A block for the books and a comma in the win column.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
March 3, 2025

Milestone Victories: The Cavs’ historic 60-game start & LeBron’s 1,000th career win

Sunday Roundup: Kia MVP candidates clash, SGA & JDub dazzle, Ant drops 44 and more

Reads Of The Week: A few top stories from the NBA world as the postseason nears

What’s Trending – East: Top contenders clicking amid an intensifying Playoff race

What’s Trending – West: OKC keeps rolling while chaos brews below from top to bottom

BUT FIRST … ⏰
Monday means more hoops…

Seven games tip off tonight, highlighted by the Thunder hosting the Rockets on NBA TV in a heavyweight West duel (8 ET).

 1. MILESTONES & STREAKS: CAVS & LAKERS REMAIN RED-HOT

On Friday, the Cavs rallied from 22 points down to stun the Celtics at TD Garden, marking their largest comeback of the season and their ninth straight win.

Fresh off the emotional victory, Cleveland could have let Sunday’s game slip away, trailing by 18 late in the 3rd quarter.

Instead, they roared back to make history.

Cavaliers 133, Blazers 129 (OT): Deni Avdija became just the fourth Blazer to record a 30-point triple-double (30 pts, 12 reb, 10 ast), as Portland took control for the first 2.5 quarters.

But the Cavs came alive, outscoring the Blazers 55-37 in the final 16:11 of regulation to force OT, where De’Andre Hunter scored 9 of Cleveland’s 14 points to earn their 10th straight win and No. 50 on the season. | Recap

• Record Rate: At 50-10, the Cavs are just the 12th team in NBA history to hit 50 wins in 60 games
• Championship Company: Six of those previous 11 teams went on to win the NBA Finals, with the three most recent being the 2016-17 Warriors and the 1995-96 & ‘96-97 Bulls
• 10 Again: It also marks their third separate 10+ game win streak of the season – a feat only six other teams have ever accomplished
• De’Andre Delivers: With Donovan Mitchell out, Hunter led Cleveland with 32 points, five 3s and 7 boards, improving to 8-0 with the Cavs since being acquired before the trade deadline
• “We got a resilient group,” said Hunter postgame. “It’s always fun playing with these guys.”

While the Cavs reached 50 wins, the King hit 1K.

Lakers 108, Clippers 102: LeBron James and Luka Dončić were operating, each dishing out 9 assists, while Luka added 29 points on five 3s to keep Kawhi Leonard (33 pts, 10 reb) and the Clippers at bay in the Battle of LA, marking the Lakers’ sixth straight win. | Recap

• 1King: LeBron finished with 17 points – one shy of hitting 50,000 career points across the regular season and Playoffs – while becoming just the fourth player to earn 1,000 career regular-season wins
• His Company? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,074), Robert Parish (1,014) and Tim Duncan (1,001)
• Chasing Down History: To join the legendary list, James sealed the win with one of his most iconic plays – a patented chase-down block with 30 seconds left to protect the Lakers’ 5-point lead
• New No. 2: With the victory, the Lakers jumped Denver for 2nd in the West – their highest seed after the All-Star break since March 2021

Star Acclimation: Amid Los Angeles’ six-game win streak, Dončić is averaging 26.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 7.6 assists (5 GP), while James is posting 28.3/10.7/5.0.

• Hollywood Arrival: In last night’s win, Luka became just the second Laker to total 175+ pts, 50+ rebs and 50+ ast in their opening eight games with the franchise
• The First? LeBron

2. ROUNDUP: ALL-STAR DUOS DELIVER, ANT ERUPTS & MORE

The top three Kia MVP candidates were all in action Sunday, with two facing off in Boston in a showdown between the last two NBA champs.

