Category: Basketball

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Paul George scored 23 points, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. each had 21 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-103 on Friday night.

Joel Embiid had 19 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in his return to the lineup to help the 76ers remain sixth in the Eastern Conference with five games to play.

Julius Randle and Bones Hyland each had 21 points for the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards struggled to eight points. Edwards was back in action after sitting out Thursday night in a 113-108 loss at Detroit due to illness. He missed 12 of 15 shots overall, including all seven 3-point tries.

Embiid, who didn’t play Wednesday night in a 153-131 victory at Washington due to illness, scored 13 points in the third period when the 76ers outscored Minnesota 42-24. The 76ers trailed 70-68 with 2:50 remaining in the period before scoring 15 of the final 16 points of the quarter to enter the fourth ahead 83-71. Maxey had six points during the stretch, and Quentin Grimes finished the spurt with back-to-back fast-break layups.

George’s 3-pointer with 6 1/2 minutes to play put Philadelphia ahead by a game-high 17 points. But Minnesota got as close as within six points in the final 1 1/2 minutes before Oubre put it away with consecutive 3-pointers.

HORNETS 129, PACERS 108

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 22 points, Kon Knueppel added 20 and Charlotte beat Indiana for its eighth victory in 10 games.

Miles Bridges scored 19 points and LaMelo Ball had 18 points and nine assists to help the Hornets improve to 42-26. Charlotte was 24 of 49 from 3-point range.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 30 points. The Pacers (18-59) had won two in a row.

The Hornets entered the night in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings — 1 1/2 games behind Philadelphia and Toronto.

They left no doubt about this one.

Behind a flurry of early 3-pointers — including three in the first quarter from reserve Sion James — the Hornets raced to a 31-11 lead. Charlotte shot 14 of 27 from 3-point range in the first half to take a 69-50 lead.

Knueppel, who set the franchise record for 3s in a season Thursday night against Phoenix, finished 3 of 7 from beyond the arc and also showed versatility in his game with a coast-to-coast layup.

HAWKS 141, NETS 107

NEW YORK (AP) — CJ McCollum had 25 points and seven assists and surging Atlanta routed Brooklyn for its fourth straight victory and 18th in 20 games.

Fifth in the Eastern Conference at 45-33, the Hawks remained 1 1/2 games ahead of sixth-place Philadelphia and moved within 3 1/2 games of fourth-place Cleveland. Atlanta and Cleveland will play a home-and-set next week.

McCollum was 8 of 12 from the field, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points, and Jalen Johnson had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Onyeka Okongwu scored 15 points.

Nic Claxton led Brooklyn with 16 points, and Malachi Smith had 15. The Nets lost their second straight to fall to 18-59.

Atlanta scored the first 10 points and led 35-17 with 1:28 left in the first quarter. It was 71-55 at the half, with McCollum scoring 16 points and Johnson 13. McCollum was 4 of 5 from the field in the half, hitting three 3-pointers without a miss.

KNICKS 136, BULLS 96

NEW YORK (AP) — OG Anunoby scored 31 points, Mitchell Robinson had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and New York routed Chicago in a game they led by 47 points.

Anunoby was 9 for 15 from the field, including 7 for 10 from 3-point range, and Robinson made each of his seven shots starting in place of All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, who did not play because of a right elbow impingement.

All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson had 17 points and 10 assists to help the Knicks win their second consecutive game after dropping three in a row.

For New York (50-28), the blowout victory cemented its third consecutive season with at least 50 wins — a feat the club had not accomplished since the 1991-92 to 1993-94 campaigns. The Knicks lost the 1994 NBA Finals to Houston and were able to surpass the 50-win plateau the following season.

Collin Sexton had 19 points for the Bulls. They have lost their last six games and 10 of 12.

CELTICS 133, BUCKS 101

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 26 points, Jayson Tatum added 23, and hot-shooting Boston capitalized on another fast start in a victory over short-handed Milwaukee.

Tatum was an assist shy of his second straight triple-double despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter of a game the Celtics never trailed. He had 11 rebounds and nine assists Friday after collecting 25 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists Wednesday in a 147-129 triumph over the Miami Heat.

In the Miami game, Boston scored 53 points in the opening period — its highest first-quarter point total in franchise history. The Celtics didn’t quite match that Friday, but they made eight of their first nine 3-point attempts and led 43-26 after the opening period.

That represented the most first-quarter points Milwaukee had allowed all season.

Boston remained 2 1/2 games ahead of the New York Knicks in the competition for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Celtics are four games behind the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.

Neemias Queta had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who shot 56.2% overall and 17 of 37 from 3-point range. Derrick White scored 17, Payton Pritchard 16 and Sam Hauser 13.

Taurean Prince scored 18 points to lead Milwaukee. Pete Nance had 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.

ROCKETS 140, JAZZ 106

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 25 points and Houston won its fifth straight game, beating Utah.

Durant shot 8 of 12 from the field and added five assists. It was the 45th time this season he’s scored 20 or more points while shooting 50% or better. That’s second among NBA players behind Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has done it 47 times.

Amen Thompson had 21 points and Alperen Sengun scored 19 for the Rockets (48-29), who clinched a playoff spot Thursday. They are a game behind Denver for fourth place in the Western Conference.

Cody Williams led the Jazz with 27 points and 11 rebounds, but they shot just 5 of 27 from behind the 3-point line.

Utah (21-57) has lost eight consecutive games and 12 of 13.

RAPTORS 128, GRIZZLIES 96

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 25 points, Brandon Ingram had 17 points and seven rebounds and Toronto built a first-half lead, extended it in the third and coasted to a victory over Memphis.

Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, the ninth overall pick last summer, added 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting to help Toronto snap a two-game skid. Murray-Boyles had a career-high 20 points against Sacramento on Wednesday night.

Trying to avoid the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, Toronto remained seventh in the standings, through it has the same record as sixth-place Philadelphia.

GG Jackson led Memphis with 30 points, and Cedric Coward had 15. The Grizzlies lost for the eighth time in nine games. Jackson was 10 of 16 from the field.

A 13-4 run by Toronto to end the first half gave the Raptors a 59-41 lead at the break. The advantage would stretch to 31 near the five-minute mark of the third, and reach 33 in the fourth quarter.

MAGIC 138, MAVERICKS 127

DALLAS (AP) — Wendell Carter Jr. scored 28 points and Orlando beat Dallas, overcoming a 51-point showing from rookie No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and handing the Mavericks their 14th consecutive loss at home.

Desmond Bane had 27 points as the Magic remained a half-game behind eighth-place Charlotte in the Eastern Conference. Orlando is safely in the play-in tournament with an outside shot at the top six and automatic entry into the East playoffs.

Coach Jason Kidd and Maji Marshall were ejected seconds apart early in the fourth quarter for the lottery-bound Mavericks, who are on their longest home losing streak at 25-year-old American Airlines Center. Dallas lost the first 19 games of the 1993-94 season at since-demolished Reunion Arena.

