Starting 5, March 21: Game-sealing rejections and DeMar DeRozan's milestone

When you deny a potential game-tying dunk to seal another thrilling win for your squad.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
March 21, 2025

Clutch Rejections: Pacers & Warriors seal wins with blocks, Indy’s thrilling March continues

Thursday Roundup: Bulls rally past Kings, DeMar hits 25K, Bucks top Lakers, Hornets beat Knicks

Steaks On The Line: Rockets (8) & Clippers (4) look to extend win streaks on NBA TV

The Breakthrough: How Cade Cunningham & the Pistons have elevated this season

League Pass Preview: What’s on the line during Friday’s 8-game slate?

BUT FIRST … ⏰
Close the work week with a 10-piece of hoops…

Tonight’s NBA TV doubleheader begins in Miami (8 ET) with the Rockets seeking a 9th straight win while the Heat look to end a 9-game skid. Then, the Clippers go for their 5th straight win when they host the Grizzlies (10:30 ET) with both teams locked in tight postseason races.

1. GAME-SEALING BLOCKS HIGHLIGHT WINS FOR PACERS, WARRIORS

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The cardiac Pacers strike again. For the 3rd straight game – and the 4th time in the last 10 days – Indy pulled off a last-minute comeback win.

Pacers 105, Nets 99 (OT): Down five with under a minute to play in the 4th quarter, Bennedict Mathurin closed regulation on a personal 5-0 run, hitting a pull-up jumper with 40 seconds left and calmly knocking down three free throws with 14 seconds left to force OT.

In OT, Mathurin (6) and TJ McConnell (5) combined for 11 points and Myles Turner had the game-sealing block with 22 seconds left. | Recap

• 20/10 Duo: Turner (23 pts, 10 reb, 5 blk) and Mathurin (28 pts, 16 reb) combined for 49 points and 25 boards in the win
• Postseason Race (IND ↔️): The Pacers remain 4th in the East with the win, staying 1.0 games up on the 5th-place Bucks, and pulling within 3.0 games of the 3rd-place Knicks

How good have the Pacers been in close games over the past 10 days? In one-possession games (ahead or behind by 3 points or less) in the final 30 seconds, the Pacers lead all teams in:

• Total Points: 26
• Total Field Goals: 5-of-6 (83.3)
• Total 3-Pointers: 4-of-5 (80%)
• Total Free Throws: 12-of-14 (85.7%)
• Point Differential: +17 (in 3 minutes)

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New Star Each Night: Indy’s clutch buckets have come from up and down the roster.

• Tyrese Haliburton (March 11 vs. Milwaukee): The two-time All-Star guard got this run started with his ridiculous 4-point play
• Obi Toppin (March 17 at Minnesota): Toppin sank two 3s in the final 30 seconds of OT, including the game-winner with 3.5 ticks left
• Andrew Nembhard (March 19 vs. Dallas): The 3rd-year guard capped a wild sequence with the go-ahead 3 with 13 seconds left
• Bennedict Mathurin (March 20 vs. Nets): The 3rd-year wing scored 17 of his 28 points in the 4th & OT

Warriors 117, Raptors 114: Jimmy Butler notched his 2nd triple-double as a Warrior (16 pts, 11 reb, 12 ast), but his biggest play of the night came with 21 seconds left as he blocked Jamal Shead’s floater attempt to seal Golden State’s 14th win in the past 16 games. | Recap

• Curry’s Early Exit: Steph Curry took a hard fall with 3:24 remaining in the 3rd quarter and left the game with a pelvic contusion
• Draymond Does It All: Green scored a team-high 21 points while adding seven boards, five assists, five 3s and four steals in the win
• Postseason Race (GSW ↔️): The Warriors remain 6th in the West with the win, moving 1.5 games up on the 7th-place Clippers and within 2.0 games of the 5th-place Grizzlies

2. BULLS RALLY PAST KINGS AS DEROZAN HITS 25K

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Bulls 128, Kings 116: The Bulls trailed by as many as 19 points in the 1st half and went into the break with Coby White sitting on four points. White erupted for 31 points in the 2nd half as the Bulls outscored the Kings 73-52 to complete the comeback win. | Recap

