Category: Sports News

For much of the night, it felt like the San Antonio Spurs had everything under control. They played fast. They shot confidently. They built a commanding lead against one of the NBA’s most dangerous teams. But against the Denver Nuggets, even a 20-point cushion can disappear in a hurry.

San Antonio watched its lead slowly slip away Thursday night as Denver erupted in the fourth quarter, rallying past the Spurs for a 136-131 victory in a game that turned from promising to painful in the final minutes.

The Spurs came out energized despite missing star center Victor Wembanyama, who was out with ankle soreness. From the opening tip, San Antonio attacked the Nuggets with pace and ball movement, finding open shooters and pushing the tempo in transition.

By the end of the first quarter, the Spurs had seized control with a double-digit lead. The offense kept humming in the second quarter as San Antonio stretched the advantage to 20 points, bringing the home crowd to life and sending the team into halftime with a comfortable cushion. For three quarters, the Spurs looked poised to pull off an impressive win against the defending champions.

But the Nuggets were never going to go quietly.

Led by Nikola Jokić and the shot-making brillance of Jamal Murray, Denver began to chip away at the deficit. Jokić controlled the glass and orchestrated the offense while Murray caught fire from the perimeter, turning routine possessions into momentum-shifting buckets. The pressure finally broke through in the fourth quarter. Denver unleashed a barrage of scoring, pouring in 42 points in the final frame while the Spurs’ offense began to stall. A decisive run erased San Antonio’s remaining lead and flipped the game in Denver’s favor with just minutes left.

Despite the collapse, the Spurs had plenty of bright spots.

Guard Stephon Castle delivered the best performance of his young career, recording a triple-double with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists while orchestrating much of San Antonio’s offense throughout the night. De’Aaron Fox added 27 points and kept the Spurs within striking distance down the stretch, while Harrison Barnes chipped in 20 points with timely scoring in his return from a brief absence.

But against a veteran Denver squad, the Spurs simply ran out of answers late. In the end, what looked like one of San Antonio’s most impressive wins of the season turned into a frustrating reminder of how quickly momentum can swing in the NBA. The Spurs had the game in their hands for most of the night.

The Nuggets just took it away when it mattered most.

Game Notes

• Victor Wembanyama was listed as out before the game with ankle soreness. While some fans may get upset this could dampen his chances at postseason awards, but I much prefer him to be healthy at the start of the NBA playoffs.
• Keldon Johnson had a poor offensive night and could not really afford it with San Antonio missing their franchise player. He shot just 2-for-12 from the floor, scoring 5 points in 21 minutes.
• In games when KJ struggles, I would love to see Mitch opt to play Carter Bryant more. The rookie had 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, but he only played just nine minutes.
• Speaking of Harrison Barnes, it was nice to see him return. He scored 20 points off the bench, further proving that moving him to the second unit was a genius move by the coaching staff.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander etched himself into the history books Thursday night.

After surpassing the 20-point mark during the Thunder’s 104-102 win over the Celtics, Gilgeous-Alexander surpassed Hall of Fame big man Wilt Chamberlain for most consecutive games (127) with at least 20 points scored.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with a team-high 35 points, broke the record with a 3-point shot to start the third quarter after hitting two free throws on the Thunder’s previous possession.

The four-time All-Star’s streak dates back to the beginning of the 2024-25 NBA season, when Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points in a 137-114 win over the Trail Blazers on Nov. 1, 2024.

Chamberlain held the record with 126 straight games since 1963, with the 13-time All-Star holding the next highest streak at 92 that started the following year. Legendary point guard Oscar Robertson went for 79 straight games in 1963-64.

In the modern era, Kevin Durant had 72 straight games hitting the 20-point mark in 2015-16.

Before breaking Chamberlain’s record, Gilgeous-Alexander referred to the four-time MVP as a “mythical creature,” but admitted he did not know much about him.

“Not much besides he was pretty insanely dominant,” Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN. “Based on the stats, did whatever he wanted and was like … honestly, it feels almost like a mythical creature.

“It’s not real.”

