Nightly Pulse: NBA News & Highlights from February 11

On By Littum

tuesday night hoops

toronto squeeze down

Raptors have jumped out to a 26-18 lead over Philadelphia with the first quarter in the books.

They held the 76s to 33.3% shooting in the first frame while converting on 47.4% of their own buckets.

The leader of Toronto has been Scottie Barnes with nine points, which also has a steal and a block, and Immanuel Quickley, which has set eight points.

Ready to make history

With Kevin Durant only 26 points shy to be the eighth person to join the 30K club, look back at some of the best buckets in his career below,

Also worth noting if he gets the 26 points needed for 30k tonight, he will tie Kareem to the third-best games played to reach 30k points. Only Wilt Chamberlin and Michael Jordan have done it faster.

Game notes

  1. Both Toronto and Philadelphia are driving on losing stripes on their way into tonight’s matchup. Joel Embiid back from a monthly absence has not yet paid dividends for Sixers who are 1-2 in the games he has played since returning in the lineup. Given that the team has spent most of the season without at least one of Embiid or Paul George on the floor, it may take some time to find their grooves. Tonight against 16-37 raptors would be a pristine opportunity for Philadelphia to get back in the victory column.
  2. Knicks and Pacers are fighting for the third time this season. They shared the two previous matchups, where the homeland earned the victory in each case. The strong game of Indiana from late has moved them up to No. 4 seeds, a place under their opponent tonight. However, New York has a 4.5-game buffer that Pacers will work to shrink this evening.
  3. The stamps go to Chicago for back-to-back games in the windy city before the All-Star break. Bulls got the best from Detroit in an 18th November match, then pistons responded with a win over Chicago nine days ago. Bulls will try to finish a two-match’s losing row and hold their land to the final play-in-place in the east, while a victory for the stamps would push them closer to the No. 5 place while winning a firmer grip on no . 6 seeds they currently have.
  4. Kevin Durant returns to action tonight after a three-game absence and will be looking to create history in the process. The 16-year-old pro is only 26 points shy to become the eighth player to score 30,000 points in their careers. Given KD, an average of 26.9 points per Fight this season that that bang is good within reach when he takes the floor against Memphis.