A floater’s roll, sealed with a kiss.

And a historic heater that you don’t wanna miss.

Monday’s Best: OT thriller in Memphis, Houston takes West lead, Luka breaks more records

More West Wins: SGA hangs 43, Steph erupts again, Spurs extend streak, Blazers stay balling

East Heat: Sixers stars shine, Cade powers Pistons, Knicks respond in 4th quarter

Roundup: Dybantsa delivers, LaMelo lifts Wolves, NAW pops off, Raptors rally, Kings win

Election Day Is Here: Make your voice heard as the NBA pauses play to encourage voting

BUT FIRST … ⏰

U.S. Election Day: The NBA pauses play today to encourage civic participation as Americans head to the polls for the 2026 midterms. Visit the NBA’s Election Day Hub for additional voting resources, and see Section 5 for more on the league’s efforts.

Play resumes Wednesday with 14 games, headlined by an ESPN doubleheader: 76ers-Pistons (7 ET), Mavericks-Spurs (9:30 ET).

Russ To The Rafters: The Thunder announced they will retire Russell Westbrook’s No. 0 on Feb. 7 against the defending champion Knicks, honoring the 2016-17 Kia MVP after 11 seasons with OKC.

1. MONDAY’S BEST: PELS EDGE GRIZZ IN OT, ROCKETS RISE, LUKA DAZZLES

The NBA’s last unbeaten team went down Monday night. But it took more than 48 minutes to knock them off.

Pelicans 135, Grizzlies 134 (OT): With Memphis seeking its first 7-0 start in franchise history, Ty Jerome went off, dropping 40 points on 14-for-22 shooting, including a personal 9-0 closing run in the final 1:43 to force extra basketball.

But Zion Williamson (25 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast) and the Pels gutted out a win in a back-and-forth overtime, surviving Jerome’s heroics to hand Memphis its first loss (6-1). | Recap

• Late Drama: Jerome (5 reb, 5 ast, 5 3s) scored 8 points in OT, including a go-ahead and-1 with 18 seconds left, but Jeremiah Fears retook the lead for NOLA with a pair of late free throws, and the Pels stood tall on the game’s final possession
• “The ability to find a way down the stretch … that’s what I’m most proud of,” said Pelicans coach Jamahl Mosley postgame. “The resiliency, the toughness, the grit that these guys showed – that’s what it’s gotta look like.”
• Pels Flock: Zion led all players with 9 points in the extra frame, while Karlo Matković (career-high 25 pts) and Derik Queen (20 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) each finished with 20+
• Ode To Jerome: Jerome recorded just one 30-point game in his first seven NBA seasons. He’s already done it three times in six games this year

As Memphis went down for the first time, the Rockets kept rising.

Rockets 109, Celtics 93: Houston entered the night as the only team with eight players averaging double figures and leaned on that balance to hand Boston its first loss since its season opener, with eight Rockets scoring 8+ points.

Alperen Sengun (26 pts, 7 reb, 10 ast) led the way, while Marcus Smart starred defensively against his former team, helping the Rockets hold the C’s under 100 points for the first time this season. | Recap

• New No. 1: With the win, Houston (7-1) leapfrogged Memphis for 1st place in the West, with both teams tied for the NBA’s best plus-minus (+12.9)

As the Rockets ascended, Luka Dončić continued to reach new heights.

Lakers 138, Heat 117: Less than 24 hours after posting an unprecedented stat line, Luka rewrote more records, racking up 42 points, 13 dimes, 7 boards and 6 treys as the Lakers sprinted past Giannis Antetokounmpo (30 pts, 12 reb, 7 ast) and Miami for their second win in two nights. | Recap

• Historic Heater: It’s Dončić’s fifth straight game with 35+ pts, 5+ reb, 5+ ast and 5+ 3s, matching Damian Lillard (Jan. 2020) for the longest such streak in NBA history
• Absurd Averages: Over those five games, Luka is averaging a ridiculous 43.4 pts, 8.6 ast, 8.4 reb and 6.8 3s per game, capped by 40-pieces on back-to-back nights
• Generational Problem: To top it off? Monday marked his 19th career game with 40+ points, 10+ dimes and 5+ triples, passing James Harden (18) for the most all-time

2. MORE WEST WINS: SGA & STEPH TAKE OVER, SPURS & BLAZERS STAY HOT

Two more former scoring champions took over Monday with timely outbursts.

Thunder 117, Cavaliers 112: In a game that featured an NBA season-high 23 lead changes, the reigning Kia Clutch Player of the Year – and back-to-back Kia MVP – delivered the decisive swing, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (43 pts, 8 ast) buried a tiebreaking 3 with 33 ticks left to lift OKC over Cleveland. | Recap

• Taking Charge: SGA scored 26 points in the 2nd half, 13 in each quarter, while matching his career-high with 35 FGA to help snap the shorthanded Thunder’s two-game skid
• “There’s certain nights, when you have a player like that, when you just kind of unleash them,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault of SGA postgame. “And he had it going.”

Warriors 116, Suns 113: Back from a one-game absence, Steph Curry picked up right where he left off (34 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast), erupting for an 18-point 3rd quarter as Golden State rallied past Devin Booker (26 pts, 5 ast) and Phoenix for its fifth straight dub. | Recap

• 3rd-Quarter Blitz: With the Warriors down six at the half, Curry turned up, going 4-for-5 from deep to spark a 42-point barrage from Golden State, which held off a late Phoenix push to move to 5-3
• 30 For 30: Curry has dropped 30+ points in three straight games (44, 31, 34), climbing to 2nd in the NBA in scoring (30 ppg)
• More Dubs: After a monster Sunday, Yaxel Lendeborg tallied 16 points and 5 dimes, while Brandin Podziemski scored 20

Also winners of five straight? The reigning West champs.

