Category: NBA

INDIANAPOLIS — The Pacers, as they seemingly always do, made the Knicks sweat. 

But there’s a reason there’s such a disparity in where the two teams are in the standings. By the end, it showed. 

Jalen Brunson, after scoring 23 points in the first half — including an 8-0 run by himself — went quiet after halftime. Already without Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart (both out with knee soreness), they badly needed

OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to step up on the offensive end. And Anunoby responded to the call with 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Bridges drilled a key 3-pointer that extended the Knicks’ lead to seven with just under two minutes to play, then Anunoby’s dunk gave them a nine-point lead and pretty much put it out of reach as the Knicks survived with a 101-92 win over the Pacers Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 

“OG was huge for us,” coach Mike Brown told The Post after the game. “His ability to attack the rim tonight was big time, especially with the force that he did to get the nine free throws. He was a man on a mission.” 

Anunoby finished with 25 points along with eight rebounds and five assists. Bridges, who finished with 11 points, reached double figures in scoring for the only time of this now-completed five-game road trip, during which the Knicks went 3-2.

And Mitchell Robinson, in the starting lineup without Towns, made a big impact. He recorded a career-high 22 rebounds — nine of them on the offensive glass — and added 12 points. 

And Brown won two key challenges in the fourth quarter that won possession back for the Knicks. 

The Pacers, despite being the worst team in the Eastern Conference and without their best player in Pascal Siakam (and really two best players, if you count Tyrese Haliburton), never make it easy for the Knicks. The Knicks were without two starters, but they entered Friday 26 ½ games above the bottom-feeding Pacers, who have spent most of this season trying to lose and keep their top-four protected pick. 

Yes, the Pacers eliminated the Knicks from the postseason the last two years, but these aren’t those Pacers. For everyone else this year, they’ve been a punching bag. For the Knicks, they are a stress test. 

The first two matchups between these two teams were chaotic nail-biters. Brunson hit a clutch 3-pointer in a one-point win in December and the Knicks lost in overtime in an embarrassing loss in February. Friday was another case where you would never know the gigantic gap in the records. 

“Coach [Rick] Carlisle does a great job, he’s been doing a great job his entire career,” Brunson told The Post. “He’s gonna have them ready to play, regardless.” 

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Leading by 13 in the third quarter, the Knicks allowed the Pacers to go on an 18-5 run to tie the game at 71 apiece with under a minute left in the quarter. Aaron Nesmith soon after hit a 3-pointer to give the Pacers the lead. But the Knicks outscored the Pacers by seven in the fourth quarter to end the road trip on a high. 

Brunson was angered by an eight-second violation called on him in the second quarter and barked at the officials — then at Carlisle, who was motioning for it to be called — before the call was changed after the referees conferred with each other. Then Brunson proceeded to score the next eight points of the game, including a technical free throw. But he went just 1-for-6 from the field the rest of the way. 

His teammates picked up the slack, though. 

“Big time,” Brunson said. “That’s what they do, that’s what they’re capable of. I have the utmost confidence in those guys, regardless of any situation.” 

The win moves the Knicks just one game behind the Celtics for the No. 2 seed in the East. And still, down there at the bottom of the conference, remain the Pacers.

For the Suns, coming off a back-to-back in Indiana with some injuries, it was going to be a battle. That was for sure the case, as even still shorthanded, they chose to fight throughout most of this game. Sadly, though, it was not enough, even though they tried to push this one open multiple times. The scoring fight in the fourth, alongside the Raptors’ paint dominance, was just too much for this team to handle. They end up falling to the Raptors 122-115, in a game they had in their back pocket.

This team is now 2-1 on their road trip, with important games coming up against the Celtics, Spurs, and Timberwolves. All is crucial to their final standings in this West that continues to prove a gauntlet. That being said they were some bright spots in this game that should not go unnoticed.

Devin Booker and Jalen Green combined to prove the doubters wrong about their backcourt pairing, and they continue to do so. We also got to see the rookie Rasheer Fleming have his best game for the club. Add that to Jordan Goodwin’s hustle and impact plays, and there were some positives to be shown even if the outcome was negative.

