Category: Basketball

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Rookie VJ Edgecombe scored a career high 38 points with 11 assists, Justin Edwards was 7 of 11 from 3-point range and finished with 32 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Sacramento Kings 139-118 on Thursday night.

Quentin Grimes scored 27 points as the 76ers ended a five-game road losing streak and won for the fourth time in their last six games playing without their two biggest stars — Joel Embiid (strained right oblique) and Tyrese Maxey (finger).

Embiid has missed 11 straight games but coach Nick Nurse said he has been making progress.

Edwards shot 11 of 18 from the field overall and went 3 for 3 from the line.

Maxime Raynaud led the Kings with 30 points and Daeqwon Plowden had 20. Dylan Cardwell had 14 rebounds. For the Kings, it was their third loss in their last five games.

Philadelphia shot 50% from the field overall and 47% from 3-point range, compared to 38% from deep for Sacramento.

The 76ers took the lead for good with 3:08 remaining in the second quarter. The score was 71-62 at halftime, with Grimes scoring 20 points. The 76ers extended their lead to 114-91 during the fourth quarter, fueled by a 16-2 scoring run.

The Kings Malik Monk left the game with an injured right shoulder and did not return.

Up next

76ers: Play at Utah on Saturday night.

Kings: Host Brooklyn on Sunday.

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

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

For most of the night, it felt like the San Antonio Spurs were stuck in place — running hard, but going nowhere. The ball clanged off the rim more often than it swished through. Possessions grew tense, deliberate. Across the floor, the Phoenix Suns moved with the confidence of a team in control, building a lead that hovered, then stretched, then threatened to break the game open entirely.

By the middle of the fourth quarter, the Spurs were down double digits. The crowd inside the Frost Bank Center grew restless, a low murmur replacing the earlier buzz. It had the feel of a long night nearing its inevitable end.

But basketball games, especially strange, stubborn ones like this, don’t always follow the script.

It started with defense. A stop that forced Phoenix deeper into the shot clock. Then another. Suddenly, the Suns’ rhythm, which was so steady all night, began to wobble. The Spurs pushed the tempo, not recklessly, but urgently. De’Aaron Fox sliced into the lane with purpose, absorbing contact and finishing through it. Each drive felt like a spark, something to ignite a team that had been searching for life. Earlier, Collin Gillespie had kept San Antonio at bay, knocking down three after three, each one a small act of resistance to the Spurs’ attempt at getting back into the game.

But then, those efforts began to go around the rim and out. San Antonio continued to get stops and make shots. The deficit shrank. Ten became seven. Seven became four. The noise inside the arena swelled again — cautious at first, then rising with each possession. You could feel belief creeping back in, possession by possession.

Still, the Suns had their chances. Rasheer Fleming stepped to the line, the kind of moment a rookie lives for. But on this night, nothing came easy when the man at the line shoots 57 percent. He missed free throws left the door open, just enough for San Antonio to slip through.

One final possession. One final chance. Mitch Johnson called timeout to advance the ball and there was little doubt who would have the ball in his hands with the game on the line. The ball found Victor Wembanyama — as if it had been destined to all along when he was drafted just three years ago. It was only fitting that Wemby had the chance to return the Spurs to playoff glory.

“I’m happy for the city, the community, and organization,” Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson said of clinching the team’s first playoff berth since 2019. “To be a part of that process is rewarding.”

There was a stillness in the moment. No rush, no panic. Just Wembanyama, rising above the defense, his long frame creating space where there seemed to be none. The shot — a soft, controlled pull-up — left his hands as the clock neared zero.

For a split second, everything held its breath. Then the net snapped as the ball went through.

“It’s very fun. We hadn’t had this type of situation in awhile. It was a test and we passed it,” Wembanyama said. “It was a meaningful game and close to the playoffs, this was a good test right now.”

With just over a second remaining, the Spurs had flipped the entire night on its head, stealing a 101-100 victory from a game that had seemed lost. Teammates swarmed Wembanyama. The arena erupted, the earlier tension replaced by a roar that shook the building.

He finished with 34 points and 12 rebounds, but numbers felt almost secondary. This was about presence. About timing. About the growing sense that when the game tightens and the lights get brighter, the Spurs have someone who can bend the moment to his will.

For this young Spurs team, this win felt like more than just another mark in the standings. It felt like a turning point for the present and their future, the kind you remember later, when close games stop slipping away and start becoming something else entirely.

“It feels good, it feels like a long time coming,” Keldon Johnson said of clinching the playoffs. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else or do it anywhere else but here…this is a special group that we have. And I am blessed to be a part of it.”

