When you win your 4th straight game by rallying past the top team in the Eastern Conference.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
March 19, 2025
California Dreaming: Clippers & Warriors earn home wins over the Cavs & Bucks, respectively
4 Straight 50s: Boston reaches 50 wins for the 4th straight season, Hawks top Hornets
ESPN Doubleheader: Pistons visit Heat in the East, Lakers host Nuggets in the West
League Pass: A déjà vu win streak for Houston, Wolves go for 9th win in 10 games
Play-In History: What the last 4 years says about the importance of Play-In seeding
BUT FIRST … ⏰
An 11-game Wednesday is here…
An ESPN doubleheader leads an 11-game Wednesday, beginning with the Pistons visiting the Heat (7:30 ET). Then, it’s a West showdown in L.A. between the Lakers and Nuggets (10 ET) – two teams separated by just one game in the Playoff race.
Today’s Reads: ESPN on how Kyle Kuzma could maximize Giannis & Dame … The AP on how Doc Rivers saw stardom for SGA while coaching him in LA … and how big leads in the East & West only have the Cavs & Thunder hungry for more
1. CLIPPERS TOP EAST-LEADING CAVS, DUBS DEFEAT BUCKS WITHOUT STEPH
For only the third time all season, the Cavaliers have lost consecutive games, thanks to a Clippers squad that has won four straight and six of its last seven games — with eyes on climbing out of the West Play-In and back into the West’s Top 6.
Clippers 132, Cavaliers 119: Behind a season-high-tying 33 points from Kawhi Leonard, a near 30-20 game from Ivica Zubac and a dominant 2nd half, the Clippers rallied past the Cavs in the first of two matchups with the East leaders this month. | Recap | Kawhi & Zu Combine For 51
- LA’s 4×20: Leonard (33 pts, 5 3pm), Zubac (28 pts, 20 reb), James Harden (22 pts, 9 ast) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (20 pts, 8-8 FG) each scored 20+ points and combined for 103 of LA’s 132 points
- “It’s my birthday, I had to bring it,” said Zubac, who turned 28 yesterday. “We’re finding our rhythm, getting healthy. We can be a really good team when we’re healthy.”
- Road Cavs: Max Strus (24 pts, 5 3pm) & Donovan Mitchell (18 pts, 11 ast) led the Cavs in the 1st stop of a five-game West Coast trip
- Postseason Race (CLE ↔️): The Cavs remain 1st in the East with the loss, with their lead over the 2nd-place Celtics cut to 6.5 games
- Postseason Race (LAC ↔️): The Clippers remain 8th in the West with the win, moving within 0.5 games of the 7th-place Wolves and 4.0 games up on the 9th-place Kings
Warriors 104, Bucks 93: The Warriors improved to 15-2 with Jimmy Butler III in the lineup as the newest Warrior finished two boards shy of a triple-double (24 pts, 8 reb, 10 ast) to lead Golden State past Milwaukee without Steph Curry (rest). | Recap
- Bucks Rally: Golden State led by as many 17 in the 1st half before the Bucks dominated the 3rd quarter, using a 25-6 run to take a four-point lead
- Butler, Dubs Answer: Jimmy scored the first five points of an 8-0 run to open the 4th, pushing the Warriors’ lead back to double digits and they held on from there
- Balanced Effort: Five Warriors finished in double figures, with Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield and Quinten Post each hitting four 3s. Kyle Kuzma (22 pts, 5 3pm) led the Bucks, who have dropped five of their last seven games
- Postseason Race (GSW ↔️): The Warriors remain 6th in the West with the win, moving 0.5 games up on the 7th-place Wolves and 3.0 games back of the 5th-place Grizzlies
- Postseason Race (MIL ⬇️, IND ⬆️): The Bucks drop to 5th in the East with the loss, falling 0.5 games back of the 4th-place Pacers and just 0.5 games up on the 6th-place Pistons
2. CELTICS REACH 50 WINS, YOUNG & DANIELS SHINE IN HAWKS WIN
No team has more 50+ win seasons than the Celtics, who reached the mark for the fourth straight season and the 37th time in franchise history.
- Most 50+ Win Seasons In NBA History: Celtics (37), Lakers (33), Spurs (27), Suns (21), Sixers (20)
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been the centerpieces of Boston’s current streak of 50+ win seasons, but both All-Stars were on the bench on Tuesday due to knee injuries as the defending champs showcased their depth against Brooklyn.
