OKC’s win streak: nine games ✅
Playoff spot: clinched ✅
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Best Out West: SGA hangs 40 as Thunder punch Playoff ticket, Spurs stack another W
Stepping Up: Duren drops career-high, Hart ignites Knicks, Wolves respond without Ant
Roundup: Jokić dissects Sixers, Mobley & Harden shine, LaMelo balls
Tonight On ESPN: Celtics face Dubs in elite shooting showdown, Lakers & Rockets run it back
League Pass Spotlight: Inside the Hawks’ league-high 10-game win streak, as they visit Flagg, Mavs
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Nine games tip off tonight, including an ESPN doubleheader as the Celtics host the Warriors (7 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Lakers visit the Rockets for the second time in three days (9:30 ET | Tap to Watch).
KD Tracker: Kevin Durant enters tonight’s matchup 69 points away from passing Michael Jordan (32,292) for 5th on the all-time scoring list.
1. BEST OUT WEST: STREAKING THUNDER CLINCH, SPURS STAY SCORCHING
The defending champs are the first team to clinch a spot in the 2026 Playoffs.
Thunder 113, Magic 108: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was dominant with 40 points, outdueling Paolo Banchero (32 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast), while Chet Holmgren added 20 points and 12 boards to extend OKC’s win streak to nine games and lock in a top-6 seed in the West. | Recap
Shai Awakened: SGA scored 28 2nd-half points, 19 of them coming in a 3rd-quarter battle with Banchero (15 pts, 6-8 FG)
“All I can do is trust my work,” Shai said of shooting 4-for-12 in the 1st half. “I trusted my work in the 2nd half, and it came through for me, came through for our team.”
Stacking 40s: It’s SGA’s sixth 40+ point game this season, tying Jaylen Brown for 3rd-most while trailing only Luka Dončić (11) and Anthony Edwards (10)
Russ, Shai & KD: SGA now has 89 games of 35+ points with OKC, passing Russell Westbrook (88) for the 2nd-most in franchise history. Only Kevin Durant (100) has more
Success City: The Thunder have made the playoffs 13 times in their 17 seasons in OKC (76.5%)
San Antonio shot lights-out from long range to keep pace with the reigning champs.
Spurs 132, Kings 104: Led by 18 points apiece from Victor Wembanyama and Keldon Johnson, San Antonio used a 78-47 1st-half advantage and hit a franchise-record 25 triples (51%) to overpower Maxime Raynaud’s career-high 32 points and the Kings. | Recap
Russ’ Double Pass: With 10 dimes, Russell Westbrook jumped Mark Jackson (10,334) and Steve Nash (10,335) for 5th on the all-time assists list
2. STEPPING UP: DUREN DOMINATES, HART ERUPTS, WOLVES RESPOND
In the East, the Pistons were without their All-Star orchestrator – but their All-Star big wouldn’t be denied.
Pistons 130, Wizards 117: After Cade Cunningham left early in the 1st quarter (back spasms), Jalen Duren took over, dropping a career-high 36 points on 13-of-17 shooting along with 12 boards to power Detroit past Bub Carrington (30 pts) and the Wizards. | Recap
JD & Zeke: Duren (22y, 119d) is the 2nd-youngest Piston to tally 35+ points and 10+ rebounds in a game, trailing only Isiah Thomas (21y, 284d)
Race For No. 1: After a four-game skid, Detroit has gone 4-1, pushing its lead atop the East to 4 games over Boston
With Jalen Brunson out (ankle), Josh Hart caught fire – and his hot hand was contagious.
Knicks 136, Pacers 110: Hart was unconscious, going 12-of-13 from the field (92.3%) and 5-of-5 from 3 en route to 33 points.
OG Anunoby was also feeling it (26 pts, 10-13 FG, 4 3s), while Karl-Anthony Towns posted a double-double (22 pts, 11 reb) as New York raced past Indy for its fourth straight win. | Recap
Legendary Heat: Hart joins Bernard King and Willis Reed as the only Knicks to score 30+ on at least 90% shooting in a game
Hours after learning they’d be without Anthony Edwards for at least one week (knee inflammation), the Wolves responded with a complete team effort.
Wolves 116, Suns 104: Julius Randle delivered on both ends (32 pts, 7 reb, 3 stl), Rudy Gobert was a force inside (9 pts, 19 reb, 4 blk) and four other Wolves scored in double figures to outlast Devin Booker (34 pts, 6 reb) and the Suns. | Recap
All Cylinders: Bones Hyland (22 pts, 5 ast), Ayo Dosunmu (19 pts, 5 reb) and Jaden McDaniels (16 pts, 7 reb) combined for 57, while Minnesota held Phoenix to 18 points in the 4th to secure the win
3. ROUNDUP: NUGGETS ROLL, CAVS DUB, LAMELO LIFTS HORNETS
Nuggets 124, 76ers 96: Nikola Jokić dropped a game-high 14 dimes, along with 8 points and 7 boards in 24 minutes, while Christian Braun (22 pts) led 13 Nuggets scorers as Denver took a 72-40 halftime lead and never looked back for its third win in four games. | Recap
Wild West Push: Houston (41-26), Denver (42-27) and Minnesota (42-27) hold seed Nos. 4-6, respectively, separated only via tiebreaker
Cavaliers 123, Bucks 116: Evan Mobley dominated (27 pts, 15 reb, 3 blk), James Harden was cooking (27 pts, 6 ast, 7-10 FG) and the Cavs used a 38-29 4th quarter to outlast the Giannis-less Bucks, staying 2.5 games back of the 3rd-place Knicks. | Recap
Hornets 136, Heat 106: LaMelo Ball put on an offensive clinic (30 pts, 13 ast), while Coby White (24 pts) and Kon Knueppel (22 pts) each topped 20 as Charlotte outscored Miami 40-18 in the 4th for a bounce-back win. | Recap
Kia Rookie Ladder: Knueppel remains atop the latest Kia Rookie Ladder, but the race could come down to a photo finish, writes Steve Aschburner | Read More
4. TONIGHT ON ESPN: LAKERS & ROCKETS RUN IT BACK, CELTICS HOST WARRIORS
They’re separated by 1.5 games in the West Playoff race, and tonight on ESPN (9:30 ET), the Lakers and Rockets meet for the second time in three days.
