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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What it means

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

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

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

Turning point 

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

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

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

MVP: Luka Doncic

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

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

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

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

Stat of the game: 9

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

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

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

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

Up next

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

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

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

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

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

PISTONS 117, WIZARDS 95

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

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

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

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

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

LAKERS 134, HEAT 126

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

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

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

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

CAVALIERS 115, BULLS 110

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

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

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

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

PELICANS 105, CLIPPERS 99

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

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

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

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

SPURS 101, SUNS 100

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JAZZ 128, BUCKS 96

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

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

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

76ERS 139, KINGS 118

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

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

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

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

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

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

After all, David had a slingshot.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Nets will be without their best player for the foreseeable future.

Michael Porter Jr. is set to miss at least two weeks with a strained left hamstring, which could leave Brooklyn without their top scorer for the remainder of the season.

Porter, 27, underwent an MRI exam on Wednesday that revealed the injury, and he will be reevaluated in two to three weeks, the team announced Thursday.

Before developing the hamstring injury, Porter had already been sidelined for three games because of a sprained right ankle.

Since arriving in Brooklyn after being traded by the Nuggets ahead of this season, Porter has had a career year, averaging 24.2 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from beyond the arc across 52 games.

With a 17-52 record, fourth-worst in the league, the Nets are seemingly in no rush to bring back Porter as they are vying for a top pick in this year’s NBA draft.

The Nets hold a 14-38 record this season when Porter is on the floor compared to a 3-14 record when he is on the sidelines.

Porter’s injury comes after rookie Egor Dёmin’s season was cut short because of plantar fasciitis, and it was announced Wednesday that the former lottery pick had a successful surgery.

“Everything went well, and now it’s just the process of rehab and getting back on the court as soon as the season ends, as we planned,” Dëmin, 20, told reporters on Wednesday.

“Hopefully everything’s going to go in the right direction and I’ll be able to get back to work as soon as I can.”

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Trey Murphy III scored 27 points and the New Orleans Pelicans extended their home winning streak to seven games with a 105-99 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.

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

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

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

Kawhi Leonard sat out a night after scoring 25 points and grabbing eight rebounds in his return from a one-game absence because of a sprained left ankle.

The Pelicans trailed 94-91 with 5:53 after Collins' floater, but Williamson made a layup and Murphy hit a 3-pointer to put New Orleans up for good as it closed with a 14-5 run.

Up next

Clippers: Play at Dallas on Saturday night.

Pelicans: Host Cleveland on Saturday night.

—

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

The Cleveland Cavaliers did what they were supposed to do for three quarters. They dominated a shorthanded and tanking Chicago Bulls team by getting out to a 29-point lead midway through the third quarter. But their lack of focus got the best of them once again.

The Cavaliers allowed the Bulls to make this a one-point game late in the fourth quarter, before finally putting things away and securing the 115-110 victory.

The Bulls opened the evening with a quick 11-2 run to open the game — fueled by a made three and four assists from Josh Giddey. This led Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson to take a quick timeout three minutes into the action because of the poor defensive effort.

The Cavaliers came out of that timeout on a 24-6 run, which included a seven-point possession from James Harden.

Harden’s scoring carried the Cavs through the first quarter. He poured in 16 points on 4-9 shooting with three assists in the opening frame to give Cleveland a 10-point advantage after one.

The Cavaliers proceeded to seemingly put the game away in the second quarter.

They went on a 19-0 run from the end of the first to the beginning of the second that stretched their lead to 23.

The Bulls’ inability to take care of the ball helped facilitate this run. They coughed it up eight times in the second quarter alone, leading to 11 points off turnovers.

The Bulls closed the second quarter on a run to make it just a 16-point deficit at the break. The Cavs responded quickly in the third quarter, pushing their lead to 29.

The game should’ve been over at this point, but it wasn’t.

The Cavs went into the fourth quarter holding onto a 20-point lead. Things went haywire from there.

Cleveland couldn’t make stops and couldn’t get anything going offensively. This allowed the Bulls to make it a one-point game with three and a half minutes to play.

The Cavs’ offense finally responded. Sam Merrill hit a three on the next possession to make it a four-point game. The two teams traded baskets until Harden iced the game with a midrange jumper with 33 seconds left to seemingly secure the victory, but it wasn’t that easy.

The Cavs had a chance to end the game at the line, but Harden missed one of two free throws, then Evan Mobley missed both of his. Fortunately for Cleveland, Dennis Schroder finally hit two free-throws which allowed the Cavs to actually put the game away.

