NBA Basketball 3h Briefing
×Last updated: March 15, 2026, 4:54 AM ET
NBA Playoff Race Heats Up
The Clippers' postseason hopes took a hit espn.com after Kawhi Leonard suffered a sprained left ankle and missed the final 9:27 of Saturday night's home loss to the Kings, while the Lakers rallied for a dramatic OT win espn.com as Austin Reaves executed a perfect missed free throw before sinking the tying bucket, and Luka Doncic drained the winning jumper in the extra frame to lift Los Angeles past Denver 127-124. The victory keeps the Lakers within striking distance espn.com of the 7-seed in the West, while the Clippers now trail by 2.5 games espn.com for the final play-in spot. Elsewhere, the Suns clinched a playoff berth with a 112-105 win over the Pelicans, and the Warriors fell to the Rockets 118-111, dropping them to 9th in the West standings.