NBA Game Notes (March 23, 2023)
NBA Game Notes (March 23, 2023)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on March 23, 2023.
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Cavs Edge Nets
Isaac Okoro made a 3-pointer from the left corner with just 0.7 seconds remaining as the Cleveland Cavaliers edged the Brooklyn Nets 116-114, outscoring the Nets 12-2 over the final 1:52 of the fourth quarter. With their win and a loss by the New York Knicks, the Cavaliers’ magic number to clinch home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs has been reduced to three.
The Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley scored 26 points on 11-18 shooting from the field, adding game highs of 16 rebounds and four blocks. The second-year center out of USC is averaging 16.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 1.4 BPG this season, shooting 55.2% from the field.
Donovan Mitchell scored a team-high 31 points for the Cavaliers, his 27th 30-point game of the season. No other guard in franchise history has recorded more than 19 such games in a season (World B. Free, 1983-84).
The Nets’ Mikal Bridges scored a game-high 32 points in the loss, making 11 of his 19 shots from the field and all eight of his free throws. In his 18 games since being traded to Brooklyn, Bridges is averaging 25.8 PPG with shooting percentages of 49.7% from the field, 39.8% from 3-point range, and 90.0% from the free throw line.
Teammate Spencer Dinwiddie scored 25 points and dished out a game-high 12 assists. Dinwiddie shot 9-15 from the field (60.0%) and made five of his six free throws. He’s averaging 18.0 PPG and 8.4 APG in his 18 games with the Nets this season.
The Nets fell into seventh place in the Eastern Conference with the loss, a half game behind the Miami Heat for the conference’s final guaranteed playoff spot.
Quick Hitters
Some other notes from around the NBA:
Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 32 points on 13-15 shooting from the field, adding six rebounds, six assists, and four steals as the LA Clippers blew out the Oklahoma City Thunder 127-105. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 30 points, shooting 10-15 from the field and making all nine of his free throws. The Clippers are just .001 behind the Phoenix Suns for fourth place in the Western Conference standings, a spot that would give them home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Thunder dropped to 11th place in the conference with the loss, a spot that would leave them out of the Play-In Tournament.
Paolo Banchero led a balanced attack with 21 points as the Orlando Magic knocked off the New York Knicks 111-106. Banchero has scored at least 20 points 37 times this season, 13 more such games than any other rookie (Bennedict Mathurin, 24).
The New Orleans Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram recorded his first career triple-double, compiling 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 115-96 rout of the Charlotte Hornets. Ingram is the third player in franchise history to record a 30-point triple-double (a total of four instances), and he’s the first to do so without committing a turnover. Teammate Jonas Valanciunas scored 20 points on 10-16 shooting from the field and grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds.
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Marc Stein, “Recommended by Marc Stein”