For the second game in a row, Harden looked his vintage self. He was hitting step-back threes, getting whatever he wanted off-the-dribble, and setting up his teammates for easy baskets. This led to him registering 36 points on 10-23 shooting, which included going 7-13 from beyond the arc. Harden also added nine assists, seven rebounds, and two steals.

At the same time, this wasn’t a perfect game from Harden. He turned it over far too much as he accumulated five giveaways while also committing five fouls.

Evan Mobley put together another impressive game. The two-man actions between him and Harden have continued to improve, as the Cavs were once again able to run good offense out of those pick-and-rolls. This led to him putting up 26 points on 12-19 shooting with 14 rebounds. However, the free-throw shooting remains a serious issue as he went 2-6 from the line again. This becomes more worrisome the further he advances in this slump.

Jaylon Tyson put up 18 points on 8-14 shooting with 11 rebounds. It was a good game, but several defensive lapses kept him from being in the closing lineup.

Max Strus was in the closing lineup, even though he failed to register a point, going 0-5 from three. Merrill provided 13 points on 3-8 shooting. Keon Ellis finished with eight points, three steals, a block, and four turnovers.

The Bulls were led by 20 points from Tre Jones. Giddey supplied nine points and 19 assists in the loss.

The Cavs were without two starters in Donovan Mitchell (eye contusion) and Jarrett Allen (knee). We don’t know the severity of Mitchell’s injury at this time, but the Cavs have already ruled Allen out of Saturday’s game.

It’s difficult to feel good about this performance. It seemed like the Cavs had learned their lesson from the previous two games against bad opponents. They approached the game with the seriousness they needed to and controlled the game on both ends of the floor. Or at least, they did for three quarters.

The fourth quarter showed everything that has made this team frustrating over the past few weeks. The attention to detail wasn’t there, as neither the offensive nor the defensive execution was crisp. They would’ve lost this game if they were playing against a competent opponent.

Process is more important than results at this point in the season. While there were plenty of good things to take from the first three quarters, any positives are outweighed by how poorly things ended.

The Cavaliers will finish up their three-game road trip on Saturday when they take on the New Orleans Pelicans. Tip-off is at 7 PM.

The Cleveland Cavaliers closed out a win over the Chicago Bulls. Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.

WINNER – James Harden and Evan Mobley

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think this Cavalier team was built entirely around Harden and Mobley. The two flashed an inherent chemistry tonight, shredding Chicago’s defense and making this a carefree win for Cleveland.

Harden’s one of the best pick-and-roll creators of all time. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he’s managed to develop a relationship with Mobley, whose downhill finishing makes him the ideal partner for a playmaker like Harden.

These two combined for 62 points tonight. Harden had the Bulls in a constant state of disarray, drilling three-pointers and punishing them with his passing. Mobley filled in brilliantly, claiming open space and making himself available as an outlet whenever the Bulls sent two defenders at Harden.

The blooming two-man game between Harden and Mobley is something to keep an eye on for the rest of the season. The more they can get out of each other, the better.

WINNER – Defense

Anyone who has watched a Cavs game this month can tell you that defense has been a concern. They were already torched by Milwaukee and Dallas this week. I couldn’t blame you if you worried that Chicago might deliver the same results.

The Cavs made sure that wouldn’t happen tonight. Well, for most of the night, at least.

We can talk all day about three-point variance and expected opponent shooting. But you know what tilts luck to your side? Playing good defense. Cleveland finally took control of their own fate by defending the perimeter and limiting Chicago from downtown.

This was one of the better defensive performances we’ve seen from the Cavs in March. They held the Bulls under 30 points in each of the first three quarters. And then… the fourth quarter happened.

LOSER – Whatever Happened in the 4th Quarter

Ending a game in the third quarter is harder than it looks. No matter the lead, modern NBA teams can cut into large deficits quickly. You can’t take your eyes off the prize. Not unless you want to risk blowing it all in the final 12 minutes.

I can only describe the fourth quarter as taking your foot off the gas. The Cavs got sloppy on offense. Stagnation led to poor shot attempts and turnovers. They were equally as disjointed on defense. Chicago jumped all over it and turned the United Center into an absolute frenzy. The Bulls outscored the Cavs 33-8 to pull within one point.

After leading by 20+ points for most of the game, Cleveland suddenly found itself in a dog fight with under four minutes to play. It turns out you can’t fall asleep at the wheel and expect your opponent to accept defeat.

