Starting 5: Nuggets storm back for 9th straight W, Spurs hit win No. 60, Knicks edge Hawks

---

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

April 7, 2026

West Wins: Nuggets rally to edge Blazers in OT, Spurs hit 60 wins as Wemby (ribs) exits

East Heat: Brunson lifts Knicks past Hawks in thriller, Cavs keep pace, Magic beat Pistons

Hornets at Celtics: Two of the league’s hottest squads collide on NBC, fueled by elite 3-point attacks

Rockets at Suns: Houston seeks a 7th straight win in a matchup of discipline vs. disruption

Power Rankings: A breakdown of Schuhmann’s top-5 teams entering the regular season’s final week

---

BUT FIRST … ⏰

From Beantown to the Valley…

NBC’s Coast 2 Coast Tuesday headlines a 10-game slate, as the Celtics host the Hornets (8 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Rockets visit the Suns (8 PT | Tap to Watch).

Postseason Countdown: The SoFi Play-In Tournament is exactly one week away (Tuesday, April 14). See the current Playoff Picture here.

---

1. WEST WINS: NUGGETS RALLY TO EXTEND STREAK, SPURS HIT 60 WINS

Down 16 with eight minutes to play, in a West race with no room to slip, Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets pulled out a late ace to make it nine straight.

Nuggets 137, Blazers 132: Trailing 115-99, Jokić (35 pts, 14 reb, 13 ast, 5 stl) sparked a 26-10 closing run to force OT, where – surprise, surprise – he and Jamal Murray took over.

Jokić first found Aaron Gordon for a go-ahead 3, before Murray scored 7 straight points to seize control – followed by a Jokić dagger layup with 1:26 left, edging Portland to extend Denver’s win streak to nine. | Recap

• Standing Alone: It’s Jokić’s second career game with 35+ pts, 10+ reb, 10+ ast and 5+ stl – the most by any player since steals were first tracked in 1973-74
• Triple-Double Tear: He now has an NBA-best 33 triple-doubles on the year, including six amid Denver’s 9-0 run. That recent run itself would tie him for the 5th-most by any player this season

Winning Player: Jokić isn’t just putting up absurd numbers – he’s deciding games. With Playoff position and home-court advantage on the line, he’s powered Denver from 6th to 3rd in the West during the streak.

That’s punctuated by a Saturday game-winner to beat the Spurs and another clutch takeover last night.

• Winning Plays: Jokić scored or assisted on 17 of Denver’s final 24 points in the 4th to force OT, where he and Murray single-handedly outscored Portland
• Winning Support: Murray finished with 20 points and 7 dimes, while Gordon (23 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast) hit a game-tying and go-ahead jumper in the final minute of regulation
• ⬆️ Winning Results: It’s Denver’s largest 4th-quarter comeback this season, which pushed it past the Lakers for 3rd – a spot it hasn’t held since Feb. 22

In 2023-24, Victor Wembanyama’s rookie season, the Spurs lost 60 games.

Two years later, they have 60 wins – and counting.

Spurs 115, 76ers 102: Wemby tallied 17 points, 5 boards and 3 blocks in the 1st half before exiting with a rib contusion, but San Antonio held on thanks to Stephon Castle (19 pts, 10 reb, 13 ast) and a complete team effort, outlasting Philly despite Joel Embiid’s big night (34 pts, 12 reb, 4 blk). | Recap

• Back To 60: The win moves the Spurs to 60-19, marking their first 60+ win season since 2016-17 and their seventh since 2000-01 – the most in the NBA
• Straight Scorching: They’re a league-best 28-3 since Feb. 1, ranking 2nd in DefRtg and 1st in both OffRtg and NetRtg over that span
• Spurs Ball: While Wemby has starred amid the run (25.6 pts, 11.9 reb, 3.6 blk), San Antonio’s gotten contributions across the board, with Castle (17 pts, 7.8 ast) leading six other players averaging double-figures
• Stepping Up: That showed up last night, as 11 Spurs scored, with six in double-digits
• Chase For 1: San Antonio now sits 2.5 GB of OKC – the only other 60-win team – for the West’s top seed

---

2. EAST HEAT: KNICKS TOP HAWKS IN THRILLER, CAVS & MAGIC WIN AGAIN

Contenders trading blows. Jalen Brunson coming up clutch. A breathtaking finish… yup, spring basketball is here.

