{"id":544035,"date":"2026-03-16T12:31:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T12:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/544035\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T12:31:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T12:31:32","slug":"starting-5-thunder-keep-rolling-big-win-for-raptors-look-ahead-to-week-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/544035\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting 5: Thunder keep rolling, big win for Raptors & look ahead to Week 22"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Eight straight wins for OKC.<\/p>\n

A record 128 straight 20-pieces for SGA.<\/p>\n

Only four weeks remain in the regular season, and the reigning champs are rolling. See what else is trending amid an epic postseason sprint \u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n

\"Shai<\/p>\n

5 STORIES IN TODAY\u2019S EDITION \ud83c\udfc0<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s Best: A streak extending dagger from SGA, a 21-point rally from Brunson\u2019s Knicks<\/p>\n

Key East Dubs: Toronto tops 1st-place Detroit, Philly\u2019s depth delivers again<\/p>\n

Roundup: Flagg joins special company, DeRozan erupts, Giannis dominates before exiting<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Trending \u2013 East Heat: Win streaks collide as Atlanta (W9) hosts Orlando (W7) tonight on Peacock<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Trending \u2013 Wild West: Surging squads take center tonight stage amid a loaded Playoff push<\/p>\n

BUT FIRST \u2026 \u23f0<\/p>\n

\"Scores<\/p>\n

Eight games tip off tonight, including three matchups on Peacock, starting with Magic-Hawks (7 ET<\/a> | Tap to Watch<\/a>). Then, the Rockets host the Lakers (9:30 ET<\/a> | Tap to Watch<\/a>), before the Spurs visit the Clippers (10 ET<\/a> | Tap to Watch<\/a>).<\/p>\n

An All-Time Week: Relive an unforgettable week around the league<\/a>, from Bam Adebayo\u2019s historic 83-point outburst to Shai\u2019s streak and a slew of instant classics.<\/p>\n

Playoff Picture: The SoFi Play-In Tournament is just 29 days away. See what the postseason bracket would look like if it started today<\/a>, and check out more key dates below:<\/p>\n

April 12: Regular season ends (All 30 teams play)
\nApril 14-17: SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament
\nApril 18: NBA Playoffs begin<\/p>\n

1. SUNDAY\u2019S BEST: THUNDER WIN 8TH STRAIGHT, KNICKS STORM BACK<\/p>\n

\"Shai<\/p>\n

The NBA-best Thunder are rolling, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander\u2019s 20-point game streak is alive and well.<\/p>\n

Thunder 116, Wolves 103: One game after breaking Wilt Chamberlain\u2019s record (126) for the most consecutive 20-point games in NBA history, SGA pushed his streak to 128, with 20 points and 10 dimes.<\/p>\n

OKC\u2019s defense wreaked havoc on the other end, forcing 22 turnovers, while Chet Holmgren owned the inside (21 pts, 9 reb, 3 stl, 1 blk), extending the Thunder\u2019s win streak to eight games. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

The Closer: With 10 points entering the 4th, SGA doubled his total in the final frame, capped by an and-one with 1:46 left<\/a> to reach 20 and seal the win
\nThe Consistency: Sitting 1st on Shaun Powell\u2019s latest Kia MVP Ladder<\/a>, SGA ranks 2nd in scoring this season (31.6 ppg) while shooting 54.9% from the field
\nThe Company: It would mark his fourth straight season averaging 30+ pts on 50% shooting or better, a feat that hasn\u2019t been accomplished since Michael Jordan (1987-88 through 1991-92)
\nThe Contributions: Isaiah Joe (20 pts) and Alex Caruso (17 pts) combined for 37, while Jared McCain scored 15 on five 3s<\/p>\n

\"Jared<\/p>\n

The Clamps: Julius Randle (32 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast) and Anthony Edwards (19 pts, 5 ast) led the Wolves, but Minnesota\u2019s 22 turnovers were tied for its 2nd-most this season.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s what OKC does, leading the league in DefRtg, while ranking 2nd in caused turnovers and 1st in points off turnovers.<\/p>\n

The Result: The Thunder are 53-15 with an NBA-best +10.8 point differential, holding a 3.5-game lead on the Spurs for 1st in the West
\n\u201cDefense is the one thing you can control in a basketball game,\u201d said SGA postgame. \u201cThat\u2019s why we hang our hat on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jalen<\/p>\n

