The Lakers clinched their spot in the playoffs and won the Pacific Division before they even played the Cavaliers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
With the Suns losing to the Magic in Orlando on Tuesday, the Lakers officially claimed the top spot in their division.
The Lakers clinched their spot in the playoffs and won the Pacific Division before they even played the Cavaliers. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Lakers entered Tuesday with a 49-26 record with six games left in the season after Tuesday, while the Suns fell to 42-34. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Lakers made the playoffs in eight straight seasons from 2005-13.
LeBron James was available on Tuesday against the Cavaliers after entering the day as questionable because of left foot injury management.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 21 points, Jalen Suggs added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and the Orlando Magic held off the Phoenix Suns 115-111 Tuesday night.
Devin Booker’s 34 points for Phoenix included a 3-pointer that brought the Suns to within two points with 3.1 seconds left. But Tristan da Silva’s two free throws clinched Orlando’s second win in nine games.
Suns forward Dillon Brooks, playing for the first time since breaking his hand in a game against Orlando on Feb. 21, had nine points and five rebounds in 22 foul-plagued minutes. Brooks was called for a technical foul just 89 seconds into the game and was one of 10 players to finish the game with four or more personal fouls.
Paolo Banchero had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Magic, who survived 25 turnovers after committing 28 in Sunday’s 139-87 loss at Toronto. Wendell Carter Jr. added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
HORNETS 117, NETS 86
NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 25 points, Miles Bridges had 19, and Charlotte routed Brooklyn.
Moussa Diabaté finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds while LaMelo Ball had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to help the Hornets (40-36) stop a two-game losing streak.
Josh Minott scored 14 points for the lottery-bound Nets (18-58), who have lost 11 of their last 12 games.
Charlotte (40-36) is tied with the Miami Heat for ninth in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind Orlando.
BUCKS 123, MAVERICKS 99
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Rollins had 24 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, Kyle Kuzma added 20 points, and Milwaukee beat Dallas to snap a four-game losing streak.
Milwaukee (30-45), which had lost 14 of its last 17 games overall, won its eighth straight meeting with the Mavericks.
The Bucks led 65-51 at the break behind 17 points from Rollins and 16 by Kuzma. Milwaukee made 11 of its first 22 3-pointers of the second half to take control.
A Rollins jumper with 6:26 left in the fourth gave Milwaukee a 31-point lead at 115-84.
AJ Green added 17 points off the bench for Milwaukee. Gary Trent Jr. added 13 points, Pete Nance scored 11 and Myles Turner 10.
PISTONS 127, RAPTORS 116
DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren had 31 points and nine rebounds as Detroit defeated Toronto to clinch the Central Division title.
Duren is averaging 23.4 points and 10.5 rebounds in seven games since Cade Cunningham sustained a lung injury on March 17 in 130-117 win over Washington. The Pistons are 6-2 without their star, including a 114-110 overtime loss in Oklahoma City on Monday - a game Duren sat out.
Daniss Jenkins scored 21 for the Pistons, who have won seven of nine, and Duncan Robinson added 19 points. Detroit won its first division title since 2007-08.
RJ Barrett had 24 points for Toronto, who had won six of nine, including a 119-108 home win over the Pistons on March 15. Brandon Ingram added 22 points.
ROCKETS 111, KNICKS 94
HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant had 27 points and Houston took a huge lead early and rolled to a win over New York.
It’s a third straight win for the Rockets after they’d dropped two in a row. The victory comes after New York got a 108-106 win at home in the first meeting this season in February.
The Rockets never trailed and led by double digits for most of the game after scoring 37 points in the first quarter. They were up 20 entering the fourth quarter and were leading by 19 with about two minutes to go when both teams cleared their benches.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who lost a third consecutive game after winning their previous seven. Each of their three losses have been by double digits.
Tari Eason started over Reed Sheppard and had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets.
Kevin Durant, who scored a game-high 27 points, shoots over Josh Hart during the Knicks' 111-94 loss to the Rockets on March 31, 2026 in Houston.
HOUSTON — It has reached that point in the Knicks season, better late than never.
After another ugly 111-94 defeat Tuesday night to the Rockets, the next game Wednesday night in Memphis, according to Josh Hart, is a “must-win.”
The veteran forward has seen enough and sounded the alarm.
Kevin Durant, who scored a game-high 27 points, shoots over Josh Hart during the Knicks’ 111-94 loss to the Rockets on March 31, 2026 in Houston. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
“We’re obviously struggling right now to win games. Struggling to start games off. Struggling to focus on the attention to detail. Struggling to get outside of ourselves and focus on what the betterment of the team is,” Hart said. “So [Wednesday] we have to play with a sense of desperation. Sense of being willing to sacrifice. To win.”
Of course, it should be easier to beat the injury-ravaged and tanking Grizzlies. But nothing should be taken for granted these days for the Knicks, not with the way they’ve been playing lately.
They arrived in Houston on Tuesday with something to prove. Then they proved nothing. Just more of the same. Worse, actually.
Coach Mike Brown’s squad has now gone 25 days without beating a team with a winning record, continuing that streak with the loss to the Rockets.