Game Flow

First Half

When this one kicked off, the Suns looked a bit jet-lagged to start, coming off the back-to-back vs the Pacers yesterday. Defensively, they were allowing the Raptors to drive and score inside, as both Brandon Ingram and Jakob Poeltl started with 4 points each. The Raptors then had the lead, but Jalen Green came in to put that fire out and start one of his own. In the first five minutes, he was already 3/3 from beyond the arc and woke up the team to take the lead.

The Suns then found some rhythm as they traded baskets and free-throw trips with Toronto. That is right, ladies and gentlemen, so far after the first quarter, there have been 17 free throws combined from both teams. One key piece has been Jordan Goodwin, though, as he is trying to help this team create after being listed as available at the last minute. He had 5 rebounds in the first quarter. This has allowed the Raptors to have a 2-point lead, 30-28, after the first quarter.

Remember how I said they came into this game with some jet lag? Well, that could not be the opposite of the start of the second quarter. Here, the Suns took advantage of their stellar three-point shooting, as Green, Highsmith, and Allen all made a triple to push the lead to seven for Phoenix early.

After these timeouts, the team has some more motivation (I want to know what Ott says to them), and that is clearly on display in this contest. Another notable development from this quarter was the rookies breaking out once again. With each game, they continue to get better as the minutes go by, and Rasheer Fleming showed that in a nice little sequence. He had two huge blocks on back-to-back possessions, and then hit a three on the other end to keep the Suns up four.

Rasheer Fleming with the best sequence of his rookie year, so far.

My god. pic.twitter.com/PhnkwGXAMf

— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) March 14, 2026

The Suns were able to keep the lead for a bit before Brandon Ingram started getting hot for the Raptors. He had a stint on his own, like Booker, where they completely swung the momentum offensively with a run of their own. Luckily, the Suns have rookie Rasheer Fleming in, though, as he had another crazy block, totaling a career-high of three, and it is just the first half.

After being down two to enter the quarter, the Suns now lead three into the half. They are led by Jalen Green, who has 19 points so far and five three-pointers. After combining for 79 last night with Booker, they now have 36 in this first half. The Raptors are led by Brandon Ingram, who has 16 points.

Second Half

To start the second half, the team kept the same composure as the second quarter, aggressive, and they delivered. The Suns once again went with Green and Booker creating the offense, with both of them finding buckets early on, and Royce O’Neale got involved, making his first basket. As Ingram tried to match them, Green answered with a slam that was worthy of bringing the house down.

Jalen Green with the monster drive and slam

Also, peep Ighodaro screening his man all the way down into the paint. That's, ummm, how you clear room. pic.twitter.com/6RdEGXQbXl

— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) March 14, 2026

Unfortunately, it was not all sunshine and rainbows in the third, though. As the team looked like they could make this game up to 10, the Raptors started to climb back. Finding easy baskets in the paint from Sandro Mamukelashvili and Ingram, still shooting hot, makes it now a three-point game. The Raptors at this point have outscored the Suns 40-24 in the paint, something the team has struggled with all year. Green, though, has seven made threes and, in this back-to-back, has seemed to convince his doubters wrong.

Luckily for the Suns, they have Devin Booker and Jalen Green, who show up when they need them most. Booker hit a buzzer-beater mid-range to end the third and put the team up 92-86, but they have 53 points combined after the third. Jordan Goodwin continues to do all the little things and show he deserves his appreciation as well.

🚨 BUZZER BEATER BOOK 🚨 pic.twitter.com/YzIlF7Cuq5

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 14, 2026

The first-quarter start is now fantasy, as the team completely forgot about it. They continue to come out hot, with Green making another nice basket and Rasheer Fleming growing right in front of everyone’s eyes. He had a great steal and three makes on the other end to keep him in this lineup.

The team continues to make big buckets as Jalen Green is now up to 43 points and has tied a career high of 8 made threes. Alongside him, everyone in this rotation is making winning plays by playing hard defense, rewarding the offense with three-point makes.

The Raptors, though, will not back down as Ja’Kobe Walter starts making some threes. The Suns are trying to pry this one open, but when they reach double digits, Toronto comes on, crawling back. This time, they fought back enough to steal that lead right back. A scoring drought for the Suns could not come at a worse time, as the officials have their (own fun) too.

