The READ
NBA Recap | March 29, 2026
Alperen Sengun went for 36 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists as Houston ran New Orleans off the floor 134-102. Toronto obliterated Orlando by 52 — 139-87 — with Scottie Barnes dropping 23 and 15 assists in one of the great all-around performances of the season. Indiana buried Miami 135-118 in a 77-bench-point showcase. Tatum had 32 for Boston in a 114-99 win at Charlotte. The Clippers extended their win streak with a 127-113 victory in Milwaukee, Garland with 30 again. OKC held off the Knicks 111-100 behind SGA's 30 and Brunson's 32 in a losing effort. Portland bounced back with a 35-point blowout of Washington. Brooklyn handled Sacramento 116-99. And Denver closed the night with a 116-93 demolition of Golden State, outscoring the Warriors 40-21 in the third to pull away. Ten games. Let's run it.
SENGUN ERUPTS AS HOUSTON DEMOLISHES NEW ORLEANS
Houston Rockets 134, New Orleans Pelicans 102
Alperen Sengun was the best player on the floor by a wide margin — 36 points on 12-of-23 shooting (5-of-7 from three), 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. He was a force on both ends, posted 11 second-chance points, and finished at 67.9% true shooting. The three-point shooting was the anomaly — Sengun going 5-of-7 from deep is not something defenses are built to anticipate — but his overall dominance inside and out defined the game. The Rockets led by 33 at their biggest margin and outscored New Orleans 39-18 in the second quarter to put the game away before halftime.
Jabari Smith Jr. had 20 on 7-of-15 shooting (4-of-9 from three) with 4 rebounds and 2 blocks. Tari Eason added 15 with 8 rebounds, Kevin Durant contributed 20 with 6 assists, and Amen Thompson had 14 with 8 rebounds and 5 assists — a complete night from the young wing. Houston scored 31 second-chance points on 22 offensive rebounds. The Pelicans had no answer for any of it. Dejounte Murray led New Orleans with 19 in a game that was over by intermission.
NOP 102 · HOU 134
TORONTO WINS BY 52 AGAINST ORLANDO
Toronto Raptors 139, Orlando Magic 87
Fifty-two points. Toronto led by as many as 56 and outscored Orlando in every quarter except the fourth, where they played their bench. Scottie Barnes had 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting (2-of-2 from three) and 15 assists — a performance that didn't have a single wasted possession. He was the playmaking engine behind 41 team assists and 37 points off turnovers. Toronto generated 20 steals and converted them into a fast-break feast — 39 fast-break points on 20 attempts. RJ Barrett added 24 with 3 steals, Jamal Shead double-doubled with 12 and 10 assists off the bench, and A.J. Lawson had 14 on 5-of-7 shooting (4-of-6 from three).
Orlando had no answer for anything. Paolo Banchero shot 3-of-14 for 9 points and was -30. Orlando turned it over 28 times, and Toronto made them pay for almost every single one. Toronto is 42-32 and hanging onto one of the last guaranteed playoff spots…for now.
ORL 87 · TOR 139
INDIANA'S BENCH GOES OFF IN BLOWOUT OF MIAMI
Indiana Pacers 135, Miami Heat 118
Indiana's bench scored 77 points. Let that sit. T.J. McConnell had 15 with 9 assists off the bench, Micah Potter went 7-of-9 (5-of-6 from three) for 21, and Kobe Brown had 18 with 5 assists on 7-of-11 shooting. The starters did fine too — Pascal Siakam led the way with 30 on 11-of-24 shooting and 11 rebounds. Indiana shot 57.6% from the field and 46.2% from three. They outscored Miami 27-11 in the fourth to turn a close game into a blowout.
Miami's Tyler Herro had 31 on 12-of-22 shooting (5-of-13 from three), but he was stranded. Bam Adebayo shot 6-of-16 for 15 with 12 rebounds, going 2-of-4 from the free throw line in a game where Indiana kept drawing fouls. The Heat have now lost three straight since their back-to-back beatdowns by Cleveland. At 39-36, Miami is keeping the door open for Charlotte to jump them in the standings.
