Starting 5: Nuggets, Knicks roll along; Thunder-Celtics marks busy Wednesday

A triple-double

11 seconds into the 3rd quarter.

A game-winner

with 11 seconds left in the 4th.

Another night,

another Joker ace.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Coast 2 Coast Closers:

Jokić’s gem lifts Denver & Mitchell outduels Paolo, as both come through in clutch

Roundup:

Brunson delivers late for Knicks’ 7th straight, Hornets catch fire from 3

Tonight On ESPN:

Pistons & Wolves rolling; depth tested against fellow Playoff contenders

League Pass Spotlight:

OKC & Boston meet again in heavyweight duel, featuring two elite defenses

More On League Pass:

Wemby makes his Kia MVP case as Spurs seek 7th straight W, visiting Grizz

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Twelve games

tip off tonight, headlined by an ESPN doubleheader as the Pistons host the Hawks (

7 ET

|

Tap to Watch

), before the Rockets visit the Wolves (

9:30 ET

).

McClung, G League Scoring King:

The Windy City Bulls’ Mac McClung has passed Renaldo Major (5,299) to become the G League’s

all-time leading scorer

across the Tip-Off Tournament, regular season and Playoffs.

1. COAST 2 COAST CLOSERS: JOKIĆ & MITCHELL DAZZLE ON NBC

Nikola Jokić

set his teammates up to score all night – 17 times to be exact.

So in the game’s

final seconds, with the defense playing the passing lanes, Joker had set himself up to win it.

Nuggets 125, Suns 123:

Jokić (23 pts, 17 reb, 17 ast) completed his dominant night by

draining the game-winner

with 11.5 seconds remaining, pushing his Nuggets past Devin Booker (22 pts, 8 ast) and the Suns for a third straight win. |

Recap

Fast 1st Half:

A 35-point 1st quarter shot the Suns in front, before the Nuggets closed the half on a 21-8 run for a 10-point halftime lead, with Jokić (15/11/9) already a dime away from a triple-double

Eleven seconds into the 3rd

, Joker had the quickest (17:41) of his 29 triple-doubles this season, but Phoenix would storm back with a 38-point frame

Murray vs. Book:

Jamal Murray’s (21 pts, 6 ast) 7-point spurt in 3 minutes of the 4th put Denver up 6, only for Booker to score 8 points in a 14-6 answer, tying the game with 29.1 left

Joker called game

from there, with his elbow floater for the win.

It marked

just the

seventh 23/17/17 game

ever, and he owns three of those seven.

“It just happens,”

Jokić said of his monster numbers. “

It’s just that kind of game

. They were cutting, and I was just finding them.”

Down The Stretch:

Joker has leveled up for six triple-doubles in his last 10 games, helping to keep the Nuggets in the thick of the West race

Dust Settles:

Denver stays in 4th place in the West, a half-game ahead of Minnesota. Phoenix holds 7th, 4 games back from the 6th and final Playoff spot

Fourteen days ago,

Orlando edged Cleveland with a Desmond Bane dagger in the closing seconds.

Last night,

Donovan Mitchell returned the favor.

Cavaliers 136, Magic 131:

Mitchell went off

for 42 points on 14-of-22 shooting, scoring 26 in the 2nd half. That included a driving floater with 14 ticks left to push a 3-point lead to 5, lifting Cleveland past Paolo Banchero (36 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast) and Orlando for a fourth straight win. |

Spida Sense:

Mitchell, who leads the league in 2nd-half points, shot 9-of-13 (69.2%) in the final two quarters and added the game-sealing free throws to ice it

Beard Boost:

James Harden tacked on 26 points and 7 dimes as the Cavs improved to 11-4 with both he and Mitchell in the lineup

Stars Surging:

Amid the 4-0 run, Mitchell (29.3) and Harden (27.3) have combined for 56.6 ppg, with Harden adding 8 apg and shooting 53.1% from 3

East Race:

Cleveland remains 2.5 GB of New York for 3rd, while Orlando remains in 8th, holding a three-way tiebreaker over Charlotte & Miami

2. ROUNDUP: BRUNSON DELIVERS DOWN STRETCH, HORNETS ERUPT

Seven straight wins

have the Knicks knocking on the door for 2nd in the East.

