Why do Bulls fans have such high hopes for Matas Buzelis? Just watch.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

March 23, 2025

Bulls Surge Past Lakers: Coby White, Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis put on a show in LA

Roundup: Giannis powers Bucks past Kings, Hawks defeat Steph-less Warriors

NBA TV Clash: Clippers and Thunder face off in West battle of red-hot teams

HOU Streaking: Second-place Rockets look to extend win streak to 10 games, vs. third-place Nuggets

Sunday Preview: Cade Cunningham and the Pistons make push in the East

BUT FIRST … ⏰

The 2025 NBA Playoffs are just under a month away…

NBA TV: Today, the Clippers and Thunder will match up in LA as both teams look to extend their win streaks to six games (9 ET).

Tonight on League Pass: An eight-game day that starts at 3 ET features a battle between the No. 2 Rockets and No. 3 Nuggets, with Houston eyeing its 10th straight win (7 ET).

1. BULLS SHOOT LIGHTS OUT AGAINST LAKERS

LeBron James made his return after missing the last two weeks and Luka Dončić had 34, but the Bulls’ offensive explosiveness proved too much for the Lakers, as Chicago secured a 146-115 victory. | Recap

• The Bulls have won seven of their last nine games as they climb to 9th in the East Playoff Picture.
• Coby White dropped 36 points on 12-17 shooting and hit six threes as Chicago picked up a 31-point win on the road
• Near Quadruple-Double: Josh Giddey made NBA history as the first player to record a stat line of at least 15 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds, and eight steals—dating back to the 1973-74 season, when steals were first officially recorded
• Giddey joined Luka Dončić and Oscar Robertson as the only players with multiple 15+ pt, 10+ reb, 17+ ast games before turning 23
• Buzelis also had a career night, scoring 31 points in the victory. He became the fourth-youngest Bull to score 30 points in a game, joining the ranks of White, Luol Deng, and Eddy Curry

The win saw a surging Chicago team put all its pieces together, putting up the most points on the Lakers — the league’s 7th best defense since All-Star — that anyone has all season.

• The Bulls racked up 30 fastbreak points and drained 19 threes in the victory

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

• James had 17 points, six rebounds and four assists in his first game since March 8
• Dončić scored 29 points in the first half, finishing with 34 in the game with eight three-pointers. Austin Reaves added 25 points and five assists
• Postseason Race: The loss drops the Lakers to the No. 4 seed in the West. Los Angeles will head to Orlando to start a four-game road trip tomorrow.

2. ROUNDUP: GIANNIS POWERS BUCKS PAST KINGS, HAWKS DEFEAT STEPH-LESS WARRIORS

Bucks 114, Kings 108: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Bucks past the Kings on Saturday night. Brook Lopez added 21 points in the win. | Recap

• Milwaukee stormed back after Sacramento held the biggest lead of the night with 14 early in the third quarter. Antetokounmpo erupted for 22 points in the period to lead the Bucks back
• Both teams were nursing injuries: The Bucks were without Damian Lillard (right calf) for a second consecutive game, while the Kings continued to be without Domantas Sabonis (right ankle) and Malik Monk (illness)
• DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points for Sacramento, which has lost six of its last eight games

Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

Trae Young scored 25 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out 10 assists, and recorded his 41st double-double of the season to lead the Hawks to a 124-115 victory over the Warriors. Onyeka Okongwu also contributed with 22 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks in the win. | Recap

• Young Makes History: The four-time All-Star passed John Stockton (184) for the eighth-most games with 20+ PTS and 10+ AST in NBA history
• The point guard is now averaging 24.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 11.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Golden State was without superstar Stephen Curry, who suffered a pelvic contusion on Thursday. Curry will be reevaluated on Monday and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said before the game that he’s “very hopeful” that at some point Curry will join the team’s current six-game road trip.

• Jimmy Butler III continued his strong play for the Dubs in the loss, recording 25 points and eight assists.
• The Hawks moved to 34-36, while the Warriors fell to 41-30.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Knicks 122, Wizards 103: Karl-Anthony Towns had 31 points and 11 rebounds, and Mikal Bridges scored 27 points to lead the Knicks past the Wizards, snapping a two-game losing streak. | Recap

• New York was ahead 82-51 with more than six minutes remaining in the third quarter, but Washington brought the game within four with 9:14 to play before eventually falling short.
• Jordan Poole scored 25 points and Marcus Smart added 17 off the bench for the Wizards, who have lost four straight games.

Pacers 108, Nets 103: Pascal Siakam scored eight points in the final three and a half minutes, finishing with 26 points to lead Indy to the victory. Tyrese Haliburton contributed with 16 pts, eight rebounds, and 12 assists. | Recap

• Haliburton became the sixth player in NBA history to record 10 consecutive PTS/AST double-doubles in a single season while 25 years or younger
• He is the first Pacers player to record 10 consecutive 10+ point, 10+ assist games and the first player to do so since Russell Westbrook in 2018-19

3. TONIGHT ON NBA TV: THUNDER AND CLIPPERS CLASH IN WEST BATTLE

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

A showdown between Western Conference powerhouses and two of the hottest teams in the league takes center stage on NBA TV as the Thunder head to LA to face the Clippers (9:00 ET). | Preview

The Thunder have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the West, but continue to display dominance after defeating the Hornets 141-106 on Friday. OKC has a league-best perfect 9-0 record on the road since the All-Star break.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are playing some of their best basketball ahead of the postseason. LA has won eight of its last nine games and is surging up the West ladder.

