Author: NBA Basketball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

The Clippers' NBA Summer League contest Friday against the Houston Rockets offered a chance for Kobe Brown to show he's capable of being a rotational player for the Clippers this season.

But misfortune struck in the third quarter when Brown got tangled with a Rockets defender who fell on his right ankle. Brown sat on the Clippers’ bench for a few minutes before he limped to their locker room.

Brown didn't return in the Clippers' 95-92 win at Cox Pavilion on Friday night after sustaining what the team described as a right ankle contusion.

Brown is entering his third season with the Clippers and the team is eager for the 2023 30th overall draft pick to make an impact. He’ll make $2.65 million this season and will have a qualifying offer for next season at $4.7 million.

Read more:Clippers set roster for Summer League in Las Vegas

“He’s just got to continue to do what he did tonight,” said Clippers assistant coach Jerry Castleberry, the team’s Summer League coach. “Play great defense. Make the right reads. We’ve been talking about it all training camp. Get in the paint, draw two, make the right reads and if they put a small on him, he showed his ability to be able to score against a mismatch tonight and doing it the right way — quickly, getting downhill, not dancing, just getting straight to the point.

Brown scored 10 points in the first quarter, going four for five from the field, making both of his three-point attempts. On one of those threes, he ran the length of the court and took a pass for a lob dunk.

Brown finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes.

“Ankle is good,” Castleberry said. “Ankle is fine. Just precautionary. He’ll be OK.”

The Clippers waived Jordan Miller before summer league started, but they still had a roster spot so he was added to the team.

He did not disappoint Friday, producing 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Miller has been given an opportunity to show the Clippers — and any other team — how the Summer League is useful for him.

“With this team it takes a lot of humility. Not thinking less of yourself but also thinking less of yourself,” Miller said. “Just finding a way to maximize whatever role it is. It’s not just for me, but it’s for all the guys. We got guys that can score. The only way we’re going to get on the floor is defending and making open threes. That’s just the reality of it. ... But for the most part, just working game reps. Like, you’re not going to get a lot of ball-screens. You’re not going to get a lot of touches. So you just got to work on your off-ball shooting, movement shooting and being able to not mess up defensively.”

It was on defense where Clippers rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser was at his best.

Niederhauser blocked four shots and had 10 rebounds. He used his seven-foot frame as a deterrent and displayed why the Clippers drafted him out of Penn State.

“He did everything he was supposed to do,” Castleberry said. “He was great with rim-protection, changing shots and I just thought he was good.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Knicks got shellacked in their 2025 Las Vegas Summer League debut, falling 104-86 to the Detroit Pistons.

It was a forgettable offensive performance from the franchise’s prospects that left little to write home about. 

Here are some takeaways...

- New York's 2024 first-round pick Pacome Dadiet led the way with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting, making hay attacking closeouts and leaking out in transition. Marjon Beauchamp scored 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from two and 0-for-4 shooting from three. Kevin McCullar Jr. finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists on 5-of-14 shooting, while getting a large portion of the backcourt creation reps. 

- Tyler Kolek had 10 points, six rebounds, eight assists and five turnovers on 4-of-11 shooting from the field. New York went pretty deep into their bench, with 2025 second-round pick Mohamed Diawara highlighted, playing 17 minutes and finishing with seven points and seven rebounds.

- Ron Holland II led Detroit with 28 points and 11 rebounds -- he wreaked havoc defensively early and turned it up from deep later in the contest. Daniss Jenkins added 18 points on three threes while Tolu Smith finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

- The Pistons got off to a quick 16-4 start, making five of their first six field goals thanks to some sloppy Knicks turnovers. Holland made an early impact with seven points and two steals in the opening period.

McCullar Jr. made some nice plays to get the offense going after earlier miscues, long tossing off a steal to get Kolek an easy lay-up and driving hard for a reverse layup. The highlight of the quarter for New York was Diawara’s bullet to Luka Scuka inside for a bucket, though they ultimately trailed 21-15 going into the second. 

