A big win streak in the Big Apple – and the Knicks aren’t alone.
With just 22 days until postseason hoops, a slew of the league’s top teams are streaking. Catch up on what’s trending in today’s edition ⬇️
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Sunday’s Best: Knicks extend streak to 6, Wolves stop surging Celtics on NBC’s Sunday Night Basketball
Roundup: Jokić triple-doubles again, Suns snap skid, Kings edge Nets
What’s Trending – Wild West: Win streaks, scorching superstars and a stacked Playoff sprint
What’s Trending – East Heat: Six teams separated by 2.5 games & more contenders clicking
What’s Next: Spurs-Heat, Dubs-Mavs tonight on Peacock, and more key games this week
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Ten games tip off tonight, headlined by a Peacock doubleheader as the Spurs visit the Heat (7 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Mavs host the Warriors (9:30 ET | Tap to Watch).
League Pass delivers eight matchups, including the Lakers seeking a 10th straight win as they visit the East-best Pistons (7 ET | Tap to Watch).
Playoff Picture: The SoFi Play-In Tournament is just 22 days away. See what the postseason bracket would look like if it started today, and check out more key dates below:
- April 12: Regular season ends (All 30 teams play)
- April 14-17: SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament
- April 18: NBA Playoffs begin
1. SUNDAY’S BEST: KNICKS STAY HOT, WOLVES COOL CELTICS ON SNB
With the Playoffs on the horizon, the Knicks are heating up – and gaining on the 2nd-place Celtics.
Knicks 145, Wizards 113: Karl-Anthony Towns was a force (26 pts, 16 reb), while Jalen Brunson (23 pts, 4 ast) and Josh Hart (16 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast) combined for 39 as New York never trailed, topping Washington for its sixth win in a row. | Recap
- KAT Hits 50: It’s Towns’ league-leading 50th double-double of the season, marking his sixth season hitting the half-century mark
- Defensive Evolution: The Knicks are an East-best 22-7 since Jan. 20, owning the league’s top DefRtg in that span
- Built On Stops: Amid the win streak, they’ve held their opponents to an NBA-best 105.2 ppg
- Everything Clicking: Tyler Kolek scored 11 in the 4th on 4-of-4 shooting after dropping 42 points and 11 dimes earlier in the day for the Westchester Knicks, New York’s G League team
- Record Doubleheader: He’s the first player to score 50+ combined points in appearances across the G League and NBA in one day
The Celtics entered NBC’s Sunday Night Basketball seeking a fifth straight win.
Instead, it was the shorthanded Wolves who picked up a key dub – tightening the Playoff race in each conference.
Wolves 102, Celtics 92: With Anthony Edwards sidelined (knee), Bones Hyland (23 pts) and Jaden McDaniels (19 pts, 6 reb) led a balanced scoring attack, while Minnesota’s defense locked down, holding Boston to its 4th-fewest points this season to secure the W. | Recap
- Closing Clamps: Minnesota outscored Boston 26-15 in the 4th, improving to 3-1 in Edwards’ absence
- Wild West: Sitting in 6th, the Wolves are now 44-28, the same record as 5th-place Denver and trailing 4th-place Houston (43-27) by tiebreaker
- East Chase: Jaylen Brown (29 pts) led Boston, which is now just a half-game ahead of New York for 2nd in the East, a spot the Celtics have held since Jan. 15
2. ROUNDUP: JOKIĆ LIFTS NUGGETS, SUNS END SKID, KINGS WIN
As the Wolves stepped up without their superstar, the Nuggets’ lead maestro put on a show.
Nuggets 128, Blazers 112: Jokić dazzled with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists, while Jamal Murray added 22 points and 7 dimes, guiding Denver to a wire-to-wire win over Deni Avdija (23 pts, 6 reb, 14 ast) and the Blazers. | Recap
- Denver Depth: Seven Nuggets scored in double figures, including Peyton Watson (14 pts) in his first game since Feb. 4 (hamstring)
- Class Of His Own: It’s Jokić’s 28th triple-double of the season, 15 more than the next-closest player (Jalen Johnson: 13)
- Record Pace: Averaging 28 pts, 12.6 reb and 10.6 ast, Jokić is on pace to join Wilt Chamberlain (1967-68) as the only players to lead the league in rebounds and assists per game in the same season
- Points In Bunches: With Joker orchestrating, Denver paces the NBA in scoring (120.8 ppg) and 3-point percentage (39.2%)
Suns 120, Raptors 98: Devin Booker (25 pts, 6 ast) and Jalen Green (20 pts, 7 ast) were in full control, as the Suns outpaced Scottie Barnes (17 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast) and the Raptors to snap a five-game slide. | Recap
Kings 126, Nets 122: Malik Monk scored 12 of his game-high 32 points in the 4th, where Sacramento outscored Brooklyn 41-40 to secure the win. Monk splashed seven 3s, while Kings rookie Maxime Raynaud added a double-double (22 pts, 10 reb). | Recap
3. WHAT’S TRENDING – WILD WEST: WIN STREAKS & SCORCHING STARS
The top three teams in the West – the Thunder, Spurs and Lakers – are all riding 5+ game win streaks, each led by three sizzling superstars: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama and Luka Dončić.