Gilgeous-Alexander is having another MVP-caliber season for Oklahoma City, averaging 31.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists while shooting 55 percent from the field through 54 games played this season, helping lead the Thunder to an NBA-best 51-15 record headed into Thursday’s game.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault recently told reporters how Gilgeous-Alexander thrives under pressure, saying that he can always mentally stay in the game.

“He never presses,” Daigneault told reporters, according to ClutchPoints. “He’s just got unbelievable awareness of the circumstance, awareness of the length of the game; I think that’s one of his superpowers. He understands how long the game is. So, he can make the right play, knowing that he’ll get his cracks. If he misses shots early, he knows that there’s more game left.

“He always stays in it mentally. I think that’s part of the reason why he’s consistent as he is.”

The Big 12 has made the decision to change out its controversial court ahead of the men's conference tournament semifinal games.

The conference has decided to switch back to a hardwood court after experimenting with LED glass floors during the early-round action and throughout the women's tournament. The court change is expected to be done overnight.

German company ASB GlassFloor developed the LED floor. But that court was said to be slippery, according to Kansas State player Taj Manning, who also claimed it caused one of his teammates to have a migraine.

More: Big 12 tournament glass LED court 'slippery,' caused migraines, players say

"After consultation with the coaches of our four semifinal teams, I have decided that in order to provide our student-athletes with the greatest level of comfort on a huge stage this weekend, we will transition to a hardwood court for the remainder of the tournament," Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement to CBS Sports and other outlets. "We look forward to a great semifinals and championship game."

Iowa State will take on Arizona in the first of two semifinal games. Houston and Kansas will go head-to-head in the second game for a chance to play for the conference crown.

All four teams were ranked in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. Arizona was the highest-ranked team in the conference at No. 2. Houston is ranked No. 5, Iowa State is No. 7 and Kansas is No. 16.

“The focus now needs to be on four of the best teams in the country and not the court. I look forward to a great semi-finals and championship,” said Yormark in a statement to ESPN.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big 12 court change coming after complaints about LED glass surface

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Big 12 Conference is ditching its slippery new glass floor for a hardwood court for the final two days of the tournament.

“After consultation with the coaches of our four semifinal teams, I have decided that in order to provide our student-athletes with the greatest level of comfort on a huge stage this weekend, we will transition to a hardwood court for the remainder of the tournament," Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement Thursday night. "We look forward to a great semifinals and championship game.”

Numerous players have slipped when trying to plant. On Thursday, Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson strained a muscle slipping in the No. 16 Red Raiders' 75-63 loss to No. 7 Iowa State.

“Obviously, the floor is a bit slippery," Anderson said. “I think I just kind of mis-stepped or did a movement that caused me to slip,”

The Big 12 announced last month that it would play the men’s and women’s tournaments on the ASB GlassFloor-made court that has been used at the NBA All-Star Game and in Europe but never before during an official U.S. competition.

“I personally didn’t have any involvement (in the decision to go to hardwood),” Kansas coach Bill Self after the No. 14 Jayhawks beat TCU 78-73 on Thursday night in the last game played on the glass floor. “If the other coaches are doing it, (they) have juice and they got more than I got. Because I didn’t have any any involvement with that at all.”

Then he added, “I think it’s the right thing to do.”

The glass floor has an aluminum and steel spring-action design that is supposed to mimic the flexibility of hardwood. The LED panels, which display everything from data-driven graphics to advertising, have ceramic coating and little dots etched into the glass that are supposed to create grip that is consistent with traditional surfaces.

The ball seems to bounce like usual, though with a different “thudding” sound. There are a whole lot more squeaks from sneakers than usual. But the biggest difference has been the traction.

___

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It wasn’t always pretty.

And the defense left a lot to be desired.

But in take-care-of-business victory, the Lakers’ 142-130 win over the Bulls on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena will be memorable for one reason: Luka Doncic’s first 50-point game with the Lakers. 

Doncic led the Lakers with 51 points on 17-of-31 shooting on Thursday night, scoring his 50th and 51st points at the free throw line with “M-V-P” being chanted throughout the Lakers’ home arena late in the fourth quarter. 

