Category: NBA

Victor Wembanyama scored a season-high 41 points as the San Antonio Spurs earned a 10th successive win by beating the Golden State Warriors 127-113.

The Spurs have emerged as NBA title contenders during the second half of the campaign, winning 26 of their past 28 games.

The 22-year-old achieved his haul in just 29 minutes at Chase Center in California and also finished with 18 rebounds.

Stephon Castle and Julian Champagnie chipped in with 15 points each for San Antonio, who are second in the Western Conference - just two wins behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"We're still going to play 100% to try to win this championship," Wembanyama said.

The Golden State Warriors are 10th after losing two consecutive games.

In the Eastern Conference, Boston tightened their grip on second place as Jaylen Brown registered a game-high 43 points in the Celtics' 147-129 win in Miami.

Tatum's triple-double of 25 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists helped Boston bounce back from defeat against the Atlanta Hawks.

Meanwhile, the New York Knicks halted a three-game losing run with a 130-119 win at the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Knicks are third in the Eastern standings while the Grizzlies are 12th in the Western Conference.

Cleveland Cavaliers (47-29, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (36-40, 10th in the Western Conference)

San Francisco; Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cavaliers -10.5; over/under is 226.5

BOTTOM LINE: The Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Golden State Warriors in cross-conference play.

The Warriors have gone 21-16 at home. Golden State is second in the league averaging 15.9 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 35.7% from downtown. Moses Moody leads the team averaging 2.5 makes while shooting 40.1% from 3-point range.

The Cavaliers are 23-15 on the road. Cleveland ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference shooting 35.9% from 3-point range.

The Warriors average 114.9 points per game, 0.4 fewer points than the 115.3 the Cavaliers allow. The Cavaliers are shooting 48.0% from the field, 0.3% higher than the 47.7% the Warriors' opponents have shot this season.

The teams meet for the second time this season. The Warriors won 99-94 in the last matchup on Dec. 7.

TOP PERFORMERS: Brandin Podziemski is scoring 13.3 points per game with 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Warriors. Pat Spencer is averaging 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 44.3% over the past 10 games.

James Harden is scoring 23.7 points per game and averaging 4.9 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Max Strus is averaging 2.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Warriors: 4-6, averaging 112.5 points, 39.7 rebounds, 28.1 assists, 9.6 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.4 points per game.

Cavaliers: 7-3, averaging 123.0 points, 44.1 rebounds, 29.0 assists, 7.1 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 51.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.6 points.

INJURIES: Warriors: Quinten Post: out (foot), Jimmy Butler III: out for season (knee), Al Horford: out (calf), Moses Moody: out for season (knee), Gui Santos: out (pelvis), Stephen Curry: out (knee), Gary Payton II: out (knee), De'Anthony Melton: out (thumb), Kristaps Porzingis: out (illness).

Cavaliers: Max Strus: day to day (foot), Jarrett Allen: day to day (knee), Sam Merrill: day to day (injury management), Dean Wade: out (ankle), Jaylon Tyson: out (toe).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Boston Celtics (51-25, second in the Eastern Conference) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (30-46, 11th in the Eastern Conference)

Milwaukee; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Boston visits the Milwaukee Bucks after Jaylen Brown scored 43 points in the Celtics' 147-129 win over the Miami Heat.

The Bucks are 20-27 in Eastern Conference games. Milwaukee is fourth in the league averaging 14.9 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 38.6% from downtown. AJ Green leads the team averaging 2.8 makes while shooting 40.8% from 3-point range.

The Celtics have gone 32-15 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston is fourth in the Eastern Conference with 12.6 offensive rebounds per game led by Neemias Queta averaging 2.9.

The Bucks' 14.9 made 3-pointers per game this season are just 0.8 more made shots on average than the 14.1 per game the Celtics allow. The Celtics average 15.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.5 more makes per game than the Bucks allow.

The two teams play for the fourth time this season. The Celtics defeated the Bucks 108-81 in their last matchup on March 3. Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with 25 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 19 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Ryan Rollins is averaging 17.1 points, 5.6 assists and 1.5 steals for the Bucks. Ousmane Dieng is averaging 13.2 points and 3.9 assists over the past 10 games.

Brown is scoring 28.8 points per game and averaging 7.0 rebounds for the Celtics. Pritchard is averaging 3.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bucks: 3-7, averaging 109.3 points, 39.6 rebounds, 24.0 assists, 7.8 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.0 points per game.

Celtics: 8-2, averaging 115.1 points, 48.2 rebounds, 24.4 assists, 6.2 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.6 points.

INJURIES: Bucks: Gary Harris: day to day (personal), Kevin Porter Jr.: out for season (knee), Kyle Kuzma: day to day (achilles), Myles Turner: day to day (ankle), Thanasis Antetokounmpo: day to day (calf), Giannis Antetokounmpo: out (ankle), Ryan Rollins: day to day (hip), Bobby Portis: day to day (wrist), Taurean Prince: day to day (neck), Gary Trent Jr.: day to day (hip).

