NBA roundup: Fortified 76ers cool off Hornets
Sun Mar 29 4:39am ET
Field Level Media
Joel Embiid had 29 points and made a big block in the final seconds as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied from 15 points down to edge the host Charlotte Hornets 118-114 on Saturday.
Philadelphia stopped Charlotte's five-game winning streak and won the season series 2-1, giving them the tiebreaker in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
Paul George, in his second game back from a 25-game suspension for violating the terms of the league's anti-drug program, finished with 26 points. Tyrese Maxey also had 26 in his return after missing 10 games with a finger injury.
Brandon Miller scored 29, while LaMelo Ball added 20 and Coby White contributed 16 for the Hornets, who clinched a spot in the play-in tournament after the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the San Antonio Spurs earlier in the day. Charlotte had not reached the postseason since 2022.
Spurs 127, Bucks 95
Stephon Castle amassed his fourth triple-double of the season and was among seven teammates in double-figure scoring, as visiting San Antonio cruised to its eighth straight win with a victory over Milwaukee.
The Spurs were victorious for the 13th time in their past 14 games and remain hot on the heels of Oklahoma City for both the top seed in the West and the best record in the league. San Antonio is two games back of the defending champion Thunder with eight contests left to play.
Castle finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Gary Trent Jr. scored 18 points to lead the Bucks, who played without Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee) for the sixth straight game.
Pistons 109, Timberwolves 87
Tobias Harris scored 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting, and Detroit pulled away from Minnesota for a decisive victory in Minneapolis.
Ronald Holland II and Daniss Jenkins chipped in 13 points apiece for the Pistons, who won for the sixth time in seven games. Paul Reed added 12 points off the bench, and Jalen Duren notched a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Donte DiVincenzo led the Timberwolves with 22 points and made five shots from beyond the arc. Rudy Gobert finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Julius Randle notched 11 points despite missing 11 of 13 shots from the field. Detroit outscored Minnesota 60-43 in the second half to seal the victory.
Hawks 123, Kings 113
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 27 points, Jalen Johnson added 26 points and 10 assists and host Atlanta held off Sacramento for coach Quin Snyder's 500th career victory, becoming the sixth active NBA head coach and 41st in league history to reach that plateau.
CJ McCollum scored 22 points, while Jock Landale finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks, who won their 15th game in 17 tries. Zaccharie Risacher tallied 13 points and Mohamed Gueye chipped in 10 for Atlanta, which holds a half-game lead over Philadelphia for the East's No. 6 seed -- the last guaranteed playoff spot in each conference.
DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 22 points, followed by Maxime Raynaud's 18 points and 10 boards. Precious Achiuwa had 16, DaQuan Jeffries scored 15 and Daeqwon Plowden had 14 for Sacramento, which dropped its third straight. Malik Monk and Killian Hayes both scored 10 points.
Suns 134, Jazz 109
Jalen Green scored 31 points and made five 3-pointers, Devin Booker added 26 points and host Phoenix tied their season scoring high in a blowout of tanking Utah.
Grayson Allen scored 19 points and Oso Ighodaro had 13 points and eight rebounds for the Suns, who had lost six of seven. Green was 13 of 22 from the field, 5 of 11 from 3-point range, and had six rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes. Booker had eight assists.
Kyle Filipowski had 26 points and nine rebounds, Brice Sensabaugh scored 26 points and Svi Mykhailiuk scored all of his 14 points in the second half for the Jazz, who have lost five in a row and 17 of 20.
Grizzlies 125, Bulls 124
Cedric Coward scored 24 points, including two free throws with 6.5 seconds remaining, to lead host Memphis past Chicago and snap a five-game losing streak.
Tyler Burton added 18 points for the Grizzlies and Jahmai Mashack scored 17. Rayan Rupert and DeJon Jarreau finished with 14 points each.
Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with 29 points and 10 rebounds followed by 26 points from Collin Sexton. Josh Giddey posted his 13th triple-double (18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists) this season and Tre Jones contributed 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Chicago lost its third straight game and has dropped five of its last six.