Monday’s meeting came down to crunch time — where Los Angeles has shined all season — with L.A. leaning on its defense for a 100-92 win.
It was the Lakers’ sixth straight victory, but also a sign of L.A. pairing its offensive firepower with a defensive edge
“I think we’re playing some of our best basketball of the season,” said Luka Dončić after the win. “And it starts with our defense.”
“We’re gonna win with both sides of the ball,” added Lakers coach JJ Redick. “We’ve shown now, we can beat good teams with defense.”
The Emergence: Amid Los Angeles’ 6-0 run, it has held three teams in Playoff position (New York, Houston and Minnesota) under 110 points.
The Latest: Trailing 88-86 on Monday, the Lakers limited the Rockets to 4 points in the final 6:12, overcoming their own 29.2% shooting in the 4th to secure the win
L.A. forced 22 Houston turnovers (including 7 in the 4th), turning the takeaways into a 16-4 edge in transition points.
Complementary Close: Monday’s dagger? An Austin Reaves steal leading to a LeBron James hammer, turning a stop into instant offense – a point of emphasis all season.
“The very first thing we did in training camp was establish our running patterns,” said Redick postgame. “We’ve been really good in transition when we push the ball ahead … and the winning backs it up.”
Now, Los Angeles will look to slow down Houston again, with Kevin Durant and the Rockets looking to respond.
Two of the league’s top shooting offenses will open ESPN’s doubleheader as the Celtics host the Warriors (7 ET).
At No. 2 in the East, the Celtics have gone an East-best 25-11 since the New Year as Jaylen Brown continues his career season, while Jayson Tatum is back making an impact.
And while Boston’s stars lead the way, another Celtic is having a career year — one who does a little bit of everything: Derrick White.
All Over: In Year 9, White is averaging career-highs in points (17.5), rebounds (4.5), assists (5.7), steals (1.2) and blocks (1.4), while leading the Celtics in made 3s (188)
X-Factor: Boston is 17-6 this season when he scores 20+ points. Six of those wins have come amid the Celtics’ current 15-5 stretch
KG Company: In Monday’s victory over Phoenix, White eclipsed 75+ blocks and 75+ steals on the season, becoming the first Celtic to do so since Kevin Garnett in 2007-08
Winning Impact: Boston owns a +7.9 point differential with White on the floor. When he sits, that number drops to -0.3
“D-White’s a connector,” said Joe Mazzulla last week. “He has a clear understanding of situational awareness on both ends of the floor – just highly competitive, cares about winning.”
Strength vs. Strength: With White shining on both ends, the Celtics are top-5 in both OffRtg and DefRtg, while ranking 3rd in 3s per game (15.4).
Tonight, they’ll face the NBA’s most prolific 3-point attack in Golden State, hitting 16.2 treys a game and seeking a second straight win amid a crowded West race.
5. ON LEAGUE PASS: HAWKS EYE 11TH STRAIGHT W, VISITING MAVS
Ten in a row at the right time.
The surging Hawks look to extend the league’s longest active win streak while battling for a chance at their first guaranteed Playoff seat since 2021.
Hawks at Mavericks (8:30 ET, LP): 8th-place Atlanta is 1 game behind the 6th seed, visiting Dallas, which it beat last week in win No. 7 of 10.
Sharing & Scoring: The Hawks’ top-10 offense has piled up the 2nd-most ppg (122.9) during their streak, while dishing the NBA’s most assists (30.5 apg)
Fueling That Rise? Atlanta’s emerging scoring duo, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s averaging 22.6 ppg in the 10 wins, while Jalen Johnson stuffs the stat sheet (21 pts, 8.8 reb, 7.8 ast)
All-In On D: The Hawks are pairing that production with the No. 1 DefRtg (103.1) over their streak, leading the league in rebounds (49.9 rpg) and swiping the 3rd-most steals (10.1 spg)
Steal The Spotlight: Theft artist Dyson Daniels (1.9 stl) is up to a league-best 2.4 steals per game during the streak (min. 3 GP), with Alexander-Walker following suit (1.9 stl)
Two key mid-season arrivals have also clicked, as Jonathan Kuminga (14.6 pts, 8 reb, 54.8 FG%) and CJ McCollum (18.3 pts, 3.6 ast) mix in as top-5 scorers.
Kuminga’s tenure has been limited to 5 games (bone bruise), but started on a high note with 27 points in a Feb. 24 win
Instant Impact: Kuminga has increased his scoring (+2.5 ppg) and rebounding (+2.2) in Atlanta, along with a 23.5% jump in 3-point percentage (55.6%)
On the other side, Cooper Flagg, ranked 2nd on the Kia Rookie Ladder, aims for his fourth straight game of 20+ pts and 5+ ast as Dallas opens a three-game homestand.
Also On League Pass: OKC puts its 9-game win streak on the line in Brooklyn (7:30 ET), and the Clippers’ Playoff push continues, visiting the Pels (8 ET).
Blazers at Pacers (7:30 ET)
Raptors at Bulls (8 ET)
Jazz at Wolves (8 ET)
Nuggets at Grizzlies (8:30 ET)