NBA late‑season shocks
Last night’s late‑season slate featured hard playoff reps — Nuggets vs. Suns, Hornets vs. Kings and Pelicans vs. Knicks all produced highlight reels that analysts flagged as playoff‑preview tape for seeding and matchups (March 24). (youtube.com) (youtube.com) (youtube.com) (espn.com).
Nikola Jokić finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 17 assists and sank a 12‑foot go‑ahead jumper with 11.5 seconds left as Denver beat Phoenix 125‑123. (espn.com)) Denver has won six of eight and sits 1.5 games behind the Lakers for the West’s No. 3 playoff spot, while Phoenix has lost six of seven and is currently seventh in the West. (espn.com)) Charlotte drained a franchise‑tying 26 three‑pointers in a 134‑90 rout of Sacramento; Coby White scored 27 with six 3s and LaMelo Ball added 20 with six triples. (nba.com)) The Hornets shot 51% for the game, owned a 57‑35 rebound margin and improved to 38‑34, pulling within two games of Atlanta for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. (apnews.com)) Jalen Brunson scored 32 points (15 in the fourth quarter) and the Knicks beat the Pelicans 121‑116 for their seventh straight win, with Karl‑Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby each adding 21 points and Towns grabbing 14 rebounds. (apnews.com)) The results tightened seeding races: New York (48‑25) moved closer to Boston for second in the East, Charlotte moved nearer the play‑in cutoff in the East, and Denver’s win kept pressure on the West’s top‑three battle. (espn.com))
