Thursday (10 ET, NBA TV) and the Clippers on Friday (10 ET, ESPN)

The 6th-place Clips hold the final Playoff spot. Right behind them? Five teams (MIN, DAL, GS, SAC, PHX) separated by just 4.5 games – including Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and the surging Warriors.

Butler Boost: Since Butler’s been plugged into the lineup, Golden State’s scoring average has jumped from 111.5 ppg to 121.2