They again looked flustered offensively and a step slow defensively. They’re certainly not carrying the look of a title contender.
And now they are looking at the Grizzlies game as an important building block.
“We’re not going in the right direction,” Hart said. “We’re not trending upwards. So we got to figure it out. Three tough [losses in a row]. Got another one tomorrow. That’s a must-win for us. And build from there.”
Jalen Brunson was woeful while flustered by Houston’s swarming defense, managing just 12 points on 5-for-14 shooting with three turnovers. Karl-Anthony Towns was better but not by much, shooting 7-for-17 for 22 points.
Jalen Brunson, who was held to 12 points, makes a pass as Amen Thompson defends. Getty Images
Overall, the Knicks shot just 10-for-34 from 3-point range — bricking several wide-open looks, most commonly from Hart and Miles McBride.
Meanwhile, the Rockets (46-29) carved up New York’s defense with precision, getting 27 points from old man Kevin Durant while shooting 54 percent overall and 43 percent from deep.
“They did whatever they wanted,” Brunson said.
The Knicks (48-28) were never in the fight. They lost every statistical battle — points, rebounds, turnovers, assists. They trailed for the final 47 minutes and by 20 points heading into the fourth quarter. They have dropped three straight overall and five consecutive against winning teams.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 22 points, drives on Alperen Sengun. Getty Images
In the big picture, New York is still third in the East but dangerously close to falling into fourth, leaving Toyota Center just a half-game above the Cavaliers — who played a late game Tuesday night against the Lakers. It’s getting precarious with the playoffs creeping closer.
“Regardless of being veterans or not, we got to turn the page and do something about it,” Brunson said. “It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in the league or not.”
The Knicks should still beat the Grizzlies (25-50), even in a back-to-back, but don’t stand a chance in the playoffs if they’re playing like they did last week. Some of the Rockets debacle was predictable. Coach Brown’s team has had problems dealing with long and athletic defenses. It stalls Brunson’s offense, and that happened again Tuesday.
The start was a disaster class for the Knicks.
They trailed 12-1 after three minutes, then 22-5 after five minutes. They were wilting under Houston’s intense defense, failing to generate good opportunities while missing six of their first seven 3-point attempts.
On the other end, the Knicks were slow to rotate and allowed Durant open jumpers — about as efficient an attempt as it gets in the NBA. Brown burned two timeouts in the opening seven minutes. They trailed the Rockets 37-21 after the first quarter.
“To start the game, we were poor defensively,” Brown said. “They didn’t feel us at all, especially in the pick-and-roll game. Against KD, we went under two to three times early. He’s hot, we’re not supposed to go under, and he knocked down shots. We didn’t make shots going the other way. That’s what it comes down to.”
The Knicks settled down a little bit to start the second quarter and cut the deficit to four, largely because of Jose Alvarado’s injection of energy and shotmaking. But the recovery was short-lived.
The Knicks were soon down by 19 and went into the break with a 63-50 deficit. It was over, and the conclusion was deflating.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Rollins had 24 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, Kyle Kuzma added 20 points, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Dallas Mavericks 123-99 on Tuesday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
Milwaukee (30-45), which had lost 14 of its last 17 games overall, won its eighth straight meeting with the Mavericks.
The Bucks led 65-51 at the break behind 17 points from Rollins and 16 by Kuzma. Milwaukee made 11 of its first 22 3-pointers of the second half to take control.
A Rollins jumper with 6:26 left in the fourth gave Milwaukee a 31-point lead at 115-84.
AJ Green added 17 points off the bench for Milwaukee. Gary Trent Jr. added 13 points, Pete Nance scored 11 and Myles Turner 10.
Cooper Flagg, who entered averaging 22.5 points over his last nine games, had 19 points and 10 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season for Dallas (24-52). Brandon Williams scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half, and John Poulakidas scored a season-high 11.
Dallas starter Daniel Gafford left the game with just under three minutes left in the third after appearing to injure his right elbow attempting to block a Rollins dunk. Williams and Dwight Powell started the second half in place of Gafford and Ryan Nembhard.
The Mavericks have lost their last four trips to Milwaukee and five of the last six.
The game was originally scheduled for Jan. 25, but was postponed when the Mavericks could not get out of Dallas because of a snowstorm.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 31: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball against the New York Knicks during the first quarter at Toyota Center on March 31, 2026 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Knicks (48*-28) came into this evening having lost two straight on the road. They hold the tiebreaker with Cleveland, but another loss would put the Cavs within a half-game of third place in the East. Tonight’s opponent, the Rockets (46-29), had split the last ten games on their schedule, but they’re a tall, lanky team that rates in the top ten for both offense and defense. A difficult match-up was in store for New York, for sure. Getting outshot 42% to 29% from deep, they lost this one nearly wire-to-wire to the clearly hungrier Houston, 111-94.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka started Tari Eason (17 PTS, 8 RBS, 2 STL), making Amen Thompson (17 PTS, 8 AST, 2 BLK) their smallest starter at 6’7”. Seemed effective. The Knicks missed their first five shots, Kevin Durant (27 PTS, 8 AST, 10-18 FG) scored 10 off the bat, and the home team went up 14-1 with almost four minutes gone. Soon after, Eason dunked the third Knicks turnover for a 22-5 advantage. Houston feasted from all over, missing only two of their first 14 shots, including five three-pointers. That’ll ding your defensive rating. New York hurled bricks from the perimeter, but managed a few mid-range buckets. Still, coach Mike Brown needed another timeout with under five minutes remaining and his team trailing by 17.
