Scoreboard
Bulls 121, Hornets 91
Pacers 121, Thunder 117
Sixers 117, Raptors 110
Magic 116, Wizards 109
Celtics 122, Jazz 114
Nets 124, Hawks 107
Knicks 130, Cavaliers 116
Rockets 110, Pistons 107
Grizzlies 108, Clippers 94
Lakers 123, Timberwolves 111
Warriors 130, Spurs 115
Kings 138, Trail Blazers 114
Suns 100, Nuggets 93
What went down
It didn’t look good at first for the Lakers. Down by double digits in the first half, it looked like the Timberwolves were poised to run away with a crucial win that would have severe implications on the Western Conference playoff situation.
It was an important game for LA, which now had former Timberwolf D’Angelo Russell on their side. They turned it on in the second half, going on a 24-2 scoring run in the third. An injury scare again haunted the Lakers when Anthony Davis rolled his left ankle and limped off.
But Davis played through it and managed to score 21 more points after the incident. He finished with a game-high 38 points and 17 rebounds, on a night when LeBron James couldn’t get his shots to go in.
The Wolves, which started out strong, deteriorated in the second half—no thanks to an illness that sent players, including Anthony Davis, throwing up during breaks.
The Lakers pulled away in the fourth quarter with Dennis Schroder (11 points, six assists) providing a much-needed boost from the bench. The win propelled them to seventh place in the West with a 39-38 record, the first time they went above .500 this year.
The Lakers are now tied with the Pelicans, while losses that hit the Wolves, Jazz, and Thunder helped LA’s play-in cause.
With days left in the regular season, many things can still happen in this most unpredictable, chaotic race to lock in playoff slots.
Big-time ballers
Jalen Brunson must have liked his matchup versus Donovan Mitchell because look what he did: a career-high 48 points anchored by a career-high seven 3s in the win. No other Knick scored more than 14 points and yet, Brunson also notched nine assists.
Mitchell tried to match JB’s career night with a 42-point explosion of his own, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Knicks.
What a duel tonight in Cleveland 🤯
— NBA (@NBA) April 1, 2023
Donovan Mitchell:
42 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 6 3PM
Jalen Brunson:
48 PTS (career-high), 4 REB, 9 AST, 7 3PM
Knicks came away with the W pic.twitter.com/bF5sYDm1c9
Mikal Bridges keeps on rolling. He scored 42 points in the win against the Hawks, continuing his run of being Brooklyn’s new main guy. In his last five games, Brooklyn Bridges has been averaging 34 points on 54 percent shooting.
Mikal Bridges dropped 42 PTS in the Brooklyn W 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hYecncLVb5
— NBA (@NBA) April 1, 2023
The Orlando Magic’s final push to end the season is being anchored by runaway Rookie of the Year winner Paolo Banchero. In a matchup versus the Wizards, Banchero dropped this monster of a line: 30 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks. He also shot 13 of 14 from the line.
What he said
Dillon Brooks says a lot of things about Grizzlies’ opponents, but one thing he also says is good things about his Grizzlies’ teammates:
"That's the Defensive Player of the Year."
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) April 1, 2023
- @dillonbrooks24 on @@jarenjacksonjr @MichelobULTRA | @kelwright pic.twitter.com/lurddolv6d
Did you see that?
The young and exciting Thunder squad have been coming up with unexpected golden highlights throughout the season. Here’s their latest entry submitted by David Roddy:
EMPHATIC. https://t.co/wNkgeYPSVK pic.twitter.com/wvASqGFsZs
— NBA (@NBA) April 1, 2023
