A Hollywood classic and a Luka Magic-filled finish.
Up Next For The Red-Hot Lakers? A trip to Boston for a Saturday ABC showdown (8:30 ET).
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
March 7, 2025
Thursday Thrillers: Lakers rally for 8th straight win in OT battle, Steph drops 40 and splashes from where?!
Roundup: Tatum takes over, Amen soars, Trae cooks and Coby posts a career high
ESPN Doubleheader: West contenders & explosive offenses take the national stage
Best Of The Best: The Cavs seek a historic 13th straight win, while Shai aims to stay hot
Fox Returns To Sacramento: De’Aaron Fox faces his former team for the first time
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Weekend, here we come…
Tonight On ESPN: In a pair of West duels, the Mavs host Ja Morant and the Grizzlies (7:30 ET), before KD, Devin Booker and the Suns visit Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets (10 ET).
An Iconic ABC Clash: On Saturday, two of the game’s greatest rivals meet at TD Garden as the defending champion Celtics host LeBron, Luka and the surging Lakers in a can’t-miss matchup (8:30 ET, ABC).
1. COAST-TO-COAST CLASSICS: LAKERS EDGE KNICKS IN OT, STEPH SHINES IN BKN
Two top-five records. Two top-three clutch teams. Two historic franchises. One epic duel.
Lakers 113, Knicks 109 (OT): Down 10 with 6:57 left, LeBron James (31 pts, 12 reb, 8 ast) and Luka Dončić (32 pts, 7 reb, 12 ast, 4 stl) ignited a 19-9 Lakers run to force OT, where they powered L.A. past New York to claim a thrilling back-and-forth battle in a Playoff-like atmosphere. | Recap | Watch The OT Ending
- Lakers’ Rally: LeBron & Luka scored or assisted on 20 of the Lakers’ 23 points in the 4th, where James hit a huge 3 with 1:51 left that tied the game for the first time since the 1st quarter
- Knicks Response: After a Gabe Vincent triple gave L.A. the lead, Jalen Brunson pulled New York back even with a game-tying and-1 with 46 ticks left, leading to extra hoops
Then, Luka Magic: On back-to-back buckets, Dončić opened OT with a tough fadeaway before energizing the Lakers’ home crowd with a high-arching 3 to put the Lakers up five – a lead they never relinquished to secure their eighth win in a row.
- “I like those moments,” said Luka on delivering in OT. “Keep my team up, and we play great defense. That’s how we gotta win.”
Leading the league in DefRtg during their current 19-4 run, L.A. held New York to 49 points after halftime, notching another statement victory – and another LeBron milestone.
- Beating The Best: It’s the Knicks’ first clutch loss in 11 such games and the Lakers’ 10th straight win against teams entering the night above .500
- Good Company: That’s the Lakers’ longest single-season streak since 1999-2000, when they won the NBA title
- Fit For A King: It also marked LeBron’s 1,002nd career victory, passing Tim Duncan for 3rd all-time
- Brunson’s Late Exit: Brunson finished with 39 points and 10 assists but left the game with 1:20 left in OT after suffering an apparent ankle injury
When it comes to Steph Curry, what’s a show without an encore?
Warriors 121, Nets 119: Seven days after doing this on his way to 56 points in Orlando, Steph beat the 1st-half buzzer from distance again – this time, splashing a ridiculous turnaround J from the logo to spark yet another outburst and a dash of déjà vu. | Recap
- Another Spark: After rallying from 17 points down in Orlando, Curry’s hot hand ignited another comeback, cutting an early 22-point deficit to five at the break – capped by his 38-footer
- Another Flurry: Curry took over in the final two quarters, dropping 24 points en route to 40, marking his eighth 20+ point half since Feb. 1
- Another ‘Night, Night’: The dagger? His seventh 3 of the game with 1:01 left, putting Golden State up 10 and Brooklyn to bed
- Another Dub: It’s the Warriors’ eighth win in nine games, and they’re now 10-1 with Jimmy Butler in the lineup (25 pts, 6 ast)
2. ROUNDUP: C’S ROLL, ROCKETS REBOUND & AN EAST PLAY-IN SHAKEUP
Celtics 123, 76ers 105: Jayson Tatum only needed three quarters to notch 35 points, 7 boards and 3 steals, as the C’s outpaced the Sixers from start to finish for their third straight win following back-to-back losses. | Recap
- Eyes On Saturday: After the win, Tatum was already thinking about what’s next: “ABC. Celtics-Lakers, it’s what the fans want to see.”