Kevin Durant all smiles and being embraced by his Rockets teammates.
Out of the break, Miles McBride (3 PTS, 1-9 FG), Jordan Clarkson (10 PTS), and Mitchell Robinson replaced Mikal Bridges (7 PTS, 3-4 FG, 34 MIN), OG Anunoby (8 PTS, 3-9 FG, 38 MIN), and Karl-Anthony Towns (22 PTS, 8 RBS). The reserves played better than the starters, at least. Mitch (5 PTS, 5 RBS, -14, 16 MIN) had a couple of moments, but H-Town was dishing and swishing, logging an assist on 12 of their 15 makes. By the break, they were ahead 37-21. New York had won the boards by +3, but had shot 1-of-7 from deep (compared to Houston’s 6-9).
Jose Alvarado (12 PTS, 12 MIN, 5-6 FG) assumed playmaker duties in the second quarter and drilled his first shot from deep. That ignited a 7-0 run in under two minutes that included buckets from Clarkson and Anunoby and forced Udoka to call for time. Still rolling, Alvarado’s second triple, two free throws from Towns, and a Clarkson layup cut the deficit to four. This sure seemed like Jose’s best performance since his explosion in Philadelphia, which feels like months ago.
The momentum? Short-lived. In a blink, buckets by Jabari Smith, Jr. (15 PTS) and Eason pushed the differential to 10. Then, after a timeout, Reed Sheppard (20 PTS, 4-7 3PT, 2 STL) stepped out of the pages of Highlights for Children to register a three, a 16-footer, and a pick-six. A Durant dunk put the Rockets up by 16. Jalen Brunson (12 PTS, 5-14 FG, -26) tried hard to score among the trees, to mixed results (he had a -19 plus-minus at intermission), but his compatriots offered little assistance. OG missed his first five attempts from beyond the arc, but mercifully laced a timely buzzer-beater from the corner for a 63-50 halftime score.
The hosts had simply shot and distributed the ball better. Through the half, they had outshot the Knicks from the field (59%-45%) and downtown (45%-32%). Houston had 19 assists on 24 makes, won the paint by four, and had the edge in transition (13–7 fast break points). For our heroes, the starters combined for 28 points, and Alvarado led the stats with eight points. That marked the second time this season that the Knicks didn’t have a double-digit scorer in the first half. For the villains, Durant already had 18.
To start the second half, New York chipped their deficit to eight, but it seemed like one step forward, two steps back all night. Every positive stretch ended with a self-inflicted obstacle (turnovers, one-and-dones), followed by multiple buckets surrendered. By the middle of the quarter, 16 points separated the competitors again. At least McBride blocked Durant—’twas a fun moment in a game that sorely lacked them.
At the three-minute mark, Brunson made his first trey of the tilt, reducing the hole to 12. Yet again, Durant hit a floater, Sheppard picked Deuce’s pocket and made a three-pointer, and McBride committed an offensive foul. The tides receded and the Rockets had dropped seven unanswered points. When Smith knocked down a 24-footer at the buzzer, the Knicks were behind 92-72. Biggest deficit of the night.
When these two met in February, New York limited Houston to 15 fourth-quarter points and stole the win. Could they repeat that feat under the stars of Texas? Alvarado briefly had such a notion, drawing an offensive foul on Alperen Şengün (13 PTS, 10 AST) that banged up his hip and then running through the pain for a reverse layup. Unfortunately, stops continued to elude the visitors. Sheppard scored, Thompson scored. Eason picked KAT’s pocket and then scored his 17th point of the night.
Desperate for offense, Brown subbed Brunson in at the eight-minute mark. Since Alvarado was the only Knick with the touch, the coach let the two small guards run together. Jose rewarded him by drawing another offensive foul, giving us a momentary glimmer of hope. From there, the clubs mostly traded buckets and misses. With about two minutes left and down by 19, the coaches subbed in all their reserves and a white flag was waving high above the visitors’ bench. On a positive note, Tyler Kolek immediately brought energy and excellent passing, tossing up a perfect alley-oop for Jeremy Sochan. Makes one wonder if he might have provided a necessary spark earlier in the contest.
Up Next
Six games left. I believe that Master Miranda is on deck with a recap. As for the Knicks, they play tomorrow night in Memphis. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
The Knicks dropped their third consecutive game after a 111-94 loss to Houston, their defense struggling to contain a barrage of threes. The Rockets made 15 of 35 tries from deep, taking an early lead and answering every New York run that followed.
Takeaways
-- Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for his squad with 22 points and eight rebounds on 7-for-17 shooting. Jalen Brunson had 12 points, six rebounds and eight assists on 5 of 14 shooting.
-- Josh Hart scored 13, followed by Jose Alvarado's 12 and Jordan Clarkson's 10.
