Starting 5: Joker outduels Wemby in OT, Pistons clinch East’s top seed, Curry set to return today

40 points.

A clutch takeover.

Magic, a mile high.

Joker & the Nuggets found a way

past Wemby and the Spurs in OT for an eighth straight win.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

April 5, 2026

Saturday’s Spotlight:

Nuggets take down Spurs in OT, Pistons clinch East’s top seed, Heat hit 152

Sunday Night Basketball:

Lakers face Mavs as Flagg follows up historic 50-piece

Also On SNB:

Rockets eye sixth straight win, face challenge of Curry’s expected return

What’s At Stake:

Examining Sunday’s postseason scenarios as races enter final week

Most Improved Players:

John Schuhmann dives into MIP award criteria

BUT FIRST … ⏰

11 games take us into the final week of the regular season

…

Today’s 11-game slate,

full of postseason implications, wraps up with a Sunday Night Basketball doubleheader, starting with the Lakers visiting the Mavericks (7:30 ET |

Tap To Watch

), before the Warriors host the Rockets (10 ET |

).

Curry’s Return:

Steph Curry is expected to

return to action

tonight in that matchup, with the Warriors upgrading his status to Questionable (knee) after missing the last 27 games.

Reaves’ Injury:

Lakers guard Austin Reaves (oblique strain) will join Luka Doncic in missing at least the remainder of the regular season,

the team announced Saturday

.

Hall of Fame:

Bucks coach Doc Rivers, Candace Parker and Amar’e Stoudemire were among the nine Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026

inductees announced Saturday

1. SATURDAY’S STARS: JOKER OUTDUELS WEMBY, PISTONS CLINCH, 152 FOR HEAT

Justin Edmonds/NBAE via Getty Images

A Nikola Jokić

statement game.

In a battle

of two scorching-hot, Top 4 West squads — and facing Victor Wembanyama for the first time this season — Joker willed an epic OT win.

Nuggets 136, Spurs 134 (OT):

Jokić (13 ast, 8 reb, 0 TOs) amassed 40 points, dropping 20 in the 1st half and finishing with 7 of Denver’s 12 points in overtime to outduel Wemby (34 pts, 18 reb, 7 ast, 5 blk) for a comeback win that ended San Antonio’s streak and pushed the Nuggets’ to eight straight. |

Recap

|

Watch The Highlights

San Antonio led

for 45:33 of regulation, but Denver charged back with a 40-27 run in the final 14 minutes, including OT, with Wemby held to 1-of-4 shooting in that span and just 2 points in the bonus period

It was Jamal Murray

, with 5:24 to go in the 4th, who ignited a 10-2 burst with two triples in a 1:45 span to give the Nuggets their first lead (116-115) since the 1st quarter

2:15 later, with the Spurs back up 6

, Cam Johnson’s (17 pts, 7 reb, 4 3s) 4-point play shot the Nuggets back within two, setting up Aaron Gordon…

Gordon’s wide-open dunk

from a Jokić draw-and-dime out of a timeout tied the game with 6.5 left in the 4th, and his 1-on-1 D on Wemby on the other end forced OT

From there

, Denver trailed just once in overtime, with Joker scoring the Nuggets’ final 5 points.

“We found a way to win,”

Jokić said. “Right now, in this part of the season, that’s the most important thing.”

Jokić becomes the fourth player

in NBA history to log 40+ pts, 10+ ast, and 5+ reb with zero turnovers in a regular-season game, joining Larry Bird, Luka and World B. Free

“It was indicative of what we can be

as a group,” Aaron Gordon said. “We like the intensity. That’s a really good ball club over there that plays really hard, so they brought it out of us.”

Wembanyama’s 3rd career game

of 30+ pts, 15+ reb, 5+ ast and 5+ blk overtakes Tim Duncan for the 2nd-most such games in franchise history, now trailing only David Robinson (5)

“He has an opportunity

and chance to be the most unique basketball player to ever play the game,” Joker said of Wemby postgame

“I think it’s great to be a fan

of basketball right now, and especially NBA.” Jokić said. “Every night you can find some really, really interesting (games) and really fun (matchups).”

“I think we’re getting spoiled

and we don’t appreciate it enough.”

Denver has dealt San Antonio

its last two losses, bookending its 11-game win streak. The Nuggets join the Warriors, Suns, Cavs and Wolves as the only teams to beat the Spurs twice this regular season

Comeback Kings:

That March 12 W for Denver was also a comeback, rallying from down-20. The team’s two 20+ point comebacks this season are tied for the league lead

West’s Top 4:

4th-place Denver is now just a half-game from 3-seed L.A., while 2nd-place San Antonio’s gap ahead to OKC slips to 2.5 games

Two seasons ago,

the 15-win Detroit Pistons finished last in the East for a second straight season.

