NBA game reviews – 2026-01-23

Big scoring nights and monster stat lines: NBA daily wrap

It was a massive slate of NBA action, with blowouts, high-octane offences, and some huge individual box scores across the board. From Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey torching the Rockets, to Victor Wembanyama stuffing the stat sheet in Utah, and Luka Dončić going off in the Battle of LA, punters had plenty to chew on.

Below is a game‑by‑game breakdown of every matchup on the card, using the official scoring and player metrics from the data above — no guesswork, just what actually happened on the floor.

Houston Rockets vs Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia held serve at home in a high‑scoring clash, edging the Houston Rockets 128–122. The 76ers controlled the middle of the game, winning the second quarter 36–27 and taking a 68–61 lead into half-time, then hanging on despite losing the second half 60–61.

Scoring flow

The opening term set the tone: Houston put up 34 in the first quarter to Philly’s 32, but the 76ers hit back hard in the second with that 36–27 frame. The Rockets chipped away after the break, winning both the third (27–22) and fourth (27–25) quarters, yet never quite erased the deficit.

Sixers stars: Embiid–Maxey one‑two punch

The 76ers’ top end talent did exactly what backers would’ve wanted:

Joel Embiid: 32 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists (via 32 pts, 15 rebs, 10 ast in the JSON through 32 P, 15 R, 10 A), giving him a massive 57 PRA and 47 PR. He also added 2 combined steals + blocks and 7 in the turnovers/steals/blocks combo metric.
Tyrese Maxey: 36 points, 2 rebounds, 10 assists for a huge 48 PRA and 38 PR. Maxey also racked up 3 steals and 6 in the tos + steals + blocks category.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: 26 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 made threes, good for 33 PRA and 30 PR.
Paul George: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists (20 PRA, 16 PR) plus 4 combined steals + blocks.

VJ Edgecombe and Trendon Watford played useful support roles as well: Edgecombe logged 9 points, 7 boards and 4 assists (20 PRA), while Watford chipped in 4 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists (10 PRA).

Rockets spread the load around Durant

On the Houston side, the scoring load was spread across multiple options, but Kevin Durant was the clear focal point:

Kevin Durant: 36 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 threes (46 PRA, 43 PR). He did cough up 8 turnovers, which shows up in a high 9 in the tos + steals + blocks line.
Amen Thompson: 17 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists (32 PRA, 23 PR, 15 RA) with 3 steals.
Alperen Şengün: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists (28 PRA, 21 PR, 15 RA), plus 5 combined steals + blocks.
Tari Eason: 13 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists (24 PRA, 22 PR) and a standout 4 steals.

Josh Okogie (8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 threes), Jabari Smith (13 points, 4 boards), Reed Sheppard (14 points, 4 threes) and others contributed enough to keep Houston in the contest, but Philly’s star trio was just a bit too much down the stretch.

Charlotte Hornets vs Orlando Magic

Orlando absolutely dominated Charlotte, running out 124–97 winners on the road in a game that never really looked in doubt after quarter time. The Magic led 35–20 after the first and 62–41 at half, then stretched things further with another 35–26 third term.

Magic depth overwhelms the Hornets

Orlando got balanced production from across the roster:

Paolo Banchero: 23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists (35 PRA, 30 PR, 12 RA).
Desmond Bane: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists (30 PRA, 26 PR, 9 RA) with 3 made threes.
Noah Penda: 13 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists (19 PRA, 15 PR).
Moritz Wagner: 14 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist (16 PRA, 15 PR).
Anthony Black: 4 points, 2 boards, 2 assists (8 PRA, 6 PR).

The Magic also got double‑digit PRA lines from Tristan da Silva (7 PRA), Wendell Carter Jr. (10 PRA) and Jonathan Isaac (3 PRA), while Noah Penda’s defensive activity showed up with 2 steals and a block (4 in the tos + steals + blocks metric).

Hornets’ core held in check

Charlotte’s scoring was more modest, but a few players still posted solid numbers in a losing effort:

LaMelo Ball: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists (29 PRA, 22 PR, 13 RA), though he had 2 turnovers and 0 steals.
Brandon Miller: 20 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists (26 PRA, 22 PR) with 2 steals and 2 made threes.
Collin Sexton: 19 points, 0 rebounds, 4 assists (23 PRA, 19 PR).
Kon Knueppel: 13 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists (27 PRA, 23 PR, 14 RA) – a strong all‑round outing.
Moussa Diabate: 10 points, 4 boards, 1 assist (15 PRA, 14 PR).
Miles Bridges: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists (20 PRA, 18 PR).

