Two twenties. Two feats:
Sunday in Cleveland: Jayson Tatum scores 20, exactly 300 days after his Achilles tear
Tonight vs. Denver (7:30 ET, Peacock): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seeks his 126th straight 20-point game, which would tie Wilt Chamberlain for the longest such streak in NBA history
See what else is trending around the league as the stretch run hits full speed ⬇️
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
ABC Sunday: Tatum shines alongside Brown in second game back, Luka leads Lakers past Knicks
Sunday Night Basketball: Wemby sparks Spurs’ 15th win in 16 games, Suns cool Hornets
East Heat: Miami tops Detroit, Orlando extends streak, Toronto rebounds in packed Playoff push
Roundup: Scoot lifts Blazers, Pels beat Wiz, Russ triple-doubles in Kings dub
Tonight & What’s Next: Nuggets-Thunder & Knicks-Clips on Peacock open a loaded week of national games
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Five games tip off tonight, headlined by a Peacock doubleheader as the Nuggets visit the West-best Thunder (7:30 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Clippers host the Knicks (10 ET | Tap to Watch).
Playoff Picture: Just 34 days remain until the regular-season finale. See what the Playoff bracket would look like if the postseason started today, and check out more key dates below:
April 12: Regular season ends (All 30 teams play)
April 14-17: SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament
April 18: NBA Playoffs begin
1. ABC SUNDAY: TATUM STAMPS RETURN WEEKEND, LUKA SHINES VS. KNICKS
ICYMI: Jayson Tatum is back.
Less than 10 months after tearing his Achilles, Tatum made his season debut on Friday, electrifying TD Garden with a near triple-double (15 pts, 12 reb, 7 ast) in a win over the Mavs.
And on Sunday, exactly 300 days after the injury, the six-time All-Star delivered again.
Celtics 109, Cavaliers 98: Tatum scored 20 points in 27 minutes, while Jaylen Brown stuffed the stat sheet (23 pts, 9 reb, 8 ast), powering the C’s past the Cavs, despite 30 points from Donovan Mitchell, who returned from a four-game absence (groin). | Recap
JT Opening: Tatum came out scorching, scoring 12 in the 1st quarter as the Celtics jumped out to a 35-26 lead
JT Closing: Boston led the rest of the way, and after icing Friday’s win with an exclamation 3, Tatum did it again – drilling a dagger trey with 1:59 left to stave off a late Cavs push
Jays In Sync: It was the 191st time Tatum and Brown have each scored 20+ points in the same game, the most of any current NBA duo
C’s In Stride: Boston is an East-best 17-5 since Jan. 20, moving just 2.5 games back of 1st-place Detroit and gaining a slight edge over NY (2.5 GB of Boston) and Cleveland (4 GB) for 2nd
Game Respects Game: Harden posted 19 points and 10 dimes – including a must-see lob from the opposite free-throw line – for Cleveland, which fell to 8-2 with him in the lineup.
After the final buzzer, Mitchell showed more love for Tatum, capping an emotional return weekend for one of the game’s brightest stars.
“The NBA is like a brotherhood,” said Tatum postgame. “Guys, even on the opposite team, happy to see me back out here. It was mutual love and mutual respect.”
As Tatum returned in style, Luka Dončić stayed red-hot.
Lakers 110, Knicks 97: After dropping 44 to beat Indy on Friday, Luka poured in 35 on Sunday, combining for 60 points with Austin Reaves (25 pts, 5 ast) in a wire-to-wire win over Karl-Anthony Towns (25 pts, 16 reb), Jalen Brunson (24 pts, 7 ast) and the Knicks. | Recap
The Magic: Dončić added 8 boards, 4 assists and 5 triples, including this absurd off-balance 3 to beat the shot clock while falling into the stands
The Production: He now has 2,481 points with Los Angeles, the most of any Laker through his first 80 games with the team
The Pace, The Race: Dončić leads the NBA with 32.5 ppg, as the Lakers sit 5th in the West – 1/2 game back of 3rd-place Minnesota – with five wins in their last six
LBJ’s Milestone Moment: While Dončić is scoring at a record rate in purple & gold, LeBron James – who was out Sunday (elbow & foot) – is coming off a record week, having passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15,837) for the most made field goals in NBA history on Thursday.
King’s Next Quest: James enters this week six games shy of passing Robert Parish (1,611) for the NBA’s all-time games played mark
2. SUNDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL: WEMBY WOWS AGAIN, SUNS SLOW HORNETS
On NBC’s Sunday Night Basketball, Victor Wembanyama set the tone in a Texas showdown, and the Spurs never let off the gas.