With 3:33 left, the Suns now see themselves down one and try to steal the third game of the road trip after an RJ Barrett three. He woke up in the fourth, making big shots late to keep this Raptors team with the lead, even after a clutch Royce O’Neale three. Ingram then made another jumper to bring his total to 36 points and to make the lead up to four. Green tried to make a dunk but was blocked by Scottie Barnes, and the Raptors then found Barrett for a layup to make it six. This was the end for Phoenix as they lost this one by seven and let a tough one get away.

Next Up

This team continues its road trip heading down to Boston to take on the Celtics on Monday. A game they are looking for revenge after getting embarrassed at home, without Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum. Will Booker find his rhythm in TD Garden? Only time will tell.

The Detroit Pistons shared the ball and focused on feeding their big men inside in a 126-110 win over the overmatched Memphis Grizzlies. Jalen Duren led all scorers with 30 points on 12-of-15 shooting. Cade Cunningham didn’t even look like he broke a sweat in his 30 minutes of action. He scored 17 points on 11 shots and added 15 assists, eight rebounds, and three steals to his tally. If he wanted more, he could have gotten more of anything he wanted, but you could tell by early in the third quarter that the game was well in hand for the Pistons.

Not that Detroit didn’t make fans sweat for a little bit. Memphis was hitting everything from deep early, and Detroit was hitting Memphis shooters, sending them to the free-throw line on 3-point attempts three times in the first 13 minutes of the game.

But hanging around in a game and actually being in the game are different things, and Detroit never really seemed threatened in this one. They simply had too much working in their favor against a team starting 6-foot-7, 230-pound Oliver-Maxence Prosper at center and 6-foot-5, 206-pound Cedric Coward at power forward. Mainly, Jalen Duren, but you can also add Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland, and even Javonte Green to that list. The Pistons were getting pretty much anything they wanted, and Memphis could do little to stop them.

The Pistons dominated the painted area, with a 74-36 advantage. They capitalized on turnovers, with a 24-8 advantage on the fastbreak. They had a plus-14 rebound advantage and had 36 assists on 50 made field goals.

By controlling the paint, Detroit was also able to create space for shooters on the perimeter, as three to four defenders would regularly collapse on Duren when he would get the ball. Duncan Robinson hit two threes, Kevin Heurter hit two early threes, and Marcus Sasser was 4-of-8 on the night, almost all of them corner threes off of assists from kickouts.

It was a ho-hum game, but it was yet another opportunity for Detroit to wash the stink of their recent struggles off of themselves. It was also Detroit’s ninth win on the second night of a back-to-back. Their 9-2 record in that department leads the NBA.

They now have a three-game road trip, including what could be a tough game against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. After that, they play the Washington Wizards in consecutive games on Tuesday and Thursday. After another back-to-back wraps up Friday against the Golden State Warriors, they face the final tough stretch of their regular season schedule.

They host the Lakers, Hawks, Pelicans, then hit the road against the Wolves and Thunder, then come back home for the Raptors and Wolves again. Bear in mind, these games against Minnesota could also have drastic NBA Draft implications, as the Pistons hold swap rights with the Wolves.

If the Pistons manage to win around eight of those 11 games, they will be staring at 55 wins with five games remaining. That would already put them at the third-most wins for a Pistons team since the 1989-90 title season. Only one team has eclipsed 60 wins — the 2007-08 team that went 64-18 in the first year under Flip Saunders.

The sprint to the finish starts now.

DALLAS (AP) — Evan Mobley matched his season high with 29 points, Donovan Mitchell had 24 and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Dallas Mavericks 138-105 on Friday night in the opener of a home-and-home series.

Mobley had 16 points in the first quarter and was already up to 23 by halftime, the second-highest scoring half of his career. He went 12 for 15 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds while playing just 23 minutes.

James Harden finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Cavaliers, who shot 61.5% from the field and were 18 for 38 (47%) from 3-point range.

Cooper Flagg scored 25 points for the Mavericks, who were coming off a victory in Memphis that snapped an eight-game losing streak. Naji Marshall had 17 points.

The Cavs led 38-21 after shooting 60% overall and on 3-pointers in the first quarter. Mitchell then scored 10 points in the second quarter and it was 67-50 at the break, with Mobley 10 for 12. The forward's best half was 28 points on Dec. 7, 2024, against Charlotte.

Mitchell made all five shots and scored 12 more in the Cavs' 41-point third quarter and Cleveland led by 35 in the final period.

Cleveland beat Dallas for the seventh straight time.