-- Kevin Durant was scorching, scoring 27 points, grabbing six boards and dishing eight assists while shooting 10 of 18 from the field. Reed Sheppard added 20 points on 4 of 7 shooting from three off the bench while every Houston starter finished in double digits: Amen Thompson and Tari Eason (17 each), Jabari Smith Jr. (15) and Alperen Sengun (13).
-- The Rockets exploded out of the gates behind a flurry of vintage Durant jumpers with the Knicks right in his grill. He had 10 points in three minutes to propel Houston to a 14-1 start, and some sloppy New York turnovers didn’t help.
-- Hart steadied the ship with a pull-up middie and three, taking advantage of Sengun guarding him. But Eason fired back with a couple of threes and a tip-in for his own double-digit spurt, as Houston closed the first quarter up 37-21.
-- New York’s bench started the second on a 14-2 run, led by Alvarado and Clarkson. The two combined for 14 points in under five minutes to swiftly cut the deficit to a couple of possessions.
-- Miles McBride’s second return game went about as well as his first, shooting 1 of 7 with a turnover in his first-half minutes. The Rockets capitalized, jumping ahead in the second quarter via a 20-5 run to go into the half up 63-50.
-- Towns started to get rolling early in the third, drawing fouls, driving hard and nailing his first three. But the Rockets always had an answer, and Durant just kept sniping away.
-- New York failed to kick up its offense or get stops in the halfcourt to create easy opportunities. Houston continually punished them in transition, maintaining a 92-72 advantage after three quarters.
-- Both teams traded buckets to start the final frame, with Towns continuing his tear but the Rockets hitting timely three after timely three. The Knicks failed to even mount a comeback in the final 12 minutes as their opponents coasted to victory.
The Brooklyn Nets took on the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night at Barclays Center, the second game of a six-game homestand, the last one of the 2025-26 season.
The Hornets had won 22 of 30 games entering Tuesday, and they had a blast making it 23 of 31. LaMelo Ball played to an adoring crowd by throwing no-look passes and shooting increasingly harebrained 3-pointers with even more nonchalance than he usually does. Brandon Miller hit a three off a pass from Ball to make it 16-4 Hornets just five minutes into the game, and the two laughed the whole way back down the court.
The travel is relentless, only compounding the physical toll of an 82-game season. There are unsettling locker-room dynamics, contract disputes, and the perennial threat of a trade to an undesirable place, not to mention the landfill of public opinion, often amounting to verbal abuse, that players have to deal with. In the player-podcast era, fans are hyper-aware of the cons of an NBA career, blessed the job may be.
But on Tuesday night, it was heaven for the Hornets. They kicked ass, they had fun, and one of the most remarkable seasons in franchise history kept rolling right along. It inspires tremendous envy.
The Nets never had a shot in this one. They shot 20% from three and could not keep the visitors off the glass, surrendering a whopping 29 second-chance points, scoring only nine themselves. Nobody played extremely well, though the bench unit kept it reasonably close in the second quarter — a familiar story — the only frame Brooklyn won.
Said Fernández: “They were focused on playing the right way, also understanding how they’re defending certain actions, what the impact of the game was.”
Fernández is likely referencing the team’s defense on Rookie of the Year Kon Knueppel, who scored just eight points on 4-of-12 shooting. Knueppel was due for an off night eventually, but his frequent screening/slipping for Ball and others went nowhere on Tuesday, with the Nets at the very least locked in on switching those actions. Knueppel over the past three games is 4-of-19 from deep.
As for the reserves, Josh Minott scored 14 to lead all Nets, and Chaney Johnson added 11 points. They combined to shoot 2-of-10 from deep, but once again, their athleticism stood out compared to most of their teammates…
here's something, at least
Josh Minott now shooting 61.5% from two this season after a slick inside-hand finish here. obviously not much self-creation but have seen some impressive finishes in BKN: pic.twitter.com/OpXtvsQFHL
We’re really grasping at straws here, of course, as the clock mercifully ticks down on Brooklyn’s season. Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf combined for seven assists and seven turnovers on Tuesday night, though Drake Powell did score ten points on nine shots, marking his second consecutive game in double-digits. He’s now done that three times this season. Progress! Maybe?
It marked Brooklyn’s 8th loss by at least 30 points this season. The previous record for a Nets season was five such losses, which they did in both 1988 and 1989. Now that the two-season tank is nearly complete, let’s hope it’s another 37 years before they top that record. They might not set the world on fire next season, but it should be a little more watchable.
“I mean, we’re young, man. We got 19 year olds starting and playing against ten-year vets, so it’s not going to be easy. But, you know, it’s all part of the process, and hopefully a year from now, two years from now, we can look back and laugh these hard days and losing streaks, and just thank thank God for that adversity. Because at the end of the day, it’s gonna you stronger.” — Ziaire Williams
For now, a tanking we will go. With no other of the bottom five teams playing, the loss moved the Nets up to within a half game of the Wizards and Pacers who lead the tanking five. It’s the closest Brooklyn has been to the top spot all season. So there’s that.
