Headline: March Madness Unleashed: Game-Winning Blocks and DeRozans Historic Climb Highlight NBA Action

When you prevent a potential dunk that could have tied the game, solidifying yet another exhilarating victory for your team.

**TOP 5 STORIES IN THIS EDITION 🏀 March 21, 2025**

**Game-Changing Blocks:** Pacers and Warriors clinch victories with defensive stands as Indiana’s exciting March continues.

**Thursday Highlights:** Bulls surge past Kings, DeRozan reaches the 25K milestone, Bucks triumph over Lakers, Hornets defeat Knicks.

**High Stakes:** Rockets (8) and Clippers (4) aim to extend their winning streaks on NBA TV.

**The Breakthrough:** Analyzing how Cade Cunningham and the Pistons have transformed this season.

**League Pass Preview:** What’s at stake during Friday’s lineup of eight games?

BUT FIRST… ⏰ Wrap up the workweek with a thrilling set of basketball spectacles…

Tonight’s NBA TV doubleheader kicks off in Miami at 8 ET, with the Rockets attempting to achieve their ninth consecutive victory, while the Heat aim to snap a 9-game losing streak. Following that, the Clippers will pursue their fifth straight win against the Grizzlies at 10:30 ET, with both teams engaged in heated playoff races.

**1. GAME-DECIDING BLOCKS SPUR VICTORIES FOR PACERS AND WARRIORS**

*Justin Casterline/Getty Images*

The resilient Pacers strike again! For the third consecutive game and the fourth time in just over a week, Indiana secured a comeback victory in the final moments.

Pacers 105, Nets 99 (OT): Trailing by five with less than a minute left in regulation, Bennedict Mathurin ended the fourth quarter with a personal 5-0 run, sinking a pull-up jumper with 40 seconds remaining before calmly sinking three free throws with 14 seconds to spare, forcing overtime.

In the extra session, Mathurin (6 points) and TJ McConnell (5 points) contributed 11 combined points, culminating with Myles Turner’s game-ending block with 22 seconds left. |Recap

How effective have the Pacers been in tight contests over the last week? In one-possession scenarios (within 3 points or less) during the last 30 seconds, the Pacers lead the entire league in performance:

*Michael Hickey & Jordan Johnson & Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images*

**New Heroes Every Night:** Indiana’s pivotal shots are coming from various players throughout the lineup.

Warriors 117, Raptors 114: Jimmy Butler posted his second triple-double as a Warrior (16 pts, 11 reb, 12 ast), but his most crucial play came with 21 seconds left when he blocked Jamal Shead’s floater to secure Golden State’s 14th victory in 16 games. |Recap

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**2. BULLS OVERCOME KINGS; DEROZAN REACHES 25K**

*Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images*

Bulls 128, Kings 116: After trailing by as much as 19 in the first half and entering halftime with Coby White at just four points, White exploded for 31 points in the second half as the Bulls outscored the Kings 73-52 to seal the comeback victory. |Recap

*Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images*

Bucks 118, Lakers 89: Giannis Antetokounmpo led with 28 points in 29 minutes, and Gary Trent Jr. (23 pts, 6 threes) and Kyle Kuzma (20 pts, 5 ast) contributed an additional 43 points, as the Bucks maintained a commanding lead over the undermanned Lakers. |Recap

*David Jensen/Getty Images*

Hornets 115, Knicks 98: LaMelo Ball stepped up with 25 points, eight assists, and five three-pointers, while Mark Williams (19 pts, 14 reb) and Miles Bridges (15 pts, 10 reb) also recorded double-doubles in Charlotte’s win. |Recap

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**3. ON NBA TV: ROCKETS (8) & CLIPPERS (4) LOOK TO MAINTAIN WINNING STREAKS**

*Jack Gorman/Getty Images*

During a preseason Media Day, reporters inquired of Jalen Green about the criteria that would define success in this season.

The Rockets’ emerging star stated, “It shouldn’t be anything less than the Playoffs.”

Houston is getting closer to securing a playoff spot and has at least clinched a place in the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament. Tonight (8 ET), the Rockets are aiming to push their winning streak to nine as they face the Heat.

*Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images*

The Clippers, riding a four-game winning streak and seven victories in their last eight, are striving to return to playoff contention, sitting 1.5 games behind the sixth-place Warriors, as they host the fifth-place Grizzlies at 10:30 ET.

The Grizzlies, who have slipped from second to fifth in the West after two straight losses and three defeats in four games, seek to turn things around and end a five-game losing streak against the Clippers.

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**4. ON LEAGUE PASS: CUNNINGHAM HEADS TO DALLAS WITH PISTONS**

**Breakthrough:** a sudden and significant discovery or development.

Throughout the 2024-25 season, this term has aptly characterized both the Detroit Pistons and their star player, Cade Cunningham.

Tonight in Dallas (8:30 ET), Cade and the Pistons aim for their 40th win of the season. Achieving this would be their first season with over 40 wins since 2018-19 and only the third time since they won 59 games and reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2007-08.

Cunningham’s journey from being the top pick in the 2021 NBA Draft to making his first NBA All-Star appearance in 2025 has been filled with highs and lows, mirroring the team’s ups and downs.

**What They’re Saying:** As the Pistons have gained recognition as a commendable opponent, Cunningham has similarly earned admiration from fellow players across the league.

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**5. LEAGUE PASS ROUNDUP: CAVS TAKE ON SUNS IN SEARCH OF ENDING 3-GAME SLUMP**

*Jason Miller/Getty Images*

As they navigate a season filled with remarkable milestones – the first 15-0 start in franchise history, a 16-game winning streak, and being the first team to guarantee a playoff spot – the Cavaliers tonight look to avert another first in Phoenix:

Their first four-game losing streak.

The Cavaliers will clash with the Suns tonight at 10 ET, following consecutive losses to the Magic, Clippers, and Kings within a span of four days, which has seen them fall behind OKC for the NBA’s top record.

Meanwhile, the Suns are on a two-game winning streak and have triumphed in three of their last four games, positioning themselves into the final place in the Western Conference Play-In and aiming for their first three-game winning streak since late January.

This matchup rounds out an engaging eight-game slate available on League Pass.

*Ben Brewer/Getty Images*