Game Notes

• Phoenix is one team that’s been a thorn in the Spurs’ side all season, officially splitting the season series 2-2. But in all four games, the Suns have been a solid team against San Antonio. If this is the first round matchup, it’ll be juicy.
• Stephon Castle’s perimeter defense was missed against Devin Booker, who scored 22 points on the night. However, even without Castle defending him, he only shot 8-for-21 for the game.
• If this is the Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox we’re getting in the postseason, the Spurs will continue to surprise people. And they will go further than many are expecting.

Don’t look now, but they’ve won three of their last four!

The Sixers blew out the Sacramento Kings 139-118 Thursday night.

They are 38-32, a big win given big losses by the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat earlier in the night.

Reaching 30 points for the first time since his NBA debut, VJ Edgecombe cruised past that to put up a career-high 38 points and 11 assists, shooting 16-of-27 from the floor. It’s the most a Sixer has put up as a rookie since Tyrese Maxey. Justin Edwards went for a career-high as well, finishing with 32 points going 11-of-18 from the floor and 7-of-11 from three.

Quentin Grimes dished out seven assists as well while putting up 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting. Maxime Raynauld led the Kings with 30.

Joel Embiid was originally listed as doubtful for this one and was eventually ruled out for his 11th straight game with an oblique strain. Tyrese Maxey (finger sprain), Paul George (suspension), Kelly Oubre Jr. (elbow strain) and Johni Broome (meniscus tear) remained out.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• Neither team put the clamps on early, but no one took better advantage than Edwards, who made five of his first six shots of the night. He came out gunning from behind the arc, and was about the only player to meet the resistance at the rim on a drive but hit a nice spin move to get around it.
• Of course Sacramento started just as well offensively. They made nine of their first 11 field goals just like the Sixers. Rather than just getting right to the basket their drives resulted in wide open dump-offs for both of their bigs.
• Edgecombe and Grimes each helped the Sixers spread the ball around as the team went for 10 assists in the quarter. The flashiest assist though went to Edgecombe on a big alley oop in transition. He nailed a pull-up jumper to tie the team’s highest scoring quarter this year at 45 and give the Sixers a 12-point lead.

VJ OH MY. pic.twitter.com/PWRAMrXxZk

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 20, 2026

Second Quarter

• The mostly bench unit had a very rough go of it to kick off the second, giving up that lead entirely early in the quarter. The offense went ice cold while the zone they sat in as a result of a Cam Payne-Kyle Lowry backcourt got beat by three after three.
• The offensive struggles became team wide, as their start from the field in the second got as bad as 1-of-15. They were frankly lucky the Kings weren’t able to punish them more in this stretch. Nearly every player on the court took place in a sequence like this.

An insanely fast-paced and collision-filled 20 seconds of action with nothing either team can show for it pic.twitter.com/wtOlbDyyn4

— Drew Peltzman (@dapeltz13) March 20, 2026

• Edgecombe hitting a couple fadeaway jumpers by the block gave the Sixers some sense of stability. Grimes got under control with his drives, hitting a couple slick finishes before nailing a much-needed three off the catch. Adem Bona was able to complete one of those solo fast breaks for a dunk and a putback a few possessions later, helping the Sixers get back up nine at the break.

Third Quarter

• Grimes and Edwards remaining consistent only buoyed the Sixers to start the half. Raynaud was an imposing force all night. Bona tried his best pushing him around but he needed every bit of strength to match the height disadvantage.
• Even after throwing a very errant lob pass, it was shaking out as a very solid night for Edgecombe as the primary ball handler again. His go-to shots, especially the little fadeaway, routinely got the Sixers out of ruts.
• Edgecombe had seven assists to this point as well, and perhaps his best read of the night hadn’t fallen on a skip pass to MarJon Beauchamp for a corner three attempt. A simple bounce pass from him was enough to hit Andre Drummond for his third three of the night as the Sixers lead jumped up to their largest of the night at 18.

Fourth Quarter

• Edwards’ performance had understandably become overshadowed, but a couple of three-point plays got him quickly back on track. Not only did burying a three set his new career-high, but it set Edgecombe’s career-high in assists. For the starters at least, it was just one of those nights offensively.
• This team was really in no position to nitpick — they needed an easy win no matter who the opponent. This was their first win by 11 points or more in nearly a month, back on Feb. 22 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ziaire Williams is a generally optimistic guy. Always a smile and positive vibes. Earlier this week, speaking to NetsDaily at a Special Olympics event at the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center, the 24-year-old was asked about the Nets future.

