Author: NBA Basketball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

This has been a fascinating NBA season in many aspects, but especially when it comes to the various awards races. Despite the regular season being almost complete, a handful of the biddings for these categories are coming down to the wire.

This year’s Sixth Man of the Year discussion is no exception. In most years, we usually have a pretty obvious candidate. However, this go around, injuries have forced some of the best bench guys to start too many games to qualify (i.e., Payton Pritchard). 

With this said, the race has narrowed to two main candidates: Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Keldon Johnson. According to popular sportsbooks like FanDuel, they are the only two players with realistic odds of taking home the crown. 

But which of these two gentlemen is most deserving of the award? Let’s take a look at the numbers.

The Box Score

Raw counting stats favor Jaquez. This season, he boasts a higher PPG, APG, and stocks (steals and blocks) per game, and his RPG (5.1) are nearly identical to that of Johnson (5.4). However, Jaime also plays nearly five more minutes per contest than Johnson, so it isn’t necessarily fair to compare these two without adjusting for playing time.

To do this, we will look at points per 75 possessions, rebounding rates (both offensive and defensive), assist rate, and stock rate. We also need to factor in efficiency. So, true shooting percentage is also included in the chart below:

When you look at it this way, Johnson is the superior scorer and rebounder, and he’s managing this higher scoring output on better efficiency. However, Jaquez’s role within the Miami Heat offense asks him to do a lot more creating for himself (his unassisted field goal rate is 14.7% higher than Johnson’s) and his teammates. 

Jaquez’s steal/block rate is also higher than Johnson’s, but only by a slight margin, and that may be explained by the fact that the Heat tend to be a more aggressive defense than the San Antonio Spurs in general (Miami’s opponent turnover rate is 1.3% higher).

The Advanced Stats

As many of you know by now, the box score hardly ever tells the full story – even when you adjust for pace. A player’s numbers are only as good as their impact on winning, and history is littered with empty-calorie stat sheet stuffers (I’m looking at you Cam Thomas). 

Dunks & Threes’ Estimated Plus-Minus is widely-viewed as the best publicly-available one-number metric because it incorporates tracking data. EPM gives Johnson the edge, as he ranks in the 73rd percentile leaguewide while Jaquez sits at just the 59th percentile.

But again, we need to add more context. One number metrics are limited to measuring how good a particular player is on their particular team. And as we’ve already established, Jaquez is generally asked to do more for the Heat than Johnson is for the Spurs, so he has more to live up to as far as impact metrics go. 

So, we also need to point out how each team fares when these two wings are on the floor. When it comes to pure on-court rating, Johnson laps Jaquez (see chart below), which makes sense because Johnson plays on the far superior team (the Spurs have 20 more wins than the Heat).

That is why we also need to include on/off data (how well a team does when you are on the floor compared to when you are on the bench) to this analysis. Based on this, the Heat are better with Jaquez on the floor, while the Spurs are actually better when Johnson is on the bench.

Historical Precedent

History tells us that to win 6MOY of the year you absolutely need to be able to score the ball and you generally need to be on a good team. Since 2001-02, every player who has won the 6MOY award has averaged at least 13 PPG. In that same span of time, 19 of those 24 players (79.2%) played for teams that finished in the top four in their conference. The key exceptions to that last stipulation are Lou Williams (twice), Jason Terry (2008-09), Mike Miller (2005-06), and Antawn Jamison (2003-04), who all still played on teams that made the playoffs.

Both of these guys clear the 13 PPG threshold (although, in Johnson’s case, just barely). But Johnson has a clear edge as far as team success goes. His Spurs are one of the favorites to take home the NBA title, and they currently sit at second in the loaded Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Heat will need some play-in magic (maybe even against Orlando) to qualify for the postseason. 

So, while they both are deserving of the recognition, it seems that history favors Johnson.

The stats in this story were updated before Friday’s games.

The Suns took on the Lakers on Friday night, and the result was not surprising. Los Angeles came in banged up, but Phoenix essentially waved the white flag with neither Devin Booker nor Jalen Green available. Would it have mattered? We will never know.

What we did see was a heavy dose of the youth movement. Plenty of minutes, plenty of opportunity. The return was modest. These are players stepping into roles they are not used to, and while it looked functional in the first half, once the shots stopped falling in the second half, it unraveled in a way that felt predictable. The offense got clunky. It lost its edge. And the Suns were handled by a 41-year-old LeBron James.

You try to walk away from a game like this asking what you learned. The answer felt simple. LeBron James is still a beast at 41. It is unfair. I have never been the biggest LeBron supporter, but there has always been respect for what he is as a player and how he has carried himself. That part remains. He delivered on Friday night, in a game the Lakers needed to help secure the fourth seed and home court in the first round. That showed.

As for the Suns, the takeaway is clear. The youth is youthful. There is growth ahead before it becomes part of something cohesive. And that is fine.

You pack this one up and move on. People talk about the grind of an 82-game season, but this one felt different. For the Suns, it felt like an 80-game season.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings

Booker’s Bright Side Baller count is officially old enough to snag a tasty beverage at the bar. That’s right, with his 37-pointer against the Mavs on Wednesday, and the graciousness of your votes, Booker now has 21 BSB’s on the season.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 81 against the Lakers. Here are your nominees:

Royce O’Neale
11 points (4-of-10, 2-of-7 3PT), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 0 +/-

Oso Ighodaro
8 points (3-of-4), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, +3 +/-

Grayson Allen
8 points (2-of-7, 1-of-5 3PT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, +5 +/-

Dillon Brooks
12 points (5-of-14, 0-of-4 3PT), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, -17 +/-

Mark Williams
7 points (2-of-2), 5 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 1 block, -20 +/-

Amir Coffey
7 points (3-of-6, 1-of-2 3PT), 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, -11 +/-

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Time to vote!

April 12th is the last day of the regular season and then the Spurs have a couple of days off before they begin the first round of the playoffs.

What to do, what to do? How about meeting Devin Vassell?

On Monday, April 13th, Spurs swingman Devin Vassell will be making a guest appearance at Panda Express at 7979 Bandera Road.

From noon until 2PM, fans can meet Vassell while trying Panda Express’ new spicy dish – Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken.

There will be a photo booth, DJ, prize wheel, and an appearance by Pei Pei, the Panda Express mascot.

Make sure to get there early as these events typically have long lines.

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The Wizards lost to the Miami Heat last night but got strong performances from Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington. The final tally was 140-117 — the third time this season the Heat scored 140 or more against the Wizards.

The shellacking was Washington’s 28th loss by 20 or more points this season. I might believe that number was made up except I watched virtually every minute of them.

The Miami Heat broadcast had some interesting tidbits about the Wizards. Like:

• The Wizards have the NBA’s worst overall record. They also have the worst record at home and on the road. Quite the triple crown.
• It’s Washington’s third straight season with fewer than 20 wins.
• Washington has used 50 different starting lineups in their 81 games so far this season.

Washington getting stomped by the Heat was inevitable. As has been chronicled extensively, the Wizards want to lose to maximize their Draft Lottery odds. Miami wanted to win to improve their position in the NBA’s play-in games. The Wizards set their lineups and minutes distribution accordingly.

