{"id":680183,"date":"2026-03-26T14:16:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T14:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/680183\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T14:16:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T14:16:35","slug":"nba-news-live-updates-luka-doncics-mvp-march-continues-joel-embiid-paul-george-combine-for-63-in-first-game-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/680183\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA news, live updates: Luka Don\u010di\u0107’s MVP march continues; Joel Embiid, Paul George combine for 63 in first game back"},"content":{"rendered":"

With just over two weeks remaining in the regular season, the NBA playoff picture is beginning to take shape.<\/p>\n

In the Western Conference, the postseason field is already set. The New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings have all been eliminated, though positioning \u2014 particularly in the play-in tournament \u2014 remains unsettled.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The Eastern Conference remains a bit more fluid. The Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls are still mathematically alive for the play-in, but both would need a dramatic late-season comeback to work their way into contention.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, several of the league\u2019s biggest stars continue building their cases for postseason awards. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains the heavy favorite to repeat, with Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Victor Wembanyama also in the conversation.<\/p>\n

Gilgeous-Alexander has strengthened his case with another dominant season, joining Don\u010di\u0107 as the only players averaging more than 30 points per game while leading the league with 14.2 win shares and a +10.7 plus-minus.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, injuries and the 65-game rule have reshaped the awards race. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and 41-year-old LeBron James are both ineligible for postseason awards<\/a> under the NBA\u2019s 65-game requirement, while three-time MVP Nikola Joki\u0107 can miss just one more game before falling below the threshold.<\/p>\n

Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest news, scores and key storylines shaping the NBA playoff picture.<\/p>\n

Live2 updates\"AndyThu, March 26, 2026 at 7:15 AM PDT<\/p>\n

Andy Backstrom<\/p>\n

Joel Embiid started it, and Paul George finished it: a 157-point inferno, the Philadelphia 76ers’ highest single-game scoring output since they put up 159 against the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 15, 1970.<\/p>\n

Embiid and George both returned to the floor Wednesday<\/a> and combined for 63 points \u2014 the most they’ve amassed together in one contest \u2014 in a 157-137 victory<\/a> over the Chicago Bulls.<\/p>\n

Embiid was back after missing the previous 13 games with a right oblique strain<\/a>. George was in the fold again after serving a 25-game suspension without pay for violating the NBA\u2019s anti-drug program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Embiid accounted for 12 of the first 14 points Philadelphia (40-33) tallied and was singlehandedly outscoring the Bulls (29-43) midway through the opening frame. He stacked 23 first-half points and closed with 35. Meanwhile, 13 of George’s 28 points came in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

It took George a bit to shake off the rust he expected in the wake of a lengthy midseason absence that stemmed from him taking a banned substance to accommodate for what he described Tuesday as a mental health issue related to the pressure of the physical limitations he was facing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"AndyThu, March 26, 2026 at 7:00 AM PDT<\/p>\n

Andy Backstrom<\/p>\n

Luka Don\u010di\u0107’s MVP march continued in Indianapolis on Wednesday night, where he erupted for 21 first-quarter points and a total of 43 in a 137-130 win<\/a> over the hapless Pacers.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar became the first player to average 40 points over six road games since Michael Jordan in 1986, according to ESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jordan, then 23, actually averaged 41.3 points during a seven-game road trip early in the 1986-87 campaign. He won the first of his 10 league scoring titles that season, although he didn’t win his first MVP until the following season.<\/p>\n

Don\u010di\u0107, now 27, is hoping he earns that honor this year. He’s currently leading the league with 33.6 points per game, and he averaged a blistering 40.7 during the six-game swing away from LA.<\/p>\n

Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With just over two weeks remaining in the regular season, the NBA playoff picture is beginning to take…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":680184,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,329,149,1409,123,185,368,177,121,6,470,253,86442,477,209,427,693,574],"class_list":{"0":"post-680183","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-chicago-bulls","10":"tag-dallas-mavericks","11":"tag-eastern-conference","12":"tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","13":"tag-lebron-james","14":"tag-luka-doncic","15":"tag-memphis-grizzlies","16":"tag-milwaukee-bucks","17":"tag-nba","18":"tag-new-orleans-pelicans","19":"tag-nikola-jokic","20":"tag-postseason-awards","21":"tag-sacramento-kings","22":"tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander","23":"tag-utah-jazz","24":"tag-victor-wembanyama","25":"tag-western-conference"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116295907101738459","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=680183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/680184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=680183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=680183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=680183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}