“We have something very special brewing here in Brooklyn. A year or two from now we’ll be in the mix for the playoffs and winning a lot more games,” he said when asked about the Nets situation. “I’m trusting the front office and our GM Sean Marks. Shoutout to Joe Tsai as well for believing in me and trusting in me as well. We have a bright future ahead.”

Of course, things are nowhere near that level of success at the moment and the 6’9” Stanford product admits it’s uncertain whether he’ll still in Brooklyn when that happens.

“If I can end my career here, I would be more than happy and grateful,” Williams said. “But it is out of my control so I just try to stay present in the moment and try to make as much of an impact that I can.”

Williams has a $6.3 million team option next season, a reasonable deal and he’s played well this season. On the other than, Brooklyn’s roster is going to be fluid over the next year and a half.

In his two years with Brooklyn, “Z” has played well enough as a bench 3-and-D to warrant the team option. In 112 games, 52 starts, he’s averaged 9.8 points in 22 minutes per game on shooting splits of 43/33/84. In his two years in Brooklyn thus far, Williams has had his best scoring seasons while playing the most minutes since being drafted at No. 10 by the

His biggest issue is consistency but he’s had his moments and he loves his head coach and staff.

“We definitely have built a great relationship over the two years I have been here. Jordi is a great coach, his office doors are always open, and he is always looking for feedback,” he told ND about Jordi Fernandez. “As a part of the leadership group of our team, it is my responsibility to bring all of our problems to Jordi. That has resulted in a great bond.”

He also talked about his community service. This week it was a practice session of the New York Wildcats who are currently preparing to play in the 2026 Special Olympics USA games this summer in Minnesota. The event was sponsored by UnitedHealthcare, Special Olympics New York and the office of Brooklyn Borough President.

“I love everything about this man, I feel like both basketball and helping out others are my purpose in life,” Williams said. “I’m always really appreciative to be a part of events like this.

Special Olympics New York (@SpecOlympicsNY) on X

“Sharing the court with these athletes is an incredible honor. Their commitment, teamwork, and love for the game inspire me, and I’m excited to support them as they get ready for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games,” he added.

Williams, who came with some members of his family, was very hands-on, helping out with the drills and showed support to each of the young athletes as well as each camp staffers as they tried to get better with their skills.

As we all know, the Nets’ season has not gone as smoothly as the Wildcats’ practice. Brooklyn currently holds a 17-52 record in the Eastern Conference. With many of the losses being bad ones, including their last matchup with the OKC Thunder, it can be detrimental for a young player to want to continue to be a part of that franchise. But Williams’ attitude is uplifting.

The good news for the Houston Rockets is that they can now move on to another opponent after getting swept twice at home by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The bad news is that their next opponent, the Atlanta Hawks, have won 11 games in a row and look quite mighty these days. And if you’d like more bad news, this is the first game of a back-to-back where Houston next opponent, the Miami Heat, will be rested and ready.

This homestand was clearly going to be supremely important to Houston, but they were dealt kind of a bad hand. The Pelicans came in playing really well, the Lakers were on a five-game winning streak and had finally found themselves, the Hawks are obviously red-hot, and the Heat have won seven of their last ten games too. In reality, the Rockets needed to get out at 3-2 or 4-1, and they certainly couldn’t drop two to the Lakers. Now, they’ll have to try to salvage what’s left.

Houston did finally seem to have some answers against the double teams that were sent at Kevin Durant. Those strategies will be tested once again versus a Hawks squad with much better perimeter and on-ball defenders than the Lakers employ.

Tip-off

7pm CT

How To Watch

Space City Home Network and NBA TV

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Jae’Sean Tate: OUT

Hawks

Jonathan Kuminga: OUT

The Line (as of this post)

N/A

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Tomorrow night at home against the Miami Heat

While the Men's 2026 NCAA Tournament continues Friday, March 20, we already have 16 teams on to the second round.

Eight games will kick off the second round of March Madness on Saturday, March 21. Two top seeds in Duke and Michigan will be in action, as well as double-digit seeds that pulled off upsets in Texas, VCU and High Point.

Game times and TV assignments for Saturday's second round were announced late Thursday night ET. Here is the schedule for the first day of the second round, as well as what network it will air on.