“It feels very special,” Doncic said.

Thursday was the eighth 50-point game of Doncic’s career, and the first time he scored at least 50 points since scoring a career-high 73 points on Jan. 26, 2024, while playing for the Mavericks.

“I just feel like it’s every game..with him scoring like that,” Deandre Ayton said.

Austin Reaves added 30 points, seven assists and five rebounds during a night the Lakers’ offense was firing on all cylinders. 

The Lakers shot 55.6% from the field, including 47.2% on 3s (17 of 36). 

Ayton recorded a 23 point-10 rebound double-double to continue his strong run of play.

LeBron James had 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and a pair of steals after returning from a three-game absence. 

Rui Hachimura also scored 15 points, with all of the Lakers starters scoring at least 15 points. 

“I like the way we played,” coach JJ Redick said.

What it means

The Lakers moved back up to third in the Western Conference standings with Thursday’s victory. 

They’re on a four-game winning streak, their longest run of consecutive wins since late November when they won a season-high seven games to close out the month. 

They have a 41-25 record. 

Turning point

When Ayton grabbed an offensive rebound at the 1:09 mark in the second quarter that led to the Rui Hachimura free-throw line jumper to tie the game at 62 apiece.

That started a 7-0 run the Lakers closed the first half with, flowing into a 5-0 run to start the third quarter to put the Lakers up 72-62. 

The Lakers led by as many as 22 points in the third. 

The Bulls cut their deficit to single digits multiple times, but the Lakers led for the remainder of the game.

MVP: Luka Doncic

Doncic gets the nod after having his highest scoring game as a Laker.

He also had 10 rebounds and nine assists for a near 50-point triple-double.

“He’s our best player and when he plays like that, we’re tough to guard because of his ability to make shots,” Reaves said of Doncic. “Not just that, but [passing] the ball as well and he picks apart defenses. He needs to continue to do that for us, we expect him to do that. Obviously not score 51 every night. But the type of player he is, he can get hot after seeing one shot go in. And they’ve been going in for him. So we need continue to encourage him to shoot them.”

Stat of the game: 9

That was the number of 3s Doncic made against the Bulls, which tied a career-high that he set on March 31, 2024, while he played for the Mavericks.

After a slow shooting start to the season, Doncic has been scorching from beyond the arc.

He’s shot 39.7% on 3s on 10.5 attempts since Dec. 25, and 43.7% from beyond the arc on 11.3 attempts since the All-Star break.

“He’s been high-volume, high-efficiency for about 2 ½ months now,” Redick said. “It’s so important. It just sets up the rest of his game when he’s making 3s.”

Up next

The Lakers will close out their five-game homestand, which they’re undefeated on so far, against the Nuggets on Saturday. 

They hope to have Marcus Smart back in the lineup for that matchup after he was sidelined on Thursday because of a hip contusion.

He didn’t miss it this time.

Luka Doncic recorded his first 50-point game of the season Thursday, hitting two late free throws as the crowd at Crypto.com Arena showered him with “MVP” chants in the fourth quarter. Doncic checked out with 1:41 remaining to a standing ovation with 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Lakers to a 142-130 win over the Chicago Bulls.

The Lakers (41-25) jumped into third place in the Western Conference with their seventh win in their last eight games, climbing from sixth in just one week behind Doncic’s brilliance. The NBA’s leading scorer has averaged 40.2 points in the last four games, all wins. Doncic had a chance at 50 points in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in October, but missed a late free throw that forced him to settle for 49 points.

Read more:Lakers' Luka Doncic in a custody dispute for his two daughters with his former fiancée in Slovenia

LeBron James returned after missing three games because of elbow and hip contusions he sustained against the Denver Nuggets on March 5. He finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Austin Reaves had 30 points and seven assists, surpassing 5,000 points for his career. Center Deandre Ayton held down a short-handed big man rotation with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lakers were without starting guard Marcus Smart (right hip contusion) and backup centers Jaxson Hayes (back soreness) and Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain). Smart has been playing through the injury for several games, but with a six-game road trip starting next week, “we need it to calm down,” coach JJ Redick said. The coach expected Smart to be available Saturday when the Lakers play the Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers gave up a 12-3 run to end the first quarter and led the struggling Bulls (27-39) by only five at halftime. James helped give them the breathing room going into the locker room as he scored his first points of the game with 54 seconds left in the first half. His three-point play sparked a quick five-point run to end the half, which ended with a dunk from Rui Hachimura.

