Category: Basketball

If there was any night for Luka Doncic to not be available for as he served a one-game suspension for an accumulation of technical fouls, and any games the Lakers didn’t need him, Monday was the night.

Because even with Doncic being an MVP candidate and playing his best basketball of the season over the last month, the Lakers didn’t need him to take care of business against the tanking and lowly Wizards.

It was evident in the Lakers’ 120-101 victory on Monday at Crypto.com Arena during a game in which contributions from throughout the roster led the team to its 15th win in the last 17 games despite Doncic not playing.

LeBron James led the Lakers with a 21 point-12 assist-10 rebound triple-double, surpsssing his own record as the oldest player in league history to record a triple-double.

Tasked with more ball-handling duties, Austin Reaves struggled with his shot (4 of 11, 0 of 4 on 3-pointers) but made up for it with his inside the arc scoring and playmaking, finishing with 19 points and nine assists in 27 minutes.

Luke Kennard (19 points), Jaxson Hayes (19 points, seven rebounds and 2 blocked shots), Rui Hachimura (14 points, 6 rebounds) and Deandre Ayton (12 points on 5-of-5 shooting to go with 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots) also scored in double figures.

The Lakers shot 55.7% (44 of 79) against the Wizards, who are tied with the Pacers for the league’s worst record.

What it means

The Lakers improved to 49-26 on the season with Monday’s victory. 

But with the Suns also beating Grizzlies, the Lakers have yet to officially clinch a spot in the playoffs and win the Pacific Division. 

Turning point

There were two.

The first came when Jaxson Hayes dunked in transition at the 9:25 mark of the second quarter, cutting the Lakers’ deficit to 31-29 after a slower start. The play energized the Lakers on a night they lacked energy early, starting an 11-0 run.

The second was when James passed to Bronny James, his son who’s been getting rotation minutes the last few games, with the shot clock winding down late in the third quarter. 

The younger James drove into the paint off the pass from his father, kicking out to Luke Kennard for a corner 3 to put the Lakers up 84-71 after the Wizards cut the Lakers’ 24-point lead earlier in the quarter to 10 multiple times.  

MVP: Jaxson Hayes

It’s rare for a backup center to receive this honor. 

And Hayes’ counting stats weren’t the best among the Lakers. But he injected the Lakers with an energy that they lacked early. 

He shot a perfect 8 of 8 from the field.

The cherry on top: Hayes made his third 3-pointer of the season midway through the fourth. 

Stat of the game: 1,228

That’s how many combined regular-season and playoff wins James has after Monday’s victory, which is tied for the most in league history with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Already the league’s all-time leader in games played, Monday was James’ 1,044th regular-season win, 30 away from Abdul-Jabbar’s record.

But James’ league-record 184 playoff victories helped him tie Abdul-Jabbar’s combined regular season and postseason record.

James would’ve already surpassed Abdul-Jabbar in combined victories if the league counted his three play-in tournament wins and 202 NBA Cup final victory. 

Up next

The Lakers will close out their back-to-back set when they Cavaliers on Tuesday.

The Cavaliers are also playing on the second night of a back-to-back after beating the Jazz in Salt Lake City for their sixth win in their last seven games.

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The Lakers followed the lead of their oldest member, the triple-double producing LeBron James, in dispatching the Wizards 120-101 at Crypto.com Arena on Monday night.

Two days off between games left James looking spry, with lob dunks and dunks on the fast break contributing to his 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. James was eight for 16 from the field in notching his third triple-double of the season and the 125th of his 23-year NBA career, ranking him fifth all time.

At 41 years and 90 days old, James once again became the oldest player in league history to record a triple-double, passing his previous mark (41 years, 79 days).

For James and his teammates, Sunday’s practice had “value” because it allowed them to clean up some things, do some “teaching” and get some “reps” that will pay off with the playoffs approaching.

They put that into action against the Wizards, but the Lakers did so without star guard Luka Doncic, who did not play after being given a one-game suspension by the NBA for his 16th technical foul.

Austin Reaves took over the primarily ballhandling duties with Doncic out, running the show in delivering a near double-double with 19 points and nine assists. Reaves was just four for 11 from the field and he missed all four of his three-point attempts, but he was 11 for 12 from the line.

Backup center Jaxson Hayes was outstanding in scoring 19 points on eight-for-eight shooting, including a three-pointer with six minutes and 41 seconds left.

Luke Kennard had 19 points off the bench, knocking down four of five from three-point range.

Deandre Ayton was a force for the Lakers, his efficient five-for-five shooting leading to 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

Each of them played their part to help the Lakers win for the 12th time in 13 games and limit the effect of Doncic's absence.

Doncic leads the NBA in scoring (33.7 points per game), is fourth in assists (8.2), second three-pointers made (4.0) and first in points scored in the first quarter (12.0).

He’ll return against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.

Although the Lakers won handily, it was against a Wizards team tied for the worst record in the NBA (17-58). Washington has lost 18 of its past 19 games.

Read more:Lakers hope two-day 'reset' will refresh them for final stretch of the season

For the Lakers (49-26), the game was about making strides from a practice they rarely get to have.