Celtics: Nikola Vucevic: out (finger).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Toronto Raptors (42-34, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (25-51, 12th in the Western Conference)

Memphis, Tennessee; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Cam Spencer and the Memphis Grizzlies host Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors in non-conference play.

The Grizzlies have gone 14-25 in home games. Memphis is 3-5 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Raptors are 21-17 in road games. Toronto is fifth in the Eastern Conference giving up only 112.3 points while holding opponents to 46.7% shooting.

The Grizzlies average 13.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.0 more made shot on average than the 12.7 per game the Raptors give up. The Grizzlies average 114.4 points per game, 5.1 fewer points than the 119.5 the Grizzlies give up to opponents.

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Raptors won 117-104 in the last matchup on Nov. 2. RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 27 points, and Santi Aldama led the Grizzlies with 15 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Spencer is averaging 11.1 points and 5.5 assists for the Grizzlies. Tyler Burton is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Brandon Ingram is scoring 21.4 points per game and averaging 5.5 rebounds for the Raptors. Ja'Kobe Walter is averaging 2.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Grizzlies: 2-8, averaging 110.8 points, 35.0 rebounds, 25.4 assists, 9.9 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 126.4 points per game.

Raptors: 5-5, averaging 119.7 points, 39.9 rebounds, 33.8 assists, 10.2 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 52.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.7 points.

INJURIES: Grizzlies: Santi Aldama: out for season (knee), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: out for season (finger), Taylor Hendricks: day to day (finger), Ja Morant: out for season (elbow), Scotty Pippen Jr.: out for season (toe), Zach Edey: out for season (ankle), Ty Jerome: day to day (ankle), Jaylen Wells: out for season (toe), Taj Gibson: day to day (foot), Brandon Clarke: out for season (calf).

Raptors: Brandon Ingram: day to day (rest), Immanuel Quickley: day to day (foot), Jamison Battle: day to day (illness).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Orlando Magic (40-36, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Dallas Mavericks (24-52, 13th in the Western Conference)

Dallas; Friday, 8:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Dallas takes on Orlando looking to stop its 13-game home losing streak.

The Mavericks have gone 14-24 in home games. Dallas ranks second in the Western Conference with 53.2 points per game in the paint led by Cooper Flagg averaging 11.3.

The Magic are 16-20 on the road. Orlando ranks ninth in the Eastern Conference with 32.3 defensive rebounds per game led by Paolo Banchero averaging 7.2.

The Mavericks are shooting 46.7% from the field this season, 1.0 percentage point lower than the 47.7% the Magic allow to opponents. The Magic average 11.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.2 fewer made shots on average than the 12.9 per game the Mavericks give up.

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Magic won the last matchup 115-114 on March 6, with Tristan da Silva scoring 19 points in the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Naji Marshall is averaging 15.5 points and 3.3 assists for the Mavericks. Flagg is averaging 22.1 points over the last 10 games.

Desmond Bane is scoring 20.3 points per game and averaging 4.1 rebounds for the Magic. Jevon Carter is averaging 1.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Mavericks: 2-8, averaging 115.6 points, 43.3 rebounds, 27.1 assists, 8.6 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 127.9 points per game.

Magic: 2-8, averaging 111.6 points, 38.4 rebounds, 24.3 assists, 7.4 steals and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 123.3 points.

INJURIES: Mavericks: Naji Marshall: day to day (illness), Dereck Lively II: out for season (foot), Caleb Martin: day to day (foot), P.J. Washington: day to day (illness), Daniel Gafford: day to day (shoulder), Kyrie Irving: out for season (knee), Marvin Bagley III: day to day (shoulder), Klay Thompson: day to day (rest).

Magic: Anthony Black: out (abdomen), Jonathan Isaac: out (knee).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Utah Jazz (21-56, 14th in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (47-29, fifth in the Western Conference)

Houston; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Houston hosts Utah looking to extend its four-game home winning streak.

The Rockets are 25-22 against Western Conference opponents. Houston averages 14.5 turnovers per game and is 19-8 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents.

The Jazz are 11-36 against Western Conference opponents. Utah is sixth in the league scoring 17.1 fast break points per game. Lauri Markkanen leads the Jazz averaging 3.3.

The Rockets score 114.4 points per game, 11.0 fewer points than the 125.4 the Jazz give up. The Jazz score 7.4 more points per game (117.3) than the Rockets give up (109.9).

The teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Rockets won the last matchup 125-105 on Feb. 24. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 31 points to help lead the Rockets to the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kevin Durant is averaging 25.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists for the Rockets. Reed Sheppard is averaging 3.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Ace Bailey is averaging 13.5 points for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 17.2 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 6-4, averaging 116.3 points, 46.8 rebounds, 29.4 assists, 8.0 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.1 points per game.

Jazz: 1-9, averaging 117.1 points, 42.0 rebounds, 29.8 assists, 9.4 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 128.2 points.

