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Jamie Blanks, Director of ‘Urban Legend’ and ‘Valentine’ Slashers, Dies at 54

Jamie Blanks, director of late-’90s and early-2000s slasher films Urban Legend and Valentine, has died. He was 54.

Blanks’s family confirmed his death in a statement posted to social media on Friday, revealing that he died suddenly on March 20 at his home in Melbourne, Australia.

“His death was unexpected, despite some ill health in recent years, and comes at a time when Jamie was preparing to direct another film. He was still very active supporting other filmmakers and developing his own projects,” the statement reads in part. “Anyone who was lucky to know Jamie was immediately struck by his talent, kindness, humanity, generosity of spirit and boundless enthusiasm for what he did in life, but also — so importantly — for the people around him. This big, beautiful heart of his eventually gave way.”

The statement continued, “We’re imagining him now in a better place, chatting up a storm about horror movies and music with many others he loved and admired who have passed before him. Honour him by watching on of his films or John Carpenter’s The Fog (a favourite film that inspired him to become a filmmaker) or listening to one of his music scores.”

Born in Melbourne on Nov. 29, 1971, Blanks began his filmmaking career at Swinburne Film School. After making short films in college, he made his feature directorial debut with TriStar Pictures’ Urban Legend (1998). The film, starring Jared Leto, Rebecca Gayheart, Alicia Witt, Robert Englund, Tara Reid, Joshua Jackson and Michael Rosenbaum, grossed $72 million worldwide and became a cult classic among horror fans.

In August, The Hollywood Reporter exclusively reported that a reboot of Urban Legend is in the works from Screen Gems.

Another genre entry, Warner Bros.’ Valentine (2001), starred Denise Richards, David Boreanaz, Katherine Heigl, Marley Shelton, Jessica Capshaw and Jessica Cauffiel. The film follows a group of friends stalked by a killer wearing a Cupid mask in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day.

In February, Blanks took to X to celebrate the movie’s 25th anniversary. “Roses are red violets are blue. My film only lives on thanks to each one of you. My love letter to ‘80s slasher films Valentine is 25 years old. It means so much to me that fans still watch & enjoy the movie. Thank you,” he wrote.

Also a composer, Blanks’ credits include Crawlspace, What Are You Afraid Of?, Girl at the Window, Needle, Crush, Nature’s Grave and more.

He is survived by his wife, Simone; his son, Oliver; his parents, and brothers.

March 21, 2026
‘Harry Potter’ Series Star Paapa Essiedu Says He’s Received Death Threats for Snape Casting

Paapa Essiedu has revealed he’s faced racist death threats after being cast as Professor Severus Snape in HBO‘s upcoming Harry Potty television series.

“I’ve been told, ‘Quit or I’ll murder you,’” the actor told The Times in a profile published Saturday.

Essiedu said after his casting was officially announced in April 2025, he faced backlash for being a Black actor stepping into the role of Snape.

“It really matters. The reality is that if I look at Instagram I will see somebody saying, ‘I’m going to come to your house and kill you.’ So while I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be murdered… That could age badly! But, yes, while I hope I’ll be OK, nobody should have to encounter this for doing their job,” he said. “Many people put their lives on the line in their work. I’m playing a wizard in Harry Potter. And I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t affect me emotionally.”

The role of Snape was originated by Alan Rickman in 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. He went on to portray the wizard throughout its eight-film run.

However, the I May Destroy You star added that “the abuse fuels me” and “makes me more passionate about making this character my own, because I think of how I felt as a kid.”

“I would imagine myself at Hogwarts on broomsticks, and the idea that a kid like me can see themselves represented in that world? That’s motivation to not be intimidated by someone saying they’d rather I died instead of doing work I’m going to be really proud of,” he continued.

When asked if he could stay offline to avoid negative discourse, Essiedu noted “even if you successfully ignore it, it doesn’t mean it’s not happening,” continuing, “The issue remains endemic and, anyway, people see stuff and message to ask if I’m OK.”

The Hollywood Reporter previously exclusively reported that the Emmy nominee was being eye to play Snape in December 2024. He joins the cast of the HBO Max series that will see Dominic McLaughlin step into the titular role; Alastair Stout portray Harry’s best friend Ron Weasley; and Arabella Stanton as Harry’s other dear friend Hermione Granger.