“The value is being able to continue to improve,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game. “And again, I said this, we've placed a heavy emphasis on what we're teaching in film and what we're cleaning up in film, because we haven't had court time to do that. So [Sunday], it was some of the game clean-up stuff. All the guys got some reps doing some things that they probably won't do during a real game."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James had 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, Austin Reaves added 19 points and nine assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers rolled to a 120-101 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night.

It was James’ 1,228th career victory, including the playoffs, to tie Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most in NBA history.

With Luka Doncic serving a one-game suspension after getting called for his 16th technical foul of the season against Brooklyn on Friday, an energized James led the Lakers to their 12th win in the past 13 games, attacking the rim from the start including throwing down two emphatic two-handed dunks set up by Reaves in the first quarter.

Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes each had 19 points off the bench, Deandre Ayton chipped in with 12, and the Lakers improved to 7-6 without Doncic in the lineup this season.

Los Angeles would have clinched a playoff berth and the Pacific Division title with the win and a Phoenix loss, but the Suns’ 131-105 victory over Memphis delayed the formality of securing a fourth straight trip to the postseason.

Will Riley led the Wizards with 20 points and Justin Champagnie had 18 as they lost for the 19th time in 20 games.

Washington was actually ahead by one point after the first quarter, but Hayes had the final five in an 11-0 flurry early that gave Los Angeles a lead they would not relinquish again. The Lakers closed the half on a 38-13 run and took a 21-point lead back to the locker room.

James helped quiet the Wizards for good after they cut the deficit to 10 late in the third, finishing with his third triple-double of the season and 125th in the regular season of his 23-year career.

Up next

Wizards: Host Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Lakers: Host Cleveland on Tuesday.

___

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

The Dallas Mavericks kicked off the first game of a back-to-back Monday night, with their first opponent being the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves got the better end of a 124-94 decision.

Let’s get to the grades!

Ryan Nembhard: C+

8 PTS / 3 REB / 5 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK – 20 MIN

Like so many other Mavs not named Daniel Gafford, Nembhard could not find the range, connecting on only 3-for-10 shots overall. He had one of those magical assist nights relative to minutes played and turnovers (zero), but nothing special was happening for him tonight.

Max Christie: C-

3 PTS / 4 REB / 0 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 28 MIN

About the only thing going for Christie Monday night was his rebounding. Getting four boards from the guard spot isn’t too shabby, but it still wasn’t enough to pretty up a 1-for-5 shooting night and not much else.

Cooper Flagg: C

12 PTS / 4 REB / 1 AST / 0 STL / 2 BLK – 31 MIN

Flagg will likely be happy the Mavs are on the first night of a back-to-back, so he can forget this one and move on. Connecting on only 5-for-19 overall, Flagg had a shocking plus/minus of minus-35. It just simply was not his night.

Khris Middleton: C+

9 PTS / 6 REB / 1 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 23 MIN

Middleton struggled with his shot (4-for-10) and had an insane five turnovers. He managed to chip in a bit just about everywhere else, but this wasn’t his best night by any stretch of the imagination.

Daniel Gafford: B+

21 PTS / 8 REB / 2 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 24 MIN

Gafford has been playing well over the last month or so, and tonight was no exception. Despite sitting out the last two games, Gafford looked like he was in peak form and was by far the best player for Dallas Monday night. He picked up a nice handful of fouls (four), and bricked a staggering number of free throws (3-for-8 from the charity stripe) but otherwise played well on 9-for-11 shooting, coming just short of a double-double.

Dwight Powell: B

9 PTS / 8 REB / 2 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 23 MIN

Powell had himself a solid night, tying for the team lead in rebounds. He brought the energy he is well known for at this point in his career and even played solid defense at points. The most noteworthy part of his night is how he got his points. 9-for-10 from the free throw line and zero shot attempts may be an NBA first. If not, it’s certainly a bizarrely anomalous night.

Brandon Williams: B

15 PTS / 6 REB / 7 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 28 MIN

His 4-for-10 shooting may have stood out as sub-par if nearly everyone else on the team wasn’t worse. Despite iffy shooting, Williams hit all six of his free throw attempts and dished a team-high assist total.

Final thoughts

The Mavs hung around for a fair bit of the game, but things really came unglued in the third quarter where a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it span resulted in the Mavs looking at a 24-point deficit by the midway point of the quarter. Things only got worse from there. The three ball and fast breaks really did them in and the thin lineup (missing P.J. Washington and Naji Marshall) didn’t give the Mavs much chance to stem the tide.

I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.

After a sloppy first quarter, the Lakers pulled away for a comfortable win against the Wizards without Luka Dončić on Monday, 120-101.

With Luka serving his one-game suspension after receiving his 16th technical foul, Austin Reaves and LeBron James stepped up, along with the Lakers’ centers. LA also crushed the Wizards in transition, outscoring them 21-6 in fastbreak points.

The game began with the Lakers going on a 6-0 scoring run, led by LeBron James. Tristan Vukcevic was the hot hand for the Wizards with seven points in response. Austin Reaves hadn’t scored yet but had three assists, including a ridiculous tapped alley-oop pass to LeBron for a dunk. 

