Category: NBA

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.

___

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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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

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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.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gavin Williams struck out 10 in seven scoreless innings, outpitching World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and José Ramírez hit his first home run of the season to lead the Cleveland Guardians past the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 on Wednesday.

Gabriel Arias also went deep for the Guardians, who took two of three games in the series from the two-time defending champions.

Williams (1-1) walked three and allowed only two hits, both singles by Andy Pages. Freddie Freeman homered off Cade Smith with two outs in the ninth, spoiling Cleveland's shutout bid.

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

Last night in Houston, the Knicks (49*-28) lost their third straight game, all on the road. It was possibly the least entertaining game we’ve watched all season, and New York played out of sync all night. Tonight, in the second of a back-to-back, they had a prime opportunity to regain their confidence against a Grizzlies team (25-51) that has seven players out with season-ending injuries and no active center. Mostly, the game went as expected, with the Knicks taking a 22-point first-half lead. Memphis shot well (51% from the field, 44% from deep), but New York shot better (55% and 41%), owned the glass (49-20) and the paint (66-44). Despite a dip late in the third quarter, New York held on to win it, 130-119.

Quoth JustMissedOut2001, “Dang is that stat right? Only 20 rebounds for the grizz.” According to the talking heads after the game, 20 rebounds was the fewest ever for a Knicks opponent. It helps when the tallest guy on the other team is 6’9” in heels.

With Jalen Brunson resting a sore right ankle, Jose Alvarado (15 PTS, 4 AST, 4 TO, 2 STL) got his second start as a Knick. Memphis started rookie shooting guard Cedric Coward (15 PTS), the 11th pick in last summer’s draft, and four other dudes, at least one of whom is on a two-way contract.

Karl-Anthony Towns attacked the rim, wisely, as the undersized Grizzlies had no equal in their front court. He finished the night with a triple-double of 20 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-tying 11 assists—and he did it in 29 minutes. Bridges had a very efficient night, too, tallying 24 points on 9-of-15 from the field. And OG Anunoby delivered an excellent performance, with 25 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks, and a steal in his 40 minutes.

In fact, all our heroes were sizzling, missing just two of their first 15 shots while hitting a perfect five from downtown (Hart, Bridges, Alvarado, Kolek, and Shamet). They also had 11 assists on their first 13 makes, with Josh Hart (5 PTS, 6 RBS, 6 AST, 25 MIN) and Kat combining for seven dimes in the quarter.

Just gonna drop this here….

The KAT-Brunson 2-man lineup played 62 minutes together in the last three games. It had a -38.7 net rating. It was Brunson's worst rated pairing during the losing streak. KAT was only worse with Josh Hart. KAT-JB is supposed to be NYK's super weapon. They're still taking turns.

— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) April 1, 2026

Midway through the period, coach Mike Brown subbed in Tyler Kolek (9 PTS, 7 AST, 0 TO, 19 min), Jordan Clarkson (8 PTS), and Landry Shamet (13 PTS, 2 STL), back after missing five games with a right knee bone bruise. Landry showed no signs of being hindered, knocking down three of five from deep tonight.

Late in the first quarter, Ariel Hukporti (7 PTS, 6 RBS, 12 MIN) replaced Towns. His rust showed, but Huk could teach Mitchell Robinson (out due to the back-to-back) something about shooting free throws. Coach Brown would name Hukporti the Defensive Player of the Game.

An 11-0 run in the fading minutes helped to pad their lead, and after a Cam Spencer (10 PTS) triple and Tyler Burton (10 PTS) adding two of his own, Shamet canned a corner three in the final seconds to give the visitors a 48-30 lead. That’s a season-high for any quarter of the season for the Knickerbockers.

landry knocking down the long ball 👌 pic.twitter.com/8Wq5kdapTJ

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 2, 2026

To start the second quarter, Brown stayed with Kolek and inserted rookie Mohamed Diawara (4 pTS, 5 MIN) into the mix. The tall Frenchman made the most of his minutes, with two quick scores and a steal. Not to be overlooked, Towns continued to have the biggest impact with multiple dunks, putbacks, and strong rebounding, while Bridges added efficient scoring, including a step-back three and driving plays. Hart and Alvarado contributed key assists, steals, and timely buckets, and with the lead reaching 22, this game became a glorified scrimmage.

