Amen Thompson, one of the league’s brightest rising stars, punctuates the 9th straight win from the league’s hottest team.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
March 22, 2025
Red-Hot Rockets, Clippers: Houston wins 9th straight, while LA makes it 5 in a row
Race For 60 Wins: OKC takes 2-game edge on Cavs in race for NBA’s top seed
West Roundup: Wolves bounce back, Ingles moment, Blazers stay blazing, Mavs end skid
East Roundup: Porziņġis and Paolo shine in wins for Celtics, Magic
Saturday Preview: Hawks-Warriors and Bucks-Kings on NBA TV highlight 5-game slate
BUT FIRST … ⏰
The 2025 NBA Playoffs are exactly four weeks away…
Tonight’s NBA TV doubleheader tips off in Atlanta, where the Hawks host the red-hot Warriors (7 ET). Golden State is 16-3 since acquiring Jimmy Butler III, but will be without Steph Curry after the star guard suffered a pelvic injury on Thursday.
Then, the Bucks visit the Kings (10 ET) with Milwaukee 15-1 in their last 16 head-to-head matchups against Sacramento dating back to 2016-17.
1. ROCKETS (9) & CLIPPERS (5) EXTEND WIN STREAKS
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Rockets 102, Heat 98: Fred VanVleet scored 25 of his game-high 37 points in the 2nd half as the Rockets rallied past the Heat, outscoring Miami 51-39 after the break, to secure their 9th straight win and hand Miami its 10th straight loss. | Recap
- Amen On Both Ends: Thompson stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists, a career-high seven steals and a block, joining Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only other Rockets with such minimums since 1973-74
- Postseason Race (HOU ↔️): The Rockets remain 2nd in the West with the win, taking a 2.0 games lead on the 3rd- and 4th-place Lakers and Nuggets
- Postseason Race (MIA ↔️): The Heat remain 10th in the East with the loss, 1.0 games back of the 9th-place Bulls and 5.0 games up on the 11th-place Raptors
Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images
Clippers 128, Grizzlies 108: Behind a combined 53 points from James Harden (30 pts, 9 ast, 5 3pm) and Kawhi Leonard (23 pts, 10 reb), the Clippers defeated the Grizzlies for their 5th straight win as they continue to battle for the final top-6 Playoff spot. | Recap
- Shooting The Lights Out: During their five-game win streak, the Clippers lead the NBA in shooting from the field (54.7%) and from beyond the arc (47.7%)
- Postseason Race (LAC ↔️): The Clippers remain 7th in the West with the win, .002 in win percentage ahead of the 8th-place Wolves. Both teams are 1.0 games back of the 6th-place Warriors and 4.5 games up on the 9th-place Kings
- Postseason Race (MEM ↔️): The Grizzlies remain 5th in the West with the loss, dropping 1.0 games back of the 3rd- and 4th-place Lakers and Nuggets, while their lead over the 6th-place Warriors is down to 1.5 games
2. THUNDER, CAVALIERS & THE RACE TO 60 WINS
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The Thunder and Cavs have led their respective conferences for months:
- Cleveland has sat atop the East since Oct. 30 (4 months, 20 days)
- OKC has held 1st in the West since Nov. 25 (3 months, 25 days)
But they always had each other to measure themselves against. From their two head-to-head matchups in January (which they split) to being the first to 40 and 50 wins, the first to clinch a Playoff berth and the first to clinch the top seed in their conference.
One race that is still in play: which team will finish with the top record in the NBA and have home-court advantage throughout the Playoffs.
After Friday night, the Thunder have a two-game lead on the Cavs as they moved within two wins of their first 60-win season in OKC history.
Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images
Thunder 141, Hornets 106: After missing Wednesday’s win over Philadelphia, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned and picked up right where he left off – posting his league-leading 44th 30+ point game in just 29 minutes to lead OKC to its 58th win of the season. | Recap
- Streak Continues: SGA became the 5th player in NBA history with at least 63 straight 20+ point games – joining Wilt Chamberlain (80 games in both 1961-62, 1963-64), Oscar Robertson (76 in 1963-64), Michael Jordan (69 in 1990-91) and Kevin Durant (64 in 2015-16)
- Chasing History: The Thunder are two wins shy of matching the 2012-13 team for the most wins in a season in the OKC-era (60). They are six wins shy of matching the franchise record of 64 set by the 1995-96 Sonics
- The 16th Man: OKC routinely has fun with reporter Nick Gallo as the entire team gathers around for postgame interviews. On Friday, rather than being draped in towels, the Thunder put Gallo in a Thunder warmup and jersey
Chris Coduto/Getty Images
Suns 132, Cavs 112: The Cavs had no answers for Kevin Durant on Friday night. KD (42 pts, 17-29 FG, 4 3pm, 6 reb, 8 ast) had his 2nd-best scoring game of the season to lead the Suns to their 3rd straight win, while handing the Cavs their first four-game skid of the season. | Recap
- KD Passes KG: Durant (10,508) passed Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett for 13th all-time in field goals made
- Still Seeking 57th Win: The Cavs remain stuck at 56 wins, with their next two chances coming against the Jazz (Sunday) and Blazers (Tuesday) as they close a five-game road trip
- Postseason Race (CLE ↔️): The Cavs remain 1st in the East with the loss, but see their lead over the 2nd-place Celtics cut to 5.0 games
- Postseason Race (PHX ↔️): The Suns remain 10th in the West with the win, owning the tiebreaker with the 11th-place Mavs, with both teams 2.0 games back of the 9th-place Kings
3. WEST ROUNDUP: WOLVES REBOUND WITH INGLES FAM IN HOUSE, BLAZERS STAY HOT, MAVS END SKID
Wolves 134, Pelicans 93: Julius Randle (20 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast) led seven Timberwolves in double figures, including Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels with 17 points each, as Minnesota snapped its two-game skid with its largest win of the season (+41). | Recap
- Must-See Moment: Joe Ingles’ wife, Renae, and their three kids were in attendance. Last Sunday, their son Jacob, who is autistic, made it through his first-ever NBA game in-arena. But Joe didn’t play…
- On Friday, Wolves coach Chris Finch started Ingles to make sure Jacob could see his dad play
- Finch On The Decision: “Sometimes, you gotta do the human thing.”
- Ingles On Playing In Front Of His Family: “It’s obviously cool …. to have them here for 10 days and get to play in front of them. And Jacob getting two games in a row now [where] he’s stayed [the full game], so hopefully I’ll have to play a little longer.”
- Postseason Race (MIN ↔️): The Wolves remain 8th in the West with the win, trailing the 7th-place Clippers by .002 in win percentage. Both teams are 1.0 games back of the 6th-place Warriors
Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images
Blazers 128, Nuggets 109: Deni Avdija (36 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast) posted back-to-back 30+ point games for the 1st time in his career to lead the Blazers past the Nuggets for their 4th straight win. Shaedon Sharpe added 23 points for Portland, which closed the game on a 24-13 run. | Recap
- No Joke: Aaron Gordon had 23 points to lead the Nuggets, who fell to 3-6 without Nikola Jokić this season
- Postseason Race (DEN ⬇️, LAL ⬆️): The Nuggets drop to 4th in the West with the loss, trailing the 3rd-place Lakers by .003 in win percentage. Both teams are 2.0 games back of the 2nd-place Rockets and 1.0 games up on the 5th-place Grizzlies
- Postseason Race (POR ↔️): The Blazers remain 12th in the West with the win, holding at 2.0 games back of the 10th- and 11th-place Suns and Mavs
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Mavs 123, Pistons 117: Spencer Dinwiddie (31 pts, 7 ast) and P.J. Washington (27 pts, 4 blk) combined for 58 points to lead Dallas past Cade Cunningham (35 pts) and Detroit to snap a four-game skid. | Recap