Reaves lobs it up to James…

TWO HAND KING SLAM 👑 pic.twitter.com/vOa9nFtPQQ

— NBA (@NBA) March 31, 2026

At the 6:28 mark, Washington led by one. 

LeBron slammed yet another dunk off an assist from Reaves for his eighth point. Justin Champagnie logged a quick five points for the Wizards. At the 2:53 mark, LA was up by four. 

Luke Kennard provided a nice spark off the bench with four points. Los Angeles played a lot of unserious basketball in the quarter, though, with zero defense. As a result, at the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by one. 

Admirable job by the Lakers to make one last very compelling argument for Luka's MVP case https://t.co/n9a432nGFV

— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) March 31, 2026

The second period began with Will Riley scoring on a layup for Washington. Jaxson Hayes, who had eight points in this quarter, followed up a missed 3-pointer from Bronny James with a putback dunk.

That jump-started a big 11-0 scoring run to retake the lead. 

Jaxson Hayes has been dominant since entering, with 9 points and 4 rebounds in just 7 minutes, helping the Lakers take a 38-31 lead with 7:09 left in the 2nd Q.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 31, 2026

Out of a timeout, Jamir Watkins stopped some of Washington’s bleeding with a layup. Reaves finally saw the ball go into the basket with a jumper. LeBron then slammed home what felt like the 50th dunk of the half. 

At the 5:30 mark, Los Angeles was up by 10.

Rui Hachimura scored a quick five points. Reaves was now up to nine assists in the half. The Lakers were shooting 59% from the field and led by 21 at halftime. 

The third period began with Champagnie converting on a floater off the glass for the Wizards. On the other end, Ayton responded with a dunk. LA maintained a big lead, but Washington started to chip away at the deficit thanks to a few defensive breakdowns by Los Angeles. 

Washington was chipping away at the deficit, going on a 12-2 scoring run. The Lakers found themselves nursing a 10-point lead with 2:43 left in the quarter. 

Kennard drained two much-needed triples for LA. At the end of the third, Los Angeles was up by 14. 

Luke Kennard's 3rd 3 in 3 attempts tonight has LA up 91-75 with 29.1 seconds to play.

He has 13 points off the pine in 16 minutes.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 31, 2026

The final frame started with a turnover and a few missed shots, until Hayes converted on a three-point play. The Lakers regained a 20-point lead. 

LA’s two bigs were a combined perfect 12-for-12 from the field. Hayes drained a 3-pointer, his third 3-pointer of the season. Kennard then scored six in a row to seal the win with 5:49 left and empty the bench for LA.

Key Player Stats

LeBron finished with a triple-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Reaves ended with 19 points and nine assists. Deandre Ayton scored 12 points with seven rebounds and three blocks. 

Hachimura pitched in with 14 points and six rebounds. Hayes logged 19 points with seven rebounds and two blocks. Kennard had 19 points off the bench. LaRavia did the dirty work with three rebounds, two assists and three steals and one block.

The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday at 7:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

If you were hoping for an upset tonight by the Washington Wizards tonight, you would be disappointed. They lost to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier tonight, 120-101.

Though Washington was able to head out of the first quarter with a 26-25 lead, they allowed the Lakers to outscored them 40-18 in the second quarter, which was more than enough to make the difference in this one.

LeBron James led the Lakers with 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. For the Wizards, Will Riley led with 20 points while Justin Champagnie added 18 more.

The Wizards’ next game is on Wednesday when they head back home to face off against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip off is at 7 p.m. ET. See you then.

In another matchup where the Utah Jazz had to do everything they could to lose, Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs pulled away late to win 122-113.

It’s another example of the Utah Jazz having to manipulate games to make sure they lose. What’s incredible is that this is against Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and a Cavaliers team that’s 4th in the East. What’s interesting about watching this game is that there wasn’t a lot of emotion watching Donovan Mitchell. There have been players in the past that Jazz fans have hated and felt residual emotion about after they left. A good example is Gordon Hayward, who left in a very cowardly fashion. The difference with Donovan Mitchell, and maybe it’s because Mitchell did give the Jazz an opportunity to get assets back for him, isn’t getting a lot of emotion from fans, almost nothing at all. Utah seems to be completely over their Ex… player, and it’s because they’re in a much better situation than before.

The time with Donovan Mitchell, even though it had some really fun moments, was like a toxic relationship. It’s now nearly four years later, and it feels like the Jazz have spent the last four years working on themselves, finding out who they are. The best part? They’re better for it and will be better than they ever were with Mitchell and Gobert. The core the Jazz have now is deeper, more talented, and more well-rounded than they ever had in the previous iteration. Oh, and they’re better coached as well. Keyonte George and Walker Kessler came in the Gobert trade, and you can bet the Jazz wouldn’t take that trade back. In the Cleveland trade, Utah received Lauri Markkanen and have picks to come down the road that’ll be helping the depth as the Jazz compete for the title. In the absence of Mitchell, they were able to draft players they traded for Jaren Jackson Jr., and one of their own picks became Ace Bailey. It’s a core that should be really good next year and for years to come.

