The READ
NBA Recap | March 25, 2026
Jalen Johnson erupted for 27 points and 12 assists as Atlanta beat Detroit 130-129 in OT to keep its playoff surge alive. Luka Doncic dropped 43 in a LAL road win. Joel Embiid went 12-of-17 with 3-of-3 from three in a Philadelphia explosion to 157. Boston upset Oklahoma City 119-109 to inject real chaos into the Western standings. Wemby scored 19 points, gathered 15 rebounds, and accumulated 7 blocks for San Antonio in a blowout. Washington beat Utah behind a 26 point, 17 rebound double-double from Julian Reese. Minnesota edged Houston in OT 110-108 behind Rudy Gobert's 14 point, 14 rebound, and 5 blocks. Jamal Murray went nuclear for 53 on 19-of-28 shooting as Denver hammered Dallas 142-135. Portland blew out Milwaukee again — 130-99, Donovan Clingan with 15 points and 7 blocks. Golden State held off Brooklyn 109-106 behind Gui Santos' 31. Ten games. Let's run it.
ATLANTA STUNS DETROIT IN OT
Atlanta Hawks 130, Detroit Pistons 129 (OT)
Jalen Johnson willed Atlanta to an overtime victory over the league's best record, and the Hawks are making sure their playoff positioning matters. Johnson finished with 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting, 12 assists, 8 rebounds, and a +2 — a do-everything performance that kept pace with everything Detroit threw at them. CJ McCollum added 27 off 10-of-21 shooting (5-of-12 from three). Dyson Daniels double-doubled with 16 and 13 rebounds while also being the best defensive presence on the floor for long stretches.
Detroit led by 5 entering the fourth and still held an edge in the final minute of regulation, but Atlanta hit a clutch shot to force overtime and then outscored the Pistons in the extra period to escape. Jalen Duren had one of his best games of the season — 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 14 rebounds, drawing 10 free throws and making all of them. Daniss Jenkins had 19 and 10 assists but also 6 turnovers that cost Detroit critical possessions. Tobias Harris chipped in 22. Detroit still has the best record in the Eastern Conference at 52-20, but Atlanta just took a game that could matter enormously at the end of the week; especially with Boston and New York lurking not far behind.
ATL 130 · DET 129 (OT)
LUKA KEEPS ROLLING IN INDIANAPOLIS
Los Angeles Lakers 137, Indiana Pacers 130
The Lakers came in down 29 at the end of the first quarter and still won by 7. That's who this team is right now and is hitting their stride at the right time. Luka Doncic had 43 on 15-of-30 shooting (4-of-11 from three), 9-of-10 from the line, 7 assists, and a +6. He scored or assisted on virtually every crucial bucket in the first three quarters when the game was being decided. Austin Reaves added 25 with 8 assists, and the LAL defense generated 15 steals — the highest single-game steal total for any team this week.
Indiana made it interesting with a 45-point fourth quarter that brought them within 7, but the damage was done. Andrew Nembhard had a remarkable 19-assist night with 14 points — a double-double highlight in a losing effort. T.J. McConnell went 8-of-8 from the field for 17 and Jay Huff added 18 on 7-of-10 shooting off the bench. Indiana's effort late was admirable, but it came too late and against a Lakers team that doesn't lose leads when Luka is cooking.
IND 130 · LAL 137
EMBIID AND VJ EXPLODE AS PHILADELPHIA DROPS 157
Philadelphia 76ers 157, Chicago Bulls 137
The 76ers welcomed back Embiid and PG13 and they collectively scored 157 points and led by as many as 47. Joel Embiid was dominant — 35 points on 12-of-17 shooting including 3-of-3 from three and 8-of-9 from the line, 7 assists, and 83.5% true shooting. That's a near-perfect shooting night by any standard. VJ Edgecombe was equally surgical: 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting (4-of-5 from three), 6 assists, and a 98.2% true shooting mark — the second-highest on the team in a blowout. Paul George had 28 on 6-of-13 from three with 4 steals. Philadelphia shot 55.3% from the field and 46.8% from three as a team.
Chicago did what they could. Josh Giddey had a genuine highlight night — 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, 12 assists, and 77.9% true shooting — a stat line that would have led the recap in a closer game. But Philadelphia's defensive suffocation and offensive efficiency were too much for a Chicago team that had nothing to slow down the 76ers when they were rolling. PHI's 51-point third quarter was the definitive statement.
CHI 137 · PHI 157
MIAMI GROUNDS CLEVELAND
Miami Heat 120, Cleveland Cavaliers 103
Donovan Mitchell had 28 points, but fouled out and shot just 54.5% from the field after his 42-point masterpiece Tuesday. Evan Mobley was a non-factor — 8 points on 3-of-8 shooting. James Harden had 18 and 7 assists but was -6. The Heat dominated start to finish, with their biggest lead reaching 21 and Cleveland never finding a stretch where they could mount a consistent run.
