Victor Wembanyama: youngest player ever to record back-to-back 40-point, 15-rebound games.
San Antonio Spurs: first team ever to win 26 of 28 games while averaging 120+ points and 30+ assists.
The West Playoff Race: just got even hotter thanks to the Spurs, Rockets and Nuggets.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
West Streaks: Wemby sparks Spurs’ 10th straight W, Nuggets push streak to 7, Rockets climb
East Heat: Tatum & Brown take over, Hawks stay soaring, PG-13 pushes Sixers into Playoff position
Roundup: Knicks halt slide, DeRozan shines vs. Raptors, Pacers win again
Lakers at Thunder: The league’s top two scorers collide on Prime as Luka faces Shai in a pivotal West duel
Wolves at Pistons: Ant brings sharper lens into Detroit rematch as Wolves push ahead
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Six games tip off tonight, highlighted by a huge doubleheader on Prime as the Wolves visit the Pistons (7 ET | Tap to Watch), before the Thunder host the Lakers (9:30 ET | Tap to Watch).
Postseason Countdown: The SoFi Play-In Tournament is 12 days away. See the current Playoff Picture here.
1. WEST STREAKS: SPURS, NUGGETS, ROCKETS ADD WINS IN ALL-TIME APRIL ENTRANCE
For the first time in NBA history, April opened with the West’s top four teams all riding 3+ game win streaks – combining for 22 straight wins.
One day later, that surge has only grown – up to 24 straight among the top four, and 28 including fifth-place Houston, who’s also on a tear:
1. Thunder: 3 straight wins
2. Spurs: 10 straight wins
3. Lakers: 4 straight wins
4. Nuggets: 7 straight wins
5. Rockets: 4 straight wins
The Spurs are rolling, and once again Victor Wembanyama blurred the line between ridiculous and reality.
Spurs 127, Warriors 113: Wemby had 27 points and 13 rebounds at the half – becoming the first Spurs player with 25/10 in any half since play-by-play tracking began in 1997-98.
He finished with 41 points, 18 boards and 3 blocks on 16-of-22 shooting, pairing another highlight-reel performance with another Spurs dub, extending their streak to 10. | Recap
Déjà Vu Dominance: Wemby’s takeover comes just two nights after recording 41 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks in a win over Chicago
Fifty-Year First: At 22 years and 88 days, he’s not just the youngest player to notch back-to-back 40/15 games – he’s the only player in 50 years to post consecutive games of 40+ pts, 15+ reb and 3+ blk
Rare Air, Real Results: Wemby has tallied 275 points, 132 boards and 34 blocks over the Spurs’ last 10 games. Only two other players have hit those totals during a 10-game win streak: Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon.
And that dominance is translating directly to wins.
26 Of 28: The Spurs are the first team since 2020-21 to go 26-2 or better over a 28-game span in a single season
Championship Company: Only two other teams in NBA history have won 26 of 28 games while averaging 120+ points: the 1966-67 Sixers and ‘71-72 Lakers, both of whom won the NBA title
Winning Impact: That stretch includes 15 straight wins with Wemby in the lineup, where he’s posted an NBA-best +17.9 plus-minus
Next up? Denver’s seventh straight win, delivered by the hot hand of Jamal Murray.
So hot, even his lob off the glass connected.
Nuggets 130, Jazz 117: Murray drilled three 3s in the opening 90 seconds to help launch Denver’s 39-point 1st quarter – and punctuated it from halfcourt – in a wire-to-wire win.
Murray (37 pts) matched his career-high of 10 treys, while Nikola Jokić (15 pts, 17 reb, 12 ast) collected his 32nd triple-double of the season. Brice Sensabaugh (28 pts, 6 reb, 6 3s) led the Jazz. | Recap
Jamal & JR: Murray joined JR Smith as the only players in franchise history to sink 10+ triples in multiple games
“I’m just playing free. That’s the biggest thing, this whole year,” said Murray. “And my teammates trust me and I’ve been able to back them up.”
Triple-Double Season: Jokić has been finding Murray all year, and the Joker’s 12 dimes secured a triple-double average for the season (27.7 pts, 12.9 reb, 10.8 ast)
Elite Club: Jokić and former teammate Russell Westbrook are the only players to average a triple-double in back-to-back seasons
Steps Up The Mountain: Denver (4th) moved within 1.5 games of the 3rd-place Lakers, while a new team climbed to 5th…
Houston, we have liftoff – the Rockets are soaring up the standings.
