NBA Recaps January 21
Some nights you think you’ll just half-watch League Pass while doing dishes. Then a random Wednesday like this one hits, and suddenly the dishes can wait. January 21 brought a little bit of everything: historic blowouts, star power, and a couple of games that had real “text your friend in all caps” energy.
Mitchell vs Miller In Charlotte Thriller
The Cavs jumped all over the Hornets early, building a 21-point first-quarter lead behind a locked-in Donovan Mitchell, who poured in 24 and controlled the tempo. Cleveland’s defense smothered Charlotte, holding them to just 32 first-half points and forcing tough looks all night.
Charlotte refused to fold, riding Brandon Miller’s 24 and a big 21-and-11 night from Kon Knueppel to chip away and make it interesting late. Still, the Cavs’ early cushion held up, and Cleveland walked out with a 94–87 road win that felt closer than the box score suggested.
Celtics Punch Back Against Pacers
Boston looked like a team that heard all the chatter after their last loss and took it personally. Jaylen Brown came out firing with 30 points, while Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta each added 17 to fuel a 119–104 bounce-back win over Indiana.
The Celtics built a 23-point first-half lead and never really let the Pacers get comfortable, even when Indiana tried to surge in the third behind Pascal Siakam’s 32. It was one of those games where, if you glanced away to answer a text, another Boston three had probably just dropped.
Knicks Embarrass Nets In Historic Blowout
If you’ve ever been on the wrong side of a rec league blowout, you know how the Nets felt here. The Knicks snapped a four-game skid by absolutely crushing Brooklyn 120–66, the largest margin of victory in franchise history at plus-54.
Jalen Brunson led with a smooth 20, while Landry Shamet turned MSG into his personal shooting clinic, going 6-for-6 from deep for 18 points. New York led by as many as 59 and never let up, extending its dominance in this in-city rivalry to 13 straight wins over the Nets.
Hawks Edge Grizzlies In Wild Finish
Atlanta-Memphis was the kind of back-and-forth game that makes you forget what you were supposed to be doing before you turned it on. Jalen Johnson put up a monster 32 points and 15 boards, including the go-ahead bucket in the final minute, as the Hawks escaped with a 124–122 win.
Luke Kennard stayed hot early, drilling his first six shots and finishing with 18 while Onyeka Okongwu added strong interior scoring. Memphis kept trading punches, but Atlanta snapped a four-game skid by staying poised in the final possessions—exactly the kind of win a fan base clings to in January.
Red-Hot Pistons Stun Pelicans Again
Remember when Detroit was just a “fun young team”? That label might be outdated. The Pistons handled the Pelicans 112–104, their seventh win in eight games, behind Jalen Duren’s 20 points and 15 rebounds and a steady 17 from Daniss Jenkins.
Detroit led basically wire to wire, with Duncan Robinson tossing in 15 off the bench to keep the offense humming. New Orleans made pushes, but the Pistons’ physicality and confidence looked very real—this isn’t just a cute little run anymore.
SGA And Thunder Dominate Bucks
Oklahoma City went into Milwaukee short-handed and still made a statement, blowing out the Bucks 122–102. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was ridiculous: 40 points on 16-of-19 shooting, plus 11 assists and seven boards, looking every bit like an MVP frontrunner.
Ajay Mitchell and Kenrich Williams each chipped in 18 as the Thunder forced eight turnovers in the first quarter alone and never let the lead dip below 14. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 19 and 14, but Milwaukee’s sloppy start and turnover issues dug a hole they never climbed out of.
Raptors Flip Script On Kings
Toronto walked into Sacramento, looked rough for a half… then detonated in the third. Scottie Barnes scored 23 with 14 coming in that explosive quarter, and Brandon Ingram matched him with 23 as the Raptors outscored the Kings 43–21 in the third on the way to a 122–109 win.
Sandro Mamukelashvili added 22 and nine, helping Toronto grab its first win in Sacramento in almost three years. Russell Westbrook’s 23 led a Kings team missing Domantas Sabonis, but a third-quarter collapse and now a three-game skid have Sacramento searching for answers again.
