Starting 5: Hawks, Lakers keep sizzling; Looking forward to Tuesday’s slate

Soaring. Flying. Rising.

With 28 days till postseason hoops, the Hawks are enjoying their greatest ball.

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5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Streaks Extended: NAW erupts for Hawks’ tenth straight W, Luka & Lakers notch six in a row

No. 2 Seeds Stay Hot: Brown bests Booker in 40-piece duel, Castle & Wemby carry Spurs in LA

Roundup: Kerr earns win No. 600, Blazers hold tempo, Zion rolls, Buzelis sparks Bulls

Coast 2 Coast Tuesday: Jokić’s report tear meets Philly’s resolve, Cavs face Bucks looking for well timed dub

Power Rankings Spotlight: OKC & Orlando climb forward of tonight’s duel on League Pass

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BUT FIRST … ⏰

NBC’s Coast 2 Coast Tuesday headlines one other eight-game slate, because the Cavs go to the Bucks (8 ET | Tap to Watch), earlier than the Nuggets host the Sixers (10 ET | Tap to Watch).

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1. STREAKING: HAWKS SOAR PAST MAGIC, LUKA LIFTS LAKERS IN HOUSTON

For the primary time in 11 years, the Hawks have gained 10 straight video games.

Hawks 124, Magic 112: Nickeil Alexander-Walker splashed 9 3s en path to a career-high 41 points, whereas Jalen Johnson posted a giant triple-double (24 pts, 15 reb, 13 ast) because the Hawks raced previous the Magic to increase their win streak whereas ending Orlando’s at seven video games. | Recap

• Can NAWt Miss: Alexander-Walker’s 9 3s have been additionally a career-best as he joins Bogdan Bogdanović as the one Hawks to publish 40+ pts and 9+ treys in a sport
• Letting It Fly: NAW is averaging 22.6 factors whereas capturing 46.7% from 3 amid Atlanta’s 10-0 run. In that span, the Hawks rank 2nd in scoring (122.9 ppg)

Leading the Flock: At the center of Atlanta’s assault is Johnson. A primary-time All-Star, the 24-year-old isn’t simply averaging career-highs throughout the board (23 pts, 10.4 reb, 8.1 ast) – he’s blossoming into one of many league’s premier playmakers.

• All-Around Elite: Last evening marked Johnson’s thirteenth triple-double this yr, essentially the most by a participant below 25 since Luka Dončić in 2019
• Superstar Company: Alongside Johnson, just one different participant is averaging greater than 20+ pts, 10+ reb & 7+ ast this season: Nikola Jokić

Also red-hot: Luka Dončić, LeBron James and the Lakers, who hold making successful performs when it issues most.

Lakers 100, Rockets 92: Dončić’s scoring tear continued, dropping a game-high 36 points together with 6 boards and 4 dimes, however the Lakers nonetheless trailed 88-86 with 5:52 left.

Then, their protection flipped a change, holding Houston to 1-of-10 capturing the remainder of the way in which whereas Dončić and James (18 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 1 poster) ignited a 15-2 run, main Los Angeles previous the Rockets for a sixth straight win. | Recap

• The Surge: After Deandre Ayton gave L.A. the lead, Luka splashed a turnaround fadeaway, then discovered James, who hit Marcus Smart for a tic-tac-toe 3
• The Slam: Ayton adopted with back-to-back buckets to push the result in eight, earlier than LeBron hammered dwelling an exclamation jam to ice it with 40 ticks left
• The Stops: Los Angeles held Houston to 12 factors within the 4th, enhancing its clutch report to an NBA-best 19-6. That consists of two clutch wins throughout its 6-0 run
• The Magic: Luka has six straight 30-pieces amid the streak, averaging 37.8 pts, 9.2 reb and seven.7 ast whereas capturing 40.2% from 3

• “All that matters is that we got the win,” mentioned Luka of his newest outburst. “We gotta keep this rolling.”
• The Race: The Lakers now maintain a 1.5-game lead over the Rockets for Third within the West, with Denver (Fifth) and Minnesota (sixth) every a half-game again of Houston

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2. NO. 2 SEEDS STAY HOT: BROWN OUTDUELS BOOK, SPURS TOP CLIPS

Only two groups have 25+ wins since Jan. 1: the Celtics and Spurs.

Both sit 2nd of their convention and are gaining floor on the highest spot. And each saved rolling final evening.

