The triple-bounce buzzer beater from Mr. Triple-Double.
Joker’s doing unprecedented issues — even for him — to assist Denver preserve tempo out West.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION
March 28, 2026
Friday’s Best Finishes: Joker & Jamal rally Nuggets, Luka’s Lakers draw back late, Kawhi calls game
Wins Out West: Shai & OKC get again in win column, KD & Houston deal with Grizz, Warriors achieve on Blazers
Top 5 In The East: Peak Pritchard for C’s, Cavs mix for 149, Raptors return to Fifth
Today On Prime: Wemby’s Spurs play Milwaukee matinée, eyeing Eighth straight W
ABC Saturday: Without All-Star guards, Pistons and Wolves proceed to check depth, head-to-head
BUT FIRST …
Six Saturday video games staggered over 8 hours…
Today’s slate begins with a bang, because the Spurs go to the Bucks on Prime (3 ET | Tap To Watch) earlier than the Pistons and Wolves meet on ABC (5:30 ET | Tap To Watch).
1. FRIDAY FINISHERS: NUGGETS RALLY, LAKERS LIFT OFF, CLIPS CLAW BACK
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Four straight triple-doubles. Five straight wins.
That’s simply what it takes to carry on to 4th place in a wild West race.
Nuggets 135, Jazz 129: Nikola Jokić (33 pts, 15 reb, 12 ast) collected his fourth straight triple-double, and Jamal Murray (31 pts, 14 ast, 5 3s) caught fire again, as Denver rallied late previous seven Jazz double-digit scorers for a fifth consecutive win. | Recap
- Climb The Mountain: Utah’s 43-point Third quarter saved the Jazz in entrance all through the 2nd half, by as many as 14, till Denver’s 19-6 burst tied the game with 2:20 left, on Cam Johnson’s (12 pts, 4 3s) nook triple
- “Big, big shots, game-changing shots… especially Cam in the corner,” Jokić mentioned of the rally. “We found the energy… It was amazing.”
- Joker had a type of photographs himself: A suspenseful 3rd-quarter buzzer-beater from the brand
- Colorado Closer: Denver prolonged that run to a 28-9 closeout, capped by Murray’s dagger triple with 17.9 remaining. Murray is averaging 31.6 ppg, 7.4 apg and 4.6 3pg within the win streak
- TD Efficiency: Joker’s monster triple-double got here on 81.3 FG% (13-16) taking pictures, inserting him with Wilt and Dave Cowens as the one gamers in NBA historical past with 30+/15+/10+ statlines and 80+ FG%
- Never Been Done: Jokic is averaging 25.3 ppg, 16.8 rpg and 15.5 apg throughout his 4-game triple-double streak, the very best averages in a 4-game span in NBA historical past
Denver retains tempo because the No. 4 seed, including to its edge over Minnesota for a full-game hole again to Fifth.
1.5 video games forward in Third, L.A. bought the spark it wanted to drag away from Brooklyn late.
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE by way of Getty Images
Lakers 116, Nets 99: Luka Dončić (8 reb, 5 3s, 3 stl) dropped 41 pointsand Austin Reaves (8 reb, 5 ast) scored 15 of his 26 within the 4th quarter, which L.A. gained 31-15 to separate from Josh Minott (18 pts) and Brooklyn for its thirteenth win in March (13-2). | Recap
- Stacking Like Kobe: This was Luka’s 2nd consecutive 40-ball and fourth in his final six video games. His 12 straight 30+ level video games mark the longest such Lakers streak since Kobe (16 straight) in 2005-06
- “Just trying to get downhill, trying to touch the paint and make plays, and see what the defense (gives) me,” Dončić mentioned of his latest method
- Family Connection: LeBron James’ (14 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast) 2nd-quarter dish to Bronny for 3 was the NBA’s first-ever father-son help
“Just being in the moment of us being on the floor once again… Definitely a cool moment, for us and also for our family,” LeBron mentioned of the help.
Clawing again for the reason that opening body, the Clippers turned to Kawhi within the clutch to proceed their climb.
Clippers 114, Pacers 113: Kawhi Leonard (28 pts, 8 reb, 3 stl) drained the game-winning jumper with 0.4 remaining, giving LA its first lead for the reason that opening 2:55 and finishing a season-best 24-point comeback after Indy’s 42-point 1st quarter. | Recap
- “I just decided ‘I gotta put the ball up,’” mentioned Leonard, who shot 52.6 FG% and logged 11 of his 28 factors within the 4th. “Just having a mindset that the ball [is] gonna go in every time that I shoot it.”
