{"id":695494,"date":"2026-04-03T06:43:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T06:43:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/695494\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T06:43:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T06:43:40","slug":"the-nbas-stretch-run-has-arrived-heres-a-look-at-whats-happening-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/695494\/","title":{"rendered":"The NBA’s stretch run has arrived. Here’s a look at what’s happening"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) holds the ball away from Utah Jazz guard John Konchar during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo\/Rob Gray)<\/p>\n

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He’s done it again. Nikola Jokic will average a triple-double this season.<\/p>\n

The Denver star had 15 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists on Wednesday, helping the Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz 130-117.<\/p>\n

Jokic now has exactly 660 assists this season. Denver has five games left and if Jokic plays in them all, he would average 10.0 assists \u2014 even if he doesn’t get another one all season. He’s already ensured that he would average double-figures in points and rebounds as well.<\/p>\n

Russell Westbrook had four seasons in which he averaged a triple-double. Jokic has now done it twice \u2014 he did it last season as well \u2014 and Oscar Robertson did it once.<\/p>\n

Westbrook, Jokic and Robertson are the only players who have pulled it off.<\/p>\n

Who’s in and who’s out?<\/p>\n

The Lakers and Denver both clinched playoff spots on Tuesday night. They join Detroit, Boston, New York, Oklahoma City and San Antonio on the list of teams with playoff spots secured.<\/p>\n

The postseason (not playoff) teams are set: Milwaukee, Chicago, Washington, Brooklyn and Indiana have all been eliminated from the Eastern Conference race while Memphis, New Orleans, Dallas, Utah and Sacramento are out of the Western Conference race.<\/p>\n

Portland, Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers are locked into the play-in tournament.<\/p>\n

Wednesday recap<\/p>\n

\u2014 76ers 153, Wizards 131: Paul George scores 39, Philly shoots 62% and moves into No. 6 in East.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Hawks 130, Magic 101: Atlanta improves to 17-2 in last 19 games, while Orlando falls to No. 9 in East.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Celtics 147, Heat 129: Boston scores 53 in 1st quarter, Jaylen Brown has 43, Jayson Tatum triple-double.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Knicks 130, Grizzlies 119: New York responds to Josh Hart\u2019s pleas for better play, gets easy win.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Kings 123, Raptors 115: Bad loss for Toronto, which gets outrebounded 48-32 and falls to No. 7 in the East.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Pacers 145, Bulls 126: Did anyone in the NBA play any defense on Wednesday night?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Rockets 119, Bucks 113: Spirited effort from seriously short-handed Bucks, but Houston\u2019s starters outscore Milwaukee\u2019s 101-80.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Nuggets 130, Jazz 117: Jamal Murray had 37 for Denver, Nikola Jokic added another triple-double and Utah used only eight players in the game.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Spurs 127, Warriors 113: A 41-point, 18-rebound game for MVP hopeful Victor Wembanyama, and San Antonio improves to 26-2 since Feb. 1.<\/p>\n

Thursday’s games<\/p>\n

\u2014 Phoenix at Charlotte: Devin Booker had 30 points, 10 assists in Phoenix win over Charlotte last month.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Minnesota at Detroit: Detroit just keeps rolling, even with Cade Cunningham sidelined.<\/p>\n

\u2014 L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City: Matchup of MVP contenders in Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Thunder\u2019s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Cleveland at Golden State: Warriors know they\u2019re in West play-in, while Cavs are on brink of clinching East top-4 seed.<\/p>\n

\u2014 New Orleans at Portland: Pelicans building toward next season, Blazers could host a play-in game.<\/p>\n

\u2014 San Antonio at L.A. Clippers: Spurs still chasing that No. 1 seed, Clippers know they\u2019ll be in play-in.<\/p>\n

Friday’s schedule<\/p>\n

\u2014 Indiana at Charlotte: A winning record this season is going to get Hornets\u2019 coach Charles Lee some award votes.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Minnesota at Philadelphia: Massive implications seeding-wise for both teams.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Atlanta at Brooklyn: Hawks closing in on Southeast Division title, possibly No. 5 seed.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Chicago at New York: Knicks nearing the 50-win mark yet again.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Utah at Houston: The Rockets know they can\u2019t afford a slipup in this spot.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Toronto at Memphis: Raptors need a few wins down the stretch to avoid play-in.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Boston at Milwaukee: Bucks coach Doc Rivers faces his former team, a day before expected Hall of Fame formal announcement.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Orlando at Dallas: Magic coach Jamahl Mosley enjoyed a lot of nights when he was on the Mavs\u2019 staff. He desperately needs one of those good nights here.<\/p>\n

\u2014 New Orleans at Sacramento: A pair of teams building for the future.<\/p>\n

National TV schedule<\/p>\n

Thursday’s games on Prime: Minnesota-Detroit and L.A. Lakers-Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n

Friday on NBA TV: Chicago-New York.<\/p>\n

Betting odds<\/p>\n

Oklahoma City (+135) is favored to win the NBA title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed by Boston (+600), San Antonio (+600), Cleveland (+1000), Denver (+1100) and New York (+1600). Detroit, on its way to the No. 1 seed in the East, is +2500.<\/p>\n

Key dates<\/p>\n

\u2014 April 10: All 30 teams play their 81st games of the season.<\/p>\n

\u2014 April 12: All 30 teams play their regular season finales.<\/p>\n

\u2014 April 14, 15 and 17: NBA play-in tournament dates.<\/p>\n

\u2014 April 18 and 19: NBA playoff series openers.<\/p>\n

\u2014 May 2, 3 or 4: Conference semifinals begin.<\/p>\n

\u2014 May 10: NBA draft lottery.<\/p>\n

\u2014 May 10-17: NBA draft combine.<\/p>\n

\u2014 May 17 or 19: Eastern Conference finals begin on ESPN and ABC.<\/p>\n

\u2014 May 18 or 20: Western Conference finals begin on NBC and Peacock.<\/p>\n

\u2014 June 3: Game 1, NBA Finals on ABC. (Other finals dates: June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19).<\/p>\n

Numbers watch<\/p>\n

Sacramento’s DeMar DeRozan passed Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 17th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list on Wednesday in Toronto. He’s now 22 points behind No. 16 Oscar Robertson (26,710).<\/p>\n

Stat of the day<\/p>\n

No team in NBA history had made 24 3-pointers and lost by more than 11 points. (Most hadn’t lost at all; the record for teams with 24 or more 3s was 117-9). That is, until Wednesday, when Miami made 24 3s … and lost by 18 to Boston.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NBA: https:\/\/apnews.com\/nba<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) looks for a play against Utah Jazz guard John Konchar (55) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo\/Rob Gray)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo\/Rob Gray)<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Joki\u00c4\u2021, left, struggles to field a pass as Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/p>\n

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