Miami made this look routine. Tyler Herro hit 4-of-8 from three for 18 points and Norman Powell had 19 on 7-of-12 shooting (3-of-7 from three). Bam Adebayo drew 5 fouls and hit all 4 of his free throws en route to 17 with 10 rebounds and 7 assists — a stat line that would have felt more complete with better shooting (6-of-19, 31.6% FG), but Miami won convincingly regardless. Pelle Larsson's 14 off the bench with 86.6% true shooting provided key secondary scoring. Cleveland gets a day off before a rematch with Miami on Friday, but sit squarely in 4th place in the East with three heads behind and four games ahead of New York and Atlanta, respectively.
MIA 120 · CLE 103
BOSTON UPSETS OKLAHOMA CITY
Boston Celtics 119, Oklahoma City Thunder 109
Boston came in as slight underdogs and won by 10 against the defending champions to send a message to the Western Conference. Jaylen Brown had 31 on 9-of-17 shooting with 8 rebounds and 8 assists — a complete performance that carried Boston even as Jayson Tatum had just 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Brown drew 14 free throw attempts and converted 12, bullying OKC's perimeter defenders with physicality. Payton Pritchard hit 4-of-6 from three for 14 off the bench and Neemias Queta had 13 points and 2 blocks.
OKC simply couldn't stop Boston's attack once the Celtics got rolling. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was spectacular in a losing effort: 33 on 10-of-12 shooting (3-of-4 from three), 10-of-12 from the line, 95.5% true shooting. He was brilliant and it still wasn't enough. Boston's 39-point third quarter was the swing — OKC led 53-49 at half and never recovered. The Thunder drop to 57-17, and their lead over San Antonio for the No. 1 seed in the West is suddenly worth watching.
BOS 119 · OKC 109
WEMBY DOMINATES AS SPURS CRUISE IN MEMPHIS
San Antonio Spurs 123, Memphis Grizzlies 98
San Antonio won by 25 and it wasn't close. Victor Wembanyama had 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 blocks — a block total that ranks among his best single-game performances of the season. His defensive rating for this game was a stunning 62.2, a mark that represents total defensive dominance and possible foreshadowing to Defensive POY hardware. He was a +34 and is the main reason San Antonio's defensive rating for this game was 94.4, well below what Memphis was capable of producing. Devin Vassell added 19 on 7-of-10 shooting (4-of-6 from three) at 87.3% true shooting, Dylan Harper had 10 assists, and the Spurs bench scored 47.
San Antonio has now won six of their last seven and sit at 55-18, just 2 games behind OKC for the No. 1 seed in the West — and Boston's win Wednesday night over OKC means that gap is narrowing on paper. Memphis fell to 24-48 and its season is essentially over.
MEM 98 · SAS 123
WASHINGTON ROLLS UTAH BEHIND REESE'S MONSTER NIGHT
Washington Wizards 133, Utah Jazz 110
Julian Reese had one of the best games of any big man this week: 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting (all twos) with 17 rebounds — 73.2% true shooting. He was a force on both ends and finished +7. Leaky Black had 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. Will Riley double-doubled with 19 and 10 rebounds, Jaden Hardy added 21 from the bench, Washington's bench scored 54 points, and the Wizards led by as many as 37. It's a young team playing loose and free at the end of the season which could translate to next season.
Utah got 24 from Cody Williams (11-of-20 FG) and 21 from Blake Hinson (6-of-8, 4-of-5 from three), but Utah's defense allowed Washington to shoot 55.3% and score 70 points in the paint. The Jazz's free throw rate of 52.0% (13-of-25) reflected a night where they couldn't finish at the rim with any consistency.
WAS 133 · UTA 110
MINNESOTA SURVIVES IN OT AS GOBERT ANCHORS DEFENSE
Minnesota Timberwolves 110, Houston Rockets 108 (OT)
A brutal, ugly, beautiful overtime game that came down to the final possession. Minnesota won 110-108 in overtime behind Rudy Gobert's 14 points (7-of-13 FG), 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks — a defensive masterpiece that limited Houston's interior options at the most critical moments. Jaden McDaniels had 25 on 10-of-17 shooting, Julius Randle had 24 despite 5 turnovers, and Donte DiVincenzo hit 5-of-12 from three for 17.
Houston's Alperen Sengun had another monster performance: 30 points on 12-of-22 shooting, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks — his second consecutive strong outing after Tuesday's 33-13-10 triple-double. Amen Thompson double-doubled with 11 and 9 rebounds, adding 10 assists. The game went to OT after the Timberwolves and Rockets each failed to put the other away in regulation. In overtime, Minnesota scored 15 unanswered to end the game — Houston couldn't answer the final run. A significant win for Minnesota's playoff positioning.
