No. 2 seed Michigan State basketball will need it all from Coen Carr in the Sweet 16 against Ole Miss when it plays for a spot in the Elite Eight.
Bulls' Josh Giddey sinks half-court buzzer to stun Lakers in frantic finish
Bulls' Josh Giddey sinks half-court buzzer to stun Lakers in frantic finish originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Josh Giddey made a halfcourt heave at the buzzer to cap perhaps the wildest finish in the NBA this season, giving the Chicago Bulls a 119-117 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
Patrick Williams and Coby White hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the closing seconds for the Bulls, who trailed by five points with 12.6 seconds remaining.
Another look at the UNREAL final sequence that led to the thrilling Bulls victory 🤯
Williams 3. White 3. Reaves bucket…
Giddey #TissotBuzzerBeater! pic.twitter.com/hhOzJzRGoI
— NBA (@NBA) March 28, 2025
Giddey finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. White scored 26 points and Kevin Huerter added 21 as the Bulls won for the ninth time in 11 games. And this one was easily their wildest in recent memory.
The Lakers looked like they had the game at hand leading 115-100 after Austin Reaves made two free throws with 13 seconds remaining. The Bulls weren’t finished, though.
Williams nailed a 3 for Chicago with 10 seconds remaining. Giddey stole a pass from James and White hit a 3 with 6 seconds to go, putting the Bulls on top 116-115.
Austin Reaves then drove for a layup to give Los Angeles a 117-116 lead with 3 seconds to go. But the Bulls still found a way to pull this one out, mobbing Giddey after he buried the winner.
Reaves led Los Angeles with 30 points. Luka Doncic had 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Jaxson Hayes scored 19, and James finished with 17 points and 12 assists.
Takeaways
Lakers: A night after winning at the buzzer in Indiana on James’ tip-in, the Lakers lost for the eighth time in 12 games.
Bulls: For a team that appeared to be out of it not too long ago, the Bulls are showing some fight.
Key moment
The Lakers led by double digits midway through the fourth quarter before the wild finish.
Key stat
White made five 3-pointers and Giddey hit four.
Up next
The Lakers wrap up a four-game trip Saturday at Memphis. The Bulls host Dallas that night.
LaVine, Kings showcase valiant effort in needed win vs. Blazers
LaVine, Kings showcase valiant effort in needed win vs. Blazers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
With 10 regular-season games remaining, on a four-game losing skid and an NBA playoff push beginning to fade, the Kings had to dig deep and respond.
They did just that.
With every starter scoring in double digits, Sacramento propelled to a 128-107 win over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night at Golden 1 Center.
Star guard Zach LaVine, who criticized the Kings’ locker room environment after Monday’s loss to the Boston Celtics, erupted for a game-high 29 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the floor.
Zach LaJAM‼ pic.twitter.com/yhN3BPg2Vw
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 28, 2025
Unlike throughout the losing streak, Sacramento showcased a valiant effort on both ends of the floor and an urgency to win. As the most vital part of the regular season approaches, the expectation to fight is a non-negotiable for the Kings.
“To that effort part, I think it’s a do-or-die situation,” LaVine told reporters. “If we’re not going to play with that effort, it might not fall our way.”
As a team, the Kings shot nearly 65 percent from the floor while dominating points in the paint 60-32 over a young, versatile Blazers team. Center Domantas Sabonis recorded his 53rd double-double of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Can't stop the Domas-Deebo duo 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9M1KUBTU0a
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 28, 2025
Defensively, Sacramento outrebounded Portland 46-32. Guard Keon Ellis recorded a career-high six steals in 31 minutes of play.
When the Kings play with the tenacity like they showcased Thursday, naturally, the chances of losing are slimmer.
“So, at least playing that hard we are giving ourselves our best shot to go out there and compete at the highest level and give us a chance to play our best,” LaVine added.
“I think you attribute that to just wanting it more. These last 10 or nine, we’re going to have to play the same way.”
