The READ
NBA Recap | March 9, 2026
SGA scores 20 or more for the 126th straight game — tying Wilt Chamberlain's all-time record — then buries a step-back three with 2.7 seconds left to beat Denver. Kawhi Leonard drops 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists to drag the Clippers past the Knicks. Brooklyn's bench goes off for 67 points to knock off a depleted Memphis squad. Jokic posts a triple-double and still ends up on the losing side. Utah holds off a Curry-less Golden State in the final seconds. Five games, most of them dramatic. Let's run it.
KAWHI TAKES OVER
LA Clippers 126, New York Knicks 118
The Clippers has a ways to go to compete for a top 7 seed, but Kawhi Leonard has been a workhorse and Monday night was no different. He finished with 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line — the kind of two-way, complete performance that separates him from most wings in this league. Bennedict Mathurin added 28 points and drew 6 fouls, attacking relentlessly in transition (7 fast break points). Darius Garland ran the offense with 23 points and 7 assists and hit 5-of-9 from three. The Clippers turned New York's 20 turnovers into 24 points and got 19 fast break points off a suffocating defensive effort — 12 team steals on the night.
New York wouldn't quit. Karl-Anthony Towns was spectacular — 35 points on 13-of-17 shooting including 3-of-4 from three, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists on 85.3% true shooting. Jalen Brunson added 28 and 8 assists. But the Knicks shot just 75% from the free throw line, turned it over 20 times, and got next to nothing from the bench — 14 bench points against LAC's 37. OG Anunoby had 22 but committed 4 turnovers. Mikal Bridges managed just 7 on 3-of-8. New York has now dropped back-to-back road games to the two Los Angeles teams and three straight losses overall.
LAC 126 · NYK 118
CAVS BOUNCE BACK IN A ROUT
Cleveland Cavaliers 115, Philadelphia 76ers 101
Cleveland led by 25 at one point and cruised to a comfortable home win over a short-handed Sixers squad. James Harden bounced back from his rough outing in Boston — 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting with 3 threes, 6-for-6 from the line, and 5 assists in a clean, efficient night. His first-quarter free throw also made him the ninth player in NBA history to surpass 29,000 career points. Evan Mobley was a problem inside — 15 points and 8 rebounds with 3 blocks. The bench carried the load: 47 points from Cleveland's reserves, led by Keon Ellis (19 on 5-of-9 with 4-of-7 from three) and Dean Wade (13 points and 10 rebounds on 55.6% shooting). Donovan Mitchell led with 17 points but got there primarily via the free throw line on 4-of-11 shooting from the field.
Philadelphia had no real answers, and the context matters: they were without their top scorers in Maxey (finger), Embiid (oblique), and Edgecombe (back). Cleveland is 44-21 and solidifying their spot atop the East.
CLE 115 · PHI 101
BROOKLYN’S BENCH ERUPTS
Brooklyn Nets 126, Memphis Grizzlies 115
Brooklyn's bench scored 67 points. Let that land. In a game where the Nets led by as many as 21, it was the reserves who did the heavy lifting — Ochai Agbaji led the way with 18 points on a stunning 8-for-9 from the field, Day'Ron Sharpe matched a season high with 19 and 5 rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting, and Ziaire Williams added 11 with 4 assists and 2 steals. The starters handled business: Nolan Traore hit 4-of-5 from three for 17, and Nic Claxton contributed 9 points and 8 rebounds with 5 assists. Worth noting: Brooklyn did all of this without leading scorer Michael Porter Jr., who sat for rest. Brooklyn shot 55.3% from the field and 51.5% from three — a scorching collective performance.
Memphis was short-handed and it showed. Rayan Rupert had a career-high 20 with 4 threes and 8 rebounds, Javon Small added 19, GG Jackson chipped in 18, and Jaylen Wells had 17. But the Grizzlies — missing Ja Morant and several other key players — committed 15 turnovers that Brooklyn converted into 27 points. A backbreaking differential that proved too much to overcome even as Memphis cut it in the fourth.
BKN 126 · MEM 115
SGA TIES WILT, ICES IT FROM THREE
Oklahoma City Thunder 129, Denver Nuggets 126
This was the game of the night. Maybe the game of the week.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 15 assists — tying Wilt Chamberlain's record for most consecutive games scoring at least 20 points, now at 126 straight. Then came the finish. With OKC leading 126-122 late, Jokic hit a three to cut it to one. Jaylin Williams was called for an off-ball foul, Murray made the free throw to tie it at 126 with 8.5 seconds left. SGA answered immediately — step-back three over Spencer Jones, 2.7 seconds on the clock. Ball game.
