The side-step triple in transition, 10 months in the making.
Jayson Tatum is back. And after nearly 300 days off, his return Friday made for one unforgettable night.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
March 7, 2026
Tatum’s Return: The 6-time All-Star’s crowd-rocking comeback helped Boston top local favorite Flagg, Mavs
West Race: Wemby’s Spurs grit out largest comeback of season, Luka’s 40-point display, Rockets flex options
Statement Wins: Knicks explode for 142 points in Denver, Heat best Hornets from deep for 4th straight win
ABC Saturday: As OKC readies repeat run, the league’s last back-to-back champs come to town
On Prime: More than just Ant, Wolves succeeding with family-like atmosphere, as Magic visit for matinée
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Eight more hours of hoops span Saturday…
Saturday’s six-game slate gets started early with Prime’s afternoon showcase between the Magic and Wolves (3 ET | Tap To Watch), and wraps with the Warriors at Thunder battling in Primetime on ABC (8:30 ET | Tap To Watch).
1. TATUM’S RETURN: C’S SUPERSTAR IMPACTS WIN VS. FLAGG’S MAVS
Jayson Tatum has returned.
10 months removed from his East Semis Achilles injury.
62 games into Boston’s standout season as the East’s 2-seed.
And with 20 games left to make an impact in the Playoff push, the 6-time All-Star got started right away.
Celtics 120, Mavericks 100: Tatum (15 pts, 12 reb, 7 ast) was three dimes shy of a triple-double in 27 minutes of limited spurts, with Jaylen Brown (24 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast) and Derrick White (20 pts) leading the way past the Mavs and Cooper Flagg (16 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast) in his New England homecoming.
Tatum’s final bucket, a corner triple, highlighted a Celtics 18-2 run in the 4th. He exited with a 25-point lead and a standing ovation pouring down appreciation. | Recap
- Tatum made an early impact with five 1st-half rebounds and assists, delivering a putback slam for his first points of the season near the end of the half
- Comeback Moment: On the next trip down, he side-stepped for a corner 3 that got him rolling, as he described, “like the weight of the world is off my side.“
- “Felt good to see those go in,” Tatum said. “The crowd and everything was behind me. Big step today.”
- Like A Legend: JT became the first Celtic since Kevin Garnett in 2007 to total at least 15 points, 10 boards and five assists in a season debut
After the game, Tatum shared what the night meant to him after his comeback journey.
- “It was surreal… I dreamed about this, and for it to finally happen and share it with my family, my teammates, the crowd, it was everything I could have dreamed of.
- “Its been tough. Emotional. A lot of times, I doubted myself. A lot of nights, I spent crying. But I just tried to keep showing up every day.”
- Team Power: “They motivated me the way they attacked the season. I wanted to be a part of that.”
- Coach’s Expectations: “He came out on the other side of this a better person, and I know he’ll become a better player,” Joe Mazzulla said. “We cannot have a lesser version of him.”
- JT 🤝 JB: “It’s great having JT back. I commend him,” Brown said. “He didn’t have to, and nobody put pressure on him, but he wanted to be out there.”
Maddie Meyer/NBAE via Getty Images
Flagg, a Maine native, played as a pro for the first time in the arena he grew up attending to cheer on Tatum. He scored 10 of his 16 points in the 1st half, logging 30 minutes in a back-to-back following his return from injury (foot) Thursday.
2. WEST RACE: WEMBY’S TOUGHEST GAME, LUKA’S 40-BALL, HOUSTON’S TEAM ATTACK
Facing a 25-point deficit and a minutes limit, Victor Wembanyama aced his next great challenge Friday.
Spurs 116, Clippers 112: After playing 39 minutes to beat East-leading Detroit Thursday, Wemby (27 pts, 10 reb, 4 blk, 4 3s) willed the Spurs’ largest comeback of the season, overcoming 30 points from Kawhi Leonard for San Antonio’s 14th win in 15 games. | Recap
- “That’s close to being the hardest game of my life,” Wemby said postgame. “I thought I was gonna pass out from the 1st quarter.”
- “We played a hell of a game against the most physical team in the league yesterday… tonight, against a physical team as well… I might pass out.”
