Kawhi Leonard sealed a chaotic victory for the Clippers in the final seconds. Luka Doncic received another technical foul, risking suspension during the Lakers’ win over the Nets. History was made by LeBron and Bronny James, while the Celtics secured a win against the Atlanta Hawks without Jaylen Brown. Dennis Schröder’s Cavaliers set a franchise record against Miami. Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets lifted their spirits, Nikola Jokic delivered another monster triple-double, and the Dallas Mavericks ended their losing streak against Portland. Here’s a full recap of the NBA night.
NBA: Night’s Results at a Glance
| Home | Away | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana Pacers | LA Clippers | 113:114 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Miami Heat | 149:128 |
| Boston Celtics | Atlanta Hawks | 109:102 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | Chicago Bulls | 131:113 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | Houston Rockets | 109:119 |
| Toronto Raptors | New Orleans Pelicans | 119:106 |
| Denver Nuggets | Utah Jazz | 135:129 |
| Golden State Warriors | Washington Wizards | 131:126 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | Dallas Mavericks | 93:100 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Brooklyn Nets | 116:99 |
LA Clippers 114, Indiana Pacers 113
Kawhi Leonard hit a dramatic game-winning jumper with 0.4 seconds left to cap a chaotic finish and propel the LA Clippers to a narrow victory over the Indiana Pacers. The Clippers clawed back from a 24-point deficit. Leonard finished with 28 points (13/26 FG), marking his 50th consecutive game with at least 20 points. Despite Leonard’s heroics, Darius Garland led the Clippers in scoring with 30 points. For the Pacers, Aaron Nesmith had 26 points and seven rebounds, while Obi Toppin contributed 20 points, eight boards, and four assists off the bench. This fourth consecutive win for the Clippers moves them closer to the seventh-place Suns in the Western Conference, while the Pacers solidified their position as the league’s worst team in the East.
Boston Celtics 109, Atlanta Hawks 102
No Jaylen Brown, no problem – at least in the end. Despite their top scorer being sidelined with an irritated Achilles, the Celtics dug themselves an early hole in the first quarter (9:25). However, they shot their way back into the game with seven consecutive three-pointers in the second period and eventually turned the tide. Boston particularly dominated the Hawks on the boards, winning the rebound battle 52:35.
Payton Pritchard was a significant factor, coming off the bench to score 36 points (13/23 FG) for Atlanta and dishing out four assists. With seven rebounds, he was also the third-best rebounder on his team. Jayson Tatum struggled a bit with his shot (8/24 FG) but still managed 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. His three free throws to make it 107:99 sealed the decision.
For the Hawks, Jalen Johnson (29 points), CJ McCollum (21), and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (20) all crossed the 20-point mark, though most Hawks players were not particularly efficient, with the team shooting just 39 percent from the field. The Hawks entered the game as one of the league’s hottest teams (15-1 since the All-Star Break) but slipped to sixth place, just behind the Raptors, after the loss. Boston maintained its distance from New York in the race for second place. Brown’s status is «day-to-day» and he’s hoped not to be out for long.
Los Angeles Lakers 116, Brooklyn Nets 99
It happened again: For the fourth time in his career, Luka Doncic received his 16th technical foul of the season, and for the fourth time, he has a chance for the decision to be overturned, potentially allowing him to play. Doncic swat at Ziaire Williams’ arm in the third quarter after Williams excessively celebrated a Slovenian’s offensive foul.
This didn’t stop the Lakers’ superstar from leading his team to an ultimately comfortable victory with 41 points (15/25 FG), eight rebounds, and three steals. Austin Reaves once again played the perfect second fiddle with 26 points (7/13 FG), eight rebounds, and five assists.
LeBron James did a bit of everything (14 PTS, 6 REB, 8 AST), but he’ll likely remember one assist in particular: his pass for Bronny James’ three-pointer was the first father-son assist in league history.
No Nets player reached 20 points, with Josh Minott leading his team with 18 points. Williams (6/14 FG) and Nic Claxton (8/10 FG) each recorded 16 points.
Cleveland Cavaliers 149, Miami Heat 128
All-Star Game numbers in Cleveland: The Cavaliers poured in a whopping 149 points in regulation (a franchise record) against Miami, more than making up for their 103:120 loss in their recent matchup last Wednesday. This record-setting performance came despite a relatively subdued showing from Donovan Mitchell.
The Cavs star made only one of his ten shots (14 points) but contributed in other areas with four rebounds, six assists, and an impressive four steals. His scoring was compensated, especially in the first half, by Max Strus. Once subbed in, Strus caught fire, sinking six of his eight three-pointers before halftime (22 points by halftime, 29 total), playing a crucial role in Cleveland’s early 81:46 lead – from which Miami would never recover.
