Starting 5, April 8: The final countdown (feat. Tyrese Maxey & Kyrie Irving)

100, sixty-seven regular-season days down … seven to go.

With no video games tonight – and an eclipse to catch in case you’re within the U.S. – in the present day’s version is designed to do 2 issues:

1. Get you a breather earlier than a BIG last week
2. Break down the place the Playoff races stand, fast

(In case you continue to must go decide up some eclipse shades)

THE LINEUP 🏀

What’s inside in the present day’s version? 

Should-Know: How did Sunday’s outcomes influence a historic Playoff race?

Kyrie, Maxey Ship: Large nights from two of the league’s high guards energy essential OT wins

Roundup: Clippers come from 26 again, Wolves soar to No. 1 once more

Paths Forward: The Bucks have the hardest remaining energy of schedule. How in regards to the different postseason-bound groups?

The Ultimate Week: Circling video games this week? Begin right here.

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Final evening’s scores & what to look at

14-Sport Tuesday: After a break in the present day, the schedule resumes tomorrow with a TNT doubleheader & a monster evening of hoops. See what’s coming in Part 5

NBA ID Member Days tip off in the present day, with limited-time perks for NBA ID members all week lengthy. Faucet in to get yours or enroll

1. MONDAY MORNING MUST-KNOW

Two of the tightest postseason races in historical past simply bought even tighter, throughout each the East & the West.

Who Clinched? 🔒

• Milwaukee locked up a assured Playoff spot
• Golden State grew to become the West’s tenth and last group to clinch a spot within the Play-In or higher
• All 20 postseason groups are set. However the place precisely these 20 groups will find yourself? Far, removed from it. Discover extra in Sections 4 & 5, with Playoff, Play-In, dwelling courtroom and matchups all determined this week 

Who Moved Up? ⬆️

• East: Magic to third, Knicks to 4th, 76ers to seventh
• West: Wolves to 1st, Kings to eighth

Who Moved Down? ⬇️

• East: Cavs to fifth (from third), Warmth to eighth
• West: Nuggets to 2nd, Lakers to ninth
• The Rockets have been formally eradicated, every week after a blistering run introduced them inside one sport of the tenth seed

How Historic Are These Races? 💥

• 3 Groups Inside 1: Only one sport separates the West’s high 3 groups. That hasn’t occurred within the season’s last week in both convention in 16 years.
• In Truth … it’s solely occurred eight instances ever in NBA historical past, throughout the East or West
• Throwing It Again To ‘79: Simply 1.5 video games separate the No. 2 and No. 5 seeds within the East. That hasn’t occurred after April 7 since 1979

Reminder: The highest 6 groups in each conferences robotically attain the Playoffs, which begin April 20. The following 4 play within the 2024 SoFi NBA Play-In Match, which begins April 16

2. KYRIE, MAXEY DELIVER WINS IN O-T

Sunday noticed two of the sport’s most electrifying guards stand up when their groups wanted them probably the most, as Tyrese Maxey and Kyrie Irving put up career- and season-highs, respectively, to maintain each squads sizzling heading into the postseason.

The rise of Tyrese Maxey added a brand new chapter Sunday, with the 76ers’ first-time All-Star going for a career-high 52 factors – together with a bucket to ship the sport to OT – to propel the shorthanded Sixers to a 133-126 double-OT win over the Spurs.

Victor Wembanymama (33 pts, 18 reb, 7 blks) ascended to present San Antonio the near-win with Joel Embiid sitting out the second sport of a back-to-back. However the Sixers erased an 11-point 4Q deficit to power OT, then and win within the second further body. | Recap | Unbelievable End

• Nic Batum 🗣️: “We would have liked that tonight. Tyrese has been wonderful for us all 12 months lengthy. We might simply like “Aw, this isn’t our evening. They’re enjoying good. Second evening of a back-to-back. No, he didn’t quit. He led the way in which for us. He saved combating for us.”
• 5 In A Row: Philly’s an ideal 4-0 since Embiid got here again, with their five-game win streak tied for the longest lively run within the NBA
• What Was At Stake? The Sixers nonetheless have a shot on the No. 6 seed, however would wish to make up two video games on the Pacers to take action, with Indy proudly owning the tiebreaker
• Unique Membership: Maxey’s third 50-point sport this 12 months (after breaking 40 simply as soon as in his first 3 years) made him the fourth Sixer to perform the feat, becoming a member of Embiid, Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain
• There’s Extra: No group has ever had two gamers rating 50 thrice (thrice!) in a 12 months, with Embiid additionally doing so earlier this season