While the Wizards received a thorough butt kicking, there were some positives — Coulibaly, Carrington, and Brian Keefe.

Coulibaly was a classic “tough cover” — 25 points in 22 minutes, 5 rebounds, 5 assists. His usage rate was an astronomical 38.6% and his offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) was 145. That’s a great game.

Carrington had trouble missing shots — 11-15 from the floor, 6-7 from three — en route to 30 points in 34 minutes. He even tossed some accurate lobs, including one to Anthony Gill.

As for Keefe, I’ve liked a lot of what I’ve seen schematically from Keefe this season, at least when the Wizards actually run sets as designed. Last night, there were a number of really clever and well-designed actions on display.

• First quarter, 6:26 — A simple (but effective) “get action.” Carrington passed the ball to JuJu Reese, then ran straight to him for a dribble hand off (DHO). It gave him a wide open three. This is a very old basketball play, and it endures because it works.
• First quarter, 5:32 — Carrington passed to Coulibaly on the wing and runs down to the corner in a classic clearout cut. Coulibaly passed the ball to Reese out top, and then immediately turned and set a pin down screen for Carrington, who sprinted all the way out to Reese at the top for a DHO and a wide open three. I love this play for a few reasons, including how it uses defender assumptions against him (when Carrington cleared out, his defender relaxed just a little because that cleared out guy is usually out of the play at that point). And it gave Carrington an open look from a favorite spot.
• Second quarter, 9:03 — This one was super smart. Miami went zone and Carrington made a normal baseline cut. He emerged on the weak side and came up to the wing. Completely normal action. Except, Will Riley made a similar cut behind him — trailing him to the weak side but going to the corner. The weak side defender picked up Carrington and followed him to the wing. That left Riley undefended in the corner where he got a wide open three-point attempt on the swing pass. He missed, but this is great play design.
• Third quarter, 9:28 — One of my favorite plays of the night — I’m calling it a horizontal Spain pick-and-roll. So, in a Spain pnr, a second screener comes into the action to screen for the original screener. Keefe and the Wizards turned it on its side. In this version, Carrington screened for Coulibaly and then cleared only to double back over a Reese screen into a wide open three from the top.

All this is to say, I’m looking forward to seeing what Keefe and the Wizards coaching staff can do when they’re playing to win.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

• eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
• OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
• TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
• FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)

FOUR FACTORS	HEAT	WIZARDS	LGAVG
eFG%	72.0%	57.6%	54.5%
OREB%	30.0%	16.2%	26.0%
TOV%	17.6%	12.7%	12.7%
FTM/FGA	0.268	0.120	0.207
PACE	102		99.3
ORTG	137	115	115.7

Stats & Metrics

PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).

PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median so far this season is 17.7%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

WIZARDS	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-
Bilal Coulibaly	22	47	145	38.6%	5.4	307	3
Bub Carrington	34	72	158	23.7%	7.3	200	-2
Sharife Cooper	21	45	179	16.5%	4.7	201	-19
Julian Reese	37	78	111	12.8%	-0.5	67	-11
Anthony Gill	35	75	122	10.1%	0.5	38	-20
Will Riley	28	60	81	28.7%	-5.9	6	-30
Jamir Watkins	31	66	70	16.1%	-4.8	2	-25
Leaky Black	32	67	60	20.5%	-7.6	-52	-11

HEAT	MIN	POSS	ORTG	USG	+PTS	PPA	+/-	zip
Simone Fontecchio	27	57	204	17.7%	8.9	326	3	2
Bam Adebayo	38	82	132	19.2%	2.6	160	22	7
Jaime Jaquez Jr.	36	77	137	21.7%	3.6	161	24	7
Kasparas Jakucionis	31	66	149	16.9%	3.7	179	22	5
Kel’el Ware	22	46	188	14.1%	4.7	215	-1	1
Pelle Larsson	27	56	128	32.7%	2.3	132	17	8
Andrew Wiggins	23	49	108	25.5%	-0.9	80	5	7
Keshad Johnson	30	63	102	14.4%	-1.2	58	23	5
Vladislav Goldin	1	3		0.0%	0.0	0	0	0
Trevor Keels	1	3		0.0%	0.0	0	0	0
Jahmir Young	1	3	62	34.6%	-0.5	-103	0	1
Myron Gardner	3	7	0	15.3%	-1.2	-421	0	1

Neemias Queta’s first season as a full-time starting center for the Boston Celtics has gone according to plan, as teammates have already begun rallying around his campaign for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

In the third quarter of Friday night’s 144-118 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, he drew the loudest crowd reaction of the night. Queta set a screen for Jaylen Brown and hovered around the perimeter as Brown drove and kicked the ball out to Jordan Walsh. Walsh then passed up the three and tossed it back to Queta, who sank his first-career 3-pointer, sending both TD Garden and Boston’s bench into a frenzy.

Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr. stood up with both arms in the air. Nikola Vučević raised three fingers, and Queta returned the gesture.

“Buttery. It was buttery,” Sam Hauser told reporters, per CLNS Media. “It was smooth.”

There was no bounce off the rim. No help from the backboard. Just a clean, nothing-but-net make from the 7-footer.

We know you want to see this 😁👌 pic.twitter.com/EaLYBSAlba

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 11, 2026

Queta missed his first seven attempts this season after missing three last season. In his first three seasons — two with the Sacramento Kings and his first with Boston — he didn’t attempt a single 3-pointer. Still, during his first year with the Celtics, Queta routinely worked on his 3-point shot with the team’s stay-ready group while serving as a backup to Kristaps Porziņģis and Al Horford. That pregame work carried over into his transition to a starting role this season, with teammates eagerly awaiting his moment.

“He was pretty excited about that one,” Hauser said. “We were pretty excited for him. But he’s done a great job all year, gotten better and better and better, and really shown why he’s a starting five in this league and on our team. And I think his name should be in the running for Most Improved Player. He’s come up big for us a lot this year, and we’re gonna need for him to continue that.”

Giving the Celtics a 99-58 lead, Queta helped the team accomplish two feats: clinching the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and tying the NBA’s record for 3-pointers made in a game (29). Although Boston fell short of breaking the record, the C’s became the only team in history to reach that mark twice, doing so for the second time in two seasons.

Boston shot 49.2 percent, making 29-of-59 attempts against New Orleans.

Queta finished with seven points, 10 rebounds, and two assists in 13 minutes. He attempted only three shots, draining each one, and checked out with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter. His lone block made Queta the first player in Celtics history to record 100 blocks, 600 rebounds, and 60 steals in a season since Robert Parish (1990-91).

“That’s cool,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media. “Again, those are little things that are important because you see the work that the guys put in. And again, the responsibility, the ownership of a guy taking on being the starting center for the Celtics. So for him to be able to achieve that is great, and just his work and his attention to detail defensively.

“There’s a ton of pressure in our system on the bigs. They have to do everything on both ends of the floor, and he relishes that opportunity. That’s cool. I’m glad he got that, and he’s getting better and better.”

This season, Queta has averaged career highs in points (10.3), rebounds (8.3), assists (1.7), and blocks (1.3). He’s made 75 starts for the Celtics, leads the East in screen assists (272), and ranks sixth in net rating (12.9) — first among centers in the East and third among all centers league-wide, behind Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.