- Klaw Time: Kawhi earned his twelfth profession game-winner with lower than 10 seconds remaining — most within the NBA since he entered the league in 2011-12
- Fifty 20s: Kawhi eclipsed the 20-point mark for the fiftieth consecutive game, the longest streak for a participant age 30 or older in NBA historical past
- Scoring Stars: Darius Garland’s (5 ast, 6 3s) 30-ball led LA, whereas Bennedict Mathurin (17 pts, 7 reb) was huge off the bench. Aaron Nesmith (26 pts) paced Indy
- The win ensures Eighth-place LA stays forward of Ninth-place Portland, with a 1.5-game benefit
2. WEST WINNERS: OKC RECOVERS, ROCKETS ROLL, DUBS GAIN ON BLAZERS
A 2nd-half storm introduced the Thunder out in full pressure Friday.
Thunder 131, Bulls 113: Down 5 on the break after Chicago’s 67-point 1st half, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander keyed a 22-0 run over the Third and 4th quarters, with 14 of his 25 factors within the Third, as OKC took management for its thirteenth win in 14 video games. | Recap
- Tipping Point: Cason Wallace scored 11 of his 21 factors within the 2nd half, the place the Thunder turned the tables on Collin Sexton (22 pts) and the Bulls, 69-46
- OKC bounces again from its Wednesday loss at Boston, its first since Feb. 25, so as to add to the two.5-game hole separating 2nd-place San Antonio
Houston’s offense aligned round one other noteworthy KD efficiency.
Rockets 119, Grizzlies 109: Kevin Durant (25 pts, 6 reb, 10 ast) fueled Houston’s offense, with huge assist from Jabari Smith Jr. (21 pts, 16 reb) and 4 different double-digit scorers to beat a career-high 31 pts from Olivier-Maxence Prosper. | Recap
- KD’s Company: Durant turns into the primary Rockets participant age 37 or over to document 25+/5+/10+ in a game, and simply the sixth in NBA historical past, becoming a member of LeBron, Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash
- Sixth-place Houston strikes inside a game of Minnesota for the Fifth seed
Soobum Im+Eakin Howard/NBAE by way of Getty Images
The hole between the West’s last two Play-In spots is shrinking.
Mavericks 100, Blazers 93: Dallas bought 50 factors from the duo of Cooper Flagg (24 pts, 4 stl) and Marvin Bagley III (26 pts, 9 reb) to snap its 5-game skid, overpowering Jrue Holiday (23 pts), Deni Avdija (20 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast) and Ninth-place Portland. | Recap
Warriors 131, Wizards 126: Kristaps Porziņģis (28 pts, 8 reb, 5 3s), Gui Santos (27 pts) and Brandin Podziemski (22 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast) mixed for 77 to assist wrestle the lead again from Washington with a 39-point 4th quarter for the Dubs’ Third straight win.
Tenth-place Golden State is now pressuring Portland from the ultimate Play-In place, only a half-game again. | Recap
3. EAST’S TOP 5: CELTICS SHINE, CAVS COOK, RAPTORS RETAKE 5TH
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Celtics 109, Hawks 102: Without Jaylen Brown (calf), Payton Pritchard (7 reb, 6 3s) took over for 36 points, and Jayson Tatum threw in a season-high 26, as Boston overcame Atlanta’s 25-7 begin to hand the Hawks simply their second loss since Feb. 22. | Recap
- Offensive Key: The Celtics at the moment are 11-0 in Pritchard’s profession when he scores not less than 30 factors, with six such wins coming this season alone
- Defensive Key: Boston held Atlanta to 102 factors, its 2nd-lowest output within the final 16 video games. The Hawks entered with the league’s highest-scoring offense (124.1 ppg) over the past 15 contests (14-1)
- Hawks’ Heroes: Atlanta’s 20+ level trio of Jalen Johnson (29 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast), CJ McCollum (21 pts) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (20 pts, 5 ast, 2 stl) mixed for 70
- Boston picks up a half-game to steer Third-place New York by 1.5 video games
Cavaliers 149, Heat 128: Seven Cavaliers scored in double figures for a season-high 149 factors, selecting up Donovan Mitchell on a tricky taking pictures night time (1-10 FG), as Max Strus (29 pts, 8 3s) piled up 22 with six 3s in an 80-point 1st half to separate a two-game collection with the Heat. | Recap
- Swords Out: Cleveland burst out on a 15-2 run and by no means slowed down within the high-scoring win, welcoming Jarrett Allen (18 pts, 10 reb) again after lacking 10 video games
- Bam Adebayo (14 pts, 16 reb) and the Heat drop a half-game again into Tenth place, whereas the 4th-place Cavs pull inside 2 video games of the 3-seed Knicks
Kevin Sousa/NBAE by way of Getty Images
Raptors 119, Pelicans 106: Scottie Barnes (23 pts, 6 reb, 12 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk) stuffed the stat sheet and 4 different Raptors added 18 factors apiece, as Toronto by no means trailed after the primary possession to deal with Zion Williamson and New Orleans. | Recap
- Toronto overtakes Atlanta for Fifth place by a half-game, sending the Hawks again to the ultimate Playoff spot with only a half-game separating Philly in Play-In place
4. ON PRIME: SPURS TRY TO EXTEND STREAK, KEEP CLIMBING AS TEAM
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On Friday, Victor Wembanyama made a bounce in Shaun Powell’s rankings for the Kia MVP Ladder, overtaking Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the highest spot on Powell’s listing.
