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3 observations after Sixers' Grimes-led comeback falls just short vs. T-Wolves  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers kept it tight all night Saturday against the Timberwolves.

However, their losing streak now sits at 11 games with four to go this season. 

Minnesota pulled out a 114-109 win at Wells Fargo Center and improved to 46-32. 

Four Sixers scored at least 16 points in Lonnie Walker IV, Quentin Grimes, Jared Butler and Guerschon Yabusele. Grimes was the team’s top scorer with 28 points.

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards posted 37 points. Rudy Gobert had 23 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks.

The 23-55 Sixers were down eight players to start the night, including Joel Embiid (season-ending left knee surgery), Paul George (season-ending adductor and left knee injuries) and Tyrese Maxey (right finger sprain). Justin Edwards was ruled out after logging 11 minutes because of a rib contusion. 

The Sixers will travel to Miami and face the Heat on Monday night. Here are observations on their loss to the T-Wolves: 

Big-time Edwards poster on Bona

The first few minutes went decently for the Sixers. They took an 11-7 lead on a Justin Edwards three-pointer.

A few seconds prior, Minnesota’s Edwards had the highlight of the night.

He exploded for a fierce slam on Bona that created plenty of stunned faces in the stands. Ultimately, sometimes being on the wrong end of such plays is part of life as an aggressive NBA shot blocker. 

Coming off of a fantastic 28-point night Thursday in the Sixers’ loss to the Bucks, Bona dealt with first-half foul trouble. He finished with four points, 10 rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in 25 minutes Playing his second game on a 10-day contract, Colin Castleton served as Bona’s backup and had six points, six rebounds and two assists.

Minnesota’s size advantages posed predictable issues for the Sixers. At halftime, the Timberwolves had major edges in second-chance points (12-2) and free throw attempts (18-4).

Good work by Walker off the bench

The Sixers began 3 for 15 from three-point range and struggled at times to create any open look until the dying seconds of the shot clock.

The T-Wolves also had a subpar shooting start, missing 13 of their first 17 long-distance jumpers. That helped the Sixers eat into their deficit after falling behind by 13 points. 

Lonnie Walker IV played a strong second quarter, too. The first man off the Sixers’ bench attacked effectively off the dribble, spotted open teammates and generally made sound decisions. 

Walker’s trending well in that department since returning from a concussion. Over his last four games, he’s recorded 20 assists and five turnovers. 

Grimes makes T-Wolves sweat late

A put-back, buzzer-beating Gobert layup sent Minnesota into halftime with a 55-51 lead. 

The Sixers trimmed their deficit by three points in the third quarter. They played active defense, forced regular turnovers and profited in the open floor. Grimes and Yabusele threw down crowd-pleasing fast-break dunks in the third and Grimes nailed a go-ahead three early in the fourth.

Minnesota then made a 12-0 run that featured back-to-back Edwards threes. With the T-Wolves’ superior star power, the game appeared just about over.

The Sixers weren’t quite done because they have Grimes, who’s often played like a star the past month.

He went on a late-game shotmaking spree, hitting three triples in a span of 74 seconds. Even when many of his jumpers are tightly contested, Grimes has shown he can catch fire. Two Yabusele free throws cut the Timberwolves’ lead to 104-103.

Edwards responded with a giant three, but Grimes and the Sixers maintained heavy pressure. Yet another Grimes jumper put the Sixers’ deficit at 111-109 with a little over 30 seconds left.

There was more drama to come.

Grimes was whistled for his sixth foul with 14.5 seconds left. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse challenged the call on Julius Randle and the officials changed the ruling on the floor to a no-call, with Minnesota retaining possession.

Edwards ended up having to shoot a deep, highly difficult turnaround three with the shot clock about to expire. He drilled it, finally sealing the Timberwolves’ win despite Grimes’ best efforts.

The Knicks used a 40-point second quarter to rout the Hawks in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon, 121-105.

All five Knicks starters scored in double figures and head coach Tom Thibodeau passed Pat Riley on the team's all-time wins list (224).