Memphis got sporadic production from G. G. Jackson (20 PTS, 8-of-12 FG) and Coward, but struggled with turnovers and chasing down loose balls. For the half, New York outrebounded them 21-6! The Grizzlies could never close the gap. Score at intermission: 79-62. That’s the first-half season-high for our heroes.

CRAZY 🎱

25 PTS | 13 AST | 2 BLK | 1 STL pic.twitter.com/bHTBTwqoTp

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 2, 2026

Through two quarters, the Knicks shot a ridiculous 71% from the field (29-for-41) and 70% from three (7-for-10) while the visitors scraped by at 56% and 45%. What’s easy to miss amid all the buckets is New York’s dominance of the paint (40-20) and the boards (8-2 offensive). The Grizzlies hadn’t led once. Bridges topped all first-half scorers with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. KAT was on his way to a triple-double. Three Bears had 10 points (Walter Clayton, Jr., Jackson, and Burton).

The Grizzlies opened the third frame on a 14-6 run, cutting the Knicks’ lead from 17 to nine. Jackson scored or assisted on nine of those points. With three minutes left, a Shamet turnover and an Adama Bal triple cut the differential to three. Too close for comfort, but it would get no smaller.

The Knicks went on a 14-3 run across the end of the third and start of the fourth quarter, turning a three-point game into a 14-point lead. The Grizzlies had three turnovers and made just one shot during this stretch. The key was execution and extra possessions: Anunoby crashing the glass and protecting the rim, Bridges knocking down a three, and Towns dishing a run of assists.

KAT DROPPED HIS FIRST TRIPLE-DOUBLE OF THE SEASON 👏

20 PTS (8-12 FGM)
11 REB
11 AST@nyknicks win on the road! pic.twitter.com/NdmSOScj8h

— NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2026

From there, OG put it away with a pair of late threes, while Towns cleaned the glass and kept piling up his assist total. Fairly easy win, as it should have been.

Up Next

New York heads home to face the Bulls on Friday. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

The Knicks salvaged their four-game road trip with a convincing 130-119 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Without top scoring threat Jalen Brunson in the game due to right ankle soreness, New York needed its other players to step up and make some shots and make shots they did. It was an all-out team effort in the first quarter with the Knicks putting up 48 points in the opening 12 minutes of the game, the most points they've scored in any quarter this season. 

-- Nine players saw the court in the first quarter and all nine made at least one field goal, including Ariel Hukporti, who saw extended minutes for the first time since March 13 against the Indiana Pacers. 

 Mikal Bridges led the way by going 3-for-3 from the field and drilling his only three-point attempt. But it wasn't just Bridges as New York shot 81 percent from the field in the first and 100 percent from downtown (5-for-5). They also didn't miss from the free-throw line, going 9-for-9.

-- Overall, the Knicks missed just four shots in the opening frame and were getting anything they wanted offensively. Still, it wasn’t their best defensive effort as they allowed the Grizzlies to score 30 points.

-- The second quarter saw more of the same as Bridges continued his scoring barrage with Karl-Anthony Towns also heavily involved. New York wasn't able to keep up its first-quarter field-goal percentage in the second, but it still shot 71 percent from the field (70 percent from three) going into halftime and still didn't miss from the charity stripe (14-for-14). Along with the starters, it also got some nice contributions from Tyler Kolek and Landry Shamet.