Defense is part of what\u2019s driven the Knicks to 3rd in the East, and last night, it fueled a monster comeback on NBC\u2019s Sunday Night Basketball \u2013 while Jalen Brunson finished the job.<\/p>\n

Knicks 110, Warriors 107: After going down 21 early in the 2nd quarter, New York outscored Golden State 84-61 the rest of the way, as Brunson took over (30 pts, 9 ast) while New York\u2019s defense clamped down for a third straight win. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Rally Starter: After allowing 35 points in the 1st quarter, the Knicks held the Warriors to 19 in the 2nd to claw back into the game
\nCaptain Clutch: Brunson delivered in crunch time, hitting a lead-extending stepback with 1:04 left, before New York held strong on the game\u2019s final possession to secure its largest comeback win of 2025-26
\nWinning Ways: The Knicks are 18-7 since Jan. 20 \u2013 tied for the 3rd-best record in the NBA in that span \u2013 while ranking 1st in DefRtg
\nChasing Boston: They are one game back of 2nd-place Boston and 2.5 games ahead of Cleveland
\nMore Shine: Karl-Anthony Towns (17 pts, 12 reb) notched his league-leading 47th double-double of the season, while Brandin Podziemski (25 pts, 6 ast) led Golden State, which remains without Steph Curry (knee)<\/p>\n

\"NBA<\/p>\n

2. EAST UPDATE: TORONTO & PHILLY RESPOND WITH KEY WINS<\/p>\n

\"Brandon<\/p>\n

Over the last two weeks, three East teams \u2013 Orlando (5th), Miami (7th) and Atlanta (9th) \u2013 have surged up the standings with extended win streaks.<\/p>\n

Grouped between the three scorching squads are 6th-place Toronto and 8th-place Philly, who each entered the week on skids.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, both finished it with a bang.<\/p>\n

Raptors 119, Pistons 108: In a game that featured 8 ties and 17 lead changes, Brandon Ingram (34 pts) and RJ Barrett (27 pts, 6 reb) sparked a decisive 34-17 3rd quarter as Toronto staved off East-leading Detroit for a huge dub. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Core Clicking: Ingram (11 pts) and RJ Barrett (7 pts) single-handedly outscored Detroit in the 3rd, while Jakob Poeltl (21 pts, 18 reb, 5 ast) and Scottie Barnes (14 pts, 10 reb) finished with double-doubles
\nEast Heat: It\u2019s Toronto\u2019s second straight win, holding the 6th seed while moving just a half-game back of Orlando
\nPistons\u2019 Edge: Cade Cunningham shined for Detroit (33 pts, 9 ast), which still holds a four-game lead atop the East after three straight wins entering Sunday<\/p>\n

\"VJ<\/p>\n

Last Tuesday, Philly learned it would be without Tyrese Maxey (finger) for at least three weeks.<\/p>\n

Instead of fading without their star guard, the shorthanded Sixers have dug in.<\/p>\n

76ers 109, Blazers 103: Quentin Grimes scored 14 of his season-high 31 points in the 4th, while VJ Edgecombe flashed on both ends (18 pts, 12 reb, 2 blk) as Philly staved off Deni Avdija (25 pts, 6 reb, 9 ast) and Portland for a gritty W. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Philly Fighting: It\u2019s the Sixers\u2019 third win in four games, moving just a game back of 7th-place Miami and 1.5 games back of Toronto<\/p>\n

3. ROUNDUP: FLAGG & DEROZAN SHINE, GIANNIS EXITS AFTER BIG DAY<\/p>\n

\"Cooper<\/p>\n

Only two rookies in the last 60 years have led their team in total points, rebounds and assists: Blake Griffin (2010-11) and Michael Jordan (1984-85).<\/p>\n

Cooper Flagg is on pace to join them \u2013 and on Sunday, he entered rare air.<\/p>\n