Rockets 109, Pelicans 97: Amen Thompson (21 pts, 11 reb, 1 double-clutch jam) and Alperen Sengun (22 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast) shined as the Rockets pulled away from the Pels in the 2nd half to halt a three-game slide. | Recap
Bulls 125, Magic 123: The highest scorer of the night? Coby White, who popped off for a career-high 44 points on seven treys to edge out Paolo Banchero (20 pts, 9 reb) and the Magic in clutch time, handing Orlando its fifth straight loss. | Recap
Hawks 124, Pacers 118: With Tyrese Haliburton out (hip), Pascal Siakam stepped up (35 pts, 9 reb), but it wasn’t enough to top the Hawks, as Trae Young posted 20 points and 16 dimes to facilitate a key Atlanta dub. | Recap
- Fire & Ice: Young leads the league with 38 double-doubles of points & assists, and Atlanta jumped Orlando for the No. 8 spot in the East with the win
3. TONIGHT ON ESPN: ELITE OFFENSES & WEST CONTENDERS TAKE CENTER STAGE
The 3rd-place Nuggets & 4th-place Grizzlies aren’t just neighbors in the West standings – they’re also side by side in scoring, boasting two of the most unique offenses in the NBA.
Tonight, they’ll each take center stage on ESPN, searching for wins in the heart of a wild West race.
Grizzlies Visit Mavs (7:30 ET): After averaging a league-low 105.8 ppg last season, Memphis has surged to second in scoring at 123.0 ppg, marking a 17.2 point increase – on pace for the greatest one-year leap since 1954-55.
The Key? An unconventional offensive overhaul that’s seen the Grizz tally the lowest pick-and-roll frequency (9.3% of possessions) since the NBA began tracking such data in 2015-16.
- “It seems complex, but to us, it’s very simple,” said Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins on Memphis’ new offense. “’How do we create our advantages?’ Speed of play, movement of play and just identifying where the space is…
- “Because if you can take that space, the defense naturally has to react, and when they do, then we know where the other space is.”
In place of traditional pick-and-roll action, Memphis runs an unorthodox ‘wheel-like’ offense, with the ball-handler attacking space while off-ball players relocate to exploit seams created by defensive rotations.
Unscripted, Memphis’ attack is unpredictable. But it’s also unrelenting, as it’s one of just three teams with 10 players averaging 18+ minutes per game over 30+ outings this season.
- Deep Den: With fresh legs, the Grizzlies generate more movement than any team – and they do it at the fastest rate – leading the league in total distance traveled and speed
- The Final Product: The Grizzlies rank first in drives, spot-up ppg and pace, helping fuel one of the greatest offensive turnarounds the NBA has ever seen
Nuggets Host Suns (10 ET): Right behind Memphis in scoring? Denver (121.0 ppg), which also thrives on motion – beginning with the brilliance of Nikola Jokić.
- Class Of His Own: Jokić leads the NBA with 28 triple-doubles this season – two more than the next three closest players combined (LeBron James 10, Cade Cunningham 8, Domantas Sabonis 8)
- Even Wilder? If Jokić didn’t play a single 4th quarter, he’d still lead the league in triple-doubles, as he’s recorded 18 within the first three quarters of a game
- “We are witnessing history every single night,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone in February on Jokić. “What’s most rewarding about it is he doesn’t want or care to get any credit.”
Major Impact: Jokić has scored or assisted on 39.6% of Denver’s points this season, orchestrating offense from the elbow, where the Nuggets’ motion revolves around his playmaking genius.