Additional cast members include John Lithgow as Dumbledore; Janet McTeer as Professor Minerva McGonagall; Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid; and Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, among many others.

Production on HBO’s Harry Potter series began last July, where it filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, U.K. The plan for the show is to adapt each of J.K. Rowling’s novels into a separate season, meaning there will be eight installments.

March 21, 2026
Former FBI chief, Robert Mueller, dead at 81

Published On 21 Mar 2026

Former FBI chief Robert Mueller, who probed the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 United States election, has died at age 81.

“With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away” on Friday night, his family said in a statement Saturday.

“His family asks that their privacy be respected.”

Mueller was appointed as director of the FBI by then-President George Bush in September 2001, a week before the 9/11 attacks that would push him into the centre of a national crisis.

He became the key figure behind changing the FBI from combating crime to now countering national security risks following the attack on New York’s World Trade Centre.

In 2013, Mueller stepped down from the bureau and later by 2017 was appointed as special counsel to oversee the Justice Department’s probe into possible Russian interference in the election, which saw Donald Trump secure his first term over Democratic nominee, Hilary Clinton.

Following the announcement of his death, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to write: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!”

Mueller is survived by his wife and two children.

March 21, 2026
Flash flooding swamps Hawaii, prompting evacuation orders for 5,500 people

Oahu’s emergency office has ordered residents in the Waialua area to ‘leave now’ amid risk of road failures.

Published On 21 Mar 2026

Heavy rains have prompted widespread evacuations on the north shore of the island of Oahu, as the state of Hawaii experiences its worst flooding in 20 years.

Early Saturday morning, Oahu’s Department of Emergency Management issued dire warnings for residents in communities like Waialua, part of the United States.

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“Residents in the Waialua area are strongly urged to LEAVE NOW,” one message overnight read. “The remaining access road out of Waialua is at high risk of failure if rainfall continues.”

Already, evacuation orders are in effect for nearly 5,500 people in the region north of the state capital, Honolulu.

No deaths have been reported so far, but at least 200 people have been rescued as muddy, brown floodwaters engulfed streets and neighbourhoods. Ten people have been hospitalised with hypothermia after being plucked from the storm waters.

A youth camp run by the organisation Our Lady of Kea’au was also evacuated, and 72 adults and children were airlifted from the site as a precaution, according to officials.

Floodwaters destroy a home and topple trees in Waialua, Hawaii, on March 20 [Mengshin Lin/AP Photo]

More rain is expected to bear down on the Hawaiian islands over the coming days.

Governor Josh Green estimated that the damage could exceed $1bn in costs, and he described the floodwaters in some areas as “chest-level”.

“We’ve evacuated the whole region now,” Green said in a video statement on Friday. He emphasised that the Hawaii National Guard was out in force to help with emergency efforts.

“I’ve mobilised even more military reserves, and we have the troops coming in from Schofield [a military base] to help. The coastguard will be out there to do search and rescue if, God forbid, any of our loved ones have been washed away with housing.”

Of particular concern is the 120-year-old Wahiawa dam, which officials warned was “at risk of imminent failure”.

A 2022 document from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources identified the Wahiawa structure as “a high hazard potential dam, as a failure of the dam will result in probable loss of human life”.

Built in 1906 and reconstructed following a collapse in 1921, the dam was designed to increase local sugar production.

It was eventually acquired by the Dole Food Company, which has received four notices since 2009 about the dam’s deficiencies.

In April 2021, the food giant was fined $20,000 for failing to safely maintain the dam and its spillway. Experts at the time warned the dam might not be able to safely handle flooding, though representatives for Dole refuted the assessment.

“The dam continues to operate as designed with no indications of damage,” Dole said in a statement to The Associated Press.

The state of Hawaii passed a law in 2023 to acquire the dam, but the transfer is not yet complete.

On Friday, water levels at the earthen dam rose from 24 to 25.6 metres (79 to 84 feet), just 1.8 metres (6 feet) below its capacity.