“He just impacts the game in so many ways,” Vučević told reporters, per CLNS Media. “Some of those things don’t even show up in the stat sheet, but they matter a lot to us.”

Queta is among the most underrated centers in the league, due in large part to recency bias. Last season, he barely cracked Boston’s playoff rotation, logging just four minutes in the first round against the Orlando Magic and nine minutes in the conference semifinals against the New York Knicks behind Porziņģis, Horford, and Luke Kornet. The opportunity wasn’t there for Queta to make an impression — which, if anything, should strengthen his Most Improved Player case.

When the front office parted ways with three of the team’s primary rotation bigs, the pressure was on Queta from day one. He’s made the most of that long-awaited opportunity, transforming himself from what team president of basketball operations Brad Stevens described on Media Day as “unproven” into a legitimate NBA starting center.

For the first 62 games of the year, part of the reason the Celtics survived without Jayson Tatum was Queta.

“I hope he’s up for it and I hope he gets it,” Mazzulla said. “He deserves it. And to me, obviously as a player, but more so what it means to do it for the Celtics, I think, goes a long way, and where he’s been on his journey in the NBA. But also his journey with us in our organization.”

Mazzulla is adamant that Queta should become the first Celtic ever to win the award since its introduction in 1985-86.

“He should seriously be considered that,” Mazzulla added, “because of where he was and where he is now, and we wouldn’t be in that position without him.”

If the Utah Jazz were fined $500,000 for suspected tanking in a game that they won, Adam Silver had better be aligning the crosshairs of his catastrophic death laser (every NBA commissioner has had one since Larry O’Brien had his commissioned back in ‘83) directly at the Memphis Grizzlies. If Utah’s tanking was worth half a million dollars, there’s no rationalizing that what the Grizzlies displayed in Salt Lake City Friday night isn’t worthy of capital punishment.

I mean, come on. Memphis played just six players in the Delta Center this fateful evening, none of whom would be recognizable to your father, who has watched every Jazz game since 1992. They wouldn’t be recognizable to the freakiest of basketball freaks, save for maybe Dariq Whitehead, who played at Duke a few seasons ago, but more recently played a team-low 24 minutes before an SLC crowd.

One could argue that Utah’s response of playing just seven deep on the depth chart is practically just as egregious as their visitors’ transgression, but that argument collapses like a paper cup on its fifth refill when you take into account the point differential; Utah by 46. A 147-101 final in the Delta Center’s season finale.

In what many called the “Tanking Super Bowl” in the hours leading up to tip-off, this end-of-season matchup between the Utah Jazz (22-59, 15th in West) and the Memphis Grizzlies (25-56, 12th in West) should have been entirely irrelevant — and in a lot of ways, it was — but Utah entered this meeting still holding to the hope of snatching the third-best NBA Draft lottery odds away from the Brooklyn Nets. The Grizzlies are fighting for every inch and praying to secure the sixth-worst odds from Dallas, while Utah is in a tug-of-war with the league’s most destitute franchise, hilariously dubbed the Kings. Thank heaven Sacramento messed around and beat Golden State tonight, or else there’d be some real panic in Utah’s front office.

The TANKING SUPER BOWL Tonight! 😂

An entire season of hard work comes down to this. #TakeNotepic.twitter.com/unROt07tIn

— Matt Sanchez (@_MattSanchez) April 10, 2026

But after the Nets nobly fell upon their swords against Milwaukee, the Jazz remained out of reach of a top-3 selection, even if they didn’t dismantle the unrecognizable Memphis Grizzlies (That’s right: the NBA’s poster boy for the tanking epidemic isn’t even in the top three of the practice’s worst offenders, so log that away).

And when I call the Grizzlies unrecognizable, I mean that in complete sincerity. With 15 — count ‘em — fifteen Grizzlies listed on the injury report, not even former Jazzmen Walter Clayton Jr or Taylor Hendricks were available for Memphis’ visit to Salt Lake City. Apologies to those hoping to see our brothers in action.

No, Utah didn’t want to win this basketball game; they’ve got a gawk-worthy receipt to prove their dedication. Unfortunately, it takes two to tank, and Utah’s reserves proved far more formidable than their visitors. Two franchises working in opposite directions, the Jazz hope to compete in the Western Conference Play-Offs around this time next season. Memphis expects to float in deliberate obscurity for the foreseeable future.

These directional differences could not have been more apparent in Utah’s win Friday night. From the tip, Utah crushed the Grizzlies in what was anticipated to be one of the late season’s great tank-offs. But Utah proved to exist in an entirely different realm, scoring 110 points and leading by 26 at the end of the third quarter.

The scoring differential nearly doubled by the end of the fourth.

Yeesh.

Utah won in every quarter of this game, and never scored fewer than 33 points in a 12-minute frame. It’s almost no wonder that this team made NBA history tonight with perhaps two of the three least meaningful triple-doubles since the stat began being tracked. Add John Konchar (former Grizzly) and recent multi-year signee Bez Mbeng (former Ivy Leaguer) to the all-time list of NBA triple-doubles, as both players posted their remarkable stat lines from Will Hardy’s bench.

First teammates in NBA history to record a triple-double off the bench in the same game:

Bez Mbeng:
27 PTS
11 REB
11 AST

John Konchar:
11 PTS
11 REB
10 AST

Jazz beat the Grizzlies 147-101. pic.twitter.com/ljWkbKghhH

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) April 11, 2026

Memphis had a triple-double man of their own, Jahmai Mashack. If you bet any amount of money on that man to post such a stat line before tip-off, you may never have to work another day in your life.

So the Jazz won (or lost?) the Tanking Super Bowl. Big whoop. At the moment, they’re a coin flip away from the fifth-best odds to get the number-one overall pick, but need I remind you all that the NBA Draft Lottery’s flattened odds are not and have never been friendly to the worst record. Since the initial change in 2019, the worst record in the NBA has never walked away from the lottery with the winning ticket. Dallas jumped 10 spots last year. Atlanta jumped 9 in the year before.

Before you panic about winning tank-offs, remember that all the Jazz can do is put themselves in contention. It’s all random, and Adam Silver was never going to let Utah have the first pick, anyway.

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Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.

After a gut-wrenching loss to the Knicks on Thursday, the Celtics turned Game #81 into a three-point exhibition, tying their own record for 29 triples in a game and beating the Pelicans 144-118. Jaylen Brown was efficient (but with too many turnovers), Nikola Vucevic stayed on track, Sam Hauser caught fire, and we got to see Luka Garza and Hugo Gonzalez grace the parquet after falling out of the rotation.

With the blowout, Boston officially clinches the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference, but they’ll have to wait to see how the Play-In Tournament plays out next week; they’ll face the winner of the 7-8 game on April 14th. However, we won’t know who those teams are until Sunday, the final day of the regular season. Currently, the Magic will host the 76ers with the Raptors — the current 6th seed — still in the mix.

Boston’s championship odds have remained steady all month with our friends at FanDuel and are +550 to raise Banner 19 and the favorite to rep the Eastern Conference in the 2026 NBA Finals.