Final Score: Charlotte Hornets 117, Brooklyn Nets 86
Day’Ron joins YES Network booth
In the third quarter, Day’Ron Sharpe joined Chris Carrino and Sarah Kustok in the YES Network booth, dropping a curse word in the very first sentence! Gotta love Day’Ron, man.
He talked through his offensive rebounding philosophy, his relationship with Nic Claxton, and rehabbing his torn thumb ligament: “I feel pretty good man, pretty good. Rehab is going smooth, can’t wait to get back on the court full-time.”
Those with a Gotham Sports subscription can find the whole segment here.
Injury Report
Terance Mann missed the game with left achilles soreness, a designation that kept him out of a March 16 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, but no other games. Michael Porter Jr. and his strained left hamstring have not yet been re-evaluated, though the Nets are expected to provide an update on him in the next week or so.
Danny Wolf missed his fifth straight game after spraining his ankle in a road loss to the Sacramento Kings. Pregame, Jordi Fernández said the 21-year-old rookie is still in a walking boot, and the team does not yet have an update on his return timeline.
Next Up
<p>Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images</p><br>
The Nets host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. Tip-off is scheduled for the usual 7:30 p.m. ET.
NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 25 points, Miles Bridges had 19, and the Charlotte Hornets routed the Brooklyn Nets 117-86 on Tuesday night.
Moussa Diabaté finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds while LaMelo Ball had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to help the Hornets (40-36) stop a two-game losing streak.
Josh Minott scored 14 points for the lottery-bound Nets (18-58), who have lost 11 of their last 12 games.
Charlotte (40-36) is tied with the Miami Heat for ninth in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind Orlando.
The Hornets matched their season low for points allowed. Charlotte also allowed 86 points in a 25-point win at Toronto on Dec. 5.
The Hornets rebounded from consecutive home losses Saturday to Philadelphia and Sunday to Boston by taking a 35-18 lead at the end of the first quarter. Miller scored 16 points on 5-of-5 shooting - including three three-pointers – and Charlotte shot 54.5% (12 for 22) from the field and 40% (6 for 15) from beyond the 3-point line in the period.
Brooklyn trimmed the deficit to 47-39 after rookie Drake Powell hit a 3-pointer with 5:19 remaining in the second quarter, but got no closer. Charlotte outscored the Nets 70-47 the rest of the way.
The Hornets had 28 assists on 41 made field goals and outrebounded the Nets 56-41.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 21: Head coach Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets reacts during the first quarter of the game between the Miami Heat and the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on March 21, 2026 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Just how much have the Rockets improved under Ime Udoka?
This seems a very silly question at first glance, and maybe at second, but join me in taking a look at just what has been accomplished, and perhaps not accomplished, under Udoka’s tenure as head coach of the Rockets. I’ll set the groundwork here with a recap of the past four seasons, including this one. I believe we’re close enough to the end of this season for that to be reasonable.
TLDR: This is a brief recap of the past four seasons. It think it’s worthwhile to refresh memory before getting to the heart of this piece.
I think most of us would agree that the Rockets are a far better team now than they were in the 2022-2023 season. That was the last season of the Stephen Silas coached Rockets, and the main “veteran” Rockets were Eric Gordon, Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and Alperen Sengun. The team also added rookies Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari “Peso” Eason. Others getting substantial minutes were JaeSean Tate, Garrison Matthews and of course, Daishen Nix and Bruno Fernando. Not exactly an inspiring lineup, and the results confirmed it. That team won 22 games and lost 60. That number speaks for itself. There are some other numbers, though, that have remained silent that might surprise you as we move along.
In the grand Rockets tradition of playing out the contract of a coach ownership and management no longer wants, to avoid the no doubt devastating expense of paying two coaches at once, Stephen Silas was not brought back the next season. A delightful and unquestionably useful cost savings that is still paying dividends in uneven, at best, player development to this day. The Rockets roster of relic coaches, who were mostly friends of Silas’ late father (by all accounts a good person, but by no means a basketball innovator a couple of decades ago) instilled, well it’s hard to know what exactly they instilled, in the young Rockets.
Instead we got a widely lauded hiring in Ime Udoka, after he spent a whole year in the basketball wilderness after getting fired, for cause, by Boston. The details of that firing have not been revealed to the public, but some who might have inside information on the situation reported it was ugly. In any case, he was if not precisely fresh from leading Boston to the Finals, he was at least in marketable condition.
A discussion of the pros and cons in hindsight can await the datapoint of the postseason. What I want to deal with now is how much has changed, and where we might offer credit or place blame for that change. This is by no means a definitive look at the whole situation. It’s designed to spark some conversation, and perhaps provide a different perspective.
In Udoka’s first season the Rockets added a great deal of talent. First they brought in Fred VanVleet, and Dillon Brooks. Many complained about the amount paid to VanVleet, while seemingly ignoring the ramifications of the NBA salary floor and a limited number of roster spots. In any case, Rafael Stone’s many regrettable seeming moves to clear the Rockets cap sheet for the 2023-24 season allowed this to happen.
The Rockets also drafted Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, as Victor Wembanyama went to the Spurs, as if guided by some great Franco-South Texan basketball destiny. This was quite an injection of talent, and also a great improvement in coaching. It would be hard not to improve from Stephen Silas’ tenure.
