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Rod Boone: Final: #Hornets 102, Pelicans 95 LaMelo 24 pts, 8 rebs, 5 asts Kon Knueppel 17 pts, 9 rebs, 2 asts Brandon Miller 16 pts, 8 rebs, 4 asts Grant Williams 16 pts, 9 rebs That's now seven straight for first time since 2016. Up next: at Houston on Thursday
Will Guillory: Final: Rockets 104, Hawks 86 Strong bounce-back for Houston after last night's collapse vs SA. Rockets outscored the Hawks 61-44 in the 2nd half. Hawks finish shooting 36.6 percent from the floor. Kevin Durant had 31 points. Jabari Smith had 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 5 blocks. Josh Okogie had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Rockets improve to 29-17.
The Bulls front office remained active in trade talks on Tuesday, with Coby White still the piece most frequently discussed, according to a source. Minnesota and Houston are still in the mix, but it’s not just a two-team race with the Feb. 5 trade deadline approaching quickly.
Mark Berman: Tremendous comeback for the Rockets, beating the Spurs 111-106. Houston was down 14 late third before going on a 13-0 run that led to the victory. Rockets have won three consecutive. Reed Sheppard with 21 points in 29 minutes. Largest comeback of the season after being down 16.
Timberwolves PR: SCHEDULE UPDATE: the @Timberwolves game at Detroit on 4/2 will now air on @NBAonPrime with a time change to 6 pm CT. Also the Wolves game at Houston on 4/10 will now air on Prime with a time change to 8:30 pm CT. Both games will still be shown locally on @FanDuelSN_NOR.
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Houston, according to team sources, has had discussions with around half the league — with more incoming and outgoing calls expected over the next 10 days as the Feb. 5 trade deadline draws closer — but doesn't have any firm offer in either direction that is cause for serious internal discussion. What they do have is an understanding of what they are willing to do and an inkling of what teams want. For instance, the Rockets received a number of calls surrounding Tari Eason prior to him becoming a starter, sources say — as well as inquiries on summer additions Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela — but nothing, as mentioned earlier, was concrete.
Brandon Rahbar: Thunder improve to 35-7. 5 straight wins. 2-0 vs Houston. Back to back 20+ blowouts over West contenders. SGA: 20 PTS/WHEW/2 BLK Chet: 18 PTS/9 REB/4 BLK JDub: 10 AST/0 TO Dort: 13 PTS/3-5 3PT Wallace: 8 PTS/3 STL Ajay: 17 PTS/3-4 3PT Next up: Heat in Miami on Saturday.
Houston, meanwhile, wanted Brooks to influence its young core. The Rockets banked that Brooks' toughness and work ethic would set the tone, alongside fellow free agent acquisition Fred VanVleet and recently hired head coach Ime Udoka, as the franchise's rebuild entered what owner Tilman Fertitta termed as "Phase II." After dwelling in or near the West cellar the previous three years, the Rockets made a leap to 41-41 in 2023-24 and 52-30 last season. Brooks embraced his role as a mentor and defensive menace, accepting that he was usually the fifth offensive option in Houston's starting lineup. "He helped change the culture over here," said Rockets guard Amen Thompson, a rising star who was a rookie when Brooks arrived in Houston. "I feel like Houston loves him. They embrace him and that's my guy. That's like a big brother to me."
Logistics-wise, Houston had come from Portland on Friday and needed to stay at least two nights in northern California. While it’s not clear to me what shut them out over the weekend since the Lakers and Knicks didn’t arrive until Sunday, I’ll note one other thing: The Rockets likely stayed in the hotel of choice for NBA teams in San Francisco, the St. Regis, and that place is niiiiiice. Teams also typically get in a practice at a health club two blocks away when they stay in San Francisco. Houston likely made this decision several months ago. Teams typically book all their rooms for the season as soon as the schedule comes out; they also sign contracts with all their preferred hotels in their own conference that guarantee playoff availability and, thus, avoid mad, chaotic scrambles in April and May.
Finally, let’s talk about one deep dark horse: Brooklyn. With one trusted league source telling me that Michael Porter Jr. is a lock to move by the deadline so the Nets can sell high on his career year, it makes sense for the Nets to figure out who will be the centerpiece of their franchise a year from now. Remember, Brooklyn owes a pick swap to Houston in 2027 and thus has no incentive to tank next season. They need some players.
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Sean Highkin: Jrue Holiday is listed as”Doubtful” for tomorrow vs. Houston. First time he’s been listed as anything other than “Out” in seven weeks.
Duane Rankin: "No excuses." Phoenix Suns coach Jordan Ott on the team having mechanical issues with the plane that delayed their trip to Houston. Arrived at hotel at 2 p.m. today. "I've never arrived that late." #Suns #Rockets
"No excuses."
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 5, 2026
Phoenix Suns coach Jordan Ott on the team having mechanical issues with the plane that delayed their trip to Houston.
Arrived at hotel at 2 p.m. today.
"I've never arrived that late." #Suns #Rockets
Duane Rankin: Suns coach Jordan Ott injury updates: Grayson Allen (knee). Ott said his response to Saturday's 5-on-5 was great and they're hopeful he'll return Monday at Houston in 2nd of back-to-back. Jalen Green (hamstring) Ott said he's making progress and getting close to on-court action against "bodies." Mark Williams. Ott said the plan is for him to play 2nd of back-to-back Monday at Houston, but they want to see how today's game goes for him. #Suns