Flagg was caught up in the disagreement that led to Kidd’s ejection, drawing his own technical foul before Kidd went onto the court apparently to protest the same non-call that drew Flagg’s ire.

The 19-year-old responded with 24 points in the fourth quarter to become the youngest in NBA history with a 50-point game.

2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer season standings:

Tyrese Maxey – 22.5
VJ Edgecombe – 12
Joel Embiid – 10.5
Paul George – 8
Justin Edwards – 4
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 4
Quentin Grimes – 3
Jared McCain :’( – 3
Dominick Barlow – 2
Andre Drummond – 2
MarJon Beauchamp – 2
Adem Bona – 1
Cam Payne – 1
Jabari Walker – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1

On a night those near them in the Eastern Conference standings drew easier assignments, the Sixers overcame a low-scoring first half to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 115-103. For a change, it was Philadelphia laying the smackdown in the third quarter, outscoring the Wolves in the period, 42-24. That effort flipped a six-point halftime deficit and proved just enough to hold on for the victory. As a result, the Sixers maintained their spot in sixth place in the East, with Toronto and Charlotte both winning behind them. Things could change when Philadelphia is right back at it on Saturday night against Detroit, but let’s focus for now on Friday night’s Bell Ringer nominees.

Paul George: 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 6 turnovers

For those arguing that the league should shorten the number of games in the regular season, they could point to how much better Paul George looks with 25 fewer contests on the schedule. Coming off his suspension, PG has been a new man, wreaking havoc on both ends of the court with a spring in his step. George almost singlehandedly kept the Sixers hanging around in the first half, scoring 15 points when no teammate had more than five. His stepback jumper off the dribble against Donte DiVincenzo was some vintage And 1 mixtape stuff. Highlighting his great defensive work, George picked Ayo Dosunmu’s pocket with around one minute left in the game to help seal the victory.

Paul George just straight up cooked Donte DiVincenzo: pic.twitter.com/CZzTOVuln9

— Drew Peltzman (@dapeltz13) April 3, 2026

Kelly Oubre Jr.: 21 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 turnovers

For one night, Jhoan Duran was not the best closer in Philadelphia. With the Wolves threatening to make a game of it with two minutes remaining, Oubre took Julius Randle off the dribble from the top of the key and converted an and-one play. Less than a minute later, he sank a huge catch-and-shoot three from the corner to make it a three-possession game again. On the following possession, he sank the nail in the coffin three from the top of the arc. Overall, Oubre was 4-of-6 from behind the arc. It’s such a huge boost on nights when he’s hitting his outside shots given what he brings to the table in all the other aspects of the game.

https://t.co/XtNh38rQMGpic.twitter.com/DhsYW8r9FF

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 4, 2026

Tyrese Maxey: 21 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers

It was a quieter night than most for Tyrese, but he still found a lot of ways to contribute to the victory. Maxey was the catalyst in the third-quarter turnaround, scoring 17 points and five assists in the period. Tyrese attacked from all levels, nailing a three from a couple feet behind the arc, knocking down a mid-range jumper, and getting into the paint for a few buckets. On one, he converted a lefty floater off the dribble that felt like a new tool on his belt. Maxey also made two great blocks to recover from behind on drives from Bones Hyland and Ayo Dosunmu in what was an efficient, two-way performance from the star guard.

getting fancy with it pic.twitter.com/5Nfe85WUos

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 3, 2026

The NBA is investigating the Milwaukee Bucks and their handling of its player participation policy as it relates to their best player.

The league is not only looking into possible policy violations, but also the inconsistent statements regarding the health of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The league has already interviewed Antetokounmpo, members of the Bucks and the team’s doctors, a person with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

The person spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the matter.

Antetokounmpo has not played since March 15, and the team has struggled during the absence of its star player.

The Bucks ruled Antetokounmpo out for the game against the Houston Rockets on April 2 with left knee hyperextension and a bone bruise. They were eliminated from playoff contention in late March, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

The lack of success this season only fueled more speculation about Antetokounmpo’s future with the team. Especially as he insists he wants to play.

Bucks co-owner and governor Wes Edens told ESPN that the team will likely pursue one of two outcomes regarding Antetokounmpo this offseason: either the team will sign the star to another extension, or he will be traded.

Antetokounmpo is eligible for a contract extension on Oct. 1.

Lorenzo Reyes contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA investigating Bucks over Giannis Antetokounmpo health

The Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets played in what was clearly an end-of-season game for two teams going in different directions this offseason. Houston won easily, 140-106. Houston is a talented but imperfect team that was able to out-talent the Jazz, who are playing a rotation of developmental players, rookies, and 10-day contract players. Utah is currently in the 5th spot of the lottery, hoping to potentially catch the Sacramento Kings and move into 4th. The Rockets are in the 5th spot in the Western Conference playoff picture, hoping to jump to 4th.

With both teams at almost exact opposites of the standings spectrum, it’s hard not to feel better about the future of the Jazz compared to the Rockets. Houston cashed their chips to bring on Kevin Durant and started the season hot, but have slowly been on a downward trajectory. Losing Steven Adams was a big loss, and they haven’t been right since a recent group chat story involving Kevin Durant during the All-Star break. The Jazz are having to rest every player and sign a group of 10-day contract players to make sure they keep their pick this season. With Jaren Jackson Jr. waiting to join an already interesting core of Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, Ace Bailey, and Walker Kessler, it’s hard not to think the Jazz could pass up the Rockets as soon as next season. And what if the Jazz win the lottery?

That said, this is a recap of what happened tonight. Utah lost by a lot, but were able to show some real improvement from some of their young core. Cody Williams scored 27 points on 10/16 shooting from the field, he was 7/10 from the free throw line with 11 rebounds. Oh, and he also dished out 4 assists. Quite the line from a player who was getting called a bust after an up-and-down rookie season. Now, it’s clear that Williams is a player who will be a part of the rotation in future seasons. How much is the question?

Ace Bailey continues to show the flashes of a bright future with his combination of shooting and now impressive drives to the rim. Bailey has been the opposite of his scouting report, where he was called a selfish chucker. Instead, he’s a player who looks for the pass, rebounds, and defends hard while also shooting the ball at a higher level than expected. Tonight, Bailey had 22 points with 6 rebounds, and it didn’t look particularly hard for him to get there.

Brice Sensabaugh was solid again tonight with his 20 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds. It’s the 5 assists that are really encouraging. To start the season, Sensabaugh had a style of play that stopped the ball and hurt the flow of the offense. Now, Sensabaugh is looking more and more comfortable playing within the offense and not looking to shoot every time he has the ball. His shooting has also improved, and he’s scoring an impressive amount regardless of the opponent. That scoring is going to make him a valuable player the Jazz can call on in the future when they need scoring off the bench.

Finally, Kyle Filipowski is proving he’s an effective NBA rotation player. His scoring is legit against a wide variety of opponents. Tonight he was solid with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. He’s proving that he can be an effective weapon off the bench as a power forward. Utah will need him next season for depth, even though it may be difficult to find minutes for him. At times, they may use him as a “break-glass-in-case-of-emergency” center if they need a stretch five that can score, but that comes with real problems on defense. That said, Utah has a known commodity in Filipowski, who can score on good efficiency, and his contract makes that really valuable.

