Starting 5, March 26: Hawks' comeback proves no lead is safe

May your Tuesday be as smooth as this Donte DiVincenzo trey last night, good for a new Knicks record.

THE LINEUP

What’s inside today’s edition? 

Hawks stun Celtics: Atlanta pulled off the biggest comeback of the season to snap Boston’s win streak

Sabonis passes Love: Domantas Sabonis’ 54th straight double-double sets new mark, as Kings reach 6th

Donte for 3: Donte DiVincenzo hit a Knicks-record 11 treys for his first career 40-point game

Nuggets rolling: Denver improved to a league-best 15-2 since All-Star to build on their West lead

Tuesday preview: A four-game night, loaded with All-Stars (23) and postseason implications

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Last night’s scores & what to watch today.

Lakers-Bucks (7:30 ET, TNT): D’Angelo Russell’s season-high 44 points led the Lakers to a 123-122 win over Milwaukee on Mar. 8. Can they sweep the series, or will the Bucks win their seventh straight at home?

Mavs-Kings (10 ET, TNT): A pivotal matchup as both teams enter tonight tied at 42-29 and straddling the Playoff (No. 6 Kings via tiebreaker) and Play-In (No. 7 Mavs) line.

1. HAWKS STUN STREAKING CELTICS

The Hawks launch an epic comeback and erase a 30-point deficit to halt the Celtics and end Boston's 9-game win streak.

Hawks rally from 30 down: Trailing 68-38 with 4:23 left in the first half, the Hawks outscored the Celtics 82-50 from that point on to snap Boston’s nine-game win streak, 120-118.

De’Andre Hunter (24 pts, 4 3s) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (22 pts, 4 3s) combined for 46, while Dejounte Murray added 19 points and a season-high 15 assists. | Recap

  • Biggest Comeback: Atlanta’s rally from 30 points down is the largest comeback by any team this season. The Hawks also pulled off a 21-point rally against Minnesota on Oct. 30
  • Play-In Race (ATL ↔️): The Hawks remain 10th in the East, but move within 1.5 games of No. 9 Chicago
  • Playoff Race (BOS ↔️): The Celtics have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the East

Washington wins 3rd straight: Jordan Poole’s 23 points and double-doubles from Corey Kispert (19 pts, career-high 12 reb) and Richaun Holmes (14 pts, 15 reb) helped the Wizards earn a 107-105 win over Chicago for their first three-game win streak of the season. | Recap

  • Play-In Race (CHI ↔️): The Bulls remain ninth in the East, but have their lead over No. 10 Atlanta trimmed to 1.5 games

Rockets win 9th straight: Jalen Green (27 pts) led six Rockets in double figures as the Rockets rallied to extend their win streak to nine. Houston trailed by nine with 7:32 left in the third, but outscored Portland 55–28 the rest of the way for the 110-92 win. | Recap

  • Play-In Race (HOU ↔️): The Rockets remain 11th in the West, trimming the deficit behind No. 10 Golden State to a half-game

2. SABONIS PASSES LOVE, KINGS RISE TO 6TH IN WEST

Domantas Sabonis racks up 54th consecutive double-double to set post-merger record, finishes with 11 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists.

Kings climb to 6th in West: The Kings got 23 points apiece from De’Aaron Fox and Keegan Murray and a league-leading 25th triple-double (11 pts, 13 reb, 10 ast) from Domantas Sabonis to snap a 10-game losing streak to the Sixers, which dated back to Mar. 15, 2019. | Recap

  • Sabonis extends streak: With his 54th consecutive double-double, Sabonis passed Kevin Love (2010-11) for the longest double-double streak since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976-77
  • ️ Love responds: And counting…!!! Congrats to the new Double-Double
  • Party of five: Sabonis becomes the fifth player to record 25+ triple-doubles in a single season, joining Russell Westbrook (4x), Oscar Robertson (3x), Wilt Chamberlain and Nikola Jokic
  • Playoff Race (SAC ⬆️): The Kings climb from seventh to sixth in the West with their win coupled with Phoenix’s loss. Sacramento is tied with Dallas at 42-29, but holds the tiebreaker ahead of their two-game set later this week
  • Play-In Race (PHI ↔️): The Sixers remain eighth in the East, a half-game back of No. 7 Miami and 1.5 games back of No. 6 Indy

Mavs win 4th straight: Luka Doncic (29 pts, 12 reb, 13 ast) recorded his 19th triple-double of the season (and 75th of his career), while Kyrie Irving added 27 points to lead the Mavericks to a 115-105 win over the Jazz for their fourth in a row. | Recap

  • Luka Big O: Doncic joined Oscar Robertson as the only players to tally 75+ triple-doubles at 25 years old or younger
  • Play-In Race (DAL ⬆️): The Mavs rise from eighth to seventh in the West, a half-game up on No. 8 Phoenix and tied with No. 6 Sacramento

Spurs Avenge Saturday Loss: Two days after the Suns beat them by 25, the Spurs responded with a 104-102 win behind Jeremy Sochan (26 pts, career-high 18 reb, game-winning 3 with 29 seconds left) and Devin Vassell (26 pts, 7 ast). Devin Booker (game-high 36 pts) and Kevin Durant (29 pts) combined for 65 in the loss. | Recap

  • Playoff Race (PHX ⬇️): The Suns drop from sixth to eighth in the West with their loss combined with wins by No. 7 Dallas and No. 6 Sacramento. The Suns are a half-game back of both teams

3. DONTE’S 3-PT INFERNO LEADS KNICKS

Donte DiVincenzo etches his name in the Knicks' history books, scoring a franchise-record 11 3-pointers in the win over the Detroit Pistons.