At 36-37, Sacramento stands No. 9 in the Western Conference, sitting half a game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks and one ahead of the No. 11 seed Phoenix Suns.
Although nine games separate the Kings from a possible postseason appearance, the immediate task at hand will be a challenge in and of itself for coach Doug Christie and Co.: Keep the foot on the effort pedal throughout the upcoming six-game road trip.
It’s Sacramento’s pathway to playoff basketball.
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The Brooklyn Nets still have some games to go in the regular season, but the NCAA Tournament has players who could be playing at the next level.
March Madness live updates, scores, bracket: Alabama vs. BYU, Florida vs. Maryland in NCAA tournament action
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Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson out for season after undergoing procedure to address plantar fasciitis
Veteran guard Jordan Clarkson, who has been in and out of the Utah lineup and played in just 37 games, is now out for the remainder of the season after undergoing "a medical procedure to address plantar fasciitis in his left foot," the team announced Thursday.
When he did play, the 32-year-old showed he can still get a bucket averaging 16.2 points a game, shooting 36.2% from 3, plus adding 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds a night. However, the combination of some nagging injuries and the Jazz looking toward the lottery saw Crawford getting limited run.
Utah was already leaning into young guards Isaiah Collier, Keyonte George and Johnny Juzang, trying to get them run and the chance to develop. Crawford's injury will just increase that.
Crawford has one more season on his contract at $14.3 million. Expect his name to come up in trade talk this offseason (as it did at the trade deadline), as a number of teams could use both the scoring punch and the expiring contract the former Sixth Man of the Year can bring.
Sweet 16 loaded with storybook talent from past Cinderellas. But where were the upsets?
With zero teams from mid-major conferences in the Sweet 16 for the first time since tournament expansion in 1985, is the era of the Cinderella over?
Tony Skinn agrees to contract extension as George Mason’s basketball coach
Skinn, a player on the George Mason team that reached the 2006 Final Four, coached the Patriots to a share of the conference’s regular-season title and an NIT victory this season.
Tony Skinn agrees to a contract extension as George Mason’s basketball coach
George Mason basketball coach Tony Skinn has agreed to a one-year contract extension that ties the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year to the school through the 2029-30 season. Skinn, a player on the George Mason team that reached the 2006 Final Four, coached the Patriots to a share of the conference's regular-season title and an NIT victory this season.
VCU introduces coach Phil Martelli Jr., who wants to ‘make memories’ in the NCAA Tournament
Since 2002, VCU has had to hire a basketball coach seven times. The last five have all led the Rams to the NCAA Tournament. So, as he spoke to the media, boosters and fans on Thursday during his introductory press conference, Phil Martelli Jr. knew what kind of expectations he would be taking on as the latest coach in that line.
This Michigan basketball staffer was responsible for putting Auburn hoops on the map
A decade ago, K.T. Harrell went on a historic run for Auburn in the SEC tournament. He's now Michigan's director of basketball operations.
New SMU AD Damon Evans will try to build on momentum program hasn’t seen in decades
New SMU athletic director Damon Evans is taking over a department enjoying momentum it hasn't seen in decades after the Mustangs exceeded expectations in their first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The football team didn't lose an ACC regular-season game and qualified for the first expanded, 12-team playoff. The men's basketball team flirted with an NCAA Tournament bid before settling for the NIT and reaching the second round.
Does a rivalry game hit different in March Madness? Duke, UNC meeting in NCAA women’s tournament for the first time ever
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Ole Miss basketball’s Chris Beard still runs one Tom Izzo, Michigan State drill
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Don’t write off future Cinderellas just because it’s an all-power conference Sweet 16, coaches say
Nearly every year there's at least one lovable underdog that rises from obscurity in the NCAA Tournament to capture the hearts of basketball fans and bust their brackets. All 16 regional semifinalists are from power conferences for the first time since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The popular theory is that the transfer portal has led to a concentration of the best players at the big schools paying the most NIL money and, soon, the most through revenue sharing.