Celtics 120, Suns 112: Jaylen Brown (41 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast) and Devin Booker (40 pts, 6 ast, 15-24 FG) put on a show, buying and selling buckets in a back-and-forth duel that Brown ended with a dagger – drilling a lead-extending pull-up with 1 minute left to carry the C’s previous the Suns. | Recap

• B&B Buckets: Brown & Booker every scored 19 within the 1st half, earlier than Booker dropped 16 within the Third to maintain Phoenix inside hanging distance
• Suns Surge: In the 4th, Phoenix made its transfer, utilizing a 21-9 run to go up two with 4:56 left
• Celtics Answer: Boston responded with a 10-1 blitz, with all 10 factors coming from Brown and Jayson Tatum (21 pts, 7 reb), capped by JB’s putaway pull-up
• Used To This: Brown completed with 18 within the 4th for his sixth 40-ball of the season. Only Luka (11) and Anthony Edwards (10) have extra
• C’s Climbing: Boston is now 3.5 video games again of Detroit for 1st within the East

Make that 18-2 within the Spurs’ final 20, and their first 50-win season since 2016-17.

Spurs 119, Clippers 115: With Kawhi Leonard out (ankle), Darius Garland stepped up (25 pts, 10 ast) as LA jumped out to a 17-3 lead. But it was all San Antonio from there, because the Spurs took management with a 37-15 2nd quarter and by no means seemed again, enhancing to 50-18. | Recap

• Shining: Stephon Castle (23 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast) and Victor Wembanyama (21 pts, 13 reb, 4 blk) led the way in which, whereas Devin Vassell scored 20
• Scorching: San Antonio’s 18-2 report since Feb. 1 marks its greatest 20-game stretch in 9 seasons, shifting 3 video games again of OKC for 1st within the West
• Winning Both Ways: In that span, the Spurs personal an NBA-best +12 level differential, main the league in scoring (123.3) whereas rating Fifth in DefRtg
• “All of us are chasing new heights, individually and collectively,” mentioned Wemby postgame. “It’s a real pleasure to be a part of.”

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3. ROUNDUP: KERR HITS 600, BLAZERS ROLL, ZION & BUZELIS SHINE

Warriors 125, Wizards 117: Kristaps Porziņģis scored 30 off the bench, whereas De’Anthony Melton added 27 (and 1 imply poster) because the Steph-less Warriors outpaced Trae Young (21 pts, 5 ast) and the Wizards to snap a five-game skid, securing Steve Kerr’s 600th profession teaching win. | Recap

• Legendary Pace: Of the 28 coaches to achieve 600 wins, Kerr is the fourth quickest (943 video games), trailing solely Phil Jackson (805 video games), Pat Riley (832) and Gregg Popovich (887)
• Players’ Coach: The credit score for his success? In typical Kerr vogue, he says all of it belongs to his players and staff

Blazers 114, Nets 95: Deni Avdija (18 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast) and Toumani Camara (18 pts, 5 reb) led seven Blazers in double figures as Portland picked up a wire-to-wire win in Brooklyn, remaining a half-game again of Golden State for ninth within the West. | Recap

Pelicans 129, Mavericks 111: Zion Williamson owned the within (27 pts, 11-13 FG), combining for 50 factors with Saddiq Bey (23 pts, 6 reb) because the Pels soared previous the Mavs, regardless of robust nights from Naji Marshall (32 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast) and Cooper Flagg (21 pts, 7 reb, 8 ast). | Recap

Bulls 132, Grizzlies 107: Matas Buzelis notched his fourth 20-piece in 5 video games (29 pts, 7 reb, 5 3s), whereas Josh Giddey added a triple-double (16 pts, 15 reb, 13 ast), sparking a 71-point 2nd half as Chicago pulled previous Memphis. | Recap

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4. COAST 2 COAST TUESDAY: NUGGETS HOST SIXERS, CAVS VISIT BUCKS

First in rebounds per sport. First in assists per sport. Top-10 in scoring.

No participant in NBA historical past has accomplished all three in the identical season. Nikola Jokić is on tempo to vary that.

And with Fifth-place Denver within the coronary heart of the wild West race – two video games again of Third – the Joker has elevated his sport, even for his Mile High requirements.

Tonight (10 ET, NBC), he takes heart stage on Coast 2 Coast Tuesday because the Nuggets host the Sixers in a vital conflict.