Utah now has just four games left and will be watching the standings really closely. There’s a reasonable chance they pass the Kings, but that will take the Kings making silly mistakes. On second thought, maybe that’s a real possibility.

NEW YORK (AP) — CJ McCollum had 25 points and seven assists and the surging Atlanta Hawks routed the Brooklyn Nets 141-107 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory and 18th in 20 games.

Fifth in the Eastern Conference at 45-33, the Hawks remained 1 1/2 games ahead of sixth-place Philadelphia and seventh-place Toronto and moved within 3 1/2 games of fourth-place Cleveland. Atlanta and Cleveland will play a home-and-set next week.

McCollum was 8 of 12 from the field, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points, and Jalen Johnson had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Onyeka Okongwu scored 15 points.

Nic Claxton led Brooklyn with 16 points, and Malachi Smith had 15. The Nets lost their second straight to fall to 18-59.

Atlanta scored the first 10 points and led 35-17 with 1:28 left in the first quarter. It was 71-55 at the half, with McCollum scoring 16 points and Johnson 13. McCollum was 4 of 5 from the field in the half, hitting three 3-pointers without a miss.

Up next

Hawks: Host New York on Monday night.

Nets: Host Washington on Sunday.

The Dallas Mavericks fell again at home on Friday night, losing to the Orlando Magic 138-127. Wendell Carter Jr. led a balanced Magic scoring attack with 28. Cooper Flagg put up 51 points in defeat for Dallas, becoming the first teenager to ever score over 50 in an NBA game.

The opening period in Dallas saw the Magic score early, often, and easily from the field. The team shot 65% from the floor with contributions spread evenly across the board. The Mavericks hung in largely through fantastic three-point shooting; the team hit five of 10 attempts in the opening quarter. Dallas trailed the Magic after 12 minutes, 38-31.

Klay Thompson seemed hellbent on keeping Dallas in this one, hitting his third and fourth threes of the game early in the quarter under extreme duress. The Mavericks eventually picked up Klay’s energy and Cooper Flagg and Naji took control of the game, rallying Dallas back to within three halfway through the period. But after tying the game at 53, Dallas got stuck offensively, committing a variety of turnovers paired with many missed shots. The Magic slowly pushed ahead as the Mavericks could not get out of their own way, ending the half trailing, 71-58.

As has been the pattern in the third quarter, Dallas got ground down to dust. The Magic scored at will on a Dallas defense devoid of principles in the halfcourt. Cooper Flagg at least put on a scoring binge, so that was fun, but the Mavericks entered the fourth down 111-92.

The final frame was chaotic; Jason Kidd was ejected arguing a horrible no call on a Cooper Flagg drive and Naji Marshall earned a technical as well. Despite Dallas being down 25 or more points, Dallas went on a Flagg-led run to close the lead some, forcing an Orlando timeout. This is the same team that allowed a 31-0 run from the Raptors just last month. But, despite Flagg’s performance, Dallas just couldn’t get stops to make a real dent in the lead. Watching Flagg operate was awesome though.

For Cooper Flagg, there is no ceiling

We’ve talked about Cooper all year, his shooting, his defense, his growth as a play maker. He’s a star in the making and if you’re still grinding out these Mavericks games with us, you’re going to be able to say you saw him way back when one day.

COOPER FLAGG THE YOUNGEST PLAYER IN NBA HISTORY WITH 50pts!!!!! pic.twitter.com/gXpKPiub1d

— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) April 4, 2026

Tonight’s offensive performance from Flagg is a rallying call for those Mavs fans in your life who are checked out because the season’s been awful or who haven’t watched a game since the Luka trade. I get it, it’s not been easy. But this is special, very special and I want other people to join us here. We should have a whole post on this scoring performance at some point.

Tonight, the three point shot made the difference, as he hit six of nine attempts. That’s going to be what turns him from a good to great scorer and while it won’t happen over night, it will happen. He’s too good.

COOPER up to 48pts!!! DRILLS his 6th 3!!! pic.twitter.com/ACQaSAaSkm

— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) April 4, 2026

Shout out to Frank Vogel for his timeout usage. He helped get Flagg spots of rest so that he could go for that scoring number.

The Nets suffered a 141-107 beating at the hands of Atlanta before a sellout crowd of 17,548 at Barclays Center.

Brooklyn (18-59) remained tied for second in the lottery race, keeping pace with Indiana. The Nets are ½-game behind first-place Washington, and two clear of Sacramento pending the Kings’ tilt with the visiting Pelicans later on Friday night.

Center Nic Claxton had a team-high 16 points and five rebounds, while Malachi Smith added 15 off the bench.

Guard Trevon Scott, inked on a 10-day contract, had six points in his debut. Noah Clowney was ejected with 5:35 left in the third quarter.

CJ McCollum had a game-high 25 points for the Hawks, who have won 19 of 22.

Brooklyn committed 20 turnovers and got outscored 35-11 on giveaways. 

“Yeah, obviously [they have] high-level perimeter defenders; but poor execution on our end,” hrad coach Jordi Fernández said. “We just were not good enough, starting with the guys that bring the ball up the floor and try to get us into something organized. It was very poor. And you see it right there; the difference is 24 points of turnovers. [That’s] the big difference in a game that you should’ve had a chance to compete.”

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Michael Porter Jr. and rookie Danny Wolf both went from presumably out for the season to officially ruled out by Fernández.

“Yeah, well, obviously you guys know Day’Ron [Sharpe] is out. With Mike and Danny, based on where we are right now — and based on where they’re at with their rehab, and we only have one week left — they’ll be out just from where they are,” Fernández said. “So that’s the update of those two.”

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It’s an update that will shock no one.

Porter hasn’t played since March 10, suffering from a strained left hamstring. He’ll end his season averaging a career-high 24.2 points on 46.3/36.3/85.9 shooting splits.

Wolf, the last of Brooklyn’s record five first-round picks, sprained his ankle March 22 and will end his rookie campaign averaging 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. He raised that to 10.8 points and 5.6 boards in his final 22 games.

“Yeah, they both have been very positive stories for us,” Fernández said. “[Wolf] being a rookie showed he belongs, and he’s been able to do very different things. Danny, from shooting the ball to playmaking to rebounding to being that primary ballhandler, playing off the ball, different lineups, I’m very happy with him.

“Obviously efficiency is important. We believe he’s a very good shooter. His playmaking efficiency has gotten better from college. And then defensively. … He surprised a lot of people. He didn’t surprise us. We felt like he could do all those things and keep bodies in front, keep guys in front of the ball and guard smaller guys. So he’s been very, very good.

“And then Michael in a new situation, being on the same team for seven years on a championship team and now having a different role, a different situation, everything has been also very positive. He’s played at an All-Star level. In my opinion, he should’ve been an All-Star. Now I want him to come back and have a chip on his shoulder, lead the team the way he’s been doing.”