Thunder Rolling: At an NBA-best 56-15, OKC has won 11-straight, powered by the reigning Kia MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who sits atop Shaun Powell’s current Kia MVP Ladder.
- SGA Cooking: Shai’s NBA-record 20-point streak has reached 131 straight games, scoring 40 in two of OKC’s last three outings
- OKC Clamping: Defensively, the defending champs continue to impose their will, leading the league in DefRtg, opponent FG% and points off turnovers
- All-Star Boost? Per reports, tonight could see Jalen Williams return to the lineup, after JDub’s been out since Feb. 11 with a hamstring injury
Spurs Surging: Three games back of OKC sits San Antonio, winners of five straight, with an NBA-best 21-2 record since Feb. 1.
- Fueling The Fire? Wembanyama, who is 10-0 in his last 10 games, averaging 26.8 pts, 10.6 reb and 3.6 blk in that span
- Playoff Clincher: That includes Wemby’s walk-off winner on Thursday to punch San Antonio’s first Playoff ticket since 2019
- “He’s been phenomenal,” said Keldon Johnson of Wemby after the win. “He’s playing at an MVP-type level. It’s hard to deny what he’s doing on both ends of the court.”
Lake Show Streaking: Right above Wemby (No. 3) on the Kia MVP Ladder stands Dončić, who has fueled the 3rd-place Lakers’ nine-game heater with an all-time scoring tear.
Meanwhile, LeBron James continues to summit all-time lists.
- Luka & Wilt Only: Dončić is posting an absurd 40 pts, 8.4 reb and 7.4 ast amid the Lakers’ win streak, joining Chamberlain as the only players to ever average 40+ ppg amid a 9-0 run
- Games Played King: LeBron has shined on both ends during the streak (19 pts, 7.3 reb, 5.5 ast, 1.7 stl), capped by his 1,612th game on Saturday to pass Robert Parish for the most games played
- Saturday’s Cherry On Top? A Luke Kennard game-winner in the final second to beat Orlando, moving Los Angeles to an NBA-best 22-6 in clutch games this season
Special Saturday: That wasn’t the only game-winner on Saturday – and LeBron wasn’t the only superstar to hit a legendary milestone. Kevin Durant passed Michael Jordan for 5th on the all-time scoring list, before Amen Thompson beat the buzzer to top Miami.
- “MJ is in a world of his own,” said Durant on the achievement. “It’s kind of crazy passing him up, because he meant so much to the game … but I want to keep it going.”
- Stacked Race: Houston (43-27) sits 4th in the West, in a virtual tie with Denver and Minnesota (both 44-28)
- Play-In Push: The 8th-place Clippers keep climbing, sitting 4 GB of 7th-place Phoenix behind Kawhi Leonard’s career-high 28.3 ppg
- Steph Spark? In 10th sits Golden State, which could receive a big boost as Steph Curry – who has missed the last 21 games (knee) – plans to begin participating in full team practices in the coming days
4. WHAT’S TRENDING – EAST HEAT & A JAM-PACKED POSTSEASON PUSH
The top of the East is also heating up, with three of its top four teams – Detroit (1st), New York (3rd) and Cleveland (4th) – riding win streaks.
Detroit Answers: After losing Cade Cunningham to a collapsed lung on Tuesday, the East-leading Pistons have won three straight, on the strength of their All-Star big and relentless defense.
