Honestly, if you missed the NBA action on Saturday night, January 17, 2026, you missed a bizarre mix of absolute blowouts and "don’t-blink" finishes. We’re deep enough into the season now where the standings are actually starting to matter, and last night felt like a turning point for a few teams.
Whether you're tracking the defending champ Oklahoma City Thunder or wondering why the Lakers are suddenly looking like they forgot how to defend the perimeter, Saturday delivered. The league is fast right now. Scoring is high. If you want to know who won last night basketball game nba, the answer isn't just one team—it’s a handful of contenders making statements and some pretenders falling flat on their faces.
The Big Ones: Heat Topple the Champs and Boston’s 52-Point Quarter
The headline of the night has to be down in Miami. The Heat took down the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-120 in a game that felt like a playoff preview. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was his usual unstoppable self, dropping 39 points, but it wasn't enough to stop Bam Adebayo.
Bam was out of his mind. He didn't just play elite defense; he hit a career-best six 3-pointers on his way to 30 points. It’s kinda terrifying when a guy with his defensive gravity starts hitting from deep. Andrew Wiggins (the Miami version) iced it with a three with about 30 seconds left. OKC is still sitting pretty at 35-8, but Miami proved they can punch upward when they need to.
Meanwhile, in Atlanta, the Boston Celtics decided to turn a professional basketball game into a layup line. They beat the Hawks 132-106, but that score doesn't even tell the whole story.
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In the second quarter alone, Boston scored 52 points.
Read that again. Fifty-two points in twelve minutes.
Sam Hauser went nuclear, hitting 10 threes in the game for 30 points. Jaylen Brown added 41. It’s clear that since the Hawks traded Trae Young to the Wizards, they are a team searching for an identity, and the Celtics were more than happy to exploit that vacuum.
Rounding Out the Scoreboard: Who Else Won Last Night?
If you were looking for a close game, you probably stayed away from Detroit. The Pistons—yes, the first-place Detroit Pistons—absolutely demolished the Indiana Pacers 121-78.
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It’s 2026, and the Pistons are on a 60-win pace. That’s not a typo. They held the Pacers to under 80 points in a modern NBA game, which is basically impossible.
Over in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors handled the Charlotte Hornets 136-116. It wasn't really a "Steph Curry night" (he only had 14), but De'Anthony Melton led the way with 24. The Warriors set a weirdly specific record too: they’ve now had 10 different players make a three-pointer in three straight games. That's the longest streak in NBA history. It’s basically "Everyone Eats" basketball out there.
Saturday Night Results at a Glance:
- Miami Heat 122, Oklahoma City Thunder 120 (Bam Adebayo: 30 pts, 6 3PM)
- Boston Celtics 132, Atlanta Hawks 106 (Jaylen Brown: 41 pts)
- Portland Trail Blazers 132, LA Lakers 116 (Lakers continue to struggle)
- Detroit Pistons 121, Indiana Pacers 78 (A 43-point blowout!)
- Golden State Warriors 136, Charlotte Hornets 116 (23 made 3-pointers for GS)
- Denver Nuggets 121, Washington Wizards 115 (Jokic doing Jokic things)
- Phoenix Suns 106, New York Knicks 99 (Devin Booker returned with 27 pts)
- San Antonio Spurs 126, Minnesota Timberwolves 123 (Wemby vs. Ant lived up to the hype)
The Lakers' Defensive Crisis
We have to talk about Portland. The Blazers beating the Lakers 132-116 at the Moda Center is becoming a bit of a pattern. The Lakers are in a "severe slump," as the beat writers like to put it.
Defensively, they were a sieve last night. Portland took 132 points off them without even needing a superstar performance. It was just death by a thousand cuts. Media pressure is mounting on the Lakers’ coaching staff because, with the talent on that roster, they shouldn't be getting bullied by a Portland team that is hovering around the Play-In bubble.
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Portland moved to 20-22, while the Lakers fell to 24-15. That might sound okay for LA, but they’ve lost a string of games where they looked completely disengaged on the defensive end.
Actionable Insights for Your Picks
If you're looking at these results to inform your next moves—whether that's for your fantasy league or just winning an argument at the bar—keep a few things in mind.
First, watch the Pistons. They aren't a fluke. Their defensive rating is legitimately historic right now. If they're playing a team that relies on a single scoring option, they are going to smother them.
Second, the Celtics’ bench is deeper than it’s ever been. When guys like Sam Hauser can drop 30 on 10 threes, it doesn't matter if Tatum or Brown has an off night. They have too many weapons for most East teams to handle.
Lastly, keep an eye on Devin Booker’s health. He returned from that ankle sprain last night to lead the Suns over the Knicks. Phoenix looked lost without him in Detroit earlier this week. They are a completely different animal when he’s on the floor, even when his shot isn't falling perfectly (he was 7 for 18 but lived at the free-throw line).
Check the injury reports for Monday's MLK Day games. With several teams playing back-to-backs or traveling across time zones after these Saturday games, "load management" might rear its head. For now, the Heat and Pistons are the big winners of the weekend, proving that the old guard and the new rising powers are in for a collision course this spring.