- Postseason Race (DAL ↔️): The Mavs remain 11th in the West with the win, losing the tiebreaker to the 10th-place Suns. Both teams are 2.0 games back of the 9th-place Kings
- Postseason Race (DET ↔️): The Pistons remain 6th in the East with the loss, 1.0 games back of the 5th-place Bucks and 2.0 back of the 4th-place Pacers
4. EAST ROUNDUP: PORZIŅĠIS, PAOLO SHINE ON FRIDAY
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Celtics 121, Jazz 99: Kristaps Porziņģis (27 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast) and Jayson Tatum (26 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast) combined for 53 points to lead the Celtics to their 4th straight win. | Recap
- Quick Work: Porziņģis became the 3rd player in NBA history to post a 25-10-5 game in 25 minutes or less, joining Blake Griffin (2014) and Fat Lever (1990)
- Postseason Race (BOS ↔️): The Celtics remain 2nd in the East with the win, but pull within 5.0 games of the 1st-place Cavs. The last time Boston was within five games of Cleveland was Feb. 5
Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Magic 120, Wizards 105: Paolo Banchero posted his 30th career 30+ point game as he and Franz Wagner combined for 51 points to lead the Magic to the win. Jordan Poole surpassed 200 3s in a season for the 3rd time in his career and 1st time with the Wizards. | Recap
- Postseason Race (ORL ↔️): The Magic remain 8th in the East with the win, coming within 1.0 games of the 7th-place Hawks and 2.5 games up on the 9th-place Bulls
Spurs 128, Sixers 120: Kia Rookie Ladder leader Stephon Castle scored 17 points and dished out a career-best 14 dimes to help seven Spurs score in double figures and hold off a late push by Quentin Grimes (25 pts, 10 ast) and the Sixers. | Recap
5. SATURDAY PREVIEW: WARRIORS TRY TO KEEP COOKIN’ WITHOUT CHEF CURRY
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With Stephen Curry sidelined due to a pelvic contusion, the Warriors will look to Jimmy Butler III to step up and hold it down in his absence when the team takes on the Hawks (7 ET, NBA TV).
One good thing for Golden State? Butler’s made a career of thriving in the spotlight. In Thursday’s win over the Raptors, he showed off his leadership yet again, delivering his second triple-double as a Warrior (16 pts, 11 reb, 12 ast).
The Warriors’ game plan will now center on the partnership between Butler and Draymond Green, who form a menacing defensive tag-team.
- Jimmy & Dray: Since Buckets got to Golden State on Feb. 7, the Butler-Green duo has a 104.9 DefRtg, third-best among two-man lineups with at least 400 minutes
- X-Factor: The Dubs will also look to Jonathan Kuminga, who has averaged 20.6 pts on 49.6/41.9 shooting splits in eight games without Steph this season
On the other side, Trae Young and the Hawks are looking to strengthen their hold on the 7th spot in the East Play-In.
- Atlanta has been tenacious on defense, ranked 3rd in deflections and 7th in drawn charges, with a lot of credit going to Dyson Daniels
- The Great Barrier Thief: Daniels has pocketed a league-high 194 steals in 64 games. The last player to reach 200 steals within their first 66 games of a season was Alvin Robertson in 1991
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Four more games tip off tonight, including both the 4th-place Pacers and 5th-place Bucks in action as the two teams battle for Playoff positioning in what could be an East first round rematch.
- Bucks at Kings (10 ET, NBA TV): Milwaukee visits Sacramento for the third stop of their five-game West Coast trip, as they look to inch closer to the Pacers for 4th
- Nets at Pacers (5 ET, League Pass): Brooklyn and Indiana will run it back after Thursday’s OT thriller. The Pacers were led by Bennedict Mathurin in the win, who scored 17 of his 28 points in the 4th and overtime
- Wizards at Knicks (8 ET, League Pass): The 3rd-place Knicks will look to end a two-game losing streak as they take on the Wizards, who look to snap their eight-game losing streak to New York dating back to Feb. 2023
- Bulls at Lakers (10:30 ET, League Pass): The Bulls look to continue their climb in the Play-In standings as they arrive in L.A. for their 5th game in a six-game West trip
