Final Scores
NBA β Friday, April 3, 2026
Sacramento and New Orleans gave the crowd every penny's worth Friday night, with the Kings surviving a furious Pelicans push to win 117-113 in a game that came down to the wire. Maxime Raynaud was Sacramento's anchor with 28 points and 9 rebounds, while Nique Clifford added 6 in support to give the Kings just enough. Jeremiah Fears was absolutely sensational for New Orleans, single-handedly keeping the Pelicans alive with 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, but couldn't will his team over the finish line in the dying moments.
Cooper Flagg put together one of the most extraordinary individual performances of the 2025-26 NBA season β 51 points of sheer brilliance β and still walked off the floor on the losing side as Orlando rallied to beat Dallas 138-127. Wendell Carter Jr. led the Magic with 28 points and Jalen Suggs added 9 as Orlando found just enough across the board to withstand Flagg's superhuman effort. Desmond Bane chipped in 7 for the Magic, while Ryan Nembhard's 7 and Brandon Williams's 5 were the only other Mavs to find any rhythm alongside Flagg's historic night.
The Philadelphia 76ers took care of business at home, dispatching the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-103 behind a vintage Paul George performance of 23 points. Joel Embiid lent his customary muscle inside with 13 points, giving Philly a commanding frontcourt presence that Minnesota couldn't quite answer. Julius Randle was Minnesota's best weapon with 21 points, and Rudy Gobert grabbed 16 rebounds to keep the Wolves competitive, but it wasn't enough to overcome a locked-in Sixers squad.
The Charlotte Hornets handed the Indiana Pacers a 21-point beating, 129-108, behind a crisp offensive performance that had the home crowd buzzing all night. Brandon Miller led the Hornets with 22 points, while LaMelo Ball chipped in 9 to keep the offense humming. Pascal Siakam was brilliant in a losing cause for Indiana, pouring in 30 points, but Kam Jones could only muster 10 as the supporting cast came up short.
The Boston Celtics rode into Milwaukee and left with a resounding 133-101 victory, powered by Jaylen Brown's 26-point assault that made the Bucks look every bit like a team missing key contributors. Jayson Tatum rounded out Boston's star duo with 11 points and 9 rebounds, doing his damage in multiple dimensions as the Celtics dominated virtually every facet of the contest. Taurean Prince led Milwaukee's resistance with a game 18-point effort, and Pete Nance added 10, but the Bucks simply couldn't generate enough firepower to threaten a Celtics machine that was firing on all cylinders.
The Toronto Raptors took firm control in Memphis, handing the Grizzlies a 128-96 defeat behind RJ Barrett's focused and forceful 25-point outing. Ja'Kobe Walter chipped in 8 and Jamal Shead added 6 as the Raptors showed impressive depth across the board. GG Jackson was electric for Memphis with 30 points β the kind of performance that deserved a better fate β but Toby Okani's 7 and Javon Small's 4 left him without the reinforcements needed to make it a game.
The Houston Rockets had their way with the Utah Jazz from tip-off, cruising to a 140-106 victory behind Kevin Durant's typically elegant 25-point performance. Amen Thompson chipped in 8 and Reed Sheppard added 7 as Houston's depth proved to be overwhelming for a Jazz club that couldn't keep pace. Cody Williams gave Utah fans something to cheer about with a courageous 27-point effort, but Brice Sensabaugh's 5 points off the bench illustrated just how thin the Jazz's supporting cast ran on this rough night.
Atlanta came to Brooklyn and left no question marks, dismantling the Nets 141-107 in a lopsided affair from wire to wire. CJ McCollum was the Hawks' chief tormentor with 25 points, while Jalen Johnson contributed 11 to keep the offensive pressure relentless. Nic Claxton did his best to provide Brooklyn with a pulse, posting 16 points, but the Nets simply had no answer for Atlanta's firepower on this particular evening.
The New York Knicks put on a show at the Garden, rolling past the Chicago Bulls 136-96 behind a ferocious 31-point effort from OG Anunoby that had the home faithful on their feet all night. Jalen Brunson added 10 points to keep the offense flowing, and Mitchell Robinson muscled his way to 11 points in the paint to give New York a well-rounded beatdown. Collin Sexton did his best to keep Chicago respectable with 19 points, but Tre Jones's 8 and Leonard Miller's 6 were never going to be enough against a Garden crowd roaring for blood.
By the Numbers
9
Games Played
237
Avg Total Score
141
High Score
1
Close Games (β€5pt)
Breakroom Ice Breakers
Conversation starters for today
Did you see the Knicks last night? They won by 40. Forty. The Bulls never had a chance.
The Celtics went into Milwaukee and made the Bucks look like a rec league team β 133 to 101. Yikes.
Five teams won by 30 or more points last night in the NBA. Five! That almost never happens in one night.
The Hawks dropped 141 on the Nets last night. At some point you just have to feel bad for Brooklyn.
Even if you don't watch basketball, you have to appreciate this: the Rockets scored 140 points last night. That's basically a football score.
Daily Trivia
The Knicks beat the Bulls by 40 points last night at Madison Square Garden. Only one arena in NBA history has hosted more All-Star Games than Madison Square Garden β which arena is it?
Reveal Answer
The old Boston Garden, which hosted the NBA All-Star Game five times compared to Madison Square Garden's four appearances as host.
Madison Square Garden is actually the fourth arena to carry that name in New York City. The current building, which opened in 1968, is the only one still standing β and it sits on top of Pennsylvania Station, one of the busiest train stations in the United States.