INJURIES: Rockets: Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Steven Adams: out for season (ankle).

Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: out (hip), Isaiah Collier: out (hamstring), Keyonte George: out (leg), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (nose), Elijah Harkless: day to day (hamstring), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Lakers (50-26) head on the road to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (60-16) on Thursday.

This is a huge game for the purple and gold, who have yet to win against the reigning champs this regular season.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

When: 6:30 p.m. PT, Apr 2

Where: Paycom Center

Watch: Prime Video, Spectrum Sportsnet

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The Lakers have exactly six games remaining in the regular season, and two of those are against the Thunder.

These games can be viewed as the perfect measuring stick for the Lakers, who just had an incredible month of March, winning 15 of 17 games. Los Angeles has been playing its best basketball, led by its MVP candidate, Luka Dončić, and the only question left is: in the midst of all of this, how legit are the Lakers really?

Well, we’re about to find out if they can keep up with not only the defending champions but the best basketball team this regular season. Lakers head coach JJ Redick perfectly described what to expect from this Thunder team ahead of their matchups this week:

“I do know that they’re great on both sides of the ball,” Redick said postgame after LA’s win over Cleveland. “They’re going to make you work for things defensively because of how physical they are. They just do a great job of driving. You really have to do your best to keep them out of the paint.”

The Thunder are not only elite at scoring in the paint and defending the basketball, but they also have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is playing at an MVP level. SGA is currently averaging 31.6 points, 6.5 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Let’s see if Los Angeles can win this game and start April off by defeating the defending champs.

Notes and Updates

• The Thunder are the only team this season to have reached 60 wins. To do that as the champs speaks volumes about how great they are. They’re currently on a three-game winning streak and, like the Lakers, have won nine out of their last 10 games.

• For the Lakers’ injury report, Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion) remains out.
• Adou Thiero (G-League), Dalton Knecht (G-League) and Kobe Bufkin (G-League) will be with the South Bay Lakers.
• As for the Thunder, only PJ Hall (right ankle soreness) is out.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

The Warriors were missing nine players and had to play a patchwork lineup of mostly undrafted players. They played with a lot of effort in a rough and tumble game and the Spurs didn’t play their cleanest game, but the talent difference was too much for the undermanned Golden State squad. The Spurs never quite turned the game into a blowout, but Wembanyama was transcendent with 41 points and 18 rebounds, and they kept the Warriors at arm’s length for the entire second half. Golden State could never cut the lead to single digits as San Antonio won 127-113

Observations

• The last game, I used the tired metaphor that the Spurs ran out of gas at the end of the game. Unfortunately, another writer used the same line a few hours later. My bad, I should have stayed on the crazy train with Ozzy. [UPDATE: I did not get aboard the CRAZY TRAIN]
• Sean Elliott and Jacob Tobey had the night off as the game was nationally televised on ESPN, and I expect I’ll really miss half of the third quarter being occupied with food reviews and watching those guys eat. Mike Breen and Tim Legler did the broadcast, with Richard Jefferson, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them eat on camera.
• Brandin Podziemski somehow found himself defending Wemby on the first play, and it didn’t end well for him, with a Wembanyama and-one, as the Spurs scored the first 10 points. The Spurs were quick out of the gate as they led 17-3 in the first four minutes, leading to a quick Kerr timeout.
• Nate Williams is a nice talent for the Warriors, in the Jordan McLaughlin role. He got a quick layup over Victor early in the game, but the next time he tried it, Vic was ready and sent it back.
• The Spurs led by as much as 17 in the first quarter, but Podziemski happened, and the Warriors went on a 13-2 run to cut the lead to just six. The Spur finished the quarter on a 5-2 run to lead 35-26 after one quarter.
• Omer Yurtseven smacked Fox in the face with his elbow, and surprisingly, it was not called a foul. Fox just missed a few minutes, so luckily he wasn’t hurt too badly. He also smacked Vassell really hard on a drive to the basket, which was called a foul, but probably should have been a flagrant one.
• The players left on the roster of the Warriors aren’t that talented, but they played a physical game, and it was tough to watch at times. They brought the deficit to five points early in the second quarter, but the Spurs shrugged it off and led 70-49 behind an insane 27 point 13 rebound performance from Victor Wembanyama.
• There were two transition take fouls in the first half, and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that. They topped it off with a clear path foul in the third quarter.
• The Warriors got a good game from Curry. Not that one. Seth had a nice night shooting the ball for the Golden Gaters.
• Draymond Green’s shot release is so slow that it’s reminiscent of a medieval trebuchet, but it was hitting its target tonight, like an ancient siege weapon lobbing boulders into the enemy’s keep.
• Mason Plumlee looks useless. I sure hope he doesn’t have to play in the playoffs.
• The Spurs effort was somewhat lacking in the third quarter, and the Warriors outscored the Silver and Black 34-26, to cut the San Antonio lead to 96-83 with one quarter to play.
• The Spurs got down to business in the fourth quarter and led by as much as 26 with 6 minutes left. They went a little cold in the final minutes, and the Warriors improved the cosmetics of the score by hitting some shots late, but the outcome was never in doubt as the Spurs won 127-113

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The Spurs are on their last back-to-back of the season, which continues tomorrow night in LA against the Clippers. The Clippers or Warriors could be a first round playoff matchup for the Spurs, depending on how well they do in the play-in tournament, so I’m sure the Silver and Black wants to figure ways to take advantages of their weaknesses. It’s going to be fun to watch.