• Remember Me? Kevin Huerter iced the game with back-to-back corner 3s with under three minutes to play. The former King finished with 25 points, seven assists and five 3s in his return
• Season’s Best: Malik Monk (34 pts, 5 3pm) and Trey Lyles (22 pts, 4 3pm) both had their top scoring games of the season in the loss

• 25K Club: DeMar DeRozan (22 pts) became the 27th player in NBA history – and 6th active player – to reach 25,000 career points. How did he get there? On a mid-range jumper, of course.
• Postseason Race (CHI ↔️): The Bulls remain 9th in the East with the win, gaining a half-game advantage on the 10-place Heat and moving 2.0 games back of the 8th-place Magic
• Postseason Race (SAC ↔️): The Kings remain 9th in the West with the loss, 2.5 games up on the 10th-place Suns and 4.0 games back of the 7th- and 8th-place Clippers and Wolves

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

Bucks 118, Lakers 89: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points in 29 minutes, while Gary Trent Jr. (23 pts, 6 3pm) and Kyle Kuzma (20 pts, 5 ast) combined to add 43 more as the Bucks led wire-to-wire over the short-handed Lakers. | Recap

• The Rooks: Dalton Knecht and Bronny James scored 17 points apiece to lead the Lakers, who played without Luka Dončić, LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura
• Postseason Race (MIL ↔️): The Bucks remain 5th in the East with the win, staying 1.0 games back of the 4th-place Pacers and moving 0.5 games up on the 6th-place Pistons
• Postseason Race (LAL ⬇️, DEN ⬆️): The Lakers drop to 4th in the West with the loss, falling 0.5 games back of the 3rd-place Nuggets and staying 0.5 games up on the 5th-place Grizzlies
• Postseason Race (OKC ☑️): The Thunder clinch the No. 1 seed in the West with the Lakers’ loss

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Hornets 115, Knicks 98: LaMelo Ball led the way with 25 points, eight dimes and five 3s, while Mark Williams (19 pts, 14 reb) and Miles Bridges (15 pts, 10 reb) added double-doubles in the Hornets win. | Recap

• NY Duo: OG Anunoby (25 pts) and Karl-Anthony Towns (24 pts, 10 reb) paced the Knicks, who hope to get leading scorer Jalen Brunson (ankle) back before the end of the regular season
• Postseason Race (NYK ↔️): The Knicks remain 3rd in the East with the loss, with their lead over the 4th-place Pacers cut to 3.0 games

3. ON NBA TV: ROCKETS (8), CLIPPERS (4) PUT STREAKS ON THE LINE

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During preseason Media Day, reporters asked Jalen Green what would make this season successful.

Said the Rockets’ rising star, “It shouldn’t be nothing less than the Playoffs.”

Houston is inching closer to a Playoff berth and has secured at least a spot in the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament. Tonight (8 ET), the Rockets look to extend their win streak to nine games as they take on the Heat.

• Houston, We Are Postseason Bound: The Rockets will play past the regular season for the first time since the 2019-20 season
• Ready For Launch: In Ime Udoka’s 1st season in Houston, the team went 41-41, just missing the Play-In. This year’s team has already surpassed that win total (45) with 12 games remaining
• Liftoff: Houston’s ascent has been years in the making, fueled by first-time All-Star Alperen Sengun and the young core of Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson and Tari Eason as well as key vets in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks
• Cloud 9: The Rockets seeks their 9th straight win to create some separation in the congested race for the West No. 2 seed, while the Heat look to end their nine-game losing streak

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The Clippers, winners of four straight and seven of their last eight, continue their push to get back into Playoff position – 1.5 games behind the 6th-place Warriors – as they host the 5th-place Grizzlies (10:30 ET).