-- Given their ridiculous offensive production, the Knicks outrebounded Memphis 21-6 at the break and had more offensive rebounds (eight) than the Grizzlies had total rebounds. Regardless, Memphis shot a more than respectable 56 percent from the field in the first half and had 62 points at halftime, even outscoring New York 32-31 in the second quarter. Of course, it was outshone by the Knicks' 79 points and 17-point lead at the half.

-- What felt like a clear and obvious win for New York for the entirety of the first half came crashing back down to Earth in the third quarter when the Grizzlies just kept chipping away and made it a game, relying on players like GG Jackson II, who led his team with 20 points, and Javon Small. 

After an Adama Bal three-pointer with 2:48 left in the quarter made it 90-87, what was once a Knicks lead as large as 22 points was shriveled to three points. 

-- The near total collapse by New York came from turnovers, continued bad defense and not having a player to defer to to put an end to a run. That changed in the fourth quarter when OG Anunoby put the team on his back and killed any thought the Grizzlies may have had to come back and win the game.

-- Entering the fourth quarter with just eight points, Anunoby scored 17 in the final frame, in which the Knicks needed every bit of it as Memphis continued to apply pressure. Anunoby finished with a game-high 25 points and led everybody with 13 rebounds.

-- Meanwhile, Towns had a triple-double (20-11-11) and Bridges finished with 24 points in Brunson's absence. New York's bench had a good game, scoring 41 points and dishing out 11 assists (seven via Kolek). 

Game MVP: OG Anunoby

Even though KAT finished with a triple-double, Anunoby made some big shots when it looked like the Knicks might blow their massive lead and had a double-double in his own right.

Highlights

Mikal 👌 pic.twitter.com/oMqKRVZbH4

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 2, 2026

48 points in the first quarter for the Knicks! pic.twitter.com/GUCVVuGfep

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 2, 2026

KAT finds Bridges! pic.twitter.com/k4Q9Y7Ikys

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 2, 2026

Landry and-one from the corner! pic.twitter.com/CtGEGaHaVe

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 2, 2026

KAT whips it in to OG and then he throws it down! pic.twitter.com/mBozYuzVun

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 2, 2026

What's next

The Knicks return home for a Friday night showdown with the Chicago Bulls starting at 7:30 p.m.

The Celtics scored 53 first quarter points in route to a 147-129 point win over the rival Miami Heat. It was a night that included a 43 point game from Jaylen Brown, a triple-double from Jayson Tatum and 15 point and 10 rebound game from Neemias Queta.

The Celtics had everyone available, outside of Nikola Vucevic for this one. Vucevic did go through a workout today in Miami at shoot around.

Good sign: Nikola Vucevic is doing some on-court work here at shootaround in Miami

It’s been 3.5 weeks since he fractured his right ring finger pic.twitter.com/dfRqbDx8oi

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) April 1, 2026

The Celtics started Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta. Norman Powell was out for the Heat who started Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Pelle Larson and Bam Adebayo.

It was a hot start for Jaylen Brown who scored the Celtics first 11 points.

There wasn’t a ton of defense in the first 6 minutes of the game as the teams were tied at 21 at the first timeout. The Celtics were struggling to guard Bam Adebayo, who had 11 points, 2 rebounds (both offensive boards) and 1 assist early in the game.

It was a monster Sam Hauser quarter as he had 17 points shooting 6/6 from the field and 5/5 from three.

The Celtics led Miami 53-33 at the end of the first quarter. It was a dominant first quarter for Boston, they shot 71% from the field and 73% from three, making 11 threes. They ended the quarter on a 32-9 run as well.

Jaylen Brown had 20 points (the most by a Celtics in the first quarter this season) along with the previously mentioned 17 from Hauser.

53 points is the most first quarter points for the Celtics in franchise history.

53 points is the most BOS has ever scored in a 1st quarter & is tied for the 2nd most 1st-quarter points in NBA history.

Brown's 20 pts is tied for the 2nd most he's ever scored in a 1st quarter.

Hauser's 17 is a 1st quarter career-high and his 5 3's ties Celtic record.