• Run Of Aces: Jokić has tallied 4 straight triple-doubles, averaging 25.8 pts, 15.5 reb and 13 ast amid the streak
• Rare Tear: Only two different gamers have ever matched these numbers throughout 4 video games: Wilt Chamberlain (twice in 1968) and Oscar Robertson (1965)

The numbers are historic. But they solely trace at Jokić’s full influence – subtly shaping each facet of the sport to gasoline Denver’s league-best offense (120.7 ppg).

• Efficient Buckets: Jokić ranks Fifth in ppg (28.6) whereas capturing 57.3%. No different scorer within the top-30 (min. 40 GP) is capturing over 55%
• Effective Boards: Three of Jokić’s NBA-best 12.7 rpg are offensive rebounds, resulting in 4.8 2nd probability ppg – essentially the most within the league
• Elite Facilitating: Jokić is considered one of six gamers with 500+ touches this season, but ranks simply twenty second in utilization price
• Why? Because he doesn’t want the ball to provide factors, main the league in passes (72.6) and assists factors created per sport (27.1)
• “[He’s] the ultimate positionless center,” mentioned Nuggets coach David Adelman of Jokić in February. “It’s absolutely unbelievable what he’s done.”

Flipped Script: The final time Denver confronted Philly (Jan. 5), the Nuggets have been with out Jokić, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and others, however pulled out a last-second OT win behind their second unit.

Now it’s the Sixers leaning on depth as they push for a Playoff spot with out their prime two scorers, Tyrese Maxey (29) and Joel Embiid (26.6), together with Paul George (16). That trio has mixed for 71.6 ppg.

• Answering The Bell: After studying they’d be with out Maxey (finger) for 3+ weeks final Tuesday, Philly has gone 3-1, sitting simply 1.5 video games again of sixth
• The Spark: Quentin Grimes has led the way in which with 24 ppg over that span, whereas rookie VJ Edgecombe has shined on each ends (16.3 ppg, 6.5 reb, 3.8 ast)
• “Next man up mentality,” mentioned Grimes on the run. “Just gotta keep stacking these wins.”

Four video games forward of Eighth-place Philly sits 4th-place Cleveland, one other workforce navigating the crowded East.

Tonight (8 ET, NBC), the Cavs open Coast 2 Coast Tuesday in opposition to Milwaukee.

• Where They Stand: After an 8-1 surge to open February, Cleveland has cooled, going 4-5 to slide 2.5 video games again of Third-place New York
• Where It Turned: That stretch started with a loss to Milwaukee, the place Kevin Porter Jr. (20) and Ryan Rollins (18) mixed for 38 within the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s questionable tonight
• Missing Pieces: Cleveland was additionally shorthanded in that matchup with out Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, a duo combining for 45.3 ppg since Harden entered the lineup

The Difference-Maker: When obtainable, Mitchell has thrived in opposition to Milwaukee this season, averaging 30.5 pts on 54.8% capturing in two wins.

It’s a recipe the Cavs hope to lean on once more tonight, as they’re 21-9 when Mitchell scores 30+ factors this season.

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5. POWER RANKINGS SPOTLIGHT: OKC & ORLANDO RISE BEFORE TONIGHT’S CLASH

With precisely one month till the SoFi Play-In Tournament, OKC and Orlando are climbing up John Schuhmann’s Power Rankings.

Riding an eight-game win streak, the Thunder have reclaimed Schuhmann’s prime spot, whereas the Magic proceed to climb behind their 7-1 surge.

Tonight on League Pass (7 ET), the 2 squads collide in a showdown between two of the league’s hottest groups – and two of its hottest models, writes Schuhmann:

The Thunder are a league-best 11-1 for the reason that All-Star break, with six of these 11 wins having come inside the prime 10 … they’ve allowed simply 106 factors per 100 (2nd) for the reason that All-Star break, regardless that six of their 12 post-break video games have come in opposition to top-10 offenses.

The Magic had the league’s Third-ranked offense (122.4 OffRtg) over their seven-game successful streak (now T-Fifth amid their 7-1 run).

… Their prime 4 scorers throughout the streak – Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Jalen Suggs and Tristan da Silva – mixed to shoot 65% within the paint and 21-for-39 (54%) from mid-range over the seven video games. | Read More

Right behind the Thunder in Schuhmann’s newest rankings sit Victor Wembanyama and the surging Spurs, seeking to acquire floor on OKC for the West’s prime spot.

Tonight on League Pass, San Antonio visits Sacramento (10 ET), whereas the Wolves host the Suns in a West duel (8 ET), together with three extra matchups.

• Pistons at Wizards (7 ET)
• Heat at Hornets (7 ET)
• Pacers at Knicks (7:30 ET)

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