Armour: One day in and March Madness already its usual marvelous self

March Madness bracket: Second round game times, schedule

Saturday, March 21

All times Eastern

• MIDWEST: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 9 Saint Louis: 12:10 p.m., CBS
• EAST: No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Louisville: 2:45 p.m., CBS
• EAST: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 9 TCU: 5:15 p.m., CBS
• SOUTH: No. 2 Houston vs. No. 10 Texas A&M: 6:10 p.m., TNT
• WEST: No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 Texas: 7:10 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
• SOUTH: No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 11 VCU: 7:50 p.m. ET, CBS
• SOUTH: No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt: 8:45 p.m. ET, TNT
• WEST: No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 12 High Point: 9:45 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness second round game times, NCAA Tournament bracket, schedule

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Kymora Johnson scored 17 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 30.6 seconds remaining, and Virginia beat Arizona State 57-55 on Thursday night in the First Four for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2018.

Virginia (20-11), the No. 10 seed, will face seventh-seeded and 24th-ranked Georgia in the first round on Saturday. The Cavaliers are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2018 and first under coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton.

Johnson's key 3-pointer — Virginia's first of the second half in 10 attempts — made it 54-51.

Johnson went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line with 5.3 seconds left to cap the scoring and Arizona State guard Jyah LoVett lost control of the ball in the paint at the other end as the clock ran out.

Johnson also had 10 rebounds and five assists for her ninth career double-double. Caitlin Weimar added 11 points off the bench for Virginia and Romi Levy scored 10.

Marley Washenitz made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points for Arizona State (24-11). McKinna Brackens had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Heloisa Carrera also scored 10.

Gabby Elliott, who entered averaging a team-high 16 points per game for ASU, made just her second field goal in 10 attempts with 3:18 remaining to get within 48-46. She finished with 11 points, on 3-of-13 shooting, and nine rebounds.

The Sun Devils were in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 under first-year coach Molly Miller.

Up next

Virginia, which reached 20 wins in a season for the first time since 2017, will play a Georgia team that had the best single-season turnaround in school history after going 13-19 last year. The Bulldogs are making their 37th appearance in the tournament.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

NBA leading-scorer Luka Doncic put on another epic performance of bucket-getting in the Los Angeles Lakers' 134-126 win against the Miami Heat on March 19.

Doncic dropped 60 points in South Beach, the third-highest scoring output of his career and the most he's scored since being traded to the Lakers in February 2025.

Doncic, who averages 33 points per game, had his onslaught performance just weeks after Heat center Bam Adebayo scored 83 points, the second-most points scored in an NBA game, in the same arena.

Luka Magic was on full display at Kaseya Center in Miami as the MVP candidate shot 18-of-30 from the field, connecting on 9-of-17 long-distance shots. He shot 15-of-19 from the free-throw line. He added seven rebounds, three assists and was even locked in defensively, grabbing five steals.

Lakers climbed to 45-25 and have the third-best record in the Western Conference behind the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. According to the latest Kia MVP Ladder on NBA.com, Doncic is ranked fourth for Most Valuable Player.

However, Doncic wasn't the only Laker to have himself a historic night.

MORE: Did tanking and free-throw tactics ruin Bam Adebayo's historic 83-point game?

LeBron James crowned NBA iron man as notches triple-double

LeBron James, the longest-tenured Laker, notched a triple-double, alongside Doncic's 60-point game in the win against James' former team.

James filled the stat sheet with 19 points, a season-high 15 rebounds and 10 assists in just under 38 minutes of play.

The four-time MVP and NBA champion officially became the league's iron man in Thursday's game. James played in the 1,611th game of his career, tying Hall of Famer Robert Parish for the all-time games-played mark.

Lakers vs. Heat highlights: Luka drops 60, LeBron gets triple-double

The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luka Doncic drops 60 in win vs. Heat as LeBron becomes league ironman

PORTLAND, OR — In the middle of the Men's NCAA Tournament first-round matchup between No. 6 seed BYU and No. 11 Texas, Longhorns coach Sean Miller was asked on the CBS broadcast how to stop Cougars star AJ Dybantsa.

“We can’t,” Miller said.

Unable to stop one of the best players in the game, but Texas did the next best thing: outplay the rest of BYU.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness live scores: Upsets, close calls, highlights from NCAA first round

The first March Madness for Dybantsa was short-and-sweet — not the kind he hoped for. Despite another stellar outing from the freshman phenom, BYU was upset by Texas 79-71 to end what was supposed to be a promising campaign.

“As far as the season, it's tough dealing with that type of adversity. But I'd rather do it with nobody else,” Dybantsa said.

Dybantsa had a game-high 35 points and 10 rebounds in what is all but officially his final college basketball game, playing in a building — the Moda Center — in which he will likely play at the next level.

