March 3,2024 at 1:00 PM
3/17/2024 1:00 PM
Lillard's 16 assists, Portis' 31 points off bench power Bucks over Suns
The Milwaukee Bucks took down the Phoenix Suns, 140-129, at Fiserv Forum in Sunday's matinee.

The game started with both teams exchanging leads and buckets in the first quarter. The Bucks (44-24) extended their three-point lead to double digits in the second quarter before ending the frame on a 16-7 run to enter halftime up by 22 points. Phoenix managed to whittle down the deficit to 15 to end the third quarter and even managed to bring it down further to single digits midway through the fourth quarter, but Milwaukee took control down the stretch to win the game and tie the season series 1-1. The Bucks improved to 27-7 at home, thanks in large part to their three-point shooting as they went 24-for-41 from beyond the arc. The Suns dropped to 18-15 on the road despite shooting 58.6 percent from the floor.

Bradley Beal led the Suns with 28 points, four rebounds and seven assists. Grayson Allen contributed 25 points, three rebounds and eight assists, while Devin Booker added 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Royce O’Neale led the bench with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists. Kevin Durant had a quiet night by his standards, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks and three steals.

Damian Lillard tied a career high with 16 assists to go along with 31 points and five rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season. Bobby Portis led the bench with a season-high 31 points along with 10 rebounds, two assists and three steals for his 11th double-double of the season. Khris Middleton returned from a 16-game absence due to sprained left ankle and finished with 22 points, three rebounds and seven assists. Jae Crowder added 18 points, two rebounds and three steals, while Malik Beasley tallied 17 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Both teams will play their next games Wednesday, March 20. The Suns will return to Phoenix to host the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Bucks head to Boston to face the East-leading Celtics.
March 3,2024 at 3:00 PM
3/17/2024 3:00 PM
Heat Squeaks By Pistons, 104-101
The Miami Heat defeated the Detroit Pistons, 104-101, at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday afternoon.

The Heat (37-30) came into the contest as road favorites despite being without Jimmy Butler (foot), but they found themselves down 23-21 at the end of one to the struggling Pistons (12-55). However, the second quarter went much closer to expectation, with Miami outscoring Detroit by a 39-27 margin. The see-saw nature of the contest continued in the third when the hosts knocked seven points from their deficit while holding the visitors to 19 points, and the game ultimately was decided on an unlikely Bam Adebayo three-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer.

Duncan Robinson led the Heat with 30 points, adding five assists and four rebounds. Adebayo generated a 20-point, 17-rebound double-double that included three assists and one steal. Terry Rozier furnished 17 points, nine assists, six rebounds and one steal. Jaime Jaquez delivered 15 points, four assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block. Caleb Martin finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, one steal and one block.

Evan Fournier paced the Pistons with 18 points, complementing them with four rebounds, one assist and three steals. Cade Cunningham recorded 17 points, nine assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block. Simone Fontecchio turned in 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Isaiah Stewart posted 12 points, six rebounds, one assist and one block. Jalen Duren generated an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double that included one assist and one block. Jaden Ivey netted 10 points.

The Heat remains on the road and visits the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, while the Pistons visit the Boston Celtics on Monday night.
March 3,2024 at 3:30 PM
3/17/2024 3:30 PM
Mavericks Best Nuggets, 107-105
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Denver Nuggets, 107-105, at American Airlines Center on Sunday afternoon.

The Mavericks (39-29) served early notice they wouldn't be back down by the defending champions on their home floor, trailing the Nuggets (47-21) by only three at halftime. Dallas then clicked on both ends coming out of intermission, posting a 26-18 advantage in the third quarter to take a five-point edge into the final period. Denver then went on a torrid 20-4 run after going down by 13 with 6:50 remaining, but after Luka Doncic tied the game at 105 with a three-pointer with 25 seconds remaining, Jamal Murray's miss on a pull-up jumper with 4.1 seconds left was eventually followed by Kyrie Irving's unlikely left-handed sky hook from beyond the free-throw line at the buzzer for the wild win.

Murray led the Nuggets with 23 points, adding seven assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block. Michael Porter furnished 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Nikola Jokic generated a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double that included seven assists and two steals. Aaron Gordon registered 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and one block. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Christian Braun produced matching 10-point efforts, with KCP adding three rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

Doncic paced the Mavericks with 37 points, supplementing them with nine rebounds, three assists and two steals. Irving delivered 24 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, three steals and one block. Dereck Lively recorded 14 points, eight boards and two blocks. Derrick Jones turned in nine points, eight rebounds and one assist.

The Nuggets remain on the road and visit the Minnesota Timberwolves, while the Mavericks visit the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night as well.
March 3,2024 at 6:00 PM
3/17/2024 6:00 PM
Magic Defeat Raptors, 111-96
The Orlando Magic defeated the visiting Toronto Raptors, 111-96, at Amway Center on Sunday.

