Nightly Bounce: NBA updates & highlights from March 9

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Sunday’s NBA schedule

Nuggets 103, Thunder 227 (

Final

)

Suns 125, Mavericks 116 (

Final

)

Grizzlies vs. Pelicans (

7 ET, Live on NBA League Pass

)

Jazz vs. 76ers (

7:30 ET, Live on NBA League Pass

)

Spurs vs. Timberwolves (

8 ET, Live on NBA League Pass

)

Cavaliers vs. Bucks (

8 ET, Live on ESPN

)

Pistons vs. Trail Blazers (

9 ET, Live on NBA League Pass

)

Kings vs. Clippers (

9:30 ET, Live on NBA League Pass

)

☀️Suns shining☀️

Phoenix moved to 30-34 with a key victory over the Mavericks in a battle for playoff positioning.

The team’s star trio all delivered, with Devin Booker’s 24-point performance leading the way, while Kevin Durant added 21, and Bradley Beal finished with 19. Grayson Allen was strong off the bench, scoring 17 on 3-for-6 long-distance shooting.

Naji Marshall had a spectacular performance for Dallas in defeat, finishing one rebound shy of a triple-double, pouring in 34 points on 13-for-22 shooting and handing out 10 assists.

️Thunder roll️

Oklahoma City exploded in the fourth quarter this afternoon, outscoring Denver 41-20 in the final frame, on their way to a 127-103 win over the Nuggets.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was masterful once again, notching his third straight game of 40-plus points, finishing with 40 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.

Jalen Williams also put together a strong effort of 26 points (7-14 FG), with nine boards, eight assists, two steals, and a block.

Nikola Jokić struggled from distance, making just two of his 10 three-point attempts, but finished with a full stat line, racking up 24 points, 13 rebounds, and nine dimes in the loss.

Tonight’s top stories

Cleveland’s incredible season continues this evening with a trip to Milwaukee in pursuit of their 14th straight win. This will be the fourth and final regular-season meeting between these squads, with the Cavaliers coming out on top each time thus far. However, Cleveland has yet to face this new look Bucks squad, who are 8-2 in their last 10 and playing with a different energy since their trade deadline acquisitions of Kyle Kuzma, Jericho Sims, and Kevin Porter Jr.

The Timberwolves are running hot and will try to secure their fifth-straight win tonight when they host the Spurs. It’s unlikely to be a coincidence that their recent surge coincides with the return of Julius Randle from a month-long absence. Also returning recently was Donte DiVincenzo, who has been playing some of his best ball of the season. We could be seeing just the beginning of a healthy Minnesota squad prepped to surge up the Western Conference standings down the final stretch of the season. 

The Kings and Clippers will put a cap on the evening in a battle for playoff positioning, as these teams sit a half-game apart in the standings. They’re also both well within reach of Minnesota and Golden State in a tightly packed middle of the West. Sacramento has been without Domantas Sabonis since he exited just a minute into a game against the Rockets on March 1, but that hasn’t slowed them down, picking up a victory in that matchup and two more in their next three. They’ll be without Sabonis again tonight, and also Malik Monk, while the Clippers will remain without Norman Powell.