Slamming down a statement win in Charlotte.
Suddenly whole again, the Sixers look ready for the final run.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
March 29, 2026
Total Team Efforts: Winning moments for Maxey, PG & Embiid, Wemby & Castle cruise, Detroit’s depth shines
Roundup: Hot-shooting Hawks survive late, Booker & Green power Suns, Coward guides Grizz
Clutch Collision: SGA & Brunson set to bring late-game heroics to Sunday Night Basketball
Also On SNB: Denver’s duo of Joker & Murray is producing the best stretch run of their shared careers
On NBA TV: Kawhi’s matching increased scoring with elevated leadership in LA’s historic turnaround
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Another all-day slate of hoops…
A 9-game Sunday starts on NBA TV with Clippers visiting the Bucks (3:30 ET | Tap To Watch), and concludes with a Sunday Night Basketball doubleheader: the Thunder host the Knicks (7:30 ET | Tap To Watch) followed by the Nuggets welcoming the Warriors (10 ET | Tap To Watch).
1. TOTAL TEAM EFFORTS: SIXERS ASSEMBLE, SPURS CLINCH, PISTONS ROLL
Full-strength Philly and a hot Hornets squad gave us a possible Play-In preview Saturday – with all the energy of a seven-game series.
Sixers 118, Hornets 114: Playing together for the first time since Jan. 29, Joel Embiid (29 pts, 6 reb), Paul George (26 pts, 13 reb, 4 stl) and Tyrese Maxey (26 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast) formed a 25+ point trio to rally Philly to a 15-point comeback W, its fourth in five games. | Recap
48-Min Process: Despite 21 points from Embiid and 17 from Maxey before halftime, Philly trailed until the 4th quarter, with Brandon Miller (29 pts, 8 reb, 5 3s) leading Charlotte
“Southpaw Stuff”: Maxey (finger), playing in his first game since March 7, punctuated the Sixers comeback with a fastbreak poster, tying the game at 97-all with 10:03 left
“I try to be a warrior for this team,” Maxey said. “Sitting out those weeks was tough for me, but my guys really hooped, they held it down… and now it’s time to go make this run.”
Maxey’s slam triggered nine lead changes in the final 9 minutes, before a PG inbound triple put Philly ahead for good, thanks to Embiid’s game-saving block
Points Parties: This was the first game Embiid, George and Maxey all scored 25+, totaling 81 points together.
7th-place Philly ends Charlotte’s five-game win streak, creating a two-game gap between the two and sending the Hornets back to 10th due to a tiebreaker with the Heat.
The Southwest belongs to the silver & black.
Spurs 127, Bucks 95: San Antonio broke away with a 37-point 1st quarter and never looked back for an eighth straight win, with a triple-double from Stephon Castle (22 pts, 10 reb, 10 ast) and an Alien-sized double-double from Victor Wembanyama (23 pts, 15 reb, 6 ast). | Recap
“It shows a lot of progress. I love it,” Wemby said of the Spurs’ 8-game win streak with a +17.9 point differential. “I’ve got 100% trust in my teammates.”
This was Wemby’s 75th career 20+/10+ double-double, becoming the 4th-youngest player ever to reach that mark, behind Shaq, KAT and Dwight Howard
Future Of Fiesta: Wemby racked up the highlights, like this behind-the-back dime for a Castle slam, who tied Vic for the franchise lead with his 4th triple-double before age 22
San Antonio clinched the Southwest Division with the win and is back within 2 games of 1st-place OKC.
Without All-Star guards Cade Cunningham (lung) and Anthony Edwards (knee), this showcase of depth went Detroit’s way.
Pistons 109, Wolves 87: Tobias Harris (18 pts) led seven Pistons in double figures, who took control from Donte DiVincenzo (22 pts, 5 3s) and the Wolves for good midway through the 1st quarter, holding Minnesota to a season-low 31.8 FG% (27-85). | Recap
Paint Power: Outscoring all teams in paint points while surrendering the 3rd-fewest, Detroit took advantage of the Wolves for a 60-32 PITP edge
Detroit adds a half-game to its 4.5-game lead over 2nd-place Boston, while Minnesota holds on to 5th in the West, a half-game ahead of Houston
2. ROUNDUP: HAWKS CATCH FIRE, SUNS DUO SHINES, GRIZZ OUTLAST BULLS
Coming off just their second loss since Feb. 22, the hot-shooting Hawks got back in the win column.