- Trailing by 25 in the 3rd quarter, San Antonio started the 4th with an 18-5 run for its first lead since the 1st. Five lead changes later, Wemby’s D-and-dunk keyed the win
- It Takes Everyone: Julian Champagnie (20 pts, 9 reb, 5 3s) stepped up for San Antonio, while Brook Lopez (26 pts, 6 reb, 4 stl, 4 3s) supported Kawhi
- Historic Resolve: The 25-point comeback is the second-largest for the franchise since 1997-98, and their league-leading seventh 15+ point rally this season
“This feels like a statement for sure, to ourselves… feels like any game is winnable,” Wemby said.
With LeBron James (elbow) out, Luka Dončić stepped up to give the Lakers’ faithful a Friday night show.
Lakers 128, Pacers 117: Luka (44 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, 7 3s) rode a 22-point 1st quarter to a 40-piece in just three quarters of action, shooting past Pascal Siakam (26 pts) and the Pacers for a fourth win in five games. | Recap
- Super Starter: The league leader in 1st-quarter points logged his 5th 20+ point opening frame of the season, the most of any player in a single season since 1997-98
- “It’s a great feeling,” Luka said of his hot shooting night. “The whole gym is with you, especially if you’re winning. It’s an amazing feeling tonight.”
- Back & Forth: After a tough loss to Denver Thursday, L.A. moves back within a half-game of the 5th-place Nuggets
Rockets 106, Blazers 99: Hot shooting nights from Alperen Sengun (28 pts, 11-15 FG) and Amen Thompson (26 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast, 11-12 FG), along with Houston’s 23-4 run in a 29-17 4th quarter, powered the Rockets’ comeback for a fifth win in seven games. | Recap
- Team Leaders: Jerami Grant (21 pts) and Jrue Holiday (20 pts, 10 ast) led 10th-place Portland, while Kevin Durant added 20 points for Houston
- Fast Starts: Toumani Camara splashed four triples and 14 points to get Portland out to a double-digit 1st-quarter lead, but Sengun helped reel them in with a 15-point 2nd
Houston capitalized to take a 1-game lead over Denver for the West’s 4th seed, with the two teams meeting in the Mile High City Wednesday.
3. STATEMENT WINS: KNICKS NET 142 IN DENVER, HEAT OUT-SHOOT HORNETS
Knicks 142, Nuggets 103: OG Anunoby (7 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl, 6 3s) scored 12 of his season-high 34 points in New York’s pivotal 38-23 2nd quarter and it was all Knicks from there, overcoming Nikola Jokić’s 38 points (8 reb, 5 ast) to hand Denver its largest loss of the season. | Recap
- Scoring Display: New York made 43 of 68 shots (63.2 FG%) from the 2nd quarter on to tie its franchise record with a fourth 35+ point win in a single season
- Prolific Passing: The Knicks tied the mark for most assists by any team this season, dishing 44 helpers, one shy of their franchise record
- Denver played its original starting lineup for the first time since Nov. 12, with Aaron Gordon and Cam Johnson returning, but lost Jamal Murray (ankle) in the 2nd
The 3rd-place Knicks kept pace with the Celtics ahead of them and picked up a half-game edge on 4th-place Cleveland.
Heat 128, Hornets 120: Tyler Herro (33 pts, 9 reb, 9 ast, 8 3s) took over with season-highs in points, assists and triples, as Miami (47.4 3P%) out-shot Charlotte and used a 9-0 run in a 30-19 4th quarter to pull away and end the Hornets’ six-game win streak. | Recap
- Bam Adebayo (24 pts, 12 reb) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (21 pts) backed up Herro to overpower Kon Knueppel (27 pts, 6 3s), Brandon Miller (22 pts, 13 reb, 5 ast) and LaMelo Ball (21 pts, 5 3s)
- Standings Shakeup: Miami overtakes idle Orlando for the 7-seed, sitting just .001 percentage point behind 6th-place Philly, while Charlotte returns to .500 and the final Play-In spot, 0.5 games behind Atlanta
Suns 118, Pelicans 116: After Jalen Green’s (25 pts) 18-point 1st half, Devin Booker (32 pts) poured in 18 of his own in the 3rd quarter to help Phoenix build a double-digit lead that outlasted Trey Murphy III (22 pts) and the Pelicans’ comeback attempt. | Recap
- Rookie Protector: Suns rook Khaman Maluach logged five blocks, becoming the youngest player in franchise history with a 5+ block game
- Just Outside: 7th-place Phoenix keeps pace with the Lakers, sitting just 2 games outside the West’s six guaranteed Playoff spots
4. ABC SATURDAY: PREPPING TITLE DEFENSE, OKC HOSTS LAST REPEAT CHAMPS
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
OKC and Golden State.