Knicks 121, Pelicans 116:

Jalen Brunson scored 15 of his game-high 32 points (7 ast) in the 4th, including 13 of New York’s final 16 points, to lead seven Knicks in double figures for a seventh straight win, beating Zion Williamson (22 pts) and NOLA. |

Early & Late:

New York stormed out of the gates with a 42-point 1st quarter, and Brunson closed to keep the Knicks ahead throughout the 4th

More Shine:

OG Anunoby (5 3s) and Karl-Anthony Towns (14 reb) added 21 points apiece, while Jeremiah Fears (21 pts) backed Zion

Neck & Neck:

New York and Boston are now both 5 games behind East-leading Detroit, with the Celtics holding 2nd via tiebreaker entering tonight’s game vs. OKC (7:30 ET, League Pass)

Don’t look now,

but the Hornets are on another heater.

Hornets 134, Kings 90:

Coby White dropped 27 points on six 3s off the bench, as Charlotte hit 26 triples – tied for a franchise record – for the second time in 10 days, securing a fourth straight win to jump Miami for 9th in the East. |

LaMelo Moves Up:

LaMelo Ball (20 pts, 8 ast) drilled six 3s, passing Dell Curry (929) for the 2nd‑most in franchise history

Kon Chases Kemba:

Kon Knueppel (14 pts) hit four treys, climbing to 2nd for the most 3s by a Hornet in a single season (247). He’s 13 shy of Kemba Walker’s franchise record (260 in 2018-19)

Kia Rookie Ladder:

That shooting has Knueppel holding the top spot on Steve Aschburner’s

latest Kia Rookie Ladder

in a tight race with his former Duke teammate, Cooper Flagg

3. TONIGHT ON ESPN: HAWKS AT PISTONS, ROCKETS AT WOLVES

With 20 days left

until the postseason, the Pistons and Wolves are stacking wins without their superstars, Cade Cunningham and Anthony Edwards — leaning on depth to beat the best.

Tonight on ESPN,

Detroit seeks its fifth straight win as it hosts another surging squad: Atlanta (7 ET).

Now 4-0

since Cunningham’s lung injury, this stretch has put Detroit’s identity on full display – no excuses, no drop-off, just production.

JD Unleashed:

Jalen Duren has dominated in Cade’s absence, averaging 25.8 pts and 9.8 reb, including a career-high 36 points last Tuesday to spark the 4-0 run

The Latest W?

A 113-110 win over the Lakers behind Daniss Jenkins’ career-high 30 points and game-winning bucket, snapping Los Angeles’ 9-game heater

“Our guys, being who they are,

they never give in,” said Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff after the win. “They find a way to come together. Because they are so tight. Because they want to win and play for one another.”

That togetherness

has created a defensive buzzsaw. Detroit has totaled an NBA-best 742 steals and 488 blocks this season – numbers no team has matched through their first 71 games in more than 40 years.

Now, Detroit faces

an Atlanta squad that’s 13-1 in its last 14, powered by one of the league’s most potent attacks.

Full Flock:

Amid its 13-1 run, Atlanta ranks 1st in ppg (123.6) and 2nd in assists (30.6), while posting an NBA-best +16.4 point differential

Its Latest W?

A 146-point outburst against Memphis behind 14 different scorers, 37 assists and 25 3s – tied for a Hawks single-game franchise record

Team ball

has fueled Minnesota’s 3-1 run since losing Edwards (knee), capped by its first win in Boston since 2005 on Sunday.

Tonight (9:30 ET, ESPN)

, the 5th-place Wolves host the 6th-place Rockets, separated by just a half-game out West.