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Claire Dalton broke a tie 57 seconds into the third period with her first PWHL goal and the Toronto Sceptres beat the Ottawa Charge 2-1 on Wednesday night in a Takeover Tour game that drew 16,150 fans to the Saddledome.

Dalton also assisted on Maggie Connors’ first-period goal. Connors set up Dalton’s goal, and captain Blayre Turnbull assisted on both goals to help Toronto move past Ottawa into fourth place.

Raygan Kirk made 28 saves, allowing only Fanuza Kadirova's tying goal late in the first period. Gwyneth Philips stopped 22 shots for Ottawa.

Up next

Sceptres: Host Ottawa on Saturday, April 11.

Charge: Host Montreal on Friday night.

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

On the surface, Wednesday night's game against the Grizzlies wasn't a must-win for the Knicks. However, after dropping their third straight and looking bad doing it on Tuesday, Josh Hart had some pointed comments about his team's direction. 

He even called the game against Memphis "must-win."

So it's a good thing the Knicks put together a wire-to-wire win against the Grizzlies. Although it wasn't necessarily easy.

A young, depleted Grizzlies team fought hard against the Knicks. They beat the Knicks in the second and third quarters, almost taking their first lead of the game in the third.

However, the combination of Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby didn't let that happen. Without Jalen Brunson (ankle soreness) in the lineup, the two forwards combined to score 45 points. Towns dished 11 assists and came down with 11 rebounds to pick up a triple-double, his second as a Knick. Anunoby added 13 rebounds to his scoring to finish with a double-double. 

"A game like that, it's always tough if you play against a group that's free and can attack and has nothing to lose," head coach Mike Brown said after the win. "But our guys at the end of the day, we were good in a lot of areas."

Brown said that the team's turnovers, which they had 19, and fouling -- sending Memphis to the line 30 times --  made the game tougher than it needed to be, but applauded how his players responded, especially Anunoby and Towns down the stretch when the Grizzlies were hanging around.

"A lot of good performances from our guys, we were able to make it up in terms of the times that they went to the free throw line and our turnovers by offensive rebounding," Brown explained. "OG had three offensive rebounds, KAT had six offensive rebounds. KAT had a triple-double tonight, which was great. And especially in 30 minutes of action, and then OG, for him to get 13 rebounds. A big, big night to get a double-double. We needed every single one of those rebounds."

"I thought we did a good job moving the ball," Towns said of the win. "I thought we did a good job of playing with a point-five mentality and doing everything we needed to do to beat a good team, and a hungry team with a lot of guys trying to prove themselves in this league. I thought we did a good job of weathering the storm. We understood they’re going to play hard. They’re going to play well, and we found a way to win."

For Towns, the key to his performance on Wednesday was the faith he had in his teammates. Memphis constantly double and sometimes triple-teamed the big man, but he would find the open player. It was a trend for the entire Knicks team. New York had 36 assists on the 48 shots made.

"When they're double and triple teaming, I understand that one of my teammates is open," Towns said. "Just staying patient, staying relaxed and trying to make the right play. I was disappointed with the turnovers I had today, but I’m glad that I was able to find my teammates more than not and we were able to come out with a win."

The win allowed the Knicks to hold on to their spot as the three-seed in the Eastern Conference (1.5 games ahead of Cleveland). They'll look to keep that momentum and try to get closer to the Celtics and the two-seed when they host the Bulls on Friday.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 32 points, Jalen Johnson added 18 points and 14 rebounds, and the Atlanta Hawks routed the Orlando Magic 130-101 on Wednesday night for their 17th victory in their last 19 games.

Dyson Daniels had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks, who shot 51% for the game and had a 52-36 rebound advantage. Johnson came two assists short of his 14th triple-double of the season.

The Hawks swept the season series against the Magic 4-0 and now have a 3 1/2 game lead over Orlando in the Southeast Division with five games remaining — six for Orlando.

Jamal Cain led the Magic with 17 points off the bench. Desmond Bane and Wendell Carter Jr. added 14 points each.

Magic forward Franz Wagner scored 12 points in 20 minutes in his first game since Feb. 11. Wagner, who averaged 23.4 points on 55% shooting in the Magic’s first 23 games, has missed 47 of the last 52 games with a high ankle sprain.

The Hawks blew the game open with a 47-point second quarter in which they made 17 of 24 shots. Jonathan Kuminga’s 3-pointer broke a 32-32 tie early in the quarter and Atlanta led the rest of the game, stretching the margin to 31 early in the second half.

