Scoreboard
Clippers 106, Knicks 95
Jazz 119, Hornets 111
Pacers 121, Pistons 115
Magic 126, Heat 114 (OT)
Celtics 134, Hawks 125
Bulls 119, Rockets 111
Grizzlies 112, Mavericks 108
Thunder 110, Pelicans 96
Warriors 125, Bucks 116 (OT)
Kings 128, Suns 119
What went down
It’s all fun and games until Steph Curry takes over. The Milwaukee Bucks had to find that out the hard way today.
Playing without Giannis Antetokoumpo, the Bucks were in a great position to win today’s game against the Golden State Warriors. They were up by eight points heading into the final two minutes of regulation. Not a blowout by any means but enough of a cushion to escape San Francisco with a win. All they had to do was not let Curry do anything crazy. Unfortunately, they failed to do that in the final two minutes.
Curry hit back-to-back 3-pointers, followed by a fast break score to quickly tie the game at 108 with a little over 45 seconds remaining. Jrue Holiday responded with a clutch 3-pointer of his own to give the Bucks the lead – briefly. Curry answered right back with a 3 of his own to tie the game, and came up big on the other end by blocking Holiday’s go-ahead attempt at the rim.
That led to free basketball which was just five more minutes of Curry slaughtering the vaunted Milwaukee defense. He hit a floater over Brook Lopez, a deep 3-ball, and drove to the hoop for a dagger layup off a broken play.
Curry scored 18 points in the final two minutes of the fourth period and overtime. He finished the game with 36 points built off six triples. In case anyone needed any reminders, number 30 is still very much a bad, bad man.
This look from Stephen.
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 12, 2023
HE MEANS BUSINESS. pic.twitter.com/nwu6LpnwRw
Big-time ballers
There are a lot of big-time ballers to choose from on a day where 20 teams came to play.
Curry definitely is one.
Kawhi Leonard is another. Leonard has been on a tear in his past few games and today was no exception. He scored 38 points on 63.6 percent shooting to lead the LA Clippers to a big win over the New York Knicks.
It's a KAWHILIGHT pic.twitter.com/8hNnJsjCR2
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 11, 2023
Jimmy Butler deserves some flowers too. He scored 38 points in the OT loss to the Orlando Magic. But before the Miami Heat collapsed in OT, he drilled this ridiculous heave to extend the game.
Clutch from every angle. pic.twitter.com/K626xRDamT
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) March 12, 2023
Finally, Jayson Tatum outdueled Trae Young in a battle that got chippy towards the end of the contest. Tatum finished with a monster double-double of 34 points and 15 rebounds. He scored a huge clutch bucket and dished out a key assist to secure the win. Young almost led the Hawks to an incredible comeback win with 35 points and 13 assists of his own.
Side step 3 for JT 👌🏽 pic.twitter.com/S5x97FC9Jh
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 12, 2023
What he said
In a game where both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving were out, Jason Kidd really needed to bring out whatever he had left in the barrel to nab a crucial win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Thankfully, they have a talented big man in Christian Wood to carry the load.
Unfortunately, Kidd doesn’t see Wood that way.
Jason Kidd speaks on his strategy when it comes to playing Christian Wood and his minutes in the game. #MFFL | @dallasmavs on @BallySportsSW 📺 pic.twitter.com/AQfoUgYp6d
— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) March 12, 2023
Wood continued to come off the bench, played only 15 minutes (14 points), and was benched in the clutch. Because Maxi Kleber (4 points), Dwight Powell (4 points), Davis Bertans (6 points), and Reggie Bullock (7 points) all had the “hot hand.”
Did you see that?
The Sacramento Kings are on pace to becoming the best offensive team in the history of the NBA. Their 119.5 points per 100 possessions is more than a full point above the second-best in the history of the league. Their raw numbers look even more ridiculous.
Sacramento Kings points scored per game since the all-star break:
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 12, 2023
133
176
124
123
128
134
123
122
128
8-1.
Light. The. Beam.
