NBA

• Bucks 126, Pistons 117
  • Khris Middleton is rounding into form for the Bucks at the right time. The sharpshooting wing scored 34 points last night, and should have Milwaukee’s brain trust feeling confident about making another deep playoff run.
  • It feels a bit forced in a low pressure environment, but Jaden Ivey’s recent growth and performance has been fairly impressive. The first year guard tallied 32 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in this contest, and is making a strong case to be selected as First Team All-Rookie.
• Mavericks 127, Pacers 104
  • Dallas needed this one. The Pacers, especially without Tyrese Haliburton, are a lowly team, and the hot shooting Mavericks took advantage of an easy opportunity for a win.
  • It’s gone mostly unnoticed on a quiet Pacers team, but T.J. McConnell’s play as the franchise’s backup point guard this season has been extremely steady. The 31-year-old is under contract with Indiana for two more seasons following this one, but would probably attract interest in the trade market if made available this summer.
• Knicks 137, Rockets 115
  • Immanuel Quickley has really become something for the Knicks. The guard is averaging 19.8 points per game in March, and forms an awesome perimeter duo with Josh Hart off the New York bench when the team is fully healthy. New York is fairly locked in to the Eastern Conference’s No. 5 seed, setting the stage for a likely first-round matchup with Cleveland. That could potentially be an intense series.
• Suns 117, Jazz 103
  • The Suns have an obvious lack of firepower with Kevin Durant out of the lineup, but that issue is alleviated when the bench plays as well as it did yesterday. Cameron Payne, T.J. Warren, Bismack Biyombo, and even Ish Wainwright all had solid performances.
• Nuggets 116, 76ers 111
  • I was surprised the 76ers kept this game close. Denver’s core three starters besides Nikola Jokic all held their own, giving the superstar center all the helped he needed to defeat a Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia club.
  • Tyrese Maxey has done some excellent work of late for the 76ers. The team has been faltering a bit, losing three games in a row, but still shouldn’t have too hard of a time advancing out of the first round.
• Pelicans 124, Trail Blazers 90
  • Don’t look now, but the Pelicans have won five games in a row. Josh Richardson and Dyson Daniels form an interesting duo of wing defenders off New Orleans’ bench.
• Timberwolves 119, Kings 115
  • The Kings will deservedly clinch a playoff berth at some point very soon, but the team’s defense is a major issue. Minnesota shot 51.2 percent from the floor last night, rendering strong performances from both Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox moot.

NCAAB

• Texas hires Rodney Terry as head coach
  • Terry did a solid job galvanizing the Longhorns this season following the firing of Chris Beard, but this is an emotional hire. Terry’s work at Fresno State was admirable, but his tenure with UTEP left much to be desired. He certainly won’t have a problem bringing talent to Austin, but I doubt that Terry can keep Texas humming at a high level for the long term.
    Grade: C-