Porter could be traded this summer. He’s also eligible for an extension of up to four years, $243 million, though would certainly command far less. Asked what Porter had shown the organization, Fernández said, “For that you’ve got to ask Sean [Marks, GM]. But me personally, he’s been put in a different role and he’s performed very well. He’s represented himself and the club very well.”

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The Nets signed Trevon Scott to a 10-day contract. … Nic Claxton and Noah Clowney were upgraded to available against the visiting Hawks.

In the midst of the Bucks’ Friday night contest against the Celtics, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the NBA is investigating the team for “their handling of the player participating policy and potential inconsistent statements regarding the health of Giannis Antetokounmpo.” Shams added that the Bucks and Giannis have given conflicting accounts of his health.

“Milwaukee informed the NBA that it doesn’t believe Giannis is ready and actually wants to play; Giannis informed the NBA he wants to play but the team will not medically clear him, sources said.”

Giannis addressed the situation with local reporters before the game and gave some rather revealing statements. Outside of fully endorsing the investigation and his frustrations with not playing, he gave some very candid thoughts on how things have transpired:

“You know who you are dealing with, so for somebody to come and tell me to not play or not to compete, it’s like a slap in my face. So, I don’t know where the relationship goes from there.”

“I don’t know what game is being played right here, I just don’t wanna be a part of it.”

As far as how this has played out behind the scenes, according to Giannis, he had an initial conversation with head coach Doc Rivers and general manager Jon Horst. He let both of them know he wanted to play, but that was the last conversation they had, and no one has approached him since. He also slapped down any notion that he doesn’t want to play again this season, citing his wish to play with his younger brother, Alex Antetokounmpo:

“I’ve heard somebody say that, ‘Oh, he says that he wants to play, but he doesn’t really want to play. First of all, I don’t know who gives you information like that… you’d be an idiot to have an opportunity to play with your brother that you’re eight years older than him.”

“When I played my first NBA game, he was 11 years old. When my dad passed, I pretty much raised him. He’s able to be on the team and suit up and chase an opportunity to be great. And you really think that I don’t want to suit up and play with my brother? Anybody that thinks that is an idiot.”

Before anyone goes into a full-blown panic, worrying that this will push a potential divide between Giannis and the Bucks, he insisted that this latest disagreement does not necessarily mean the two sides are heading toward a divorce:

“We gotta go into couples therapy… sit down, you know, tell their side, I’m going to tell my side and find a solution. Amicably, right? That’s the word. Find a solution together.”

We’ll have to wait and see what the NBA comes up with regarding this investigation, or whether the findings will come in time for Giannis to suit up again this season, but it’s clear whatever is going on has rubbed him the wrong way:

“I’ve been here 13 years and I understand the team gets eliminated from the playoffs, be smart. Taking care of your body, being in and out, just to be careful, to prepare for the next season, prepare for the next generation and the young players to get some minutes, go out there—I get that. But that wasn’t the time that this took place. That’s what bothers me. It’s almost like you waved the white flag and I don’t do that. I am sorry. I don’t. And I never, never will.”

There are a lot of different types of must-win games. Playoff games. Rivalries. Tie-breakers. Ring nights. Banner nights. Revenge games. But then there’s a must-win in the sense that your opponent is 25-51 on the season, actively tanking, and comprised of guys who may not even be in the league next year. 

Tonight was the final type of those must-win scenarios. The Toronto Raptors faced the Memphis Grizzlies, able to do what they needed to to the tune of 128 to 96. 

As the current 7-seed, Toronto would like nothing more than to avoid a play-in scenario. They don’t own the tie-breaker with Philly, which is part of why they’ve fallen, but given the outcome of their regular season games, their desired opponent would likely be Cleveland, meaning Toronto will have to make their way back above both the Sixers and the Hawks again for the 5-seed. 

Memphis has been gutted, with the majority of their starting lineup sidelined for the much of the season. They’ve had 33 different players check in at some point this year, tied (with themselves) for the most in an NBA season. To their credit, they still played with confidence and aggression, making sure the Raptors didn’t just walk away with the win. 

Cedric Coward, GG Jackson, and Javon Small, were their biggest contributors at both ends of the court. Jackson showed his physicality and athleticism to finish with 30 points and 5 rebounds. Small facilitated, ending with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Coward, their rookie, had another solid performance with 15 points. 

For Toronto, bench play was one of the biggest highlights, with Jamal Shead playing solid minutes and finishing with 11 points and 6 rebounds. CMB flirted with a career best but ended with 19 points, and Mamu had solid backup minutes with 10 points and 6 rebounds. The bench will be such a big part of their playoff hopes, and getting everyone in and solid minutes out of many of them was encouraging. 

GET UP ROOK‼️ pic.twitter.com/5Xth2Ek3Tn

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 4, 2026

Of course RJ was undoubtably the best player on the court tonight. Ending with 25-3-4, he held them together when they were floundering in the first half, cashing in long range shots when needed and defending with effort. BI put up a solid 17-7-5 performance with some fantastic shooting. 

RJ 👌

15 PTS | 3-4 3PT pic.twitter.com/rGL4bILFVX

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 4, 2026

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Toronto started the game on an 11-0 run, forcing turnovers, getting out and running, and even sinking long range shots. It looked like it would be all Raptors tonight, memories of the recent 31 point run against Orlando seeming like foreshadowing for what could be an even better performance. 

But then three things happened. 

1. Memphis decided they weren’t going down easy.
2. Toronto started to get really sloppy with the ball.
3. The whistle started to get on Darko’s (and everyone else’s) nerves.

Memphis went on to tie it up and then actually earn their first lead. Falling behind seemed to be the push the Raptors needed to give some effort. RJ, CMB, and Shead led the way on a run that built Toronto a 10-point lead. 

JAMAL ↗️ CMB pic.twitter.com/aRxm6YbpXG

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 4, 2026

Credit where it is due, the Grizzlies were relentless. Trying to get extra possessions, rebounding, and playing aggressive defense. In the fading minutes of the second quarter, Toronto was finally able to draw away and build a comfortable advantage. 

The second half went in Toronto’s favour as well, slowly building a bigger and bigger lead. They settled many of the mistakes they made in the first half, drawing away to the tune of a 30-point advantage. 

Throughout the contest, the bench got plenty of minutes, helping them build some confidence and rhythm going into the post season.

CMB had one of his stronger games, finding his touch around the rim and taking higher difficulty level shots without hesitation. Hi strength around the rim is one of the most fun things to watch: 

JAMAL ↗️ CMB pic.twitter.com/aRxm6YbpXG

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 4, 2026

Which we got to see a decent amount of tonight:

ANOTHER CMB SLAM 💥 pic.twitter.com/u1I32ddtK5

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 4, 2026

– 

Next, Toronto faces the Boston Celtics for an afternoon game, at 3:30pm ET. 

It was a nail-biter, for sure. They needed all 14 available players to do it, but the Knicks (50*-28) managed to escape the Bulls (29-48) tonight. Things got hairy when their 47-point lead was chipped to 36 with four minutes left in the fourth, but the closing crew of Tyler Kolek, Jose Alvarado, Pacome Dadiet, Mohamed Diawara, and Ariel Hukporti managed to slam the lid on this one, 1,360-96.