Celtics 104, Nets 96: Kristaps Porziņģis (25 pts, 13 reb, 3 blk) and rookie Baylor Scheierman (career-high 20 pts, 6 3pm) were the stars of the night for Boston as the two combined for 45 points to lead the Celtics to their third straight win. | Recap
- The Spark: Down two with 1.7 seconds left in the 3rd, Scheierman inbounded the ball to Porziņģis, who fired it back to the rookie, wide open 26 feet away from the hoop. Catch. Shoot. Buzzer. Splash.
- The buzzer-beater was just a prelude as Scheierman knocked down four more 3s in the 4th quarter to help the short-handed Celtics close out the game
- 3-Point Block Party: Porziņģis became the 10th player in NBA history to reach at least 900 3-pointers made and 900 blocks in their career. Another player on that list? KP’s teammate Al Horford
- Postseason Race (BOS ↔️): The Celtics remain 2nd in the East, 6.5 games back of the conference-leading Cavs and 6.0 games up on the 3rd-place Knicks
Hawks 134, Hornets 102: Trae Young (31 pts, 5 3pm, 8 ast, 3 stl) and Dyson Daniels (22 pts, 10-12 FG, 7 ast, 3 stl) combined for 53 points, 15 dimes and 6 steals to lead the Hawks to a wire-to-wire win over the Hornets and avoid a three-game skid. | Recap
- Swishing & Dishing: Tuesday marked Young’s 131st career game with at least 30 points and 8 assists – second only to Luka Dončić (133) since the duo entered the league in 2018
- Swiping & Deflecting: Daniels is up to 194 steals on the season, more than any other player in the past 15 years. The last player with more? Chris Paul with 216 in 2008-09. Daniels has 77 more steals and 134 more deflections than any other player this season
- The Great Barrier Thief is on pace for 233 steals, which would be the most since 1991-92, and make Daniels only the 8th player to ever reach that mark. | Daniels Breaks Down His Disruptive Tactics
- Postseason Race (ATL ↔️): The Hawks remain 7th in the East with the win, moving 1.0 games up on the 8th-place Magic
3. TONIGHT ON ESPN: PISTONS VISIT HEAT, LAKERS HOST NUGGETS
For the first time since 2019, postseason hoops is returning to Motown.
The Pistons clinched a postseason berth on Monday – meaning they can finish no lower than 10th in the East – and will look to keep rolling when they visit Miami tonight (7:30 ET).
- In Playoff Position: Seeking a top-6 finish and guaranteed Playoff berth, the sixth-place Pistons hold a five-game lead on the Play-In field. The Pistons are just 1.0 games back of 4th place, which includes home-court in the First Round
- Peaking At The Right Time: Since All-Star, the Pistons rank 4th in both scoring (120.7 ppg) and blocks (5.9 bpg), 3rd in steals (9.6 spg), 2nd in shooting (50.3 FG%) and 1st in defensive rating (107.4)
At the heart of Detroit’s turnaround is fourth-year guard Cade Cunningham, who joined Luka Dončić and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history with 4,300 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,400 assists through their first 200 career games.
- Pistons Coach JB Bickerstaff: “Cade is a special leader … The stuff that he does behind the scenes, his ability to grow and push people to grow also is just amazing to me. … Very rarely do you find a guy who can grow and develop and not leave people behind.”
L.A. Showdown: The Nuggets (44-25, 3rd in West) and Lakers (42-25, 4th in West) enter tonight’s pivotal matchup (10 ET, ESPN) separated by one game in the standings, but even in the loss column.
What’s on the line tonight?
- A Nuggets Win: Clinches the season series and head-to-head tiebreaker over the Lakers. Denver could jump to 2nd in the West (if Rockets lose) or remain 3rd (if Rockets win)
- A Lakers Win: Ties the season series to eliminate the head-to-head tiebreaker. L.A. would leap Denver for 3rd in the West (if Rockets win) or jump all the way to 2nd in the West (if Rockets lose)
The Nuggets are 14-2 against the Lakers in the regular season (6-1) and Playoffs (8-1) since January 2023.
However, they are 0-1 against the Lakers with Luka Dončić, who posted 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in L.A.’s win on Feb. 22, but missed the last matchup on March 14 (calf).
4. LEAGUE PASS SPOTLIGHT: ROCKETS & WOLVES ROLLING
On Monday, the Rockets overcame a six-point deficit in the final 37 seconds of regulation to force OT and eventually extend their streak to seven straight wins.