Tonight, just like every game with the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell got his points (34), but it was not a victory that felt dominant, it felt like a soft win. It’s not the type of win I’d be excited about if I’m a Cavs fan.

For Utah, there’s a lot to be excited about. It’s a loss that will help lead the Jazz to keep their pick while also showcasing some of their young talent that will contribute to wins next year. Ace Bailey continues to show more and more consistent flashes of solid play. Tonight, he had 19 points on 8/15 shooting from the field and 3/6 from three. He also showed more ability playmaking with 5 assists. More and more, you see him being comfortable handling the ball. Bailey is never going to be Kyrie Irving handling the ball, but he is learning more and more how to handle the ball in situations, so he’s not turning it over or wasting possessions. Cody Williams had another impressive outing with 26 points on 11/22 shooting, with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. He’s also proving to be yet another nice young piece that is developing nicely with the team. Utah also has some pieces in Brice Sensabaugh and Kyle Filipowski, who are putting up consistently good numbers. Filipowski is showing some great late-season signs, and Sensabaugh has found a real groove lately, scoring at a high level in these games. That consistency from Filipowski and Sensabaugh is a fantastic sign and will make them invaluable next year, even if they may be doing more spot minutes.

All in all, it’s a nice night for the Jazz. Maybe the nicest thing was seeing Donovan Mitchell. Not because he was missed, but because he’s not missed, maybe at all. It’s a great feeling to feel free of all the baggage of the past and enter a new chapter that feels like it’s been done the right way.

Jaden Ivey called the Bulls “liars” after the team waived him on Monday for “conduct detrimental to the team” following an Instagram livestream where he criticized the NBA’s support of Pride Month. 

Ivey has hosted several livestreams recently where he has gone on lengthy tangents about religion and has made inflammatory remarks, including calling Catholicism a “false religion.” 

He took to the familiar platform on Monday night to address the Bulls’ decision, along with a winding diatribe about religion and calling out other NBA players. 

“They’re liars, bro. This is lying,” Ivey said during the Instagram Live, which appeared to be taking place while he was boarding a flight. “They’re lying saying my conduct is detrimental to the team. That’s a lie. Ask any one of them coaches in there, ‘Was I a good teammate?’ All I’m preaching about is Jesus Christ and they waived me. They say I’m crazy, right? I’m psycho.” 

He added that he was “doing what was required of my job” by being in the gym and rehabbing when the Bulls decided to waive him. 

Ivey had his season shut down last Thursday while he deals with left knee pain. 

Ivey also questioned why the Bulls didn’t outright say that the organization did not agree with his stance on LGBTQ issues, while continuing to insist that he had been a good teammate.

The former Bulls guard later appeared to question Steph Curry’s Christianity. 

“He don’t know Jesus and I pray he comes to the truth,” Ivey said. “All that stuff isn’t going to matter on Judgement Day. All them rings he got. All them rings LeBron [James] got. All them rings Michael Jordan got.”

Word of Ivey’s release broke on Monday afternoon, hours after the latest livestream, his third in roughly a week. 

Ivey’s behavior had started to raise some concerns among basketball fans. 

Asked about the decision to waive Ivey, Bulls head coach Bill Donovan said that “there’s a certain level of standards and expectations that are here.”

“I mean, we have people from all different walks of life working in the building and players from all different walks of life, right?” he said. “So, the first thing is, everybody comes with their own personal experiences. But one is, we’ve got to all be professional. I think there’s got to be a high level of respect for one another, and we got to help each other and then be accountable to those standards.”

The Dallas Mavericks continued their slide Monday night, getting blown out at home in a 124-94 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game that got out of hand early and never recovered. Dallas showed brief flashes on offense, but Minnesota’s size, ball movement, and physicality quickly took over, controlling the flow throughout. Daniel Gafford stood out with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting, providing efficient scoring inside, while Cooper Flagg finished with 12 points, showing moments as a creator and defender despite an uneven night overall. Minnesota, meanwhile, attacked from all angles, with multiple players scoring efficiently and racking up 33 assists, consistently creating high-quality looks. By the fourth quarter, the game had already been decided, turning into extended garbage time with both teams going deep into their benches.

Dallas actually had a few early stretches where the offense looked functional, with Gafford finishing lobs and putbacks and Cooper Flagg getting out in transition for dunks, including one off a Brandon Williams assist that briefly cut into the deficit. There were also moments where Khris Middleton hit turnaround jumpers, and Klay Thompson knocked down a three off a Flagg assist, giving the appearance of some rhythm. But even in those moments, Minnesota’s response was immediate. Julius Randle hit a step-back three, Rudy Gobert finished inside, and Naz Reid spaced the floor with a three, keeping Dallas from ever building real momentum. The biggest issue was consistency: possessions would stall into missed pull-ups, turnovers, or blocked shots, while Minnesota kept generating high-quality looks through ball movement and interior pressure. By halftime, Dallas was already chasing the game, with the Timberwolves controlling both efficiency and physicality, and the gap reflected it as things started to tilt heavily in Minnesota’s favor.