Two franchises so closely linked and aligned in historical context.
But aside from shared consecutive 30-5 starts, it won’t be until the end of the line that we’ll truly know how similar they are.
Tonight (7 ET), under the bright Primetime lights on ABC, the Thunder get their last look at the NBA’s most recent back-to-back champs, before attempting to achieve the same feat themselves.
- Repeat Rarity: When Golden State won its second straight title in 2017-18, it was the league’s first repeat since the Lakers did so eight seasons prior in 2009-10
- Exactly eight seasons (and seven unique champions) later, OKC is aiming to fulfill that pattern as the league’s top seed (49-15)
Leading the West for the second straight season has come with its share of extra struggles — but that’s not a bad thing, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says.
“The amount of injuries we’ve gone through this year, for us to still be in the mix for top-seed in the league and in the West is pretty impressive,” SGA said, following his own 9-game injury absence.
- “It just speaks to the guys that have had to step up, like Isaiah Joe, Cason (Wallace),” Shai continued. “They’ve transformed their game.”
- “To win a championship… you need guys like that on your team.”
- Shared Struggles: John McKechnie for NBA.com described the Dubs’ 2017-18 season similarly: “Though their regular season run and path to the Finals wasn’t as dominant… the Warriors still hit their stride at the right time.”
That’s the Thunder’s next goal, as winners of four straight with 18 games remaining.
- Shooting For 50: A win Saturday would secure a third straight 50+ win season, something never achieved in the franchise’s OKC era
- SGA Two Away: 20 points tonight would give Shai 125 straight 20+ games and put him within one more outing of tying Wilt Chamberlain’s record streak
- No Stranger To Stepping Up: In the last 12 games without Steph, the Dubs’ have four top scorers above 14.0 ppg – all outscoring their career averages (Moses Moody, De’Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos)
5. ON PRIME: ‘LIKE FAMILY,’ DEEP WOLVES WELCOME MAGIC FOR MATINÉE
David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
“It’s starting to feel like family here.”
Anthony Edwards’ talk of his 3rd-place Timberwolves team lately is showing just how important a full, cohesive unit is – while its All-Star MVP is having a career-year.
“It’s nothing individual,” Edwards said Tuesday. “We’re starting to feel like we’re together.”
Minnesota has won five straight and eight of its last nine for its highest spot in the West standings since being 1-0.
And as RotoWire.com’s Austin Remo writes for NBA.com, Edwards’ stellar play is just one of five keys for this group to book a third-annual family trip to the Western Conference Finals:
Continuity and Experience
“The starting lineup of Edwards, Gobert, Randle, DiVincenzo, and McDaniels has played the most minutes (621) and games (47) together out of [this season’s six NBA] lineups with at least 300 minutes of court time.
Good Health
“Among their top six players in minutes played (excluding Ayo Dosunmu) this season – Edwards, Randle, McDaniels, Naz Reid, DiVincenzo and Gobert – have only missed a combined 17 games out of 61 up to this point. | Read on for more keys
The Wolves tip off today’s action, welcoming Paolo Banchero and the Magic on Prime (3 ET), with Orlando just half a game from the 6th-and-final Playoff spot in the East.
Roundup: The Sixers look to stay in front of Orlando, visiting the streaking Hawks on NBA TV (6 ET).
- Nets at Pistons (6 ET)
- Clippers at Grizzlies (8 ET)
- Jazz at Bucks (8 ET)