Jaylen Brown

29 minutes, 23 points (2-3 from 3, 5-7 from the free throw line, 8-13 from the field), 3 rebounds, one assist, 7 turnovers, one steal, +24

If we’re going to nitpick what’s most likely JB’s final game of the regular season, the seven turnovers are indicative of his late-season campaign to challenge the officiating and get to the line. Otherwise, he was scoring at all three levels at a high efficiency in a playoff tuneup.

Grade: B+

Jordan Walsh

22 minutes, 6 points (2-4 from 3, 2-4 from the field), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, one steal, one block, -17

After playing a part in the playoff-level win against the Hornets, Joe Mazzulla said, “He just understands that when he’s at his best defensively, he’s impacting the team’s best players, creating turnovers.” Defense has always been his calling card and if the old adage is true about it winning championships, Walsh has clearly solidified his spot in the postseason rotation. If he can continue to hit threes — 5-of-12 over the last six games — even better.

Grade: A

Neemias Queta

13 minutes, 7 points (1-1 from 3, 3-3 from the field), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, one turnover, one block, +13

In a game that was played primarily on the perimeter, Queta’s stat line wasn’t particularly impressive. With the game pretty much out of reach after the first quarter, Queta played only 13 minutes, giving way for more fine tuning for Nikola Vucevic and some Luka Garza playing time.

Oh, and this happened:

We know you want to see this 😁👌 pic.twitter.com/EaLYBSAlba

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 11, 2026

Grade: A-

Sam Hauser

28 minutes, 24 points (8-12 from 3, 8-13 from the field), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, +21

If you could bottle up momentum for the postseason, we might need a keg for Wisconsin’s own. On Thursday, it was Baylor Scheierman lighting up MSG. Twenty-four hours later, it was Hauser. Naturally, the Celtics don’t get close to breaking the three-point record without Hauser getting hot behind the arc.

Grade: A+

Derrick White

16 minutes, 9 points (3-9 from 3, 3-9 from the field), 2 rebounds, 5 assists, one turnover, one steal, +18

We’ve largely used this space to do a little handwringing over White’s season-long shooting slump. Another sub-par night in a blowout won’t assuage those concerns, but it also won’t dampen my confidence that he’ll come up clutch next weekend.

Grade: B-

Payton Pritchard

30 minutes, 21 points (5-9 from 3, 2-2 from the free throw line, 7-14 from the field), 3 rebounds, 10 assists, one turnover, one steal, +21

Pritchard has really hit his stride over this final stretch of games. In April, he’s averaging 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. What’s been most impressive has been his playmaking. In the playoffs, teams might try and take the Jays out of the game, so Mazzulla might need the 2026 Auerbach Award winner to take on more of the point guard load.

Grade: A+

Nikola Vucevic

19 minutes, 14 points (3-5 from 3, 1-2 from the free throw line, 5-7 from the field) 4 rebounds, 5 assists, one block, +15

That’s the Vooch that Brad Stevens dealt for at the trade deadline. He’s not exactly Al Horford defensively or Kristaps Porzingis offensively, but if he can consistently hit shots and punish mismatches in the paint, that’ll do wonders for the second unit.

Grade: A-

Baylor Scheierman

25 minutes, 9 points (2-5 from 3, 1-1 from the free throw line, 3-6 from the field), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, one turnover, -5

At the end of the game, Scheierman had a chance to hit the 30th three-pointer that would have given the Celtics the record, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t on-line. However, he did get some floor time with his buddy Hugo Gonzalez.

Grade: B

Hugo Gonzalez

25 minutes, 10 points (2-4 from 3, 4-7 from the field), 4 rebounds, one assist, 3 steals, +11

After five straight games of DNP-CDs and mop up work, we finally got to see Hugo back on the parquet and he didn’t miss a beat. The defense was still there, he’s still got a nose for the ball with three steals, and his shot looks confident.

Plays like this are worth a couple of decibels in May and June:

Hugo got hops 🐰 pic.twitter.com/qk0KrFt701

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 11, 2026

Grade: B+

Luka Garza

16 minutes, 14 points (0-3 from 3, 2-3 from the free throw line, 6-13 from the field), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, one turnover, one steal, 2 blocks, -2

I’d like a word with the Celtics scorekeeper. There’s no way that Garza filled up the stat sheet and was a minus-2! Regardless, it was great to see the big man out there doing the things that make him the easiest Celtic to root for.

Never gives up 💪 pic.twitter.com/lN0qhs7thg

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 11, 2026

He may have been relegated to the third-string, but you just know that he’s going to get thrown into the mix and make a difference in a game or two in the first round.

Grade: A

Ron Harper Jr.

12 minutes, 7 points (1-4 from 3, 3-7 from the field), one assist, one steal, -8

I would be surprised if the team doesn’t pick up their club option on Harper Jr. The All G League Third Teamer has shown all season that he’s a professional scorer in the big leagues.

Grade: B

DNP-CDs: John Tonje, Amari Williams

Inactives: Jayson Tatum

The Atlanta Hawks secured a spot in the NBA play-offs and the Southeast Division title with a 124-102 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

The Hawks, who only needed to win one of their remaining two games to guarantee a top-six finish in the Eastern Conference, blew away the already qualified Cavaliers in the third quarter, scoring 35 points to extend their 61-48 half-time lead to 96-65.

Guard CJ McCollum scored a game-high 29 points for the Hawks, who clinched their first divisional crown since 2021 and avoided having to come through the play-in tournament, for teams finishing seventh to tenth in each conference, for the first time in five seasons.

Veteran LeBron James became the fourth player in NBA history to record 12,000 career assists as he helped the Los Angeles Lakers secure home-court advantage in the first round of the play-offs with a 101-73 win against the Phoenix Suns.

James made 12 assists in addition to 28 points and six rebounds as the Lakers recorded their 15th win in 19 games to guarantee a top-four finish in the Western Conference.

Former Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton is the NBA's career assist leader, with 15,806, with Chris Paul (12,552) and Jason Kidd (12,091) also ahead of James (12,010).

Elsewhere, the Boston Celtics clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference with an emphatic 144-118 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The 18-time NBA champions scored a record-equalling 29 three-pointers, forward Sam Hauser leading the way with eight, as they wrapped up the Atlantic Division title.

That result means the New York Knicks, who beat the Celtics in their previous match, will have to settle for being third seeds despite beating the Toronto Raptors 112-95.

The Raptors slipped down to sixth place following the defeat, with an identical record (45-36) to seventh-placed Orlando Magic with one match to play in the regular season. The Magic beat the Chicago Bulls 127-103 to extend their winning streak to five matches.

Victor Wembanyama, returning from a one-game injury absence, starred for Western Conference second seeds San Antonio Spurs in their 139-120 win over the Dallas Mavericks. The 22-year-old Most Valuable Player contender made 40 points, 13 rebounds and five assists.

The Denver Nuggets remain in the hunt for third place in the Western Conference after beating reigning champions and top seeds Oklahoma City Thunder 127-107.

LOS ANGELES – With the Lakers playing without Austin Reaves and Luka Dončić for the rest of the regular season, plenty of people have written LA off. That’s understandable, as most teams can’t get far without their two top scorers.

