The Boston Celtics opened Saturday's NBA action with an Eastern Conference battle against the Atlanta Hawks. Boston saw a double-digit lead evaporate in the second half before ultimately coming away with a nine-point victory.
Later on, the Wizards got past the Grizzlies thanks to another big game from Bradley Beal, while the Suns sneaked past the Pelicans thanks to New Orleans pulling a Chris Webber with a second left in the game.
We then got to the night's main event, which was pretty anticlimactic. Playing without Kevin Durant, the Warriors absolutely crushed the Thunder by 22 points.
Additionally, the Mavericks took care of the Cavaliers, the Spurs beat the Trail Blazers, who lost CJ McCollum in the process, the Jazz crushed the Nets and the Nuggets won a thriller over the Pacers.
NBA scores for Saturday, March 16NBA schedule for Sunday, March 17
*All times Eastern
Curry leads Warriors past Thunder
The Warriors were without Kevin Durant on Saturday night, but it didn't matter because they still had Steph Curry. The two-time MVP went off, dropping 33 points to lead his squad past the Thunder.
Millsap hits game-winner for Nuggets
Paul Millsap came up clutch for the Nuggets on Saturday night. Late in the fourth quarter, he drove inside and finished a tough lefty runner to give the Nuggets the win over the Pacers.
Beal goes off to lead Wizards to victory
Bradley Beal continued his dynamite season on Saturday night with yet another big performance. The All-Star scored 40 points for the second straight night, while also adding five rebounds and seven assists to lead the Wizards past the Grizzlies.
McCollum goes down for Blazers
The Trail Blazers lost to the Spurs on Saturday night, and they unfortunately also lost CJ McCollum in the process. Their star guard fell awkwardly after driving to the basket and had to be helped off the court. He is expected to get an MRI on his knee on Sunday.
McCollum goes up for a layup and takes a hard fall. Has to be helped to the locker room. We will have updates as soon as we get them.... pic.twitter.com/YZNN8uneW7
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) March 17, 2019
Powell hammers it home
Dwight Powell got himself on the highlight reel on Saturday night with a huge slam. Out on the fast break with Jalen Brunson, he caught the lob with one hand and put it down emphatically.
Payton makes history with four straight triple-doubles
Elfrid Payton made history on Saturday night by registering his fourth straight triple-double. The point guard finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 16 assists, though the Pelicans fell in embarrassing fashion. In the process, Payton joined Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan as the only players to get four straight triple-doubles.
Here are the players in NBA history with four straight triple-doubles:
Russell Westbrook
Michael Jordan
Magic Johnson
James Harden
Elfrid Payton
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) March 17, 2019
Allen gets the big block
Jarrett Allen is a shot-blocking machine, and on Saturday night he got Derrick Favors. The Jazz big man tried to go up for a slam, but Allen met him at the rim.
AD throws down the early oop
Anthony Davis got the Pelicans off to an exciting start against the Suns, throwing down a big alley-oop to score the first points of the game.
Oubre slams it home with authority
Kelly Oubre Jr. got in on the dunking action at the end of the first quarter against the Pelicans. Driving baseline, he flew in for a powerful lefty slam.
Brown rocks the rim in transition
The Celtics turned defense into offense late in the second quarter against the Hawks. After Jayson Tatum tapped the ball free, Jaylen Brown found himself in open space and threw down a massive one-handed slam dunk.
Irving makes Young look foolish
Kyrie Irving has a reputation as one of the most talented ball-handlers around the NBA. However, Irving completely shook Trae Young on a drive in the opening quarter against the Hawks.
