Durant's 26 points lead Rockets over Clippers 102-95

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 26 points and Alperen Sengun added 22 to help the Houston Rockets to a 102-95 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

Houston led by six points at the start the fourth period and scored the first seven points of the quarter to extend its lead to 85-72 with 10 ½ minutes remaining. Kawhi Leonard made two free throws, but the Rockets scored the next four points to extend the lead.

The Rockets were up by 12 later in the fourth when Durant stole the ball from Brook Lopez, and Reed Sheppard made an off-balance 3-pointer to make it 92-77 with about 6 ½ minutes to go.

Houston remained up by 15 about a minute later when Los Angeles coach Tyronn Lue cleared his bench.

Leonard led the Clippers with 24 points after scoring 41 in a blowout win in December in the last meeting between the teams. Los Angeles made 20 3-pointers in that 128-108 victory, but was just 8 for 30 from long range on Tuesday.

Jabari Smith Jr. had 13 points and 11 rebounds and Amen Thompson added 16 points for the Rockets in his return after sitting out of Saturday’s win over Oklahoma City because of an illness.

A 3-pointer by Jordan Miller cut the lead to two points late in the third before Sengun scored the last two baskets of the quarter to put the Rockets up 78-72 entering the fourth.

Bennedict Mathurin had nine points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes in his first game since a trade from Indiana last week. Darius Garland, acquired in the trade that sent James Harden to Cleveland, remains out with a toe injury.

The teams meet again Wednesday night in Houston in their last game before the All-Star break.

AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA

Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (30) blocks a shot by Los Angeles Clippers guard Kobe Sanders (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/ Karen Warren)

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and Los Angeles Clippers center Brook Lopez (11) reach for the rebound during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/ Karen Warren)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Jordan Miller (22) reacts as he loses control of the ball against Houston Rockets' Dorian Finney-Smith (2) and Clint Capela during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/ Karen Warren)

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) controls the ball against Los Angeles Clippers forward John Collins (20) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/ Karen Warren)

CHICAGO (AP) — Cardi B was part of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show. What she did exactly, well, that turned into a perplexing question for two major prediction markets.

At least one Kalshi trader filed a complaint with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over how the prediction market handled Sunday's appearance by the Grammy-winning rapper. The result of a similar event contract on Polymarket also drew the ire of some users on that platform.

Prediction markets provide an opportunity to trade — or wager — on the result of future events. The markets are comprised of typically yes-or-no questions called event contracts, with the prices connected to what traders are willing to pay, which theoretically indicates the perceived probability of an event occurring.

The buy-in for each contract ranges from $0 to $1 each, reflecting a 0% to 100% chance of what traders think could happen.

More than $47.3 million was wagered on Kalshi’s market for “ Who will perform at the Big Game? ” A Polymarket contract had more than $10 million in volume.

Cardi B joined singers Karol G and Young Miko and actors Jessica Alba and Pedro Pascal on a starry front porch during the halftime spectacle. She danced to the music, but it was unclear whether she was singing along during the show, which included performances by Ricky Martin and Lady Gaga.

Due to “ambiguity over whether or not Cardi B’s attendance at the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show constituted a qualifying ‘performance,’” Kalshi cited one of its rules in settling the market at the last price before trading was paused: $0.74 for No holders and $0.26 for Yes holders. The platform returned all the money to its users.

Polymarket's contract was resolved as Cardi B had performed, but the yes was disputed. A final decision on the contract is expected to be announced on Wednesday.

In the CFTC complaint — first reported by the Event Horizon newsletter and posted by Front Office Sports — the trader alleges that Kalshi violated the Commodity Exchange Act with how it resolved the Cardi B contract. The trader — a Yes holder — is seeking $3,700.

A message was left Tuesday night seeking more information from the CFTC.

The Super Bowl capped a big NFL season for prediction markets.

Kalshi reported a daily record high of more than $1 billion in total trading volume on the day of the game, an increase of more than 2,700% compared to last year's Super Bowl. The season-long total for all Super Bowl winner futures was $828.6 million, up more than 2,000% from last year.

The increased activity on Sunday caused some deposit issues. Kalshi co-founder Luana Lopes Lara posted on X on Monday that the “traffic spike was way bigger than our most optimistic forecasts.” She said the platform had reimbursed processing fees on the effected deposits and added credits to users who experienced delays.

Robinhood Markets highlighted the strength of its prediction markets when it announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full 2025 on Tuesday.

“I think we are just at the beginning of a prediction market super cycle that could drive trillions in annual volume over time,” CEO Vlad Tenev said during an earnings call. “This year is going to be a big year. Olympics are going on right now. World Cup coming in the summer.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

FILE - Cardi B attends the Balmain Spring/Summer 2025 collection presented in Paris on Sept. 25, 2024. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, File)