Celtics 110, Nuggets 103: After dropping 46 points in Friday’s loss to Cleveland, Jayson Tatum (16 pts, 11 reb, 7 ast) got help from Jaylen Brown (22 pts, 8 ast, 5 reb) to lead the C’s past Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets in crunch time. | Recap

• Do-It-All Joker: Now holding the top spot on the Kia MVP Ladder, Jokić was one assist shy from notching his NBA-best 29th triple-double of the season (20 pts, 14 reb, 9 ast)
• All-Around JT: Tatum – ranked No. 3 on the Kia MVP Ladder – enters his 27th birthday today with 13,406 career points, 4,182 rebounds and 2,151 assists
• Elite Company: The only other player to reach 13K pts, 4K reb and 2K ast before turning 27? LeBron

Second on the MVP Ladder is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who kept a historic streak alive while his fellow All-Star popped off.

Thunder 146, Spurs 132: Jalen Williams shot 15-of-24 from the field and 4-of-8 from deep on his way to a career-high 41 points, 6 boards and 7 assists, while SGA added 31 points and 8 dimes to power OKC past San Antonio for its third win in a row. | Recap

• Shai’s Streak: SGA has now tallied 55 straight 20+ point games, a feat only eight other players in NBA history have achieved in a single season
• Their Names? Wilt, Oscar, Kareem, MJ, AI, Kobe, KD and Harden

J-Dub poured in a career-high, but Sunday’s biggest outburst belonged to Anthony Edwards.

Wolves 116, Suns 98: In a 2024 Playoff rematch, Edwards outdueled his self-proclaimed GOAT, Kevin Durant (26 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk), draining six 3s for 44 points and 7 assists as the Wolves outpaced the Suns for a timely win. | Recap

• Ant’s Arc: With the performance, Edwards (244) passed Malik Beasley (240 in 2021-22) for most made 3s in a single season in Wolves history
• DiVincenzo From Deep: Meanwhile, Donte DiVincenzo (24 pts, 8 3s, 5 stl) became the first player in NBA history to record 7+ 3s and 5+ steals off the bench

Knicks 116, Heat 112 (OT): With the Knicks down 19 in the 3rd quarter, Jalen Brunson scored 20 of his game-high 31 points in the 2nd half to force OT, where he added 6 more to complete a comeback win over Bam Adebayo (30 pts) and the Heat. | Recap

Pacers 127, Bulls 112: With Tyrese Haliburton distributing (17 pts, 12 ast), Aaron Nesmith netted a career-high 27 points to lead Indy past Coby White (26 pts) and Chicago. | Recap

Raptors 104, Magic 102: Immanuel Quickley (24 pts) and RJ Barrett (22 pts) led the way offensively, while Toronto’s defense buckled down to edge out Franz Wagner (25 pts), Paolo Banchero (23 pts) and the Magic, halting a three-game slide. | Recap

Pelicans 128, Jazz 121: Zion Williamson was a monster (24 pts, 6 reb, 9 ast), while Kelly Olynyk (26), CJ McCollum (25) and Trey Murphy III (20) added 20-pieces to top Keyonte George (28 pts) and the Jazz for the Pels’ fourth win in five games. | Recap

3. READS OF THE WEEK: STORIES FROM AROUND THE NBA WORLD

As the calendar flips to March, teams flip on an extra gear, emptying the tank in the final sprint toward the postseason.

Before we check out where things stand in both the East and West, let’s dive into some top stories around the league.

• Steph Reawakened: The game’s greatest shooter is red-hot, and the rest of the league should be very, very worried – Marcus Thompson II, The Athletic
• Steph’s Last Slam?: “I’m calling it right now. That was the last one you’re going to see.” – Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN
• The Legit Lakers: How Los Angeles firmly established itself among the best teams in the league – Jovan Buha, The Athletic

• Haliburton Rejuvenated: “There’s no secret that when I score the ball, we win games.” – Dustin Dopirak, Indy Star
• Inside The Storm: The Thunder are the youngest, most inexperienced team in the NBA — and a favorite to win it all – Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News
• Don’t Sleep On Cade: The former No. 1 pick has silenced his doubters — and his own inner critic — amid the Pistons’ rise – Mirin Fader, The Ringer

4. WHAT’S TRENDING: EAST CONTENDERS CLICKING

As the Playoffs approach, every night looms large, and with just about five weeks left in the regular season, a slew of East contenders are leveling up – beginning with the NBA-best Cavs.

