Darren & Vic’s Takes: NBA Week 22

Published: Sunday, March 29, 2026

by Darren Worrell and Victor Lisboa

They’ve been gone for a minute! However, Darren and Vic are back with this week’s edition of Darren and Vic’s Takes, with recaps of the games they tuned into and caught their attention.

Darren: Los Angeles Lakers vs Indiana Pacers 

The Lakers and Pacers have seen their fair share of each other this season, with the Lakers coming away with the win each time they have played. However, that is not too surprising; the Pacers have been struggling this season currently without their star Tyrese Haliburton who tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Additionally, two other players are out for the season: newly acquired center Ivica Zubac with a broken rib and Johnny Furphy who is out with a torn ACL. Therefore, it is not the brightest season, but basketball continues.

As for the Lakers, they look good. There is no other way to describe it. Luka is simply being Luka. He dropped 60 points in a game and has not scored less than 30 points over the last ten games.

LeBron, at 41 years old, is still playing basketball, maybe not at the highest level he once did, but he is still out there and that is something that fans should not take for granted. 

In this game, within the first two minutes, fans already saw what kind of night it was going to be. The Lakers jumped out to a quick 10-0 start, and the Pacers simply had no answer for that. Indiana got hot from behind the arc to keep it close and the score was 14-11.

The Lakers started to pull away in the final two minutes of the first, turning what was once a three-point lead into a 20-point advantage at 41-21. Luka had 20 points in this first quarter alone. 

In the second quarter, he picked up right where he left off, finishing the first half with 28 points, three rebounds and four assists. The Lakers headed into the locker room up 75-59. 

The third quarter was all Lakers as they came out with the same urgency. Luka reached 30 points within the first two minutes of the third. Los Angeles kept finding Jaxson Hayes on alley oops, as he was their favorite target all game. The smart ball movement is exactly why they carried a 105-85 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth, the Lakers maintained control, but in the final minutes the Pacers kept fighting and chipping away at the deficit. On the last play of the game, Obi Toppin nailed the three pointer to close the game out and the final score was 137-130.

Victor: Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Before I mention any details of this game, I originally wanted to do the Houston Rockets vs Miami Heat last week. In this game Kevin Durant scored 27 points and made NBA history, as he passed his childhood idol Michael Jordan, for fifth all time on the NBA’s scoring list.

Durant has been one of the league’s premier players for almost two full decades. Durant won two championships with the Warriors, but the narratives around those championships are often met with controversy and criticism, with many arguing that it will affect his legacy.

Regardless of how anyone feels about those narratives surrounding the two-time NBA Champion and Finals MVP, one thing is clear, he is clearly one of the most gifted scorers to ever touch the court.

After Durant accomplished this feat, he immediately paid homage to Jordan and noted he would not “be here” without him.

On Wednesday night the Houston Rockets (43-29) visited the Target Center to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves (45-28). Anthony Edwards was out for his fifth straight game nursing a knee injury, leaving Minnesota shorthanded without the NBA’s third leading scorer.

This game was a really fun and competitive one. Minnesota had the lead early after the first quarter by four points, and then by one after the half. Durant struggled early in this one, shooting 2-11 from the field in the first half.

Alperen Sengun got going before the half and had ten points heading into the third quarter. Durant started to get going, as he was getting to the line and hit a pair of jumpers. Sengun persisted with his momentum to end the third with 22 points, scoring 12 in the period.

The Rockets ended up down by 11 points in the fourth, but then Sengun went on a 6-0 run after a pair of aggressive drives to the rim along with two flagrant free throws to make it 93-88 Wolves.

Durant subsequently scored six straight, to take the lead back 94-93 with 54 seconds left. The fourth ended with Rudy Gobert getting a technical and Durant tying the game at 95 a piece after Randle hit a layup prior to taking the lead.

In overtime however, Minnesota remained scoreless for over two minutes, allowing the Rockets to go on a 13-0 run. It seemed like the Rockets put the Wolves away early in the extra period, but Minnesota responded with a remarkable 15-0 run down the stretch.

The Rockets collapsed and could not buy a bucket in the last three minutes of overtime. Durant had the opportunity to tie it but missed a pair of free throws in the final three seconds (a rarity for him).

The 13-point deficit Minnesota overcame was the biggest overtime comeback since detailed play-by-play throughout NBA games started almost 30 years ago in 1997. The Wolves and Rockets are currently neck and neck occupying the five and six spots in the west, each about two games behind the four-seeded Nuggets.

Both teams have under ten games left to play. Anthony Edwards is expected to return soon and is now considered day-to-day.

These teams will meet for the final time on Friday, April 10 for the second to last game of the regular season. I, for one, will be looking forward to that one, especially since there could be possible playoff implications at play.

Darren Worrell and Victor Lisba can be reached at darren.worrell@student.shu.edu, victor.lisboa@student.shu.edu 

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