Starting 5: Mavs, Celtics Hold On As 2 More Teams Clinch
What a time for P.J. Washington to have his best game as a Dallas Maverick.
THE LINEUP
What’s inside today’s edition?
Mavs Snap Warriors’ Streak: Dallas outlasts Golden State, while Kings & Celtics stage late thriller in Boston
Hali Makes History: Pacers, Suns & Heat pick up key wins, while Pelicans, Rockets skid
Miller Magic: Brandon Miller erupts in the first half; Bucks & Knicks fall short
Standings Snapshot: Multiple Western Conference teams clinched a postseason spot, and the playoff picture continues to take shape around the league
Deja Vu In L.A.: For the second straight season, the Lakers are on a post-trade deadline tear
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Last night’s scores & what to watch today.
A four-game day on the NBA App, starting with Cavs-Lakers (3:30 ET) and wrapping with Hawks-Nuggets (9 ET) as the Nuggets continue to battle for No. 1 in the West.
The Grizzlies will retire Marc Gasol’s No. 33 jersey following their game against Philly (8 ET).
Keep an eye on the NBA App for the Hall of Fame Class of 2024 announcement, made during the NCAA Men’s Final Four tonight.
1. DALLAS, BOSTON SURVIVE IN PAIR OF WILD FINISHES
Washington Wins It, Mavs Snap Dubs’ Streak: P.J. Washington did it all in Dallas’ 108-106 victory over Golden State, dropping 32 points (his most as Maverick), recording a career-high 5 steals and sinking this go-ahead layup with 4.5 seconds remaining. | Recap
- Warriors Erase Early Deficit: After falling down 16 in the first quarter, Golden State ripped off a 19-2 run, reclaiming the lead on this buzzer-beating Chris Paul triple to end the period
- Steph Curry poured in 28 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter and this clutch game-tying baseline jumper, but it wasn’t enough as the Mavs ended the Warriors’ six-game win streak
Celtics Hold Off Late Kings Rally: After leading by as much as 19 in the fourth quarter, Boston weathered a 21-3 end-of-game Sacramento run to hold on for a 101-100 victory. The Celtics reclaimed the lead on this Xavier Tillman floater with 7.4 seconds remaining. | Recap
- Swipa Shows Out: De’Aaron Fox (40 pts) fueled the Kings’ late surge, banking in this go-ahead triple with 25.9 seconds to play
- Domas Does It Again: Domantas Sabonis (16 pts, 16 reb) recorded his 60th straight double-double and 73rd this season. passing Hakeem Olajuwon for the third most in a season
Kings Are Postseason Bound: Despite the loss, Sacramento clinches a top-10 seed out West thanks to Houston’s loss to Miami
2. HALI BREAKS RECORD, WEMBY WOWS, HEAT & SUNS ROLL
History For Hali In Win Over OKC: After trailing by 10 early, the Pacers ripped off a 25-5 run and never looked back, defeating the Thunder 126-112. | Recap
- Hali Breaks Franchise Record: With his 11th dime Friday, Tyrese Haliburton set the Pacers franchise record for most assists in a season (714), passing Mark Jackson
Suns’ Starters Shine, Tighten Grip On 6th: Phoenix opened the night on a 15-0 run and never trailed as all five of their starters scored in double figures in their 97-87 victory over West-leading Minnesota.
Grayson Allen poured in a game-high 23 points, while Kevin Durant (22 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) and Devin Booker (13 points, 13 assists) helped buoy the Suns’ offense. | Recap
- Stand Alone Six: With their win and the Pelicans loss, Phoenix holds a one-game lead over New Orleans for the West’s sixth and final guaranteed playoff seed
Wemby, Spurs Outlast Shorthanded Pelicans: Victor Wembanyama (17 pts, 12 reb, 9 ast, 3 blk) stuffed the stat sheet in San Antonio’s 111-109 win over New Orleans.