Indeed, the entire available Knicks roster played tonight, and every man scored at least two points. That seems like a rare feat, no? There’s a no-prize waiting for the statistician who figures out how many times the Knicks have done that.

Karl-Anthony Towns rested a sore elbow tonight, so Mitchell Robinson (17 PTS, 11 RBS, 23 MIN) started at center. The big fella scored four early points as the Knicks zipped off on a 9-1 run, during which the Bulls missed four shots and committed two turnovers. The mismatch was obviously unfair from the jump. The tallest starting Bull was Matas Buzelis (11 PTS) at 6’8”, just tall enough to read Mitch’s chest tattoos.

From there, the Knicks built a huge early lead behind Robinson and Jalen Brunson (17 PTS, 10 AST), back after missing a game with ankle maintenance. Robinson owned the paint with putbacks, dunks, and rebounds, while Brunson kept the ball moving and the offense humming. OG Anunoby (31 PTS, 8 RBS) chipped in on both ends, showing the touch from deep, and the Knicks’ defense fueled the run with steals and easy transition points. Quoth SagaciousNLoquacious, “OGUA WENT NOVA.” Indeed. Anunoby had a monster night and has finally regained his shooting stroke, making 7-of-10 from deep overall and tying his career-best.

OG Anunoby was on fire from deep in tonight's W!

31 PTS
10-15 FGM
7-10 3PM (7 makes ties career high)
8 REB@nyknicks hold onto the East's #3 spot. pic.twitter.com/GoqPirdkCu

— NBA (@NBA) April 4, 2026

The guests couldn’t hit shots early, turned the ball over, and could barely see daylight in the lane. Collin Sexton (19 PTS) hit a couple threes, but his team was a disaster: sloppy possessions, poor shot selection (and poor options, thanks to active defense), and no answer for the Block Ness Monster.

The Knicks outshot the Bulls 56% to 29%, crushed them in the paint (18-2), and forced seven turnovers in the quarter. The lead reached 23 points before the quarter broke on a 38-16 score.

Our heroes shoveled more misery on their guests in the second period as Mikal Bridges (12 PTS) got into the action, and Robinson continued his stomp-Tokyo routine. A mid-quarter stretch made the affair an embarrassment, featuring turnovers by Josh Giddey (6 PTS, 5 AST, 4 TO) and Buzelis that turned into Knicks runouts. Miles McBride (6 PTS, 13 MIN) created steals that became easy points, Anunoby nailed a couple more from deep, and Brunson piled up assists.

2️⃣3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/ePJnG17kOw

— Teg🚨 (@IQfor3) April 4, 2026

For Chicago, Sexton and Tre Jones (13 PTS, 8 AST) provided scattered scoring, but the Bulls couldn’t stop shooting themselves in the sneakers. Guerschon Yabusele, who started the season with the Knicks, has expanded in Chicago, both in role and size. Either that or his uniform was a size too small. If your fly-by-night GLP1 company needs a spokesman, look no further. We mention him here because he made a three-pointer. Yabu finished the night with five points and four rebounds on 2-0f-9 shooting.

The lead reached 41 points, and the Knicks entered halftime with the biggest lead in franchise history, up 78-41. They shot better from the field (59% to 35%) and from deep (43% to 32%), destroyed in the paint (40 to 14), and totally controlled the glass (31-18). They’d committed just two turnovers versus 11 for Chicago, and the Knicks have turned those into a 20-0 edge in points off turnovers. Recording his first half-time double-double, Robinson had 15 points and 10 boards at the break. Anunoby led all scorers with 19, and, for the visitors, Sexton scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from deep.

JALEN BRUNSON NO WAY

His reaction is priceless. 🤣
pic.twitter.com/3Odd7ewKHb

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 4, 2026

The Bulls showed a little life coming out of halftime. Jones and Isaac Okoro (7 PTS) got downhill and scored  early, almost trimming the margin to 30. Buzelis added a couple of finishes, and there was a brief stretch where Chicago forced misses and turned them into points.

Both teams would score 31 in the third quarter. The Knicks were playing with their food. Robinson kept controlling the interior with tip-ins and rebounds, while Brunson scored a bit. For Chicago, Jones and Sexton provided most of the offense, with Buzelis contributing scattered buckets. The Bulls were better than in the first half, but not nearly clean or consistent enough to change the shape of the game. When Anunoby hit a 23’ pullup—just a toenail shy of what could have been a personal-best eighth triple—the home team sat on a 108-72 lead.

Now that three quarters had passed and the differential stood at 36, Coach Mike Brown thought it safe to send in Tyler Kolek with a blend of Jose Alvarado, Jeremy Sochan, Jordan Clarkson, and Mohamed Diawara. About time he did! Under their watch, the lead would reach 47! Sure, they were outscored by 11, but, c’mon, the lead was still 36. After that, Alvarado made sure to score, completing a full house and inspiring the Garden crowd to give our heroes a well-deserved standing ovation. 50 wins for the third straight season! That deserves a clap.

ty 🤝 mo pic.twitter.com/Q6Be3ryWYr

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 4, 2026

Up Next

The Knicks travel to Atlanta for a rumble with the red-hot Hawks. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

* Should be one more, but the NBA Cup pulled a hammy to end its season.

Boston visited the Fiserv Forum on Good Friday to take on the Milwaukee Bucks. This one, was not a close game from the opening tip, as the Boston Celtics had a balanced scoring output from multiple C’s players. Brown, Queta, Tatum, Hauser, White and Pritchard all scored in double figures as the C’s rolled to a big 133-101 win, their 52nd win of the season.

Milwaukee came into the game with a string of injuries across the roster, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent, and Ryan Rollins all ruled out prior to the tip. Boston is basically at full strength heading toward the playoffs with Nikola Vucevic the only Celtics player sidelined with a finger injury.

The Celtics started Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, Jayson Tatum, and Neemias Queta. For the Bucks, they started AJ Green, Kyle Kuzma, Ousmane Dieng, Pete Nance, and Myles Turner.

Boston rattled off 7 quick points to start the game; Queta had 5 early points, and Hauser converted his first three-pointer of the game. An AJ Johnson triple opened the scoring for the home team, Boston up 8-3 after three minutes of action. Tatum hit his first shot of the game with a triple, Derrick White with the assist. Recent HOF nominee Doc Rivers wanted an early timeout called and was ignored; in classic Doc Rivers fashion, he let the crew officials know about it.

Sam Hauser nailed a wide-open corner triple off the JB assist; Boston was also playing stellar D to start the game, with four early blocked shots. Hauser rattled in his 3rd triple of the game off another JB dime; he had 9 points with 7 and a half minutes to go in the first quarter.

Tatum dribbled into the key and fed Queta for the mini hook shot, putting Neemias in double figures with 11 points to start the game. Boston in cruise control with a 26-10 lead. Jaylen Brown drew contact from Sims on a physical drive to the rim; he had a contact lens issue as a result of the contact. The All-NBA first-team candidate is hitting just 1-2 from the line. Brown had a step-back triple for his first field goal of the game.