Here are the takeaways...

-The Knicks took an early punch from the Hawks, who got out to a 5-0 start. But the Knicks' defense clamped down and the combination of OG Anunoby and Josh Hart set the tone on offense. The duo drove to the hoop consistently, making easy layups and getting to the free-throw line.

New York got out to a sizeable double-digit lead for most of the first quarter, but turnovers and lackluster defense allowed the Hawks to cut the Knicks' lead to 38-31 after the first quarter. The Knicks had a balanced attack on offense, with Anunoby (11), Hart (8), Karl-Anthony Towns (7), Mikal Bridges (7) and Delon Wright (5) providing the scoring for the starters as the team shot 61 percent from the field. Unfortunately, the Hawks shot 57 percent in the frame.

-Towns would be the aggressor to start the second with Hart and Anunoby on the bench. The Knicks' big man scored the team's first five points and was consistently handling the ball at the top of the key. With eight minutes remaining in the second, Towns hurt his finger going for an offensive rebound and was in visible pain. Towns would head to the locker room to get it checked.

Towns would return after a few minutes, and just in time for the Knicks to go on an extended run. The Knicks' defense and the Hawks' inability to make shots led to a 30-plus point cushion for New York. Some lackadaisical defense by the Knicks allowed the Hawks to get some points back, but New York went into halftime up, 78-53. It's the most points the Knicks have scored in the first half this season and the most first-half points allowed by the Hawks this year.

The Knicks shot an insane 75 percent to Atlanta's 33 percent in the second quarter. Four of the Knicks' five starters were in double digits.

-The lax Knicks defense/offense continued early in the third, but a double-digit run pushed their lead back up to 33 points with eight minutes left. Everything went right for the Knicks in this quarter -- even a blocking foul called on Anunoby was overturned after review. New York entered the fourth quarter up 28 points and in full control.

New York maintained that lead for the duration of the game, with the Hawks only bringing it below a 20-point deficit with a few minutes to go.

Towns led the Knicks' scoring with 30 points, while Anunoby (24), Hart (16), Bridges (20) and Wright (10) rounded out the starter's scoring. Hart was one rebound shy of his 10th triple-double this season.

-Cam Payne made his return off the bench after missing four games with an ankle injury. In 21 minutes on the floor, the guard scored three points on 1-of-5 shooting.

Landry Shamet led the bench scoring with 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting, all made shots coming from three.

Game MVP: Entire team

No individual stood out as the entire team took it to Atlanta. The team shot 54 percent overall from the field and 52 percent from three. The defense also held the Hawks to 47 percent shooting and 31 percent from three.

Highlights

Defense ➡️ offense

OG with the block and Delon Wright with the bucket!

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/aIWaem1YhL

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 5, 2025

WHAT A RUN BY THE KNICKS!

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/HTMDd0DJ7o

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 5, 2025

The Knicks are ON FIRE from deep 🔥

(via @nyknicks) pic.twitter.com/CniLdq4Pkz

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 5, 2025

What's next

The Knicks head back home to host the Phoenix Suns at The Garden on Sunday, in what is expected to be Jalen Brunson's return. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

With the NBA playoffs quickly approaching, Knicks fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Jalen Brunson is expected to make his long-awaited return to the court Sunday when New York takes on the Phoenix Suns at The Garden barring any setbacks, SNY's Ian Begley confirms.

The news of Brunson's return was first reported by Chris Haynes.

The Knicks guard was going through his usual pregame on-court workout on the floor before Saturday's tip against the Hawks in Atlanta but was ruled out for the game.

Brunson has been out with a right ankle sprain since he sustained the injury on March 6 against the Lakers.

When Brunson returns Sunday, he'll have five games left before the end of the regular season. He needs to play in four for postseason awards and with one more back-to-back on the schedule, the All-Star point guard is likely to miss one more game before the start of the playoffs.

SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley noted on April 1 that Brunson returning to action this weekend was a realistic option. KnicksFanTV later reported that Brunson was targeting Sunday’s game as a potential return.

