A kiss from the Klaw at the buzzer.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

March 10, 2025

Sunday’s Best: The Cavs make more history, top Kia MVP candidates collide, Kawhi closes

Roundup: Wolves win again, Walton honored in Portland, Ja & Bane ball out and more

Reads Of The Week: A few top stories from the NBA world with the Playoffs on the horizon

What’s Trending – East: Cleveland’s streak, Boston’s statement and little Playoff separation

What’s Trending – West: Historic OKC dominance and star-studded squads on the rise

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A 12-game slate to tip off your week…

Run It Back: SGA and the West-leading Thunder host Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets for the second time in two days to open an NBA TV doubleheader (8 ET) – capped by the Knicks visiting the Kings (10:30 ET).

Playoff Picture: At regular season Week 21 of 25, what would the bracket look like if the postseason started today?

1. SUNDAY’S BEST: CAVS EXTEND STREAK, SHAI SHINES, KAWHI CALLS GAME

When it comes to closing time, nobody does it like Cleveland.

Cavaliers 112, Bucks 100: With Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the charge (30 pts, 9 reb), the Bucks cut a 15-point lead to five late in the 4th.

But the NBA-best Cavs – and leaders in 4th-quarter point differential – didn’t let it get any closer, using a 23-7 run to notch their 14th straight win. | Recap

• Balanced Buckets: All five Cleveland starters scored in double figures, led by Max Strus (17 pts, 5 3s) and Donovan Mitchell (15 pts, 6 ast), to cap a season sweep of Milwaukee\
• One Of Seven: It’s the Cavs’ second 14+ game win streak of the season, becoming the seventh team to achieve such a feat and the third since 2000
• One Of Two: They’re also just the second team in NBA history to win 14 straight games while scoring 110+ points in each outing
• The First? The 1985-86 Celtics, who went on to win the NBA Finals
• “We’re still hungry,” said Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson. “We still have the edge because we haven’t gotten to the mountain top.”
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

McAdoo. Michael. And Shai.

Thunder 127, Nuggets 103: In a showdown between the top two players on the Kia MVP Ladder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 40 points along with 8 boards, 5 dimes and 3 blocks to power the Thunder past Nikola Jokić (24 pts, 13 reb, 9 ast) and the Nuggets. | Recap

• Scoring History: It’s SGA’s third straight season with at least 40 30+ point games, joining Michael Jordan (5x) and Bob McAdoo as the only players to achieve such a feat since 1970
• Shai’s Streak: It’s also his third straight 40+ point game (40, 41, 51) and his 58th straight with 20 or more points, a streak that’s only been matched by Kobe (62), KD (64) and MJ (69) in the last 50 seasons
• 7 Straight: It’s OKC’s seventh victory in a row – the second-longest active streak in the NBA, behind only Cleveland

Bounce. Bounce. Ball game.

Clippers 111, Kings 110 (OT): In a game that featured 14 ties and 23 lead changes, James Harden (29 pts, 9 reb, 11 ast) hit a runner with 11.9 seconds left to force overtime, where Kawhi Leonard called game.

With the score tied and time winding down, Leonard (17 pts) backed his way through the paint, turned, separated and lofted up a lefty floater that danced on the rim before dropping in at the buzzer. | Recap

• Déjà Vu: It’s Leonard’s second career game-winning buzzer-beater. The first? His iconic 2019 Game 7 dagger against Philly in the East Semis, which famously took multiple hops off the rim before falling
• More Than A Win: With the victory, LA clinches the season series over Sacramento, pushing its lead to 1.5 games over the Kings for 8th out West
• “We playing in Playoff basketball games right now with the atmosphere,” said Leonard postgame. “Every possession counts.”

2. SUNDAY ROUNDUP: WOLVES STAY HOT, WALTON HONORED & MORE

Make it five straight for Minny.