- Duren Delivering: Jalen Duren is averaging 27.7 pts and 9.3 reb since Cunningham went down, including a career-high 36 points on Tuesday to beat Washington
- Defense Driving: While Cade is out for at least two weeks, Detroit can still lean on its defense to generate opportunity, leading the league in caused turnovers (17.1), steals (10.5) and blocks (6.3)
- Rare Disruption: That disruption hasn’t been seen in more than three decades, as no team has averaged 10+ steals and 6+ blocks in the same season since 1991-92
- Winning Results: Detroit (51-19) is off to its 4th-best 70-game start in franchise history, trailing only its 2005-06 (made East Finals) and 1988-89 & ‘89-90 teams (both won NBA titles)
- Streaks Collide: Tonight, the Pistons host the Lakers on League Pass (7 ET)
Heating Up: While Boston and New York jockey for position in 2nd and 3rd, another team is right on their tails: Cleveland.
- Cavs Clicking: Capped by a 15-point comeback in the final 10:13 on Saturday, the Cavs have won three straight, moving just 2.5 GB of the 3rd-place Knicks
- Dynamic Duo: The Cavs are 13-4 with James Harden in the lineup, while Donovan Mitchell continues to shine late, leading the league in total 4Q points with 477 – 66 more than the next closest player
An Even Closer Chase: Behind Cleveland, six teams – from the 5th-place Raptors to the 10th-place Hornets – are separated by just 2.5 games.
- Hawks Soaring: The hottest of the six squads is Atlanta (39-32), which is 12-1 in its last 13 to move a half-game back of Toronto
- Flying High: Nickeil Alexander-Walker has posted 21.9 ppg amid that run, while Jalen Johnson continues his elite all-around season (22.7 pts, 10.4 reb, 8 ast), joining Nikola Jokić as the only players averaging at least 22/10/8
- Philly Fighting: Also 39-32 are the Sixers, who have won four of their last five despite being without Tyrese Maxey (finger)
- Next Man Up: Quentin Grimes is scoring a team-high 23 ppg in that span, while rookie VJ Edgecombe has stuffed the stat sheet (19.4 pts, 7.2 reb, 5.6 ast)
- Back Buzzing: Don’t forget about Charlotte, which is 5-1 in its last six, with LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller powering the league’s top OffRtg since Jan. 1
5. SPURS-HEAT, WARRIORS-MAVS TONIGHT ON PEACOCK, AND WHAT’S NEXT
Victor Wembanyama’s game-winner on Thursday didn’t just secure the Spurs a Playoff berth – it put their rapid rise into full perspective.
In 2023-24, Wemby’s rookie season, the Spurs went 22-60. Last season, they eclipsed that total in early February, just before Wemby was lost for the season due to deep vein thrombosis.
Now, they’re 53-18 – their first 50+ win season since 2016-17, with more on the table.
- “The first instinct is to be proud of it and to love it because you’re part of it,” said Wembanyama of the postseason berth. “But the key for me is to try to not care… I’m scared to become complacent.”
Tonight on Peacock (7 ET), Wemby’s Spurs visit the Heat, seeking their sixth straight win to keep pressure on the Thunder. And like OKC, San Antonio’s success runs deeper than its superstar.
- Balanced Buckets: Amid their 21-2 run, the Spurs have seven players averaging 10+ ppg, led by Wemby (24.6) and guards De’Aaron Fox (17.3) and Stephon Castle (16.3)
- Balanced Winning: That’s led to the league’s top OffRtg in that span, while San Antonio ranks 5th in DefRtg, resulting in an NBA-best +12.3 point differential amid its 21-2 stretch
- Offensive Heat: Bam Adebayo and Miami have also found another level, leading the league in scoring since the All-Star break (123 ppg)
Out West, the Warriors take on the Mavericks (9:30 ET, Peacock). It’s an opportunity for 10th-place Golden State to close the gap on Portland, which holds a 1.5-game lead for 9th.
- Golden Luster: De’Anthony Melton has averaged 17.6 ppg across his last seven starts, pitching in offensively with Steph Curry out
- Raise The Flagg: For Dallas, Cooper Flagg is on pace to be the youngest player in league history to lead his team in total points, rebounds and assists in a season
What’s Next: More marquee national games take center stage this week, with postseason position on the line:
Tuesday On NBC: The 8th-place Magic face the Cavs (8 ET), before the Nuggets visit the Suns in a pivotal West clash (8 PT).
Wednesday On ESPN: The surging Hawks take on the Pistons (7 ET), followed by Rockets-Wolves (9:30 ET).
Thursday On NBA TV: The streaking Knicks meet another rising East squad in the Hornets (7 ET).
Friday On NBA TV: Adebayo and the Heat face the Cavs (7:30 ET) before the Mavs visit the Blazers (10 ET).
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