James came alive in the third quarter, beginning with his dunk off a hit-ahead pass from Doncic. He returned the favor by diving out of bounds for a steal on the next possession and the save led to a three-pointer from Doncic.

Doncic made nine of 14 three-point attempts as the Lakers made 17 of 36 shots from beyond the arc, their best three-point percentage in a game since Feb. 20.

After not taking a single shot in the first quarter, James had 11 points, three rebounds and two assists in the third quarter as the Lakers’ lead grew to 22 points.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Lakers push their win streak to four with a 142-130 win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. They now have sole possession of the 3rd seed in the Western Conference.

The game began with LA scoring seven in a row. Austin Reaves put the first points on the board with a triple. He also picked up a steal and a block. LeBron James was the only starter not to score yet in the quarter. 

Matas Buzelis converted on a layup to give the Bulls their first points of the night. 

Rui Hachimura put up five points. Luka Dončić began to surge, draining two 3-pointers. Buzelis was leading Chicago with seven points.  At the 3:05 mark, the Lakers were up by six.

Luka entered double figures with 12 points. He was also a rebounding machine, grabbing seven. Chicago then went on a 9-0 scoring run to make it a tied game at the end of the first. 

The Lakers took control of this game early, and led by 9 late in the period, but Chicago ended the quarter on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 26.

Dončić had 12 points and 7 boards in the period.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 13, 2026

The second period began just as the first did, with a triple by Reaves. The Bulls responded with five straight points. Deandre Ayton then scored four in a row to put the Lakers up by two early. LeBron James had a slow start for Los Angeles, taking only two shots, both of which he missed. 

Buzelis put Chicago back in the lead with a 3-pointer. 

LA was shooting 41% from the field, while the Bulls were shooting a hot 87%. Ayton, Reaves, and Luka were the first Lakers in double figures with 12, 10, and 17, respectively. 

Deandre Ayton is having another solid game. He has 10 points on 5-7 shooting in his 12 minutes of play.

— Edwin Garcia (@ECreates88) March 13, 2026

Buzelis and Luka had some friendly chatter amongst themselves, leading to Luka pushing his point total to 20. 

At the 4:04 mark, the purple and gold were down by four. Los Angeles went on a 9-2 scoring run to retake the lead. LeBron finally put some points on the board, converting on a three-point play with 54 seconds left in the half.

The Lakers had four of their five starters in double figures entering halftime, leading by six.

Flex on 'em DA! #LakeShowpic.twitter.com/uwYVQxvVRS

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 13, 2026

LeBron started the second half with an emphatic dunk, and it was followed by a Bulls turnover that turned into a 3-pointer from Luka on the other end. Chicago called a quick timeout. Out of the break, Buzelis was fouled and converted on both free throws. 

The Lakers erupted for a 14-2 scoring run that expanded their lead to 18.

Hachimura drained his third triple of the night. He was shooting a red-hot 74% from behind the arc. Luka notched two more 3-pointers, marking seven for the game so far out of 11 attempts. LeBron eventually entered double figures with 11 points. 

Coming into this game, Luka Dončić was shooting 41.3% from 3 after the All-Star break on 11.0 attempts per game, and that's not counting his 7 for 10 tonight.

Before the break, he was at 34.5% from 3.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 13, 2026

At the 4:55 mark, the lead was 21 for Los Angeles. 

Chicago cut the deficit to 14 after they went on a 9-2 run. Josh Giddey was up to 15 points for the Bulls and was four for six from behind the arc. At the end of the third, the Lakers were up by 10, after they had once led by 22.