CJ McCollum (31 pts, 6 reb) and Jonas Valanciunas (26 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast) carried the Pelicans offense with stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram sidelined. | Recap
- Wemby’s Two-Way Brilliance: The Spurs’ rookie sensation does it on both ends in crunch time, drilling this stepback triple, then securing the victory with this clutch fourth quarter rejection
Miami’s Dynamic Duo Dominates: Bam Adebayo (18 pts, 12 reb, 6 ast) and Jimmy Butler (22 pts) lifted the Heat to a 119-104 road victory over the Rockets, with Houston dropping its fourth straight contest. | Recap
- Herro Returns: Tyler Herro (17 pts, 6 ast, 5 reb) gave Miami a nice boost off the bench in his first game back from injury since Feb. 23
- Must-See Bam Block: Bam Adebayo skies to pin this layup off the glass
3. ROUNDUP: MILLER STARTS PERFECT, RAPTORS STUN BUCKS
Miller Catches Fire in Charlotte: Brandon Miller (32 pts, 6 reb) erupted for 26 points in the first half, starting a perfect 10/10 from the field to fuel Charlotte’s 124-115 win over Orlando. | Recap
- Hornets History: Miller is the first Hornets player to ever have 25+ PTS in a half on 100% shooting
Raptors Stun Bucks: Toronto took down Milwaukee 117-111 on the road, riding big performances from Immanuel Quickley (25 pts, 11 reb, 9 ast) and Gary Trent Jr. (31 pts), to hand the Buck their 3rd straight loss. | Recap
- Dame Steps Up: Damian Lillard (36 pts, 6 ast) carried the Bucks’ offense in the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo (hamstring)
Bulls Edge Knicks: Led by Javonte Green’s career-high 25 points and 13 rebounds, Chicago defeated New York 108-100. Ayo Dosunmu (24 pts, 3 3PM), DeMar DeRozan (20 pts, 10 ast) and Nikola Vucevic (16 pts, 13 reb) added a combined 60 points for the Bulls in the victory. | Recap
- Green Gets Up: Javonte Green throws down this ferocious reverse slam en route to a career night
- Brunson Stays Hot: Jalen Brunson (35 pts, 11 ast) continued his recent offensive brilliance, recording his third straight game with 20+ points and 10+ assists
Clippers Cruise Past Jazz: LA showed no signs of fatigue in their second night of a back-to-back, storming out to 38-point first half lead in their 131-102 wire-to-wire win over Utah.
With Kawhi Leonard (knee) missing his third straight game, James Harden (13 pts, 15 ast, 10 reb) led the way for LA, recording his third triple-double of the season. | Recap
- PG’s Must-See Ankle-Breaker: Paul George shows off his handle before drilling the mid-range jumper
Ayton Powers Portland: The Blazers took down the Wizards 108-102 on the road behind Deandre Ayton’s season-high 34 points. Scoot Henderson (19 pts, 7 ast) helped seal Portland’s second straight victory with this tough and-one finish down the stretch. | Recap
Grizzlies Win Third Straight: Memphis took down Detroit 108-90 behind rookie big man Trey Jemison’s double-double (17 points, career-high 13 rebounds), pushing the Grizzlies’ win streak to three games. Jaden Ivey led Detroit with 31 points. | Recap
4. PLAYOFF PICTURE: 2 TEAMS CLINCH TOP-10 SEEDS
The Lakers and Kings clinched top-10 seeds, while teams continue to jockey for position.