“Thought there were moments in tonight's game where he just looked like that Portland Trailblazer floor should have been down there,” said BYU coach Kevin Young. “Just look like an NBA player, the stuff he's able to do on the court.”

From the jump, the Longhorns really didn’t have an answer for Dybantsa. He made his first four shots of the night — including a beautiful midrange pull up on a double-team — for 10 points in the first eight minutes. It looked like the night would belong to him.

Instead, Texas controlled the game the rest of the way.

REQUIRED READING: AJ Dybantsa points tonight: How many points did BYU star score in upset loss to Texas?

Even as Dybantsa continued to score, the Longhorns only strengthened their lead. He had 20 points at halftime, but Texas was up by nine points.

No matter what Dybantsa did — run the baseline for a casual two-hand reverse dunk or draw fouls for a 12-for-12 night from the charity stripe — it hardly made a dent in Texas' grip of the game. BYU was able to make it interesting, cutting the deficit to four points with less than 90 seconds to go, but it didn’t score the rest of the way.

Texas led for all but 53 seconds of the game, and that happened midway through the first half. So how did the Longhorns pick up their second win of the tournament, even when Dybantsa has another big scoring night?

The goal, really, was to not let anyone else contribute: The rest of the Cougars scored 36 points, with no points from the bench.

“The key for us, in addition to just him, is not allowing everybody else to join in,” Miller said. “We just wanted to make sure that we did a great job rebounding and that we did as good of a job as we can guarding the rest of the group. I think that's really why we were able to win.”

REQUIRED READING: Michigan learns valuable lesson from Duke's near-upset against Siena

For BYU, it’s a disastrous end to what many believed could be the greatest season in program history. The No. 8 team in the USA TODAY Sports preseason Coaches Poll, the Cougars raced to a 17-2 start with the build off a Final Four contender.

Then things derailed. It lost four straight games and eventually lost sharp shooter Richie Saunders for the season to finish 6-9, resulting in the No. 6 seed in the tournament.

There was still hope for a possible March run, but it only got one game.

Even though Dybantsa didn’t formally declare he’d headed to the NBA — he said he has to talk to his family, mainly mom since she “makes the decision in life in my family” — the presumption is he will bolt to the pros, where he likely will be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft.

“I'm happy I chose here. I definitely made the right decision,” Dybantsa said.

While everyone in the sport knew he was only here for this campaign, BYU hoped he would become a pro after leading the Cougars to their first Final Four. Instead, it was a first-round exit, the third loss to a No. 11 seed in the opening round in its last four tournament appearances.

That’s not what BYU got: Just like Dybantsa, the Cougars are one-and-done.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Like AJ Dybantsa, BYU basketball is one-and-done in March Madness

The Cleveland Cavaliers held on for a win over the Chicago Bulls.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

James Harden

36 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 5 turnovers

This was a Harden masterpiece through three quarters. He converted multiple four-point plays and canned seven three-pointers. His heliocentric control of the offense kept Cleveland grooving until suddenly, the Bulls found a way to disrupt his rhythm. The final quarter was hectic, but Harden made enough plays down the stretch to preserve his grade. His iso-jumper with 31 seconds left was the knockout blow.

Grade: A+

Evan Mobley

26 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

Mobley made his presence known in the paint tonight. He hovered around the basket, cleaning up second-chance opportunities and crushing every lob thrown his way. Mobley posted yet another monster double-double just one game after dropping 27 points and 15 rebounds on the Bucks.

Grade: A+

Max Strus

0 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

Strus is starting to crash back down to Earth after his electric season debut. He shot 0-6 tonight and will clearly need some time to shake off the rust. The Cavs still elected to close the game with Strus — signalling that Kenny Atkinson trusts his vet to work through this in real time. He narrowly avoids the F simply because of his efforts outside of scoring.

Grade: D-

Keon Ellis

8 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 4 turnovers

Ellis was erratic tonight. He shot 2-6 from the floor, committed 4 fouls, and turned it over four times. But he also collected 3 steals and a block. It was a mixed bag that’s difficult to grade. I’ll skew towards the positive for his thunderous dunk in closing time.

Grade: C+

Sam Merrill

13 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 2 blocks

Merrill hit a three-pointer in the fourth quarter that allowed me to breathe for the first time in multiple minutes. So thank you, Sam.

Grade: B+

Jaylon Tyson

18 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Tyson needed this one. He finally found his stroke from downtown and was an impactful contributor on the glass. He still has to refine his game, but this was an encouraging reminder of how helpful Tyson can be.

