NBA Roundup: Thunder Secure Playoff Spot with Thrilling Victory 113-112 Over Knicks

With 2.6 seconds remaining, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a game-winning fallaway jumper to give the Oklahoma City Thunder the lead. He then assisted in a defensive stop shortly before the buzzer, helping the team secure a postseason berth with a 113–112 victory over the New York Knicks.

Oklahoma City hasn’t made it to the playoffs since the Thunder’s first-round loss to the Houston Rockets in 2020.

Josh Giddey sent Gilgeous-Alexander inbounds after the Thunder called a timeout. Gilgeous-Alexander dribbled once to get Miles McBride’s attention, then spun and sank a shot from far in the left corner.

Following a Knicks timeout, Gilgeous-Alexander covered Jalen Brunson as Donte DiVincenzo got the ball to him. As time ran out, Brunson’s turnaround shot ricocheted off the top of the basket.

Oklahoma City won for the sixth time in eight games behind a triple-double from Giddey (16 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists) and a game-high 33 points from Jalen Williams. Brunson led New York with 30 points.

Mavericks 125, Rockets 107

After scoring 47 points and matching his career high of nine 3-pointers, visiting Dallas defeated Houston to extend their winning streak to seven games.

The Mavericks broke the Rockets’ 11-game winning run and led by as much as 29 points with Doncic’s 12 rebounds and 7 assists. For Dallas, P.J. Washington finished with 12 points, Dante Exum added 13, and Kyrie Irving scored 24 points.

With five 3-pointers, Jabari Smith Jr. tied his career high and scored 28 points to lead Houston. For the Rockets, it was just their second defeat in as many games in March.

Nuggets 130, Cavaliers 101

Cleveland was defeated by host Denver thanks to a season-high 22 points from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and 26 points, 18 rebounds, and 16 assists from Nikola Jokic.

The Nuggets ended a two-game home losing streak with 19 points apiece from Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., and Reggie Jackson.

With 23 points, Evan Mobley led the Cavaliers, followed by Jarrett Allen (19), Caris LeVert (15), and Donovan Mitchell (13), who played in his second game back after missing the previous six due to a broken nose.

Warriors 117, Spurs 113

In a late-season Western Conference matchup, visiting Golden State defeated San Antonio with a score of 33 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, and 6 steals from Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, respectively.

Moses Moody scored ten points, Brandin Podziemski scored twelve, and Klay Thompson scored thirteen. For the third consecutive game, Jonathan Kuminga was absent from the Warriors due to knee tendonitis.

For the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama scored 32 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Zach Collins scored 13 points, Malaki Branham and Tre Jones each scored 12, while Sandro Mamukelashvili contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds. Cedi Osman scored 18 points off the field.

76ers 135, Raptors 120

With 32 points from Kelly Oubre Jr., visiting Philadelphia upset Toronto by making a team-high 24 3-pointers.

After dropping their previous three games and five of six overall, the 76ers were led by former Raptors mainstay Kyle Lowry, who finished with 11 points and 10 assists. Tobias Harris scored 21, Nicolas Batum scored 19, Buddy Hield added 13 points, and Cameron Payne added 24 points.

The Raptors were swept in the four-game season series and have now dropped 13 straight games. For the Raptors, Gary Trent Jr. scored 23 points. Jordan Nwora contributed 19 points, Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown each contributed 18, Gradey Dick contributed 12, and Javon Freeman-Liberty contributed 11.

Clippers 130, Hornets 118

In addition to scoring a season-high 41 points, Paul George lit up the perimeter, making eight 3-pointers, and Los Angeles defeated Charlotte on the road.

With 24 points and 12 rebounds from Ivica Zubac and 23 points from Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers are on their first three-game winning streak since they won four straight from January 31 to February 5.

For the Hornets, Miles Bridges scored 33 points, while Brandon Miller scored 22 points. For extended periods of time, the Hornets were unable to catch up to the Clippers, who had a lead of up to 19 points, despite Charlotte’s 50% shooting from the field.

Also Read: LeBron James Injury Update

Lakers 116, Nets 104

Los Angeles jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in their victory over Brooklyn in New York, as LeBron James matched a career high by making nine 3-pointers and tied a season high with 40 points.

James shot 13 of 17 from the field to record his third 40-point performance of the year. He made nine out of ten 3-pointers.

Despite Cam Thomas’s best efforts, the Nets were unable to continue their winning run of three games despite his thirty points. After making 25 threes on Friday against the Chicago Bulls, the Nets shot 42.4 percent overall and 33.3 percent (12-for-36) from beyond the arc. Trendon Watford scored 15 points, and Dennis Schroder ended with 14.

Heat 119, Wizards 107

Washington suffered their third straight loss as visiting Miami defeated them with 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and a game-high 27 points from Terry Rozier in the first half.

For the Heat, who trail Indiana by a half-game for sixth place and the final Eastern Conference playoff slot, Jimmy Butler contributed 17 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. For Miami, Haywood Highsmith scored 10 points off the bench, and Nikola Jovic added 12 points and eight rebounds.

With 22 points, Jordan Poole led six Wizards scorers in double figures. Deni Avdija finished with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Anthony Gill scored 18 points off the bench.

Bulls 109, Wolves 101

Chicago defeated Minnesota in Minneapolis behind the 27 points and eight assists of DeMar DeRozan.

For the Bulls, Alex Caruso scored 21 points on 7 of 8 3-point attempts. In the end, Nikola Vucevic had eight rebounds, six assists, and 19 points.

Leading the Timberwolves in scoring and rebounds, Anthony Edwards finished with 22 points. In addition, Rudy Gobert scored 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double.

Kings 127, Jazz 106

With a combined 49 points from Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray, double-doubles from DeAaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, and a 15-0 surge in the third quarter, Sacramento defeated visiting Utah.

For the Kings, who were playing for the first time since finding out that Malik Monk will miss the remainder of the regular season due to a sprained right MCL, Murray finished with a game-high 25 points and Barnes had 24 points.

For the Jazz, who dropped their eighth straight game, Brice Sensabaugh scored a season-high 22 points, while Collin Sexton also finished with 22 points.