Spurs 145, Rockets 120: Wemby 3. Wemby driving bucket. Wemby and-one. Those were the Spurs’ first eight points of the game – and he was just getting started.
After a back-and-forth opening frame, Wemby sparked a 37-point 2nd quarter for San Antonio, which then hung 41 in the 3rd, racing past Houston to extend its win streak to four. | Recap
Alien Amazing: Wemby finished with 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting, showcasing his full scoring arsenal, including an absurd fadeaway bank and reverse jam through a sea of defenders ⬆️
Alien Everywhere: He added 8 boards, 2 steals and 4 blocks in 30 minutes, as San Antonio entered the 4th with a 16-point lead and never looked back
Flow State: Wemby on his absurd buckets: “I’m just freestyling sometimes.”
Big Buckets: Stephon Castle (23 pts, 5 ast), De’Aaron Fox (20 pts, 10 ast) and Keldon Johnson (20 pts, 4 3s) combined for 63 points, as San Antonio finished with its highest-scoring total of the season
Wemby Doing Work: The Spurs are an NBA-best 15-1 since Feb. 1. In that span, Wembanyama has played in all 16 games, averaging 23.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.8 blocks.
The last time a player averaged such numbers across 16 games, while leading his team to 15+ wins? The Spurs’ David Robinson in his MVP season (1994-95).
The Only Others To Do So? Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
And it’s not just Wemby. Seven Spurs are averaging double-figures amid the 15-1 surge, as San Antonio’s posting an NBA-best 123.4 ppg. In that same span, it ranks 2nd in DefRtg, culminating in its best 16-game stretch since 2015-16.
“Teams have a tough time figuring us out,” said Wemby postgame. “We have answers for anybody.”
Race For No. 1: The Spurs are 47-17 overall, just 2.5 games back of OKC for the best record in the NBA and the West’s No. 1 seed
To cap Sunday Night Basketball, the Suns locked down one of the league’s hottest teams.
Suns 111, Hornets 99: Devin Booker netted a game-high 30 points and 10 dimes, and Phoenix held Charlotte to 41 points in the 2nd half, ending the Hornets’ franchise-best road win streak at 10. | Recap
Suns Shining: Collin Gillespie and Jalen Green chipped in 24 points apiece for Phoenix’s fourth win in five games, as it moves 2 games back of Denver for 6th
Charlotte Slowed: After winning six straight as part of a 16-3 run, the Hornets have dropped two in a row. They still hold a 4-game cushion for 10th in the East
3. EAST HEAT: MIAMI & ORLANDO EXTEND STREAKS, TORONTO ANSWERS
Toronto has held 5th in the East since Feb. 5, but two teams are heating up fast behind it: Miami and Orlando.
Heat 121, Pistons 110: Bam Adebayo (24 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast) eclipsed the 10,000 career points mark, Tyler Herro scored 25 as Miami never trailed after the opening basket, topping Cade Cunningham (26 pts, 10 ast) and Detroit for a fifth straight win. | Recap
Bam & Flash: Adebayo is just the second player to hit 10K career points with the Heat, joining Dwyane Wade
White-Hot Push: Miami has wins over Houston, Charlotte and Detroit amid its 5-0 run, sitting right behind 6th-place Orlando via tiebreaker for the final Playoff spot
Slight Stall: It’s Detroit’s fourth straight loss, marking its longest skid of the season. The Pistons still sit atop the East at 45-18, their best 63-game start since 2007-08
As the Heat surge, the Magic are streaking in lockstep.
