New Year's Day delivered exactly what NBA fans needed: blowouts, comebacks, and one very bloody Kawhi Leonard performance that reminded everyone the guy is still capable of destruction when healthy.
Five games. Clear winners. And a few storylines worth tracking as the league settles into 2026.
Heat 118, Pistons 112: Detroit's home dominance finally cracks
The Pistons came into Thursday having won five straight at Little Caesars Arena. That streak died at the hands of Norman Powell and a Miami team that refuses to go quietly.
Powell poured in 36 points. Bam Adebayo added 15 points and 14 rebounds. Jaime Jaquez Jr. contributed 19 points in a game where Miami led by as many as 22 in the second half before Detroit made things interesting.
Cade Cunningham did everything he could—31 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, shooting 17-of-18 from the free throw line. Marcus Sasser provided 18 points off the bench, continuing his recent hot streak. But the Pistons couldn't dig out of the hole they created.
Detroit pulled within two with 46.4 seconds remaining after Javonte Green hit a three. Then Jaquez hit a short jumper, Ausar Thompson turned it over, and Powell sealed it at the line. The Pistons drop to 25-9 but remain atop the Eastern Conference. Miami extends its winning streak to four.
"We did not come to play," J.B. Bickerstaff said afterward. "It's the identity of this team that we have to protect."
76ers 123, Mavericks 108: Maxey homecoming, Dallas freefall
Tyrese Maxey returned to Dallas—his hometown—and absolutely cooked the Mavericks. 34 points. 10 assists. 8 rebounds. Shot 14-of-24 with a mix of deep threes and surgical drives that Dallas had no answer for.
Joel Embiid added 22 points. Rookie VJ Edgecombe, playing 100 miles from his Baylor campus for the first time as a pro, scored 23 points two nights after hitting the game-winner in overtime against Memphis. Quentin Grimes—traded by Dallas last season in the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis swap—finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. He went 5-of-7 from deep in the fourth quarter to ice it.
Dallas is now 12-23 after losing four straight. Anthony Davis returned from a two-game absence with an adductor issue and looked rusty, finishing with 13 points on 11-of-28 combined shooting with Cooper Flagg. The Mavericks shot 65% in the first quarter and 38% the rest of the way.
"That was Maxey creating those shots," Jason Kidd said. "When you have someone that dynamic, you're going to have to give up something. He's an All-Star."
Celtics 120, Kings 106: Brown's scoring tear continues
Jaylen Brown has scored 20 or more points in 12 of his last 15 games. Thursday was no different—29 points and 10 rebounds as Boston pulled away in the fourth quarter.
The Kings hung around for three quarters. DeMar DeRozan led Sacramento with 25 points. Dennis Schröder added 18. But the fourth quarter belonged to Boston, specifically Derrick White's clutch three-pointer that gave the Celtics a lead they never relinquished.
Sacramento held firm until Brown and White combined for 35 second-half points. The Kings shot 0-for-10 from three in the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook and Schröder combined to miss 12 three-point attempts. Sacramento falls to 8-26 and has lost nine of 11.
Boston improves to 21-12 and sits 3-1 on its five-game road trip. Brown fouled out late but the game was already decided by then.
Clippers 118, Jazz 101: Kawhi with 45 and a bloody nose
Kawhi Leonard finished with blood dripping from his nose. He also finished with 45 points, 20 of them in the fourth quarter when he was the only Clippers starter on the floor.
Los Angeles led by 21 in the first half, then watched it evaporate. Utah took a brief lead in the third quarter. Then Leonard remembered he's still Kawhi Leonard and ripped off seven straight threes in a fourth-quarter demolition.
James Harden contributed 20 points before sitting the entire fourth. Nicolas Batum hit four threes. The Clippers are 12-21 but have won six straight—their season-best streak. They were 6-21 on December 18th. They've doubled their win total in less than two weeks.
Utah was missing Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, Ace Bailey, and Jusuf Nurkic. Kyle Anderson and Brice Sensabaugh both scored 20+ but couldn't offset a team held together by tape and emergency call-ups.
"It's the league. Anybody can be beat," Tyronn Lue said before the game. He was right—though not in the way the Jazz hoped.
What it means heading into the weekend
Detroit remains the team to beat in the East despite Thursday's stumble. Philadelphia is playing its best basketball of the season with Embiid, Maxey, and George all healthy. Boston continues grinding, though the margin for error feels tighter than years past.
Dallas is a mess. 12-23 with a rookie point guard, a frustrated Anthony Davis, and no obvious path back to relevance this season. Sacramento isn't much better at 8-26.
And the Clippers? They might actually be good now. When Kawhi plays like this, everything changes.