Mavericks 130, Cavaliers 120: Flagg dazzled with 27 points, 6 boards and 10 dimes, while P.J. Washington was everywhere (20 pts, 11 reb, 5 stl), leading Dallas past Donovan Mitchell (26 pts, 11 ast) and Cleveland for the Mavs\u2019 second win in three games. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Coop & The King: Flagg (19y, 84d) \u2013 ranked 2nd on the latest Kia Rookie Ladder<\/a> \u2013 is the youngest player to tally 25\/5\/10 in a game since LeBron James (18y, 355d) in 2003
\nYoung Orchestrators: Only two other teenagers have recorded such a game: Luka Don\u010di\u0107 (3x) and Josh Giddey (1x)
\nStrus Returns: Back from a foot fracture, Max Strus caught fire in his season debut for Cleveland (24 pts, 8 reb, 6 3s), while James Harden added 13 points and 7 assists in just his fourth loss as a Cav (10-4 record)<\/p>\n

\"DeMar<\/p>\n

While Flagg joined elite teenage company, DeMar DeRozan made veteran history.<\/p>\n

Kings 116, Jazz 111: DeRozan went off for 41 points and 11 dimes, going 11-of-21 from the field and scoring 23 in the 2nd half to lift the Kings past Cody Williams (career-high 34 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast) and the Jazz. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

Timeless Takeover: DeRozan (36y, 220d) is the oldest player to record 40+ pts and 10+ ast in a game, surpassing Harden, who set the previous mark last November (36y, 80d)<\/p>\n

Bucks 134, Pacers 123: In a dominant performance, Giannis Antetokounmpo (31 pts, 14 reb, 8 ast) passed Oscar Robertson (159) for the most 30\/10\/5 games in NBA history to lead Milwaukee past Aaron Nesmith (32 pts, 7 3s) and Indy.<\/p>\n

However, Giannis left the game late in the 3rd quarter with an apparent knee injury and did not return. | Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

4. WHAT\u2019S TRENDING: EAST STREAKS COLLIDE TONIGHT ON PEACOCK<\/p>\n

\"Jalen<\/p>\n

Along with OKC, two other teams are riding 7+ game win streaks: the Hawks and Magic.<\/p>\n

Tonight on Peacock (7 ET), the two sizzling squads meet as the East Playoff race keeps tightening.<\/p>\n

Sitting in 9th, Atlanta seeks its 10th straight win as it hosts 5th-place Orlando, winners of seven in a row. Just 2.5 games separate the teams.<\/p>\n

Alakazam: Orlando last won eight straight in 2023. Should the Magic remain in the top-6, they\u2019ll head to the Playoffs for a 3rd consecutive season \u2013 their longest such streak since 2009-10 to 2011-12
\nHawks Soaring: Atlanta last won 10 straight games in 2014. The Hawks\u2019 current 9-0 surge has them two games back of 6th, as they seek their first Playoff berth since 2022-23
\nStars Collide: Both squads are led by star forwards in Jalen Johnson (23 pts, 10.4 reb) and Paolo Banchero (22.3 pts, 8.6 reb), who have each elevated their game amid the runs
\nStepping Up: Fresh off a triple-double, Johnson has tallied four straight games of 20\/7\/7 for Atlanta, while Banchero has averaged 25.9 ppg amid Orlando\u2019s streak \u2013 his highest-scoring 9-game stretch of the season<\/p>\n

\"Kon<\/p>\n

Closing Chaos: How crowded is the East? From 2nd-place Boston through 10th-place Charlotte, no two neighboring teams are separated by more than 2.5 games.<\/p>\n

Turning Up: Only one of those nine teams has a losing record in its last 10 games (Toronto, which has now won two straight), while five of them have won 7+ in that span: New York, Orlando, Miami, Atlanta and Charlotte
\nDive Deeper: With the East race tightening, NBA.com writers predicted who they think will earn a top-6 Playoff berth and why | Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next: A crucial week in the East continues with the Cavs visiting the Bucks to open NBC\u2019s Coast 2 Coast Tuesday (8 ET), before more marquee national games.<\/p>\n

Wednesday On ESPN: It\u2019s a rematch of the 2024 NBA Finals as the Celtics welcome the Warriors (7 ET)
\nThursday On NBA TV: Two of the hottest teams in hoops collide as the streaking Magic visit Kon Knueppel and the Hornets (7 ET)
\nFriday On NBA TV: A six-game road trip for the Warriors reaches its fourth stop in the Motor City to face the East-leading Pistons (7:30 ET)<\/p>\n