Last night

, they clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs – with four games to spare.

Pistons 116, Sixers 93:

Tobias Harris (19 pts) and six other double-digit Pistons scorers never trailed after a 41-point 1st quarter, speeding past Tyrese Maxey (23 pts), Paul George (20 pts) and the Sixers to earn the franchise’s first No. 1 seed since 2006-07. |

“Two years ago, they [were] laughing at us,”

Duren said. “They didn’t believe in the vision.. But we just put the work in. We’re just happy.”

Daniss Jenkins

collected 16 points and 14 assists as Detroit moved to 8-2 without Cade Cunningham (lung). Jalen Duren (16 pts, 7 reb) controlled the paint with Joel Embiid (oblique) out

7th-place Philadelphia

loses hold of the East’s 6th and final Playoff spot, dropping into Play-In position behind Toronto by a half-game

The last time

Miami hosted Washington, Bam Adebayo poured in 83 points in a 150-129 March 10 win.

This time

, Bam scored less (14 pts) – but the Heat scored more.

Heat 152, Wizards 136:

Jaime Jaquez Jr. (32 pts) led seven Miami players in double figures past Will Riley (31 pts, 5 reb, 5 stl) and Washington, and Kel’el Ware (24 pts, 19 reb, 7 blk) nearly recorded a triple-double with blocks, in the Heat’s third-ever 150+ point game, and second in a month. |

Bench Beast:

Ware became just the fourth player to record a game of 20+ pts, 15+ rebs, and 5+ blk in Heat regular-season history, yet he and Hassan Whiteside are the only two to do so off the bench

Washington’s Riley

is the first rookie in franchise history with 30+ pts, 5+ reb and 5+ stl in a single game since steals were first recorded in 1973-74

Family Affair:

UCLA alum Jaquez Jr. led all scorers

before hopping on a plane

to Phoenix to watch his sister Gabriela play in the national champion game Sunday for the women’s team

10th-place Miami

pulls within a half-game of their Orlando neighbors in their battle for Play-In tournament positioning

2. ON SNB: LEBRON, LAKERS MEET FLAGG & MAVS

Wally Skalij/NBAE via Getty Images

Holding the third spot

in the West with a week to play, LeBron James & the Lakers are out for win No. 51 in Dallas tonight on Sunday Night Basketball (7:30 ET, NBC & Peacock).

But injury concerns

–

first for Luka Dončić

and

now Austin Reaves

– have followed the team’s 16-3 surge.

With two of their top

playmakers out, the Lakers will look to the league’s all-time leader in scoring to help drive the team forward — finishing up a regular season in which James has evolved his role to support a Western contender, Jeff Zillgitt writes.

“In the past month

, the question shifted from folly… to serious, as they climbed from sixth place to third in the Western Conference…

‘We’ve still got to continue to improve,’

James said. ‘We know what we’re capable of, but we will not shortcut the process…

‘The chemistry is high

. Everyone loves being around each other. We love playing for one another. We love being off the floor with one another. It’s a good, tight-knit group.’

Yes, James’ role is different

. That’s not surprising, and James is good with it. He is 41 years old after all.

Said James:

‘If it benefits others, it benefits the team. The team is most important. Everybody’s successful when we win. So yeah, it is a sacrifice. I know what I’m capable of still doing as an individual, but I’m able to adapt to what’s important for this team.’”

L.A.’s other keys

to contention, according to Zillgitt:

Add in the productive play

of [Deandre] Ayton and [Marcus] Smart, who led the Lakers in plus-minus at plus-11.5 points per game in March

‘It’s so important for our team and our rotation.’

– Redick recently referenced the Lakers’ record when [Rui] Hachimura plays this season (44-18)

[Luke] Kennard leads the league

in 3-point shooting (49.1%), and [Jaxson] Hayes’ value as a rim protector and screen-and-roll big man is on display

Read More

from Zillgitt’s article

Sam Hodde/NBAE via Getty Images

Opposing the Lakers

, Cooper Flagg comes off his career-high 51-point explosion against the Magic Friday, the NBA’s first-ever 50+ point performance from a teenager.

“To be able to have a 50-ball

against a really good defensive team… It just shows he’s getting better,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re really proud to have Cooper. We’re excited about the present, but we’re also excited about the future.”

3. SNB NIGHTCAP: STEPH SET FOR RETURN AS KD & ROCKETS GO FOR 5 STRAIGHT

Tim Warner/NBAE via Getty Images

The Rockets

are rolling at the right time.

Their five-game win streak

is suddenly the second longest in the league right now, behind the 4th-place Nuggets team (W8) directly ahead of them in the West.

Houston aims to keep pace

with Denver’s march toward a top-3 seed, but the Rockets’ Sunday opponent – the team that ended their 2024-25 season 11 months ago – just added a wrinkle.

