Image Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images

NBA Daily Recap, February 21 – Ja Morant’s 4th quarter burst, Heat snap losing streak, Cavs rout Knicks and more

Let's take a look at what happened on Friday in the NBA.

Image Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Here’s the NBA Daily Recap for Feb. 21, 2025, where we witnessed nine matchups. It was another hectic day in the NBA following the All-Star break. Few results affected the playoff seeding.

From Khris Middleton’s Wizards debut against the former team to the Cavaliers going past Knicks in battle of NBA East elite, let’s go through the key highlights from the NBA action on Friday.

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Magic 104-105 Grizzlies

Ja Morant’s game-changing layup in the clutch time helped the Memphis Grizzlies to edge out the Orland Magic. Morant scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and Banchero’s final drive was also blocked by Jaren Jackson. Desmond Bane scored 16 points and seven rebounds. Franz Wagner paced the Magic with 25 points while Banchero added 21. Cole Anthony contributed 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

JA MORANT HOW DID YOU GET THIS TO FALL???

TIE GAME IN ORLANDO IN CRUNCH TIME! pic.twitter.com/3qvQAcxqEb
— NBA (@NBA) February 22, 2025

Wizards 101-104 Bucks

Khris Middleton’s debut was spoiled by Kyle Kuzma, who scored 19 points in his return to Washington. Milwaukee Bucks edged out the Washington Wizards in a close encounter. Middleton missed a key 3-pointer in final seconds. Antetokounmpo scored 18 points before fouling out with 3:36 remaining. Rookie Alex Sarr added a career-high 22 points for the Wizards, who lost all games in their five-game homestand.

Khris Middleton's first bucket as a Wizard 🪄

MIL-WAS on NBA League Pass! pic.twitter.com/DJPgLFHRsD
— NBA (@NBA) February 22, 2025

Cavaliers 142-105 Knicks

Donovan Mitchell’s 27 points and Evan Mobley’s 21 helped the Cleveland Cavaliers rout the New York Knicks in battle of NBA East elite. Cavs won their sixth straight and improved to 46-10. Jalen Brunson added 26 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 for the Knicks, who witnessed their one of the biggest defeats of the season. Cavs’ Darius Garland hit his head on the floor but stayed in the game.

Raptors 111-120 Heat (OT)

Miami Heat defeated the Toronto Raptors in overtime to snap a four-game skid. Tyler Herro scored 28 points and Andrew Wiggins had 25. Bam Adebayo contributed 19 points and 12 rebounds. Davion Mitchell chipped in with 16 points and Duncan Robinson added 14. RJ Barrett led Toronto with 29 points and Immanuel Quickley added 23. Scottie Barnes scored 13 points and Gradey Dick dropped a career-high 10 rebounds.

Spurs 110-125 Pistons

Detroit Pistons squeezed past the Spurs for their fifth straight win. Cade Cunningham dropped 25 points and 12 assists and sparked a 19-0 run to assure the victory. Jalen Duren chipped in with 21 points and 15 rebounds while Tobias Harris had 22 for the Pistons. Malik Beasley added 16 points, including four 3-pointers. Keldon Johnson scored 28 and De’Aaron Fox added 27 for the Spurs, who played consecutive games in Austin.

Mavericks 109-101 Pelicans

Kyrie Irving highlighted a 35-point performance against the Pelicans in Dallas Mavericks’ third straight win. PJ Washington Jr. scored 20 of his 24 points in the first half. Zion Williamson scored 29 points for the Pelicans and became the third fastest player to reach 5000 points. Trey Murphy III added 20 points and the New Orleans have lost 11 of their last 12.

Rockets 121-115 Timberwolves

Jalen Green scored 35 points and Houston Rockets outscored Minnesota Timberwolves in the final game of four-game road trip. Alperen Sengun added 24 points and 13 rebounds while Amen Thompson dropped 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Jabari Smith Jr added 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench on his return after injury. Anthony Edwards led the Wolves with 37 points on 13-of-32 shooting. Naz Reid added 22 points and Jaden McDaniels had 21. Nickeil Alexander-Walker dropped 16 points for Minnesota.

Jalen Green helped the Rockets take flight!

🚀 35 PTS
🚀 5 REB
🚀 4 AST
🚀 2 STL
🚀 5 3PM

Houston remains in the top 4 out West 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7oAZjdBYMe
— NBA (@NBA) February 22, 2025

Jazz 107-130 Thunder

West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Utah Jazz for their eighth victory in nine games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points and Chet Holmgren chipped in with 20. Jalen Williams added 18 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 13 rebounds. John Collins led Utah with 26 points. Keyonte George dropped 20 points and Walker Kessler added 19 rebounds. Thunder held a 13-point lead in the opening quarter and never trailed in the game.

Kings 106-132 Warriors

The Warriors held a 20-point lead in the second quarter and it proved decisive in their 132-106 win over the Kings. Buddy Hield and Moses Moody each scored 22 points. Brandin Podziemski scored 21 points, and Stephen Curry had 20. Curry also tied with Michael Jordan for the most games with 20 or more points by a guard after turning 35. DeMar DeRozan paced Sacramento with 34 points. Domantas Sabonis added 14 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. Markelle Fultz finished with eight points in his debut with the Kings.

Stephen Curry's 700th career 20-point game ⚡️

He has become the 21st player in NBA history and first in franchise history to reach this. pic.twitter.com/raJOrJUJXp
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 22, 2025

Image Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.