Despite some respectable individual stat lines, especially across rebounding (Kon Knueppel 10 rebs, Ryan Kalkbrenner 9), the Hornets were out‑gunned early and never seriously threatened the spread once Orlando’s offence got rolling.

Denver Nuggets vs Washington Wizards

Denver handled its business on the road, beating Washington 107–97. The Nuggets led virtually wire‑to‑wire, winning three of the four quarters and taking a 48–46 edge into half-time before pulling away in the second half (59–51).

Peyton Watson headlines a strong Nuggets core

The story of this one was Peyton Watson, who turned in an enormous all‑round game:

35 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists.
46 PRA, 43 PR, 11 RA.
6 combined steals + blocks, showing up as 2 steals and 4 blocks.

Alongside him, the usual suspects delivered:

Jamal Murray: 24 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists (33 PRA, 28 PR, 9 RA) with 2 steals and a block.
Jonas Valanciunas: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists (27 PRA, 25 PR, 11 RA).
Aaron Gordon: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists (26 PRA, 21 PR, 10 RA).
Bruce Brown: 6 points, 6 boards, 2 assists (14 PRA, 12 PR).

Denver’s starting group stuffed the boxscore, and Watson’s 6 in the steals + blocks metric was a game‑changer for anyone on his defensive props.

Kyshawn George and Alexandre Sarr shine despite loss

Washington showed glimpses, especially from its young core:

Kyshawn George: 20 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists (39 PRA, 32 PR, 19 RA), plus 1 steal and 0 blocks.
Alexandre Sarr: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists (27 PRA, 23 PR, 12 RA) with 2 steals and a block.
Tre Johnson: 19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists (25 PRA, 22 PR).
Will Riley: 13 points, 4 boards, 0 assists (17 PRA, 17 PR).

Carlton Carrington also delivered 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists (17 PRA) and 3 steals. But ultimately Washington couldn’t keep pace with Denver’s firepower and two‑way dominance from Watson and Murray.

Golden State Warriors vs Dallas Mavericks

In one of the more entertaining shootouts of the day, the Dallas Mavericks outlasted the Golden State Warriors 123–115 at home. Dallas led 55–50 at the half but needed a massive 39‑point fourth quarter to overturn a Warriors surge in the third.

Curry does everything for Golden State

Stephen Curry put up a monster offensive game:

38 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist.
43 PRA, 42 PR, 5 RA.
He nailed 8 threes, and added 2 in the tos + steals + blocks metric via 0 steals, 0 blocks, 2 turnovers.

Supporting him:

De’Anthony Melton: 22 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists (27 PRA, 25 PR, 5 RA) with 2 steals and a block.
Moses Moody: 12 points, 3 boards, 3 assists (18 PRA, 15 PR, 6 RA) and 3 threes.
Brandin Podziemski: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists (23 PRA, 13 PR, 14 RA).
Al Horford: 3 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists (14 PRA, 11 PR, 11 RA).

Jake Laravia also made an impact defensively with 7 combined steals + blocks (4 blocks, 3 steals), contributing 7 rebounds and 2 assists for 13 PRA.

Mavs’ balanced attack and big wings win the day

Dallas, however, rolled with a deep scoring core rather than one‑man heroics:

Naji Marshall: 30 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists (46 PRA, 37 PR, 16 RA) with 2 made threes.
Cooper Flagg: 21 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists (34 PRA, 32 PR, 13 RA) and a three.
Max Christie: 21 points, 4 boards, 2 assists (27 PRA, 25 PR, 6 RA) and 5 threes.
Brandon Williams: 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists (28 PRA, 24 PR, 9 RA).
Dwight Powell: 10 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist (23 PRA, 22 PR, 13 RA).

P.J. Washington Jr. rounded out the balanced Mavs effort with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists (19 PRA), while Caleb Martin, Ryan Nembhard and others played their roles. A 39–26 fourth quarter sealed it for Dallas and cashed plenty of overs on PRA and three‑point markets.

Chicago Bulls vs Minnesota Timberwolves

The Chicago Bulls pinched a tight one on the road, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 120–115. Chicago trailed 61–60 at the half but outscored the Wolves 60–54 after the break, with consistent 30‑point halves (60 in each).

