One night can change your entire life. Right, Bam?
Today’s Lineup
😳 Motor City Magic
With both lead guards out, the Pistons and Wolves gave us a good one.
☘️ Skill Of The Irish
Boston looks like a well-oiled machine heading into the playoffs!
5️⃣ Top Five Friday
Who is this year’s Iron Man?
🎉 Happy birthday to DeShawn Stevenson and Jarred Vanderbilt! 🎉
Game Recaps
Duren lifts Pistons to 113-108 win over Timberwolves
Both lead guards were out—Cade Cunningham for Detroit and Anthony Edwards for Minnesota—but the Pistons were able to lean on depth and shot-making late to pull away for an impressive win over the Wolves last night.
Daniss Jenkins (26 PTS, 8 AST) emerged as the X-factor, controlling the game in the second half as Detroit found separation. Jalen Duren (22 PTS, 14 REB) dominated the interior, with Ausar Thompson (7 PTS, 9 REB, 9 AST, 3 BLK) filling in gaps in an all-around effort. Tobias Harris exited early with an injury, so the Pistons leaned on Duncan Robinson (15 PTS) and Kevin Huerter (12 PTS) to stretch the floor and keep their offense dynamic.
Minnesota kept pace behind Julius Randle (27 PTS, 6 AST, 6 REB) with strong support from Ayo Dosunmu (19 PTS) and Naz Reid (19 PTS, 4 3PM). Mike Conley (14 PTS) provided an early spark, but the Wolves couldn’t match Detroit’s shot-making down the stretch as the game slipped away late.
🏀 🏀 🏀
JB drops 43, Tatum has triple-double, C’s smoke Heat 147-129
With the Heat in an underdog position they’ve been in before heading into postseason time, the Celtics showed why they might just be the team to beat in the East this year.
Jaylen Brown exploded for 43 PTS as Boston’s offense overwhelmed Miami on Wednesday, shooting lights out from the field and beyond the arc. Sam Hauser (23 PTS, 5 3PM) and Payton Pritchard (14 PTS, 4 3PM) provided spacing the whole way, while Jayson Tatum stuffed the stat sheet (25 PTS, 18 REB, 11 AST, 2 STL) next to Brown.
For Miami, it was a lot of Bam Adebayo (29 PTS, 10 REB) with direct support from Davion Mitchell (21 PTS, 7 AST) and Pelle Larsson (18 PTS, 6 AST). The Heat couldn’t keep pace defensively as Boston’s shooting and ball movement created separation all night.
Boston looked every bit like a team peaking at the right time, with the kind of firepower and cohesion that’s hard to slow down this time of year.
🏀 🏀 🏀
Elsewhere around the NBA:
Paul George (39 PTS, 6 AST, 3 STL) went off as he and the Sixers’ backcourt (51 combined PTS) led Philly to a huge 153-131 win over Washington on Wednesday. Anthony Gill (21 PTS, 6 AST, 6 REB) led the Wizards in scoring off the bench.
The Hornets beat the Suns 127-107 at home behind standout performances from Kon Knueppel (20 PTS), Miles Bridges (25 PTS), and LaMelo Ball (15 PTS, 11 AST), continuing Jalen Green (25 PTS, 7 AST) and Phoenix’s recent disappointing streak away from The Valley.
Having led the Jazz wire to wire, Denver came away with the 130-117 win behind an insane shooting performance from Jamal Murray (37 PTS, 10-for-16 3PT) and another triple-double for the Joker (15 PTS, 17 REB, 12 AST) opposite Utah’s Kyle Filipowski (25 PTS, 12 REB). Brice Sensabaugh (28 PTS) turned on the jets for the Jazz at some point, but it was too little too late.
Victor Wembanyama followed up his monster performance on Monday with another 40-point, 15-rebound outing to give the Spurs a 127-113 win over a weakened Golden State. Brandin Podziemski (14 PTS) and LJ Cryer (17 PTS) weren’t enough to match up with Wemby (41 PTS, 18 REB).
The Hawks won their 17th of their last 19th games on Wednesday, cruising to a 130-101 win over Orlando behind Nickeil Alexander-Walker (32 PTS). Onyeka Okongwu (16 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK) stuffed the stat sheet against the Magic, who got very little from Paolo Banchero (11 PTS, 8 REB) next to the minutes-restricted Franz Wagner (12 PTS).
🧠 Daily Trivia 🧠
On this day in 2024, the Pistons' Malachi Flynn scored 50 points in an eight-point loss to the Hawks. Who led Atlanta in scoring in the win?
Top Five Friday
In this rapid-fire edition of Top Five Friday, who’s been the biggest Iron Man in the NBA this season so far? These guys haven’t missed a single game yet—here’s who stands out.
Mikal Bridges (77 GP, 77 GS) - The closest thing to a true Iron Man in today’s league—Bridges impacts both ends with relentless effort and hasn’t missed a game (or a start) for New York all year.
Desmond Bane (76 GP, 76 GS) - Starting every game for Orlando so far, Bane has been a dependable scoring engine in Orlando this year, carrying a large part of their offensive load with injuries to Banchero and Wagner.
Brandin Podziemski (76 GP, 37 GS) - Knock the scoring inconsistency, but Podz has shown up this year. The third-year guard continues to fill gaps here and there for Golden State.
Bruce Brown (77 GP, 2 GS) - A bench role on paper, but Cowboy Bruce continues to deliver as a connective second-unit piece in Denver’s rotation thanks to his versatility.
Reed Sheppard (76 GP, 12 GS) - Perfect attendance in a real rotation role—Sheppard has stayed available while contributing steady minutes off the bench for Houston.
Honorable mentions: Toumani Camara, Tim Hardaway Jr., Keldon Johnson
Three in the Key
🥇 Setting PRs
It was Career(-High) Day in Milwaukee on Wednesday!
🏀 J. Cole Signs to CBA Contract
The Ville is back!
📚 Instant Classic
Where does this MVP race rank in your head?
What We’re Enjoying
🎤 “Kill ‘em on a song, walk up out the booth, do the Westbrook rock-a-baby”
In honor of J. Cole’s return to professional basketball, give this track from The Off-Season a listen:
Signing Off
Happy Friday! Spring is definitely here with Easter around the corner—get outside this weekend and find a way to connect with nature. Talk soon.