Up next

The teams meet Sunday in Cleveland.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

After a national game letdown, the Cleveland Cavaliers flexed their muscles from start to finish and beat down the Dallas Mavericks 138 to 105. Evan Mobley led the way with 29 points on a very efficient 12-15 shooting, while Donovan Mitchell and James Harden added 24 and 17 points, respectively. The Cavs led by 17 points at halftime, scored 41 points in the third, and led by as many as 35.

This is the type of game that the Cavs should be having against poor teams like the Mavericks. While Cooper Flagg is certainly an exciting player (he finished with 25 points, including 19 in the second half), he is not enough against what should be a championship contender like the Cavs. Dallas has the third-worst offensive rating in the league, are an equally bad three-point shooting team, and to add insult to injury, they inbounded the ball on the wrong side of the court in the third quarter. The better team did what they were supposed to do.

The Cavs set the tone with quality defense in the first half, with seven different players recording a steal and forcing 11 Dallas turnovers in total.

After a disappointing game from Mobley in Orlando, he righted the ship tonight against a Dallas team that really started Marvin Bagley III at center. The Cavs kept feeding him down low, and Mobley delivered with a monster game. Those 29 points tied his season-high, though the free-throw shooting still leaves something to be desired (3-7). As has been the case all season and last season, it comes down to consistency with Mobley in terms of energy on the offensive side of the ball. It is one thing to dominate bad teams, but it’s a new ball game against the best of the best in the league.

In a high-octane third quarter, where the Cavs had a scorching stretch of eight-straight made field goals, Harden showed off his slick handle and shot-making ability. That included draining a long three over Flagg and erasing Naji Marshall with a nasty crossover and comfortably hit the floater.

That’s vintage James Harden right there 🥵 pic.twitter.com/GlqMNayXnV

— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) March 14, 2026

Since coming to Cleveland, Harden has been as advertised, and that was on full display against the Mavs.

Keon Ellis started in place of the injured Sam Merrill, and he produced in his absence. Ellis had 13 points and three rebounds on 5-9 shooting, but it’s the energy that is what makes him so important. Even up 25 points in the third quarter, Ellis was the first player down the floor to defend after he made a three, sprinting after his man. There is endless hustle in Ellis.

The Cavs were able to pull their starters and meaningful bench with just under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, an indication of their dominance all night. Nothing quite like a good old-fashioned beatdown to brighten the spirits. Cleveland will face Dallas once again on Sunday afternoon at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Tip-off is at 3:30 p.m EST.

The Dallas Mavericks (22-45) got brushed aside on Friday by the Cleveland Cavaliers (41-26) at American Airlines Center in a 138-105 loss. Evan Mobley scored a game-high 29 points against a Mavericks front line consisting primarily of Marvin Bagley III and Dwight Powell. Cooper Flagg bounced back from a tough stretch of games after returning from his recent foot sprain for a team-high 25 points and five assists in the loss.

The Mavericks’ 12-8 start quickly turned into an 18-12 deficit with the first of two 10-0 Cavaliers runs in the first quarter. Mobley abused the depleted Dallas frontcourt on his way to 16 first-quarter points on 7-of-9 shooting. Craig Porter Jr.‘s runout layup in transition forced Mavs head coach Jason Kidd into his second run-stopping timeout of the quarter with 2:41 left.

Cleveland shot 6-of-10 from 3-point range in the first and 60% from the floor in the first, essentially eliminating the Mavericks’ chances for an upset with a 38-21 lead after one.

Flagg, who has struggled since his return from a foot injury five games ago, keyed a 12-0 Mavericks run early in the second quarter to cut Cleveland’s lead to seven, down 40-33 after Ryan Nembhard’s 3-pointer on Flagg’s fourth assist of the game with 9:21 left in the half. But back-to-back sensational finishes at the rim by Donovan Mitchell pushed the Cavs’ lead back into double digits in response to the run.

Mitchell sliced and diced the Dallas defense in the second on the way to 10 points in the quarter. The Cavs found wide open driving lanes against a porous Mavericks interior defense whenever they wanted. On the other end, Flagg made some plays distributing the ball off drives but had a hard time once again finding the bottom of the net to start the game. He came in shooting just 35.1% from the floor in the five games since his return and managed just 2-of-8 in the first half against Cleveland.

The Cavaliers led 67-50 at the half, fed in part by 11 Dallas turnovers.