Rockets at Warriors

(10 ET, NBC & Peacock): Two-time MVP Stephen Curry (knee) is set to return for his first action since Jan. 30, as the 10th-place Dubs are out to snap a three-game skid and gear up for next week’s Play-In tournament.

These two teams

met in Houston exactly one month ago, where Golden State pulled out a 115-113 OT victory without Steph.

Overcome For OT:

Brandin Podziemski (26 pts, 4 3s) outdueled Kevin Durant (23) in that overtime, after Houston played 36 minutes of catch-up from a 36.4 FG% 1st quarter

Shots Falling:

The Rockets have turned that around in their five straight wins, shooting 49.9 FG% as a team, with Durant (52.6), Amen Thompson (53.3) and Alperen Sengun (59.1) all shooting over 50.0%

“That’s really the only reason

we’ve been inconsistent,” KD said of the streak. “Once we start knocking [shots] down, you see what type of team we are.”

Thearon W. Henderson/NBAE via Getty Images

Curry netted

14 points in his only game against the Rockets this season, a 104-100 home loss back on Nov. 26. He scored a team-high 23 against Detroit when he was last on the floor.

Without Steph

, the Warriors have gone 9-18, maintaining Play-In position throughout Curry’s 27-game absence. They’re 3 games back of 9-seed LA

“He’ll be listed as questionable

, but is expected to play,” coach Steve Kerr said Saturday. “It’ll be nice to have him back. The game tends to get a lot easier for everybody when Steph is out there.”

Top-5 Tally:

Steph is averaging 27.2 ppg in 39 games played this year, the fifth-highest scoring season of his 17 year career

Shot Ready

: He’s shooting 39.1% from 3-point range, marking his fourth straight season shooting at least 39% from long distance

“Now Superman’s back,

we’ll figure it out,” Gary Payton II said of the Dubs’ postseason chances.

4. SUNDAY’S STAKES: TRACKING TODAY’S IMPACTS ON TIGHT POSTSEASON RACES

With eight days left

to lock in seedings, which teams will be shuffling in the standings Sunday?

Here’s a breakdown

of five more games with postseason implications across League Pass and NBA TV today:

Raptors at Celtics

(3:30 ET, NBA TV):

A Raptors win

would keep the team in 6th place, but stretch their lead over the 7-seed Sixers to a full game

A Raptors loss

would drop the squad back to 7th, putting the Sixers back in 6th-place via tiebreak

A Celtics win

would build a 3-game lead over the 3-seed Knicks, but a loss would shrink their advantage over New York to 2 games

Hornets at TWolves

(7 ET):

A Hornets win

would keep the team in 8th place, moving within half a game of the 6th and final Playoff seed

A Hornets loss

could drop Buzz City to 9th, with a half-game separating 8th-through-10th

The TWolves stay

in 6th place either way, but a win could put them within a game of Houston for 5th, and a loss could potentially drop them to 3 games back

Pacers at Cavs

(6 ET):

A Cavs win

would bring The Land within one game of the 3-seed Knicks, but a loss would drop them to 2 games behind New York

Magic at Pelicans

A Magic win

would jump the team to 8th, still within reach of a top-6 Playoff spot

A Magic loss

would keep Orlando in 9th, ahead of the 10-seed Heat by a tiebreaker

Clippers at Kings

(9 ET):

A Clippers win

would get them even with the Blazers, reclaiming 8th via tiebreaker

A Clippers loss

would keep them in 9th place, potentially just 2 games up from the 10-seed Warriors

Roundup

: The top-seed Thunder can put 3 full games between them and the 2-seed Spurs with a fifth straight win, hosting the Jazz (7 ET).

Wizards at Nets

(3:30 ET)

Suns at Bulls

Grizzlies at Bucks

5. SCHUHMANN ON MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images

Who was the best

at getting better?

That’s what NBA.com’s John Schuhmann sets out to answer in this

deep-dive into the races – and criteria – for this year’s Kia Most Improved Player award honors:

“There’s always some debate

about what kind of player should or shouldn’t be considered for the

Kia Most Improved Player award

Some voters

may not consider second-year players, while some might not consider high-lottery picks…

Last season

,

10 different players

received first-place votes…

Reminder:

The Most Improved Player award is one of the NBA’s awards that requires a player to have played at least 63 games of 20 minutes or more and two more games of at least 15 minutes…

Here are some

of the leading candidates for the Most Improved award:”

Nickeil Alexander-Walker

, Hawks

Collin Gillespie

, Suns

Jalen Johnson

Neemias Queta

, Celtics

Ryan Rollins

, Bucks

Reed Sheppard

, Rockets

of Schuhmann’s MIP award analysis