The second half never really had any juice. Dallas got a couple of quick buckets early, mostly through Daniel Gafford’s finishes at the rim, but it never felt like the start of a real run as Minnesota answered every time down the floor. Julius Randle continued to score efficiently, Anthony Edwards got downhill when he wanted, and Donte DiVincenzo hit timely threes, keeping the lead comfortably in double digits. The Mavericks’ offense stayed inconsistent, with missed jumpers and empty possessions preventing any momentum from building. By the fourth quarter, it had fully shifted into garbage time, with both teams going deep into the bench and the outcome long decided.

-29: Max Christie plus/minus

Max Christie was almost invisible in this one, and it’s becoming a larger trend rather than a one-game issue. He finished with just three points on 1-of-5 shooting in 28 minutes, offering very little scoring punch or playmaking, and ended up a minus-29, which matched how the game felt when he was on the floor. It wasn’t just missed shots, either; possessions stalled, drives went nowhere, and there was no real pressure applied to the defense.

Looking at the bigger picture, this has been a rough stretch. Over his last 15 games, Christie has consistently hovered in that low-impact range inefficient shooting nights, minimal scoring output, and very little playmaking to offset it. There have been a few decent performances mixed in, but far too many games where he’s struggled to even reach double digits or influence the game in a meaningful way. For a guard playing real minutes, that’s a problem.

At some point, it becomes more than just a slump, it’s a real question. Dallas needs reliable guard production, especially next to a developing player like Cooper Flagg, and right now Christie just isn’t providing that. If this play continues into next season, it’s fair to start questioning how he fits into the long-term plan.

14: Missed Cooper Flagg shots

Cooper Flagg’s night was productive in flashes, but the efficiency continues to be the swing skill in his development. He finished with 12 points on 5-of-19 shooting, and when you look closer, a lot of those misses came from the in-between areas, such as pull-ups, floaters, and contested midrange attempts, where he hasn’t quite found consistency yet. That’s the key right now. He has already proven he can impact the game at a high level when he’s getting downhill or creating for others, but when defenses take away the rim and force him into that middle ground, the offense starts to stall.

This isn’t a negative long-term. It is actually the exact kind of growth step you want to see. He’s getting to those spots, he’s comfortable taking those shots, and he’s clearly being asked to operate as a primary option. The next step is to turn those possessions into efficient ones. Whether it’s tightening the handle to create cleaner separation, adding touch on floaters, or becoming more decisive with his pull-up game, that in-between scoring will unlock everything else. Because once he can consistently punish defenses there, it becomes much harder to scheme against him, and nights like this, where the volume is there, but the efficiency isn’t, start to turn into real offensive production.

45: Timberwolves’ three-point percentage

The defensive numbers from this game were not just bad. They were revealing. Dallas allowed Minnesota to shoot 55% from the field and 45% from three, and those shots rarely felt contested. Too many possessions began with a breakdown at the point of attack, forcing help rotations and leading to open kick-outs or second-chance opportunities. It was not just one player getting hot. It was the entire defensive structure failing to hold up.

That is what makes it a bigger concern moving forward. This is not about one matchup or one night. It is about personnel and identity. Right now, Dallas lacks consistent perimeter defense, especially against teams that move the ball well and have multiple creators. When guards are getting downhill too easily or forcing help early in possessions, it puts the entire defense in scramble mode, and that is when shooters start getting clean looks. Minnesota took full advantage of that by moving the ball, finding the extra pass, and generating efficient offense all night.

This is where the offseason becomes critical. Whether it is through the draft or roster changes, Dallas has to prioritize perimeter defense. They need players who can stay in front, fight over screens, and disrupt rhythm. Until that improves, it will not matter how much size or versatility they have behind the play. Nights like this will keep happening, where the opponent gets comfortable early, finds a rhythm, and never really gets pushed out of it.

ATLANTA — The Celtics aren’t looking for moral victories after losses. That’s been their mindset all season, and that was their mindset on Monday night, after they fell to the Atlanta Hawks 112-102.

But, from an onlooker’s perspective, Monday’s loss did come with one fairly significant moral victory: Luka Garza is becoming an important (and impactful) member of the Celtics rotation, and he could be just scratching the surface of what he’s ultimately capable of.

The Celtics faced the Hawks on the second night of a back-to-back, and Neemias Queta got the night off. As such, with Nikola Vucevic missing his 12th straight game with a fractured ring finger, Garza slotted into the starting lineup for the fifth time this season.

And, the 27-year-old — who is currently on a minimum contract with the Celtics — more than capitalized on the increased opportunity.

Garza scored 20 points on 8-9 shooting, including 2 of 3 three-point attempts as well as both of his free throws. He grabbed 9 rebounds, but helped secure several more. The Celtics outscored the Hawks by 6 points in Garza’s 28 minutes on the floor.

Luka Garza is up to 20 points! pic.twitter.com/ekRe66pdn5

— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) March 31, 2026

The game posed the question: What kind of scorer could Garza become, if given the chance?

“I view myself as a scorer — I always have, just since being a kid,” Garza said. “I always felt like I had a knack for it. But I also have the awareness and understanding coming into the NBA — you can find how to do that in spots that make sense, especially when you have a team of guys who score a ball at a super high level, at a superstar level. That’s what the NBA is about — being able to shape and mold your game and fit in different ways. And, I think it goes beyond scoring for me.”

