Here, we go through the top highlights of the NBA games on March 12.
The Oklahoma City Thunder clinched their playoffs spot as they took down the reigning champions Boston Celtics 116-112. With the win, the MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander moved past the 10,000 career points mark and added his name into the franchise record books.
On the other hand, the short-handed Dallas Mavericks continued their struggles and slumped to the Spurs. It was their eighth loss in the last ten games.
Let’s take a look at what happened on an action-filled Wednesday in the NBA.
The Atlanta Hawks continued their winning run and got the better of the Charlotte Hornets in a blowout win 123-110. For the Hawks, Trae Young came up with 35 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists while Caris LeVert scored 15 points, four rebounds and two assists. Georges Niang scored 12 points, four rebounds and three assists.
For the Hornets, Miles Bridges scored 31 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, while LaMelo Ball had 25 points, two rebounds and nine assists to add. DaQuan Jeffries scored 20 points and one assist while Mark Williams chipped in 14 points, 14 rebounds and two assists.
The Western Conference toppers clinched a playoff spot as they took down the Boston Celtics 118-112. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once again took the lead in his hands and finished with 34 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Not only this, but he also broke the franchise record to score the fastest 10,000 points. Apart from him, Chet Holmgren scored 23 points, 15 rebounds and two assists while Cason Wallace finished with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum came up with 33 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while Derrick White had 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Al Horford scored 18 points, ten rebounds and six assists whereas Jaylen Brown ended the night with 10 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The Toronto Raptors had their second straight win as they beat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-106. A.J. Lawson led the charge for the Raptors and came up with a 28-point performance. He contributed six rebounds and four assists. Orlando Robinson and Jared Rhoden had a close performance where Robinson edged past his teammate with one assist. While Robinson finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, Rhoden had 25 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
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For the 76ers, Quentin Grimes scored 29 points, four rebounds and three assists. Jeff Dowtin added 20 points, two rebounds and three assists while Kelly Oubre Jr. came up with 13 points and five rebounds.
The Dallas Mavericks had all their hopes crushing as the San Antonio Spurs took them down 126-116. The Mavericks headed into the game on the back of their first win in six games. While they were hoping to continue their winning momentum in challenging times, De’Aaron Fox came up with 32 points, nine rebounds and eleven assists. Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson contributed 18 points each for the side. Devin Vassell added 16 points, while Harrison Barnes came up with 14 points.
On the other hand, the short-handed Mavericks had Brandon Williams finishing with 19 points, three rebounds and six assists. Dante Exum finished with 17 points, three rebounds and three assists while Naji Marshall and Kessler Edwards added 15 points, each.
The LA Clippers recorded their fifth win in the last ten games as they edged past the Miami Heat 119-104. Bogdan Bogdanovic led the charts for the Clippers with 30 points, ten rebounds and four assists while Ivica Zubac came up with 26 points, game-high 14 rebounds and one assist. James Harden did his magic and finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and eleven assists.
On the other hand, Tyler Herro finished with 31 points, six rebounds and seven assists. However, the Heat failed to move past the victory line and registered their fifth straight loss. Andrew Wiggins chipped in 22 points, three rebounds and five assists while Duncan Robinson called it a night with 15 points and one rebound.
The Memphis Grizzlies recorded their fourth straight win and got the better of the Utah Jazz 122-115. Luke Kennard recorded 30 points, four rebounds and one assist while Ja Morant came up with 28 points, one rebound and seven assists. Desmond Bane chipped in 17 points, five rebounds and nine assists.
The Jazz, who are on the bottom-most spot in the West, had John Collins and Collin Sexton scoring 22 points each. Lauri Markkanen finished with 14 points and six rebounds while Jordan Clarkson scored 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.
The Houston Rockets edged past the Phoenix Suns 111-104 to record their fourth straight win. Jalen Green led the side with 29 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Alperen Sengun scored 20 points, four rebounds and seven assists. Dillon Brooks finished the night with 19 points, one rebound and four assists, whereas, Tari Eason chipped in 15 points, ten rebounds and one assist.
On the Suns’ side, Bradley Beal scored 25 points and had three assists. Devin Booker and superstar Kevin Durant scored 19 points, each. This was the Suns’ second straight win who are seeded in the eleventh spot of the Western Conference standings.
The Minnesota Timberwolves recorded their sixth straight win as they defeated the Denver Nuggets 115-95. Anthony Edwards scored 29 points, had four rebounds and six assists for the Timberwolves. Julius Randle scored 25 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Jaden McDaniels had 16 points, eight rebounds and one assist for the side.
On the other hand, Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 34 points, eight rebounds and four assists. However, his effort fell short as the Nuggets recorded their fifth loss in the last ten matches. Apart from Jokic, Russell Westbrook scored 19 points, four rebounds and one assists while Jamal Murray finished with 12 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
The New York Knicks recorded their second straight win as they edged past the Portland Trail Blazers 114-113 in a close-contested thriller. Mikal Bridges came up with 33 points, four rebounds and four assists, while OG Anunoby scored 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Josh Hart and Miles McBridge came up with 11 points, each.
On the other hand, Scoot Henderson finished with 30 points, three rebounds and two assists, while Deni Avdija came up with 27 points, game-high 15 rebounds and five assists. Shaedon Sharpe chipped in 21 points, nine rebounds and two assists for the Trail Blazers.
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