• Hot March: Since March 5th, the Clippers are 7-1, scoring 119.3 ppg on 51.9 FG% (1st) and 42.4% from 3 (1st), while holding opponents to 107 ppg (2nd)
• James Harden is scoring at his highest level since the 2020-21 season, averaging 22.5 ppg and 8.7 apg, while leading the league in iso scoring with 594 points
• The Klaw’s Influence: The five-man lineup with Kawhi Leonard, Harden, Norman Powell, Derrick Jones Jr. and Ivica Zubac has a 101.9 DefRtg, 3rd best among lineups with 175 minutes together

The Grizzlies – who have dropped two straight and three of their last four games to fall from 2nd to 5th in the West – try to get back on track and snap a five-game losing streak to the Clippers.

4. ON LEAGUE PASS: CUNNINGHAM LEADS DETROIT INTO DALLAS

Breakthrough: a sudden, dramatic, and important discovery or development.

Throughout 2024-25, that’s been the key word to describe both the Detroit Pistons and their star guard Cade Cunningham.

Tonight in Dallas (8:30 ET), Cade and the Pistons seek their 40th win of the season. It would be their first 40+ win season since 2018-19 and only the third since winning 59 games and reaching the East Finals in 2007-08.

Cunningham’s journey from being the first pick in the 2021 NBA Draft to becoming a first-time NBA All-Star in 2025 has seen its ups and downs – with the team’s fortunes reflecting that.

• 2021-22: Cade finished third in Kia Rookie of the Year voting, but was a unanimous All-Rookie First Team selection. He averaged 17.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 5.6 apg while Detroit went 23-59
• 2022-23: Cunningham’s sophomore season was cut short due to a shin injury that required season-ending surgery after only 12 games. Without him for much of the season, Detroit went 17-65
• 2023-24: Cade returned and put up career-best numbers – 22.7 ppg, 7.5 apg, 54.6% true shooting – but was limited to 62 games due to a knee injury. Detroit finished a franchise-worst 14-68 in the sole season under coach Monty Williams
• 2024-25: The breakthrough season for Cade – career-highs of 25.6 ppg, 9.3 apg, 55.9% true shooting, 9 triple-doubles and 2 game-winners – and the Pistons under first-year coach J.B. Bickerstaff

What They’re Saying: As the Pistons have gained respect as an opponent on a night in, night out basis, Cunningham has also earned praise from his peers around the NBA.

5. LEAGUE PASS ROUNDUP: CAVS VISIT SUNS AIMING TO END 3-GAME SKID

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In a season marked by many firsts – the first 15-0 start in franchise history, their first 16-game win streak, becoming the first team to clinch a Playoff berth – the Cavs will look to avoid a first tonight in Phoenix:

Their first four-game losing streak.

The Cavs visit the Suns tonight (10 ET) coming off consecutive losses to the Magic, Clippers and Kings in a four-day span, falling below OKC for the NBA’s top record.

Meanwhile, the Suns have won two straight, and three of their last four, to climb into the final spot in the West Play-In and seek their first three-game win streak since late January.

The matchup caps off an eight-game slate on League Pass.

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• Magic at Wizards (7 ET): The Magic can move within a game of 7th-place Hawks with a win. Keep an eye on Paolo Banchero, who is the league’s 5th-leading scorer over the past 10 games (31.1 ppg)
• Sixers at Spurs (8 ET): After his historic performance (34 pts in 19 min) against NY on Thursday, what does Sandro Mamukelashvili have in store for an encore when the Spurs host Philly?
• Hornets at Thunder (8 ET): Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continue his March hot streak? Already the league’s leading scorer (33.0 ppg), SGA has averaged 37.6 ppg over eight games in March, going for 40+ four times, including a 51-piece
• Pelicans at Timberwolves (8 ET): The Wolves look to end a two-game slide that has dropped them to 8th in the West as they try to battle out of the Play-In
• Celtics at Jazz (9:30 ET): The Celtics go for a 4th straight win overall – and 5th straight over Utah – to continue to gain ground on the East-leading Cavs
• Nuggets at Blazers (10 ET): The Nuggets look to bounce back from a loss to Lakers, while the Blazers go for their 4th straight win to stay in contention for West Play-In