Floodwaters in Haleiwa, Hawaii, submerge homes and roadways on March 20, 2026 [Craig Fujii/Honolulu Civil Beat via AP Photo]

The rising waters ravaging the state are considered some of the worst since the 2004 floods in Manoa, a neighbourhood of Honolulu.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi estimated that hundreds of homes have been affected by the floodwaters, but that the full scope of the damage has yet to be assessed. He added that Oahu is expected to receive an additional 15 to 20cm – 6 to 8 inches – of rain over the next few days.

“There’s no question that the damage done thus far has been catastrophic,” Blangiardi said.

March 21, 2026
Simon Helberg on ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Pilot – ‘The Audience Laughed for a Minute and a Half’ – and Avoiding Turtlenecks Since It Wrapped: ‘But I Still Hide My Neck. It’s Hideous Over There’

Simon Helberg almost missed out on “The Big Bang Theory.”

“I went: ‘Thank you, I don’t need to do another pilot. I played enough nerds and now I work with Aaron Sorkin’.’ Smart.”

At the time, he had a recurring role in “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” “I didn’t really care. They already had another pilot the previous year, very dark and without our characters. This time, it was clear it went very well – they wanted me to test and I said no. Chuck Lorre called, so I asked Aaron Sorkin for permission. He wrote me an email that I still have: ‘You ungrateful piece of… Just kidding’.”

Helberg still remembers shooting the pilot, which felt different from anything else he had done before.

“James Burrows, the god of sitcoms, was directing. I kept hearing these laughs going on and on and on. The audience laughed for a minute and a half, and he had to calm everyone down. When I entered the show, there was applause. It was so strange: ‘Here he is, the guy from ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’!’ We were connecting with something people really wanted. It was hitting some nerve in the zeitgeist.”

Howard Wolowitz quickly became a fan favorite – also because of his questionable fashion choices.

“I remember thinking: ‘This is over the top.’ But he’s peacocking! If you are wearing fluorescent jeans, it just has to work for you. I pass on turtlenecks now, but I still hide my neck. It’s hideous over there,” joked Helberg, adjusting his scarf.

“He thought of himself as the center of attention, the leader of the pack, the funny one in the group and a relentless lothario. That was not exactly who I was, but he was fun to play because he was very confident.”

None of the dialogues were improvised.

“A lot of people are shocked when I tell them, even in Hollywood. They assumed these were our jokes. Not a word of it. These writers knew the characters inside and out.”

Over the course of a record 12 seasons, Wolowitz went from a sleazebag to a caring father.

“It’s such a rare thing to get 12 years to tell a story. This character started as a sleazy guy, so the writers wrote good sleazy jokes, then other writers decided to make it smarter and bring women in who added another dimension. It was the luxury of having almost 300 episodes.”

Still, saying goodbye to the show in 2019 felt right.

“It was like graduating high school. I had a great experience there, but I didn’t want to stay there! We felt like it was time. There wasn’t anything else to do with this world. We were good.”

Helberg, talking at French festival Series Mania to promote “The Audacity,” wanted to be a musician first.

“I even got into playing jazz, which wasn’t that cool for a guy like me – with braces. But I was probably one of the funnier people in jazz. I always enjoyed making people laugh.”

His musical past later helped him in “Florence Foster Jenkins” with Meryl Streep – “I really embellished my piano abilities. I told them I can play anything” – but ultimately, it was all about acting.

“I guess I wanted to see my name up [in lights], have people in front of me and wear a scarf. And get free water.”

Recalling his beginnings, he delighted the audience with a clip of web series “Derek and Simon: The Show,” which he co-created with Derek Waters and Bob Odenkirk. Later featuring the likes of Bill Hader and Zack Galifianakis, it was about twentysomething guys in L.A. “trying to find girls and being neurotic.”

“It was like ‘Girls,’ but with guys. And ‘Guys’ does not have the same ring to it. But Bob Odenkirk was our hero, he was at the vanguard of underground, rock’n’roll comedy, and he believed in us.”

While the legacy of “The Big Bang Theory” is undeniable – even one of the biggest venues at the Series Mania couldn’t accommodate all the fans who wanted to attend Helberg’s masterclass, waiting patiently in a never-ending line that’s bound to go down in the history of the fest – these days he’s interested in throwing himself into new worlds and “being scared.”

He means it – he lied about having French citizenship to get a role in Leos Carax’s musical “Annette,” which felt like “making a short film in collage: raw and risky”.