The Rockets went 41-41, as some late season losses, and blown leads in crucial games (which will become a theme) kept them just outside the play in. Still, that was a 20 win improvement, and deserved all the good vibes it got. The Rockets were transformed overall, playing hard, if not especially adeptly, all the time. Brooks and VanVleet brought an edge to the team it was sorely lacking. The Rockets identity as fast, big, athletic, defensive monster was set.
The next season brought Reed Sheppard to the fold with an unexpectedly high #3 pick in a widely derided draft. The corral is where he would largely remain, with the flock of other Rockets not really playing basketball. The Rockets had also added Steven Adams the previous year, but he didn’t play due to injury. When he finally did, he was the same overwhelming force in the paint, on the boards, and setting picks. The Rockets tough edge only got sharper. The only other addition of note was Aaron Holiday, who saw a vastly expanded role to what he had in previous stops. The Rockets surprised most non Rockets fans by finishing with 52 wins, good for second in the Western Conference in a very crowded playoff seeding picture, apart from OKC’s dominant first place.
The Rockets, of course, would go on the play a lackluster Golden State Warrior team in the playoffs, where they’d lose in seven games. They lost not because of their defense, which was generally excellent, but their offense, which was generally horrible. Also, the Rockets were felled by the greatest game Buddy Hield ever played, and will ever play, in game 7 of that first round series.
The conclusion of that season seemed to be that the problem with the offense was an inability to score with the pressure on, and the blame fell mostly on the shoulders of Jalen Green, whether or not that was entirely fair is actually an open question, as we’ll see.
The off season was busy. It saw the trade of a lottery pick, Jalen Green, and Dillon Brooks to Phoenix for Kevin Durant. It also featured signings of Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela and Josh Okogie, as well as two way PG JD Davison. The signing of Durant, currently number 5 in all time scoring, ahead of Michael Jordan was meant to fix all the woes that Jalen Green brought to the Rockets offense. Dorian Finney-Smith seemed as though he might be a one for one replacement for Dillon Brooks, and Clint Capela seemed meant to be injury insurance against Steven Adams frequently injured status.
Kevin Durant has been largely as advertised, and has had a great scoring season by almost any measure. Steven Adams, alas, did get a season ending injury, and Dorian Finney-Smith turned out to be hurt, and when he came back was considerably worse than afterthought signing Josh Okogie. Fred VanVleet was injured in training camp activities, and has not played a minute this season. The Rockets, in large part due to blowing an astonishing 17 fourth quarter or overtime leads this season (so far), will most likely not surpass their 52 win total of the previous season. They currently stand at 45-29, with 8 games remaining. 52 wins might yet be reached, but it’s probably not the way to bet.
That’s the stage set. Let’s look at the numbers.
First, though, I’ll mention that with rare exception over the past twenty seasons of NBA basketball, teams reaching the Finals have been top 5 in either offense or defense, and top 8 in either offense or defense. There are, again, very few exceptions to this. This should worry Rockets fans.
These numbers are telling. The Rockets are a far better team on defense than they were under Stephen Silas. Nothing unexpected there. The Rockets on defense, despite this year feeling worse than the past two seasons, has seen their ranking climb from 14th, to 6th, to 4th overall. This is in large part due to NBA scoring increasing, while the Rockets maintained their points allowed number at the same level as in the 2024-25 season.
That’s the sort of defense that can win a title. Unfortunately, the offense is nowhere close to contention. In fact, the offense, despite replacing Stephen Silas, despite an a huge influx of talent, has improved by exactly four points per game from whatever it was the Silas Rockets were doing.
Four. Points. Four points over three seasons with the same coach. The Rockets offense, in fact, has gotten worse relative to the rest of the NBA this season.
Let me say that again. The Rockets offense has not improved, at all, in Udoka’s three seasons as head coach, in terms of points per game. It has worsened this season, relative to the league.
Over three seasons the Rocket have added Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore, Steven Adams, Clint Capela, Aaron Holiday, and oh, yeah, Kevin Durant. They removed Kevin Porter Jr, and Jalen Green, among others. In that time they have gone from scoring 114.3, to 114.3, to 114.4 points per game. As NBA scoring has gone up, that has become not just a static performance, but a worse one, as in Udoka’s first season that scoring ranked 16th, then 14th, and finally, this season, 20th.
Adding the 5th best scorer in NBA history in Kevin Durant has done effectively nothing to improve the Rockets points per game output. Durant is having a very good scoring season by his own lofty standards, and has missed almost no games. He’s among the top NBA players in terms of minutes played.
Nonetheless, the Rockets offense is worse than the two prior seasons. Is this a talent issue? If it’s a talent issue, why is the scoring exactly the same? Is Kevin Durant not talented enough? What, exactly, could improve an Ime Udoka offense, if Kevin Durant isn’t sufficient? How can the offense be actually worse relative to the NBA after three seasons with Ime at the helm? It indisputably is worse, though, by those measures.