Over 35.4 minutes of action across 61 games this season, Brunson is averaging 26.3 points, 7.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game.

New York was 40-22 when the star guard went down and have gone 8-6 without him, as they remain the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Knicks (48-28) are up three games on the Indiana Pacers (45-31) with five games remaining in the regular season. The Milwaukee Bucks (42-34) and the Detroit Pistons (42-34) are currently slotted as the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, as the Knicks would take on Cade Cunningham and Detroit in the first round.

Draymond drops perfect Klay joke after Warriors' fifth straight win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Klay Thompson plays for the Dallas Mavericks now, but his spirit lives on within the Warriors organization — through Draymond Green, that is.

The usually fiery Golden State veteran channeled his former teammate’s chill demeanor after the Warriors’ huge 118-104 win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday, with Green’s third game in four days clearly leaving the 35-year-old exhausted.

“I’m sorry I’m giving y’all the lowest energy ever. I’m exhausted,” Green told reporters at Chase Center after the victory. “But, it’s good. I feel like I sound like Klay Thompson up here. Exhausted, dog … I don’t even know how to make [paper airplanes]. I would make them and fly it across, but I don’t know how to do it.”

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A post shared by NBC SPORTS BAY AREA & CA (@nbcsauthentic)

Green was pivotal in the Warriors’ fifth consecutive win, delivering another clutch defensive performance that has his name atop the NBA Defensive Player of the Year conversation.

The Golden State star helped slow down NBA MVP candidate Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets’ high-powered offense, just one night after locking up Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić and three days after posting a triple-double in the Warriors’ win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

That's our DPOY 😤pic.twitter.com/mQsX2s5OuQ

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 5, 2025

So, it’s certainly safe to say Green was feeling tired. Thompson was and still is known for his laid-back postgame pressers, often folding his stat sheet into a paper airplane to whisk into the crowd of reporters as he answered a question. And Green always has been the opposite, whether it’s engaging in back-and-forths with the press or providing insightful — albeit long-winded — responses.

But not on Friday night.

“I’m exhausted,” Green said. “I just want to go home, relax, go to sleep. I’m tired.”

Same, Draymond, same 😴 pic.twitter.com/QzZzIvL5PH

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 5, 2025

Green is giving it his all as the Warriors enter their final five regular-season games holding onto the Western Conference’s No. 5 playoff seed. And with the Mavericks sitting in the No. 9 spot, perhaps Green and Thompson will meet again on the court before all is said and done.

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By Rob Peterson, Jenna West and Rebecca Tauber

Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles capped off their illustrious careers by being named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class announced at the men’s Final Four in San Antonio on Saturday.

“It’s such a big honor. I’m just so happy, man, this is crazy. I made it to heaven,” Howard said as he teared up in an interview on ESPN after the announcement.

The 2025 class also includes coach Billy Donovan, who won two national championships at Florida and is the current longtime coach of the Chicago Bulls; longtime NBA referee Danny Crawford, who officiated more than 2,000 NBA games over 32 seasons, including 30 finals games; and Miami Heat owner Micky Arison, who has seen his franchise win three titles (2006, 2012, 2013) and seven Eastern Conference championships, including four consecutive from 2011 to 2014. The 2008 “Redeem Team” that took gold at the Beijing Olympics will also be inducted.

Jeff Twiss, the Boston Celtics’ longtime public relations executive, received the John Bunn Award, the Hall’s single-highest award short of enshrinement in the Hall itself. He’s been with the franchise for more than 40 years and is regarded as one of the great professionals on his side of the player-media divide.

Melo doesn’t need an NBA title to enter the Hall

There had been recent online scuttlebutt regarding Anthony’s Hall of Fame credentials because he had never won an NBA title. (He never appeared in an NBA Finals, let alone won a ring.)

