NBA Castle Triple-double Fuels Spurs Past Bucks To Extend Eighth Straight Win

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Stephon Castle, Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid each led statement wins as San Antonio, Detroit and Philadelphia strengthened their positions in the NBA playoff race, with the Spurs and Pistons closing on conference top seeds and the 76ers tightening control of the Eastern Conference play-in picture.

Across the three games, the Spurs crushed Milwaukee to secure at least the West’s second seed, the Pistons widened their advantage over Boston for first in the East, and the 76ers came from behind against Charlotte to gain extra breathing room in the chase for seventh.

San Antonio controlled Milwaukee from the opening tip, never falling behind during a 127-95 victory that delivered an eighth straight win and confirmed the Spurs cannot finish lower than second in the Western Conference, while remaining two games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for first place.

Castle compiled a triple-double with 22 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, while Victor Wembanyama produced 23 points, 15 rebounds and six assists as San Antonio shot 55.1% from the field, hitting 49 of 89 attempts and placing seven players in double figures against a short-handed Bucks group.

The heavy defeat ended Milwaukee’s run of nine consecutive playoff appearances and continued a late-season slide, with the Bucks dropping for the ninth time in 11 outings and playing again without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed a sixth straight game because of a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise, alongside several other absentees.

Detroit strengthened its position atop the Eastern Conference with a 109-87 victory over the injury-weakened Minnesota Timberwolves, as Tobias Harris led a balanced attack with 18 points and the Pistons extended their strong run, now having claimed nine wins from their last 11 games.

Detroit entered the day holding a four-game cushion over the Boston Celtics for the East’s best record and again spread the scoring load, with Jalen Duren recording 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Daniss Jenkins and Ronald Holland II each scored 13 points as five other teammates also reached double figures.

Minnesota, missing Anthony Edwards for a sixth straight game because of right knee inflammation and also without Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu through knee and calf issues, relied on Donte DiVincenzo’s 22 points and five made three-pointers plus Rudy Gobert’s 14 points and 12 rebounds, but the Timberwolves shot a season-low 32% overall and 21% from three-point range.

Philadelphia 76ers boost position in NBA playoff race

The 76ers produced a second-half rally to defeat the Charlotte Hornets 118-114, overturning a 13-point deficit behind 29 points from Joel Embiid and a strong all-round display from Paul George, who posted 26 points and 13 rebounds as Philadelphia registered a fourth win in five contests.

Tyrese Maxey returned to Philadelphia’s starting lineup for the first time since 7 March following a tendon injury in the right little finger and contributed 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, helping the 76ers move two games clear of Charlotte in the battle for seventh in the Eastern Conference standings.

Charlotte’s five-game winning streak ended despite Brandon Miller hitting five three-pointers and matching Embiid with 29 points plus eight rebounds, while LaMelo Ball added 20 points and eight assists and Moussa Diabate supplied 10 points and 11 rebounds during a loss that left the Hornets still chasing the 76ers.

Across the three matchups, San Antonio and Detroit moved closer to securing conference leadership, while Philadelphia gained a firmer hold on play-in seeding, as injuries and poor shooting hampered Milwaukee and Minnesota and Charlotte’s late charge stalled against a resurgent 76ers group.