Rockets 119, Bucks 113: Reed Sheppard went 9-of-14 from 3 en route to 27 points, while Alperen Sengun (25 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl) did a bit of everything, staving off the Bucks for a fourth straight win, despite Ousmane Dieng’s career night (36 pts, 10 ast). | Recap
Reed Rain: Sheppard’s nine 3s are a career high, making him the fifth-youngest player to reach the mark (21y, 282d)
Core Delivers: Kevin Durant (19 pts, 5 reb, 9 ast) and Amen Thompson (18 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast) added to the attack, including a clutch bucket from Thompson in the final minute to halt a late Bucks push
⬆️ Rockets Rise: With the win, Houston jumps Minnesota for 5th in the West, sitting 1.5 GB of Denver
2. EAST HEAT: JAYS IGNITE C’S, HAWKS SOAR, PG POPS OFF
Three hundred twenty-five days ago, Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles.
On Monday, he was named East Player of the Week.
Last night? A triple-double – while his co-star caught fire.
Celtics 147, Heat 129: Jaylen Brown scored 20 of his 43 points in the 1st quarter, as the Celtics erupted for 53 in the opening frame, before Tatum (25 pts, 18 reb, 11 ast) helped put the game away, beating Miami for a bounce-back win. | Recap
Boston Barrage: The Celtics went 11-of-15 from 3 in the opening frame, resulting in their highest-scoring quarter in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98)
Tatum Effect: It’s Tatum & Brown’s highest-scoring game as a duo (68) since Tatum’s return, moving Boston to 10-2 with him in the lineup this season
Brown Boost: Brown now has seven 40-pieces on the year, more than double his previous season-high (3). The last five have all resulted in wins
Hawks 130, Magic 101: Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 17 of his game-high 32 points in Atlanta’s 47-26 2nd-quarter takeover, as the Hawks pulled away for their 17th win in 19 games, spoiling Franz Wagner’s (12 pts, 20 min) first action since Feb. 11 (ankle). | Recap
Offense & Defense: During their 17-2 stretch, Atlanta ranks 2nd in DefRtg (106.7) and 2nd in scoring (122.5 ppg)
Jalen Johnson (18 pts, 14 reb, 8 ast) piled stats, while Jamal Cain, a full-season signee from a two-way contract, led Orlando with a career-high-tying 17 points
East Race: Atlanta holds a 1.5-game cushion for 5th, while Orlando slips to 9th behind Charlotte via tiebreak
76ers 153, Wizards 131: Paul George put on a show (39 pts, 6 ast), going 15-of-22 from the floor with six 3s, while Tyrese Maxey (28 pts, 9 ast) and VJ Edgecombe (23 pts, 10 ast) combined for 51, fueling Philly past Washington. | Recap
Philly Fire: It’s George’s most points as a Sixer and Philly’s second-highest scoring game in 40 years. The highest? 157 – eight days ago in a win over Chicago
⬆️ Sixers Climb: With the win and the Raptors’ loss, Philly jumped Toronto for 6th in the East, moving into Playoff position
3. ROUNDUP: KNICKS REBOUND, DEROZAN LEADS KINGS PAST RAPS, PACERS WIN
Knicks 130, Grizzlies 119: Without Jalen Brunson (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns (20 pts, 11 reb, 11 ast) stepped up with his fourth career triple-double as New York used a 48-point 1st quarter to fuel a wire-to-wire win, snapping its three-game slide. | Recap
Playmaking KAT: Towns’ first triple-double of the season was flanked by 49 combined points from OG Anunoby (25 pts, 13 reb) and Mikal Bridges (24 pts)
Upward Again: The Knicks (3rd) sit 2.5 GB of 2nd-place Boston, while holding a 1.5-game edge over 4th-place Cleveland
Kings 123, Raptors 115: Facing his former team, DeMar DeRozan dropped 28 to pass Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 17th on the all-time scoring list, while Precious Achiuwa dominated inside (28 pts, 19 reb), leading the Kings past RJ Barrett (20 pts, 6 ast) and the Raptors. | Recap
Pacers 145, Bulls 126: Pascal Siakam (25 pts, 5 ast) and Ethan Thompson (career-high 24 pts, 5 ast, 5 3s) sparked an 83-point 1st half for Indy, which took an early lead and never looked back for its second straight win. | Recap
4. ON PRIME: LUKA & SGA DUEL IN CRITICAL WEST SHOWDOWN
Ten days remain in the regular season. The top of the West is streaking – and nobody’s giving an inch.