• Power Play: Cleveland opened the season 15-0 and ripped off a 12-0 run between December & January, but its current 10-game heater has been its most dominant — boasting a +16.4 point differential
• Can’t Touch This: While the Cavs have strung together three separate 10-game win streaks, the rest of the NBA has one combined (OKC: 15)

Fighting For Playoff Position: Cleveland holds a 7.5-game lead atop the East, while Boston and New York are just 2.5 games apart. Below them, Milwaukee, Indy, and Detroit are all within one game of each other.

• Consistent C’s: After falling to the Pistons and Cavs, the Celtics bounced back on Sunday with a win over Denver, improving to 11-3 in their last 14 games
• Iconic Rivals Clash: Boston will host Philly on Thursday (7:30 ET, TNT), before the Lakers come to town in a must-see Saturday showdown on ABC (8:30 ET)
• Pistons’ Push: Also 11-3 in their last 14? The 6th-place Pistons, who stand at 34-27 thanks to a recent 8-0 run – marking both their longest win streak and their best 61-game start since 2007-08
• Little Separation: One game up on Detroit is Indy and Milwaukee – both at 34-25, with the Bucks on the rise thanks to eight wins in their last 11
• Eyes On NY: 5.5 games up on the Bucks stand the 3rd-place Knicks, who seek their fourth straight win on Tuesday against the Warriors (7:30 ET TNT)

Play-In For The Postseason: Holding the four Play-In bids are Miami, Orlando, Atlanta and Chicago – with more squads in the hunt.

• 7-9 Pocket: Fighting for the top Play-In spot, the Heat, Magic and Hawks are separated by just 1.5 games and searching for a spark as they’ve each suffered 6+ losses in their last 10 outings
• 10 Up For Grabs: The final ticket to the postseason, the No. 10 seed, is currently held by the Bulls, with the Sixers (2 GB) and Nets (2.5 GB) right on their tail

5. WHAT’S TRENDING: THUNDER ROLLING & CHAOS BREWING OUT WEST

At 49-11, the Thunder aren’t just holding a season-best 10.5-game lead atop the West – they’re also on track to enter the all-time record books.

• Unprecedented Dominance: With 22 games left, the Thunder are on pace to record the best point differential in a single NBA season at +12.7
• Tonight (8 ET, NBA TV), they host Houston in an Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals rematch, looking to reach 50 wins through 61 games for the first time in franchise history

Full Charge For No. 2: Behind OKC, the Rockets are one of four teams (LAL, DEN, MEM, HOU) separated by just 1.5 games for the No. 2 seed, with the surging Lakers leading the pack.

• Purple & Golden: The Lakers are an NBA-best 18-4 since Jan. 15 – marking their best 22-game stretch since the 2020-21 season
• Beating The Best: That includes a 9-0 record in their last nine games against teams above .500
• NY-LA Clash: Before facing the Celtics in Saturday’s ABC showdown, the Lakers host the Knicks on Thursday (10 ET, TNT)
• Beasts Lurking: Denver sits in 3rd after a 2-3 stretch, while Memphis (4th) and Houston (5th) aim to regain momentum with each team going 5-6 in their last 11
• Marquee Week For Memphis: The Grizzlies host OKC on Wednesday (9:30 ET, ESPN) and travel to Dallas on Friday (7:30 ET, ESPN)

Loaded Playoff Push: If the battle for 2nd place is crowded, then the race for the final Playoff spot (the No. 6 seed), is downright stacked, setting the stage for an epic regular-season finish full of stars.

• Contender Chaos: Led by the Clippers, seeds 6 through 10 in the West (LAC, GS, MIN, SAC, DAL) are separated by just a half-game. Yes, a half
• Bay Boost: That includes Steph Curry and the Warriors, who have climbed from 10th to 7th since inserting Jimmy Butler into the lineup
• New-Look Kings Clicking: In 9th place, the Kings are on a 3-game win streak entering tonight’s duel against Kyrie Irving and the 10th-place Mavs (8:30 ET, LP)
• Superstar Sprint: Ant and the Wolves sit in 8th, while KD, Book and the Suns are 4 games back for the final Play-In spot, followed by the Blazers and Spurs