MIA 118 · IND 135
BOSTON CONTROLS CHARLOTTE
Boston Celtics 114, Charlotte Hornets 99
Jayson Tatum had 32 on 12-of-23 shooting (5-of-10 from three) and 8 assists — the kind of steady, control-the-game performance that wins regular-season road games. Payton Pritchard had 28 more on 10-of-18 shooting (2-of-6 from three). Neemias Queta chipped in 17 on 8-of-13 shooting with 8 rebounds. Boston led by 20 at their peak and never let Charlotte generate any serious momentum after the first quarter.
Charlotte's three-point volume was there — 43 attempts — but only 27.9% conversion. Knueppel had 13 and continues to work through his cold stretch — 3-of-13 here, 3-of-14 Saturday. The rookie is still contributing (4 rebounds, on the floor late), but the shooting hasn't returned since his monster run. LaMelo Ball had 19 on 7-of-19 shooting. Charlotte drops to 39-36 and they currently sit in 10th, but have a window to jump both Orlando and Miami, who both lost yesterday. Boston improves to 50-24.
CHA 99 · BOS 114
CLIPPERS CRUISE IN MILWAUKEE, GARLAND KEEPS ROLLING
LA Clippers 127, Milwaukee Bucks 113
Darius Garland had 30 for the second straight game — 10-of-19 from the field, 4-of-7 from three — and the Clippers handled a Bucks team that was actually respectable on Sunday. Brook Lopez had 8 points but was the defensive anchor, with 4 steals and 2 blocks from the center position. Bennedict Mathurin drew 9 fouls and converted 13-of-14 from the line for 28 points on 86.6% true shooting — his ability to generate free throws is becoming a reliable secondary weapon. John Collins came off the bench for 22 on 9-of-13 shooting. The Clippers led by 24 at their biggest margin and cruised.
Gary Trent Jr. had a spectacular game in defeat — 36 points on 12-of-21 shooting (9-of-15 from three) at 79.1% true shooting. Taurean Prince had 18 with 8 assists. But Milwaukee made 22 turnovers and the Clippers converted 33 points off them. The Bucks are 29-45 and look to improve their lottery odds. LA moves to 39-36 and trail Phoenix by 2.5 games for the 7-seed with 7 games remaining.
MIL 113 · LAC 127
SGA AND BRUNSON PUT ON A SHOW — OKC HOLDS ON
Oklahoma City Thunder 111, New York Knicks 100
The MVP candidate went for 30. The other outside MVP candidate went for 32. SGA drew 8 fouls and made 13-of-16 from the line to reach his total on 8-of-18 shooting. Chet Holmgren had 16 with 9 rebounds and Isaiah Hartenstein had 13 rebounds against his former team. OKC held New York to 45% from the field and forced 19 turnovers, converting 19 points off them.
Brunson was brilliant in a losing cause — 13-of-22 from the field (4-of-7 from three), 5 assists, 67.3% true shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns had 15 and 18 rebounds — an absurd rebounding total — but went 6-of-11 and 5-of-5 at the line in a quiet offensive night. Josh Hart hit 5-of-7 from three for 15. The Knicks fought to the end but OKC's home-floor advantage and free-throw dominance (31-of-38) was ultimately decisive. OKC moves to 59-16 and maintains the West's 1-seed. New York is 48-27 and the Cavaliers are only 1.5 behind for the 3-seed.
NYK 100 · OKC 111
PORTLAND BOUNCES BACK WITH DOMINANT WIN OVER WASHINGTON
Portland Trail Blazers 123, Washington Wizards 88
After the turnover-fueled loss to Dallas and a slip below .500, Portland responded emphatically. Toumani Camara led the way with 23 on 8-of-14 shooting (4-of-9 from three) and 3 steals at 73.0% true shooting. Scoot Henderson had 21 with 7 assists, going 8-of-9 from the free throw line — his best complete game in weeks. Deni Avdija had 20 with 5 assists. Portland blocked 10 shots, scored 24 fast-break points, and led by 39 at their biggest. A statement after a brutal stretch.
Washington's Will Riley had 14 off the bench in a competitive 28 minutes, but Bilal Coulibaly went 2-of-14 for 4 points and was -32. Portland gets to 38-38, climbing back above .500 and are only 1.5 games behind the Clippers for the 8-seed.
