Scoreboard
Hornets 116, Hawks 106
Sixers 118, Cavaliers 114
Nuggets 127, Wizards 109
Mavericks 113, Nets 111
Knicks 128, Trail Blazers 98
Suns 129, Rockets 112
Timberwolves 124, Lakers 104
Spurs 122, Thunder 120
Jazz 125, Bulls 110
Celtics 110, Warriors 88
Bucks 135, Kings 126
Raptors 103, Clippers 100
What went down
The only thing better than game-winners at the buzzer is a game-winner at the buzzer against your former team.
That’s exactly what Spencer Dinwiddie did against the Brooklyn Nets. Dinwiddie had been a key part of the Nets’ successes in the pre-Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving era. Brooklyn knows what Dinwiddie can do in the clutch; now they’ve felt how to be on the wrong side of it.
The game was pretty much close up until the fourth quarter when the Mavericks found themselves down by 14 points. The Nets were poised to run away with the win, but the Mavs wouldn’t go away.
With Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson again taking turns firing away at the Nets’ defense, the Mavs cut the lead to five while Luka Doncic (37 points, nine rebounds, nine assists) got his breather before crunch time.
When Doncic returned to the floor, the Nets were reeling. Doncic made a big shot in the final minute to give the Mavericks the lead before Durant (23 points, 10 assists) answered with a big shot of his own.
But with the game on the line and Doncic swarmed by a Nets’ double-team, it was Dinwiddie, still familiar with the Brooklyn home floor, who calmly sank a difficult 3 at the buzzer:
SPENCER DINWIDDIE KNOCKS DOWN THE #TissotBuzzerBeater FROM 3! #ThisIsYourTime pic.twitter.com/waAebH1Mvb
— NBA (@NBA) March 17, 2022
He wasn’t too calm after that.
Big-time ballers
Birthday buckets get a whole different meaning when it comes to Joel Embiid, who celebrated his 28th birthday with a big win versus the Cleveland Cavaliers:
🎉 HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEL EMBIID! 🎉@JoelEmbiid dropped 35 points on his 28th birthday to lead the @sixers to the win on the road!
— NBA (@NBA) March 17, 2022
35 PTS (13-19 FGM) | 17 REB | 5 AST | pic.twitter.com/DOYofXom6p
Fifty- and 60-point games are the thing now and it’s only a matter of time before another superstar joins the club. Best bet to do it next is Devin Booker but he “only” managed to score 36 points against the Houston Rockets. He’s been averaging 28 points per game since Chris Paul went down with an injury.
What he said
Steph Curry hurt his foot and had to leave the game against the Boston Celtics after a collision with Marcus Smart:
The Warriors were upset after these two plays by Marcus Smart pic.twitter.com/qO7KjahGX8
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 17, 2022
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr wasn’t happy at all about it:
“I thought it was a dangerous play. I thought Marcus dove into Steph’s knee and that’s what I’m upset about. A lot of respect for Marcus, he’s a hell of a player. I coached him in the World Cup a few summers ago. We talked after the game, we’re good. But I thought it was a dangerous play.”
Did you see that?
If you missed the Utah Jazz-Chicago Bulls matchup, just skip on right ahead to the third quarter at that specific point of the game when Donovan Mitchell transformed himself to a human flamethrower (Sorry, JC, but Spida gets to use that nickname for this game):
🕷 @spidadmitchell was unconscious in the 3rd-quarter to the tune of 25 points and 7 made three-pointers. He finished the game with a career-high 9 3PM!
— NBA (@NBA) March 17, 2022
🕷: 37 PTS, 5 AST, 9 3PM pic.twitter.com/KUn7vX7EIn