Now, 2.5 video games again of OKC for first within the West, Wemby’s Spurs are eyeing a leap of their very own.
But to accomplish that, NBA.com’s Jeff Zillgitt writes, it’ll take a extra than simply Wemby — it’ll take the end result of group method that’s been rising all yr:
“San Antonio, a playoff group for the primary time since 2019, ranks third defensively, fourth offensively and second in web ranking. The Spurs are near locking up the No. 2 seed within the West and usually are not letting Oklahoma City ease its strategy to the No. 1 seed.
“We’ve had a positive year to this point, but we have not played enough games together to really know what to expect any night,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson mentioned.
“We’re putting our energy into some good places, but we have to continue to focus on ourselves. … There’s so much improvement to be had.”
… The implication is obvious, and it’s a worrisome prospect for different groups: The Spurs are again and plan on sticking at or close to the highest for some time with the roster they’ve constructed centered across the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama and his supernatural skillset.
Whether the Spurs – who have been 34-48 final season and with out Wembanyama after the All-Star Game attributable to a blood clot in his proper shoulder – are forward of schedule or proper on time makes no distinction. You get there if you get there, and the Spurs have arrived.
In his third season, Wembanyama is a Kia MVP candidate and headed for what could possibly be the primary of a number of Kia Defensive Player of the Year awards.” | Read More
The Spurs begin at present’s motion at 3 ET on Prime, trying to lengthen the league’s longest-active win streak to eight video games towards the Bucks.
5. ABC SATURDAY: PISTONS, WOLVES’ CHALLENGING PATHS CROSS ON BIG STAGE
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Resiliency.
You need your group to have it come Playoff push time.
As lengthy as the adversity that builds it doesn’t break your season.
Both Detroit and Minnesota are navigating key stretches with out their All-NBA guards, Cade Cunningham (lung) and Anthony Edwards (knee).
Pistons at Wolves (5:30 ET, ABC): Two postseason locks trying to take next-steps enter this significant interconference matchup on 4-1 streaks within the absence of their main scorers. Whose depth will proceed to cross the stress check?
- Duren Endures: All-Star Jalen Duren has stepped up for the Pistons, averaging 24.6 ppg and 10.4 reb within the 5 video games with out Cade, whereas captaining a protection that’s commonly ranked 2nd (109.0 DefRtg) all season
- Career Stretch: Duren poured in a career-high 36 factors the night time Cade bought damage, extending his scorching streak to the franchise’s first six-game span averaging 26.0+/10.0+ since Blake Griffin in 2018
- “What are you without confidence?” Duren mentioned of Detroit’s March mindset. “Just seeing how we’re unique as a team and how we beat teams and how we’ve gotten to where we are now.”
- “It’s our responsibility to keep pushing forward,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff mentioned of the East-leading Pistons’ 4-game lead over Boston
“You’re not going to be able to replace what [Cade] does individually. But collectively… we can get the job done. And we’ve proven that all year.”
Minnesota enters having pulled off the inconceivable: a 13-point OT comeback Wednesday, the most important of the play-by-play period (1997-98).
- “They fought through a ton of adversity.” coach Chris Finch mentioned of his squad who scored 15-straight OT factors after Houston’s late 26-2 run
- “We’ve got real competitors in here, guys who want the challenge… It brings the best out of us,” mentioned Julius Randle, who’s shined throughout Ant’s absence (21.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.8 apg)
- “We want to win a championship, so we know there’s going to be adversity,” Rudy Gobert mentioned of the Fifth-place Wolves, who’re a game up on Houston and a game behind Denver
To spherical out Saturday hoops on League Pass, Joel Embiid and Paul George search for an encore because the Sixers go to the rolling Hornets (6 ET), the Hawks host the Kings (7:30 ET), and the Grizzlies welcome the Bulls (8 ET). NBA TV ends the day with Devin Booker and the Suns towards the Jazz (10 ET).