The Cavs did just enough to stay in front. But let’s not do that again, okay?

WINNER – Jaylon Tyson

The last few box scores for Tyson haven’t looked pretty. He’s taken a hit in production as his role has been downgraded on a night-to-night basis. Tyson is either playing away from the ball or hardly seeing the floor at all nowadays. Take the previous game in Milwaukee, for example, where Tyson only played 13 minutes.

Tonight was different. Tyson naturally had a larger opportunity as Donovan Mitchell was ruled out with an eye contusion. Tyson slotted back into the starting lineup and took full advantage. He was impactful from the jump.

It was everything we’ve come to expect from Tyson. Energizing efforts on the glass. Battling for loose balls. Expertly timed cuts and efficient shooting. The type of stuff that makes you a premier role player at the NBA level. He finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Tyson still has work to do. He’s not a consistent defender, and he hasn’t fully solved how to play with both Mitchell and Harden at the same time. But he continues to show us that a pulse is still there — and this was his best game in more than two weeks.

It was looking like this just wasn’t going to be the Spurs’ night. With a chance to clinch a playoff berth against a possible first round opponent, the Spurs came out flat offensively against the severely-shorthanded Phoenix Suns, and for 43 minutes, it was looking like a lost cause. Then, Victor Wembanyama did what MVP’s do. He had been their steadying force all night but truly took over in the final few minutes, bringing his team back from 10 down with under five minutes to go and hitting the game winning jumper with a second left to secure the 101-100 win.

Wemby had 34 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals, and De’Aaron Fox scored 23 points with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Colin Gillespie was hot in the first half with 17 of his 24 points while hitting 6 threes, and Devin Booker had 22 points and gave the Spurs plenty of trouble in the second half.

Observations

• With the Thunder playing their best ball since their 24-1 start and the gap between the Spurs and third-seeded Lakers likely too large to fill, the Spurs appear pretty much locked into place in the standings, and as a result, “rest mode” seems to be upon us. Every game may feature a new player nursing something, and this time it was Stephon Castle with a “sore hip”. His perimeter defense was definitely missed.
• I tried a little double-watching by having Texas A&M vs. St. Mary’s (Patty Mills’ alma mater) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on my phone while the Spurs were on the TV. The first quarter of the Spurs aligned with the final 6 minutes of the first half for A&M, and I quickly gave up. It was obnoxious because the Spurs and Aggies were shooting on opposite ends of the court, and the color coordination was flipped, with the Spurs in gray and the Aggies in their road maroons, so my brain kept having to adjust. I don’t know how people can do this whole split-screen stuff and have something like four football games on at once. (In case you’re wondering, the Aggies won too! Good basketball night for me.)
• It only took seven field goals for all five starters to score, but that early bit of parody was the only good part about the first half. The Suns went on a 9-2 run after the Spurs bench came in, while the Spurs committed the cardinal sin of letting Gillespie get hot from three. They also missed several bunnies at the rim despite Phoenix lacking shot blockers. The Suns would lead by as much as 11, and Wemby going into superstar mode with 16 points is the only thing that kept it from getting any worse.
• Booker was successful in baiting the refs into a few calls by leaning into the defense, which is not supposed to be a foul but something the refs seem to struggle not calling. Mitch Johnson finally had enough in the third quarter and challenged a call when he leaned into Dylan Harper and got a foul called by grazing his shoulder as he moved out of the way, and it was successful. On the ensuing possession, Wemby hit two free throws to briefly give the Spurs their first lead since the first quarter — before Booker continued his quest to the line by creating contact. He scored the Suns final 11 points of the third quarter while hitting 5-6 free throws.
• It started seeming like the Spurs just couldn’t go on any kind of run in the fourth quarter to take over the game. Threes were not falling all night, they continued to miss badly around the rim, and they couldn’t get out of their own way with offensive fouls and turnovers. They also couldn’t get stops whenever Wemby sat, who was a true case of box score plus/minus don’t lie with +18. He once again helped them go on the game-winning run with big plays on both ends. The Spurs were within a point with 11 seconds left when they fouled Rasheer Flemming, who missed both free throws, and after a timeout, Wemby held the ball to bring down the clock before hitting an iso midrange jumper for the win. It was an MVP-defining win (not that I expect him to win it).
• Jordan McLaughlin was the unsung hero of the night. He got some run with Castle out and Harper having an off night on offense, and while he didn’t score or attempt a shot, he had 5 assists, a steal and block and was a steadying presence on the court. He’s always ready when called upon, which makes him the ultimate teammate and bench vet.
• With the win, the Spurs have clinched their first playoff berth since 2019. The six-year drought was probably longer than anyone anticipated, and it doubled the total number of seasons they had missed the playoffs in franchise history, but they’re back. (Fun fact, I had typed this final bullet point before the game even started, then decided it was a jinx and deleted it right before the Spurs went on their big run to close the game. I remain the master of reverse jinxes.)

