Scoreboard
Mavericks 114, Kings 113
Hornets 123, Spurs 117
Heat 99, 76ers 82
Grizzlies 124, Magic 96
Timberwolves 135, Trail Blazers 121
Lakers 124, Warriors 116
What went down
With Luka Doncic in street clothes, you'd think there wasn't going to be magic in Dallas.
Spencer Dinwiddie and De’Aaron Fox weren't going to let us down. With a touch of help from Dorian Finney-Smith, the Dallas Mavericks delivered a thrilling win in front of their home crowd against the Sacramento Kings.
It was Finney-Smith who delivered the dagger, drilling a game-winning triple with 3.3 seconds left to give Dallas a 39-25 record.
FINNEY-SMITH 🥶 pic.twitter.com/m1CcUu0jbG
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 6, 2022
Before that, the game was in the hands of both sides’ point guards. Dallas got a boost from the revitalized Dinwiddie, who dropped 36 points and seven assists. Fox, on the other hand, carried Sacramento with 44 points on 18-for-31 shooting with six assists.
In the East, the much-anticipated matchup between two of the conference's hottest teams was severely deflated when the Philadelphia 76ers announced James Harden would rest for their game against the Miami Heat.
Without Harden, the Sixers just didn’t have enough juice against the Heat, who turned the game into a blowout around the fourth quarter.
CALEB MARTIN. pic.twitter.com/Q9k4fmO8qb
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) March 6, 2022
Miami improved to a 42-22 record. Philadelphia remained at second with a 39-24 slate, just 0.5 games ahead of both the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls for second place.
Big time baller
In the midst of one his most controversial years as a Los Angeles Laker, LeBron James hung 56 points – his most as a Laker – on the Golden State Warriors.
He made 19 of his 31 shots and added 10 rebounds to his magical game. The Lakers needed every bit of it to erase a 12-point Warriors lead late in the third quarter.
The Lakers earned just their 28th win in 63 games this season. Golden State, however, dropped out of second place with a 43-21 record, relinquishing it to the Memphis Grizzlies (44-21)
What he said
With Super Bowl champ Matt Stafford right next to the Lakers bench, LeBron James knew he had to show some love.
As James walked out of the huddle late in the fourth quarter, he turner to Stafford and told the quarterback, “I had to put on a show with you here.”
It seems James has an extra gear for when a Los Angeles Ram visits. He had 33 points in a win against Utah a couple of weeks ago, a game which Aaron Donald attended.
Did you see that?
Most of the basketball world’s eyes were glued to Mike Krzyzewski's final home game as Duke head coach today. Coach K has influenced both former Blue Devils and Team USA members in the NBA today.
In Memphis, the most entertaining show on hardwood had a highlight up their sleeve for us.
901 mixtape tour. you know the vibes. pic.twitter.com/POc7YOjV96
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) March 6, 2022