At the very top of it, while the second-place Spurs have the longest win streak in the league, the first-place Thunder (W3) and third-place Lakers (W4) are riding runs of their own.
Tonight on Prime (9:30 ET), they collide – with a pivotal win on the line.
The Thunder sit just 2 games clear of the streaking Spurs
The Lakers are just 1.5 games up on the blazing Nuggets
With so little time left, and such tight margins, every game – and bucket – is magnified.
Enter the league’s top two scorers: Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
March Magic: Dončić leads the league with 33.8 ppg, coming off a 600-point March – the most by any Laker since Jerry West in Dec. 1965
Shai Standard: SGA (31.6 ppg) is the only other player this season averaging 30+. He is one 30-piece shy of matching Dončić (44) for the most in 2025-26. No other player has more than 34
Winning Ways: The Thunder are 36-7 when Shai scores 30+ this season. When Luka hits 30+, the Lakers are 33-11. That’s a combined 69-18 record
The Details: What makes these scorers so special? Neither relies on eye-popping speed or size – instead, SGA and Dončić carve up defenses with pace, balance and surgical shot creation.
Note: Advanced stats through April 1.
Self-Made: The most reliable scorers don’t need a numbers advantage – they are the advantage. Shai (80.1%) and Luka (72%) create their own looks as well as anyone, ranking 1st and 3rd, respectively, in unassisted field goal rate (min. 20 GP)
(Above: SGA and Luka also rank 1st and 3rd in iso points (494 | 396) and ppg off drives (14.2 | 10.7) this season)
The Difference: Though their production is similar, they get there in different ways – with Shai testing the defense & slithering into space, while Dončić controls the tempo with deception.
Mike Brown On SGA: “His body control is amazing … he knows when to attack, how to attack and who to attack, and he still has the awareness of where everybody is on the floor.”
JJ Redick On Luka: “He can get deep into the paint, and you don’t know if he’s going to shoot or pass … then there’s the rhythm, the touch, it all goes together.”
The Counter: Take away the paint, and they both have an answer – the stepback, a move they’ve mastered, with Luka (385 pts) and Shai (344) ranking 1st and 2nd in stepback points this season.
Their impact is undeniable: When Luka is on the floor, the Lakers’ OffRtg increases by 8.1 points. With Shai on the floor, OKC’s jumps 10.3 points.
In games that Dončić and SGA have played this season, L.A. (43-20) and OKC (52-12) are a combined 95-32.
Now, the two heavyweights – and superstars – go toe-to-toe with the West race at an all-time high.
5. ALSO ON PRIME: ANT BACK FOR WOLVES-PISTONS REMATCH
Saturday night’s loss to Detroit gave Anthony Edwards a different vantage point – one that may shape what comes next.
Sidelined with a knee injury, Edwards watched closely, picking up on what Minnesota lacked against one of the league’s top teams.
Ant’s back for tonight’s rematch (7 ET, Prime), coming off a win in his Monday return, with a clearer view of what the Wolves need down the stretch, writes The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski:
Many factors will decide just how far these Timberwolves can go … But so much of it will come down to Edwards. He is their brightest star, the Playoff riser who can be one of the very best two-way players in the league…
Edwards knows this, which is why he was watching the team so closely while he was out…
“Just watching the game from a distance, you start to see what the team is missing, what’s wrong internally, the problems and (stuff),” Edwards said.
“I think I needed that, especially going into the Playoffs to see what we needed.” | Read More
Now, Edwards puts those takeaways to the test in a key rematch against the East leaders, with Minnesota now a half-game back of Houston, looking to reclaim 5th in the West.
League Pass delivers four more matchups, including the 9th-place Blazers hosting the Pelicans (10 ET), as Portland chases the 8th-place Clippers, who face the Spurs (10:30 ET).
Suns at Hornets (7 ET)
Cavaliers at Warriors (10 ET)
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