The former Iowa star has scored 15 or more points on 10 occasions this season and is averaging a career-best 7.5 points per game on 57.7% shooting. He’s converted 43.2% of his three-point attempts, the highest mark on the team.

He attributed a lot of his offensive prowess to his tenure in Iowa, where he was named National Player of the Year in 2021.

“I feel like I have an understanding of just good offense,” Garza said. “And I think that’s what helps me with screening or spacing or whatever, just my IQ from, mostly from college, playing for Fran McCaffrey taught me that. So, I just try to use that to my advantage. And when the opportunities come, I feel really confident I can put the ball in the basketball.”

Still, Garza’s season hasn’t come without adversity; twice now, the Celtics big man has fallen out of the rotation. The first stint was a couple-week stretch in December, and the second came after the trade deadline, after the Celtics acquired Vucevic.

But, both times, Garza ultimately got another stab at the rotation, and both times, he was ready.

How’d he do it?

Garza said he’s been able to deal with inconsistent minutes in large part because he knows that Joe Mazzulla has continuously gone back to players who have fallen out of the rotation; Jordan Walsh, who tallied 31 minutes on Monday night, is the latest such example.

“He keeps coming back to you,” Garza said. “And I think that’s a huge thing. Obviously, you go through stretches where you’re not playing or whatever, and that sucks. But to have a coach always gives you back that chance, gives you an opportunity at different points. You don’t know when it’s coming, necessarily, but you know it is coming, so that helps you with the mindset of staying ready, staying locked in.”

Garza said that hasn’t necessarily been the case in all of his previous stops: “But here with Joe, he has the ability and the confidence to go to all of us at any given point, and that breeds confidence for our guys, especially the guys not playing — because you know it’s coming.”

It remains to be seen what kind of role Garza will have in the Celtics’ playoff rotation. But it’s become increasingly clear that if his number is called, he’ll more likely than not be ready.

I was tempted to write “This is a nationally televised game so it’s definitely a loss” and leave it at that.

Most teams don’t have terrific records in nationally televised games. At least one of the teams is usually a contender, or at least was considered one when the season started. Other primetime games are ones where there is public interest, like Kevin Durant’s return to Phoenix, which didn’t happen originally but will in one week.

Counting tonight’s contest, the Houston Rockets play four of their final eight games on national telelvision. That’s scary enough, especially when you factor in that they’re all big games.

The New York Knicks are the best team Houston has left on the schedule by record, though obviously the Minnesota game next week is the more important one. Still, tonight is the start of a back-to-back and unless New York just smokes Houston, it’s likely that Ime Udoka will keep his starters in for their full shifts.

It bears mentioning that New York is one of two teams that have a shot to sweep Houston this season. The Knicks and Sixers both beat Houston in their own buildings and each will make the trip to Toyota Center in the season’s final weeks.

Tip-off

7pm CT

How To Watch

Space City Home Network and NBC/Peacock

Injury Report

Rockets

Steven Adams: OUT

Fred VanVleet: OUT

Knicks

Miles McBride: GTD

Landry Shamet: OUT

The Line (as of this post)

New York -1.5

Check here for updates

Looking ahead because we can

Tomorrow night at home against the Milwaukee Bucks

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Utah Jazz 122-113.

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

Donovan Mitchell

34 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal

One might take this stuff for granted. You shouldn’t. This was Mitchell’s 32nd game of the season, scoring more than 30+ points. The fact that he did it while shooting 10-18 from the floor and without limiting Evan Mobley (who also scored 34 points) is everything you want from your star.

Everything…. except stellar defense. I can’t give him the full A+ because of that. Sorry, Don.

Grade: A

James Harden

13 points, 14 assists, 6 rebounds

Harden has now dished 28 assists across his last two games. That’s impressive. More impressive is how he kept the offense focused on feeding Mobley. The Cavs didn’t have it going from downtown (just 6-32 shooting), but they scored their most points in the paint all season — in large part due to Harden’s playmaking.

Again, lackluster defense is holding back his grade.

Grade: B+

Evan Mobley

34 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 1 steal

This was Mobley’s best game of the season. Aggressive drives and deep seals in the paint led to his highest scoring game since last year. Mobley made himself available early and often, playing with so much authority that Cleveland couldn’t help but play through him. More of this, Ev.

Grade: A+

Sam Merrill

9 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds

Merrill turned Utah’s defense into Swiss cheese with his quick attacks off the catch and well-timed cuts. He’s blossomed into an all-around offensive player, dashing to the basket and even tossing a lob to Mobley in the second half.

That’s important to note, because Sam shot 0-8 from deep tonight but finished 4-6 inside the arc.

Grade: B–

Keon Ellis

13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, block

Ellis makes some great defensive plays. He also makes some bad ones. That’s something that’s become more apparent as he plays more minutes in Cleveland.