“I said: ‘I’m in the process [of getting French citizenship].’ Because who isn’t in a process? Right before I got the stamp, there was this final chat, and the lady [in the consulate] said something about ‘a little man and a black hat.’ I blurted: ‘Charlie Chaplin?’ My wife went: ‘He’s kidding.’ ‘Napoleon?’ I don’t know what this questions was even about, but boom, I have the passport now and I love it.”

In “The Audacity,” he plays one of Silicon Valley’s geniuses who might have peaked too early as a kid and now develops an AI therapy bot for lonely teenagers.

“Even though he has a lonely teenage daughter at home whom he completely neglects,” he said.

“These characters are pretty flawed, but they are trying to be virtuous to some extent. But we see how that gets interrupted by selfishness, and that’s what we can relate to. You see where they get corrupted. You always look for what makes a character good and what they are after. And people in Silicon Valley are after efficiency, which lacks humanity and can be horribly depressing. Martin neglects his daughter, sure, but maybe he will save future father-daughter relationships with his bot?”

As the masterclass drew to a close, Helberg also got to meet the man who has been dubbing him into French for years.

“I am so sorry you had to spend so many hours learning me! And off he goes, to do more dialogue from ‘The Audacity.’ We keep him in a small room over there.”

March 21, 2026
BTS’ ‘Arirang’ Nearly Doubles Harry Styles’ Opening-Day Spotify Numbers to Claim Year’s Top Streaming Bow So Far

BTS‘ “Arirang,” the group’s first studio album in six years, appears to be living up to its commercial promise, based on first-day streaming results on Spotify. The album bowed with a reported 110 million streams on the service globally, which is easily the best opening number on Spotify so far in 2026. It easily eclipses the 63 million that the year’s previous leader, Harry Styles’ “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” did in its first day on the platform.

“Arirang” broke only one all-time record with that opening figure: the best first day on Spotify ever for a K-pop release. Nonetheless, it is in very rarefied air, as that 110 million figure represents the 12th best opening day for any album in the platform’s history.

With only one day of release under “Arirang’s” belt and six to go in the chart week, any overall Billboard/Luminate numbers that include sales and radio airplay are more than a week away from being reported. But the Spotify opening bodes well for BTS being able to claim the biggest release of 2026 so far by the end of the month.

For comparison, the opening-day global Spotify figures for some other perceived blockbuster releases besides Styles’ so far in 2026 have included about 35 million streams out of the gate for both J. Cole’s “The Fall-Off” and A$AP Rock’s “Don’t Be Dumb,” 26.44 million on the first day for Bruno Mars’ “The Romantic,” and 16 million for Blackpink’s “Deadline.”

There aren’t any officially announced albums coming up in the pipeline from pop superstars that would be possibilities to have a bigger first day of streaming than BTS; only a release from Taylor Swift, Drake or Bad Bunny, should there be one, would be a likely candidate to go even bigger in the months to come.

Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” still claims the record for the best first day on Spotify ever with 314 million streams, and she has the first four spots on the list, with “The Life of a Showgirl,” “Midnights” and “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” at Nos. 2-4 in the ranking. The only other artists to have come in ahead of BTS on the list with even more immediately high-scoring albums are Bad Bunny, Drake, Playboi Carti and Travis Scott.

On the Spotify Global Top 50, as of Saturday, songs from “Arirang” occupy all 14 of the top positions, in unbroken succession. The group is not so completely dominative of the Spotify US Top 50, where they own Nos. 1-2 with “Swim” and “Body to Body,” then cede the No. 3 spot to Ella Langley’s country smash “Choosing Texas.” But all 14 of the album tracks are in the American chart’s top 26.

March 21, 2026
Apple considered buying Halide to upgrade its native Camera app

A legal feud between the co-founders of Lux Optics, the developer behind the Halide camera app, revealed that Apple was close to acquiring the company. As first reported by The Information, Apple held acquisition talks for Lux Optics, which also developed the Kino, Spectre and Orion apps, in the summer of 2025.

According to The Information, the deal eventually fell through in September of that year, but the potential acquisition could’ve provided Apple with the third-party software to improve its own built-in camera app. Apple is already rumored to be introducing variable aperture to its upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models, so it’s not surprising that the iPhone maker was looking for software with advanced features to match its possibly upgraded camera hardware.