76ERS 153, WIZARDS 151

WASHINGTON (AP) — Paul George scored a season-high 39 points and Philadelphia overcame Joel Embiid’s absence because of an illness in a victory over Washington.

George played his fourth game following a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug rules, He was 15 of 22 from the field, made 6 of 12 3-pointers and had six assists and five rebounds.

Tyrese Maxey added 28 points and nine assists in his third game back from a finger injury, and rookie VJ Edgecombe had 23 points and 10 assists.

Philadelphia’s starters combined to shoot 45 of 65 from the floor (69.2%) and helped score 47 third-quarter points, the second-most Washington allowed in any period this season.

Anthony Gill scored a career-best 21 points for the Wizards. They have lost four in a row and 20 of 21.

CELTICS 147, HEAT 129

MIAMI (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 43 points, Jayson Tatum had his first triple-double of the season and Boston rode the strength of a record-setting first quarter to beat Miami.

Tatum finished with 25 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists for Boston, which scored 53 points in the first quarter — a franchise record that tied the second-highest total for an opening quarter in NBA history. Sam Hauser added 23 for the Celtics, who are 31-0 when scoring at least 117 points this season and are 10-1 in their last 11 games following a loss.

The Celtics led by as many as 27, then saw the lead trimmed to as little as nine early in the fourth quarter. Boston (51-25) holds the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference race, four games behind No. 1 Detroit.

Bam Adebayo had 29 points and 10 rebounds for Miami, which tied a franchise record by hitting 24 3-pointers. The Heat made 24 on three other occasions.

Davion Mitchell scored 21, while Tyler Herro and Pelle Larsson each scored 18 and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 17 for the Heat (40-37).

PACERS 145, BULLS 126

CHICAGO (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 25 points and Indiana beat Chicago to move out of the NBA basement.

Coming off a home victory over Miami on Sunday, the injury-ravaged Pacers had their highest-scoring game of the season. They improved to 18-58 to move a game ahead of last-place Washington.

Ethan Thompson added 24 points, and Kobe Brown and Jay Huff each had 17.

Guerschon Yabusele led Chicago with 20 points, and Collin Sexton had 18. The Bulls have lost five straight — the first four on the road — to fall to 29-47.

ROCKETS 119, BUCKS 113

HOUSTON (AP) — Reed Sheppard scored 27 points on a career-high nine 3-pointers, Alperen Sengun added 25 points and Houston beat short-handed Milwaukee for its fourth straight victory.

Kevin Durant finished with 19 points and nine assists, Amen Thompson had 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 12 points for the Rockets. They shot 47% from the field, going 18 of 42 on 3-pointers.

Houston had 30 assists on 41 field goals and forced the Bucks into 15 turnovers that they converted into 18 points.

Ousmane Dieng had a career-high 36 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists for Milwaukee. Cormac Ryan had a season-high 25 points, Pete Nance added a career-high 23. AJ Green had 15 points and eight rebounds.

KINGS 123, RAPTORS 115

TORONTO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, Precious Achiuwa had 28 points and a season-high 19 rebounds and Sacramento beat Toronto.

DeRozan reached 26,688 career points, moving him past Dominique Wilkins (26,668) into 17th place on the NBA’s all-time list.

Next up on the list is Oscar Robertson (26, 710). Other than the active players ahead of him on that list — LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook — everyone else with DeRozan’s points total is in the Hall of Fame.

DeRozan shot 7 for 18, but went 12 for 12 at the foul line.

Malik Monk scored 18 points, Devin Carter had 13 and Daeqwon Plowden 11 as the Kings snapped a four-game losing streak and ended a five-game road trip with a victory. Sacramento is 7-32 on the road.

The Kings went 27 for 29 at the line, while the Raptors finished 22 for 32.

KNICKS 130, GRIZZLIES 119

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — OG Anunoby had 25 points and 13 rebounds, Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season, and New York beat Memphis.

Mikal Bridges added 24 points as New York snapped a three-game losing streak.

GG Jackson led Memphis with 20 points, Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 17 and Cedric Coward finished with 15 points.

The Knicks sit in third place in the Eastern Conference, a game and a half ahead of the Cavaliers, who were idle Wednesday night.

The Knicks took an early lead, missing only two of their first 15 shots. New York scored 22 points in the paint and had an 11-2 advantage on the boards in the first quarter. New York shot 71% overall, including 7 of 10 from outside the arc, in the first half and took a 79-62 lead at halftime.

The 79 points were a season-high for a Knicks first half and just short of the 83 New York scored in the second half against Minnesota on Nov. 5.

The Grizzlies were outrebounded 49-20 in the game, the 20 boards a franchise low.

NUGGETS 130, JAZZ 117

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jamal Murray made 10 3-pointers — including a half-court heave that beat the first-quarter buzzer — and scored 37 points to lead Denver to a victory over Utah.