It’s Houston’s longest streak since this same time last season, when the Rockets won 11 straight to challenge for the Play-In, giving us a glimpse of what this core of young talent and savvy veterans could do.
Tonight, the Rockets visit the Magic (7 ET) not only seeking an 8th straight win, but trying to firm up their hold on 2nd place in the West.
Since March 3, when their streak started, the Rockets rank 2nd in offensive rating (122.1), 4th in defensive rating (107.5) and 1st in Net Rating (14.6) and have proven they can find success in many different ways:
- Defense: Allowing fewer than 100 points in three games
- Offense: Scoring a season-high 146 vs. NOLA in their 2nd win
- Resilience: Coming back from 25 down for their 7th win
- Clutch: Two wins decided in the game’s closing minutes
Despite their eight-game win streak being dashed by an incredible fading corner 3 from Obi Toppin on Monday, Minnesota remains one of the hottest teams in the NBA during the stretch run.
Tonight, the Wolves aim for their 9th win in the last 10 games when they host the Pelicans (8 ET) in the opening game of a two-game set between the teams in Minnesota.
- Warriors In Sight: The Wolves enter tonight 0.5 games back of 6th-place Golden State for the final top-6 Playoff spot
- Top 4 Times 2: The Wolves rank 2nd in offensive rating (122.1) and 4th in defensive rating (109.7) during the month of March
- Ant’s Offense: Edwards ranks 4th in the league in scoring on the season (27.6 ppg), but has been even better in March (29.4)
- Defensive Identity: Jaden McDaniels ranks 5th in defensive rating (105.7) and Naz Reid ranks 1st in Net Rating (21.2) among 144 players that have played 8+ games and 25+ mpg in March
5. THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY-IN SEEDING & TONIGHT’S MATCHUPS TO WATCH
With the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament tipping off in just 27 days, there are multiple races to watch over the regular season’s last four weeks.
- Trying To Climb Out Of The Play-In: Only the top six teams earn a guaranteed Playoff spot, so teams in the 7th and 8th spots are trying to rise up and avoid their Playoff hopes coming down to the Play-In
- Trying To Get In The Play-In: For teams currently outside the top 10, reaching the Play-In gives them a chance at earning a Playoff berth. See Phoenix, which is 1.0 games back of 10th-ranked Dallas with both teams in action tonight
- Trying To Improve Seed Within The Play-In: These races don’t get discussed as much, but history has shown that they are absolutely crucial to a team’s hope of success in the Play-In
A Quick Review Of The Format: The competition begins with two games in each conference determined by how teams finished the regular season.
- 7 vs. 8: The winner earns the No. 7 seed in the Playoffs, the loser is still alive
- 9 vs. 10: The winner is still alive, but the loser is out
- Final Game: The loser of the 7/8 game hosts the winner of the 9/10 game, with the winner earning the No. 8 seed in the Playoffs and the loser out
The first four years of this format have proven how important the seedings have been.
- Every 7th-place team in the Play-In has advanced to the Playoffs – six times as the No. 7 seed by winning the 7/8 game; twice as No. 8 seed by winning the final game
- No 10th-place team have advanced to the Playoffs, with only two teams winning the 9/10 game to reach the final game
- 8th-place teams have reached the Playoffs 62.5% of the time
- 9th-place teams have made it the other 37.5%
Games To Watch Tonight: Seven teams that are either in one of the Play-In fields or within a game of a 7-10 finish are in action tonight.
- (7) Wolves vs. Pelicans (8 ET): A Minnesota win pulls them near even with the 6th-place Warriors as they try to secure a top-6 spot
- (9) Kings vs. Cavs (10 ET): The Kings host the Cavs looking to inch closer to the 8th-place Clippers in the top half of the Play-In
- (10) Mavs at Pacers (7 ET): Can the Mavs end a three-game skid that has them in danger of falling out of the Play-In?
- (9) Bulls at (11) Suns (10 ET): A Suns win and Mavs loss would lift Phoenix into the Play-In. Chicago climbed to 9th on Monday but has 2.5 games to make up to reach the top half of the Play-In field
- (10) Heat vs. Pistons (7:30 ET): Miami looks to snap an eight-game slide with a chance of reclaiming 9th place with a win and Bulls loss
- (8) Magic vs. Rockets (7 ET): An Orlando win would move the Magic within 0.5 games of the 7th-place Hawks