But let’s be real here: Anthony entering the Hall of Fame on his first try shouldn’t surprise anyone who paid attention. In 2003, he was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player before leading Syracuse to its only men’s NCAA title. Selected third in the legendary 2003 NBA Draft, Anthony used one of the silkiest shooting strokes to accumulate 28,289 points, 10th on the NBA career scoring list. He’s also a four-time Olympic medalist in men’s basketball, three of them gold in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

The list of players who have scored 28,000-plus points and won an NCAA title, an NBA scoring title (28.7 points per game in 2013) and three Olympic gold medals is a party of one: Anthony.

In a “ringz” culture, it would be easy to cite the lack of an NBA championship (“I’m at peace,” Anthony told Sports Illustrated in 2023) on Anthony’s 19-year career résumé or a major individual award (one top-three MVP finish in 2013) as a reason to downplay his Hall credentials. Still, the 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA player built a storied career few, if any, can match.

Howard built his HOF résumé early in his career

Like Anthony, there have been questions about Howard’s Hall of Fame worthiness as people point to his late-career journey. He played for six teams in seven seasons (including the Los Angeles Lakers twice, winning a title with them in the 2020 bubble) and put up pedestrian numbers (11.1 points per game, 10.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 433 games). He was even waived twice, once by Brooklyn in 2018 and once by Memphis in 2019, without playing a game for either franchise.

But Howard built his résumé for Springfield, Mass., early in his career. The Orlando Magic tabbed Howard with the No. 1 pick in 2004, and he made an immediate impact for the franchise. He played in 567 of 574 games in his first seven seasons, led the Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals and won Defensive Player of the Year in three consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2011. Starting with the 2007-08 season, he led the NBA in rebounds five of six seasons, was named First Team All-NBA for five straight seasons and was top-five in MVP voting for four consecutive seasons.

Howard also led the NBA in blocks in 2009 and 2010. His three DPOY awards place him second behind Dikembe Mutombo, Ben Wallace and Rudy Gobert, who each have four. Wallace and Mutombo are in the Hall of Fame; Gobert is still in the NBA. Howard’s 14,627 rebounds put him 10th on the NBA’s career list, and his 2,228 blocks place him 13th all time.

Add in eight All-Star selections, eight All-NBA teams and a 2008 Olympic gold medal during his 18-year career, it’s easy to see why Howard is headed for the Hall. —

Bird enters Naismith as assists leader

Bird enters the Hall after retiring from a 21-year career with the Seattle Storm, during which she won four WNBA titles. From 2002 until her retirement in 2022, Bird tallied a league-leading 3,234 assists and appeared in 580 games.

Before the Storm selected her with the first pick of the 2002 draft, Bird was a star at UConn, guiding the Huskies to two NCAA titles. She also boasts Olympic gold medals from five consecutive Summer Games.

“In the same moment that I’m thinking about the next generation, inspiring them, I’m thinking about those that came before and inspired me,” Bird said in an ESPN interview after the announcement.

Moore built a legacy on and off the court

Moore won four WNBA championships with the Minnesota Lynx, who drafted her with the No. 1 pick in 2011. She was the league’s 2014 Most Valuable Player and won the WNBA Finals MVP in 2013. Moore also won two Olympic gold medals for the U.S.

“It’s just such a humbling thing, because it really makes you feel the bigness of the family of basketball,” Moore said on ESPN.

Moore was a member of UConn’s 90-game winning streak, going 150-4 with the Huskies during her college career.

In 2019, Moore paused her career to advocate for criminal justice reform, helping free her now-husband, Jonathan Irons, from prison due to a wrongful conviction. Moore was also a leader in the Lynx’s protests against police brutality in 2016, helping set the stage for growing political activism across the WNBA in future years.

Fowles stood out with dominant defense, double-doubles

Fowles was a two-time champion with the Lynx and a two-time WNBA Finals MVP. She won four Olympic gold medals for the U.S. and is an eight-time All-Star over her 15 seasons in the league. She was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year four times and led the WNBA in blocks twice.

Fowles is second in WNBA career rebounds at 4,006. In college, she led LSU to four Final Four appearances before being drafted second in 2008 by the Chicago Sky.

In 2018, Fowles became the first player on the Lynx to achieve a 20-point, 20-rebound stat line, with 23 points and 20 rebounds in a game against the Dallas Wings.