Chicago’s backcourt and frontcourt both fire

The Bulls spread their production across multiple starters:

Josh Giddey: 21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists (32 PRA, 27 PR, 11 RA).
Coby White: 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists (30 PRA, 26 PR, 8 RA) with 3 made threes.
Jalen Smith: 17 points, 4 boards, 0 assists (21 PRA, 21 PR, 4 RA), plus 3 threes.
Matas Buzelis: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists (21 PRA, 18 PR, 9 RA).
Nikola Vučević: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists (21 PRA, 18 PR, 11 RA).

Tre Jones (12 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists; 22 PRA) and Ayo Dosunmu (8 points, 4 boards, 3 assists; 15 PRA) also chipped in double‑digit PRA lines off the bench. Chicago’s balance ultimately edged out Minnesota’s heavier reliance on a few big performers.

Wolves’ stars put up numbers in narrow loss

Minnesota’s core did plenty to keep punters interested:

Julius Randle: 30 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists (43 PRA, 37 PR, 13 RA).
Naz Reid: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists (31 PRA, 26 PR, 11 RA) and 4 threes with 3 blocks.
Anthony Edwards: 20 points, 6 boards, 3 assists (29 PRA, 26 PR, 9 RA).
Jaden McDaniels: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists (26 PRA, 21 PR, 10 RA) plus 2 made threes.
Rudy Gobert: 10 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists (23 PRA, 21 PR, 13 RA) with 2 blocks and 1 steal.

Donte DiVincenzo added 11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists (18 PRA), and his 3 steals showed up with a 4 in the tos + steals + blocks metric. Despite the strong numbers, Chicago’s tighter ball security and efficient scoring down the stretch proved the difference.

San Antonio Spurs vs Utah Jazz

The San Antonio Spurs went into Utah and came away with a strong 126–109 win. The Spurs established a 65–53 lead by half-time and, even though they lost the third quarter 39–32, slammed the door with a 29–17 final term.

Wembanyama and Fox dominate for San Antonio

This matchup was a dream for anyone on Spurs player overs:

Victor Wembanyama: 26 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists (43 PRA, 40 PR, 17 RA) with 4 made threes and a monstrous defensive line of 5 blocks and 1 steal (6 steals+blocks, 9 tos + steals + blocks).
De’Aaron Fox: 31 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists (41 PRA, 36 PR, 10 RA) with 6 threes.
Stephon Castle: 16 points, 6 boards, 8 assists (30 PRA, 22 PR, 14 RA) and 2 steals.
Keldon Johnson: 21 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists (27 PRA, 22 PR, 6 RA).
Julian Champagnie: 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists (23 PRA, 20 PR, 6 RA), including 5 made threes.

The Spurs’ combination of perimeter firepower — Fox’s 6 threes, Wembanyama’s 4 and Champagnie’s 5 — and elite rim protection from Wembanyama put this one out of reach.

Jazz bigs put up numbers in defeat

Utah still managed a few standout fantasy lines:

Jusuf Nurkic: 17 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists (42 PRA, 28 PR, 25 RA) – a huge playmaking triple‑double from the five.
Ace Bailey: 25 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists (33 PRA, 31 PR, 8 RA) with 2 threes.
Deni Avdija: 20 points, 7 boards, 4 assists (31 PRA, 27 PR, 11 RA).
Keyonte George: 23 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists (32 PRA, 27 PR, 9 RA) and 4 threes.

Despite productive nights from the Jazz frontcourt and wings, they couldn’t match San Antonio’s efficiency in the fourth quarter or deal with Wembanyama’s defensive presence in the paint and on the perimeter.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers took bragging rights in LA with a 112–104 win over the Lakers. The Clips jumped out to a 36–29 first‑quarter lead and led 64–47 at half-time, then did enough to hold off a late Lakers push despite losing the second half 57–48.

Luka Dončić leads the Lakers’ fightback

The Lakers were led by Luka Dončić, who put up a typically stacked line:

32 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists.
51 PRA, 43 PR, 19 RA.
3 made threes and 3 steals.

He had help from:

LeBron James: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists (34 PRA, 28 PR, 11 RA) with 2 steals and a three.
Rui Hachimura: 12 points, 3 boards, 2 assists (17 PRA, 15 PR, 5 RA).
Jarred Vanderbilt: 7 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists (10 PRA, 8 PR, 3 RA) but a huge defensive outing with 4 steals and a block (5 steals+blocks, 5 tos+steals+blocks).
Norman Powell‑esque scorer role fell to Jake Laravia here: 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist (13 PRA) and a massive 7 in steals + blocks (4 blocks, 3 steals).