Wolves 141, Spurs 124: Anthony Edwards (25 pts) led eight Wolves in double figures, while Julius Randle added 14 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists to fuel a wire-to-wire win over De’Aaron Fox (22 pts) and the Spurs. | Recap

Grizzlies 107, Pelicans 104: After combining for 58 in Friday’s win over Dallas, Ja Morant (32 pts, 6 ast, 3 stl) and Desmond Bane (30 pts, 9 reb, 8 ast) totaled 62 on Sunday to stave off Trey Murphy III (27 pts) and the Pels. | Recap

Suns 125, Mavericks 116: Entering Sunday 2.5 games back of Dallas for the final Play-In spot, the Suns closed the gap behind Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, overcoming big outings from Naji Marshall (34 pts, 9 reb, 10 ast) and Klay Thompson (26 pts, 5 3s). | Recap

• Suns Trio: In a balanced playmaking attack, Booker (24 pts, 6 ast), KD (21 pts, 9 reb, 8 ast) and Beal (19 pts, 6 ast) combined for 64 points and 21 assists

“All the things he cares about in life are going to take place on this court, including the game of basketball.” – Luke Walton ahead of Sunday’s tribute for his father in Portland

Pistons 119, Blazers 112: With Luke visiting as an assistant coach for Detroit, Portland hosted Bill Walton Tribute Night, honoring the late Trail Blazers great who led the franchise to its only NBA title in 1977.

After Bill’s grandchildren helped deliver the game ball, Luke and the Pistons got the win. | Recap

• Pistons Fuel: Cade Cunningham tallied 28 points and 5 dimes for Detroit, which got back to its winning ways after two straight losses
• Portland Poster: Toumani Camara recorded a 101.8 Dunk Score with this epic one-handed hammer

76ers 126, Jazz 122: Lonnie Walker IV and Quentin Grimes dropped 25 points apiece for Philly, which outlasted Utah to halt a three-game slide. Keyonte George and rookie Kyle Filipowski led the Jazz – also with 25 points apiece. | Recap

3. READS OF THE WEEK: STORIES FROM AROUND THE NBA WORLD

With just over a month of regular-season ball remaining, start your week with a few of last week’s top stories from the NBA world.

• ‘Ultimate Connector’: How 18-year vet Al Horford set the tone and anchored the Celtics’ victory over the rival Lakers – Tim Bontemps, ESPN
• Special Moment With Russ: What may have been another night at the office for the former MVP – for one Korean fan, it was unforgettable – Jake Shapiro, Denver Sports
• Shai Making Memories: The NBA’s leading scorer is also its foremost giver of autographs – Joe Mussatto, The Oklahoman

• Under KD’s Wing: From scoring icon to seasoned mentor – how Kevin Durant is shaping rookie Ryan Dunn’s game and mindset – Andscape, Marc J. Spears
• ‘It’s Surreal’: The Pistons’ incredible turnaround, from the eyes of owner Tom Gores – Detroit Free Press
• Grizzlies’ Magic Trick: How an offense borrowed from a DIII school in Maine has Memphis moving differently – James Herbert, CBS Sports

4. WHAT’S TRENDING: EAST RACE INTENSIFIES AS CAVS & CELTICS SURGE

At 54-10, the NBA-best Cavs are the only team to clinch a Playoff berth, holding an 8-game lead atop the East and on pace for 68 wins – the most in franchise history.

But with the Playoffs looming, the defending champs are starting to hum.

• C’s Statement: The Celtics have won 10 of their last 12 games and four straight, including wins over the West’s 3rd-place Nuggets and 2nd-place Lakers, ending L.A.’s eight-game heater
• Capital Jays: Jayson Tatum (40) and Jaylen Brown (31) combined for 71 points in the win over L.A., marking the second time in their last five games that they both scored 30+
• OKC Visits Beantown: Boston hosts Utah tonight (7:30 ET, LP) before a showdown with the West-leading Thunder on Wednesday (7:30 ET, ESPN)

Playoff Push: Holding the East’s final four Playoff spots (seeds 3-6) are the Knicks, Bucks, Pacers and Pistons – with the latter three teams separated by just one game.