Joe Mazzulla won a successful challenge on a foul call, as Jericho Sims pushed Queta from behind into the Milwaukee offensive player. Tatum hit a three-pointer on a pull-up off another Derrick White assist, with the Celtics in complete control throughout the first quarter. Tatum returned the favor, assisting on his 5th successful pass of the game, D. White converting the triple. Boston had a 17-point lead after a quarter of play, up 43-26.

Tatum started the second quarter alongside Luka Garza, Payton Pritchard, Baylor Scheierman, and Derrick White. Pritchard hit back-to-back buckets for five quick points to start the second quarter. Payton bounced a lovely dime to Garza for a hook in the lane. Pritchard followed that up with another triple and a lovely step through off the backboard, the feisty guard going for 10 points in just the first 4 minutes of play in the second half.

Milwaukee was shooting the ball pretty well; they were 6-13 from three, keeping the C’s scoring barrage from ballooning out to 20 points. Jaylen Brown drove past a pair of Milwaukee defenders, hitting the team’s 59th point of the game on a reverse layup, Boston up 59-41 with 5 minutes and change to go in the half. Brown hit a mid-range fadeaway over AJ Green; he then hit a three-pointer. He had 13 points and counting.

Tatum had 14 points, 5 boards, and 8 assists in the first half; Boston was a +21 with JT on the court after a half of play. The Celtics held a comfortable 20-point lead at the halftime break, 75-55, highlighted by 28 points in the paint.

It was one-way traffic as Boston raced out to a 10-1 start to the third quarter. Tatum was spearheading the C’s dominance; he had 20 points in just 23 minutes of action. Boston held a 31-point lead at the halfway mark of the third quarter, with Boston up 92-61.

Joe Mazzulla kept his foot on the gas, playing Tatum and Brown extended 3rd quarter minutes likely to rest them going into the fourth quarter. Tatum was on triple-double watch to end the third quarter; he was hunting a final assist to end the third as Pritchard missed a buzzer beater. Boston up 105-76 after three quarters.

Brown and Tatum sat to start the fourth quarter, the pair likely done for the night. Boston had Walsh, Scheierman, Queta, White, and Pritchard on to start the final stanza. Pritchard and Walsh kept the scoreboard ticking for Boston, Bassey replacing Queta to finish things out in Milwaukee. He finished a strong alley-oop pass from a Pritchard lob, his first score of the game.

Ron Harper Jr. replaced Payton Pritchard with 5 minutes to go in the game, Boston still up by 30 points, 125-95. Hugo Gonzalez joined in the action to wrap things up, Milwaukee playing the other two Antetokounmpo brothers as the game winded down.

Boston now travels home to face the Raptors on Easter Sunday in the matinee time slot of 3:30pm.

There’s nothing like facing a couple of also-rans to get a team back on track. 

After a concerning three-game losing streak, the Knicks got the perfect tonic the past two games. They beat up on the Bulls with a 136-96 rout Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

The win clinched the Knicks’ third straight 50-win season — the first time they’ve done that since they had four straight from 1991-95 and the third time they’ve done that in franchise history. 

Amid so much discourse over slow starts, the Knicks dominated from the opening tip. They stormed out to a 20-1 lead and led by 22 after the first quarter. They shot a stellar 58.3 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from 3-point range in that first quarter as the Bulls bricked on the other end. 

By 7:41 left in the second quarter, the lead was up to 28. By halftime, it was up to 37 — their largest halftime lead in franchise history. It looked like the drills in practices where players go up against assistant coaches. Even that might be generous.

The disinterested Bulls were content to jack up low-quality shots, offer minimal resistance on defense and get out of town with another loss as they play out the string of their failed season. 

“Being able to lock in and be ready to go from the jump is key,” Jalen Brunson said. “It starts with our preparation. I think there’s still things we can do better defensively. Obviously, getting out to a lead helped us play comfortably for the rest of the game.” 

Mitchell Robinson, starting in place of the injured Karl-Anthony Towns (right elbow impingement), helped spark the Knicks’ overpowering start with 10 points, five rebounds and two steals in the first quarter.

He finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and two steals. 

A balanced scoring attack, which had too often been missing in recent weeks, was led by OG Anunoby with 31 points — his second straight big-scoring night. He drilled seven threes, which tied a career-high. 

There was much better ball movement and cohesion, rather than different stars taking turns being aggressive in looking for their shot — something that had been a growing problem recently. Brunson was more of a distributor, recording 17 points and 10 assists. Mikal Bridges added 12 points, but missed all five 3-pointers he took. 

Jeremy Sochan surprisingly saw pretty extensive action off the bench — over Mohamed Diawara — in what was likely a tryout to stake a claim for the playoff rotation. He played 17 minutes, his most with the Knicks, and finished with seven points and eight rebounds. 

Coach Mike Brown was able to pull his starters and empty the bench for the entirety of the fourth quarter. That’s when Jose Alvarado notably saw his first action — he did not play the first three quarters. 

Neither the Bulls nor the Grizzlies, whom the Knicks beat handedly on Wednesday, are true bottom-feeders, but both are well under .500 and already eliminated from the playoff and play-in picture.

The Bulls in particular have been miserable for months after a surprisingly promising start to the season — since the start of February, they are 5-23. 

And the Knicks used the two opponents to improve the vibes around the team, at least for a few days. 

“It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, at the end of the day it’s about us,” Brown said. “I thought the guys were really good with that. … I thought we played the right way, playing with a sense of urgency and then on top of that, sharing the basketball offensively and spacing the floor the right way. 

“It was a lot of fun to watch.” 

It comes after three straight losses to playoff teams in the Hornets, Thunder and Rockets. Josh Hart had sounded the alarm, challenging his teammates to play with more of a “sense of desperation” and acknowledging that they were “not going in the right direction.” 

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• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

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But if there’s one thing the Knicks have done recently, it’s handle low-quality opposition. Since the start of March, the Knicks are now 9-0 against teams below .500. That’s compared to just 3-6 against teams above .500 during that stretch. 

And the Knicks will return to quality opposition when they face the surging Hawks along with the Celtics and Raptors their next three games. Atlanta and Toronto are both potential first-round opponents. 

“You always want your team to be playing at the highest of high cylinders,” Brown said. “Do I think we’re there right now? No. Do I have belief in this team? Yes I do. I’ve seen us play really good basketball throughout the course of the year.” 

Friday was much closer to that standard. Now back to the real tests. 

The Milwaukee Bucks got rattled by the Boston Celtics 133-101 tonight, the exact result one would expect from a contender facing a tanking squad. The C’s were led by their two stars, Jayson Tatum (23 points) and Jaylen Brown (26 points), while the Bucks were paced by Taurean Prince, who had 18.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

Boston burst out of the gate with a 7-0 run in the first 90 seconds. Their second bucket came on a highlight fastbreak started by a Jayson Tatum behind-the-back outlet pass, making it clear they felt good about this matchup. From there, the visitors built their first double-digit lead by the 8:45 mark. The Bucks looked outmatched and out of it on both ends. Neemias Queta was dominating early, but Ousmane Dieng did make the big fella look mortal for a second, drilling a stepback three over him from the corner. Some botched zone defense from the Bucks helped the Celtics build a 43-26 advantage at the end of the opening dozen. 