“I don’t think neither one of us go into this thinking that we’re gonna be Hall of Famers,” Fowles said on ESPN. “You just do your job, and you go out there and have fun and you enjoy the company, and then when it’s all said and done, the job is complete. And here we are.”

Enshrining ‘The Redeem Team’

Between the Dream Team’s debut in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics through the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, USA Basketball’s men’s team was a dominant force in international basketball, winning three Olympic gold medals and the 1994 FIBA World Championship. That dominance ended in 2002 with a sixth-place finish at the FIBA World Championships, the first time NBA professionals lost in an international competition. (NBA players were locked out in 1998, and weren’t allowed to participate in the FIBA World Championships that year.)

At the 2004 Athens games, the men’s team was filled with talent — Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Anthony and Dwyane Wade — and finished with a bronze medal.

With that third-place finish, USA Basketball was determined to get back to gold medal status and began to require multi-year commitments from players to build a better organizational culture. With James, Anthony and Wade committing through the 2006 FIBA World Championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympics, that trio saw the U.S. finish third in 2006.

In 2008, with those three cornerstones, Team USA added Chris Bosh and, most importantly, Kobe Bryant in their quest to recapture Olympic gold. Bryant provided a razor-sharp competitive edge to a group of young players who needed it. The team, also featuring future Hall of Famers Jason Kidd and Howard, won its five pool play games by an average of 32.2 points. In the medal rounds, the Americans crushed Australia by 30 and Argentina by 20 in the semifinals before defeating Spain 118-107 in what is considered by some as one of the greatest basketball games ever played.

The Redeem Team is the third U.S. men’s Olympic team enshrined in Springfield, with the 1960 gold medal team featuring Oscar Robertson and Jerry West, and the Dream Team.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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Steph driven by desire over wisdom amid Warriors' final playoff push originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – It would have been wise of Stephen Curry to spend Friday on the bench in designer sweats, giving his sore pelvis a couple days to heal, watching the Warriors try to shed three years of despair.

But with nine days remaining in the 2024-25 NBA season and the Warriors caught in the maelstrom of the Western Conference playoff chase, Curry is driven more by desire than wisdom. He is following what his heart wants, not what his body needs.

Spectating was out of the question. He ignored the “questionable” tag on the injury report because that designation might have influence in November but not in April. This is when Savage Steph is on the prowl.

Curry announced his plans to Golden State coach Steve Kerr and team health and performance honcho Dr. Rick Celebrini, strapped a pad to his backside, dashed onto the court, scored 36 points in 32 minutes and led a 118-104 throttling of the Nuggets that snapped a nine-game losing streak to Denver.

Some risks are worth a little agony. Jimmy Butler III, nursing a strained left forearm, also was listed as questionable. He also played. The third and relatively healthiest member of the team’s veteran core, Draymond Green, also answered the call.

Never was there a doubt, though, that Curry not only would put himself through an evening of discomfort but also invite even more if that’s what it would take to get the W.

“The conversation is just context of where we are in the season,” Curry said. “But if any of us felt physically like we weren’t ready to go or could put ourselves in jeopardy of taking a couple steps back physically, then you have a different decision.
“But we all felt good. We got in at a decent hour. Rick and Steve are pretty proactive on some of those conversations. When we all talked about it this morning, it was a full green light.”

Curry’s redoubtable will was on display in the final five minutes of the second quarter. Playing their third game in four nights and second in two, the fatigued Warriors sagged through the first quarter and fell behind by 10 points. When Curry reentered in the second quarter, he flooded the Nuggets with a torrent of buckets, scoring 12 points in less than four minutes.

That drove the first stake into the heart of Golden State’s longest losing streak against any team in the NBA.

Curry had teammates to inspire. A Chase Center sellout crowd to thrill. And there he was – in moments of temporary insanity – landing on the sorest part of his body after intentionally drawing charge calls from bigger opponents.

The two-time MVP and four-time NBA champ is all-in on his team’s drive for another triumphant season. His mission is visible on his face. The faraway stares. The brief curling of his upper lip. The glee with which he is dissecting defenses and terrorizing individual defenders.