COOPER MASSIVE SLAM!!!!! pic.twitter.com/stCQ9axhdV

— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) March 14, 2026

Flagg started the second half with seven quick points, including a massive tomahawk slam and his first 3-pointer of the game on back-to-back possessions four and a half minutes into the third. He didn’t elevate quite as high as he has on some of his other spectacular slams throughout his rookie year, which may point to the lingering effects of his foot injury still being worked all the way out, but he’s still a sight to see when he gets going downhill.

Flagg scored all 13 of his third-quarter points in the first seven minutes of the frame, but the damage was done in the first half. The Cavs led 108-83 going into the fourth and coasted to the 138-105 win. Flagg scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half, while Mitchell finished with 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting for Cleveland.

Breaking down the rookie wall

Flagg hasn’t been quite the same since his return from the foot injury that kept him out eight games in February. To his credit, he still makes the right play nine times out of 10 and still affects the game on the defensive end, but his offensive production has taken a hit since about the 45-game mark. There are times during recent games that remind nightly viewers of his first 10 games, when he had wide eyes and hesitated on offense. One came late in Thursday’s second quarter, when he had James Harden defending him in a one-on-one situation and passed out of it to Nembhard with six seconds left on the shot clock. You’d love to see Flagg take on the challenge there, especially with a smaller defender in front of him.

It seems an opportune time to remind oneself that the guy is 19 years old and that, in the grand scheme of things, the Rookie of the Year Award doesn’t mean anything for his development. Plenty of big-time players have hit the proverbial rookie wall. Flagg played in 37 games last year in his only season at Duke. The Mavericks played their 37th game of this season back on Jan. 6.

It also seems an opportune time to remind oneself of the moment surrounding Flagg as well. The lineups he’s playing with are held together by duct tape and bubble gum. He’s playing a lot of point guard by default because the Mavericks guards are, well, awful. He’s on a team that, frankly, doesn’t care about winning. These are not ideal circumstances to grow the young man’s game. They are slightly better for growing the young man’s character, which is one valuable attribute he carried into the league with him even at such a young age.

Don’t worry about Flagg all that much if you didn’t like what you were seeing until his high-flying act in Friday’s third quarter. Charlotte’s Kon Kneuppel can have his trophy, if indeed that is the way it shakes down. He’s had an amazing year. Flagg’s day in the sun is coming.

Three’s a crowd

Let’s not kid ourselves. The Mavericks never had a chance in this one. Cleveland has too many weapons, and without a couple of the bigger bodies in the lineup (P.J. Washington, ankle; Daniel Gafford, rest), Mobley’s big night was all but inevitable.

The Cavaliers didn’t need to put it on the Mavs behind the 3-point line under these circumstances, but they did anyway, shooting 18-of-38 (47.4%) from beyond the arc in the win. Dallas made just 9-of-32 (28.1%) on the other end.

Harden shot 3-of-7 from deep, Dennis Schroeder and Jaylon Tyson combined to make 4-of-7 off the bench, and even Mobley shot 2-of-4 for the Cavaliers. Keon Ellis went 3-for-5 as well. Cleveland made a combined 12-of-19 from 3-point land in the first and third quarters in the brutal thrashing of the Mavs.

Jaden Bradley has made clutch shots for Arizona basketball in the past.

However, the Big 12 Player of the Year delivered one of the biggest shots thus far of March (and of his career) Friday night in an all-time thriller for No. 1 Arizona against No. 7 Iowa State in the Big 12 semifinals. With the ball in his hands in a tied game at 80-80 and time expiring, Bradly drove right, faded, shot, and found the bottom of the net for the buzzer-beating winner to send the Wildcats to Saturday's conference tournament championship game.

HOLY MOLY.

JADEN BRADLEY. GAME WINNER. CATS TO THE 'SHIP.#Big12MBB | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/a9WOAJb9ju

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 14, 2026

REQUIRED READING: Big 12 tournament bracket, scores, updates: Back to hardwood for semifinals

Bradley's shot at the T-Mobile Center came seconds after Tamin Lipsey hit a game-tying 3-pointer in front of the Cyclones bench to allow for the possibility of playing overtime in Kansas City on Friday.