This is 41.

On the same night he tied Robert Parish for the NBA record in regular-season games played, ageless wonder LeBron James had a 19-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in Thursday’s 134-126 win over the Miami Heat. The 41-year-old playing in his 1,611th game helped the Lakers (45-25) win their season-best eighth consecutive game while star guard Luka Doncic poured in a season-best 60 points, including 20 points in the final quarter.

James became the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, besting the mark he set last month. 

“He’s a psycho,” coach JJ Redick said with affection, awe and respect. 

Read more:Luka Doncic (40 points) and LeBron James (30) lead Lakers to win over Rockets

James, Doncic and guard Austin Reaves were all questionable to play in their second game in as many nights. Doncic was dealing with right hip soreness and Reaves was battling a right forearm contusion after Wednesday’s physical win over Houston. James, who took a hard spill in the fourth quarter and banged his right elbow, was officially nursing left foot arthritis. Earlier this season, James characterized his ailments as being simply “old.”

But before Redick could even check on the status of his stars Thursday afternoon, he learned they already decided on their availability. The players huddled in the locker room after Wednesday’s game before the coaches entered and decided they would all play against Miami (38-32).

“When he said he was playing, I was like, I can't let a 41-year-old play and I not play,” said Reaves, who battled through a bruise on his shooting wrist to finish with 18 points. “So [I] signed up to play and so did Luka and we went and grinded the win out.” 

Doncic, one night after scoring 40 points with 10 assists, was showered with “MVP” chants in the fourth quarter as he became the ninth Laker with multiple 50-point performances in a single-season. He scored 51 points in a win over the Chicago Bulls on March 12. 

Following the 8:30 p.m. local tip in Houston, the Lakers didn’t land in Miami until past 4 a.m. Players didn’t get to their hotel rooms until 5:10 a.m.

The Lakers looked like it early on, too. They sleep-walked through the first minutes of the game, falling behind 9-0. They didn’t get their first basket until the 8:59 mark of the first quarter.

Of course it was a dunk from James.

“Just wanted to come in and see how the body felt after some of the routine things that I do and the treatments things that I do,” James said. “And decided to give it a go. We all decided to give it a go. So that's a big, gritty win for us on the road, especially under circumstances."

Instead of the physical toll of playing two games in consecutive days in different time zones, James was more focused on locking in mentally. His meticulous pregame routine took years to develop and takes hours to complete. Teammates a decade younger than him have never beaten him to the arena on game days. 

But they still try to keep up.  

“You see this guy who has done everything in this league, accomplished everything, he's still coming out here every day with that professional attitude and not taking anything for granted,” said 32-year-old guard Marcus Smart, who played 27 minutes and 31 seconds with 13 points one night after 34 minutes in Houston. “It forces you to do the same.” 

With many of his teammates struggling early, James made his first seven shots from the field, a perfect shooting streak that lasted into the fourth quarter. Redick approached the Lakers bench during their groggy start and tried to sympathize with his players, saying he knew they were tired. 

“Bron was like, ‘I’m not tired,’” Reaves said. “So I was like, ‘I'm not tired either.’ So yeah, follow the leader.” 

In his record 23rd NBA season, James is helping the Lakers play their best at the most important time of the year by taking on a new role. Since returning from a three-game injury absence, James has ceded more control of the offense to Doncic and Reaves. He has not relinquished any impact on the game, averaging 20.4 points over the last five games while shooting 64.6% from the field.

James has missed only five shots in the last two games, including a 13-for-14 effort against Houston on Wednesday. It came 13 years since his last 13-for-14 shooting performance, which happened with the Heat in 2013. The coach of that team, Erik Spoelstra, can only marvel.

"He's not only competing against the entire league but also Father Time,” Spoelstra said. “And he's giving Father Time hell."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

A 60-point game from Luka Dončić paired with a triple-double from LeBron James led the Lakers to their eighth straight win on Thursday as they knocked off the Heat in Miami, 134-126.

Given the circumstances of it being the second night of a back-to-back and the team not arriving at their hotel until after 5 a.m., this was one of the unlikeliest wins of the season.

