“Night Night” – Draymond Green had to borrow Steph’s celebration after sealing Golden State’s seventh straight win.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

March 16, 2025

ABC Matinee: Cavs eye 17th straight W (1 ET) before KD and Suns visit Lakers (3:30 ET)

Tonight on ESPN: Bucks, Thunder meet in rematch of the Emirates NBA Cup Championship (9 ET)

Dubs Win: Golden State’s 7th straight victory is historic for Steve Kerr

SGA Erupts: Thunder superstar drops 48 points against Pistons

Roundup: Jordan Poole nails epic game-winner against Nuggets

BUT FIRST … ⏰

An ABC/ESPN tripleheader awaits.

ABC Doubleheader: Today, the Cavaliers aim for their 17th straight win as they host the Magic (1 ET). Then, Kevin Durant and the Suns visit the Lakers in a Western Conference battle (3:30 ET).

Primetime Hoops: Tonight on ESPN, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder visit Milwaukee to face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in a rematch of the Emirates NBA Cup Championship (9:00 ET).

1. ON ABC: CAN CAVS MAKE IT 17 STRAIGHT?

First came the buzz, as the Cavs started off the season with a franchise-record 15-0 start.

Then came the short lists, with Cleveland’s latest run making them one of six teams ever with separate 15-game win streaks in a season.

Now, with the streak at a franchise-record 16 and the Cavs just the seventh team in history to win 56 of their first 66 games, all-time-elite regular season status is coming into view.

When Cleveland takes on Orlando today on ABC (1 ET), in a rematch of last year’s First Round series, the East leaders will be looking to sweep the season series, 3-0, up the win streak to 17 and stay scorching hot.

• Elite Status: If Cleveland wins, the Cavs will just be the fifth team to notch separate 15+ and 17+ streaks in a season
• 56 Club: By winning 56+ of their first 66, the Cavs joined the 2015-16 Warriors & Spurs, the 1995-96 & 1996-97 Bulls, 1966-67 & 1982-83 Sixers as the only teams to ever do it
• Zooming In: Among that group, only the 1966-67 Sixers (125.2 PPG) scored more than the Cavs this year (122.8 PPG), and only the 2015-16 Dubs had more APG (28.9, vs. CLE’s 28.5)
• Top 3 All-Time Pace: The Cavs’ win % has them on pace to win 69 games, tying the third-best record in NBA history. Their 11.2 point differential would rank top 7 all-time

Cleveland In The Clutch: With Donovan Mitchell out the last two games, the Cavs have not let up, thanks to their depth and a historic ability to come through late in games.

• Coach Kenny Atkinson: “We’re not letting go of the rope – mentally or physically … A lot of teams when you lose your top guy there’s a big drop-off. For us, there’s very little drop off.”
• No Let Up: The Cavs have seven players averaging double-figures during this streak, led by the All-Star trio of Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley – one of just three trios in the league with 18 PPG each (min. 50 GP)
• Elite Late: Cleveland is 22-6 in clutch games this season – a 78.6 win percentage that would tie the fourth-best mark since clutch data started being tracked in 1996-97

The shorthanded Magic have responded to a five-game losing streak by splitting their last four – and now find themselves in the middle of the East Play-In group.

• The Rise Continues: Paolo Banchero’s 43-pt, 10-reb night on Friday marked the latest masterpiece from the Magic’s rising superstar, who ranks 15th in the NBA in PIE, a measure of contributions (min. 30 mpg)

At 3:30 ET on ABC, the Lakers and Suns meet with both teams looking to gain ground in the postseason race.

• Slowed Lake Show: After surging all the way to 2nd in the West, the Lakers have dropped four straight with LeBron out and Luka slowed by injury, falling to 5th
• Suns Eyeing Spot: 11th-place Phoenix, meanwhile, stands just 1.5 games behind the Mavs for the final spot in the SoFi Play-In Tournament

Today, if Luka (day-to-day) can’t go again, Austin Reaves will look to lead the Lakers to a much-needed W against Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and a Suns team in need of the same.

• Reaves Rolling: In Friday’s loss to Denver, which saw him become the only Laker outside of Kobe to put up 20 pts & 10 ast in a half, Reaves led all scorers, dropping 37
• Dynamic Duo: KD and Book, the only pair of teammates in the top 10 in scoring, hit eight of Phoenix’s season-high 24 threes last time out in a win over Sacramento
• Season Series: The Suns have taken two of three from L.A. so far this year. A win today would give them their first back-to-back wins since late January

2. BUCKS, THUNDER LOCKED IN FOR NBA CUP FINAL REMATCH

It was mid-December in Las Vegas, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had reason to smile.

A month prior, a Bucks squad with high hopes had found itself sputtering in 12th place in the East.

But as he looked around after Milwaukee’s 97-81 Emirates NBA Cup Championship win over West-leading OKC, the newly minted NBA Cup MVP saw a glimpse of what was to come.

• Giannis: “It’s great, it’s great for our team. We’re getting better. … We know we’re leaving Vegas as a better team. I’m so proud of this group. Man, I’m so proud of this group.”

Tonight on ESPN (9 ET), the two teams meet for the second time since Vegas. And for all that’s changed in the league since then, these two teams have put themselves in a Playoff position to chase a different trophy.