— Dick Lipe (@DickLipe) April 2, 2026

Jordan Walsh was the 9th Celtic off of the bench, Hugo Gonzalez had been filling that role for a while now.

After a slow start, the Celtics defense really clicked in. After giving up 30 points in the first 7:16 of the game, they hunkered down on that side, giving up 21 points over the next 12 minutes of game action.

The Celtics cooled off a bit in the second quarter and did not score 100 points. They did score 80, however, and led Miami 80-57 at halftime. Brown led the team with 24 points while Hauser had 17 and Jayson Tatum had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, insane numbers 📈 pic.twitter.com/yMq1S8HYBZ

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 2, 2026

The third quarter was another hot start for Brown as he scored 8 straight points as the Celtics opened up a 26 point lead.

The rest of the third quarter didn’t go well for the Celtics. They didn’t get nearly enough stops in the quarter and the Heat were able to cut the lead to 10 with 45 points in the period. Just unacceptable stuff from the defense.

The Heat just scored 20 points in 3.5 minutes

They went 6-7 from three in that span

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) April 2, 2026

The Celtics led the Heat 112-102 at the end of three quarters. Jaylen Brown was dominating the game with 36 points.

Early in the fourth quarter, Jayson Tatum recored a triple-double and then a step back three put the Celtics back up 16. Tatum finished the game with 25 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists.

A Jayson Tatum three pushes the Celtics' lead back up to 16, and gives him 22 points pic.twitter.com/1c7WiVUoYt

— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) April 2, 2026

The Heat made a push but the closest they got was 9. The Celtic won the game 147-129. Jaylen Brown finished with 43 points, Sam Hauser had 23 points and Neemias Queta had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The Celtics 58% from the field and 48% from three while the Heat shot 46% from the field and 51% from three. Boston’s next game is Friday night in Milwaukee against the Bucks at 8 EST.

All Times EDT

Thursday, April 2

MLB

Minnesota at Kansas City, 2:10 p.m.

Atlanta at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.

N.Y. Mets at San Francisco, 9:45 p.m.

NBA

Minnesota at Detroit, 7 p.m.

Phoenix at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m.

Cleveland at Golden State, 10 p.m.

New Orleans at Portland, 10 p.m.

San Antonio at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

NHL

Boston at Florida, 7 p.m.

Buffalo at Ottawa, 7 p.m.

Columbus at Carolina, 7 p.m.

Detroit at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Montreal at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

Washington at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.

Vancouver at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Winnipeg at Dallas, 8 p.m.

Chicago at Edmonton, 9 p.m.

Calgary at Vegas, 10 p.m.

Toronto at San Jose, 10 p.m.

Utah at Seattle, 10 p.m.

Nashville at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.

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HOUSTON (AP) — Reed Sheppard scored 27 points on a career-high nine 3-pointers, Alperen Sengun added 25 points and the Houston Rockets beat the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks 119-113 on Wednesday night for their 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.

The Bucks shot 47% and were 17 of 40 on 3-pointers. They made 10 3-pointers in the third as they cut Houston’s 20-point lead to seven by the end of the quarter.

Gary Trent Jr. exited with a hip contusion with 4 1/2 minutes left in the first after hitting the ground hard while diving for a loose ball at midcourt. He walked to the locker room holding his right side. Trent’s exit left the Bucks with seven available players after Ryan Rollins was ruled out with a right hip strain.

Down 112-100 with 3 1/2 minutes left in the fourth, the Bucks reeled off eight straight to close within four on two free throws by Dieng. Sengun made two free throws to push the lead to six with 1:06 remaining.

After the teams traded baskets, Jericho Sims made 1 of 2 free throws, but after the Bucks stole the ball, Ryan missed a 3-pointer. Houston got the rebound, and Sengun made 1 of 2 free throws with 16 seconds left to push the lead back to six.

Up next

Bucks: Host Boston on Friday night.

Rockets: Host Utah on Friday night.

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