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Nightly Pulse: NBA News & Highlights from April 3

Stay in the know on tonight's NBA action as we keep you updated with the latest news and happenings around the league.

NBA.com Staff

 Results from Thursday’s six-game slate — capped by a classic Warriors-Lakers thriller🏀

⭐⭐TOP PERFORMERS⭐⭐

  1. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 35 points (12-19 FG), 17 rebounds, 20 assists, two steals 
  2. Paolo Banchero: 33 points (11-24 FG), 18 rebounds, eight assists, one block
  3. Stephen Curry: 37 points (10-21 FG), three rebounds, six assists
  4. LeBron James: 33 points (10-15 FG), five rebounds, nine assists, one steal, one block 

Top Takeaways👉📝

  1. With his 37-point effort Thursday, Stephen Curry now has 89 points over his last two games. He joins Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history over the age of 37 to tally that many points in a two-game span.
  2. Memphis moves into sole possession of 6th place in the Western Conference thanks to Ja Morant’s buzzer-beating heroics. Grizzlies new head coach Tuomas Iisalo could be the galvanizing force needed down the stretch.
  3. Tyler Herro is battling Curry for the title of hottest scorer in the league at the moment. The 25-year-old is averaging 28.9 points on 56.9/48.8/95.3 percent shooting across his last seven games. 

Epic California basketball. Warriors beat Lakers 123-116.

Moving to an astounding 19-2 when Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler play together, a healthy Lakers’ squad was Golden State’s latest victim.

Curry led the way, booming for 37 points (10-21 FG, 4-11 3PM, 13-14 FT) in a solid follow-up to his 52-point eruption against Memphis on Tuesday. Thursday marks Curry’s 18th game of the season with 30-plus points across 64 appearances. Doing most of his damage from inside the arc in atypical fashion, Curry is in prime vintage mode.

Brandin Podziemski was stellar in his own right, setting a new career-high eight 3PM en route to 28 points (10-17 FG).

The Lakers fired their fastball back. LeBron James (33 points, 10-15 FG, 8-9 FT) and Austin Reaves (31 points, 10-20 FG, 9-16 3PM) were efficient at volume. Rui Hachimura stepped up with 24 points (9-15 FG) and six rebounds.

Luka Dončić posted 19 points (6-17 FG, 0-7 3PM), eight rebounds and seven assists in 38 minutes.

JA MORANT BUZZER-BEATER

Ja Morant on an island versus a big? He knew it. Morant got tons of separation on his step-back to send Memphis out of Miami with a 110-108 victory.

Morant finishes with a team-high 30 points (11-22 FG, 3-7 3PM, 5-6 FT), emerging victorious from a back-and-forth duel with Tyler Herro (35 points, nine rebounds, four assists.

Bam Adebayo stuffed the stat sheet with 26 points (11-26 FG), seven rebounds, five assists, one steal and two blocks. For Memphis, Desmond Bane limped to 17 points (6-23 FG) but salvaged his night via nine rebounds and six assists without a turnover.

HISTORIC NIGHT FOR GIANNIS. BUCKS WIN

In a smashing Nikola Jokić impression, Giannis Antetokounmpo erupted for the first triple-double of its ilk in NBA history. Posting 20 assists versus just two turnovers while hitting 10 of 11 free throws, Antetokounmpo was at his sharpest.

Seven players reached double-digit points for the Bucks en route to their 126-113 victory. Milwaukee rained in 51.6% of 31 3PA.

Philadelphia’s defeat is not without silver linings. Rookie Adem Bona, (28 points, 13-15 FG), Guerschon Yabusele (22 points, 8-15 FG, 2-2 FT) and Quentin Grimes (24 points, 7-16 FG) all made strong contributions and profile as part of Philadelphia’s future.

Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero combine for 60 of Orlando’s 109 points in win

Despite a career-best effort from Wizards’ rookie Bub Carrington, Orlando cruised to a 109-97 victory Thursday.

Banchero (33 points, 11-24 FG) led all scorers while also ripping down 18 rebounds and posting his fifth game of the season with at least eight assists. Wagner co-starred with 27 points (10-19 FG), five rebounds and five assists.

Carrington torched his previous season-high of 23 points by recording 32 points (12-18 FG, 7-10 3PM), tacking nine rebounds and seven assists.

Stoicism from Anthony Edwards🧘🧘

After being helped to the locker room after an ugly ankle sprain, Edwards started the second half and was the guiding force in Minnesota’s 105-90 win over Brooklyn.

Edwards finished with a game-high 28 points (10-15 FG, 5-10 3PM, 3-5 FT) in efficient fashion. He also chipped in five rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block in what amounted to 32 minutes of action.

Top-heavy Portland effort bests Toronto

A 112-103 Trail Blazers victory over the Raptors was fueled by Shaedon Sharpe matching his career-high 36 points (14-23 FG), Deni Avdija (26 points, 15 rebounds) booming for a monster double-double and Dalano Banton (23 points, 8-19 FG) stepping up as the third musketeer.

No other player exceeded eight points for Portland. The ultimate swing factor in Thursday’s contest was a 54-35 victory in the rebounding battle for the Trail Blazers. Donovan Clingan’s 13 rebounds joined Avdija as the main glass controllers.

RJ Barrett led Toronto with 18 points (9-18 FG). Portland led for the entirety of the fourth quarter despite having 20 turnovers and hitting just 29.4 percent of 34 3PA.

POD MAN GETS PAID

Brandin Podziemski can do no wrong!

The second-year guard has 22 points (8-14 FG, 6-8 3PM) at halftime to lead all scorers. He has also racked up seven rebounds and three assists as Golden State holds a 60-47 lead over the Lakers.

Thursday represents his sixth 20-point game of the season. While many expected a breakout campaign from Podziemski after Klay Thompson departed for Dallas, it’s notable that he’s still on an ascending trajectory. He crossed the 20-point threshold just four times across 74 appearances as a rookie.

Young fellas cooking♨️♨️

From Washington’s Bub Carrington to Philadelphia’s Adem Bona — the end of the season features big opportunities for the league’s next generation to present themselves.

Great bucket here👉👉

Trendon Watford and Nicolas Claxton show some chemistry, with Watford’s passing from the power forward position being a rare and niche skill set

Brooklyn and Minnesota are trading buckets in the opening minutes of the first quarter.

Jalen Hood-Schifino flashes

Hood-Schifino popped for 19 points in his second game with Philadelphia on March 16th, but that is his high-scoring mark since.

The 21-year-old could be heating back up, as he dropped 18 points (6-8 FG, 5-5 FT) in Sunday’s loss to Toronto and showcases some tough-shot making early in Thursday’s contest

Tyler Herro fitted💼💼

The sixth-year guard pulls up stylish, although the lighting makes the shot.

Herro is averaging 27.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting a blistering 58.0 percent from the field across his last six games. Overall, the sixth-year guard has a sharp 46.8/37.1/87.4 percent shooting slash on the year.

Key Storylines for the Night 🍿🍿

  1. LeBron James and Luka Dončić host Stephen Curry and the Warriors in a Thursday night headliner. Dončić has begun settling in lately, averaging 29.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.7 assists across his last six contests.
  2. Minnesota, in a three-way tie for the sixth-best record in the Western Conference, has a chance to continue their momentum looking for a fourth straight win as they head into Brooklyn.
  3. Grizzlies’ new head coach Tuomas Iisalo looks for his first win against a hot Miami squad. Iisalo joined Memphis with much pedigree after helping Paris basketball ascend into the EuroLeague with his crisp offensive ideologies.

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