NBA March Madness Scores
March 3 NBA action saw Clippers stage a comeback to beat Warriors 114-101 with Kawhi Leonard posting 23 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST, while Celtics dominated Bucks 108-81 and Nuggets edged Jazz 128-125 behind Jamal Murray's 45 points. The Rockets topped Wizards 123-118 after Trae Young was ejected pre-tipoff.
The Clippers' victory over the Warriors carried significant weight in the Western Conference playoff picture, pulling them within 1.5 games of Golden State for the eighth seed. Los Angeles erased a 17-point deficit, fueled by a 72-45 scoring advantage in the second half against a short-handed Warriors squad that was missing Stephen Curry for his 11th consecutive game. Making his team debut, Darius Garland provided a spark off the bench for the Clippers with 12 points. The comeback was ignited in the third quarter, where a 35-21 run, including eight points from Kawhi Leonard, closed the gap and shifted the game's momentum permanently. The Celtics' blowout win spoiled the much-anticipated return of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had been sidelined for 15 games with a calf strain. Antetokounmpo finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes, but the Bucks' offense struggled as a whole, shooting just 34% from the field. Boston's dominant performance was even more impressive as they were without starters Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta. Payton Pritchard led all scorers with 25 points, while rookie Hugo Gonzalez posted career-highs with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Jamal Murray's spectacular night in Salt Lake City included draining eight three-pointers and scoring 18 of his 45 points in the third quarter alone. The back-and-forth game, which saw 22 lead changes, helped the Nuggets snap a two-game losing streak. A pivotal moment came late in the fourth quarter when a shooting foul that would have been Nikola Jokic's sixth was overturned after a lengthy review, denying Utah's Keyonte George (36 points) two potentially lead-changing free throws. In Washington, Trae Young was ejected before ever playing a minute for the Wizards, possibly a first in NBA history. While in street clothes on the bench, Young stepped onto the court to argue a non-call after Rockets forward Tari Eason shoved Wizards rookie Jamir Watkins, leading to his ejection. Young, who is recovering from knee and quad injuries, is expected to make his official debut for the Wizards on Thursday against the Jazz. In his absence, Alperen Sengun led the Rockets to victory with 32 points and 13 rebounds.