Despite Apple’s interest, Lux Optics’ co-founders, Ben Sandofsky and Sebastiaan de With concluded that future updates to Halide could increase the company’s valuation and ended the acquisition talks. According to the lawsuit between the co-founders, Sandofsky started investigating de With for the alleged misuse of company funds shortly after the talks with Apple ended. Afterwards, de With was fired from Lux Optics and later joined Apple’s design team. While Halide may remain third-party software for iPhones and iPads, users can still look forward to some software improvements to the built-in camera app, since that’s reportedly one of Apple’s priorities.

March 21, 2026
Bitcoin options signal extreme fear as downside protection premium hits new all-time high, says VanEck

Bitcoin traders are paying record prices for downside protection, according to VanEck’s mid-March 2026 Bitcoin ChainCheck, a sign that investors remain defensive even as spot prices begin to stabilize.

In the report, senior VanEck analysts said bitcoin’s 30-day average price fell 19% from the prior period, while realized volatility dropped from about 80 to just above 50.

Futures funding rates also eased to 2.7% from 4.1%, suggesting leveraged speculation has cooled.

Options markets show investors are as cautious as it gets. VanEck said the put/call open interest ratio averaged 0.77 and peaked at 0.84, the highest level since June 2021, when China cracked down on bitcoin mining.

Traders spent about $685 million on put options over the past 30 days, while call premiums fell 12% to about $562 million, the report adds. Relative to spot volume, put premiums reached roughly 4 basis points, an all-time high in VanEck’s data.

“Relative to spot volume, put premiums reached an all-time high of roughly 4 basis points, roughly 3x the levels seen in mid-2022 following the Terra/Luna stablecoin collapse and the Ethereum staking liquidity crisis,” the report reads.

That means investors are paying up for insurance against further losses.

VanEck said that kind of fear has often marked turning points rather than fresh breakdowns. The firm found that, in the past six years, similar options that skewed readings were followed by average bitcoin gains of 13% over 90 days and 133% over 360 days.

The report also points out onchain activity has remained weak while miner selling remains contained.

March 21, 2026
XRP Ledger Addresses With 100,000 XRP Hit 32,054

$XRP Ledger adoption continues to grow in the cryptocurrency space as addresses with 100,000 $XRP and above have hit a new high. As highlighted by market intelligence platform Santiment, 32,054 wallets contain over 100,000 $XRP, which signals active utility on the ledger by institutional holders.

Retail $XRP wallets expand to 5.66 million as institutional interest grows

Notably, holders with over 100,000 $XRP are whales, large investors or early adopters of $XRP.

While the 32,054 wallets might appear small, these holders likely control a huge percentage of the $XRP supply. The growth in the number of wallets with over 100,000 $XRP indicates capital concentration among whales and institutional holders.

📈 $XRP Ledger is continuing to see its network grow. Based on wallet size, here are the amount of addresses under each tier:

🦐🐟 Less Than 100 $XRP: 5.66M Wallets
🐡🐬 100 to 100K $XRP: 2.01M Wallets
🦈🐳 More Than 100K $XRP: 32,054 Wallets pic.twitter.com/QN1AWIhYBJ

— Santiment (@santimentfeed) March 21, 2026

Besides this category of holders, Santiment observed that retail users have expanded further from their 4.7 million wallets in early 2025. These small holders have less than 100 $XRP in their wallets. Currently, the wallet address count of retail holders has hit 5.66 million $XRP wallets.

These comprise small-time investors in the asset, people just testing the network to understand how things work and new users. The almost 1 million addition reveals broad adoption of the coin at the grassroots level.

These new users appear to have confidence in $XRP despite its price volatility. The growth is likely due to positive developments in the Ripple ecosystem, like strategic collaborations with traditional institutions and the firm’s legal battle with the U.S. regulatory body.

The long legal battle between the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over $XRP as a “security” or not finally ended in 2025. The SEC has now officially recognized $XRP as a non-security, categorizing it as a commodity.

Regulatory clarity and Ripple developments boost $XRP adoption

Ripple’s win provided legal clarity and opened the path to more adoption, both for institutional and retail holders.

