There’s nothing like late-season NBA action, with unexpected players dropping 50-bombs left and right. And it’s all right before what’s sure to be one of the most exciting postseasons in years.

Today’s Lineup

Full-Court Coverage

• He was a great scorer in college, but we didn’t know Malachi Flynn had that in him! The 25-year-old Pistons’ guard dropped a surprisingly efficient FIFTY (that’s five-zero) points off the bench against Atlanta on Wednesday. The Hawks ended up with the W, thanks in part to Jalen Johnson’s (28 PTS, 14 REB, 11 AST) first career triple-double, but this will forever be a legendary performance:

• Meanwhile in DC, Anthony Davis continued his dominant streak with a 35-point 18-rebound performance in the Lakers’ win against Washington. Shout out to the Swedish-Serbian Sensation Tristan Vukcevic, who contributed 15 points for the Wizards in his first-ever NBA start!

• The 76ers won a great game against Miami thanks to one of the strictest three-man attacks we’ve seen—aside from Joel Embiid (29 PTS), Tyrese Maxey (37 PTS), and Kelly Oubre (18 PTS), no Sixer scored more than eight points in Philly’s 109-105 win.

• Thanks to a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter, New York beat the Kings 120-109 last night. But if you’re wondering why we don’t sound excited, it’s because the win was outweighed by the disappointing announcement that Julius Randle would be undergoing season-ending surgery, keeping him out of the Knicks’ playoff run. 💙🧡

• Given how tight the bottom of the Eastern Conference Playoff/Play-in picture is, now definitely isn’t the time to let a role-player have the game of their career against you. But that’s exactly what happened to Indiana, as Noah Clowney (career-high 22 PTS, 10 REB) and the Nets took down the Pacers 115-111 on Wednesday.

• Despite a third-quarter mini-surge by Houston, the Warriors clawed closer to the postseason with a 133-110 win over the surging Rockets. Klay Thompson (29 PTS, 7-11 3PT) led the way with a SUPER efficient night of honest hoops (0 FTA.)

• But the best game over the past couple days was saved for late last night, when the Clippers overcame a great Nikola Jokic (39 PTS, 17 REB, 10 AST) performance en route to a 102-100 win. Paul George (28 PTS) led the way for Los Angeles, who lived off their defense amid shooting woes (21.2 3PT%).

Play-In Preview: Chicago Bulls

Last year, the Chicago Bulls finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and won one game in the Play-In Tournament (thanks in part to Diar DeRozan) before losing to Miami in the second game and missing out on the playoffs. But could the Bulls exceed last season’s finish and make it to the first round this year?

What We Like ✅

With impact defenders and scrappy role-players like Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu, the Bulls aren’t afraid to out-hustle opponents that are better than them on paper. That extends to the incredible breakout season of Coby White, one of the most underrated 20 PPG scorers in the league right now.

And if anyone can come up with clutch plays when it matters most, it’s DeMar DeRozan. This clutch three to help Chicago put away Minnesota, one of the best teams in the league, is just one example of how Deebo gets stuff done in big moments. Will DeRozan’s magic extend into the postseason?

Areas of Concern 🚨

The Bulls’ woes come down to one thing: three-point shooting. They aren’t great at it (20th in 3PT% and 25th in 3PM) and they’re worse at stopping it (29th in opponent 3PM). When games come down to who shoots from the perimeter more efficiently, Chicago is in trouble.

And aside from the three-ball itself, this Bulls team just isn’t able to score the ball consistently (23rd-best 111.9 PPG). For Chicago, winning games comes down to gritty defense or individual stand-out performances—two things that are hard to manufacture come playoff time.

So, what do they have to do to survive? 🤔 

Chicago and Atlanta have all but locked up the 9th and 10th place spots in the Eastern Conference, so it’ll be Bulls-Hawks in the first round of the play-in. Chicago won two of three games in their season series with the Hawks (who were also a Play-In team last year) so this matchup bodes well for the Bulls, who will have to focus on the defensive holes in Atlanta’s lineup to build on their in-season success and come away with the win.

After that, Chicago just needs one more W to advance and face the Celtics in the first round, and that second Play-In matchup will be either Miami, Philly, or Indiana. Chicago won seven of eleven games against that group of teams in the regular season (including an impressive 26-point win over Indy last week) so there’s a chance we get to see playoff basketball back in the Windy City this year…

Three in the Key

Signing Off

Thanks for sticking with us this week. And just wait until playoff time—the Enjoy-ment levels are gonna be Off. The. Charts. See ya!

-Austin Zeglis