Here’s the latest from Friday:
- ☑️ ↔️ Sacramento: The Kings clinched a postseason berth (top-10 finish) with Houston’s loss but move into a tie for No. 8 with the Lakers with their own loss
- ☑️ ↔️ Los Angeles Lakers: With the Kings and Rockets both losing, the Lakers tie Sacramento for No. 8 in the West and clinch a postseason berth (top-10 finish)
- ↔️ Minnesota: With their loss, the Wolves are now tied with Denver for the West’s No. 1 seed
- ↔️ Oklahoma City: The Thunder stay put at 3rd in the West, trailing the Wolves and Nuggets by just one game for the conference’s top seed
- ↔️ Dallas: The Mavs stay at No. 5 in the West, trailing the No. 4 Clippers by two games and leading the No. 6 Suns by one game
- ↔️ Phoenix: The Suns stay at No. 6 in the West, owning a one-game lead over the No. 7 Pelicans
- ↔️ LA Clippers: The Clippers remain fourth in the West, maintaining a two-game cushion over No. 5 Dallas
- ↔️ Golden State: The Warriors remain 10th in the West, leading the Rockets by four games but falling two games back of the Kings and Lakers for No. 8/9
- ↔️ Orlando: With New York losing, the Magic remain tied with the Knicks for No. 4/5 in the East; Orlando owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with New York
- ↔️ New York: With Orlando losing, the Knicks remain tied with the Magic for No. 4/5 in the East
- ↔️ Indiana: The Pacers hold on to No. 6 in the East, now trailing New York and Orlando by just 1.5 games for No. 4/5
- ↔️ Miami: The No. 7 Heat keep pace with the No. 6 Pacers, extending their lead over the No. 8 Sixers to one game
- ↔️ Milwaukee: The Bucks stay at 2nd in the East but their lead over No. 3 Cleveland shrinks to just one game
- ↔️ Chicago: The Bulls remain No. 9 in the East, expanding their lead over the Hawks to one game
5. DEJA VU IN PURPLE & GOLD
The Lakers enter today’s game against Cleveland (3:30 ET, NBA App) looking for their ninth win in their last 10 games as they make a late-season surge for the second straight season.
Let’s rewind about 14 months to the 2023 trade deadline. The Lakers made a series of moves at the deadline to shake up their roster for the stretch run
- Acquired D’Angelo Russell from Minnesota
- Acquired Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley from Utah, with Russell Westbrook going to Utah before ending up with the Clippers
- Acquired Rui Hachimura from Washington
- Acquired Mo Bamba from Orlando
The new-look roster fit together quickly and the Lakers closed the regular season 18-8 – the best record in the West and second-best in the NBA after the trade deadline.
The Lakers finished seventh in the regular season and rode that momentum through the Play-In and into the No. 7 seed, where they beat Memphis in the first round, Golden State in the West Semis before falling to the eventual champion Nuggets.
Now let’s fast forward to February 2024 and this season’s trade deadline, where the Lakers elected to make no moves this time around.
For the second straight year, the decision’s paying off. This group has gone 17-7 since the deadline, tied for the best record in the West and second-best in the NBA.
So what’s been the key to this late-season surge?
- Team Health: The Lakers have had nine players appear in at least 20 games out of the 24 they have played since the trade deadline. That includes their entire starting five and key reserves
- Ageless LeBron: James is averaging a team-best 26.5 ppg on 57.6% shooting from the field and 49.5% from 3-point range, which is the top mark of the 145 players that have averaged at least four 3-point attempts during that stretch
- Dominant Davis: Anthony Davis is averaging 24.7 ppg on 55.6% shooting, while averaging 14 rebounds (second in NBA) and 2.2 blocks (3rd in NBA) while missing just one game during this stretch
- D-Lo Stepping Up: D’Angelo Russell has increased his scoring and efficiency from pre-deadline (17.3 ppg, 6.2 apg, 41.3% 3P) to post-deadline (20 ppg, 6.5 apg, 42.8% 3P)
- Consistency: The Lakers’ starting lineup of LeBron, AD, Russell, Hachimura and Austin Reaves has played 291 minutes together since the deadline — third most of any five-man lineup in the NBA (and most in the West)
The Lakers enter today tied with Sacramento for No. 8, sitting one game behind No. 7 New Orleans and two games back of No. 6 Phoenix. Can they climb out of the Play-In over their final five games?