HOU 108 · MIN 110 (OT)
MURRAY DROPS 53 AS DENVER DESTROYS DALLAS
Denver Nuggets 142, Dallas Mavericks 135
Jamal Murray had 53 points. He made 19 of 28 shots, including 9 of 14 from three, and went 6-of-6 from the free throw line. That's 86.5% true shooting on 30 field goal attempts — an incredible shooting display a day after Joker’s eye-popping triple-double. Denver shot 50% from three as a team (19-of-38) and won by 7 in a game that was never as close as the final score suggests — they led by 13 in the third quarter and pulled away cleanly.
Cooper Flagg had 26 with 7 assists for Dallas in a losing effort, and P.J. Washington posted 19 with 15 rebounds. The Mavericks are 23-50 and they’ll be preparing for the NBA Draft — their defense has given up 135 or more points in multiple games this week. The Nuggets at 46-28 are now firmly in the 4-seed, holding a half-game lead over Minnesota for that spot, and appear to be hitting their best basketball of the season.
DAL 135 · DEN 142
PORTLAND BLOWS OUT MILWAUKEE AGAIN
Portland Trail Blazers 130, Milwaukee Bucks 99
Portland made it back-to-back blowout wins over Milwaukee — 129-96 on Monday, 130-99 on Wednesday. The Bucks are 29-43 and getting destroyed nightly. Donovan Clingan had 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 blocks for Portland on 75.0% shooting — a defensive linchpin who completely neutralized Milwaukee's interior. Scoot Henderson came off the bench for 23, Deni Avdija had 18 with 7 assists and 9 drawn fouls, and Matisse Thybulle had 3 steals and a stifling +23.
Milwaukee's Ryan Rollins put up a futile 36 points on 13-of-26 shooting, but was -6 in a game that was over by the second quarter. The Bucks have now lost 5 straight. Portland is 37-37 — right at .500 — with their play-in positioning looking increasingly viable.
MIL 99 · POR 130
GOLDEN STATE GRINDS OUT A WIN OVER BROOKLYN
Golden State Warriors 109, Brooklyn Nets 106
A scrappy, turnover-filled game that Golden State won by outscoring Brooklyn 32-20 in the fourth quarter after trailing by 13 earlier. Gui Santos led all scorers with 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting (4-of-6 from three) in 79.4% true shooting. Brandin Podziemski had 22 with 5 assists and drew 8 free throws. Draymond Green posted 7 points but his orchestrating in the fourth quarter was pivotal.
Brooklyn had Ziaire Williams with 19 (including 6 steals — the most of any player this week), but GSW's fourth-quarter defense locked down. Golden State committed 26 turnovers — a staggering number that made this game far too close. They're 35-38 and have clinched a play-in spot where we will likely see the return of Steph Curry.
BKN 106 · GSW 109
⭐ STAR OF THE NIGHT
Jamal Murray | Denver Nuggets - 53 PTS | 19-28 FG | 9-14 3PT | 6-6 FT | 86.5% TS
Fifty-three. On 19-of-28 shooting and 9-of-14 from three — a performance that ranks among the great individual offensive games of this season. On the same week where Jokic posted 23-17-17, Murray dropped 53 on the same Dallas team in back-to-back Denver wins. The Nuggets aren't just hot — they're being led by two of the best individual performances in the league simultaneously, and it's arriving at exactly the right time of year.
💀 DUD OF THE NIGHT
Donovan Mitchell | Cleveland Cavaliers - 28 PTS | 12-22 FG | FOULED OUT | -21 | L
After 42 points Tuesday, a foul-out Wednesday. Mitchell scored 28 but was -21 — the worst plus/minus of any starter on either team — and his six personal fouls ended his night early at the worst possible time. Evan Mobley was also ineffective (8 pts, 3-of-8 FG), and the Cavaliers collectively came apart in a way that suggests Tuesday's win required everything they had. It's a quick turnaround with a rematch against Miami on Friday.
QUICK TAKES
Jamal Murray dropped 53 on 19-of-28 shooting. Yesterday, Jokic had 23-17-17. Denver is timing their run perfectly and is looking dangerous.
Wemby's 7 blocks tonight. His defensive rating in this game: 62.2. That number is barely real.
Boston beats OKC. The OKC-SAS race for the 1-seed just got tighter with 9 games to play.
Luka extends his 30-point game streak to 11 consecutive — 43 tonight, which ties his career best. He is forcing himself into the MVP conversation alongside SGA and Joker.
Jalen Johnson scored 27 points and gathered 12 rebounds to lead the Hawks to a win in OT against the top seeded Pistons. The Hawks are announcing themselves as a genuine playoff threat.
The Milwaukee Bucks have lost 5 straight and have now been blown out by Portland twice in 3 days. This franchise has a long offseason ahead.
Alperen Sengun: 30 points tonight after 33-13-10 Tuesday and had a huge block at the end of regulation against the Timberwolves. He has been the best center in a two-game stretch that nobody is talking about because Jokic exists.
Andrew Nembhard had 19 assists tonight for Indiana in a loss, but showed incredible vision.
Julian Reese: 26 points & 17 rebounds for Washington. The Wizards' young core is showing signs of growth which could yield results next season.