“There is a completely different focus, and you see the focus everywhere,” Green said of his longtime teammate. “It’s not just once he steps on the court. It’s in his practices, in his workouts. He’s on the phone he’s talking . . . he’s suggesting substitution patterns. He’s just all the way in.

“He gets into the weeds around this time. We try to keep him out of the weeds all year because it can be a bit exhausting. But he kind of knows when it’s time for him to get in the weeds, and he is right now.”

Curry’s 36-point game on Friday followed a 37-point outburst Thursday against the Lakers in Los Angeles, which followed a 52-point performance Tuesday in Memphis. Three games, four days, 125 points, three Golden State victories.

“In three different cities, at (age) 37,” Kerr said, marveling. “He looked so fast out there tonight. Maybe it’s his most underrated part of his game is his conditioning. Just incredible what he does out there, especially considering how much attention he draws defensively, how much pressure people put on him. He handles it night after night and flourishes, incredible athlete.”

The Warriors were 10th in the Western Conference standings on Feb. 1. Butler made his debut on Feb. 8 and they’d moved to seventh by March 1. The win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday lifted them to fifth place. They went to bed Friday night one-half game behind fourth-place Denver and one full game behind the third-place Los Angeles Lakers.

Golden State is 20-2 when Curry, Green and Butler are in the lineup. Their last two losses, at Atlanta and at Miami, came in games Curry was sidelined due to the initial pelvic injury.

A chance to beat a longtime tormentor? An opportunity to push Golden State’s win streak to five? A night to give his team what only he can provide?

Tender tailbone and all, Curry was going to play. Never should have been a doubt.

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Luka Doncic and LeBron James helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a comfortable victory against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Doncic put on a game-high 35 points with team-mate Austin Reaves adding 30, while James scored 27 points with eight assists in a 124-108 win.

The Lakers bounced back from defeat against the Golden State Warriors to further boost their hopes of a top-four finish in the Western Conference.

It is the sixth successive win for the Lakers over the Pelicans, including three victories this season.

Elsewhere, Western Conference leaders the Oklahoma City Thunder, who host the Lakers in back-to-back games on Sunday and Tuesday, saw an 11-game winning streak ended against the Houston Rockets.

Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun combined for 65 points to triumph 125-111 in Houston.

The Boston Celtics set a new record for the number of three-pointers scored in a single season during their 123-103 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Boston, the defending NBA champions, scored 14 at TD Garden to take their overall tally to 1,370, eclipsing the previous record of 1,363 set by the Golden State Warriors in 2022-23.

Simply put, the Clippers' goal is to “make the playoffs,” coach Tyronn Lue said, and not be a play-in team.

The Clippers moved closer to that goal Friday in a 114-91 rout of the Dallas Mavericks at the Intuit Dome.

Having won 10 of their last 12 games, the Clippers are putting themselves in position to potentially avoid the play-in the tight Western Conference playoff race.

At 45-32, the Clippers are tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies, one game behind the fifth–seeded Golden State Warriors. The Clippers are seventh in the West with five games left in the regular season, three against teams jockeying to secure a playoff berth at sixth or higher.

Read more:Kawhi Leonard leads Clippers to a dominant win over the Pelicans amid playoff push

“Everyone is in a playoff mode already,” said Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who was strong again with 14 points and 13 rebounds. “Everyone is trying to stay out of the play-in. You don’t want to depend on one game or two games for your seed, for your chances to get into the playoffs. You want to get out of it. You want to make that top six so everyone is fighting for the playoff spots.

“Everyone is treating every game like the playoffs. Honestly, it’s fun. I think what the NBA did with that play-in, I think it’s a really good thing. It’s very competitive and it’s been good. The last few weeks have been fun. You just kind of lock in, treat it as a playoff game, a must-win, and I’m sure other teams are like that too.”

Against a depleted Dallas team, the Clippers built a 35-point lead and basically coasted. Six Clippers scored in double figures and none played more than 32 minutes.

