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Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from March 4

Stay in the know on tonight's NBA action with the latest news, scores and highlights from around the league.

NBA.com Staff

🏀Tuesday’s schedule🏀

 

  • Raptors 114, Magic 113 (Final)
  • Rockets 102, Pacers 115 (Final)
  • Warriors 114, Knicks 102 (Final)
  • Bucks 127, Hawks 121 (Final)
  • 76ers 112, Timberwolves 126 (Final)
  • Cavaliers 139, Bulls 117 (Final)
  • Nets 113, Spurs 127 (Final)
  • Clippers 117, Suns 119 (Final)
  • Pelicans 115, Lakers 136 (Final)

📝 Final notes📝

  1. The Cavaliers trailed the Bulls for much of the game but took off in the fourth, scoring 43 points and claiming their 11th straight victory. Cleveland is now just one of four teams in NBA history to have three separate win streaks of 11 or more games. 
  2. Stephen Curry shined in the Garden once again, with a 28-point effort to deliver a victory against the Knicks. Curry is now 12-1 lifetime at Madison Square Garden, while the Warriors move to 9-1 with Jimmy Butler in their lineup. 
  3. LeBron James entered the 50,000 point club, as its only member, when combining regular and post season scoring. To make the milestone even sweeter, it came in the Lakers’ seventh straight win, beating the Pelicans 136-115.

🌟🌟Top performers🌟🌟

 

  • Paolo Banchero: 41 points (14-20 FG), eight rebounds, eight assists, and four steals.
  • Devin Vassell: 37 points (8-11 3PT), 11 rebounds, five assists, and four steals. 
  • Kevin Durant: 34 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.
  • LeBron James: 34 points (10-18 FG), eight rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. 
  • Luka Dončić: 30 points (6-13 3PT), eight rebounds, and 15 assists.

🌊Lakers wave of wins continues

 

Los Angeles snagged their seventh straight win, defeating the Pelicans 136-115.

The Lakers star duo of James and Dončić thrived, combining to score 64 of the team’s points.

Williamson is a force in the loss, racking up 37 points on 17-23 shooting and adding four boards and six assists.

🌵Suns take the W🌵

 

Phoenix outscored the Clippers 43-22 in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback and take home the victory. The win was the largest deficit overcome to start the final quarter in franchise history.

Kevin Durant was masterful down the stretch, finishing with 34 points, seven boards, and four assists. However, it was Collin Gillespie who was the most clutch, scoring all 10 of his points in the fourth and hitting the dagger to put the Suns up five with 36 seconds to go,

Ivica Zubac posted a strong 35-point, 10-rebound effort in the loss for the Clippers.

🧨Zion explodes🧨

 

Not much is going right for the Pelicans tonight, so Zion decides to take it out on the rim with this one-handed authoritative jam for two of his 31 points,

The Lakers lead 102-84 entering the fourth quarter.

☀️Suns shining☀️

 

Phoenix was down as many as 23 points to the Clippers but is blistering hot in the fourth. They have come all the way back to tie the game at 106 with just over four minutes remaining.

Kevin Durant has been electric during the run and now has 30 points.

📺Luka show📺

Luka Dončić is coming up big in the first half, scoring 20 points, with nine assists, and five rebounds, helping the Lakers to a 69-59 lead over the Pelicans at the break.

Jaxson Hayes is also cooking for LA, scoring 19 with eight boards, while LeBron James has added 12, four boards, and five assists.

The Pelicans are being led by Zion Williamson’s contributions of 21 points and four assists.

🎉Mr. 50K🎉

 

LeBron James just hit a triple to surpass 50,000 career points scored between the regular and postseason.

James is the only player to ever achieve the feat.

✮ Spurs win ✮

 

San Antonio notched a 127-113 win over the Nets.

Devin Vassell delivered a superb performance, scoring a career-high 37 points on 14-19 shooting, including 8-for-11 from distance, to go with 10 boards, five dimes, and four steals.

Stephon Castle was also strong off the bench, scoring 17 of his own, and adding six assists, and two steals, and this filthy finish,

Make it1️⃣1️⃣

The Cavaliers trailed by as much as 15 in this one, with the Bulls owning the first half. However, Cleveland hit the gas in the fourth quarter, outscoring Chicago 43-23 in the final frame, to earn a 139-117 victory.

Donovan Mitchell led the way for the Cavs, scoring 28 points, while Jarrett Allen posted a big double-double, racking up 25 points and pulling down 17 rebounds.

🌉Warriors reign🌉

 

Golden State secured a 114-102 win over the Knicks to move to 9-1 with Jimmy Butler in the lineup.

Stephen Curry put on a show at MSG, scoring 28 points, with nine assists and seven boards in the win, while Butler added 19, with four boards and four dishes.

The Knicks were without Karl-Anthony Towns, but OG Anunoby stepped up, scoring 29 points, while Brunson added 25 in the loss.