Grade: A-

Dennis Schroder

9 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers

The Cavs are missing some of Schroder’s downhill drives. He hasn’t been as effective getting into the paint recently. That’s put a strain on his minutes. The offensive flow is really catering when he’s at the helm.

Grade: D

Dean Wade

0 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist

Wade put up a classic o-fer. He shot 0-3 from the floor but contributed 7 rebounds. The Cavs predictably didn’t close the game with him on the floor.

Grade: F

Thomas Bryant

5 points, 4 rebounds, 0 assists

Bryant has helped the Cavs recoup some size with Jarrett Allen on the sidelines. His minutes alongside Mobley have been positive.

Grade: B

MIAMI — The fact the Lakers made their Thursday night matchup against the Heat competitive, in light of the circumstances they faced entering the night, was a testament to the collective team buy-in that coach JJ Redick got from his group.

And the fact the Lakers came back from a 15-point deficit to beat the Heat 134-126 at Kaseya Center is a reflection of Luka Doncic’s greatness.

On the second night of a back-to-back after Wednesday’s win over the Rockets in Houston, and arriving at their South Florida hotel after 5 a.m. local time with less than 24 hours in between games, Doncic stepped up.

He not only led the Lakers to one of their most impressive wins of the season but he also had one of his best games of the season — which says a lot considering the team success and individual brilliance Doncic has displayed recently. 

Doncic scored a season-high and Lakers career-high 60 points in the victory over the Heat, putting on a shotmaking masterclass that left the fans in Miami chanting “M-V-P” for the 27-year-old Slovenian guard while he was at the free-throw line late in the fourth quarter. 

“It was a superhero performance,” Redick said. “Him really keeping us afloat early was really important. And then all the groups there in the second quarter really did a nice job. He made big shots, he made tough shots. Made a lot of right reads. When he gets it going like that, it’s…some of it is, you just kind of like, ‘let him go.’ And his teammates felt that, they saw that. The shot making was unreal.”

Doncic shot 18 of 30 from the field, including hitting a fadeaway 3-pointer with just over a minute left that put the Lakers up 129-121 and put him at 58 points.

He shot 15 of 19 on free throws, splitting a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left to put him at 60 points, with his teammates celebrating just as loudly as the Lakers fans among the 20,177 in attendance.

“You see everybody celebrating on the bench, shows that we care a lot about each other,” Doncic said. “And that’s what great teams do. Just makes my heart happy seeing them celebrate my 60-point game.”

LeBron James finished with a 19-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, the 124th of his career, as he tied Robert Parish for the most regular-season games played in league history (1,611). 

“He’s a psycho,” Redick said of James. “LeBron just in the same way that Luka willed it for us tonight, LeBron will it for us tonight.” 

What it means

The Lakers are now on their season-best eight-game winning streak, improving to 45-25. 

They’ve won 11 of their last 12 games, helping them not only jump to third in the Western Conference standings, but now having a two-game lead over the No. 4 Timberwolves.

The Rockets and Timberwolves are both three games behind the Lakers.

Turning point 

The moment Doncic, James and Austin Reaves were upgraded to available. 

Their status was in doubt when the Lakers listed them as questionable on the Thursday afternoon injury report. 

But as long as the Lakers have their stars available, they can compete with any team regardless of the circumstances.

MVP: Luka Doncic

Doncic wasn’t just the best player on the floor Thursday night.

He continued to make a case for being worthy of league MVP considerations.

Thursday was not only Doncic’s league-best 13th 40-point game of the season but also his fourth time scoring at least 40 points during the Lakers’ winning streak that started with the March 6 home win over the Pacers.

“He has been elite now for more than six weeks,” Redick said. “He’s been playing great. I think some of it too is just being clear headed. With all that’s happened with our team, he’s just in a really good place and he typically performs at his best when he’s clear headed.

Stat of the game: 9

That was the number of 3-pointers Doncic made against the Heat, moving him ahead of D’Angelo Russell for the most 3s made in a season in franchise history.

Russell made 226 3s in 76 games in 2023-24.

After Thursday, Doncic is at 232 3s through 58 games.

And with Doncic averaging a league-high four 3s per game, and 12 games left in the regular season, it’s fair to say Doncic will create a significant gap between himself and Russell.  

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The Lakers will stay in Florida for a couple more days to play the Magic on Saturday at Kia Center.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Reserve Coby White had 27 points and led the Charlotte Hornets’ 3-point barrage in a 130-111 rout of the Orlando Magic on Thursday night.