For every steal or block, there’s a blown switch or gamble that leads to a breakdown. Some of this should be cleaned up as Ellis becomes more familiar with his team. But some of the dangerous gambles he takes are inherent to his playstyle. He’s a high-risk, high-reward defender.

Ellis turned this into a positive outing by shooting 5-7 inside of two-point range.

Grade: B

Craig Porter Jr.

2 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds

Porter played his first game since March 13. It was a quiet performance, with Porter mostly getting his feet back under him rather than doing anything special.

Grade: C-

Tyrese Proctor

8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist

Proctor was the best guard off the bench tonight. The rookie shot efficiently (3-6 from the floor) and fit in defensively. I’m excited to see him develop and hopefully crack the rotation next season.

Grade: B

Dennis Schroder

3 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal

Schroder shot 1-4 and wasn’t particularly helpful on defense. That said, he didn’t turn it over and dished 3 assists. So it wasn’t all bad.

Grade: C–

Thomas Bryant

2 points, 7 rebounds, 3 turnovers

Bryant gets stretched thin against faster teams. We’ve seen that a few times this season. He finished as a team-worst minus-12 in 18 minutes.

Grade: D

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Utah Jazz behind a monster game from Evan Mobley. Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.

WINNER – Evan Mobley

It’s not every night that Evan Mobley looks like a bully. But tonight, the Utah Jazz had no one who could defend Mobley in the paint.

Mobley commanded multiple bodies to stop him from burrowing his way under the basket for a bucket. That gravity made it easier for the Cavs offense to operate — as Mobley was routinely sucking in the defense and getting the Jazz to scramble.

All of that was made possible by Mobley’s 16 points in the first half. Each basket came in the paint, with Mobley going 8-11 from the field in the opening half. He was a dominant force, attacking in transition and sealing mismatches deep in the restricted area.

Mobley finished with 34 points, 17 rebounds and 3 blocks. It was his first game of 30+ points since March 19, 2025. If this is Mobley peaking, then he picked the right time. They’ll need this version of him in the playoffs.

This is the mentality that’s expected of Mobley. He won’t always be the focal point of an offense that is led by two ball-dominant guards. But when Mobley has a favorable matchup, he has to make it undeniable. Demand the ball and prove why you should have it. That’s what he did in Utah.

LOSER – 3PT Defense

Rinse and repeat.

The Cavs have an obvious weak point. They haven’t successfully contained the perimeter for most of the season. Whether it be due to simple miscommunications or over-helping on the backline, there’s a pattern that can’t be ignored.

Utah is the latest team to light up the Cavaliers from downtown. They connected on more than half of their attempts (15-29) and nearly shot it well enough to win the game.

Too often it seems like the communication on the perimeter is leading to these breakdowns. pic.twitter.com/eOi9hayZaM

— RealCavsFans.com (@realcavsfans) March 31, 2026

I’m more than willing to give credit where it’s due. The Jazz converted some difficult jumpers throughout the night. They did, however, also receive their fair share of quality looks. Again, this Cavs team is detached and far from playing on a string. Breakdowns are internal, with unforced errors resulting in open looks for their opponents.

This is difficult to fix on the fly. It’s one of the limitations they’ve faced since changing the roster in February. This team doesn’t have the continuity or chemistry required to be a flawless defensive team. They have just a few weeks to polish their scheme and get on the same page before the playoffs begin. That’s no small task.

It didn’t help that Cleveland shot just 6-32 from deep in this one. It was their worst three-point shooting game of the season.

But hey, credit to the Cavs for winning a game in which they were outscored by 27 points from deep.

WINNER – A Backcourt Trio

Let’s go down the list and give shout-outs to a trio of guards in the starting lineup. Sam Merrill, Donovan Mitchell, and James Harden showcased their own positives in this one.

Harden wasn’t overly aggressive in searching for his own shot. But he read the room and made a conscious effort to feed Evan Mobley. He repeatedly orchestrated the offense to center on Mobley — ultimately fueling the big man’s big scoring performance. Harden finished with 14 assists for the second game in a row.

Cleveland realized Evan Mobley had the biggest offensive advantage and kept him as a focal point from start to finish

Harden and Mitchell did a great job orchestrating that https://t.co/9jvxnl9dEW

— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) March 31, 2026

Meanwhile, Mitchell poured in a somewhat quiet 34 points. It’s the type of thing we’ve almost come to take for granted, considering how often it happens. This was Mitchell’s 32nd game of 30+ points this season alone. He did it on 10-18 shooting (11-12 from the free throw line).

Finally, Merrill continues to impress me with his on-ball creation. He’s made a genuine leap in terms of attacking the basket. Merrill has had success putting the ball on the floor and bursting around defenders for layups. And, he’s expertly cut his way to the rim for even more scoring opportunities.

Players like Merrill can easily fall into a box. Specialists who never become anything more. But Merrill has proven he can impact the game in multiple ways. That’s made him a starting-caliber player for the Cavs and someone who can surprise you on any given night.

Much to the delight of both organizations, the Cleveland Cavaliers did enough to pull out the 122-113 win over the tanking Utah Jazz to start their brief three-game road trip.

This game was much closer than it should’ve been in the fourth quarter. The Jazz were without six rotation players and came into this game losers of their last five and having dropped nine of their last 10.