"JB's one of a kind. He's put in the work like I've seen everyone else do on the team. We have the ultimate confidence in him. He won Big 12 Player of the Year for a reason," Bradley's teammate, Anthony Dell'Orso, told ESPN's Rece Davis, Jay Williams and Seth Greenberg after the game.

The Wildcats had to come from behind to win Friday's semifinal, as they trailed the Cyclones 43-37 after the first half. Arizona, which trailed as many as 12 points in the first half, finished the game on a 26-20 run against Iowa State to keep its chances of being a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament alive.

Bradley finished with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field with seven assists, two steals, two rebounds and a block.

Arizona will face the winner of Houston vs. Kansas in March 14's championship game at 6 p.m. ET.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jaden Bradley delivers March moment fro Arizona with buzzer-beater

The Lakers (41-25) have a crucial game to win against the Denver Nuggets (41-26) on Saturday. This is the last time these two teams meet in the regular season, they are currently even in their season series at 1-1.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets

When: 5:30 p.m. PT, Mar 14

Where: Crypto.com Arena

Watch: ABC

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Just when it felt like the Lakers were falling apart two weeks ago, they’ve completely turned it around once again and are now sitting in third place in the Western Conference standings.

Granted, that can change in an instant, but the fact that they’re a top seed in the West means they’re doing things right. Now, the goal is to remain in that spot.

That will be possible if the purple and gold take care of business against the visiting Nuggets on Saturday.

The same Nuggets team that they’ve had two close games with this season. This time, Aaron Gordon is back, which means Denver will be at their healthiest this year against LA on Saturday.

It should make another exciting clash between two teams who are not only looking to claim the tiebreaker but also to overtake each other in the standings.

Here are three factors that could determine the winner of this heavyweight match.

Whose defense is worse?

Defense will matter a lot in this game because the Lakers and Nuggets have one thing in common: being below-average in that department. The Lakers are 20th in defensive rating and Denver is right behind them, at 21st.

Over the last two games, LA has been successful scoring in the paint against Denver. They’re +26 in points generated inside the paint across both games. The non-Nikola Jokic minutes specifically are when the Lakers should look to capitalize. They’ve also been successful in generating second-chance opportunities and transition points against the Nuggets this season. That should continue if the Lakers want to win on Saturday.

Which superstar will rise to the occasion?

Speaking of defense, it’s a given that the Lakers will have to do everything to contain Jokić. They also have to make sure that Jamal Murray doesn’t play extraordinarily well and now Gordon too.

The Lakers’ defense will have their hands full and will need to put a ton of pressure on the Nuggets as well. For that to happen, Luka Dončić will have to play very well, as well as Austin Reaves and LeBron James. Now is the perfect time for the supporting cast to make sure they don’t disappear too.

Both teams may have their flaws, but they employ All-Stars who can take over games. The question is, who will be the superstar in this one? Hopefully, it will be one that dons the purple and gold armor.

Who will be the X-factor?

In the Lakers’ first victory against the Nuggets this season, it was Marcus Smart who pitched in 15 points to help Dončić and James complete the comeback win. In their second game, when the Nuggets barely escaped the Lakers, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Christian Braun stood out. It’ll be interesting to see who comes up big for both teams on Saturday. The likeliest candidates to be the Lakers’ X-factor are: Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton or even Jaxson Hayes.

Let’s see if the Lakers can find a way to tip things in their favor and win the season series against the Nuggets for the first time in six years.

Notes and Updates

• For the Lakers’ injury report, Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain) is out, while Jaxson Hayes (back soreness) is probable.
• As for the Nuggets, Peyton Watson (right hamstring strain) is out while Aaron Gordon (right hamstring) is probable.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

After two very disappointing losses on Monday and Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors are back in action tonight, hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves. It won’t be as disappointing if they lose this game, given how good the Wolves are, but … well … it sure would be nice if they won.

Unfortunately, they’re once again at a health disadvantage. Here’s the full injury report for both teams.

Warriors

Out — Steph Curry (right patellofemoral pain syndrome)

Another week, another Curry injury update that pushes his return further down the road. We’re not far from starting to question whether he’ll be back this season at all.

Out — Jimmy Butler III (right ACL surgery)

Well, I’m not exactly breaking any news here, am I?

Out — Moses Moody (right wrist sprain)

This is Moody’s fifth consecutive missed game. He does seem to be nearing a return, though. The Warriors begin a six-game road trip on Sunday, and the expectation is that Moody will return at some point during that trip.