Spurs 119, Jazz 97: Seven Spurs reached double figures, powered by their young backcourt tandem of Dylan Harper (17 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast) and Stephon Castle (16 pts, 4 ast), as San Antonio rolled past Utah to move to 5-2 after an 0-2 start. | Recap

• Wemby’s Way: Victor Wembanyama, the Western Conference Player of the Week for Week 2, added 12 points, 11 boards, 5 dimes and 3 blocks in the win

Blazers 118, Nuggets 110: Jamal Murray (35 pts, 6 ast) and Nikola Jokić (26 pts, 9 reb, 8 ast, 4 stl) put on a show in Mile High, but the Blazers came out on top, climbing out of a 14-point 1st-half hole to edge Denver. | Recap

• Blazing Hot: Deni Avdija (28 pts, 5 ast) and Damian Lillard (20 pts, 6 ast) powered Portland’s attack, which ranks 4th in scoring (120.2 ppg)
• Two-Way Trouble: Donovan Clingan (17 pts, 18 reb, 4 blk) and Jrue Holiday (17 pts, 10 ast) delivered on both ends, helping hold Denver to 38.5% from the field after halftime
• On The Up: Portland is now 5-1, sitting just a game back of Houston for 1st place in the West

3. EAST HEAT: SIXERS SHINE, PISTONS ROLL, KNICKS RESPOND

76ers 126, Bulls 107: Tyrese Maxey (26 pts, 11 ast), Jaylen Brown (25 pts, 11 reb) and VJ Edgecombe (21 pts) all scored 20+, with Maxey dropping 15 in the 4th as the Sixers pulled past Chicago for their fourth straight win, improving to an East-best 7-1. | Recap

• Philly Five: LeBron James (7 reb, 9 ast) and Joel Embiid (8 reb) added 15 points apiece as the Sixers’ starting five combined for 102
• Ty Time: Maxey, who ranks 3rd in the NBA in scoring (29.1 ppg), leads the league with 88 4th-quarter points – 26 more than the next closest player (Ty Jerome: 62)
• Rookie Shine: No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson paced Chicago with a big all-around night (24 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl)

Pistons 124, Hornets 91: Detroit’s top-rated defense held Charlotte to just 38.1% from the field, while Cade Cunningham took over on both ends (33 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast, 5 stl) as the Pistons secured their third straight dub to move to 6-1. | Recap

• DBo From Deep: Duncan Robinson added 24 points on 6-for-9 shooting from 3. He now has four games with 5+ triples this season, trailing only Luka (6)

Knicks 103, Nets 90: Down four after three quarters, the Knicks opened the 4th on a 25-5 run to take control, racing past the rival Nets to earn a timely win. Landry Shamet led the way with 22 points on four 3s, while Karl-Anthony Towns added a double-double (11 pts, 16 reb). | Recap

4. ROUNDUP: DYBANTSA, NAW & BALL SHOW OUT, RAPTORS & KINGS WIN

Wizards 103, Magic 94: The high-flying connection between AJ Dybantsa (21 pts, 5 reb) and Trae Young continues to grow, while Anthony Davis continues to eat (27 pts, 9 reb, 4 stl) as the Wiz earned their second straight win to move to 4-3. | Recap

• New Era, Strong Start: Young tallied 15 points and 9 dimes, helping Washington move above .500 through seven games for the first time in five years

Hawks 108, Pacers 104: A six-man Pacers rotation gave the Hawks everything they could handle, but there was no cooling down Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who drilled nine 3s en route to a game-high 34 points as Atlanta held off Indy. | Recap

Wolves 112, Bucks 100: LaMelo Ball (34 pts, 6 3s) netted 24 points in the 1st half on five treys, before Minnesota used a 16-5 run to take control early in the 4th, riding another strong defensive effort for its fifth win in eight games. | Recap

• Minny Clamps: The Wolves, who rank 2nd in defensive rating (104.6), have held their opponents to 106 points or fewer in all five of their wins

Raptors 125, Clippers 118: Down as many as 16, Scottie Barnes (22 pts, 15 reb, 8 ast) gave Toronto its first lead of the game with 2:08 left, before RJ Barrett (26 pts) added a clutch lead-extending layup in the final minute as the Raptors chased down the Clippers for a late W. | Recap

Kings 115, Mavericks 100: After back-to-back 30-balls, rookie Darius Acuff Jr. stayed hot for Sacramento with 25 points and 6 dimes, as the Kings used a 61-47 2nd half to outlast Cooper Flagg (17 pts, 6 ast) and the Mavs for their first win of the season. | Recap

5. U.S. ELECTION DAY IS HERE: MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

After all 30 teams took the court Monday, the NBA pauses play today for Election Day, encouraging Americans to make their voices heard at the ballot box.

As NBA.com’s Ben Lambert details, the league’s 2026 Get In The Game. VOTE campaign brings together players, coaches and teams to promote civic participation, with efforts spanning social media, community outreach and more. | NBA Election Day Hub

• Getting Involved: Thunder guard Jared McCain created a public service announcement for the campaign, lending his skills as a TikTok creator to the initiative
• Team Effort: Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff joined Duncan Robinson and Taurean Prince for a “Teammate Talk” about the importance of voting and making an impact in the community

Basketball returns Wednesday. Today is about making your voice heard.