Nikola Jokic had 17 rebounds, 15 points, and 12 assists for his fifth triple-double in six games to help the Nuggets earn their seventh straight victory. Cam Johnson added 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Christian Braun had 18 points and six rebounds.

Brice Sensabaugh led Utah with 28 points, including six 3-pointers, and six rebounds. Kyle Filipowski added 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz, who dropped their seventh straight and are 3-19 in their last 22 games. Kennedy Chandler had 16 points and six assists off the bench.

Murray buried 3-pointers on each of Denver’s first three possessions to help the Nuggets open with 12 unanswered points and seize a 17-3 lead. Each of Denver’s first six field goals came beyond the arc.

SPURS 127, WARRIORS 113

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama scored 41 points for the second straight game, grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked three shots and San Antonio ran away from injury-plagued Golden State for a victory that extended its winning streak to 10.

Wembanyama had 10 of his team’s initial 14 points just 3:36 into the game and San Antonio jumped ahead 17-3. He finished 16 for 22 from the field in his fourth 40-point performance of the season. The Spurs (58-18) won for the 15th time in their last 16 contests as they chase the first-place and idle Thunder (60-16) in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference.

With 54.9 seconds left in the first quarter, San Antonio’s De’Aaron Fox took a shot to the face and exited briefly. He finished with 11 points — one of seven Spurs in double figures.

Nate Williams scored 18 points, LJ Cryer matched his career high with 17 and Brandin Podziemski had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists for Golden State as Stephen Curry missed his 26th consecutive game since Jan. 30 with a right knee injury.

The Jazz have been all business for Tanking and Co™ all of March. In fact, before tonight, they’d lost 10 of their last 11 games, which included a loss against Denver back in Colorado. The Nuggets, on the other hand, have subtly held an 8-2 record with the league’s second-longest winning streak.

Despite the annual tomfoolish custom of April 1st, there are n tricks tonight; Utah was flat-out defeated on their home floor with a good old-fashioned 130 -117 loss. There were highs. There were lows. There were Jokic no-look passes that dissociate with the external world. As Denver skipped across Salt Lake City before heading back next door, the Jazz decisively fell behind by falling out of a potentially gritty, high-intensity basketball game — they tend to love those.

Utah put the final nail in the coffin after taking out their sole Jokic-stopper, that would be Elijah Harkless — a scrappy 6’3” guard that puts out his best Scrappy-Doo impression each night. Other than that, fans saw all the usuals on the injury report.

The @utahjazz injury report

QUEST – Elijah Harkless (hamstring)

OUT – Isaiah Collier (hamstring)
OUT – Keyonte George (hamstring)
OUT – Blake Hinson (2-way)
OUT – Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee)
OUT – Walker Kessler (shoulder)
OUT – Lauri Markkanen (hip)
OUT – Jusuf Nurkic (nose)

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) March 31, 2026

The Nuggets were at near-full form, with the exception of Spencer Jones and Zeke Nnaji. This is probably going to be a regular occurrence the Jazz will have to deal with for any franchise that isn’t currently outside of the Playoff picture.

Injury Update ahead of tonight’s game against the Jazz:

AVAILABLE:
Aaron Gordon (Left Calf Tightness)

OUT:
Spencer Jones (Right Hamstring Strain)
Zeke Nnaji (Left Hip Sprain)#MileHighBasketballpic.twitter.com/OctLbfU1JX

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 2, 2026

It seems apparently that the entire Jazz defensive strategy revolved around one Elijah Harkless, as they looked completely helpless while digging themselves into an early 3-17 hole, with Denver, or just Jamal Murray, raining triple after triple. Murray hit 3-3 from beyond the arc just over 90 seconds into the first quarter. I can’t believe this is a real thing I have to type, but 8 of their first 9 field-goal makes had come from beyond the arc. Not only that, they hit them at a 61.5% rate. What the actual heck is going on in the mountains? Nuggets closed the quarter outscoring Utah 39-28, pushing their lead to 11. Jamal Murray sealed the first 12 minutes off with a half-court heave that could only happen in an area outside of time and space, otherwise known as wherever the Jazz are playing.

The Jazz supposedly held Jokic to 2 field-goals in the first half, but everyone else on the Nuggets did most of the damage. Flip (19 points, 7-11 field-goals) and Brice (18 points, 7-10 field-goals) accounted for 68% of the Jazz points in the first half. The next best scorer scored 7. Jamal Murray continued to beat a man already down, matching his career-best for three-pointers in a half with 5. Bruce Brown beat his personal best of 4 steals in a half. You get a career-high! You get a career-high! Everybody gets a career-high! Nuggets were high and mighty with their 68-54 lead on Utah’s home floor.

Nikola Jokic canned a triple-double with 14-17-10 before the final 12 minutes even rolled open. Nuggets had 49 rebounds, 35 of them being defensive, compared to Utah’s 36 total rebounds.

