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Nightly Pulse: NBA news & highlights from April 6

Stay in the know on tonight's NBA action with the latest news, scores and highlights from around the league.

NBA.com Staff

🏀Sunday’s NBA slate🏀

  • Bulls 131, Hornets 117 (Final)
  • Raptors 120, Nets 109 (Final)
  • Lakers 126, Thunder 99 (Final)
  • Jazz 134, Hawks 147 (Final)
  • Wizards 90, Celtics 124 (Final)
  • Kings 120, Cavaliers 113 (Final)
  • Spurs 109, Trail Blazers 120 (Final)
  • Suns 98, Knicks 112 (Final)
  • Pacers 125, Nuggets 120 (Final)
  • Bucks 111. Pelicans 107 (Final)
  • Rockets 106, Warriors 96 (Final)

📝Final notes📝

  1. Jalen Brunson made his long-awaited return tonight after a 15-game absence due to an ankle sprain. The star point guard didn’t stuff the stat sheet, but still contributed a clutch three to help seal the win as part of his 15-point, six-assist effort. The Knicks’ victory over the Suns was their 50th of the season as they remain firmly in the No. 3 spot in the East. 
  2. The Hawks and Bulls both won, as each team jockeys for seeding in the East play-in. Atlanta is now just one game back of Orlando for the No. 7 seed in the East, and those two teams will meet Tuesday. Meanwhile, with their win this afternoon, Chicago, who sits in the ninth spot, has a full-game lead on the Heat and remains just one game back of Atlanta. Elsewhere in the East, with the Knicks, Pacers, and Bucks all winning, neither team gains ground on the other; however, Milwaukee is now a full game up on Detroit for the No. 5 spot. 
  3. The battle for positioning in the West remains tight overall, but the Lakers’ dominant win over the Thunder gave them more separation from the pack. Golden State’s loss to the Rockets brings their record to 46-32, putting them in a four-way tie with the Timberwolves, Clippers, and Grizzlies for the No. 5 through No. 8 spots, while the Nugglets hold a half-game advantage over them with a 47-32 record, despite losing to the Pacers.

🌟🌟Top performers🌟🌟

  • Coby White: 37 points (12-16 FG), two rebounds, five assists, and two steals. 
  • Nikola Jokić: 41 points, 15 rebounds, 13 assists, two steals, and a block. 
  • Zach LaVine: 37 points (15-21 FG), two rebounds, and one assist.

 

🚀Rockets take off 🚀

 

Houston got off to a slow start but took off as the game wore on, finishing with a 106-96 win over the Warriors.

Aleperen Sengun posted a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Dillon Brooks poured in a game-high 24 on 10-13 shooting,

Jabari Smith Jr. was a big part of getting things going for the Rockets in the first half, coming off the bench and adding 16 points and nine rebounds.

The Warriors struggled at times against the Rockets’ defense, shooting just 41.6% from the field, with Curry finishing with only three points and shooting 1-for-10. Buddy Hield scored 20 off the bench and was their leading scorer.

 

Defense➡️Offense

 

Amen Thompson has been doing a bit of everything tonight for the Rockets, and it continues here as he gets the steal, takes it the other way, and finishes through contact for his third steal and two of his 14 points.

The Rockets have a 91-81 lead near the midpoint of the fourth over the Warriors.

 

🏁 🏎️ 💨Indiana cruises to victory

The Pacers came out of the first quarter down nine, but managed to outscore the Nuggets in each quarter thereafter on their way to a 125-120 win.

Myles Turner led the team with a 24-point, three-block effort, while Toppin poured in 22. Although Tyrese Haliburton was the only Pacer starter not to score in double digits, he managed to dish out 13 assists.

Jokić posted another triple-double, racking up 41 points, pulling down 15 rebounds, and serving up 13 assists in the loss. Braun also put forth a strong effort, scoring 30 points on 12-for-16 shooting with eight boards and four assists. 

 

 

🏋Braun brawn🏋

Braun adds another big slam to his night here, as he blows by the defense and explodes on the rim,

The Nuggets have a one-point lead over the Pacers early in the fourth, thanks in large part to another monstrous performance from Jokić, who has already earned a triple-double, racking up 37 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. 