Hawks 123, Kings 113: Nickeil Alexander-Walker (27 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast, 4 stl) helped Atlanta survive DeMar DeRozan (22 pts) and seven Kings in double figures, as the Hawks hit eight of their 16 triples in the 4th to shut down Sacramento’s 16-point 2nd-half comeback. | Recap
Downtown ATL: Alexander-Walker reached 225 triples on the season, passing Kyle Korver and Mookie Blaylock (221) for 4th-most in a season in Hawks history
Career-Year: NAW’s previous season-high for 3s made was 141 last season. His long-range explosion fits in with career-highs in points (20.5), boards, assists and steals
Jalen Johnson (26 pts, 5 reb, 10 ast) and CJ McCollum (22 pts, 5 ast) joined Alexander-Walker as 20+ point scorers in Atlanta’s 15th win in 17 games
The 6th-place Hawks are now just .002 win percentage points behind the 5-seed Raptors, with the Sixers just a half-game behind them.
Suns 134, Jazz 109: 7-seed Phoenix’s 39-point 1st quarter powered a runaway win, as Jalen Green (31 pts, 6 reb, 5 3s) and Devin Booker (26 pts, 8 ast) outdueled 26 points apiece from Kyle Filipowski (9 reb) and Brice Sensabaugh. | Recap
Suns 134, Jazz 109: 7-seed Phoenix’s 39-point 1st quarter powered a runaway win, as Jalen Green (31 pts, 6 reb, 5 3s) and Devin Booker (26 pts, 8 ast) outdueled 26 points apiece from Kyle Filipowski (9 reb) and Brice Sensabaugh. | Recap
Grizzlies 125, Bulls 124: Cedric Coward (24 pts, 9 reb, 4 stl) guided the Grizz through a game of 18 ties and 13 lead changes, as seven double-digit Memphis scorers overpowered 29 points from Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey’s 13th triple-double (18 pts, 13 reb, 10 ast). | Recap
3. CLUTCH KINGS: SHAI & BRUNSON MEET ON SNB
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
A crash course in clutch could be in session tonight from two of the game’s best.
Jalen “Captain Clutch” Brunson and the Knicks open Sunday Night Basketball’s doubleheader against the Thunder (7:30 ET, NBC & Peacock) and their reigning Kia NBA & Finals MVP-caliber closer, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Here’s how Shai and Jalen’s late-game takeovers compare this year:
He’s Got Hardware: The reigning Kia Clutch Player of the Year, Brunson ranks 11th in total clutch points this season, with 97
Seizing Opportunity: Shai is tied for the most total clutch points with 156 despite only playing in 25 clutch games this season, having missed 12 contests for the team that leads the league in point differential (+11.1)
Alone At The End: That’s good for a league-best 6.2 clutch ppg, as the only qualifying player averaging 6.0 or more
New York (19-12) ranks 7th among this season’s best clutch marks, while only the Lakers have dropped fewer clutch games this season than OKC (22-10), which owns the 2nd-best clutch record
But there’s more than one way to close a clutch W, and SGA and Brunson do their winning work differently, as shown below:
Island Time: Both Shai and Brunson thrive in isolation, each ranking within the top-11 in iso ppg this season
From Iso To Everybody: Brunson’s no stranger to closing in the paint, ranking top-10 in drives per game (14.9) and top-5 in ppg on drives (10.7) this season
Brake Check: 43+ minutes into a game, Shai likes to see what’s left in the defense’s legs with his quick-stop pull-up game, which nets the 2nd-most ppg off pull-ups (12.7) this season
Whose winning ways will take the clutch crown tonight? Top-seeded OKC looks to add to its 2-game advantage over the Spurs, while New York shoots to get back within a game of 2nd-place Boston.