However, those teams aren’t the Lakers, and they don’t employ LeBron James.

In LA’s road win over Golden State on Thursday, LeBron was brilliant. He finished the night with 26 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists to help end the Lakers’ three-game losing streak.

With the Lakers scheduled to play another game Friday night at home, LeBron, as the NBA’s oldest player, suited up for the back-to-back and raised his level of play once again.

James dominated, leading the Lakers in points, assists, steals and minutes played, lifting them past the Suns 101-73.

LeBron's back-to-back at age 41, with 6:19 left in the 4th:

at GSW: 26 points, 11 assists, 8 boards, 2 steals, 1 block, 11 of 17 FG's, 3 of 5 3's,

vs. PHX: 28 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 10 of 16 FG's, 2 of 2 3's

That's 63.6% FG's and 71.4% 3's total.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 11, 2026

The back-to-back wins, paired with the Rockets’ loss to the Wolves, mean the lowest seed the Lakers can finish is fourth.

When Dončić and Reaves went down, and they lost three straight, having home court seemed like an impossibility, and even head coach JJ Redick said seeding was “out the window.”

Thanks to James’ efforts, LA will remain a top seed in a very competitive Western Conference.

“We’re gonna need him to facilitate,” Redick said postgame. “We’re gonna need him to score. We’re gonna need him to defend and rebound. I think he recognizes the task at hand. He’s very locked in. He’s played great all three games.”

It was clear from the jump that LeBron was ready to compete at a high level on Friday night.

He knocked down a corner three early on to put himself on the board. James then hits a trio of free throws and then another three. Then, the league’s all-time leading scorer completed this scoring outburst with an emphatic dunk.

His two-handed slam shook the basket and rocked the crowd. With 4:53 left to go in the opening quarter, James had 14 points, which was as many as Phoenix had as a team.

BRON!!! 🔥🔥🔥

Catch all the action on Spectrum SportsNet+ at no extra cost for Spectrum customers with both Internet and Mobile services.
🔗: https://t.co/k8Sa1tLkWspic.twitter.com/QSAjCF1lgE

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 11, 2026

This isn’t new for LeBron. He has been the best player and top performer on each team he’s been on throughout most of his NBA career.

But this season, with Luka cemented as the clear No. 1 and Reaves establishing himself as No. 2, LeBron had to embrace being the third-most-important player.

To his credit, he’s done that and sacrificed for the betterment of the team. Now, due to injuries to the top guys, they’ve needed LeBron to go back in his closet and pull out his Superman cape. Luckily for the Lakers, it still fits perfectly, and he knows what to do with it.

“Just trying to make plays,” LeBron said. I had to tap back into a role that I’ve been accustomed to in the past, but obviously, it wasn’t what it was this year. But circumstances have put me back in, and I’m just trying to feed off my teammates, teammates feeding off of me and just trying to make things happen for us to continue to stay afloat.”

As is typical of LeBron’s performances, he dominated all phases of the game. In the first half, his scoring shined, but in the second, it was his defense that stood out.

LeBron was as alert as ever, swatting at balls and intercepting passes. Three of his four steals came after halftime.

In the fourth, James’ on-ball creation was on full display. He was dishing out dimes that led to easy dunks for Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt and Maxi Kleber. This put the game to rest early, allowing LeBron to check out at the 6:19 mark.

With just one contest left, the Lakers can still reach the third seed if they win and the Nuggets lose.

Whether that happens or not, what’s clear is that LeBron playing at this level gives the Lakers a puncher’s chance at taking down any of the teams they’ll play in a seven-game series.

And this late in the season, that’s all any team can ask for.  

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

The ball is back in LeBron James' hands, and he is thriving in his “new” role as the Lakers’ primary caretaker.

James is in this position in the wake of injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. He had been the third option behind Doncic and Reaves, and he shifted back to a role he has been accustomed to playing over his 23-year career.

James has been a force over the last three games, with his latest standout performance coming Friday night in the Lakers’ 101-73 win over the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena.

Read more:Plaschke: Broken Lakers need to shut down the season

James finished with 28 points, 12 assists and six rebounds to help the Lakers secure at least the No. 4 seed in the uber-tough Western Conference.

The Lakers (52-29) still have a shot at the third seed if they beat the Utah Jazz at home on Sunday and if the third-place Denver Nuggets lose at San Antonio on Sunday, the final day of the regular season. Because the Lakers won the tiebreaker over the Nuggets, they would get the higher seed over Denver if the two teams finish with identical records.

“Obviously we are going to be able to feed off our crowd. That’s going to be great,” James said. “We’re going to have home court. That’s great for our fans. But the game is played in between the four lines. So, looking forward to that.”

James was 10 for 16 from the field against the Suns and two for two from three-point range.

Over his last three games in this new role, James has averaged 24.6 points, 12.6 assists and 7.6 rebounds, shooting 60% from the field and 46% from three-point range.

He was on point from the beginning against the Suns.

James quickly went by a defender on a back-door cut, took a pass from Luke Kennard and threw down a two-handed, rim-rattling dunk. James flexed in front of his teammates on the bench, who stood to give their approval. The Suns called time out with four minutes and 53 seconds left in the first quarter, giving the fans more time to appreciate what James was still able to do at 41 years old.

“I’m just trying to make plays,” James said. “I had to tap back into a role that I’ve been accustomed to in the past, but obviously it wasn’t what it was this year. But circumstances have put me back in and I’m just trying to figure out my teammates and my teammates feeding off me and just trying to make things happen for us to continue to stay afloat.”

Whoever the Lakers face in the playoffs, coach JJ Redick believes teams want to face his group because of their injuries. Doncic and Reaves are not expected back for the first-round of the postseason.

“I'm sure everybody wants to play us. Let's get that out there, like, everybody wants to play us,” Redick said before the game. “Probably teams that are in a position where they can start looking forward to potential second-round matchups as well. ... Again, I'll say what I told the team yesterday, what I told you guys after the game, we have to figure out the formula and the belief for this group to be successful. And so that's our focus for tonight and that's going to be our focus on Sunday.”

For Kennard, who had 19 points and three assists in his new role as the lead point guard, the Lakers face a big challenge in the playoffs without Doncic and Reaves.

“You’re missing 60 points a game, and yeah, it’s definitely out there and I’m sure people are thinking about that and what we’re missing,” Kennard said. “But we also have [James] and the way he’s been playing and leading us has been incredible, and obviously, we’re going to need him to continue to do that. But I think these last few games everybody’s starting to get a rhythm.

"We’re starting to figure out what playoffs are going to look like for us, rotations and all of that," Kennard continued. "Guys are getting more comfortable with it and they’re playing well together and it’s been fun. So, yeah, I think no matter who we play, we’re going to be ready to fight from Day 1, Game 1. And they gotta come here first, no matter who it is, and I think we’re going to look forward to it.”

