Stephen Curry and Golden State’s late-season ascension reached new heights, as the Warriors rose to West fifth place after silencing the Memphis Grizzlies.
A seven-game NBA Wednesday saw Stephen Curry’s latest scoring explosion that gave the Golden State Warriors the tiebreaker over the Memphis Grizzlies, while the Indiana Pacers became the latest team to formally nab a postseason spot.
Furthermore, the Chicago Bulls claimed a play-in spot as the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets played perhaps the best game of the season.
PEAKING WARRIORS WREST WEST NO. 5; TWOLVES EXTEND MASTERY OVER NUGGETS
- Golden State Warriors (44-31) def. Memphis Grizzlies (44-32), 134-125: Stephen Curry tallied his 15th career 50-point game and 27th outing with 10 or more threes that lifted the Warriors to the West fifth place at the expense of the Grizzlies.
[ALSO READ: Stephen Curry uncorks 52 as Warriors overtake Grizzlies for West no. 5]
- Clash of the Titans: If the playoffs starts today, the Warriors will figure in a much-anticipated West opening round duel with LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the West no. 4 LA Lakers.
- Minnesota Timberwolves (44-32) def. Denver (47-29), 140-139: In perhaps the game of the season, Nickeil Alexander-Walker drilled the game-winning free-throws that spoiled Nikola Jokic's 61-point triple-double and the Nuggets. It marked the Timberwolves' sixth-straight victory over Denver dating back to their last season's epic West semifinal duel.
[ALSO READ: Timberwolves spoil Nikola Jokic’s 60-point trip-dub with Nickeil Alexander-Walker heroics]
- New York Knicks (48-27) def. Philadelphia 76ers (23-53), 105-91: OG Anunoby logged 27 points to pace a third consecutive Knicks victory, while sending the also-ran Sixers reeling to a ninth-straight defeat.
- Orlando Magic (37-40) def. San Antonio Spurs (31-44), 116-105: Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope combined for 71 points and the Magic fended off the Spurs to snatch the East no. 7 spot from the Hawks.
PACERS CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH; BULLS SEAL PLAY-IN TICKET
- Portland Trail Blazers (33-43) def. Atlanta Hawks (36-39), 127-113: Deni Avdija posted 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists for his second career triple-double, pushing the Trail Blazers to snap out of a four-game skid after breezing past the Hawks.
- Postseason Indy: With the Hawks loss, the Indiana Pacers became the fifth team to punch a playoff ticket joining the Cleveland Cavaliers, OKC Thunder, Boston Celtics, and the New York Knicks.
With the Atlanta loss tonight, the Pacers clinch a top 6 seed in the Eastern Conference of the #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google!
pic.twitter.com/SQL6QHs6XG
— NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2025
- Chicago Bulls (34-42) def. Toronto Raptors (28-48), 137-118: Reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Month Coby White submitted 28 points in leading the Bulls to complete a season series sweep of the lowly Raptors.
- Undenia-Bulls: With the win, Chicago secured an East play-in spot for a third straight season. The Bulls are 2-2 in four Play-in games and are trying to break a three-year playoff drought.
- Milwaukee Bucks (41-34) def. Phoenix Suns (35-41), 123-113: In this 2021 Finals rematch, Giannis Antetokounmpo continued his scoring tear to help the Bucks halt a four-game slide.
- Knock If You Buck: Antetokounmpo fired 37 markers for his fifth straight 30-point game on top of 11 assists, as the Bucks set a franchise record for their highest single-game field-goal percentage at 68.9%.
Head coach Doc Rivers also notched his 1,155th career regular-season win, tying 11-time champion tactician Phil Jackson for seventh in the all-time list.