 

🦌Fear the deer🦌

 

Milwaukee was triumphant over the Hawks, 127-121 in Atlanta.

Giannis was his dominant self, tallying a triple-double with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Damian Lillard struggled from distance but still managed to put up 23 points, with five boards, four assists, and two steals.

That’s a dagger🗡️

 

With under five seconds to play and down two, Ja’Kobe Walter nails a difficult three to give Toronto a 114-113 lead and the victory.

The Raptors’ entire starting five scored in double figures, including Walter, who finished with 17. RJ Barrett led the way with 21 and added eight boards and nine assists.

Paolo Banchero was dominant despite the loss, scoring 41 on 12-20 shooting, with eight rebounds, eight dimes, and four steals.

Indiana victorious

 

The Pacers grounded the Rockets with a 115-102 win and are now 35-25 this season.

Tyrese Haliburton was on point, scoring 28 points with 5-for-8 long-range buckets and 15 dimes.

Pascal Siakam (18), Aaron Nesmith (16), Myles Turner (16), Obi Toppin (13), and Thomas Bryant (10) all scored in double figures.

Alperen Sengun put on a fine performance for Houston in the loss, totaling 25 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.

😱That’s a🔨

 

Devin Vassell unleashes everything within him on his nasty one-handed poster for two of his 13 points,

The Spurs take a 62-57 lead over the Nets into halftime.

⛔Block party⛔

 

Jaden McDaniels is flexing in the paint this evening, tallying four blocks, and we haven’t even hit the midpoint of the second quarter.

On this one, he comes up behind Quentin Grimes as he works his way to the basket, meets it at the peak, and sends it off the backboard.

Then here are two more on the same possession,

The Timberwolves have a 10-point, 43-33 lead over the 76ers in the second quarter.

💥Turner goes boom💥

 

Haliburton is serving everyone up with 13 assists and finds Myles Turner this time for a nasty dunk,

The Pacers hold a 95-88 lead over the Rockets early in the fourth quarter.

🥨Knotted up🥨

It’s 66-all in Atlanta, and the stars are shining.

Giannis has already scored 17 and added six boards and five assists,

Trae Young is also putting his skills on display with 16 points and five assists, including this no-look dime to Terance Mann,

Haliburton cookin’🥘🍳🔥

 

The Pacers enter halftime with a 67-57 lead over the Rockets, and Tyrese Haliburton is having himself a game thus far.

No. 0 is sitting on 21 points, with 6-for-10 shooting, including this long-range triple below, and six assists at the break to lead all scorers.

The Rockets are getting a substantial effort in the paint from Alperen Sengun, who has 15 and five boards.

That’s mine

 

We’re just underway in Atlanta, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is already rocking the rim.

Onyeka Okongwu tries to strip the ball, but Giannis isn’t having that, and after he muscles the ball away, he flexes on the rim with a strong one-handed slam.

The Bucks are up 15-14 on the Hawks early in the first.

Don’t🛑moving

 

Jalen Brunson gets the ball behind the arc and keeps working the dribble until he can get under Moses Moody and hit the scoop shot for a bucket.

The Knicks and Warriors are playing tight to start, with New York holding an early 15-14 advantage as they near the midpoint of the first quarter.

Starting5️⃣

 

Stephen Curry, who was questionable tonight with an ankle injury, will play and start.

It was unlikely that Curry would pass up an opportunity to take the floor at historic Madison Square Garden, but now it is official.

However, the Knicks will be without Karl-Anthony Towns, who was questionable. Mitchell Robinson will join the team’s starting lineup in his place.

3️⃣🔑Stories

 

  1. Cleveland just keeps winning and will go for their 11th straight win when they visit the Windy City for a matchup with the Bulls. They’ll be without Evan Mobley (rest) tonight, but the Cavaliers tend to find ways to win no matter who is out, as evidenced most recently by their win Sunday against Portland sans Donovan Mitchell. With a victory tonight, Cleveland would become just the fourth team in NBA History to have three separate win streaks of 11-plus games. 
  2. Two of the hottest teams in the NBA will face off on TNT at Madison Square Garden when the Warriors visit the Knicks. Golden State is now 8-1 with Jimmy Butler in their lineup, including victors of six straight, not including when Butler sat out their Saturday loss to the 76ers. The Knicks are 7-3 in their last 10 games and winners of three straight. However, both of these teams have key pieces on the injury report, with Karl-Anthony Towns (personal reasons) for New York and Stephen Curry (ankle) for Golden State both questionable. 
  3. LeBron James comes into tonight’s game against the Pelicans with 49,999 career points in the regular and postseason combined. Just one shy of 50,000, a mark no player has hit in the history of the NBA. He should be able to accomplish that milestone tonight as the Lakers go for their seventh straight win and try to cement themselves as the No. 2 seed in the West.

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