Baseline:

At the time of Edwards’ injury, Bones Hyland (7.2) and Ayo Dosunmu (11.6) were combining for 18.8 ppg

Takeoff:

Since then, they’ve each topped that mark on their own, with Hyland posting 20 ppg and Dosunmu averaging 19 – two of five Wolves scoring 14+ ppg amid the 3-1 run

Instant Juice:

That included a team-high 23 from Hyland in Boston – bringing a game-changing edge off the bench

“I’m just trying to give

my teammates energy,” said Hyland. “When I check in, I’m trying to change the swagger.”

Now, that swagger

meets Houston’s star power, with Kevin Durant (40 pts) and Alperen Sengun (33 pts, 13 reb, 10 ast) coming off massive outings in a loss to Chicago.

Will the Rockets rebound,

or will the Wolves’ depth deliver again?

4. ON LEAGUE PASS: DEFENSE DRIVES THUNDER, CELTICS IN MARQUEE REMATCH

The NBA’s

two most recent champions.

Two of

this season’s top-4 teams.

A top-5

scoring showdown between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.5 ppg) and Jaylen Brown (28.5 ppg).

Opposing boosts

from a pair of recent All-Star returns: Jalen Williams and Jayson Tatum.

Tonight’s Thunder-Celtics

rematch (7:30 ET, League Pass), their second meeting in 13 days, is an elite matchup in many key ways – but perhaps none more impactful on the defensive end.

Round 1:

League-leading OKC bested Boston on March 12 for their seventh of 12 straight wins, the NBA’s longest-active streak

J-Dub’s Back:

Now, the Thunder go for a 13th consecutive W with Jalen Williams back in the mix, who tallied 18 points (8-14 FG) in 20 minutes in Monday’s win

Also Reintegrating:

Boston’s felt a similar lift from Tatum’s return, who’s averaging 19.1 pts, 8.9 reb and 2.8 3s in eight games

Fueling OKC’s streak

is the defense that’s held the league’s top rating (106) all season.

On the other side,

Boston’s D is right there behind the Thunder’s since Feb. 1, with a 2nd-best 107.2 DefRtg.

The GIF series

below showcases some signature traits of these two tough defenses and how they earn an edge:

The Celtics have held their opponents to 44.1% from the field in March – the 2nd-best mark in the NBA.

Boston has contested the 6th-most 3-point shots (1,197) this season.

Cason Wallace forces 4.5 deflections per game, the most in the league, helping lead OKC to a league-best 22.3 ppg off turnovers.

The Thunder have forced 60 shot clock violations this year, the 4th-most in the NBA.

Which premier

defensive unit will make the stop that matters most tonight?

5. MORE ON LEAGUE PASS: WEMBY LEADS STREAKING SPURS VS. GRIZZLIES

Since 2023-24,

there have been 12 instances of a player recording 25+ points, 15+ rebounds and 5+ blocks in a game.

Victor Wembanyama

is responsible for half of them.

On Monday,

he tallied his fourth this season (26 pts, 15 reb, 5 blk), leading San Antonio past Miami for a sixth straight win and its 22nd in 24 games.

As the wins

– and numbers – stack up, so does Wembanyama’s push for the Kia MVP. After his latest eye-popping performance, Wemby made his case for the award, as told by The Athletic’s Jared Weiss:

As the conversation evolved,

[Wemby’s] campaign took shape around three talking points.

“My first one would be

that defense is 50% of the game and that is undervalued, so far, in the MVP race,” Wembanyama said. “I believe I’m the most impactful player defensively in the league. Second argument would be…” |

Read More

Tonight on League Pass (8 ET),

Wemby’s Spurs seek their seventh straight win as they visit the Grizzlies.

Also On League Pass:

Paul George returns as the Sixers host the Bulls (7 ET), the Heat face the Cavs in a key East duel (7:30 ET) and the Lakers look to rebound in Indy (7 ET) after seeing their nine-game win streak snapped in Detroit.

Wizards at Jazz

(9 ET)

Mavericks at Nuggets

(10 ET)

Nets at Warriors

Bucks at Blazers

Raptors at Clippers

(10:30 ET)