This isn’t a contending offense by the standards of the previous 20 seasons. This is not a contending team. Historically, neither great defense, nor great offense, wins championships if the other side of the ball isn’t at least top 10. The Rockets defense is up to the job. The offense is barely top 20. With Kevin Durant. The answer isn’t more defense.
Things have looked better lately, and I very much hope that improvement continues. Still, we have three seasons evidence now of an offense that has at best stalled out in term effectiveness. I want the Rockets to do well. Hopefully this recent run of complete performances isn’t a late March flourish, but a sign of how things will look in the post season.
MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 31: AJ Johnson #8 of the Dallas Mavericks drives to the basket during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 31, 2026 at Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images). | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks (24-52) got ran off the floor by the Milwaukee Bucks (30-45) on Tuesday night, falling 123-99. Ryan Rollins led the Bucks with 24 points. Cooper Flagg was the high-point man for Dallas with 19, but it took 19 shots to get there.
The sport of basketball was attempted between the Bucks and the Mavericks in the first quarter of Tuesday night’s contest. Rollins and Kyle Kuzma chewed Dallas up early and late, scoring with ease. Both teams shot the three well and it ended up being a much higher score than many might’ve predicted. The atrocious Dallas defense lost out against a Bucks offense that kept the gas pedal down. The Mavericks trailed 38-31 after twelve minutes.
Frame two of the basketball-adjacent atrocity saw the Bucks hold and grow the lead as the Mavericks were unable to score. Max Christie appears to be feeling like not enough butter scraped over too much toast, unable to hit anything while also looking bad on defense. Daniel Gafford went down late in the frame after taking a hard fall trying to block a Rollins rim attempt. Both team’s long distance shooting died in the quarter, but the Bucks scored a few more baskets in the paint and connected on a few more outside looks than the Mavs to give the home team a 65-51 lead at the half.
The second half started and ended poorly. With Gafford getting ruled out at halftime due to a stinger, Dallas had just nine players able to play, and most of them were not very good at basketball on this particular night. The Bucks grew their lead to 20, then higher, and it quickly became a game of “can everyone get out of here without getting hurt.” Dallas entered the fourth quarter down 90-70.
The fourth was unwatchable. Dallas lost b…. a lot.
Running clock, please
This was one of the more brutal basketball games this iteration of the Mavericks has played this year. When Klay Thompson is out and Max Christie can’t hit shots, Dallas is unwatchable. The Bucks STINK, and yet the Mavs were down by 20 for a huge chunk of this game. I love the Mavs, but this is awful. Speed the season along, please.
Max Christie has to get better
If Christie is to be a piece of the future, he has to show more. He gets a ton of minutes and the second half of this season, he’s been ineffective most of the time. In March, his overall shooting numbers took a tumble, hitting just 38% from the floor. More than half his attempts being threes helps to some degree because he shot that from distance this past month, but that means inside the arc he’s a liability. Dallas needs players who can be more from all over the floor and unless it’s a catch-and-shoot, Christie hasn’t been good enough.
Cooper’s shot looks bad from three, try again next year
Cooper Flagg shot the ball horribly from the perimeter since returning from a foot injury after the All-Star break. He’ll be fine, I believe that, but watching these shooting struggles from distance sucks right now.
That’s all I have. I wish the Mavericks were better. It’s an exercise in endurance for Mavs fans right as the 2025-26 season wraps up.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 31: Ryan Rollins #13 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives against Ryan Nembhard #9 of the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter at Fiserv Forum on March 31, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Milwaukee Bucks torched the Dallas Mavericks 123-99 at home tonight, spoiling Khris Middleton, Tyler Smith, and AJ Johnson’s hopes of revenge. The Bucks were led by Ryan Rollins (24 points) and Kyle Kuzma (20 points), while Cooper Flagg paced the Mavs with 19 points. Milwaukee completed a 2-0 season series sweep over Dallas with this win.
Kyle Kuzma and Khris Middleton, ironically, traded the first buckets of this game for their respective teams. Kuzma was heavily involved in the offense off the rip, taking a quick four shots in three minutes and setting up Jericho Sims for a few easy ones inside. The Bucks got off to an early 15-7 lead in large part due to the duo of Kuz and Sims. Milwaukee continued to ride their hot hands, but Doc Rivers needed his first timeout of the night at the 3:46 tick after Dallas’ lefty rookie John Poulakidas drained a pair of triples that cut their edge to four. Some AJ Green free throws and a Pete Nance putback dunk helped the home team escape the opening quarter with a 38-31 advantage.
Two threes from Ryan Rollins at the beginning of the second stanza increased the Bucks’ lead to double digits for the first time, and things didn’t slip from there. Milwaukee was pushing the pace (and playing random, in Budenholzerese), which created great looks from beyond the arc that they kept converting on. They were hot, and the Mavs were not—simple as that. All told, the Bucks went 22/44 from the field in the half (50.0%) while Dallas registered an ugly 17/50 (34.0%). The efficiency canyon fueled Milwaukee’s 65-51 lead at intermission.