DiVincenzo hits team-record 11 3s: Donte DiVincenzo posted career-highs of 40 points and 11 3s – besting the previous mark shared by Evan Fournier and JR Smith –  to lead the Knicks to a 124-99 win over Detroit.

Jalen Brunson added 28 points, while Josh Hart posted his sixth triple-double of the season (11 pts, 14 reb, 10 ast). | Recap

  • Playoff Race (NYK ↔️): The Knicks remain fourth in the East, a half-game behind No. 3 Cleveland and a game up on No. 5 Orlando

Cavs end 3-game slide: Cleveland got 17 points apiece from Evan Mobley (8 ast), Jarrett Allen (13 reb) and Georges Niang (5 3s) as the Cavs took control in the second quarter and never looked back. | Recap

  • Playoff Race (CLE ↔️): The Cavs remain third in the East, with a half-game lead on No. 4 New York

Pacers pull away in second half: The trio of Pascal Siakam (31 pts), Myles Turner (24 pts, 7 reb) and Tyrese Haliburton (21 pts, 9 ast) combined for 76 points to lead the Pacers to a 133-116 win over the Clippers. Indy outscored LA 68-54 in the second half. | Recap

  • Westbrook back: Russell Westbrook (14 pts, 7 ast, 18 min) returned after missing three weeks with a fractured hand
  • Playoff Race (LAC ⬇️): The Clippers drop from fourth to fifth in the West with the loss; they are tied with New Orleans at 44-27, but NOLA holds the head-to-head tiebreaker (3-1 season series)
  • Playoff Race (IND ↔️): The Pacers remain sixth in the East, moving within two games of No. 5 Orlando and holding a one-game lead over No. 7 Miami

4. DENVER NBA-BEST 15-2 SINCE ALL-STAR

Nuggets add to West lead: Nikola Jokic (29 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast in three quarters) fell two assists shy of his 23rd triple-double of the season, with two points coming off this outstanding ball movement sequence by the Nuggets, as Denver cruised to a 128-103 win over Memphis. | Recap

  • Jokic dunk: Known for his craftiness around the rim, Jokic unleashed a rare dunk during the win, giving him 13 on the season
  • Playoff Race (DEN ↔️): The Nuggets add to their lead in the West, now up a full game over OKC and 1.5 games on Minnesota

Schroder, Nets top Raptors: Dennis Schroder (19 pts, 7 ast) and Trendon Watford (19 pts, 7 reb) combined for 38 points to lead the Nets to a 96-88 win over the Raptors. Gary Trent Jr. (18 pts) and Javon Freeman-Liberty (career-high 15 pts) led the Raptors. | Recap

5. TUESDAY: 4 GAMES, 8 TEAMS, 23 ALL-STARS, PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS

Tuesday’s schedule may be light on games (four), but it’s heavy on star power (23 All-Stars, including eight from 2024) and every game has postseason implications.

Let’s break down what’s on the line for all eight teams involved.

Lakers-Bucks (7:30 ET, TNT)

  • Lakers: The Lakers are three games back of the final guaranteed playoff spot, with three teams to pass (Suns, Mavs and Kings) and only one head-to-head tiebreaker in their pocket (Suns). However, even if the Lakers can’t reach No. 6, getting into the 7 vs 8 Play-In will give them two chances to secure a playoff berth
  • Bucks: With Boston having clinched the top seed in the East, it’s all about holding onto No. 2 for Milwaukee. The Bucks lead the No. 3 Cavs by 2.5 games entering tonight

Mavs-Kings (10 ET, TNT)

  • Mavs: A win would lift the Mavs to sixth in the West and keep the season series alive heading into Friday’s rematch. If Dallas can split the season series, the next tiebreaker would be conference record, which favors the Kings now, but could change over the final weeks
  • Kings: A win gives the Kings a full-game lead on Dallas at No. 6 and clinches the season series (and head-to-head tiebreaker) as Sacramento would lead 3-0 with one game to play on Friday

Thunder-Pelicans (8 ET, NBA App)

  • Thunder: OKC is part of a three-team race for No. 1 in the West, where every win or loss can be the difference between first and third. With Denver’s win on Monday, OKC trails the Nuggets by a game
  • Pelicans: New Orleans enters tonight fourth in the West following the Clippers’ loss on Monday. The teams are tied at 44-27 but the Pelicans won the season series and hold the tiebreaker. A win tonight gives them slight separation from LA, while a loss would drop NOLA back to fifth

Warriors-Heat (7:30 ET, NBA App)

  • Warriors: The Rockets are breathing down the Warriors’ necks for the final Play-In berth, with Golden State’s lead down to a half-game. A loss tonight would tie them with Houston at 36-35, but Golden State would remain 10th via tiebreaker (lead season series 2-0 with one game to play on April 4)
  • Heat: Miami started last year’s Finals run in the Play-In, but would rather avoid that route this year and secure a guaranteed playoff berth. The Heat are a game back of the No. 6 Pacers, a team they will meet on April 7 in Indy to decide the head-to-head tiebreaker

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