Out — Draymond Green (left low back injury management)

Green is technically still listed as questionable on the official injury report, but the Warriors just announced he won’t play. That’s a big blow to the team.

Timberwolves

Out — Joan Beringer (on G League assignment)

That’s it. That’s the entirety of the injury report. Technically they list Anthony Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu as available (as the Warriors did with De’Anthony Melton and Quinten Post), but that’s not really an injury is it? The Dubs are limping, and facing a very healthy team. We’ll see how that works out for them.

Enjoy the game, Dub Nation. It kicks off at 7:00 p.m. PT on Prime Video.

MIAMI (AP) — Austin Wells hit a walk-off three-run homer in the seventh inning that ended the game under a tournament rout rule, and the Dominican Republic beat South Korea 10-0 Friday night to reach the World Baseball Classic semifinals.

Seeking its second title and first since 2013, the Dominicans play the United States or Canada in a semifinal on Sunday in Miami and will start Luis Severino. The Dominicans are 5-0 in the tournament, have outscored opponents 51-10 while batting .312 and with 14 homers tied the WBC record set by Mexico in 2009.

Fernando Tatis Jr. drove in two runs and has 11 RBIs in the tournament. He is tied for third in a single WBC, trailing only Masataka Yoshida’s 13 for Japan in 2023 and Wladimir Balentien’s 12 for the Netherlands in 2017.

Wells, who entered as a defensive replacement in the top of the seventh, reached down and drove a first-pitch cutter from Hyeong Jun So off the front of the second deck in right. Wells was born in Arizona to a mother is of Dominican descent.

He hit the Dominicans' second walk-off homer of the tournament after Juan Soto's drive that ended a 12-1 group stage win over the Netherlands.

Backed by three runs in the second inning and four in the third, winner Christopher Sánchez struck out eight in five innings of two-hit ball.

South Korea, which lost a semifinal in 2006 and the final in 2009, had been eliminated in the first round three straight times before reaching a quarterfinal this year. The South Koreans had two hits, batted .222 and finished with a 5.91 ERA.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked against loser Hyun Jin Ryu and scored the game's first run from first base with a head-first slide on Junior Caminero’s double into the left-field corner. Julio Rodríguez followed with an RBI groundout and Tatis had a run-scoring single.

Soto scored on Guerrero’s double in a four-run fourth, hooking an arm around catcher Dong Won Park with a head-first slide.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

On a night established to celebrate fathers and daughters, it was only fitting that two Lakers stars stole the show.

A sellout crowd of nearly 19,000 fans all received hats as the Lakers hosted their third annual “Girl Dad Night,” a celebration of girls in sports and the fathers who champion them. 

Luka Doncic, father to 2-year-old Gabriela and newborn Olivia, produced the finest scoring performance of his young Lakers tenure, exploding for 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in the Lakers’ 142-130 victory over the Bulls. 

LeBron James, who returned to the lineup after missing the last three games, quietly stitched together another vintage all-around performance — 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block. A little over a week after bringing his daughter, Zhuri, with him on the road to San Francisco, James spent Thursday reflecting on fatherhood and the responsibility that comes with raising a daughter in a world constantly watching.

“The way I treat her mother. The love that I have inside the family. The accountability,” James said when asked what the most important lesson he taught his daughter is. “One of the best compliments Savannah and I get is when people say our kids are well-mannered and great kids. That’s the greatest compliment we can get.”

James smiled when asked about the title that filled the arena.

“I love girl dads. It’s pretty cool, and I’m happy to be one,” he said, admitting his daughter “definitely softened me up a lot.”

LeBron James on returning to the lineup, playing alongside Luka and AR, why it took for him to be ready for this game, and being a girl dad in the Lakers 142-130 victory over the Bulls tonight. pic.twitter.com/ebVb6Sq6JK

— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) March 13, 2026

The Lakers launched Girl Dad Night in March 2024 during Women’s History Month as a tribute to Kobe Bryant and former owner Jerry Buss, two of the most famous girl dads in franchise history. Bryant’s love for his daughters — and especially for Gianna’s basketball dreams — helped reshape how sports culture celebrates girls and the fathers who lift them up.

Thursday’s game felt like an extension of that legacy.