White shot 5 of 8 from beyond the arc and was one of four players with three or more 3-pointers, joining Brandon Miller (5 of 10), Kon Knueppel (4 of 9) and LaMelo Ball (3 of 8) as the Hornets finished 21 of 46 overall to win their fourth game in their last five.

Miller had 25 points and eight assists, Knueppel scored 23 points and Ball added 20 for Charlotte, which improved to 36-34. It’s the first time the Hornets have been two games over .500 since late in the 2021-22 season when the franchise had its last winning record at 43-39.

Desmond Bane had 24 points and Paolo Banchero 20 to lead Orlando.

PISTONS 117, WIZARDS 95

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jalen Duren had 24 points and 11 rebounds and Detroit never trailed in a victory over Washington, the Pistons’ first game since All-Star guard Cade Cunningham was ruled out for at least two weeks with a collapsed left lung.

Duren got his 37th double-double in just 25 minutes, two nights after scoring a career-high 36 points for Eastern Conference-leading Detroit in their 130-117 win over Washington.

Paul Reed added 17 points, while Duncan Robinson, Caris LeVert and Kevin Huerter each had 14 for the Pistons.

Detroit outrebounded Washington 55-33 and led 66-26 in points in the paint.

Tristan Vukcevic scored 21 for the Wizards, who lost their season worst-tying 14th consecutive game. With the NBA’s second-worst record at 16-53, Washington is two games from matching a franchise-record slide of 16 losses, most recently in March 2024.

LAKERS 134, HEAT 126

MIAMI (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 60 points, LeBron James had a triple-double on a night where he tied the NBA record for games played, and Los Angeles pushed their season-best winning streak to eight games with a win over Miami.

It tied the second-most points Doncic ever scored in a game, behind a 73-point night against Atlanta in 2024 and matching a 60-point night against New York in 2022. Doncic also broke the record for a Heat opponent, topping the 58-point effort from James Harden for Houston on Feb. 28, 2019.

Doncic — the NBA’s scoring leader — has now scored at least 30 points in eight consecutive games, and reached 50 for the second time in his last five games. James finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, and Austin Reaves scored 18 for the Lakers.

Bam Adebayo had 28 points for Miami, which has dropped two straight. Tyler Herro scored 21 points and Norman Powell had 20 for the Heat, which led by as many as 15 in the early going.

CAVALIERS 115, BULLS 110

CHICAGO (AP) — James Harden scored 36, Evan Mobley added 26 points and 14 rebounds and Cleveland hung on to beat Chicago even though Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell missed the game because of a bruised left eye.

Harden nailed seven 3-pointers. Jaylon Tyson chipped in with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and the Cavaliers hung on after a 29-point lead in the third quarter dwindled to one in the game’s closing minutes.

Chicago’s Tre Jones cut it to 103-102 when he made two free throws with 3:33 remaining. Sam Merrill answered with a 3 for Cleveland.

The Cavaliers were up 110-107 when Jones missed a potential tying 3 and Leonard Miller missed a layup with about a minute left. Harden hit a pull-up jumper to make it a five-point game with 33 seconds left and Cleveland hung on for the win.

PELICANS 105, CLIPPERS 99

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Trey Murphy III scored 27 points and New Orleans extended their home winning streak to seven games with a victory over Los Angeles.

Saddiq Bey had 20 points and Zion Williamson added 15 for the Pelicans, who swept the two-game set against the Clippers after 124-109 win, also at home, on Wednesday night.

Dejounte Murray was held out to rest as part of his comeback from a ruptured Achilles tendon. He had 17 points and a season-high 11 assists Wednesday night in his ninth game since making his season debut last month.

Derrick Jones Jr. scored 22 points, John Collins had 18 and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 16 for the Clippers, who lost their fourth in a row.

SPURS 101, SUNS 100

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama hit a 17-foot, pull-up jumper with a second left and San Antonio wrapped up a playoff spot to end a six-season drought, beating Phoenix.

Wembanyama had 34 points and 12 rebounds. His winning jumper capped a furious final-minute rally to secure the top-six finish in the Western Conference.

De’Aaron Fox added 23 points and Julian Champagnie had 14 in the Spurs’ fourth straight victory.

Collin Gillespie scored 24 points and Devin Booker had 22 for the Suns. They remain seventh in the West.

Fox’s finger-roll layup cut Phoenix’s lead to 100-99 with 26.6 seconds remaining.

Suns coach Jordan Ott was forced to call a timeout when Fox and Dylan Harper trapped Booker between the sideline and halfcourt with 11.7 seconds remaining. San Antonio immediately fouled on the ensuing inbounds, and Rasheer Fleming missed both free throws.