4. ALSO ON SNB: JOKER & MURRAY LEVELING UP FOR LATE-SEASON PUSH
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
April showers, taxes and Denver’s star duo leading a postseason push.
You can count on Spring for many things, including inspired play from Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray.
Denver’s duo is elevating their play in a fourth straight stretch run together, knowing exactly what it takes to bring home a championship.
Playoffs Looming: Joker and Jamal are leveling up at the right time, amid a 5-game win streak that’s moved the Nuggets up to 4th place in the wild West
Murray’s Flurry: Jamal is averaging 31.6 ppg during the streak, up 6.1 ppg from his career-best season average, along with 7.4
apg and 4.6 3s on 47.9 3p%
Not Joking Around: Jokić (24.6 ppg) has raised his rebounding (15.0 rpg) and assisting (14.2 apg) in the streak, two categories he already leads the league in
Heater Within A Streak: Joker’s had a triple-double in each of the last 4 games, averaging an even greater 25.3 ppg, 16.8 rpg and 15.5
apg
Twin 30/10s: Friday’s win marked the 2nd time Murray and Jokić each recorded at least 30 pts and 10 ast in the same game, joining Elgin Baylor and Jerry West as the only duos with multiple such outings
This heightened play from the 2023 NBA Finals tandem has Denver off to its best final 15-game stretch run in Jokić and Murray’s 10 years on the court together.
Closing Time: Eight games into the final 15, Denver is 6-2 (.750 win%) with seven games left. Joker and Jamal’s previous best was a 10-5 finish (.667 win%) in their title defense year of 2024
Buckets Up: When Jokić and Murray share the floor, Denver is averaging 7.8 more ppg over its last eight games compared to its season average, which would be the team’s largest final 15-game scoring boost in the Jokić/Murray era
“This is just like a reward this year,” Jokić said of Murray’s career-year lifting the team. “I think he’s playing [at a] really, really high level the last two or three years.”
Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images
Tonight (10 ET, NBC & Peacock), Jokić and Murray close Sunday Night Basketball’s doubleheader against a Western foe who also knows how to finish strong.
Fighting for Play-In positioning, 10th-place Golden State has won 3 straight games. Here’s how 4-time championship coach Steve Kerr’s Dubs squads have finished their last three regular-seasons:
2024-25: 7-3, won Play-In game and First Round Playoff series
2023-24: 8-2
2022-23: 8-2, won First Round Playoff series
5. ON NBA TV: ‘QUIET’ KAWHI IS A VOCAL LEADER IN CLIPS’ HISTORIC TURNAROUND
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
Scoring: 28.3 ppg, career-high.
Usage rate: 33.0%, career-high.
A career year of buckets for Kawhi and the Clippers’ historic turnaround has come with Leonard’s increased involvement on offense.
And as The Athletic’s Law Murray writes, that’s not the only area where the Klaw’s been more involved:
“Toward the end of a game at Intuit Dome, with the visiting Orlando Magic leading by two points, the ball found its way into Kawhi Leonard’s hands.
The LA Clippers All-Star felt the defense doubling him with the clock winding down, and instead of forcing a shot, he found recent trade acquisition Bennedict Mathurin.
It was the right play, and Leonard raised his arm in pre-celebration, but Mathurin’s 3-point shot was too long. As Mathurin got to his feet, Leonard was there to greet him, smiling.
The gesture wasn’t lost on Leonard’s teammates…” | Read More
Kawhi’s 8th-place Clippers start Sunday’s action with the second Milwaukee matinée of the weekend, going for a 5th straight win against the Bucks at 3:30 ET.
Elsewhere in the East on Sunday, the Hornets look to bounce back, hosting the Celtics (6 ET), plus the Magic and Raptors clash with postseason standings on the line (6 ET).
Heat at Pacers (5 ET)
Kings at Nets (6 ET)
Wizards at Blazers (6 ET)
Rockets at Pelicans (7 ET)