LA trailed by as many as 15 in the first half before racing back to take a double-digit lead in the second half. Luka caught fire in the third and fourth quarters to put the game to rest, scoring an ethical 60 points compared to other recent scoring outbursts this season.

The game began with Deandre Ayton fouling Bam Adebayo, who converted on both free throws. Fortunately, that was not the beginning of an 83-point night again.

LA fumbled the ball on the other end, leading to Davion Mitchell draining a 3-pointer. The Heat jumped to a nine-point lead as Los Angeles tried to find their offense. 

Marcus Smart scored first for the Lakers on a pair of free throws. 

LA heated up with every starter scoring. Luka Dončić drained a pair of triples and had eight points. Los Angeles struggled defensively, leaving shooters open. At the 6:08 mark, Miami was up by five. 

The Lakers had already given up 24 points in the paint. 

Fatigue seemed to be a huge factor in LA’s lack of defense. They struggled to focus on both sides of the ball. Luka led the team with 12 points. Bam led Miami with nine points. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by 13. 

The second period began with Los Angeles turning the ball over, resulting in an easy layup for Dru Smith. LeBron James responded on the other end with a mid-range jumper. He was perfect from the field again, going 4-4 in this half so far. 

At the 7:30 mark, LA was down by 11. 

LeBron entered double-figures with 11 points. He and Luka were the only Lakers to find consistent offense. Austin Reaves had just four points.

Luka poured in five more, helping cut into the deficit until a 3-pointer from Tyler Herro put Miami up by nine with 2:37 left in the half. 

Rui Hachimura was having a productive showing off the bench with seven points. 

Down by as many as 15, the Lakers have trimmed the margin to 7 with 2 minutes left in the half, and Dončić up to 19 points.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 20, 2026

After going down by as much as 15, the Lakers did well to crawl back into the game to trail by just six at halftime.

The third period began as a shooting clinic for both teams. LeBron continued his perfect shooting, converting on a layup. Luka drained three 3-pointers, helping put LA in front. 

Smart also knocked one down himself. LeBron was still perfect, up to 7-7 from the field. Los Angeles was up by three at the 6:52 mark. 

LA continued to stretch their lead, taking all the momentum. They were winning the quarter 33-17 while shooting 63% in the period.

That's 14 3-pointers for Luka in the last 24 hours.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 20, 2026

The Heat scored a quick four points as the quarter wound down. Going into the fourth, the purple and gold were up by nine. 

Norman Powell knocked down a 3-pointer to start the final frame. The Lakers missed two opportunities to score, but Reaves was sent to the charity stripe and converted on one of two free throws. 

A minute and a half into the period, LA was up by seven. 

Reaves was having a nice quarter, knocking down a triple that helped keep Los Angeles with a good cushion on their lead. He had five points in the quarter and 15 total for the game. Luka put the Lakers up by eight with seven minutes left. 

The game slowed down as the referees called a few fouls, leading to plenty of free throws for both teams. Herro drained a 3-pointer to make it a six-point deficit at the 5:10 mark for Miami. 

After what felt like 400 free throws, both teams started making shots. Luka turned his jets on and took over for seven points to reach 50 points and put the Lakers up by nine with 3:40 left.

Herro kept the Heat in it, scoring five to make it a four-point game with 2:17 left. Things went into chaotic mode as Luka and LeBron took over, Luka draining an insane triple and LeBron converting on a layup.

LA was up six with 54 seconds left in the game. Reaves was fouled and converted on one of two free throws. Luka was fouled with 14 seconds left, and he converted on one of two free throws for 60 points. 

Key Player Stats

Luka finished with 60 points, seven rebounds, three assists and five steals. He became the franchise leader in single-season 3-pointers, passing D’Angelo Russell.

LeBron had a triple-double of 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Reaves ended with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. 

Hachimura scored seven points off the bench. Jake LaRavia logged five points with six rebounds. Jaxson Hayes pitched in with six points and five rebounds.

The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Orlando Magic on Saturday at 4:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

The Phoenix Suns lost an absolute heartbreaker tonight in San Antonio. The season series ends up tied at 2 apiece between the teams in their final meeting of the year.

The Suns were in control for a good chunk of the game, but the fourth-quarter chaos got the best of them.

The Spurs turned it over more (14-11), and Phoenix had more second-chance points (14-5). That is a winning combination. Unfortunately for Phoenix, the free-throw line is where they could look at being the reason those numbers offset, as the Spurs shot 6 more of them and did so while being 15% better from the charity stripe.