While there were eight ties and six lead changes, Orlando held the lead for all but a few minutes in this game. That was in the first half, with the Magic riding a 35-26 third quarter to their victory. They got their lead up to 20 points at times, maintaining a double-digit lead for the entirety of the fourth quarter. The Magic shot 51 percent from the field and 31 percent from three-point range while the Raptors shot 44 percent from the field and 26 percent from long range. Orlando also outscored Toronto in the paint, 60-48, while winning the turnover battle, 18-13.

The Raptors (23-45) were led by Jordan Nwora, providing 18 points and seven rebounds off of the bench. Gary Trent Jr led the starters with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Immanuel Quickley collected 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Kelly Olynyk had 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.

The Magic (40-28) were led by Paolo Banchero, tallying 29 points, six rebounds and five assists on 11-of-16 from the field. Franz Wagner finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Moritz Wagner led the bench with 14 points and four boards. Jalen Suggs generated 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.

On deck for Orlando is a home matchup with the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. As for Toronto, they return home to face the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday for their next outing.
March 3,2024 at 6:00 PM
3/17/2024 6:00 PM
Celtics Dominate In Win Over Wizards
The Boston Celtics defeated the Washington Wizards, 130-104, at Capital One Arena on Sunday.

The Celtics (53-14) didn’t have problems to defeat the Wizards (11-57) despite playing on the road. With the win, Boston moved to 3-0 in the head-to-head against Washington while moving to 23-11 on the road. On the other hand, the Wizards fell to 4-27 at home. Boston set the tone of the game early and raced to a 45-27 score in the first quarter. Washington didn’t have the weapons to turn things around, and the Wizards could not complete a comeback the rest of the way. Boston won the second quarter by a 36-26 score, and the third one by a 27-25 margin. The Celtics entered the fourth quarter leading by a 30-point margin, so they didn’t have problems closing things out in the final 12 minutes.

Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser led the way for the Celtics with 30 points each. Tatum also had six rebounds, six assists and three steals, while Hauser also grabbed six boards. Al Horford notched 14 points, same as Luke Kornet and Payton Pritchard. Pritchard also dished out 13 assists. Boston shot 49.4 percent from the field and 48 percent from three-point range.

Jordan Poole was the best player for the Wizards with 31 points. Justin Champagnie was the only other starter who posted double-digit points after adding 14 points and eight rebounds. Anthony Gill delivered 13 points, four rebounds and three assists off the bench. Washington shot 46.1 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from three-point range.
March 3,2024 at 7:00 PM
3/17/2024 7:00 PM
Spurs Defeat Nets in OT, 122-115
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the visiting Brooklyn Nets in overtime, 122-115, at Moody Center on Sunday.

There were 11 ties and 14 lead changes in this game, taking an overtime session to determine a winner. San Antonio took care of business in the overtime, outscoring Brooklyn, 12-5. No team led by more than 11 points, with Brooklyn maintaining the lead for the majority of the game. The Spurs shot 91 percent from the free-throw line (21-of-23), while the Nets hit just 68 percent (13-of-19). San Antonio also doubled up Brooklyn in blocks, 10-5, while out-rebounding them, 62-54.

The Nets (26-42) were led by Cam Thomas, collecting 31 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals. Dennis Schroder had 19 points, three rebounds and seven assists. Mikal Bridges amassed 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Nic Claxton compiled 11 points, 14 rebounds and two assists. Day'Ron Sharpe led the bench with 15 points, three rebounds and two assists.

The Spurs (15-53) were led by Victor Wembanyama, finishing with 33 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocks. Devin Vassell totaled 25 points, two rebounds and eight assists. Tre Jones tallied 11 points, four rebounds, seven assists and three steals, while Jeremy Sochan generated four points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Keldon Johnson led the bench with 24 points and five boards.

Both teams return to action on Tuesday, with San Antonio staying home to play the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn returning home to face the New Orleans Pelicans.
March 3,2024 at 9:30 PM
3/17/2024 9:30 PM
Hawks Rise Above Clippers In L.A.
The Atlanta Hawks defeated the host Los Angeles Clippers, 110-93, at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday evening.

The game got out to a competitive start as the Hawks led, 31-29, after one quarter. The visitors turned up their play in the second and outscored the Clippers, 30-15, to take a 17-point lead into the break. The hosts had no answers in the third, as the Hawks maintained control and added another nine points to their advantage, making it a 26-point difference entering the final frame. The Clippers put up a fight in the fourth but it was too little, too late, as the Hawks held on to end a three-game slide. This also marks the second straight loss for the Clippers.

Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 21 points, two rebounds, 10 assists and two steals, in 34 minutes. De'Andre Hunter followed up with 20 points, two rebounds, two assists and a block, while Jalen Johnson tallied 18 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks.

Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 28 points, two rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block, in 37 minutes. Paul George followed up with 26 points, six rebounds, four assists and a block, while no other player scored in double digits for the squad.

The Clippers (42-25) will look to bounce back as they clash with the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. The Hawks (30-37) take on the Lakers in L.A. on Monday.