Magic 130, Bucks 91: Paolo Banchero dropped 33 points on 12-of-16 shooting, Jalen Suggs was also feeling it (20 pts, 7-9 FG, 3 3s) and Orlando never trailed in a win over Milwaukee, which was without Giannis Antetokounmpo. | Recap
Banchero Balling: It’s Paolo’s fourth 30-piece since the All-Star break. In that span, he’s averaging 26.2 pts, 9.2 reb and 5.7 ast over nine games
Raptors 122, Mavericks 92: In his third game back after a near-month-long absence (foot), Cooper Flagg flashed his all-around game (17 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, 3 blk), but the Raptors got the win behind RJ Barrett (31 pts, 6 reb) and eight double-digit scorers. | Recap
Neck & Neck: Toronto snapped a two-game skid with the victory. It now holds a one-game lead over Orlando and Miami for 5th, while 8th-place Philly sits 2 games back
Coop Back Balling: Sitting at No. 2 on the latest Kia Rookie Ladder, Flagg has picked up right where he left off, averaging 17 pts, 7 reb and 6 ast in his three games back
4. ROUNDUP: BLAZERS & PELS WIN, RUSS FUELS KINGS
Blazers 131, Pacers 111: Scoot Henderson scored 19 of his game-high 28 points in the 1st half as Portland entered the break up 69-52 and rolled the rest of the way, beating Indy to move to 31-34. The Blazers are a game back of the Clippers for 9th in the West. | Recap
Pelicans 138, Wizards 118: After making his Wizards debut on Thursday, Trae Young tallied 17 points and 8 dimes in his second game with Washington, but Trey Murphy III (24 pts), Saddiq Bey (23 pts) and the Pels were too much, pulling away for their second win in three games. | Recap
Kings 126, Bulls 110: Maxime Raynaud (26 pts, 11 reb, 3 blk) was a force, while Russell Westbrook added a turnover-free triple-double (23 pts, 11 reb, 12 ast) to lead Sacramento past Josh Giddey (15 pts, 12 reb, 10 ast) and Chicago. | Recap
Royal Russ: Westbrook joins Chris Webber as the only Kings to record a 20-point triple-double with no turnovers since turnovers were first tracked in 1977-78
Giddey 🤝 Pippen: It’s Giddey’s 16th triple-double as a Bull, moving him past Scottie Pippen for the 2nd-most in franchise history, while trailing only Michael Jordan (28)
5. WHAT’S TRENDING & WHAT’S NEXT: SGA CHASES HISTORY TONIGHT & MORE
Wilt Chamberlain is synonymous with records – from his 100-point game on March 2, 1962, to averaging 50.4 ppg that same season.
Now, another mark long tied to the legend is within reach.
Tonight (7:30 ET, Peacock), when the Nuggets visit the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can tie Chamberlain’s NBA record of 126 consecutive 20-point games – a streak SGA started on Nov. 1, 2024.
And while history could be matched, the paths SGA and Wilt took toward the milestone couldn’t be more different, writes NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner:
Chamberlain was the game’s most unstoppable force – bigger and stronger than predecessor George Mikan, more skilled, athletic and powerful than the bigs who followed…
Gilgeous-Alexander is an entirely different scorer, a ball handler with elusive moves, a green light in the mid-range like few others in the modern NBA. | Read More
Tonight’s Duel: Standing in SGA and OKC’s way is Nikola Jokić (28.8 pts, 12.5 reb, 10.3 ast) and Denver, seeking a key win in the heart of the West Playoff race, while Jokić sits right below Shai on Shaun Powell’s Kia MVP Ladder.
In the second leg of tonight’s Peacock doubleheader, the Clippers host the Knicks (10 ET), looking to continue their climb up the West standings. LA sits one game back of 8th place.
Uncharted Waters: After opening the season 6-21, LA has improved to 31-32. No team in league history has finished above .500 following such a start
Klaw Cooking: Kawhi Leonard has powered the turnaround with a team-high 29.5 ppg on 50.2% shooting from the field during the turnaround
Tonight’s Test? A Knicks team that’s owned the NBA’s best DefRtg since Jan. 21, going 16-6 in that span while allowing the 2nd-fewest points in the paint (40.6 ppg)
On League Pass, the 8th-place Sixers visit the 4th-place Cavs (7 ET) in search of a timely win – though Tyrese Maxey (sprained right finger) will miss at least two games.
Grizzlies at Nets (7:30 ET)
Warriors at Jazz (9 ET)
What’s Next: A scintillating slate of national games loom with the postseason push turning into a sprint.
That includes a monster Coast 2 Coast Tuesday on NBC as Jayson Tatum and the Celtics visit Wemby’s Spurs (8 ET), before Anthony Edwards’ Wolves face Luka, LeBron and the Lakers (8 PT).
Wednesday on ESPN: The streaking Magic welcome the Cavs (7:30 ET), followed by a top-six West showdown between the Rockets and Nuggets (10 ET)
Thursday on Prime: The East-leading Pistons take on the Sixers (7 ET) ahead of a meeting between the Thunder and Celtics (9:30 ET), the last two NBA champions
Friday on Prime: Cooper Flagg is back in action as the Mavs host the Cavs (7:30 ET), before the Wolves face the Warriors (10 ET)
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