Notes: Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes missed his third straight game with left foot soreness, but he has been making progress. “Hope to have him back Sunday,” Redick said. “But yeah, he's still day to day.” ... The Lakers waived guard Kobe Bufkin. It means the Lakers have a roster spot available to sign another player for the playoffs. “We're evaluating all the options we have,” Redick said. ... Marcus Smart, who had missed nine straight games with a right ankle contusion, had six points in 18 minutes.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Coach JJ Redick reemphasized on Friday night that the Lakers can’t be worried about their playoff seeding considering the circumstances they’re in.

And that the seeding considerations for the end of their season “probably went out the window” after the loss to the Thunder on April 2, in which star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both suffered regular season-ending injuries. 

But their 101-73 win over the Suns at Crypto.com Arena not only secured homecourt advantage for the Lakers in their first-round playoff series, but also maintained the possibility of them achieving their ultimate goal of being the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. 

LeBron James once again led the Lakers, this time with 28 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals in 32 minutes. 

James has 28 points (60% shooting, 46.2% on 3-pointers), 12.7 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals in the three games he’s played since the injuries to Doncic and Reaves.

“I had to tap back into a role that I’ve been accustomed to in the past, but obviously it wasn’t what it was this year,” James said. “But circumstances have put me back in there and I’m just trying to feed off my teammates, teammates are feeding off of me and just trying to make things happen for us to continue to stay afloat.”

Luke Kennard added 19 points and 3 assists, while Rui Hachimura had 13 points and Deandre Ayton finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds. 

Marcus Smart had 6 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals in his first game since March 21. 

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What it means

The Lakers, who improved to a 52-29 record, can’t finish worse than No. 4 in the West after Friday’s win and the loss from the Rockets (51-30) to the Timberwolves on Friday. 

The Rockets’ loss locked them in as the fifth seed. 

If the Nuggets (53-28) beat the Spurs on Sunday, they would secure the No. 3 seed. If the Nuggets lose and the Lakers beat the Jazz on Sunday, the Lakers would finish as the third seed.

The Lakers will either host the No. 6 Timberwolves or No. 5 Rockets. 

Turning point 

When Marcus Smart, who played in his first game after three-week absence because of a right ankle contusion, made a pair of floaters to put the Lakers up 73-58 midday through the third quarter. 

MVP: LeBron James

The 41-year-old star wasn’t kidding when he was caught on camera in Dallas telling fans at American Airlines Center that he can “still do this s–t” last weekend.

James recorded his third straight points-assists double-double since the injuries to Doncic and Reaves. 

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His 22 points in the first half did not only set a tone, but were tied for the most points he scored in a half this season. 

He also scored 22 first-half points in the loss to the Mavericks on April 5. 

Stat of the game: 18

That’s how many offensive rebounds the Suns grabbed on Friday night. 

The Suns scored 27 second-chance points, one of their more significant sources of offense during a night they were without star guard Devin Booker.

The Lakers held the Suns to just five offensive boards in the second half, which helped the Lakers outscore the Suns 44-25 in the final two quarters.

Grayson Allen and Collin Gillespie didn’t play in the second half.

Up next

The Lakers will play their final regular season game on Sunday when they host the Jazz.

The Golden State Warriors played their penultimate game of the season on Friday night, and it both went according to plan and not very well at all. In a self-professed dress rehearsal for next week’s play-in tournament, the Warriors prepped themselves for higher-leverage games … but still lost to the lowly Sacramento Kings 124-118.

For the first time since returning from injury, Steph Curry started the game, and that seemed to portend good things. Curry made a three on the very first possession of the game, and Kristaps Porziņģis made one two possessions later, giving the Dubs a 6-0 lead less than a minute into the game. But after that hot start, the Warriors started to show some rust, which was understandable given that the unfamiliarity of the lineup.

Bad turned to worse when, trailing 12-9, Curry hunched over in pain and walked very gingerly, prompting a Steve Kerr timeout. But thankfully it appeared to just be a knocked knee, as Curry stayed in the game after the timeout, and everyone exhaled.

It felt like the Warriors were playing fairly well for a while, and they certainly had all sorts of energy, yet the Kings somehow just kept scoring and kept scoring, and kept scoring, with old foe Malik Monk catching fire. Curry played most of the first quarter — a clear tune-up for the postseason — but, following a quarter-ending three by Dylan Cardwell, the Kings still led 32-27 after the first frame.

The Warriors came out of the second-quarter gates with a very eager defense, but the Kings were committed to defending Curry, and they were doing a very good job of it. The game was getting a little ugly, until Sacramento broke out with some rhythm.

While the Kings are not a good shooting team, and were missing the bulk of their best players, they couldn’t miss for a while in the second quarter. Rhythm begat more rhythm, as the Kings shooters just seemed completely in sync (Devin Carter, for instance, shot 6-for-11, despite shooting 24.0% on threes this year, and 26.1% in his career). Sacramento pushed the lead and pushed the lead and pushed the lead, until suddenly it was a 15-point game.

De’Anthony Melton was having a fine time scoring for the Warriors, with 13 in the frame. But no one else could find rhythm, separation, or the bottom of the bucket (his teammates combined for just 11 points in the quarter). At halftime, the Kings — who are 29th in the NBA in three-point percentage, and 30th in threes made per game — had shot 10-for-19 from distance, and held a 63-51 lead.

But if the Warriors have something to hang their hat on from the loss — and if you want something to give you a little confidence heading into game No. 83 — it came in the third quarter, which seemed to be when the Warriors most pretended like the outcome of this game mattered. And while it was ultimately a meaningless game for both teams, the quarter was one of the most entertaining ones that the Dubs have had this year.

It was ugly, but in a fun way. Carter committed a flagrant foul on Draymond Green just 85 seconds into the half, which resulted in a five-point possession for the Dubs, as Green sank both free throws, and Brandin Podziemski followed it up with a three-point play. That was part of a 12-0 Warriors run following a Sacramento bucket on the opening possession, and during the run we were treated to the veteran Green getting into it with Kings rookie Maxime Raynaud.

Things were heating up, and it was a lot of fun to watch. It settled into a back-and-forth affair for the middle portion of the quarter, and the execution was a lot of fun to watch. Eventually it turned into a slugfest, and not just in the trading buckets way, but in the physical sense of the word. Extra hard screens were being set, with elbows and shoulders being thrown into players. Fouls had a little something extra on them. Gary Payton II picked up a technical. The Warriors tied it and the Kings went on a 6-0 run, then the Warriors responded with a 7-0 run, which included Curry drawing a technical for celebrating from the sideline after Al Horford drained a three.

The whole team was playing with energy and aggression, but perhaps no one more so than Podziemski, who was in full-on attack mode. Suddenly everything was going the Warriors way, and they employed an ultra-scrappy closing lineup — Podziemski, Pat Spencer, Gui Santos, Malevy Leons, and Charles Bassey — which gave them an 89-82 lead after the third quarter.

Steve Kerr opted for a double-big lineup to start the fourth, with Horford and Porziņģis sharing the court with Curry in one final blast of tuning up. It worked well, as the Warriors pushed the lead to 11 points.

But then they got sloppy. It felt like the Warriors had accomplished what they set out to accomplish, and ran out of interest. Suddenly they were turning the ball over and taking bad shots, as the Kings scored eight straight points to cut the lead to three. Carter was killing them from beyond the arc as the Kings tied the game with seven minutes remaining … and then took the lead when Payton picked up a second technical foul (and subsequent ejection).