Meanwhile, wallet distribution shows that mid-tier addresses, which contain between 100 and 100,000 $XRP, now stand at 2.01 million. Although these investors hold a sizable amount of the coin, they are not classified as whales.

Overall, the total number of wallets across all tiers indicates that the $XRP ecosystem is expanding. The massive concentration of capital within the over 32,000 wallets can influence the asset’s price direction in the crypto market.

On the other hand, the large base of retail wallets and mid-tier holders shows increased participation among these categories. The development is largely due to the post-2025 regulatory clarity with the asset.

In a related development, $XRP Ledger recently set a new 13-year milestone. Over 7.7 million wallets have at least one $XRP and not a zero balance. The interesting part is that the users are not leaving the coin dormant but actively trading with it.

March 21, 2026
Starting 5: Pistons clinch Playoffs, KD & LeBron eye history Saturday
Playoff ticket punched.

Jalen Duren and the Pistons are the East’s first team to clinch.

As far as tonight goes … two of the game’s greats are staring down history, with LeBron James & Kevin Durant both closing in on major milestones.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

March 21, 2026

East Elites: Celtics, Knicks overcome tough road battles to keep up with Pistons’ winning ways

West Winners: Rockets end Hawks’ run, Nuggets rally, Blazers beat Wolves to jam up Playoff race

On NBA TV: What will Luka do next? LeBron eyes games-played record as Lakers go for 9th straight W

League Pass Spotlight: 25 points away from MJ, KD’s all-time scoring climb continues vs. Heat

J-Crossover’s Mailbag: Jamal Crawford answers NBA fan questions, including how to score on Wemby

BUT FIRST … ⏰

A busy Saturday night of hoops…

Saturday’s 10-game slate features an NBA TV doubleheader, with Luka Dončić leading the Lakers into Orlando (7 ET | Tap To Watch), and the Suns hosting the Bucks (10 ET | Tap To Watch).

1. EAST ELITES: PISTONS KEEP PEDAL DOWN, CELTICS & KNICKS SURVIVE

Two seasons ago, they finished last in the East.

This year, the Pistons are the first team in the Conference to make the Playoffs.

Pistons 115, Warriors 101: Jalen Duren (23 pts, 6 reb) led all scorers and Daniss Jenkins filled in with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists as Detroit pulled away from Brandin Podziemski (15 pts) and Golden State in the 2nd half to win its sixth of the last seven games. | Recap
- Strong 70: Detroit’s 51-19 mark is the franchise’s 4th-best 70-game start, behind two championship seasons (1988-89, 1989-90) and 2005-06’s East finalists
- Beyond Scoring: The Pistons lead the league in steals (10.5) and blocks (6.3) per game, racking up the most swipes (737) and swats (442) through 70 games by any team since 1982-83
- Answering Adversity: Detroit is now 2-0 in All-Star Cade Cunningham’s absence (lung), maintaining a 4-game lead over 2nd-place Boston
“We’re not done. But from where we started til now, I’m proud of everyone that’s been a part of it,” Duren said postgame.
- “The guys who were here my first two years (31-133), that went through what we went through, and to be here now… I’m just proud of how we keep fighting through adversity,” Duren said
- “The spirit that they play with every night is just different here,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I’ve got a ton of respect and admiration for the guys… They’ve been a joy to coach.”
Joe Murphy+Pamela Smith/NBAE via Getty Images

To keep up with East-leading Detroit, the Celtics and Knicks had to survive late scares on the road.

Celtics 117, Grizzlies 112: Jaylen Brown’s 30-ball led the way, and Luka Garza netted 11 of his season-high 22 points in the 4th quarter, where Boston used a 21-5 run to rally from down-7 and win a fourth straight, despite Memphis’ seven double-digit scorers. | Recap
- Thirty 30s: This was Jaylen Brown’s 32nd 30+ point game of the season. He sits with Luka, Shai, Ant and Donovan Mitchell as this season’s only five players with 30 or more 30+ point games
Knicks 93, Nets 92: New York recovered from a season-low 14-point 1st quarter, and survived the rallying Nets at the buzzer for a fifth consecutive win and 14th straight over Brooklyn. Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 26 points and 15 rebounds. | Recap
- Couple Of Closers: Towns and Jalen Brunson (17 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast) recorded New York’s last 9 points in the final 3:13 to eek out the win
3rd-place New York keeps pace 1.5 games behind 2-seed Boston, with a 2.5-game cushion ahead of the Cavs in 4th.

