NBA roundup: Thunder top Pacers to keep 70-win season within reach
Mar 29, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots as Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) defends during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points as Oklahoma City beat visiting Indiana 132-111 on Saturday night for its ninth consecutive victory, keeping alive the chance to become the third team in NBA history to win 70 games.
The Thunder, who have 62 victories and eight regular-season games remaining, would need to win out to join the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors and 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.
Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams finished with 18 points with six assists, Luguentz Dort added 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field with six 3-pointers and Isaiah Joe added 19 off the bench with five 3-pointers.
Tyrese Haliburton led seven Pacers in double-figures with 18 points. Andrew Nembhard added 16, Obi Toppin had 12 and Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner chipped in 11 apiece.
Magic 121, Kings 91
Caleb Houstan’s 6-of-7 3-point shooting off the bench en route to 18 points helped Orlando capitalize on a stifling defensive effort as it cruised past visiting Sacramento.
Orlando, the NBA’s top defense in points allowed coming into Saturday’s matchup, delivered its 18th game holding an opponent to fewer than 100 points this season. The Magic limited the Kings to 42 percent shooting from the floor, including 7-of-28 from 3-point range.
Paolo Banchero scored a game-high 24 points for the Magic, while Franz Wagner added 21. DeMar DeRozan finished with 21 points for Sacramento, and Domantas Sabonis had 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Nets 115, Wizards 112
Jalen Wilson and Tyrese Martin scored 20 points apiece as visiting Brooklyn snapped a six-game losing streak at the expense of Washington.
Drew Timme had a career-high 19 points and Cameron Johnson had 18 points and nine rebounds for Brooklyn, which rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second quarter.
AJ Johnson scored 14 of his career-high 20 points in the fourth quarter for Washington, which has lost seven of its last eight games. Colby Jones also scored 20.
Mavericks 120, Bulls 119
Klay Thompson had 20 points and hit two critical free throws with 6.7 seconds left as Dallas won for the fourth time in five games by edging host Chicago.
The Mavericks are also 4-0 when Anthony Davis plays. Davis was 7 of 23 from the floor Saturday and finished with 18 points in 30 minutes. Seven Mavericks players scored in double figures, among them P.J. Washington with 19 points and Kai Jones 15.
Rookie Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with 28 points. Coby White and Nikola Vucevic — who hit a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left for the final margin — each had 25.
Heat 118, 76ers 95
Tyler Herro scored 30 points and Alec Burks chipped in 20 as Miami smashed host Philadelphia for its fourth straight win.
Long-range shooting fueled the victory for Miami, which knocked down 20 of 43 shots (46.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Burks made six 3-pointers, while Herro drained five and Haywood Highsmith knocked down three 3-pointers off the bench en route to 13 points. Kel’el Ware also had a productive night for the Heat, shooting 6 of 6 from the field for 13 points to go along with 14 rebounds.
Philadelphia absorbed its seventh straight defeat despite 19 points and 10 assists from Jared Butler. Justin Edwards pitched in with 17 points for the Sixers, while Adem Bona contributed 16 points and 10 boards.
Lakers 134, Grizzlies 127
Austin Reaves had 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds to help Los Angeles Lakers defeat host Memphis and spoil the debut of interim coach Tuomas Iisalo.
Luka Doncic recorded 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who won their second game in three outings and wrapped up a four-game road trip. LeBron James added 25 points, eight dimes and six boards.
Memphis, playing in its first game since firing head coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday, was led by Desmond Bane’s 29 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 24 and Ja Morant recorded 22 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Celtics 121, Spurs 111
Jayson Tatum hit for 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as visiting Boston easily handled San Antonio while producing its season-best eighth straight victory.
The Celtics dominated San Antonio throughout, leading by 12 points at halftime, by 17 late in the third quarter and 94-81 and heading into the final period. Jrue Holiday added 21 points for Boston, which also got 15 points and 16 rebounds off the bench from Luke Kornet, 14 points from Jaylen Brown and 13 from Derrick White.
Reserve Keldon Johnson paced San Antonio with 23 points. Stephon Castle added 22 points, Jeremy Sochan had 18, Devin Vassell 14, Harrison Barnes 13 and Chris Paul 12 for the Spurs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.
Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.
It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.
“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”
While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.
“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.
“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”
Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”
As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.
“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”
When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.
“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Sports
Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series
May 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.
It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.
But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.
Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.
“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”
Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.
The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.
“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”
Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.
The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.
Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.
Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.
Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.
Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.
“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”
New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.
Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.
Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