The Warriors trailed by six points just past the halfway mark, and with the outcome not mattering, Kerr let the subs run out the contest. They kept it close, but never close enough to take the lead, en route to a 124-118 defeat.

Podziemski was magnificent, and led the Warriors with 30 points on 9-for-15 shooting, while earning 10 free throws. Melton had 17 off the bench, while Curry (11), Porziņģis (11), Payton (10), and Horford (10) also scored in double figures. Curry wasn’t at his best, but it really did feel like he was just going through the warmups.

The Kings, meanwhile, had four different players hit the 20-point mark: Carter led the way with 29, followed by Raynaud with 23. Daeqwon Plowden and Nique Clifford each had 20. Carter, Raynaud, and Plowed each grabbed nine rebounds as well, as the Kings out-boarded the Dubs 58-43 … both a sign of their advantage inside, and the fact that Golden State missed more shots.

Perhaps the most notable thing to come from the night was the Portland Trail Blazers beating the LA Clippers. That means that the most likely scenario is that the Warriors face the Clippers in the first round of the play-in tournament.

And speaking of the Clippers, that’s also who the Dubs play in their season finale on Sunday, at 5:30 p.m. PT in Inglewood. We’ll see if the Warriors try to tune things up further in that game, or if they rest their key players so as not to give Ty Lue any additional intel.

The Phoenix Suns played their fifth game against the Lakers this season on Friday night, and it wasn’t much of a contest. Sure, the Suns were down 57-48 at the half, but the youth movement received its chance in the second half, and it wasn’t pretty. The team scored a grand total of 25 points in the second half.

You tip your hat to LeBron James. He played 32 minutes and went 10-of-16 from the field, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. He finished with 28 points and 12 assists, added six rebounds and four steals, and posted a +27 on the night. In a game the Lakers needed to help secure the fourth seed in the Western Conference, he delivered.

On the other side, the Suns leaned into youth and opportunity, and the returns were not great. Dillon Brooks led the team with 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Royce O’Neale added 11. Some of the numbers were rough. Ryan Dunn played 28 minutes and was a -39. Jamaree Bouyea logged 27 minutes, went 1-of-7 from the field, and finished at -33.

The loss does not impact the standings for Phoenix, but Portland’s win over the Clippers moves them into the eighth seed, which would line them up as the Suns’ Play-In opponent on Tuesday if things hold through Sunday. The Suns now sit at 44–37 on the season.

Game Flow

First Half

The Suns opened with a lineup of Collin Gillespie, Grayson Allen, Ryan Dunn, Dillon Brooks, and Mark Williams, with Devin Booker and Jalen Green both out as they get rest before the postseason. It was the man in his 23rd season at 41 years old who set the tone early for the Lakers. LeBron James scored 9 of their first 13 points as Los Angeles jumped out to an early first quarter lead.

Phoenix found some life on the glass. 9 of their first 14 points came off second-chance opportunities, turning four offensive rebounds into valuable buckets.

With 6:15 left in the first, Dillon Brooks picked up his second foul of the quarter on a Luke Kennard three-point attempt. Kennard hit the shot, and the play went under review for a reckless closeout. It was ruled a common foul, but Kennard still knocked down the free throw to complete the four-point play and push the Lakers ahead 21 to 14.

He stayed in the game, and the first players into the rotation were Jamaree Bouyea and Royce O’Neale, who checked in for Collin Gillespie and Grayson Allen. Brooks came out on the next Lakers possession after picking up his third foul, and Rasheer Fleming entered as a result.

3 fouls by Dillon in Q1

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) April 11, 2026

The Suns soon found themselves down 15 in the first quarter, managing only 14 points of their own. It turned into a 13-0 run for the Lakers before rookie Rasheer Fleming stepped in and knocked down a three to stop the bleeding.

The offensive glass kept Phoenix afloat. They piled up 14 second-chance points on eight offensive rebounds, though that came with the reality that they were missing plenty of shots to create those opportunities. The Suns went 4-of-14 from beyond the arc in the first, while the Lakers caught fire, shooting 57.1% from the field.

After one, Los Angeles led 35-24.

The Lakers opened the second quarter a bit rusty, and the shots were not falling. The Suns kept chipping away, leaning on offensive rebounds and second-chance points to stay within reach.

With seven minutes left in the second, Phoenix had worked all the way back from a 16-point deficit to take a 36-35 lead after a three from Royce O’Neale. It was his second make from deep, and he sat at 4-of-8 from the field at that point.

Around that midpoint of the quarter, Dillon Brooks returned with three fouls to his name. He wasted little time, knocking down his first jumper after checking back in. And his offense kept rolling. Unfortunately, as the comeback was occurring, Grayson Allen left the bench for the locker room.

Grayson Allen heads to the locker room after an apparent hamstring injury. pic.twitter.com/YaKVCbtO6W

— PHNX Suns (@PHNX_Suns) April 11, 2026

With 4:17 left in the second, Brooks picked up his fourth personal foul. Head coach Jordan Ott kept him on the floor. On the very next possession, the Suns were whistled for another foul, their 10th of the game. It went to Amir Coffey, who then picked up a technical after reacting to what felt like a ticky-tack call.

Old man LeBron helped close the quarter for the Lakers. He had eight in the second on 4-of-6 shooting and finished the half with 22. Luke Kennard added some support with 17 of his own.

For the Suns, Dillon Brooks and Royce O’Neale each had 10 points, and Oso Ighodaro pulled down seven rebounds off the bench. Phoenix controlled the glass, leading the rebounding battle 28-13, and they dominated second-chance points 21-6. The problem was everything else. The Suns turned it over 10 times, while the Lakers had only two. Both teams scored 24 in the second, and at the half, Los Angeles led 57-48.

Second Half

The third quarter opened, and a little over a minute in, Jordan Ott used his first challenge. It was successful, overturning an out-of-bounds call. The Suns turned the ball over on the inbounds as a result. Sigh.

It was still a choppy start for the Suns. Shots were not falling, and the rhythm was not there. They were putting pressure on the Lakers and getting to the free throw line, but those trips only went so far. Before long, they were back down 15 as the Lakers opened on a 10-4 run through the first 6 minutes of the quarter.

Bouyea and Dunn were out there, but the offense felt passive. Too much dribbling into defenders, then looking for outlets. The flow was not sharp, and it showed.

Dunn and Bouyea should be less passive. This is a "fuck it" game. So, fuck it. Shoot the ball

— John Voita, III (@DarthVoita) April 11, 2026

The scoring drought stretched nearly seven minutes into the third quarter, with the Suns unable to hit a field goal. They finally broke through on an Amir Coffey layup with 4:30 left in the period. At that point, it was only their seventh point of the quarter and their second made field goal. They sat at 2-of-8 from the field and 0-of-4 from beyond the arc.

This was the quarter where it started to slip away from the Suns. Young players were on the floor, and the confidence was not there. Rasheer Fleming backed down a defender, had a chance to go up and score with his physicality, but kicked it out instead. It turned into a fast break the other way for the Lakers. That theme kept showing up. The young guys were looking to pass instead of looking to score, and it allowed Los Angeles to stretch the lead.