Kyrie Creates House: The Mavs headed into the day up a sport on the Suns in fifth. Because of Kyrie Irving’s season-high 48 – together with 37 from Luka Doncic and a buzzer-beating, OT-forcing 3 from Dante Exum – they left Sunday up two video games, after a 147-136 comeback win over Houston. | Recap | Watch The OT Ending | Kyrie & Luka

• Clutch Kyrie: Irving bought 25 of his 48 factors within the fourth quarter and additional time, because the Mavs stormed again from 22 factors down
• seventh Time’s A Allure: Kyrie and Luka each scored 30+ in a sport for the seventh time this 12 months, third-most for a duo this season behind Giannis & Dame and Embiid & Maxey, who every have 8
• Kyrie 🗣️: “I’m depleted. Energetic, however I’m depleted. We saved battling and saved doing the little issues and trusting each other.”
• The loss marked the fifth in a row for Houston, who had received 11 in a row earlier than this stretch, tied for the longest win streak within the league in 2023-24

3. ROUNDUP: CLIPPERS RALLY, WOLVES LEAP

Clippers Full third Largest Comeback: Paul George (39 pts, 23 within the 4th) and the Clippers erased a 26-point result in beat the Cavs, 120-118 – LA’s third-largest comeback of the play-by-play period. | Recap

• How It Began: Cleveland put up a season-high 80 pts within the first half, main by 21 on the break. However LA outscored the Cavs 29-6 from the top of the third Q into the 4th
• How It Completed: Terance Mann & Amir Coffey’s treys gave the Clippers their first lead because the 1st, at 118-115 with :47 left. After the Cavs tied it, PG hit a jumper with 7 seconds remaining and sealed the win with a block on the ultimate possession | Watch the end
• PG 🗣️: “These conditions aren’t best, but it surely’s good when posed with these challenges we come collectively. We actually simply dug down. That second half was particular. Everybody was locked in defensively.”
• Totally different Instructions: The win gave the Clippers their eighth win of their previous 11 video games, whereas the loss despatched the Cavs to 3-8 over theirs

Wolves Beat Lakers, Draw Even With Denver: Naz Reid put up 31 pts and Anthony Edwards chipped in 26 extra because the Timberwolves took down a Lakers group enjoying with out LeBron (flu-like signs) and Anthony Davis (after AD took a blow to the face on a 1st Q putback). | Recap

OKC Returns To Successful Methods: Enjoying with out SGA and Jalen Williams once more, Josh Giddey’s eleventh profession triple-double and Isaiah Joe’s two late treys ended the Thunder’s dropping streak at three video games – their longest of the 12 months – with a 121-118 win over the Hornets. | Recap | Unbelievable End

• Chet Holmgren grew to become the eighth rookie in NBA historical past to have 1300 pts and 600+ reb in a season – and the primary Thunder rook because the franchise bought to OKC

Brunson Drops 43, Bucks Streak Continues: Jalen Brunson’s 43 factors and a second-half Knicks rally gave NY a 122-109 win over Milwaukee, whose dropping streak prolonged to a season-long 4 video games. Giannis had 28 pts, 15 reb & 8 ast. | Recap

• Middleton Exits: The Bucks’ trio of Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton performed collectively for simply the 4th time in 29 video games, till Middleton needed to go away after struggling a blow to the face within the second quarter

Pacers Set Help Mark, Drop Warmth: Myles Turner put up 22 pts & 13 reb, as Indy held off Jimmy Butler (27 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast) and the Warmth, 117-115. The Pacers set a brand new franchise file for many assists in a season, with its 2,411 dimes passing 1991-92’s earlier excessive of two,398. | Recap

Pelicans, Suns Tied For sixth: New Orleans bought a mixed 60 from CJ McCollum (31) and Zion Williamson – together with a career-high 5 blocks from Zion – to beat the Suns, 113-105, and pull right into a tie with Phoenix at 46-32. The Suns personal the tiebreaker. | Recap