2. WEST WINNERS: ROCKETS HALT HAWKS, NUGGETS RALLY, BLAZERS EDGE WOLVES

After back-to-back home losses, and facing a Hawks team rolling with 11 straight wins, KD rallied the Rockets.

Rockets 117, Hawks 95: Durant (25 pts, 6 ast) and Jabari Smith Jr. (23 pts, 9 reb) led Houston’s offense, with Alperen Sengun (15 pts, 10 ast, 9 reb) adding a near triple-double to end Nickeil Alexander-Walker (21 pts) and Atlanta’s longest win streak since 2014-15. | Recap
- Closing In: With 25 on Friday, KD (25.7 ppg) is now 26 points away from passing Michael Jordan for 5th place on the all-time scoring list
- Quick Fix: Jalen Johnson (14 pts) scored 7 quick points in the first 6 minutes, but Houston locked in and never trailed after the 4:52 mark of the 1st quarter
Blazers 108, Wolves 104: Portland freed up Jerami Grant (26 pts) for the game-winning corner triple with 21.3 remaining to earn a third straight win despite seven Wolves scoring in double figures. | Recap
- 20+ Point Trio: Deni Avdija (25 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast) and Donovan Clingan (21 pts, 12 reb) joined Grant, with Clingan logging a 17/11 1st-half double-double
- Portland jumps the LA Clippers by a half-game for 8th place in the West
Houston, Denver and Minnesota are all now 2.5 games behind the 3rd-place Lakers, with the Rockets taking 4th by .003 percentage points, and the Nuggets holding the tie-breaker over the Wolves.

3. ON NBA TV: LUKA, LAKERS LOOK TO STAY HOT AS LEBRON EYES RECORD

Kenneth Richmond/NBAE via Getty Images

Tonight in Orlando, it’s Luka Magic vs. the Magic.

And it’s King James facing down history — again.

LeBron James is set to become the all-time leader in regular season games played, while Luka Dončić takes his historic scoring sorcery to Orlando, with the Lakers looking to keep their hold on the 3-seed (7 ET, NBA TV).

Thursday in South Florida, when Bron tied Robert Parish in GP (1,611), Dončić also matched the 2nd-highest scoring output of his career: 60 points.

It’s the latest in an 8-win string of brilliance, for players and team, that’s rallying L.A. around their MVP candidate.

“You see everybody celebrating on the bench, it shows that we care a lot about each other,” Dončić said. “Just makes my heart happy… That is the best feeling.”

“I got little goosebumps, so it was pretty special,” Luka said. “Especially [an] away game in Miami, you hear the whole crowd chanting ‘M-V-P.’ It was what, I think, every player wants to hear.”

Dončić has numbers to back up the chants beyond his 60-piece. Having totaled 327 points, 71 rebounds and 59 assists over these 8 wins, he’s averaging 40.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg and 7.4 apg, and approaching stats of some of the game’s great performances.
- Elite Group: Luka is just the fifth player in NBA history to average 40+ over an 8-game win streak, joining James Harden (2019-20), Michael Jordan (2x), Elgin Baylor (1961-62) and Wilt Chamberlain (3x)
- His totals (327/71/59) place him with Elgin Baylor (367/181/62 – 1961) as the only two players in NBA history to reach such numbers in an 8-game span
- Only Steph Curry and James Harden – the top-2 3-point shooters in league history – have collected as many 3s during an 8-game win streak as Luka’s 49
- Scoring aside, his 71 rebounds and 59 assists make him the third Laker this century with such totals in an 8-win streak, joining LeBron James (2019) and Lamar Odom (2006)
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

From Luka’s 50 and 60-pieces, to LeBron’s strong play, and bench celebrations, the Lakers are clicking at the right time.

“I think there’s just a high level of belief right now and they all want to play,” L.A. coach JJ Redick said, addressing the challenge of the team’s Houston-to-Miami back-to-back this week.