The Jazz had chipped away several times in this game, but none of them mattered in any significant way. They got as close as 4 points of the Nuggets’ lead with 9:41 in the fourth quarter, but Denver quickly put a stop to that and continued to steamroll as they had been doing. But I have to note, Denver really doesn’t do enough to prevent open shots on the defensive end; imagine if Lauri or Keyonte were hitting those shots.

Brice Sensabaugh led all scorers with 28 in this one, many of which came from a 10-point entourage in the first quarter. The former Buckeye has been an explosive 20-point-per-game scorer for the majority of March. Five Jazz players in total crossed over the 10+ point mark.An

Another Jazz draftee to enjoy was Kyle Filipowski, who netted 25 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists on 9-15 shooting in 31 minutes. Flip did his best and fiercely attacked premier rim-protector Nikola Jokic at the rim, which subsequently led to his benching when the Jazz got too close to the flame.

Jamal Murray enjoyed a strong night, as he usually does against Utah. He averaged 35 points per game, 7.8 assists per games and 4.8 rebounds in the Nuggets’ clean 4-0 sweep against the Jazz this season.

Up Next

Utah drops to 21-56 with this loss and lines up their next matchup in Houston on Friday night.

Stephen Curry continues to make progress toward a return for the Golden State Warriors.

The guard has missed the last 25 games due to a right knee injury, diagnosed as patella-femoral pain syndrome/bone bruising. He's averaged a team-leading 27.2 points per game but has not played since Jan. 30.

Curry was seen participating in pregame activities on the Chase Center court before the Warriors' home game against the San Antonio Spurs on April 1.

The two-time MVP participated in a live 5-on-5 scrimmage on March 31, according to the team.

“He looked good,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I was up here with you guys for most of it so I caught the tail end. But everybody said he looked good and felt good. He’ll have another scrimmage in the next couple of days. That’s the next step.”

The team expects Curry to be re-evaluated over the weekend.

The Warriors will play in the postseason after clinching a spot in the play-in tournament.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steph Curry injury update, Warriors star's status

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Charge’s magical season came to an end with a 126-123 loss to the Capital City Go-Go in the first round of the NBA G League playoffs. The Charge fought hard, but an inability to grab crucial rebounds late ultimately did them in.

Point guard Darius Brown II was the only constant in a Charge season that was characterized by six NBA call-ups. And in many ways, he’s symbolic of why this season has been so successful for the team. His steady hand at the point allowed various roster configurations to work. He was doing so again against the Go-Go until his body finally gave out.

In the first quarter, he bloodied his knee diving for a loose ball. In the third, he hurt his hamstring after being fouled. And midway through the fourth, he rolled his ankle while forcing an eight-second violation.

By the end of the game, Brown could hardly move, but that didn’t keep him from making a positive impact on the game. He hustled back to stop a fastbreak layup with a minute and a half left in a three-point game. Then, he converted a fastbreak layup of his own to make it a one-point game.

Brown wouldn’t use that as an excuse. “Everyone is playing through something,” he said. But most aren’t gutting it out like he was.

“It just says everything about who he is,” head coach Eli Kell-Abrams said. “He’s been in a walking boot for a month, and the way he’s been able to fight through pain, fight through adversity, fight through off-court stuff and still not make it about him, and be able to galvanize and lead the group is really impressive.”

The Charge had a chance to win what was a back-and-forth game late. In the last minute, they missed two crucial defensive rebounds and had two bad turnovers. The Go-Go took advantage of those miscues to put the game away.

“It’s one of the tough things about a single-elimination tournament,” Kell-Abrams said. “Sometimes, if you just don’t have it, you don’t have it. I think defensively we weren’t able to guard the ball and rebound, which we knew were going to be big keys to the game.”

Cleveland didn’t have an answer for Alondes Williams. He poured in 39 points and four assists while going 12-21 from the field. This included contributing 24 in the second half to help the Go-Go erase a seven-point deficit at the break. Former Cleveland Cavaliers two-way player Chris Livingston also supplied 27 points and nine rebounds in the victory.

The Charge were led by 25 points from Brown on 8-15 shooting to go along with 10 assists and seven boards. Cavs two-way player Olivier Sarr finished with 22 points on 8-10 shooting with four rebounds and a block.

Even though this wasn’t the way the Charge wanted the season to end, they aren’t going to remember this season for what happened on Tuesday.

“A couple missed helps, a couple tough switches, and a couple of offensive rebounds shouldn’t define what’s been one of the most successful years in Charge history,” Kell-Abrams said. “With the development we’ve had, headlined by Tristan Enaruna. … We knocked the development part out of the park.”

The Charge did knock that out of the park. They had six call-ups (seven if you want to count Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who didn’t play with the Charge, but started on a two-way deal). That includes losing Killian Hayes, who was having an MVP-caliber season, before he was signed by the Sacramento Kings.

Kell-Abrams attributes Brown for being a big reason why they were able to keep things on the rails and attract more talent — like Riley Minix, Malaki Branham, and Sarr — to replace the guys they lost to call-ups.