5. WHAT\u2019S TRENDING: WILD WEST RACE CAPS PEACOCK TRIPLEHEADER<\/p>\n

\"LeBron<\/p>\n

Entering the final day of last year\u2019s regular season, only three of the West\u2019s 10 postseason seeds were locked.<\/p>\n

This season, we could be headed for another photo finish, with five teams \u2013 seed No. 3-7 (LAL, HOU, DEN, MIN, PHX) \u2013 separated by just 3 games.<\/p>\n

Seeds 3 through 6, the final four Playoff berths, are grouped even tighter, with just 1.5 games between the 3rd-place Lakers and 6th-place Wolves.<\/p>\n

Tonight on Peacock (9:30 ET), Los Angeles \u2013 winners of five straight \u2013 visits 4th-place Houston, with just a half-game separating them.<\/p>\n

Lake Show Surge: Capped by Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s game-winner to beat Denver on Saturday, Los Angeles has won eight of its last nine, jumping from 6th to 3rd in the last week
\nLuka Magic: In those nine games, Don\u010di\u0107 (averaging an NBA-best 32.8 ppg) has boosted his scoring to 33.2 ppg, including outings of 35, 44 and 51
\nLA\u2019s X-Factor: The Lakers thrive in crunch time as they\u2019re 18-6 in clutch games and 31-1 when leading entering the 4th quarter \u2013 both NBA-bests<\/p>\n

Greatness Collides: Houston is coming off a game-winner of its own, with Kevin Durant drilling a go-ahead jumper with 7 seconds left to beat New Orleans on Friday.<\/p>\n

Now KD faces a fellow OG<\/a> in LeBron James, with both superstars on the cusp of more milestones.<\/p>\n

KD Eyeing MJ: Durant enters tonight 87 points away from passing Michael Jordan (31,562) for 5th on the all-time scoring list
\nKing\u2019s Quest: James sits just four games shy of surpassing Robert Parish (1,611) for the most games played in NBA history<\/p>\n

\"Victor<\/p>\n

Fire Meets Fire: Right in front of Los Angeles and Houston sits 2nd-place San Antonio, the league\u2019s best team since the New Year, with Victor Wembanyama reaching new heights.<\/p>\n

Tonight (10 ET), Wemby\u2019s Spurs close Peacock\u2019s three-game slate against the Clippers \u2013 another West squad that\u2019s red-hot.<\/p>\n

Spurs Scorching: San Antonio is 25-9 since the calendar flipped to 2026 and an NBA-best 17-2 since Feb. 1, moving just 3.5 games back of OKC for the West\u2019s top spot
\nAlien Impact: Amid the 17-2 run, Wemby (18 GP) is averaging 24.9 pts, 11.2 reb, 3.7 blk and 2.4 3s \u2013 numbers no other player has ever matched across an 18-game span
\nClips\u2019 Climb: At 34-33, LA is looking to become the first team to finish above .500 after starting 6-21 or worse, jumping from 13th to 8th
\nKawhi Time: Fueling the turnaround? Kawhi Leonard, averaging a career-high 28.3 ppg, with a career-best five 40+ point games this season<\/p>\n

\"Nikola<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next: After becoming the first player to tally 25+ triple-doubles in four straight seasons last week, Nikola Joki\u0107 takes center stage tomorrow as the 5th-place Nuggets host the Sixers to close NBC\u2019s Coast 2 Coast Tuesday (10 ET).<\/p>\n

But first, Monday delivers five more matchups on League Pass, including the 7th-place Suns visiting the Celtics (7:30 ET).<\/p>\n

Warriors at Wizards (7 ET)
\nBlazers at Nets (7:30 ET)
\nGrizzlies at Bulls (8 ET)
\nMavericks at Pelicans (8 ET)<\/p>\n

Want to share\u00a0Starting\u00a05\u00a0with a friend?\u00a0Send them this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shape the Starting 5.\u00a0\u00a0Email us here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t have the NBA App? Download it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Eight straight wins for OKC. A record 128 straight 20-pieces for SGA. Only four weeks remain in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":544036,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85,8019],"class_list":["post-544035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports","tag-starting-5"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=544035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/544036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=544035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=544035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=544035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}