- Elbow-Centric: Denver leads the league in elbow touches this season, where Jokić has scored 347 points – 100+ more than the next closest player – on 63.3% shooting
- Pick Your Poison: When Jokić gets to his sweet spot, Denver spaces the floor, forcing defenders into long rotations and opening lanes for cuts, with 28.6% of his elbow touches resulting in assists
- The Final Product: Denver leads the league in points off elbow touches (11.3 ppg), points off cuts (16.0), and points in the paint (59.1)
4. LEAGUE PASS SPOTLIGHT:
NO. 1 TEAMS CAVS, THUNDER HEADLINE SLATE
The Cavaliers, fresh off becoming the first team to clinch a Playoff spot, will look to stay hot as they face the Hornets on League Pass (7 ET).
- History: Cleveland is looking to become the 11th team in NBA history with two 13+ win streaks in a single season
- With a win, they’d become only the fourth team since 2000 to achieve the feat, joining the 2006-07 Mavericks and Suns and the 2017-18 Rockets
- Believeland: Cleveland earned their Playoff spot in dramatic fashion with a 112-107 win over the Heat on Wednesday, giving them 20 clutch wins on the season
- Mr. Clutch: Darius Garland has continued to shine when it matters most, leading the team with 79 total clutch points (11th) on 59.5 FG% and 61.5% from 3 – the best clutch shooting percentages in the league (min. 30 clutch FGA).
Thunder vs. Blazers (8:00 ET): The only other 50+ win team this season, OKC will look to keep its momentum going, led by the scoring heroics of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
SGA, who is leading the NBA scoring title race, is coming off a span of games that included a 51-point explosion against the Rockets and a 41-point outing against the Grizzlies on Wednesday.
The star is continuing to rewrite the history books with his scoring this season:
- 40th 30-Ball: Shai is looking to score his 40th 30+ point game of the season
- Elite Company: He can join Michael Jordan and Bob McAdoo as the only players since 1970 with three-straight 40+ games with 30+ points in season
- 20-Piece Streak: He is also going for 58-straight 20+ point games, the longest since Kevin Durant’s 2015-16 season campaign
- Another Level: SGA is the only player to score 50+ points more than once this season, with four in total
Shai On His Scoring Flow State: “Getting lost in the process of just competing and playing the game you love, and wherever that takes you takes you.”
5. MORE ON LEAGUE PASS: FOX RETURNS TO SACRAMENTO
Only one player in Kings history ranks in the top five in franchise points, assists and steals – De’Aaron Fox.
In 2017, Sacramento selected Fox with the fifth overall pick in the NBA Draft. He soon blossomed into a star, leading the Kings in scoring for five straight seasons between 2019-20 and 2023-24 before being traded to the Spurs on Feb. 3.
Tonight (10 ET, LP), Fox returns to the Golden 1 Center for the first time as a visitor, as Sacramento hosts San Antonio.
In his 7+ seasons donning Purple & Black, Fox built a royal Kings’ resume, ranking in the top five in each of the following categories:
- 4th in Points: 11,064
- 4th in Assists: 3,146
- 2nd in Steals: 731
- 5th in FGM: 4,085
- 4th in 3PM: 789
And in big moments, Fox delivered, hitting five game-winning shots in the final 10 seconds during his time with Sacramento, culminating in him earning the inaugural Kia Clutch Player of the Year in 2022-23.
- That season, Fox averaged 25.0 ppg on a career-high 51.2% shooting, leading the Kings to 48 wins to end their 17-year Playoff drought – the longest in NBA history
This season with San Antonio, Fox’s role has shifted from primary scorer to all-around playmaker, with his scoring and usage rate down, and his assists and steals up.
Three more games tip off tonight on League Pass, capped by the Clips hosting the Knicks (10:30 ET), fresh off James Harden’s 50-ball on Wednesday.
In another interconference clash, Anthony Edwards and the Wolves aim for their fourth straight win when they visit the Heat, (8 ET), while the Raptors host the Jazz (7:30 ET).