The Bucks started to find a rhythm in the second, with Kyle Kuzma and Taurean Prince providing a spark. However, whenever Milwaukee dealt a blow, Boston hit right back. Jaylen Brown caught fire, pouring in nine points in the quarter. The shaky footing the home team had found fell out beneath them to the tune of turnovers and many defensive lapses. Boston’s gap increased to 75-55 by intermission.

The Celtics kicked off the second half with a 10-1 jaunt before Myles Turner gave Milwaukee a quick breath of air with a three-ball from the top of the key. The breath was indeed quick, though, as the 2024 champs kept pouring it on. Tatum, Brown, and Payton Pritchard were all in a groove, a difficult combination to stop for any team in the association, let alone the undermanned 30-46 Bucks. To make things worse, with five minutes left in the third, Ousmane Dieng went down clutching his ankle and limped his way back to the locker room. He did not return. The score was 105-76 Boston heading into the final frame.

The fourth quarter saw Cormac Ryan check back in after getting some stitches on his lip, and he banged a triple shortly after his return. AJ Green added a few long balls as well. Other than that, this was your typical end to a blowout, with the end-of-bench guys getting some burn for both sides, including Thanasis and Alex Antetokounmpo for the Bucks.

Stat That Stood Out

The Celtics pummeled the Bucks on the interior, winning the paint point differential 56-22.

The Knicks started Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls on a 20-1 run and never looked back in a 136-96 win.

Takeaways

1. No Karl-Anthony Towns (right elbow impingement), no problem. Mitchell Robinson was fresh off missing Wednesday's 130-119 win at the Memphis Grizzlies and delivered with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double in 22 minutes. Robinson made all seven field goals and four free throws, flirting with his season-high 21 points from New York's Dec. 19 game against the Philadelphia 76ers as he took advantage of an opportunity to start at center.
2. Another Knick who returned from inactivity, Jalen Brunson, was aggressive and efficient early while taking a step back from the scoring and facilitating more with 10 assists in 29 minutes. Brunson's 17-point double-double included 6-of-13 shooting, looking strong in his return from right ankle soreness and doing what he should have for New York (50-28) against lowly Chicago (29-47).
3. OG Anunoby continues to trend up. After scoring 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting Wednesday in Memphis, Anunoby dropped a game-high 31 against the Bulls. He did so on 9-of-15 shooting, including a 7-for-10 clip from deep, and made all six of his free throws in 28 minutes. Anunoby's seven made treys are a season-high figure for the wing, who drilled four triples on eight attempts two days ago and is coming alive for the Knicks -- albeit against subpar competition -- down the stretch.
4. Mike Brown dug deep into New York's bench as he played nine Knicks beyond his starting five, including first-quarter minutes for Jeremy Sochan, among others. Landry Shamet and Tyler Kolek led the Knicks off the bench with eight points apiece. Meanwhile, Miles McBride scored six points on a 2-of-4 mark behind the arc with two steals in 12 minutes off the bench as he works his way back from mid-February surgery and this past week's injury scare. McBride missed Wednesday's game but seemed to bounce back nicely Friday.

Who's the MVP?

Robinson, whose opening layup and 10 first-quarter points set the tone with a physical start for the Knicks in the absence of Towns.

Highlights

Mitchell Robinson puts it back! pic.twitter.com/jCok83dkER

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 3, 2026

OG for three! pic.twitter.com/YsoZjhtRaL

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 3, 2026

Mitchell Robinson with 10 points in the first 🔥 pic.twitter.com/sG0IrBHEj9

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 4, 2026

Deuce from downtown 🎯 pic.twitter.com/nXOCF14jsk

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 4, 2026

OG Anunoby hits a three to push the lead to 41 🔥 pic.twitter.com/C87fNraoaW

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 4, 2026

What's next

The Knicks, who have now won 50 games in three consecutive regular seasons, get the weekend off before they embark on their final road game of the regular season with Monday's 7 p.m. tipoff at the Atlanta Hawks.

The Atlanta Hawks have had three seasons in one. They started with Trae Young, Kristaps Porziņģis, and as a team so unanimously picked as a “dark horse” in the East, the label eventually stopped fitting. Then, they were lost, going through a 5-13 stretch and reckoned with trading the face of the franchise. A few weeks later, they did it, went 26-12, and got right to where we expected them to be, just for entirely different reasons.

The Nets? They’ve had one stagnant, numbing, gray campaign. It’s almost at an end, and that’s undoubtedly for the better.

Brooklyn started tonight with Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell, Terance Mann, Noah Clowney, and Nic Claxton. The latter two almost didn’t suit up, tagged with wrist and ankle soreness earlier in the week, but came off the injury report a few hours before the game. Their presence on the floor, however, didn’t offer much of a lift.

Less than a minute into the game, Jordi Fernández was already hoping for a restart. He called a timeout 58 seconds deep after Claxton and Traoré got confused on who needed to cover CJ McCollum in the corner after a simple pick-and-roll set. That only briefly stalled what became a trampling 25-8 run for Atlanta to start the game. Brooklyn also turned it over five times on their first 14 possessions.

“Poor executing on our end,” Fernández said. “Played this team four times. We just were not good enough, starting with the guys that bring the ball up the floor, tried to get us into something organized, it was very poor.”

Once more, the Nets looked to their understudies for a spark, and got it via Malachi Smith. In five minutes spanning the end of the first and start of the second period, the Long Island product went 4-4 from the field and 3-3 from deep to pull Brooklyn to within four early in the second. He could have had even more, had the first period been another half second longer…

Didn't count, but what a play. Josh Minott goes Odell. Malachi Smith puts it in. pic.twitter.com/hLlNpAdK72

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) April 4, 2026

“Our coaches say to find windows, because they are so aggressive, trying to steal the ball, play passing lanes,” Smith said. “Sometimes they can’t see who they’re guarding. So just, you know, kind of as a shooter, finding spots where, like they’re not. You know, little windows that are open for me.”

Of the Long Island call-ups, Smith’s been one of the most productive, and that continued tonight.

“I think just the mentality is leave to it all on the floor,” he said. “I’m someone that has been praying for this opportunity and working for this opportunity for years. So, I’m not going to take any minute for granted. I always tell myself I don’t care if I get one in or 10 minutes, I’m going to be able to go to sleep at night knowing I played as hard as I can, and then whatever happens after that, I can know I can live with the results.”

That jolt helped the Nets hang around, down 10, for much of the second. But even as Traoré got back the occasional steal and Terance Mann hit the occasional a jumper, Brooklyn couldn’t get any closer. The turnovers continued to stack and naturally progressed into fast break offense for Atlanta. The Hawks ran for 20 transition points in the first half and had 23 off turnovers. They led 71-55 at the break, posting .558/.526 splits.