 

Curry😱

 

It’s been a slow night thus far for Stephen Curry, but as the half nears its end, he throws up the 30-plus footer and nails his first bucket of the evening.

The Rockets hold a one-point lead at the break, though, 51-50.

 

🗽New York wins🗽

 

The Knicks did not spoil Brunson’s return and held on for a 112-98 win over the Suns, their 50th of the season.

The star point guard played 34 minutes, finishing with 15 points and six assists, including hitting what was arguably the game-clinching bucket, a triple to put the Knicks up 10 with just under two minutes to go,

New York also got a stellar performance from Anunoby, who finished with a team-high 32 points on 13-for-17 shooting.

Devin Booker led all scores with 40.

 

That’s a hammer🔨

Christian Braun gets the ball near the top of the key and then finds an open lane and unloads on the rim with a strong finish,

The Nuggets have a 66-61 lead over the Pacers at the half, and Jokić is still smashing the stat sheet and now has 29 points, six boards, and nine assists. 

Toppin remains Indiana’s leading scorer with 19.

 

Big quarter from Jokić

Nikola Jokić put up 21 points in the first quarter against the Pacers and added four rebounds and three assists as well, as the Nuggets have gotten out to a 33-24 lead through a quarter of play. 

Obi Toppin, who drew the start for Pascal Siakam, leads Indiana with six points.

 

👑Kings triumph👑

 

Sacramento came out on top in Cleveland, 120-113.

The Kings received massive performances from their star trio to get it done, with Sabonis racking up 27 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, while DeRozan chipped in 28 points, and seven assists, and LaVine led all scorers with 37, on scorching 7-for-11 three-point shooting, including this triple that helped seal the win,

Ty Jerome was Cleveland’s leading scorer with 20 points off the bench.

🦅Hawks soar🦅

Atlanta’s offense was rolling tonight, as they outscored Utah, 147-134.

The Hawks connected on 22 threes, shooting 53.7% from beyond the arch, with Vit Krejčí going 5-for-5 from distance. Trae Young was also sharp from deep, making 4 of 9 attempts on his way to 23 points and 15 assists.

Utah got 35 points off the bench from Keyonte George, who connected on 7 of 13 triple tries.

 

Towns tough💪🏽

The Knicks enter the break with a 53-43 lead over the Suns, and a big part of that is Karl-Anthony Towns.

New York’s big man has been tough inside, as seen here bullying his way to the bucket for two of his 15 points,

Brunson thus far has five points and three assists, while Mikal Bridges has added 12.

Devin Booker leads all scorers with 20 on 9-for-16 shooting.

 

🏹DeRozan🏹

Earlier tonight, DeMar DeRozan passed Jerry West (25,192) for 26th on the NBA’s all-time scoring leaders list.

Later, he makes a three to push him to 19 points, and cap a run that now has Sacramento up 91-79 at the end of the third quarter.

 

With authority‼️

 

Sabonis has been a problem, posting 23 points, eight boards, and four assists thus far for the Kings. Here he gets two of those points, going up over Jarrett Allen for a strong left-handed slam,

Sacramento has come out strong in the third quarter, getting their back over Cleveland, 79-73.

 

Strikes like lightning ⚡️

 

Brunson is making an impact early, already getting his first bucket, and sends a lightning bolt of a dime to Anunoby in the paint for a dunk,

The Knicks, though, are trailing the Suns late in the first, 21-20, off nine points from Devin Booker.

 

Cleveland surges📈

The Cavaliers have taken the lead from Sacramento and enter halftime with a 57-56 lead.

Part of the surge was a 10-0 run that saw Isaac Okoro doing the dirty work, including getting this offensive board and putback for two of his seven points,

However, the Kings may have stolen some of Cleveland’s momentum going into halftime, as Ellis buried a 40-plus foot triple at the buzzer,

Krejčí 🎯🎯🎯

Vit Krejčí has come in on fire off the bench for Atlanta, making three straight triples in a minute and 15 seconds of game time, and has since added a fourth, on perfect 5-for-5 shooting and 14 points.