• Key NY Stretch: The Knicks lead Milwaukee by four games for 3rd but will be without Jalen Brunson for 2+ weeks (ankle). Tonight in Sacramento, they’ll look to snap a three-game skid (10:30 ET, NBA TV)
• Battle For 4: The Pacers and Bucks remain neck-and-neck for the No. 4 seed – which secures home-court advantage in Round 1 of the Playoffs
• Indy Orchestrator: Last week, Tyrese Haliburton became just the third player since 1977-78 to record 500+ assists before reaching 100 turnovers in a single season
• A Half-Game Back Of Indy? The Pistons, who are 11-3 in their last 14 – on pace to secure their first Playoff bid since 2018-19
• Detroit Identity: In that stretch, the Pistons lead the NBA in DefRtg, while Cade Cunningham (25.6 pts, 8.8 ast, 50.7 FG%) joins Nikola Jokić as the only players averaging 25+ pts and 8+ assists on over 50% shooting

The East Play-In pocket is also intensifying, with Atlanta (7), Orlando (8) and Miami (9) separated by just a half game, followed by Chicago (10), which is looking to hold off Philly and Brooklyn for the final postseason bid.

• Hawks’ X Factors: While Trae Young leads the league in assists (11.5), Dyson Daniels tops the NBA in steals, with 178 – 66 more than the next closest player
• Great Barrier Thief: The gap between Daniels and 2nd place in steals is equal to the gap between 2nd and 135th
• Monday Movement? Tonight on League Pass, Atlanta hosts Philly (7:30 ET), while Miami hosts Charlotte (7:30 ET) and Orlando visits Houston (8 ET)

5. WHAT’S TRENDING: OKC EXTENDS WEST LEAD, STAR-STUDDED SQUADS RISE

How dominant have the Thunder been this season? Three numbers help tell the tale:

• 10: Their number of victories against the six other 40+ win teams (CLE, BOS, LAL, DEN, NYK, MEM), with just two losses
• 12: OKC’s current lead atop the West, its largest of 2024-25
• 13: If the season ended today, the Thunder’s +13.0 point-differential would be the greatest in NBA history

Behind OKC, the West’s No. 2 spot is up for grabs, with the Lakers, Nuggets, Grizzlies and Rockets separated by just two games – and Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler III and the Warriors closing in fast.

• Luka & Lakers’ Defense: The Lakers are 20-5 since Jan. 15, boasting the top DefRtg in that span, with Luka Dončić acclimating offensively, averaging 26.9 pts, 8.9 reb and 8.4 ast in their last 10 games
• Rivals Racing: Denver is just percentage points behind L.A., led by Nikola Jokić, who ranks in the top five in points (28.8, 3rd), rebounds (12.9, 3rd), assists (10.5, 2nd), steals (1.8, 4th) and PIE (20.8, 1st).

Unprecedented Ace: In Friday’s OT win over Phoenix, Jokić recorded the first 30/20/20 game in NBA history (31 pts, 21 reb, 22 ast), marking his league-leading 29th triple-double of the season.

It Doesn’t Stop There: In the win, Jokić became the first player since play-by-play data was first tracked (1997-98) to record a triple-double in each “half” of game time:

• First 26:30 Minutes: 13 pts, 10 reb, 11 ast
• Last 26:30 Minutes: 18 pts, 11 reb, 11 ast

Best Of West Rematch: After falling in OKC on Sunday, Denver will run it back with the West leaders tonight (8 ET, NBA TV), while the Lakers visit Brooklyn (7:30, LP) with LeBron James out (groin).

Chaos Continues: Right below, Memphis and Houston sit just a game apart for the No. 4 seed, each bouncing back from recent skids with two straight wins. Oh, and here come the Warriors…

• Golden Run: Riding a four-game win streak amid a 9-2 stretch, the Dubs have jumped to 6th out West – just three games back of Houston
• Butler Boost: Golden State is 11-1 with Butler in the lineup. In those games, Steph Curry is averaging 30.5 points while hitting 5.3 treys

The race for 6th – the final Playoff spot – is far from over, as the Warriors lead four teams separated by just two games, with more squads in the hunt.

• Wolves Charge: Percentage points behind the Dubs stand Anthony Edwards and Minnesota, who have won five straight. Ant leads the NBA in 3s this season (257) while posting a career-high 27.2 ppg
• Clips Clicking: Kawhi, James Harden, and the 8th-place Clips are one game behind the Wolves, riding a three-game win streak, including Sunday’s thriller over 9th-place Sacramento
• Play-In Push: The Mavs hold the final Play-In spot, with the Suns inching closer (1.5 GB) after Sunday’s win in Dallas, followed by Portland (4 GB)