The third quarter belonged to the Lakers, who outscored the Suns 24-16. Giving up 24 is manageable, but the offense for Phoenix went quiet. They shot 4-of-14 from the field and 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. The turnovers kept piling up as well, eight in the quarter, leading to nine points for the Lakers. Los Angeles also found success in the paint, scoring 18 of their 24 points inside.

After three, the Lakers led 81-64.

There was not much to take away from the Suns in the fourth quarter as the offense completely stalled. No one could generate anything, and the youth movement looked rough on that end. There was little structure, a lot of one and done possessions, and Koby Brea firing from deep without much success.

The numbers tell the story. The Suns scored nine points in the quarter, shooting 4-of-21 from the field and 1-of-12 from beyond the arc.

Up Next

One more for the books, my friends. The Suns play the Thunder in the regular season finale on Sunday. We’ll see you then, Bright Side.

The Lakers took down the Suns 101-73 on Friday night. They clinched home court in the first round of the playoffs thanks to the Rockets losing to the Wolves.

Rui Hachimura started things off for LA with an impressive reverse layup. LeBron James was cooking early for Los Angeles with three 3-pointers and three free throws after he was fouled from behind the arc. He was up to nine points. Mark Williams was leading Phoenix with four points.

At the 7:13 mark, the Lakers were up by three. 

Dillon Brooks got into early foul trouble with three. LeBron continued his aggressive play, pushing his point total to 14, and he had three assists, putting him in the 12,000-career-assists club. Luke Kennard connected with LeBron for an emphatic dunk that rocked the rim. 

A powerful LeBron slam 😤

He's got 14 PTS after 1Q! pic.twitter.com/yWS6BjRTCq

— NBA (@NBA) April 11, 2026

LA was on a 13-0 scoring run. 

The Suns gained some life with two consecutive 3-pointers. Kennard responded with a 3-pointer for Los Angeles. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up by 10. 

The Lakers lead the Suns 33-23 after one quarter. LeBron James has 14 points and five assists and is a team-high +16 in his nine minutes of play.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) April 11, 2026

Royce O’Neale opened up the second period with a layup. The Lakers lost the high energy they had in the first quarter, allowing Phoenix to cut LA’s lead to four. Grayson Allen was now leading the Suns with eight points. 

Phoenix was beating Los Angeles on the offensive boards 11 to one.

Phoenix has used the offensive glass to get back into the game, with an 11-1 margin, helping them turn a 16-point deficit into a lead before two Marcus Smart FT's made it 39-38 LA.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) April 11, 2026

O’Neale scored a quick four points that put the Suns up by one. Kennard stopped some of the bleeding with a midrange jumper. The Lakers picked up their energy, and their offense clicked again, leading to a 9-2 scoring run.

At the four-minute mark, LA was up by six. 

Dillon Brooks and O’Neale had a combined 20 points for the Suns. Brooks was up to four fouls. Los Angeles ended the half strong, thanks to six points from LeBron. He had 22 points in the half. At halftime, LA was up by nine. 

LeBron with a pair of tough turnaround jumpers…

From almost identical spots 🔥

He's got 22 PTS at the break! pic.twitter.com/e2UCJL9Vkp

— NBA (@NBA) April 11, 2026

Jamaree Bouyea started the third period with a layup for Phoenix. Deandre Ayton responded on the other end with a dunk. Phoenix announced that Allen, who went to the locker room in the first half, was ruled out for the rest of the game with a left hamstring injury.

Both teams went on three-minute scoring droughts, but Hachimura ended LA’s with a 3-pointer. 

O’Neale converted on a free throw to give the Suns a point, but their scoring drought had hit six minutes. Amir Coffey stopped what ended up being a seven-minute scoring drought for Phoenix with a layup. 

A dunk by Oso Ighodaro forced a timeout by Los Angeles as their lead was now 11. Out of the break, Maxi Kleber was fouled and missed both free throws. On the other end, the Suns missed their shot attempt. 

Marcus Smart then scored four in a row. LeBron turned his jets on once more to give the Lakers their biggest lead of the night. 

Marcus Smart with back-to-back baskets. He's also had a steal and a rebound sandwiched in between these offensive plays. The Lakers really missed him.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) April 11, 2026

Going into the fourth, LA was up by 17.

The final frame began with a dunk by Jarred Vanderbilt on an assist from LeBron. James also assisted on a baseline cutting dunk by Kleber. At the 6:19 mark, LeBron was subbed out, and the rest of the game was garbage time as Los Angeles cruised to victory.

Key Player Stats

LeBron finished with 28 points, six rebounds, 12 assists and four steals. Kennard ended with 19 points, three assists and three steals. Hachimura pitched in with 13 points, two rebounds and three assists. 

Ayton had 10 points with five rebounds. Smart notched six points with five rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Vanderbilt logged six points with seven rebounds.

The Lakers’ last game of the season will be Sunday against the Utah Jazz at 5:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

Defense was optional in the Rockets’ Friday night matchup against the shorthanded Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite shooting 60.9 percent from the field and a career high 41 points from Amen Thompson, the Rockets were outscored by 33 points from the three-point line, only making 4-of-18 from distance, while allowing the Timberwolves to shoot 15-of-30. The Rockets dominated inside, posting a +22 points in the paint differential.

The Rockets also dominated the boards 49-38 and were a +6 in fast break points. The cliche of “win by the three, die by the three” came to fruition. The Rockets held a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter before the Wolves went on a 17-4 run. The Wolves made five threes in the final quarter to the Rockets one, and that was really the difference. For a Rockets team that was looking to take good habits into the playoffs and had everything to play for with the opportunity to move as high as the #3 seed in the West, the defensive effort was disappointing.

The loss dampens the shine on brilliant offensive performances from Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson. KD scored 33 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the field, and he added 7 rebounds and 7 assists. He became the oldest player in NBA history to score 2,000 points in one season, at 37 years and 193 days old. Amen Thompson’s career high 41 points in 41 minutes to go along with 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals was just enough to make him a whopping +1 on the floor. That’s how bad the defense was in this game. The Timberwolves defense was not cause for the game film to be sent to Springfield in its own right. Many of the Rockets’ missed threes were wide open shots. Conversely, the Timberwolves seemed to make whether they were contested or not.

Wanting to find an eloquent and sophisticated way to describe what we all just witnessed, the best I can come up with is… this game was weird. When you look at the stats both individual and team, you find it hard to believe that the Rockets let this one slip. What makes it harder to swallow is the big picture, after the Denver Nuggets defeated the OKC Thunder, and the Lakers appear to be on their way to beating the Suns, it’s all but certain that the Rockets will finish the season in the 5th seed of the Western Conference.

Sunday night at 7:30 PM CST the Rockets will be looking to match their win total from last season at 52, against the Memphis Grizzlies, who are actively trying to lose games. Should the Rockets be locked into the five sees, coach Ime Udoka when asked stated that he will be resting players in that game. That being said its possible we just watched the last meaningful regular season game of the season. We will still be here at TDS covering the season finale with Game Preview, In-game discussion, and Game Recap.