• The Thunder, now with a double-digit lead over the No. 2 Rockets in the West, have occupied first place for each one of the 88 days since the Cup Championship
• Since mid-December, OKC has been the league’s top defense (DefRTG, OppFG%, Opp 3PT%), fourth in Opponent PPG or fourth in PPG allowed
• In that same time, 4th place Milwaukee – now in position for home court in the First Round – has spent all but nine days since then in 4th or 5th place in the East
• Milwaukee, second in the league in DefRtg since the All-Star break, has the 7th-best DefRtg since the Cup Final – with the 5th best OppFG% and Opp 3PT%

One more thing that hasn’t budged? SGA and Giannis occupying two of the top four spots in the Kia MVP Ladder.

• SGA made his first appearance in Shaun Powell’s Top 3 going into the Cup Semifinals, with Nikola Jokić occupying the top spot
• Since then, SGA’s bounced between first and second, while leading the league in scoring (33.0 ppg) and getting buckets almost any way he chooses – 1st in drives per game, 1st among guards in paint pts and elite efficiency in the mid-range
• Giannis, meanwhile, ranks third on the Ladder – and just behind SGA in scoring (30.6 ppg), as the only two players in the league averaging 30+ a night
• The Greek Freak is dominating the paint, getting his 30+ on 60% shooting, a year after becoming the first player to ever do so

Catch five more games Sunday on League Pass, including the Timberwolves seeking their 8th straight win facing off against the Jazz, as the race to the Playoffs picks up speed.

3. WARRIORS OUTLAST KNICKS, KERR MAKES HISTORY

A day after turning 37 and two days after becoming the first player in NBA history with 4,000 three-pointers, Stephen Curry led the Warriors to their seventh straight win.

Warriors 97, Knicks 94: The Dubs extended their hot streak with a hard-fought win over New York, who were without Jalen Brunson (ankle).

Curry (28 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) and Jimmy Butler (11 pts, 7 ast, 6 reb) both stuffed the stat sheet for Golden State, while Karl-Anthony Towns (29 pts) led New York in the loss. | Recap

• Staying Hot: The Warriors are 14-1 with Jimmy Butler in the lineup as they move to 39-28 on the year
• Tight Race: GSW went up a half game on the Timberwolves as both teams are on seven-game win streaks in the battle for the final top-6 Playoff spot

The game was a historic one for head coach Steve Kerr, as he became the all-time winningest coach in Warriors’ history.

• With his 558th regular-season win, Kerr surpassed Al Attles, who previously held the record with 557 wins
• Kerr reached this milestone in just 860 games, while Attles coached 1,075 games for the franchise
• Kerr on the record: “It’s amazing to do this … To be able to coach Steph, Draymond, Klay, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, I mean, we’ve been blessed with such incredible rosters the entire 11 years.”

4. SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER CAN’T STOP SCORING

Fresh off a statement win over the Celtics on Wednesday to secure a Playoff spot, the Thunder continue to distance themselves in the West thanks to the help from their superstar, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Thunder 113, Pistons 107: SGA scored 48 points on an efficient 17-of-26 shooting to lead a short-handed OKC team past the Pistons. Cason Wallace added 20 points, including a clutch triple with 1:33 remaining to make it a six point game.

On a night when OKC went without Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, SGA proved yet again why he’s operating on a different level at the moment with his scoring prowess. | Recap

• Bucket Getter: It was SGA’s seventh 45+ point of the season – most such games by a player in a season since Stephen Curry in 2020-21
• All Alone: No other player has scored 45+ more than three times this season
• SGA is averaging 38.6 points through seven games in March – a pace that would give him the highest scoring month in the NBA since Joel Embiid averaged 40.2 in December 2023

The Thunder moved to 55-12 and are 12.5 games ahead of the Nuggets and Rockets in the Western Conference standings.

• The Thunder are now 23-1 against Eastern Conference teams this season, with their only loss coming against Cleveland in January
• OKC is on track for the best win percentage against a conference since 1970-71, the first season the NBA realigned into conferences

5. ROUNDUP: JORDAN POOLE SHOCKS NUGGETS

Wizards 126, Nuggets 123: Jordan Poole stunned Denver with a clutch 35-footer with 1.8 seconds left to lift the Wizards to victory over the Nuggets. Rookie Alex Sarr added a career-high 34 points in the win.

Meanwhile, Nikola Jokić delivered another impressive performance, putting up 40 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists. | Recap

Rockets 117, Bulls 114: Houston won their sixth straight behind Jalen Green’s 28 points and five 3s. Green was clutch in the 4th quarter, scoring 11 points in the period including a putback layup with 14.1 seconds remaining to ice the game. | Recap

• Three-Way Tie: With Houston’s win and Denver’s loss, the Rockets, Nuggets and Grizzlies are tied at 43-25 with the Rockets taking over No. 2 in the West via tiebreaker, followed by the Nuggets and Grizzlies

Bucks 126, Pacers 119, Four days after Tyrese Haliburton’s stunning 4-point play led to an OT win for Indy, Giannis (34 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast, 3 blk) and the Bucks avenged the loss despite another big game from Haliburton (24 pts, 15 ast, 5 stl). | Recap

• Bucks Pull Ahead In Race For No. 4: Milwaukee now has a full-game lead in the 4/5 East race between the two teams and clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker by winning the season series 3-1

Celtics 115, Nets 113: Kristaps Porziņģis returned to the lineup after missing the last eight games due to an illness, scoring 24 points to lead Boston past Brooklyn. Payton Pritchard now has the most 3PM off the bench in a single season (220) in NBA history. | Recap

Grizzlies 125, Heat 91: Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 31 points and Desmond Bane added 22 to lead a Ja Morant-less Grizzlies team past the Heat. The Grizzlies are 4-1 in their last five games. | Recap

Spurs 119, Pelicans 115: Devin Vassell scored 22 points to lift San Antonio past New Orleans, who were without Zion Williamson. | Recap