Jarrett Allen contributed 18 points and ten rebounds in his return after a ten-game absence, while his dynamic partner James Harden tallied 17 points and 14 assists. Evan Mobley was the team’s second-leading scorer, finishing with 23 points and 10 boards. Dennis Schröder recorded eight points (3/7 FG) and five assists in 20 minutes.
For Miami, only Jaime Jaquez Jr. barely broke the 20-point mark. Bam Adebayo, with 14 points, didn’t quite reach his season high but did grab 16 rebounds.
Houston Rockets 119, Memphis Grizzlies 109
For a while, it seemed the bad vibes for Houston might get even worse. The Rockets couldn’t truly pull away from the currently struggling Grizzlies until late in the fourth quarter, when Kevin Durant’s three-pointer with seven minutes left triggered a decisive 14:3 run.
As often this season, the Rockets’ offense was only semi-smooth, but Ime Udoka’s team still managed to shoot nearly 50 percent from the field. What they missed, Houston quickly got back: a remarkable 21 offensive rebounds (57:39 total rebounds).
KD led his team in scoring (25 PTS, 8/14 FG) and also dished out ten assists. Jabari Smith (21 PTS, 16 REB) and Amen Thompson (18 PTS) also scored in double figures. The game’s top scorer came from the Grizzlies: Olivier-Maxence Prosper set a career-high with 31 points.
The Rockets’ victory keeps the Western Conference race tight, as they are now just one win behind the fifth-placed Timberwolves. And the best news for the Rockets: this time, there was no negative record for the highest overtime lead ever squandered.
Dallas Mavericks 100, Portland Trail Blazers 93
The losing streak is over: Thanks to an 8:1 run in the final minutes, the Dallas Mavericks edged out Portland. A good victory for morale, even if the Mavs remain in limbo in the Western Conference.
Cooper Flagg solidified his Rookie of the Year campaign with another solid performance (24 PTS, 9/17 FG), ably supported by Marvin Bagley III from the second unit. The big man delivered a super-efficient 26 points (11/14 FG) and was also the Texans’ leading rebounder.
For Portland, Jrue Holiday (8/19 FG) led in scoring, while Deni Avdija collected 20 points, nine rebounds, and six assists (but also 5 turnovers). The Blazers had recently climbed to ninth place in the Western Conference, where they now sit one win ahead of the Warriors.
Denver Nuggets 135, Utah Jazz 129
Much has been (rightly) debated in recent days about whether the MVP trophy should go to SGA or Wemby – meanwhile, Nikola Jokic casually put up 33 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists. The Nuggets needed this stat line tonight against Utah, as well as a similarly strong Jamal Murray (31 PTS, 6 REB, 14 AST).
The Nuggets were 13 points down in the last quarter before they hit the turbo and, thanks to a small flurry of three-pointers from Murray and Cam Johnson (12 PTS), turned things around. And perhaps also because the still-excellent tanking Jazz benched their starters in the final period.
Kyle Filipowski had the most points for the visitors (25 on 11/17 FG, 8 REB, 5 AST), but couldn’t get the ball in the basket in the fourth quarter (management will forgive him). Cody Williams contributed 24 points and six assists, while rookie Ace Bailey finished the game with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Oklahoma City Thunder 131, Chicago Bulls 113
In this matchup, probably no one expected much excitement, and that expectation was met. SGA led the Thunder with his umpteenth consecutive 20-point game to a comfortable 131:113 victory over the tanking Bulls.
The reigning MVP wasn’t even particularly hot, making only eight of his 24 shots (25 PTS). The decisive factor was more the OKC defense, which went on a 22:0 run at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter. Chicago failed to score for seven minutes!
Jalen Williams played a good all-around game in his first home game since mid-January, recording 18 points, six rebounds, and eight assists. Cason Wallace contributed an extremely efficient 21 points (8/11 FG). Isaiah Hartenstein couldn’t quite keep up in scoring (6 PTS) but once again dominated the paint with 16 rebounds.
On the Bulls’ side, Collin Sexton was the top scorer off the bench with 22 points (8/14 FG). Isaac Okoro (20 PTS, 7/13) and Tre Jones (21 PTS, 8/12 FG) also fared well against the Thunder defense. Josh Giddey, however, had a terrible night, making only one of eleven shots (0/8 3PT!) and committing five turnovers. His seven rebounds and eleven assists only partially helped.