Clowney and Claxton started the second half far better on both sides of the floor. Brooklyn wasn’t as over-zealous throwing two at the ball as we’ve seen before, but seemed allergic to stopping entry passes and the shots that followed in the opening two frames. But in the third, they were on time and on task getting vertical, collectively forcing three straight misses inside to begin the period. They also scored Brooklyn’s first eight points in it.

However, right as things were getting started for Clowney, they were over. With 5:37 left in the third, he got wrapped up with Mouhamed Gueye on a loose ball, who kept him pinned on the ground for a handful of seconds after a jump ball had been called. After the “play,” if you can even call it that, Clowney got up and continued jawing at Gueye and the officials. The latter gave him a second technical and ejected him.

Noah Clowney gets tossed after a second tech. #Netspic.twitter.com/aYXmUWjsXP

— Josh Woolever (@JoshWoolever) April 4, 2026

So, now swiftly turned away from the prospect of getting production from their veterans, the Nets went back to what originally worked. Smith hit another pair of triples soon after that, making it a 10-point game yet again with just under three remaining in the third.

And again, when the Nets were ready to try and make this one a game, they were turned away. A flurry of threes McCollum, Cory Kispert, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker pumped the lead closer to 20 early in the fourth. All game, Brooklyn waited for Atlanta to cool off, but that moment never came. The Hawks shot 20-40 from three for the night, guiding the Nets to another quiet loss despite a near .50/.40 game.

In place of competitive basketball, we had another tryout from Long Island as our entertainment down the stretch.

Tre Scott, who signed a 10-day earlier this week, came in with 7:42 remaining. It was the first NBA appearance by the 29-year-old since the 2021-22 season. He finished with six points and two rebounds on 2-3 shooting in those minutes.

Tre Scott gets his first two points back up at the NBA level.

The 29-year-old last appeared for the Cavaliers in 2021-22. pic.twitter.com/cdgtKn54dt

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) April 4, 2026

Despite sitting in the fourth quarter yet again, Claxton led the Nets with 16 points while shooting 7-10 from the field, grabbing five boards, and dishing two dimes. Smith followed him with 15 points while shooting 5-8 from the field. Traoré grinded his way to a 13/4/2 game. On the bright side, after having three straight games of four or more turnovers, he had just two this evening.

Still, Fernández indicated that the young guard left a little bit out there.

“He has taken advantage of some minutes, but not all of them,” Fernández said. “So, he has to have the mindset of taking advantage of all the minutes in place, especially right now, at this moment, these minutes, they’re very, very viable. Got to continue to coach him…If you remember, up to the All-Star break, he had a pretty impressive stretch of games, and sustaining, it’s not about the points, it was like the energy, how he communicated, everything else that he created. Right now, I haven’t seen it consistently.”

In fairness, the coach has acknowledged before that Traoré is feeling the effects of the “rookie wall.” He hinted at that again tonight. Indeed, perhaps Traoré is just tired. Perhaps we all are.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of games is. The experience, he needs to go through it to be able to come back, work, get stronger, and be able to sustain,” Fernández said. “Mentally, the NBA, it’s very, very, very hard in that regard. You see guys that have done it for many years, so they’re, in that regard, ahead of you, but sometimes with our guys, if I do get frustrated, it’s because I believe they’re very good, and I do believe he’s a high level point guard. We all think, ‘Well, he’s young, he’ll be able to do it.‘ And in my mind, I don’t are about how young he is. I know he can do it right now. So that will always be my fight.”

Five to go.

Final: Atlanta Hawks 141, Brooklyn Nets 107

Milestone Watch

• Malachi Smith’s 15 points tonight against Atlanta are his second-most career points (high is 18 vs. SAC, 3/22) and most career 3-pointers made (previous high was three vs. SAC, 3/22)
• With Smith’s four 3-pointers tonight, he is tied for the most by an undrafted rookie in a game in Nets history (Chris Childs, 03/18/1995 at NY, Billy Thomas, 02/09/2005 vs LAL, and Tyson Etienne, 04/10/2025 vs ATL).

Egor Speaks on VC and Development

It was Egor Dëmin’s turn to speak with the YES crew during tonight’s game. The rookie, ruled out for the rest of the season as he manages plantar fascia in his left foot, spoke with Sarah Kustok and Noah Eagle during the third quarter. He touched on how he’s worked with Vince Carter, his injury recovery, the development of Brooklyn’s team, and more.

More from Egor on Vince and how he, plus other basketball icons, have given him material to learn from this season. #NETSonYESpic.twitter.com/VNsnJAmmH0

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 4, 2026

The full interview can be found on gothamsports.com for those with a subscription.

Injury Update

Pregame, Fernández essentially said Michael Porter Jr. and Danny Wolf will not return this season. MPJ hasn’t played since March 10th having suffered a left hamstring strain. Wolf last played on March 22nd, where he rolled his ankle in a loss vs the Kings. The team diagnosed him with a left ankle sprain.

“Based on where we are right now and based on where they’re at with their rehab, and we only have one week left, they’ll be out just from where they are,” Fernández said.

Remarking on their seasons, Fernández praised Wolf’s versatility and shared that he’s looking forward to how he progresses as a sophomore.

“Danny, from shooting the ball to playmaking to rebounding to being that primary ball-handler, playing off the ball, all those things, different lineups, which I’m very happy with him,” Fernández said. “Obviously efficiency is important. We believe he’s a very good shooter. His playmaking efficiency has gotten better from college. And then defensively, I think you guys brought the point that he surprised a lot of people. He didn’t surprise us. We felt like he could do all those things and keep bodies in front, keep guys in front of the ball and guard smaller guys. So he’s been very, very good.”

Fernández also reached back for one final shot at the voters who snubbed Porter Jr. of an all-star bid this year.

“He’s played at an All-Star level. In my opinion, he should have been an All-Star,” Fernández said. “And now I want him to come back here and have a chip on his shoulder, lead the team the way he’s been doing the same way. That was a new thing for him, to lead by example and be the oldest guy. He went from being the youngest guy, or since I was with him, 19 all the way to 27, and now all of a sudden at 27 he’s a vet. So that was an adjustment. He’s done a great job, whether he used his voice or led by example.”

Next Up

The tank – ing Super Bowl takes place on Sunday afternoon at the Barclays Center. The Nets will host the Washington Wizards at 3:00 p.m. ET. Your guess as to who plays is as good as mine, but household names will surely sit out, as will the guys pictured above. If the Nets lose, they’ll tie the Wiz Kids in first place for lottery standings with four games remaining. Have fun!

• Boxscore: Atlanta Hawks 141, Brooklyn Nets 107 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Atlanta Hawks 141, Brooklyn Nets 107 (Video) – NBA
• Jordi Fernandez PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Malachi Smith PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Hawks beat the Nets 141-107 for their 4th straight win and 18th in 20 games – AP
• Nets suffer blowout loss to Hawks as tank job for lottery pick continues – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nets fall to Hawks as early hole, turnovers and Noah Clowney ejection swing night ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News