Knicks 108, Hawks 105: In a game featuring eight ties and 11 lead changes, Brunson (30 pts, 13 ast) scored 17 in the 4th, hitting a go-ahead jumper with 30 ticks left, then pushing New York ahead by three with 1 second to play.

Then, CJ McCollum banked in a remarkable halfcourt heave to seemingly force OT, but replay showed his fingertips just barely on the ball as the buzzer sounded, sealing a wild Knicks win. | Recap

• NAW & JB Duel: Nickeil Alexander-Walker (36 pts, 7 3s) shined for Atlanta, trading buckets with Brunson, who scored 12 straight in the 4th to give New York control
• Core Contributions: Karl-Anthony Towns (21 pts, 12 reb, 6 ast) and OG Anunoby (22 pts) also delivered, handing Atlanta just its third loss in 21 games
• “They kept fighting, they put us on our heels,” said Brunson. “But we came back every time with an answer and found a way to win.”
• Heating Up: It’s New York’s third straight win as it maintains a one-game lead over Cleveland for 3rd

New York’s rolling, but the Cavs are streaking in lockstep.

Cavaliers 142, Grizzlies 126: Memphis splashed 29 3s (yes, twenty-nine) – tied for the NBA single-game record – but the Cavs were too much, as Evan Mobley (24 pts, 6 reb) and Dennis Schröder (22 pts, 11 ast) led nine double-digit scorers for Cleveland’s third win in a row. | Recap

Also winners of three straight? The Magic.

Magic 123, Pistons 107: Paolo Banchero dropped 31, Desmond Bane added 25 and Jalen Suggs did it all (12 pts, 12 ast, 6 reb, 3 stl) as Orlando staved off Jalen Duren (18 pts, 9 reb) and East-leading Detroit for a key win in a jam-packed postseason push. | Recap

• East Chaos: Orlando (9th), Charlotte (8th) and Philly (7th) are now all 43-36, sitting a half-game back of Toronto, which jumped to 6th after the Sixers’ loss

---

3. COAST 2 COAST TUESDAY: SURGING CELTICS & HORNETS COLLIDE

It was early summer, July 2, 2025, and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had his team – and the noise around it – on his mind.

• “It was my birthday,” Derrick White recalled on The Old Man and The Three podcast. “And he calls me, and he’s like ‘Happy birthday, man … everybody thinks we’re going to suck. I love it,’ and then he hangs up.”

In the 2025-26 NBA GM Survey, the Celtics finished 8th in the projected East standings. They’ve held 2nd since Jan. 15.

And they’re not the only team rewriting the script.

While the C’s have defied preseason expectations, the Hornets have flipped their season, going 32-14 since the New Year – one win shy of Boston (33-13) for the East’s most wins in 2026.

Tonight on NBC (8 ET), the Hornets and Celtics collide. A win for Boston would extend its lead over 3rd-place New York to three games.

A win for Charlotte (8th) would move it even with 6th-place Toronto, as the Hornets look to become the first team since 1997 to make the Playoffs after an 11-22 start or worse through 33 games.

Fire Meets Fire: Fueling Charlotte and Boston’s 2026 surges are two of the league’s most potent attacks. The Hornets and Celtics rank 1st and 3rd in OffRtg since Jan. 1, with the ability to erupt on any night.

• Their Spark? The 3, as Charlotte leads the league in triples per game (16.4), while Boston ranks 3rd (15.4)

Busy Bees: No team covers more ground offensively than the Hornets, who log an NBA-best 10.1 offensive miles per game. That constant movement creates clean looks as Charlotte ranks 4th in wide-open 3PA (closest defender 6+ feet away) with 23.1 per game.

They convert those attempts better than almost anyone, ranking 2nd in wide-open 3-point percentage (40.9%), led by Kon Knueppel’s 47% (min. 50 FGA).

On Their Terms: The Celtics rank 30th in pace this season, but 2nd in OffRtg thanks to an array of shooters. They have six players logging 14+ minutes per game who are shooting over 35% from 3.

That doesn’t include Jaylen Brown (28.7 pts), Jayson Tatum (21.5) and Derrick White (16.7), who are combining for 66.9 ppg.

Once the floor is spaced, that trio goes to work, as Boston leads the league in pull-up field goals (12.2) and pull-up 3s (4.9), with Brown, Tatum and White combining for 24.7 ppg on those looks.

Winning Impact: The Celtics and Hornets don’t just fill it up from 3 – they bury teams with it.