His shot chart was clean throughout: 14-of-21 from the field, 3-of-7 from three, 4-for-4 from the line. He was in total command. Jaylin Williams had a monster night alongside him — 29 points and 12 rebounds on 7-of-11 from three, including a string of clutch buckets when OKC needed stops and scores simultaneously. Ajay Mitchell gave them 24 off the bench on 9-of-16 shooting, attacking the paint relentlessly. OKC's turnover total? Three. Three turnovers in a 48-minute game against the Nuggets.
Denver gave them everything they had. Nikola Jokic posted a triple-double — 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists — and was electric all night on 12-of-19 shooting. Aaron Gordon had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. went off from three — 8-of-12 from deep for 28 points with a spectacular second-chance scoring performance. Jokic was +2 with the game on his back and still lost. Denver dominated the offensive glass with 16 offensive rebounds and 26 second-chance points. They led by 13 in the first quarter. None of it was enough. SGA — and that shot — will be on every highlight reel for the rest of the season.
OKC 129 · DEN 126
UTAH HOLDS ON
Utah Jazz 119, Golden State Warriors 116
Stephen Curry was out again, and the Warriors nearly pulled this one off without him — until they couldn't. A Draymond Green free throw tied the game at 113 with 1:26 remaining. Then Blake Hinson hit a three-pointer with 29 seconds left to put Utah back up for good. Melton answered with a three to cut it to 117-116 with 2.3 seconds left, but Elijah Harkless — another two-way player who finished with a career-high 16 points — sealed it with two free throws. Final: 119-116, Jazz.
Hinson's heroics capped a 12-point night on 4-of-9 shooting, but it's the timing that'll be remembered. Kyle Filipowski was Utah's best starter — 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists in a double-double performance at 64.9% true shooting. Brice Sensabaugh added 21 off the bench. The Jazz went 27-for-29 from the free throw line — the kind of efficiency that wins close games.
Golden State's De'Anthony Melton had 22 points and 7 rebounds in a quietly great performance. Seth Curry chipped in 13 on an efficient 66.7% shooting night. Draymond Green ran the offense with 11 assists but shot 2-for-7. Brandin Podziemski had 14 points and 8 rebounds. The Warriors went 30.8% from three — a Curry-less team that relies heavily on spacing visibly struggling to generate clean looks. Without Steph, Golden State is .500 at best and this loss proves it.
UTA 119 · GSW 116
⭐ STAR OF THE NIGHT
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — Oklahoma City Thunder
35 points. 9 rebounds. 15 assists. 126 consecutive 20-point games — tied with Wilt Chamberlain for the longest streak in NBA history. A game-winning three with 2 seconds on the clock. SGA did everything and then did one more thing. He shot 14-of-21 from the field with 4-of-4 from the line, orchestrated a near-perfect offense against one of the league's best defensive teams, and delivered the dagger when OKC needed it most. This is what the MVP race looks like up close.
💀 DUD OF THE NIGHT
Golden State Warriors (Collective) · 116 points · 43.4% FG · 30.8% from three
The Warriors nearly stole it — and that almost makes it worse. They tied the game at 113 on a Draymond Green free throw with a minute-twenty-six left and still couldn't close. No Curry means no spacing, no late-shot creation, and eventually, a Blake Hinson three-pointer sealing your fate on the road in Utah. De'Anthony Melton gave them everything. The rest wasn't enough. Without Steph, this team doesn't have a closer.
QUICK TAKES
SGA tied Wilt Chamberlain's record for consecutive 20-point games at 126 straight — then hit a game-winning three-pointer with 2 seconds left. If there was any doubt about the MVP conversation, this game closed it.
Jokic had 32, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists and still lost. That's how good OKC is right now. Three turnovers in 48 minutes against Denver's pressure defense is borderline impossible.
Brooklyn's bench scored 67 points. The Nets' reserves outscored Memphis's entire starting lineup. Ochai Agbaji went 8-for-9 from the field. That's not a bench performance — that's an ambush.
Golden State is 3-7 in their last 10 without Curry. The Draymond-as-closer experiment keeps running into the same wall. Blake Hinson hit the dagger from three. From Blake Hinson.
KAT had 35 points and 12 rebounds on 85.3% true shooting in a losing effort for New York. Three straight losses for the Knicks despite their stars producing. The supporting cast and turnover issues are becoming a real problem.