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Fathers and daughters were spotlighted throughout the night. In-game host Ray A. Castillo shared the spotlight with his daughters, Alexis and Hayley. The national anthem was performed by father-daughter duo Matt and Savanna, and the Laker Girls even danced at halftime alongside their dads.

Weeks earlier, the Lakers welcomed father-daughter pairs from local nonprofit organizations to their training facility for a basketball clinic and empowerment workshop — surprising them with tickets to Thursday’s game.

Below are many of the photos of the Lakers girl dads. 

President Donald Trump has breathed new life into an old story – that he supposedly intervened during a fight between Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant and Jayson Williams, a 9-year NBA veteran, when Bryant and Williams were in New York for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game.

During an interview with Jake Paul published Friday, March 11, Trump said he broke up a fight involving “Kobe.’’

“Kobe was having a hard time with somebody and it worked out fine,’’ Trump said, although he did not mention Williams by name.

Charles Oakley, then a star power forward with the New York Knicks, was on the elevator when Williams, then with the New Jersey Nets, punched Bryant, according to "Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty" – a book by Jeff Pearlman, a New York Times-bestselling author.

The elevator was at the Grand Hyatt in New York, then owned by Trump, according to Pearlman’s book.

Oakley, during a phone interview with USA TODAY Sports, said he doesn’t remember being on the elevator during the reported incident but that he’s heard Williams tell the story of the fight.

“He had told it to some people that I was around,’’ Oakley said. “Jayson, he liked to be a story. He's a storyteller. I told him, 'Jayson, I mean, you 55, 57. You probably told that story 50 times.' ’’

Williams, 58, did not respond to a request for comment by email and did not answer a phone call from USA TODAY Sports. His voicemail box was full.

The altercation reportedly broke out after Bryant got into an elevator occupied by Williams and Oakley, Williams greeted Bryant and then took offense to Bryant's cold replay, according to Pearlman's book, which states that Williams lunged and punched Bryant in the cheek.

"Trump, of all people, grabbed Williams and told Bryant, 'Get out of here. Quickly.' ''

Bryant got off the elevator, according to Pearlman's book.

Bryant died in 2020 during a helicopter crash that also killed his daughter Gianna and seven other people.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump, Kobe Bryant and elevator fight: Charles Oakley responds

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Henry Bolte, Breyson Guedez and Nick Kurtz homered on consecutive pitches from San Diego’s Michael King in the Athletics’ Cactus League game with the Padres on Friday.

Bolte hit a 401-foot, three-run shot to right on an 0-1 pitch from King in the fourth inning. Guedez followed by delivering a 450-foot blast to right on the first pitch he saw from King. The next pitch King threw resulted in a drive that Kurtz sent just over the left-field wall.

The Padres eventually won the game 13-9.

Kurtz is trying to build off an outstanding 2025 season in which he earned AL rookie of the year honors and batted .290 with a .383 on-base percentage, 36 homers and 86 RBIs in 117 games. ___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto star Auston Matthews has a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season.

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Keira Hanson scored 23 points, Malia Lenz posted a double-double and Vermont beat Maine 61-43 on Friday night to win a second straight America East Conference championship and earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Hanson sank 9 of 13 shots with three 3-pointers for the top-seeded Catamounts (27-7), who will appear in the main event for the third time in four seasons and the ninth overall. Lenz totaled 13 points and 14 rebounds. Nikola Priede pitched in with 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Jadyn Weltz went 0 for 7 from beyond the arc but finished with 11 points and five assists.

Adrianna Smith had 22 points and 15 rebounds to pace the second-seeded Black Bears (19-13), who were aiming for their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance. Smith made 7 of 18 shots, while her teammates hit 8 of 34.

Lala Woods hit a 3-pointer to give Maine a 9-2 lead with 4:29 left in the first quarter. Hanson sank back-to-back 3-pointers and Priede had the final two baskets in a 12-2 run that gave Vermont a 14-11 lead after one quarter.

Priede's layup extended Vermont's lead to 14 with 3:36 left in the second period. Woods and Asta Blauenfeldt hit 3-pointers for Maine and the Catamounts went scoreless as the Black Bears closed within 29-21 at halftime.

Hanson and Priede had the first two baskets of the third and the Catamounts outscored Maine by nine in the period for a 48-31 advantage heading to the fourth.

The two teams split two games during the regular season with both winning at home.

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