Wembanyama then dribbled the clock down to its final seconds before pulling up to hit the winner on Oso Ighodaro.

JAZZ 128, BUCKS 96

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Ace Bailey made seven 3-pointers and scored 33 points and Utah snapped a four-game skid with a victory over Milwaukee.

Bailey also had nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Cody Williams scored 19 of his 23 points before halftime to give Utah’s offense an early spark. Elijah Harkless added 23 points and 10 assists, while Kyle Filipowski had 16 points and eight rebounds.

Ryan Rollins led Milwaukee with 15 points and five assists. Cam Thomas added 14 points and Ousmane Dieng had 13 for the Bucks.

76ERS 139, KINGS 118

SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) — Rookie VJ Edgecombe scored a career high 38 points with 11 assists, Justin Edwards was 7 of 11 from 3-point range and finished with 32 points, and Philadelphia beat Sacramento.

Quentin Grimes scored 27 points as the 76ers ended a five-game road losing streak and won for the fourth time in their last six games playing without their two biggest stars — Joel Embiid (strained right oblique) and Tyrese Maxey (finger).

Embiid has missed 11 straight games but coach Nick Nurse said he has been making progress.

Edwards shot 11 of 18 from the field overall and went 3 for 3 from the line.

Maxime Raynaud led the Kings with 30 points and Daeqwon Plowden had 20. Dylan Cardwell had 14 rebounds. For the Kings, it was their third loss in their last five games.

BUFFALO, NY — No. 16 Howard was making No. 1 Michigan sweat. Dusty May thought of the author Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote in his 2013 book "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants" that David was not, in fact, an underdog.

After all, David had a slingshot.

“David versus Goliath, according to Malcolm, wasn't necessarily an upset because there's a slingshot involved,” May said. “In the first half Howard had their slingshots out. They were shooting the cover off of it off the bounce, off the catch. I was actually thinking, ‘This is how they usually happen.’”

Up by just 50-46 at halftime and then 50-48 after the first possession of the second half, the Wolverines found themselves in the deeply uncomfortable position of battling not only the hot-shooting Bison, who had made 10 of 16 from 3-point range at the break, but an ignominious place in Men's NCAA Tournament history.

Only two No. 1 seeds had lost to a No. 16, both in recent history: Virginia lost to UMBC in 2018 and Purdue lost to Farleigh Dickinson in 2023.

And earlier on Thursday, No. 1 Duke became the first No. 1 seed to trail by double digits at halftime to a No. 16 seed before righting the ship to beat Siena, 71-65.

Michigan might be able to thank Duke for turning a nailbiter into a humdrum, nothing-to-see-here blowout of a game against an overmatched opponent.

Waiting for their turn to come on Thursday night, Michigan players watched Duke struggle against Siena and took away a valuable lesson: There are no cakewalks in March, and if this can happen to the Blue Devils it can happen to us, too.

“Definitely with Duke, we were just watching the game,” guard Roddy Gayle Jr. said.

“We knew that they came out a little flat, but that's just ... 16-1 game, you kind of look at them like this should be a cakewalk, but that's just really never the case. Every team deserves to be here, and you can't look at any team like that.”

The lesson paid off. The Wolverines wrestled away control from Howard five minutes into the second half, turning a 63-56 game into an 18-point lead just three minutes later and eventually winning 101-80 to advance out of the first round for the seventh time in as many tournament appearances.

“Well, these games are tricky, as we saw earlier with Duke and Siena, and I thought Duke handled that near upset with great maturity,” May said. “When things weren't looking great for them, and this is what I learned and we learned from it today, they didn't try to go one-on-one and play hero ball.

“They made some hustle energy plays, and those are the ones that turned the tide, offensive rebounds, second, third shots, maybe a stop that turns into a transition basket.”

In the end, this was nearly a run-of-the-mill win for a team that breezed through the Big Ten before losing to Purdue in the finals of the conference tournament. Michigan shot 67.3% from the field, handed out assists on 27 of 37 field goals, made 11 of 24 attempts from deep, clamped down on Howard’s outside shooting in the second half — the Bison went 4 of 13 from 3-point range after the break — and outrebounded Howard 37-23.

“I thought in the second half we did a really good job of looking up the floor early, recognizing they have advantages, we have advantages, recognizing our advantages,” said May, “and I think those body shots probably affected their shooting and everything else during that stretch when we were able to separate.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan learned from Duke's brush with March Madness infamy