• Whose Streak Stays? Both teams enter the matchup with five-game win streaks
• SGA has recorded 20+ points in 63 straight games this year, becoming the fifth player in NBA history to have such a streak in a single season — and if he reaches 64, he’ll tie KD for fourth longest
• Inching closer to 60: The Thunder have already surpassed last season’s total of 57 wins with 58, their most since 2013-14 (59). With 12 games remaining, they still have a chance to reach 70 regular-season wins, but they’ll need to go perfect from here on out

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

James Harden and the Clippers have been gaining momentum in the West and sit seventh, and only a half-game back of the Warriors in sixth place. The Beard has been on a tear during LA’s win streak.

• Harden became the first player in NBA history age 35 or older to record at least 1,500 points, 500 assists, 200 threes and 100 steals in a season
• The Beard is averaging 28.4 points, 9.8 assists, 6.0 boards over the last ten games. He hasn’t reached these numbers in a 10-game span since March of 2021
• He’s not alone: Kawhi Leonard over nine appearances in March is averaging 24.9 points, 6.9 boards, 3.2 assists, 2.2 threes and 1.9 steals, while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor

4. ROCKETS EYE 10TH-STRAIGHT WIN IN DUEL WITH NUGGETS

Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images

The Rockets enter tonight’s matchup against the Nuggets as the hottest team in the league as they hunt for their 10th straight win (7:00 ET, League Pass). Houston currently holds the No. 2 seed in the West with a 46-25 record.

• Twin Locked Back In: Amen Thompson got things done on both sides of the court after returning from an ankle injury. He posted 18 points (8-14 FG, 2-3 FT), nine rebounds, five assists, one block and a career-high seven steals in the Rockets victory over the Heat on Friday
• Lockdown Defense: The Rockets rank the fifth-best in the league with 109 points allowed per game and rank fourth in opponent FG% (45.5%)
• Houston has seven players averaging 15+ points during this nine-game win streak. Five of those seven players are less than 24 years old

Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images

The Nuggets are missing the normal engine of their team, as three-time MVP Nikola Jokić battles an ankle injury, leaving them in a tough spot without their superstar.

The challenge for the Nuggets without Jokić, will be holding onto their position in the highly competitive West. Teams are closing the gap, the Lakers are a half-game back, the Grizzlies are one game back and the Warriors are three games back.

• Missing Jokić: Denver has dropped two games straight without the three-time MVP and currently sits in the No. 3 spot in the West
• Life Without Joker: The Nuggets have leaned on Aaron Gordon, who is averaging 29.0 ppg, 6.7 reb in three games without Jokić, while Russ is averaging 14.0 pts, 6.7 reb, 9.7 ast, 2.7 stl in that span
• Nuggets are averaging 23.7 fastbreak pts per game over their last three — up 3.7 points for a team that already led the league in fastbreak points, with Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr. leading the team in pace (104.4 each)

5. LP SPOTLIGHT: CADE CUNNINGHAM AND THE PISTONS CONTINUE TO MAKE PUSH IN EAST

Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images

Six more matchups tip off today on League Pass, including Cade Cunningham and the Pistons who will take on the Pelicans. Detroit currently sits No. 6 in the Eastern Conference standings and is trying to catch up to Indiana and Milwaukee for the fourth spot.

Pelicans-Pistons (3:00 ET): The two teams faced off this past Monday, with the Pistons cruising to a dominant 127-81 victory at home. The Pelicans will look to snap their slump, having lost eight of their last 10 games. | Preview

Cavs-Jazz (3:30 ET): The Cavs have had their share of win streaks this season, but are looking to end a four-game skid when they visit Utah. | Preview

• Donovan Mitchell told reporters: “It’s been like this for the past four games, and we’ve lost four straight. I have to be better, simple as that… it’s on me. I have to be better for the group. I’ve been good for the group all year, and this is on me.”

Celtics-Blazers (6:00 ET): Portland (32-39) is making a late bid for a SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament berth after pulling within two games of the 10th-place Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference entering Sunday. Boston and Portland are both riding four-game win streaks. | Preview

Hornets-Heat (6:00 ET): Miami will look to snap its current 10-game losing streak when they host Charlotte in Miami. At 29-41, this marks the Heat’s longest losing streak since the 2007-2008 season and the longest under Erik Spoelstra’s tenure. | Preview

Spurs-Raptors (6:00 ET): San Antonio will go for its third consecutive win when the Spurs head to Toronto to begin a three-game road trip. The Spurs (30-39) are coming off two home wins, 120-105 against the Knicks on Wednesday and 128-120 over the 76ers on Friday. | Preview

76ers-Hawks (6:00 ET): Atlanta will look to extend its win streak to three games when it hosts Philly. The 76ers have currently lost three straight. | Preview