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Toronto Raptors guard/forward RJ Barrett (shoulder) will play in Sunday's contest against the Orlando Magic. He injured his left shoulder during Friday's win over New Orleans and was initially listed as questionable on the injury report. He was then upgraded to probable, and Toronto has now listed Barrett as available. Barrett has been sharp over his last 10 outings, averaging 20.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, hitting nearly 52 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Toronto Raptors guard/forward Brandon Ingram (heel) will not suit up on Sunday against the Orlando Magic, Sportsnet's Michael Grange reports. He was initially expected to play but won't be available for action due to right heel inflammation. Jamal Shead will start in Ingram's place. As a member of the first unit, Shead has recorded 11.7 points, 7.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game this season. With Immanuel Quickley (foot) also out, Shead should have an active role on offense against a team that has struggled to contain point guards.
Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (back) will be in the lineup on Sunday against the Washington Wizards. The team has upgraded Williams III's status from questionable to available. This is a juicy matchup for Williams III and starting center Donovan Clingan, as Washington has had trouble containing big men all year. In March, Williams III has averaged 8.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 19.0 minutes per game.
Sacramento Kings guard/forward DeMar DeRozan will miss the second leg of a back-to-back on Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets. The veteran star has been listed as out with a sore right hamstring. Nique Clifford and Daeqwon Plowden will benefit from DeRozan's absence, and the team may bring Doug McDermott back into the rotation as well. Malik Monk (shoulder) has also been ruled out, so there will be at least two changes to the starting lineup compared to Saturday's loss to Atlanta.
Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (shoulder) will sit out Sunday's matchup with the Brooklyn Nets. He will exit the lineup due to a shoulder contusion after having 10 points and seven assists in 27 minutes on Saturday against Atlanta. Sacramento will also roll without DeMar DeRozan (hamstring), creating two openings in the starting lineup. Nique Clifford and Daeqwon Plowden are the leading candidates to join the first unit. Monk's absence should also give Devin Carter and DaQuan Jeffries more playing time.
Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (thumb) will play on Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets. The Portuguese big man has received official clearance to play after being listed as questionable on the initial injury report. The team upgraded Queta's status to probable earlier in the day. Since the Hornets limited him to two points and two rebounds on March 4, Queta has averaged 9.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
Toronto Raptors guard/forward Brandon Ingram (heel) will play on Sunday against the Orlando Magic, Sportsnet's Michael Grange reports. He has recently been dealing with inflammation in his right heel, but Ingram is ready to make his third consecutive appearance. Following back-to-back 30-point efforts in mid-March, Ingram has been quiet in his most recent outings. The two-time All-Star has tallied 14.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game over his last five appearances.
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (knee) won't play on Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets. The team has ruled him out after initially listing him as questionable for the game. Boston will also be without Jaylen Brown (Achilles) on Sunday, so Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard should receive heavy usage on the offensive end. Meanwhile, players like Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez are set to log more minutes.
Milwaukee Bucks center Bobby Portis (wrist) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Portis will miss his third game in a row due to a lingering wrist injury. He'll miss both legs of the back-to-back set with his next chance to play coming on Tuesday versus the Dallas Mavericks. His absence should mean Jericho Sims, Pete Nance, and Ousmane Dieng should all be asked to play bigger roles during Sunday's game. Sims is coming off a double-double performance on Saturday and is deserving of a look as a streaming option for Sunday's slate.
Los Angeles Clippers center Isaiah Jackson (ankle) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Jackson was forced to make an early exit from Friday's game due to a right ankle injury. It appears to be significant enough to hold him out of Sunday's contest. The absence of Jackson means that John Collins or possibly Nicolas Batum will get extra minutes whenever Brook Lopez is off the court. Collins should see more playing time on Sunday, which will make him a more appealing streaming option for this game.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma (Achilles) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Kuzma is set to miss his fourth straight game due to right Achilles tendinopathy. They've already been eliminated from playoff contention, so the Bucks have little incentive to play anyone at less than 100 percent. Pete Nance should remain in the starting five for as long as Kuzma is sidelined. He finished with five points, five rebounds, and three assists across 30 minutes on Saturday. There's some low-end streaming value here for fantasy managers looking for a DFS option.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Ryan Rollins (hip) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Rollins struggled on Saturday and will now sit out the second leg of this back-to-back set due to left hip soreness. The absence of Rollins should mean increased roles for Andre Jackson Jr. and AJ Green. Between the two, Green is the better streaming option for Sunday's slate due to his ability to shoot from beyond the arc. Fantasy managers should consider Rollins as day-to-day for now.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (Achilles) has been upgraded to available ahead of Sunday's game against the Charlotte Hornets. Tatum came into this game as questionable for injury management purposes. They've decided to start Tatum and give Jaylen Brown (Achilles) the night off. This is the front end of a back-to-back set, so Tatum could rest on Monday with Brown returning to the mix against the Atlanta Hawks. For now, fantasy managers can go ahead and get Tatum active in their lineups. Tatum will likely be asked to carry the load offensively with Brown unavailable.
Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (knee) has been downgraded to out ahead of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Turner won't be able to shed the questionable tag and will sit out the second leg of this back-to-back set. Fantasy managers should consider Turner as questionable ahead of Tuesday's game against the Dallas Mavericks. Jericho Sims and Pete Nance should be asked to play big roles on Sunday. Sims is coming off a double-double on Saturday and is well worth a look as a DFS option with the Bucks shorthanded for this game.
Boston Celtics guard/forward Jaylen Brown (Achilles) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Charlotte Hornets. Brown will miss his second game in a row due to left Achilles tendinitis. This is the front end of a back-to-back set, so we'll see if Brown is available against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. The absence of Brown should mean that Baylor Scheierman should stick in the starting five. The rookie guard finished with three points, six rebounds, and two assists across 28 minutes of action on Friday. Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh could also see increased roles on Sunday. None of these players are great streaming options ahead of Sunday's contest. Payton Pritchard is the best DFS option outside of Jayson Tatum for the Celtics on Sunday.
New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray (hand) has been tagged as questionable ahead of Sunday's meeting with the Houston Rockets. Murray was unavailable on Friday against Toronto when the Pelicans wrapped up a back-to-back and might now miss another game. He has a left-hand contusion. Trey Murphy III (ankle) is also questionable for Sunday night, so Jeremiah Fears and Yves Missi may remain part of the first unit. As a result of Murray's departure from the lineup, there was also a Jordan Poole sighting in Friday's game. After a 12-point, six-assist effort, Poole might have earned an opportunity to be part of the rotation again on Sunday.
Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (knee) is questionable for Sunday's tilt against the Miami Heat. After appearing in four consecutive games, Siakam might take Sunday off to manage his right knee injury. Center Jay Huff is the only starter not listed as questionable for Sunday's game, meaning we could again see a lot of Kobe Brown, Jalen Slawson, and Quenton Jackson. Slawson is a compelling player capable of influencing all parts of the game if given enough minutes.
Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (calf) won't play on Sunday against the Washington Wizards. He injured his right calf in Friday's loss to Dallas and might be out for several games. Sidy Cissoko could rejoin the starting lineup on Sunday, while Matisse Thybulle and Kris Murray are also candidates for increased roles. Still, even as a starter, Cissoko hasn't been productive enough to make a difference in fantasy leagues, averaging 7.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in the first unit this season.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward/center Chet Holmgren will suit up on Sunday against the New York Knicks. The talented big man missed Friday's win over Chicago, but the Thunder haven't included Holmgren on the injury report ahead of Sunday's game. Filling in for Holmgren in the starting lineup, Cason Wallace had a wonderful performance on Friday night, but he will likely be back in the second unit against the Knicks. Holmgren erupted for 28 points against the Knicks earlier this month when the teams met at Madison Square Garden.
Miami Heat guard/forward Norman Powell (back) is considered questionable for Sunday's matchup with the Indiana Pacers. He's dealing with back spasms and could exit the lineup after a 15-point effort in Friday's loss to Cleveland. Health issues have limited Powell to just six appearances in March. If he has to miss time again, Pelle Larsson is the prime candidate to fill in for Powell in the starting unit. While Larsson can also be impactful off the bench, his numbers clearly improve in the first unit. Across 35 starts this season, the 25-year-old has averaged 12.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