Klay Catches Fireplace, Dubs Beat Jazz: Enjoying with out Steph Curry, fellow Splash Bro Klay Thompson poured in 32 factors – his second-highest complete of the season – on 6-of-13 capturing from past the arc to present Golden State a 118-110 win over Utah. | Recap

Sabonis’ Large Double-Double Sparks W: Domantas Sabonis’ 18-pt, 20-reb efficiency – his 61st straight double-double, the seventh-longest in a season in NBA historical past – pushed the Kings to a 107-77 win over Brooklyn, snapping a two-game dropping streak for Sacramento. | Recap

Banchero Joins T-Mac As Magic Win: Paolo Banchero’s 24-pt, 6-reb, 5-ast evening paced the Magic to the 113-98 win over the Bulls, becoming a member of Tracy McGrady as the one gamers to tally 1700 pts, 500 reb and 400 ast in a season for the Magic. | Recap

Milestone For Brown In Celtics Win: Jaylen Brown’s 26 factors despatched him previous 10,000 for his profession, turning into the nineteenth Celtic to achieve that mark, because the Cs beat the Blazers 124-107 to push their win streak to 5 video games – tied for longest within the league. | Recap

IQ Paces Raptors Previous Wiz: Immanuel Quickley’s season-high 31 pts led 4 Raptors with 20+, sending Toronto to the 130-122 win. | Recap

4. PLAYOFF RACES: STRENGTHS OF SCHEDULE

The Paths Forward: All however 4 of the 20 postseason-bound groups have 4 video games left to play, with the Cavs, Pacers, Sixers and Lakers set to play three extra instances.

Remaining Energy Of Schedule, from highest opponent win % to lowest

• Milwaukee, .663
• Phoenix, .638
• Orlando, .562
• New York, .534
• Sacramento, .532
• Atlanta, .514
• LA Clippers, .510
• Oklahoma Metropolis, .510
• Los Angeles Lakers, .496
• New Orleans, .492
• Minnesota, .482
• Indiana, .455
• Golden State, .450
• Miami, .429
• Denver, .413
• Dallas, .410
• Boston, .406
• Cleveland, .387
• Chicago, .383
• Philadelphia, .383

5. THE (FINAL) WEEK AHEAD

What’s forward this week? Three nights with 14+ video games. A Playoff Image that will get an entire lot cloudier earlier than it will get clearer. And stakes going up with each passing minute.

Right here’s the place to start out:

Tuesday: 14 video games

• Celtics-Bucks, (7:30 ET, TNT): Rivals, perennial powers and the highest 2 groups within the East meet, with Boston winners of 5 straight and Milwaukee seeking to win for the primary time in 5 video games
• Kings-Thunder, (8 ET, NBA App): Can OKC preserve tempo within the race for the West’s high spot? Can the Kings keep forward of the surging Lakers?
• Warriors-Lakers, (10 ET, TNT): The ninth and tenth groups within the West stage a possible Play-In preview, with the Lakers 8-2 of their final 10 and the Dubs 7-3
• Clippers-Suns, (10 ET, NBA App): Locked in a battle for the final assured spot, the streaking Suns meet one other group on a run – with each squads 7-3 of their final 10 –  of their first of two straight matchups

Wednesday: 8 video games

• Mavs-Warmth, (7:30 ET, ESPN): Dallas has discovered its groove. At 6-4 in its final 10, Miami’s beginning to warmth up … with the stats chatting with a group that’s discovering its type, too
• Magic-Bucks, (8 ET, NBA App): Relying on how Tuesday goes, this one could possibly be a showdown for the No. 2 spot within the East.
• Timberwolves-Nuggets, (10 ET, ESPN): Champs vs. upstart contenders in a possible battle for the No. 1 seed
• Suns-Clippers, (10:30 ET, NBA App): A few of the best scorers & playmakers the sport’s ever seen, sharing the ground for the second straight evening, as a uncommon back-to-back, home-and-home strikes to LA

Thursday: 5 video games

• Knicks-Celtics, (7:30 ET, TNT): Two longtime rivals meet with the Celtics out to comb the season collection, and the Knicks out to remain high 4 (or higher) within the standings
• Pelicans-Kings, (10 ET, TNT): The Pelicans look to comb the uncommon five-game collection with the Kings this 12 months 

15 video games every on Friday & Sunday

We’ll be again to unpack the weekend because the Playoff Image comes collectively over the following 3 days