Meanwhile, the Cavs rested two key rotation players, Max Strus and Jarrett Allen, in preparation for tomorrow’s game with the Los Angeles Lakers. That, combined with being without Dean Wade (ankle) and Jaylon Tyson (toe), left the Cavs thin on bench reserves. However, that itself doesn’t explain why this game was close late.

Cleveland simply couldn’t put the game away despite having several chances to do so early. They opened the second quarter on a 13-1 run, which allowed them to stretch their lead to 14, but they didn’t keep their foot on the gas, allowing the Jazz back into the game before the break.

This happened once again in the third quarter. The Cavs pushed the lead to 15 midway through the third, but then allowed the Jazz to claw back. They tied things up three-and-a-half minutes into the fourth and even took a brief two-point lead with five minutes left in the contest.

The Cavaliers’ starters were able to reassert control of the game from there. The offense executed well down the stretch thanks to a strong fourth quarter from Evan Mobley.

As was the case all game, the Jazz didn’t have an answer for Mobley inside. He did a good job of attacking in space, beating mismatches, and finishing lobs inside. This included putting the Jazz away with an and-one layup, an alley-oop from Sam Merrill, and an and-one pick-and-roll with James Harden on three-straight possessions, which started with four minutes to play in the fourth quarter. This took it from a three-point advantage to an 11-point one to help seal the game.

Mobley scored 10 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter. On the night, he finished with 17 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and a steal on 15-21 shooting. This led to him leading the team in plus/minus at +21.

Not to be outdone, Donovan Mitchell also supplied 34 points. He did so on 10-18 shooting with five assists and a steal.

Harden once again showed his skill in manipulating the defense. He seemingly created open shots for his teammates every time down the court. This resulted in him racking up 14 assists for the second game in a row. He also had 13 points on 4-9 shooting to go along with six rebounds.

This game shouldn’t have been close based on how well the Cavs’ three best players performed. But, you’d also expect the team to shoot better than 6-32 (18.8%) from three.

Meanwhile, the Jazz were outclassed for most of the game, but their hot shooting kept them alive. They went 15-29 (51.7%) from beyond the arc. Allowing opponents to get hot from beyond the arc continues to be an issue for the Cavs.

The Jazz were led by 26 points from Cody Williams. Kyle Filipowski had 20 points and 10 rebounds on 7-12 shooting.

The Cavaliers will be back in action on Tuesday when they take on Luka Doncic and the Lakers. Tip-off is at 10:30 PM Eastern.

The Dallas Mavericks got blown out at home Monday night, losing 124-94 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Dallas.

Cooper Flagg had a game to forget, as he couldn’t buy a bucket for the entire game. But it wasn’t just him that struggled. Almost every Mavericks was off, besides Brandon Williams.

The Mavericks were soundly outplayed in the first quarter, with the Timberwolves playing with playoff-like intensity. Flagg missed his first four shots, and was heavily bothered by Rudy Gobert’s rim protection.

The Timberwolves three point shooting carried their offensive output, and as usual the Mavericks did not respond in kind.

Flagg was able to get his first bucket on a beautiful cut to the rim, with a great pass from Brandon Williams. He followed it up with a great block on Gobert; although, he wasn’t able to hit the pullup jump-shot over the French big man. The Mavericks offense continued to struggle the rest of the quarter, with the lack of any three point shooters ruining the spacing.

The Timberwolves began to build a cushion in the third quarter, with the Mavericks having zero response to the early Minnesota run. Minnesota’s transition offense was especially crisp, with the Minnesota guards taking advantage of the Mavericks mistakes.

The overall difference in talent felt massive, and with the Timberwolves playing with playoff intensity, the Mavericks had no answer. The fourth quarter was mainly a formality, with the Timberwolves continuing the second half demolition of the Mavericks.

Cooper Flagg’s shot diet has to change

Flagg was pretty horrendous against the Timberwolves, as the pressure and physicality seemed to throw him of his rhythm.

It also didn’t help that he seemed absolutely terrified to shoot from behind-the-arc.

A microcosm of this issue came early in the second quarter, with Flagg settling for a terrible mid range jumper instead of an uncontested three. Obviously it doesn’t really matter for this season, but going forward it has to change, or Flagg’s scoring potential is capped.

It isn’t even the percentage that worries me, but rather the complete lack of confidence he feels in his shot. The Timberwolves perfectly exploited this, as they routinely gave him plenty of room in his isolation or pick-and-roll reps.

Hopefully an offseason of work can help the 19 year-old find his confidence, make-or-miss.

The Mavericks aren’t close… yet

A game like this truly illustrates the massive gap between a real deal contender, and the Dallas Mavericks.

While the Mavericks were without both Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington, it wouldn’t have mattered. The difference in execution, talent and intensity between the two teams was stark.

This game also showed how to build a great team around a slashing superstar wing, with Anthony Edwards not even being needed in this contest.

The Timberwolves three point shooting and point of attack defense are both elite, while the Mavericks have massive holes in both areas.

Hopefully the Mavericks realize this, and seek to actually address this in the offseason.