WAS 88 · POR 123
BROOKLYN HANDLES SACRAMENTO BEHIND BALANCED EFFORT
Brooklyn Nets 116, Sacramento Kings 99
No Brooklyn starter scored more than 18, but the Nets got contributions everywhere. Ochai Agbaji led with 18 on 6-of-11 shooting, Noah Clowney had 15 with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, and Nolan Traore added 17 with 6 assists. The bench scored 50 points. Brooklyn shot 41.5% from three on 41 attempts and converted 24 points off Sacramento's 15 turnovers. They led by 27 at their peak and won comfortably.
Sacramento's Precious Achiuwa had 16 on 7-of-14 shooting but shot 2-of-7 from the free throw line in a game where the Nets were doing damage on the glass. Nique Clifford had 17 on 8-of-14 shooting. The Kings are 19-57 and in full lottery mode. Brooklyn improves to 18-57, which may have lottery standing implications as the Wizards and Pacers have one less win than the Nets.
SAC 99 · BKN 116
DENVER'S THIRD QUARTER BURIES GOLDEN STATE
Denver Nuggets 116, Golden State Warriors 93
Golden State led 53-46 at halftime and then the third quarter happened — Denver outscored the Warriors 40-21 to flip a 7-point deficit into a 12-point lead, and Golden State never recovered. Murray led Denver with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting (2-of-4 from three) and 7 assists, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 16 off the bench (4-of-8 from three), Bruce Brown chipped in 15, and Christian Braun added 12. Denver shot 47.5% from three as a team — a nine-man passing clinic in the third quarter that GSW had no answer for.
Kristaps Porzingis was Golden State's best performer with 23 on 8-of-14 shooting — all five of his three-point attempts converted. Gary Payton II went 7-of-8 from the field for 16. But Gui Santos, who had carried the Warriors in recent games, was 3-of-9 for 9 points, and De'Anthony Melton went 0-of-5 and was -29. The Warriors are 36-39, holding the West's 10-seed play-in spot.
GSW 93 · DEN 116
⭐ STAR OF THE NIGHT
Alperen Sengun | Houston Rockets - 36 PTS | 12-23 FG | 5-7 3PT | 13 REB | 7 AST | 3 STL | 3 BLK | 67.9% TS
The stat line looks like a video game entry. Sengun dominated New Orleans in every phase — scoring, rebounding, facilitating, defending — and the 5-of-7 from three was a weapon the Pelicans had no answer for. For a team that entered the night at 44-29, Sengun's ceiling is one of the most interesting questions in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs.
💀 DUD OF THE NIGHT
Paolo Banchero | Orlando Magic - 9 PTS | 3-14 FG | -30
Orlando got hammered by 52, so context matters — nobody on that team had a good night. But Banchero's 3-of-14 performance (0-of-5 from three), 5 turnovers, and -30 in a game that was never competitive is the kind of result that raises questions about where this team is heading. He has the talent. The consistency hasn't arrived.
QUICK TAKES
Scottie Barnes: 23 points, 15 assists, 52-point Toronto win. He's playing as well as any forward in the Eastern Conference right now. The Raptors' ceiling in the playoffs is dependent almost entirely on how far Barnes has come.
Sengun's three-point shooting (5-of-7) was the difference in the game. When he extends like that, Houston becomes nearly impossible to defend.
Indiana bench: 77 points. McConnell, Potter, Brown, Toppin all in double figures. The Pacers' depth is a legitimate postseason weapon.
Boston is 50-24. Tatum with 32, Pritchard with 28. The Celtics are rolling and lead New York by 2.5 games for the 2nd seed in the East.
Charlotte's three-point percentage over the last three games: 30.9% Sunday, 27.9% today. The Hornets are 39-36, but could move ahead of both Orlando and Miami for the 8-seed if they can get back on track.
Garland has scored 30 in back-to-back games as a Clipper. LA is 40-36. They've won 4 of their last 5.
Portland bounced back the right way — 35-point blowout, Camara and Henderson both alive, 10 blocks as a team. They're 38-38 and they are 1.5 games behind the Clippers for the 8-seed.
Golden State falls to 36-40. Their play-in spot is locked in, but they are 1.5 games behind Portland for home court in the 9-10 matchup.