“[The G League] encourages you to be selfish,” Kell-Abrams said. “You think points will get you called up. You think, ‘How many shots am I getting?’ And D.B. says, ‘You know what, I’m going to pass the ball. I’m going to pass the ball in a league that doesn’t want to.’ And that’s why everybody wants to come play with him. That’s why we were able to get Riley Minix here to play with him. That’s what we were able to get Malaki Branham…Olivier Sarr. Like, these guys want to come be here.”

While many will remember this season for the on-court success that the Charge had, Brown will remember it for how special this group was.

“The stuff I remember most is always the stuff off the court,” Brown said. “I’ll just remember things from after team dinners, going out to Top Golf or doing stuff like that with the staff and everybody. That’s the stuff I’ll remember more than anything we did on the court, although that was very successful.”

Before the season, Kell-Abrams laid out two goals. He wanted to develop NBA talent and be successful on the court. He did both. The Charge finished with their second-best winning percentage for a regular season in their history and had numerous players called up. This was a successful season, even though it didn’t end how they wanted it to.

“Forty-eight minuts of not our best basketball doesn’t define us,” Kell-Abrams said.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Technically, the Knicks fulfilled Josh Hart’s “must-win” decree.

But it wasn’t exactly the cakewalk it appeared after a historically dominant first quarter, as the Knicks needed to overcome slumping second-half stretches in Wednesday’s 130-119 victory over the tanktastic Grizzlies.

Without a resting Jalen Brunson, the Knicks tied a franchise record with 48 points in the opening quarter. It left the impression they were ready to breeze in Memphis, but the Knicks cooled off considerably in the second half — allowing the lead to dwindle to three in the third quarter — and coach Mike Brown was forced to run his starters until the final buzzer.

“It was good. We were sharing the ball, all that stuff. I think defensively we could’ve been better, still gave up a lot of points,” Mikal Bridges said. “Offensively, we were sharing the ball, moving well. But defensively, we could’ve done better.”

Bridges was active with 24 points. OG Anunoby led the way with 25 points and 13 boards. Karl-Anthony Towns collected his fourth career triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, benefiting from being the focal point of the offense in his 30 minutes.

The effort was far from perfect, but the baseline of a victory was achieved after a three-game losing streak and a humiliating defeat a day prior in Houston.

The vibes in the locker room postgame were positive, a contrast to the night prior when Towns, clearly frustrated, uncharacteristically left without talking to the media.

“It was a group effort to regroup,” Towns said Tuesday.

Immediately after that loss to the Rockets, Hart, the team’s leader and spokesman, declared the Memphis matchup a “must-win.”

And the Knicks responded exquisitely from tipoff with that powerful first quarter.

Everybody ate. In the opening 12 minutes, the Knicks shot a ridiculous 81 percent — going 5-for-5 from deep — while collecting 14 assists. Nine Knicks scored in the first quarter.

Six of them had at least five points.

They led by 18 after that opening period, then by 17 at the break.

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But the Grizzlies responded in the third quarter — attacking the Knicks and hitting their 3-pointers.

It meant Anunoby had to carry the Knicks to victory with 17 points in the fourth quarter.

“I was shooting the same shots [as the previous three quarters], but they were just going in,” Anunoby said.

It was an impressive offensive statistical performance across the board, which will inevitably lead to pundit chatter that the Knicks play faster and freer without Brunson.

But context matters. The Knicks (49-28) were playing the miserable Grizzlies (25-51), who are among the NBA’s preeminent tankers and deployed a lineup of G-Leaguers.

Ja Morant, Zach Edey, Santi Aldama Ty Jerome, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jaylen Wells were all out with injuries.

Brandon Clarke, who was also an injury DNP, was reportedly arrested in Arkansas on Wednesday on charges of trafficking a controlled substance.

The Grizzlies starters included two rookies (Cedric Coward, Javon Small), two former second-round picks (GG Jackson and Cam Spencer) and a player who started on a two-way contract this season (Olivier-Maxence Prosper).

They also had three players in the rotation Wednesday on 10-day contracts.

It was their 15th loss in their last 17 games.

The Knicks?

They’re still third in the East — 2 ½ games behind the Celtics for No. 2, and 1 ½ games clear of the Cavaliers at No. 4.

They’ve also won 10 straight against teams with losing records. Conversely, they’ve dropped five straight to opponents with winning records, including that blowout Tuesday in Houston that had Hart sounding alarms in the postgame locker room.

“We’re not going in the right direction,” said Hart, who had just five points in Wednesday’s win in 25 minutes. “We’re not trending upwards. So we got to figure it out. … Got another one (on Wednesday in Memphis). That’s a must-win for us.”

Coach Mike Brown appreciated the sense of urgency. “It’s good to have that mindset,” he said. His team responded well in Memphis, but only in the bookends of a win.

“I’m still not happy about us in the second half not locked in and them making a run,” Bridges said. “They play hard. A good young team. But I think it’s unacceptable for us.”