LeBron started the final frame with a midrange jumper. On the other end, Nick Richards completed a three-point play. Luke Kennard finally got a triple to fall after four attempts. At the 8:45 mark, LA was up by single digits. 

Reaves then scored a quick five in a row to push the lead back to double digits. 

With six minutes left, Los Angeles continued to have a good lead, led by the efforts of Reaves, who was up to nine points in the quarter, and Ayton, who was up to six. Luka swished two 3-pointers in a row. 

With 3:19 left, the Bulls were down by 17. 

Chicago tried a small comeback, but failed after Luka converted on two free throws for his 50th and 51st points.

Key Player Stats

Luka finished with 51 points,10 rebounds, nine assists and three steals. Reaves ended with 30 points, five rebounds and seven assists. LeBron scored 18 points with seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. 

Ayton had another dominant game, scoring 23 points with 10 rebounds. Hachimura notched 15 points in 40 minutes. 

The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at 5:30 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

The Dallas Mavericks continued their season-long road trip, taking on the Pelicans win on Wednesday night. With the Grizzlies entering Thursday’s action with two more wins than Dallas and one more win than New Orleans, these games carry importance relative to how things may shake out in respect of draft odds, following Dallas’ 120-112 victory.

Let’s get to the grades!

Naji Marshall: C-

5 PTS / 6 REB / 3 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 23 MIN

It can be puzzling to see Marshall struggle when he so often hits 50-plus percent from the floor. This was not that game. He was 2-for-7 and had a mind-blowing six turnovers. Maybe his worst game of the season.

Max Christie: C-

13 PTS / 0 REB / 0 AST / 2 STL / 1 BLK – 25 MIN

Christie was 5-for-12 from the floor, including another corner three-pointer that hit the side of the backboard. Overall, there were aspects that were better, but his five turnovers would be utterly shocking had he not been outdone by Marshall.

Cooper Flagg: C+

13 PTS / 5 REB / 7 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 33 MIN

Flagg is either hitting the rookie wall (it doesn’t really seem like it) or still nursing his injured foot. He’s struggling with his shot (6-for-16) and picked up three fouls before you could say his name. Nonetheless, he did what he has done even in his less than ideal games – contributed in almost every aspect of the game.

P.J. Washington: B+

12 PTS / 10 REB / 1 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 28 MIN

A double-double with a sprinkle of defense was nice to see from Washington, who has been struggling recently. It wasn’t his most efficient shooting night (5-for-12; 0-for-3 from downtown) but it was a solid well-rounded game compared to most of his games lately.

Daniel Gafford: A

22 PTS / 14 REB / 1 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 27 MIN

After a long season, it appears Gafford is back to being the player Mavs’ fans enjoyed watching when the team was competing for a championship. He was 9-for-12 and basically went beast-mode all night, doing his double-double damage in less than 30 minutes of action.

Brandon Williams: B+

10 PTS / 8 REB / 6 AST / 2 STL / 2 BLK – 28 MIN

Williams hit 4-for-8 from the floor despite going 0-for-3 from deep. He had three fouls and two turnovers, but played very good defense as shown in his stocks and rebounds. Solid game breaking down the defense and doing some damage.

Khris Middleton: A+

35 PTS / 3 REB / 0 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 25 MIN

Middleton single-handedly took over the game after the Grizzlies rallied back to tie things up. He had the highest-scoring quarter (in the final frame) of any Maverick this season, which was also the highest scoring quarter of his career. This was also his first 30-point game in nearly three years. He was a scorching hot 10-for-17 with an even more impressive 8-for-10 from deep. He had zero turnovers and zero fouls, hit all seven of his free throws and even had two steals. Oh, he did all of that in 25 minutes of play. This was just plain epic.

Final Thoughts

For the first time in a long, long while, the Mavs whooped an opponent for most of the game, ultimately getting the win. Granted that opponent is not especially good and was only able to roll out eight players, but the Mavs were starved for a win and finally got one. Although it hurts them in terms of the tank-a-thon, the road ahead remains rough and breaking the skid has to be good for morale as the season winds down.

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