Kawhi Leonard led the way with 20 points on eight-for-17 shooting with six rebounds and two assists.

Norman Powell was solid, finishing with 14 points and shooting two for five from three-point range to give him a career-high 172 threes this season.

James Harden had 13 points and five assists.

“Going into the playoffs playing well, that’s our main goal,” Lue said. “We know a lot of teams are jumbled up right now. So, we just got to take care of business, a game at a time and try to separate ourselves the best we can.”

In Lue’s eyes, the Clippers are meeting the moment at a critical time.

“I see them responding,” Lue said. “I think the last 10 games we played so far have been playoff games. Like, we have to win pretty much every game. Like, to solidify that sixth spot, we understand that and our guys understand that. So, going into the playoffs, we’ve had these games for like our last 15.

"So, it should be good for us, just having that intensity, having that understanding and awareness that tonight, every night is an important game to try to make the playoffs.”

Read more:Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell lead Clippers to win over Magic

The Clippers host the Mavericks again Saturday. Leonard, who played 24 minutes Friday, hasn’t played in back-to-back games since returning from a right knee injury. He told reporters he wasn’t talking after the game but would “double up” on his media obligations Saturday night.

That seemed to suggest Leonard might play Saturday.

“He’ll be evaluated tomorrow,” Lue said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Jaxson Hayes tapped Luka Doncic on the leg. Maxi Kleber walked by and quietly did the same. And Markieff Morris plopped down next to his teammate and put his arm on the back of Doncic’s chair.

The entire time the Lakers' star guard just stared blankly ahead. The joy he brought since getting comfortable in Los Angeles disappeared, a miserable 0 for 7 first shift compounding upon a performance he called “unacceptable” the night before in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.

With the Lakers playing one of the worst teams in the league in the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, Doncic was getting scorched by pesky guard Jose Alvarado and was plainly frustrated.

Read more:Lakers show fight, but Luka Doncic's 'unacceptable' struggles prove costly in loss to Warriors

But when he checked back in during the second quarter, the Lakers had found a little footing and traces of rhythm, and he cut backdoor to score his first basket on an easy layup.

The Lakers weren’t perfect the rest of the way in a 124-108 win in their penultimate home game of the regular season, but they certainly weren’t smothered in the dark cloud that covered Doncic for much of the previous two games.

And as they worked their way through his slump, the Lakers did the kind of things they’ll certainly need in bulk as they prepare for back-to-back games against the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.

The game came amid discussion surrounding a worrisome stat for the Lakers (47-30) — the team actually had been outscored by 24 points in the 320 minutes Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves had shared the court.

“I don't make a ton of it,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game. “I don't think the expectation, at least internally for us, was we're going to be the 2016-2017 Warriors or this year's Oklahoma City Thunder. We didn't expect that. So the disjointedness of an in-season trade is there.

“Those guys, I think, are committed to making it work with each other when they're on the court. ... They're committed to making it work when there are two of them on the court or one of them is on the court. It's a work in progress. We all knew that was gonna be the case."

In the best moments Friday, the trio looked almost unstoppable. James found Reaves in the corner on a no-look pass for a three-pointer. Doncic hit James underneath the basket for an easy bucket. And in the game’s biggest highlight, Reaves led a fast break in the middle of the court with Doncic running to the right and James to the left, flipping the ball behind his back before connecting with James on a lob for a dunk.

The three have been pretty dominant when playing together in recent games. Against the Warriors, despite Doncic’s struggles, the Lakers were plus-13.9 points per 100 possessions with James, Reaves and Doncic on the court. Against Houston earlier in the week, the Lakers were plus-20.8 when they played.

They all had their moments of dominance against the Pelicans (21-56). Doncic finished with 35 points, looking like a player who recaptured his mojo. Reaves continued his play as one of the league’s top complementary scorers, finishing with 30 points on only 13 attempts. And James, who said he’s feeling his best since injuring his groin, scored 27 and had eight assists.

The win, combined with Denver’s loss to the Warriors, has the Lakers third in the West.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.