Milwaukee’s offensive aggression didn’t wane coming out of the locker room. Kuzma was still cooking, and two buckets from him plus a Gary Trent Jr. trey forced a Jason Kidd timeout less than three minutes into the second half. The Mavericks, especially Brandon Williams and Cooper Flagg, weren’t completely folding over, but the Bucks extended their cushion to 20 points by the 6:13 mark. The difference was still exactly 20 heading into the final frame, with a score of 90-70.
Rollins and Taurean Prince both knocked down a long ball to kick off the fourth, and after those shots, any dwindling chance of a Mavericks comeback felt finally extinguished. Green, who was already having a solid outing, banged a couple more jumpers that got Fiserv Forum as close to rocking as possible on a Tuesday night in a tanking season. With under three minutes on the clock, Alex Antetokounmpo checked in for his NBA debut, and he booked his first career points at the charity stripe.
Stat That Stood Out
There were only two lead changes in the entire game. The Bucks genuinely dominated this one, which hasn’t been the case in a long time.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Bowen Byram flipped a long shot into an empty net with 1:43 remaining to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
The Sabres became the NHL’s 11th franchise to reach 2,000 wins — and the first team not added in the league’s first expansion in 1967 when the NHL went from six teams to 12. Buffalo joined in the second wave of expansion joining the NHL with Vancouver in 1970.
Jack Quinn and Tage Thompson had a goal and an assist, and Peyton Krebs also scored for the Sabres, who reached 100 points for the 10th time in franchise history and first since finishing with 100 in 2009-10. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 25 saves for the Sabres.
Brayden Schenn, Calum Ritchie and Anders Lee scored, and Bo Horvat added three assists for the Islanders. Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves.
Some three minutes after Lee tied the game at 2, Krebs scored with 3:01 left.
Alex Tuch set it up by circling the Islanders net and feeding Krebs in front for a one-timer.
And Bowen Byram sealed it by flipping a long shot into an empty net with 1:43 remaining.
Schenn scored with 1 second left, bringing the Islanders within 1.
Right off the faceoff to start the third period, Lee and Sam Carrick fought. While Carrick threw punches with his right hand, his left arm was tied up in Lee's jersey at an awkward angle. As Carrick spun and was taken down to the ice, he landed hard. He remained down in obvious pain before leaving for the locker room.
Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff confirmed after the game Carrick injured his left arm in the fight.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors looks on against the Washington Wizards in the fourth quarter at Chase Center on March 27, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Before Draymond Green was the defensive anchor of a dynasty, he was a scouting report outlier.
The 2012 draft profile reads like a eulogy for a young player trying to find his way into the league “Lacks the ideal size to play power forward. Lacks the quickness to play on the wing. Does not have a go-to move in the post.” The kindest thing the scout could offer was that his intangibles “might allow him to succeed as a role player in the NBA.” Thirty-five players went off the board before him.
That document is now a collector’s item of catastrophic misjudgment.
With Draymond sitting just 10 rebounds away from tying Larry Smith’s 6440 boards for third on the Warriors’ all-time rebounding list, it’s worth stopping and actually saying that out loud. Third in franchise history is CRAZY.
Good Lord willing, soon Green will only be behind Nate Thurmond at 12,771 and Wilt Chamberlain at 10,768. Wilt freakin’ Chamberlain, who once averaged 27 rebounds per game for an entire season. Green, the tweener from Saginaw who wasn’t supposed to guard small forwards or power forwards at the next level, is 11 pulls from the glass away from passing Larry Smith and sitting alone behind two of the most physically dominant players the sport has ever produced.
The beautiful irony is that Draymond got there by being exactly what the scouts said he wasn’t. Not through length nor vertical pop. He did it through positioning, anticipation, timing, and a refusal to let a basketball hit the floor without a fight. Every rebound feels like a closing argument against every front office that thought he had no true position, no clean fit, and no obvious future. You can’t measure his tremendous work ethic, superb positioning after the shot is released, and feel for the game that only got sharper once the stakes got higher.
Skip Bayless says Draymond Green is a first-ballot hall of fame player
“This is the crazy thing about this man. He has averaged for his career 9 points 7 rebounds and 6 assist. And he is a first-ballot hall of famer. So think about that but has that ever. I’m not blowing smoke… pic.twitter.com/rSKY7m2Uai
And that is what made him so indispensable. Draymond didn’t just complement the dynasty, he was the unlock mechanism. The Splash Brothers needed someone who could defend every position, push the break, organize the chaos, and make the next read before the defense knew the question. He is the connective tissue, the player who took all the hard, unglamorous work and turned it into structural advantage. The Warriors don’t win four titles without Stephen Curry bending the geometry of the sport. They also don’t win them without Draymond Green solving the puzzle of how to build around that kind of genius.
Wait, speaking of Curry…wait Unanimous sits eighth on this same list at 4,957 rebounds?!
In case anyone needed a reminder, the greatest point guard in basketball history has been quietly pulling down boards for over a decade and a half while we were all watching him break our brains from 35 feet. The man shows up everywhere in the Warriors record book and still somehow manages to surprise you.
But this particular moment belongs to Draymond. Ten rebounds from tying history, eleven from owning it outright. The scouting report said he does several things well but nothing great.
CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 28: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball as Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers plays defense during the game on January 28, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
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