Marcus Smart also chipped in 10 points, 0 rebounds, 4 assists (14 PRA) and 2 steals.

Clippers bigs and stars get it done

The Clippers’ win came off balanced scoring and interior dominance:

Kawhi Leonard: 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists (33 PRA, 29 PR, 9 RA) with 3 made threes and a steal.
James Harden: 18 points, 7 boards, 10 assists (35 PRA, 25 PR, 17 RA) plus 2 steals.
Ivica Zubac: 18 points, 19 rebounds, 0 assists (37 PRA, 37 PR, 19 RA) – a monster double‑double on the glass.
John Collins: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist (19 PRA, 18 PR, 6 RA) with a three.
Kobe Sanders: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist (16 PRA, 15 PR, 5 RA) and 3 made threes.

Brook Lopez chipped in 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists (14 PRA), while Kris Dunn contributed 4 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists (9 PRA) and a steal. The Clippers’ frontcourt rebounding — led by Zubac’s 19 boards — helped close out possessions and secure a solid multi‑possession win.

Miami Heat vs Portland Trail Blazers

Portland turned in one of the most impressive offensive displays of the day, knocking off Miami 127–110 at home. The Blazers led 38–31 after the first quarter and clung to a 64–63 lead at the half, before breaking it open with a 39–29 third term and cruising through a 24–18 fourth.

Shaedon Sharpe and a deep Blazers rotation light it up

Portland’s attack was relentless and well‑rounded:

Shaedon Sharpe: 27 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists (37 PRA, 34 PR, 10 RA) with 5 made threes and 4 steals.
Deni Avdija: 20 points, 7 boards, 4 assists (31 PRA, 27 PR, 11 RA) and 2 threes.
Toumani Camara: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists (30 PRA, 24 PR, 14 RA) with 3 triples and a steal.
Caleb Love: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists (28 PRA, 24 PR, 8 RA) and 4 threes.
Donovan Clingan: 7 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists (17 PRA, 15 PR, 10 RA) with a block and a steal.
Robert Williams III: 4 points, 10 boards, 0 assists (14 PRA, 14 PR, 10 RA) and 3 blocks, 1 steal (4 steals+blocks).

Jerami Grant added 12 points, while Sidy Cissoko (6 pts, 3 rebs) rounded out a rotation that constantly applied pressure to Miami’s defence from deep and on the glass.

Bam leads the way for Miami

The Heat got a massive night from Bam Adebayo:

32 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists (44 PRA, 42 PR, 12 RA).
3 steals and a block (4 steals+blocks, 7 tos + steals + blocks).
Even knocked down a three.

He was well supported by:

Andrew Wiggins: 14 points, 6 boards, 3 assists (23 PRA, 20 PR, 9 RA) with 3 steals.
Simone Fontecchio: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists (24 PRA, 21 PR, 7 RA) and 3 threes.
Norman Powell: 18 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist (19 PRA, 18 PR).
Pelle Larsson: 6 points, 3 boards, 6 assists (15 PRA, 9 PR, 9 RA).

Dru Smith (4 points, 4 boards, 2 assists; 10 PRA) and Myron Gardner (7 points, 3 boards, 1 assist; 11 PRA) added depth, but Miami’s defence simply couldn’t contain Portland’s barrage of shooting and second‑chance creation.

Wrapping it all up & what it means for punters

From Embiid and Maxey’s dominance in Philly, to Wembanyama’s two‑way masterclass in Utah, Luka Dončić’s near triple‑double in LA and Bam Adebayo’s monster line in a losing effort, this slate was packed with big performances and high totals. A stack of overs on PRA, rebounds and threes got home, while some teams clearly signalled their offensive intent and rotation priorities.

If you’re looking to turn this kind of detail into an edge, you need to know where the value is before the odds move. That’s where our odds comparison tool comes in – it lets you line up prices from multiple bookies in seconds, so you can pounce on the best number for sides, totals and player markets.

Before you bet on the next round of NBA games, make sure you:

Check recent PRA, PR and RA trends like the ones above.
Use our odds comparison to find the top price on your preferred markets.
Avoid settling for under‑market odds when you can get better value elsewhere.

Take advantage of today’s insights and head over to our odds comparison tool before the next tip‑off to give yourself the best shot at beating the closing line.