Boston (15-0) and Charlotte (12-2) lead the league in games with 20+ treys this season, with 15 and 14, respectively. In those games, they’re a combined 27-2.

Now, in a key East duel, which squad will bring the fire?

---

4. COAST 2 COAST TUESDAY NIGHTCAP: STREAKING ROCKETS VISIT SUNS

The Rockets were sliding.

They were 4-6 in their last 10, and had just dropped back-to-back games to the Lakers in mid-March – committing 33 turnovers in the two losses.

• “It came down to being careless with the ball,” said Rockets coach Ime Udoka on the latest loss to L.A. “It’s something we have to get better at.”

Since then, the Rockets have gone 8-2, riding a six-game win streak while committing the fewest turnovers in the NBA.

Now 5th in the West, just 1.5 GB of 3rd-place Denver, the Rockets face a pivotal test tonight on NBC (8 PT), visiting a Suns squad that thrives on forcing mistakes.

• Ball Security: Before the streak, Houston ranked 27th in turnovers, committing 15.8 per game. During this 6-0 run, it ranks 1st, cutting that number to 10.8
• Playmaking: But it’s not just limiting mistakes — Houston is also creating more opportunities. After averaging 24.9 assists on the season (26th), it’s up to 31.3 during the streak – 5th in the NBA
• Stepping Up: That distribution has five Rockets averaging 15+ pts, with Jabari Smith Jr. (18.2), Amen Thompson (17.7) and Reed Sheppard (15.2) combining for 51.2 ppg
• The Results: Houston owns an NBA-best 129.1 OffRtg during its win streak, and ranks 2nd in NetRtg (+18)
• “When we make the simple play … we put ourselves in position to win basketball games,” said Kevin Durant after beating the Warriors on Sunday

Now, KD faces another one of his former teams, the 7th-place Suns, who will look to wreak havoc tonight as they chase Minnesota for 6th.

• Creating Chaos: While Houston has taken care of the ball, Phoenix is elite at taking it away, trailing only the Pistons and Thunder in forced turnovers this season (16.4)
• Up & Out: The Suns also rank 3rd in steals (9.7), leading to 20.2 ppg off turnovers – the 4th-most in the NBA
• Book Buckets: Meanwhile, Devin Booker continues to deliver, averaging 28.4 ppg since March 1, trailing only Luka Dončić (36) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (29.9) in that span
• “He’s such a consistent human and player,” said Suns coach Jordan Ott of Booker. “His ability to compete every second … he stirs us all, and he’s the guy we go through.”

Now, Book and Phoenix’s disruptive defense faces KD’s streaking Rockets – and something has to give.

---

5. POWER RANKINGS SPOTLIGHT: WHERE THINGS STAND IN THE FINAL WEEK

With five days left in the regular season – and seven until the SoFi Play-In Tournament – John Schuhmann’s latest Power Rankings offer a snapshot of the NBA landscape.

Nineteen of the 20 postseason teams have yet to clinch their seed, making for a pivotal week that will shape the Playoff Picture.

How does Schuhmann view the field? Below is a breakdown of his top-five teams entering Monday.

1. Thunder: The champs have won five straight, with three of those wins coming against teams in the league’s top 10: the Knicks, Pistons and Lakers.

2. Spurs: From Feb. 1 to April 1, San Antonio went 26-1 with Victor Wembanyama in uniform, outscoring its opponents by an amazing 24.9 points per 100 possessions in his 800 minutes on the floor.

3. Celtics: Boston has won 10 of its last 12 games and is 12-2 (with six straight wins) with Jayson Tatum in uniform.

4. Pistons: Cade Cunningham has missed the last 11 games, but the Pistons have won eight of the 11, with five of those wins coming against teams with winning records.

5. Nuggets: Denver has won nine straight games, scoring more than 121 points per 100 possessions in all nine, including an overtime win over the Spurs on Saturday. | Read More

Tonight on League Pass, OKC caps an eight-game slate as it hosts the Lakers (10:30 ET), ranked 7th on Schuhmann’s latest rankings.

Meanwhile, Cooper Flagg – fresh off a historic weekend – leads the Mavs against the Clippers (10:30 ET), with LA a half-game up on Portland for 8th in the West.

• Bulls at Wizards (7 ET)
• Wolves at Pacers (7 ET)
• Bucks at Nets (7:30 ET)
• Heat at Raptors (7:30 ET)
• Jazz at Pelicans (8 ET)
• Kings at Warriors (10 ET)