The Hawks have opened up a 73-56 lead over Utah, who has 19 points from Keyonte George, with a couple of minutes remaining in the first half.

 

He’s back

 

Jalen Brunson returns after a 15-game absence due to an ankle sprain when the Knicks host the Suns at the top of the hour.

He’ll join OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns in the starting 5.

 

LaVine takes flight🛫

 

Sacramento needs wins, not only to keep their spot in the play-in, but to possibly give themselves better seeding as well.

So far, they’re off to a good start, leading the Cavaliers 31-27 after a quarter of play.

Part of that first frame was a monster 15-point, 6-rebound effort from Domantas Sabonis, but it also featured Keon Ellis finding Zach LaVine on the break for a lob, ending with an emphatic LaVine slam,

 

🦖Raptors win🦖

 

Toronto snapped a three-game losing streak with a 120-109 win over the Nets on Sunday afternoon.

The Raptors had eight players score in double figures, with Jonathan Mogbo’s 17 points leading the way. The rookie also grabbed 11 rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and seven dimes, including this dart to A.J. Lawson for a layup,

Brooklyn also had eight players put up double figures, with 14 from Reece Beekman being the top mark.

 

🌊Lake show rolls

The Lakers handed the Thunder a second straight loss with a 126-99 victory.

The team shot the ball well as a unit, making 46 of their 84 field-goal attempts and going 22-for-40 from beyond the arch.

Dončić finished with 30 points to lead all scorers and added seven boards, six assists, and two steals, finishing his night with a trip through the spin cycle,

Besides Luka, the Lakers also got 20 points from Austin Reaves, while LeBron James added 19 to go with seven dimes.

Oklahoma City was led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 26 and added nine assists.

 

Some Luka magic🪄

The Lakers have been dominating the Thunder thus far and scored 78 first-half points on Oklahoma City’s top-ranked defense. Luka Dončić has been a big part of that success, scoring 28 points, with six boards and five assists.

Here, he gets around Alex Caruso, meets contact, and flicks it up and in for an and-1 opportunity,

The Lakers have a 103-77 lead entering the fourth quarter.

 

🐃Charging Bulls🐃

 

Chicago’s offense was cooking today, scoring 131 points over the Hornets and shooting 53.5% from the field, as well as 44.4% from three on 36 attempts.

At the forefront of the offensive explosion was Coby White, who dropped 37 on 12-for-16 shooting, including making 6 of 8 three-point attempts.

Also filling up the stat sheet was Josh Giddey, who added 23 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.

The 14-point win was the Bulls’ third in a row and seventh in their last 10.

 

📚Tonight’s top stories📚

 

  1. The playoff picture in the East is taking shape, with all 10 spots accounted for, including the play-in pool, set. However, seeding is still up for grabs, and teams will be jockeying for position in the final week of the season. The Bulls, Hawks, Knicks, Pacers, and Bucks are all in action today and have the ability to either gain or lose ground in the standings. Most notably from Sunday’s slate may be the Hawks, who would certainly prefer to host a play-in game and be in a win-one-and-in situation.  However, sitting in the No. 8 seed currently, they would have to travel to Orlando to get a victory, and they also have the Bulls and Heat on their heels.
  2. The West is jam-packed with 1.5 games separating the No. 3 through No. 8 seeds. Of those teams, the Lakers, Nuggets, and Warriors are all in action, and they also happen to represent the squads filling the No. 3 through No. 5 spots in the standings. The Lakers and Warriors have difficult challenges ahead, facing off against the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the West, respectively, while the Nuggets will host the No. 4 seed of the East, Indiana. 
  3. Jalen Brunson is expected to make his return tonight after a 15-game absence due to an ankle sprain. The Knicks held their ground, going 9-6 during his absence, and continued to remain in the No. 3 seed. They’ll host the Suns, who are still aiming to earn a play-in spot in the West but are currently on the outside looking in. They need to surpass the Mavericks or Kings, who are in Cleveland tonight, to get in.

 

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