“That’s just leadership right there,“ Redick said of L.A.’s minutes leaders, including 41-year-old James, playing Thursday after getting to their Miami hotel after 5 a.m.
- Unstoppable: LeBron tied Robert Parish’s all-time record for regular-season games played that night (1,611) with his 2nd triple-double of the season (19/15/10)
- “He’s a psycho,” Redick said of James. “In the same way Luka willed it for us [Thursday], LeBron willed it for us.”
- By comparison, Parish, at age 43, logged 2 points and 3 rebounds in 6 minutes in his 1,611th game when he set the record in 1997
- “He’s also competing against Father Time — and he’s giving Father Time hell,” James’ former coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday of The King’s season
L.A. enters with a 2.5-game cushion on Houston in the West, while 6th-place Orlando clings to the East’s final Playoff spot by a half-game amid a 3-loss slide.

4. ON LEAGUE PASS: KD 26 AWAY FROM PASSING MJ AS ROCKETS HOST HEAT

Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images

With one current OG primed to break the all-time games played record today, another could make his own mark in the history books.

Kevin Durant needs 26 points Saturday to pass Michael Jordan for 5th place on the all-time scoring list, as the Rockets host the Heat (8 ET, League Pass).

NBA.com’s Shaun Powell has tracked KD’s career scoring ascent this season:

“How many players get the chance to top Michael Jordan in anything basketball-related, from championships to MVPs to even shoe sales?

… ‘It’s pretty cool to be in the same category as some of the greats that ever played the game,” Durant said. “They’ve added so much to the game that have inspired me to stick around this long.’

… It’s a perfect basketball storm that created Durant into a force; he’s among the handful of elites who can score a variety of ways — at the rim, mid-range, 3-pointers, off the dribble, catch and shoot…

This diversity gives him something in common with virtually everyone else among the top 10 scorers, some of whom are recognized as all-time greats. When the defense took something away from those players, they chose another method, which was either just as successful or close enough.

That explains the Kevin Durant experience.” | Read More

Roundup: The Thunder tip off Saturday’s action, now working on the league’s longest-active win streak, visiting the Wizards in search of an 11th straight W (5 ET). The day ends in the desert, with Devin Booker and the Suns hosting the Bucks on NBA TV (10 ET).
- Grizzlies at Hornets (7 ET)
- Cavaliers at Pelicans (7 ET)
- Warriors at Hawks (8 ET)
- Pacers at Spurs (8 ET)
- Clippers at Mavericks (8:30 ET)
- Sixers at Jazz (9:30 ET)
5. NBA MAILBAG: JAMAL CRAWFORD ANSWERS MORE FAN QUESTIONS

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

20-year NBA veteran and NBC analyst Jamal Crawford answered another batch of over 20 fan-submitted questions on LeBron, the Celtics, and how he’d score on Wemby…

I’m a big fan of LeBron James. Can you tell me what it was like playing against one of the GOATs in his prime? – from Hminga in Mizoram, India

“Man, it was unbelievable. I remember one time, I think it was his third year, he stole the ball from me at The Garden and I thought it was a guard with how fast he was. I looked up and it was him. I don’t think he dribbled more than once or twice, and he seemed to dunk it from the free throw line.

So it was incredible to witness his game, his smarts, and the greatness he was chasing from day one. Day 0, really. He was just different. But what was most impressive was his mind from the start. He thought like a Hall of Fame-level player, even as a rookie.”

What makes Derrick White so unique? Trying to understand after Kenny Atkinson called him a Top 5 player in the league. – from Dominic in Cleveland, OH

“Most players play their style and have a specialty. You know what they bring to the team, whether it be shooting or defending or whatever. Derrick White is almost like a transformer. He can adjust to any situation you put him in. That’s rare in basketball, and it’s what makes him special.”

If you had to score on Wemby, what’s your go-to move? – from Lachlan in Hamilton, Ontario

“If he switched onto me, I would back up first because I want to get as much space as possible. Then I’m going to do a couple of dribble moves to see which one he goes for.

But the unique thing about him is, even if he kind of goes for it and you lose him, he can recover really fast. And even if he doesn’t block your shot, he’ll make you adjust it.

So I would do some dribble moves, make him dance a little bit, and then pull from deep. Like really, really, really deep.” | Read More

Catch Crawford this weekend on NBC/Peacock’s Sunday Night Basketball, as Celtics host the Wolves (8 ET).
March 21, 2026