Collin Gillespie had 24 points, Devin Booker chipped in with 22, and Jalen Green added 17. Oso Ighodaro had a strong all-around game, posting 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists on 7-10 FG. Victor Wembanyama had 34 points and 12 rebounds, along with the game-winner with 1.1 seconds remaining.

Game Flow

First Half

The Spurs opened up on a 13-7 push, with all five starters getting in on the scoring action early, in typical Spurs fashion. Phoenix started to push back after a pair of explosive takes by Jalen Green, who looked sharp early.

Jalen is so smooth on the break 💨

He's got 9 PTS on 4/5 FG in the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/9XpSfksQRh

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 20, 2026

A Ryan Dunn triple tied it up at 21 with just over 2 minutes remaining in the quarter. Despite the strong Spurs start, Phoenix kept chipping away and hung in there early.

Collin Gillespie snapped out of his recent funk early after dropping in a pair of threes. Phoenix led 26-24 after the first quarter, led by Jalen Green’s 9 points. The duo of Gillespie and Green carried the Suns’ offense early.

Gillespie picked up where he left off in the last quarter, with another pair of tough triples to open the second quarter.

Rasheer Fleming had his best dunk of the year over fellow rookie Carter Bryant, which I’m sure you’ve already seen everywhere. If you haven’t, here you go:

🚨 RASHEER FLEMING POSTER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/qJ0wNACld8

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 20, 2026

The Suns were dominating the boards, 20-to-12, and making the Spurs pay in the interior. Oso Ighodaro provided some steady minutes as well, with 9 points (4-6 FG), 3 assists, and 2 rebounds in his opening 17 minutes of action.

The offensive pace picked up a bit towards the end of the second quarter, but Phoenix held strong. The Suns led 59-52 at the break, paced by 17 points from Jalen Green, 13 from Gillespie, and 9 from Oso Ighodaro. It was a pleasant surprise to see them take a seven-point advantage into the half.

Second Half

The Spurs’ physical intensity defensively picked up a bit as they cut the lead to just five early in the third. There were 8 fouls called between the teams in the opening five minutes to back up that last sentence. It was getting chippy out there.

Phoenix would be without Amir Coffey for the remainder of the game due to a sprained ankle, per the team. Another blow for an already thin Suns squad.

Devin Booker had 5 of the Suns’ 11 points early in the third.

Watch Book get to his spot 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/gYngsjYnp3

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 20, 2026

The Suns and Spurs traded buckets through the opening 6 minutes of the 3rd quarter, with San Antonio leading 14-11 in the period. Giving credit to the Spurs’ defense first and foremost, but the Suns’ offense really started to struggle to generate good looks.

The Spurs successfully challenged on a Devin Booker drive to the rim, where it looked like he was tripped up, but they deemed it a no-call.

Booker started to heat up and take over in the third, exploding to the rim, generating fouls, and playing like the Devin Booker we all know and love. He poured in 14 points in the quarter, connecting on 6 of his 7 free throw attempts.

The Suns led 79-73 heading into the 4th quarter, withstanding a Spurs surge early in the quarter.

CLUTCH OSO BUCKET ☄️

He's got 13 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST tonight pic.twitter.com/SsrhEk9yRX

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 20, 2026

Phoenix opened the 4th on a 10-6 push. A Collin Gillespie three-pointer bounced on the rim about three times before dropping in. It came after an extra possession was generated, and Gillespie did a ring around the rosie, then hit Oso and relocated for the spot-up triple.

The Spurs continued to swing back any time it seemed like they had a chance to extend the lead.

Khaman Maluach got a “brings the boom” from Kevin Ray on a strong roll to the rim. De’Aaron Fox followed that up with a triple to steal back some of the momentum.

Rasheer Fleming made an incredible closeout block on a Fox three-pointer the next possession, only for him to fumble the pass to Jalen Green, and long story short, the Spurs got the ball, and Wemby drilled a three right after to cut it to four points and shift the momentum in the Spurs’ favor.

A clutch Jordan Goodwin corner three gave the Suns a five point led with a little over a minute left.

Rasheer Fleming caught the ball in the corner and got fouled with 11 seconds left. Sending him to the line was not what the Suns had in mind, and the Spurs knew it. They fouled him immediately. He missed both, as each shot rimmed out.

And well, you know the rest. I’ll spare you from seeing that video again.

Up Next

Phoenix finally gets to return home to the desert. They will face the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.