- Detroit opened the period on another run to go back up double digits behind another stalled Knicks offense. Dadiet got into the action with a three and emphatic revenge block early in the quarter.

Former Knick draft pick Trevor Keels hit a three to help the Pistons to a 6-of-14 three-point shooting half compared to a meek 1-of-9 outing from the Knicks. The team had 12 turnovers and shot 35.1 percent from the field in the opening half en route to a 46-32 halftime deficit.

- The Knicks found their groove to open the second half, going on a 9-3 run out of the gates behind a Dadiet walk-in middie and driving dunk in transition. Detroit quickly responded at the hands of Holland, showing off his newly restructured jumper with a couple threes including a tough one off the dribble in the corner.

New York missed another eight consecutive threes and fell behind by as much as 21, ultimately going into the final frame down 74-56 thanks to a full-court buzzer beating heave from Diawara. 

- The fourth quarter was more of the same as the Pistons built on their lead behind threes and stifling defense. Dadiet was able to sneak a few more transition buckets in before New York was eventually put away. 

Ariel Hukporti 💪 pic.twitter.com/EPnnzqxdmv

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) July 11, 2025

Pacome Dadiet throws it down! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nqeJDPLByr

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) July 11, 2025

What's next

The Knicks return to action on Sunday as they face-off with the Celtics' Summer League squad at 5:30 p.m.

Celtics' surprise Summer League addition impresses in debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Former San Antonio Spurs big man Charles Bassey gave the Boston Celtics’ Summer League squad an unexpected boost in Friday’s opener.

Bassey joined the Celtics’ Summer League roster just before Friday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The 6-foot-10 center immediately made his presence felt, notching two blocks within his first four minutes of action. He finished with 14 points (7-9 FG), 11 rebounds, and two blocks in 18 minutes.

“It was just clear that guy can make an impact in the game, and you saw that throughout the course of the game today. I think he was huge for us,” Celtics Summer League coach Matt Reynolds said of Bassey after Boston’s 92-78 win, per CLNS Media.

That’s the kind of production the Celtics’ thin frontcourt needs after parting ways with Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and likely Al Horford. However, Bassey remains an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team.

Bassey’s performance in Friday’s game undoubtedly gave C’s president of basketball operations Brad Stevens something to think about. As of Friday, Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, and rookie second-rounder Amari Williams are the only centers on the NBA roster.

Last season with the Spurs, Bassey averaged 4.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 10.4 minutes over 36 games. The Western Kentucky product would be a solid reserve big man, and with the roster as currently constructed, he could compete for the starting center role.

Bassey co-starred in Friday’s Summer League opener alongside rookie first-rounder Hugo Gonzalez. The 19-year-old tallied 12 points, five assists, four rebounds, and two blocks in his first taste of NBA action.

The Celtics’ Summer League slate continues Sunday against the New York Knicks with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m. ET in Las Vegas.

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas offers scouting report on Warriors' four new NBA rookies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Programming note: The American Century Championship will air Friday, July 11, from 1-3 p.m. PT on Peacock, and again from 5-7 p.m. PT on GOLF Channel. Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13, the tournament will air locally on NBC Bay Area (KNTV) from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT.

STATELINE, Nev. – ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas arrives on the shores of Lake Tahoe every summer to participate in the American Century Celebrity golf championship, enjoy the revelry and talk Warriors hoops with NBC Sports Bay Area.

An analyst for 30 years, Bilas’ broad knowledge of the game, particularly at the college level, allows him to offer objective opinions about Golden State’s latest draft picks and NBA Summer League invites.

The Warriors acquired two 2025 NBA Draft picks, both in the second round, last month. Forward Alex Toohey, from Australia’s National Basketball League, was selected 52nd overall. Guard Will Richard, from the national champion Florida Gators, was the 56th overall pick. They signed two undrafted players to Exhibit 10 contracts: L.J. Cryer, a guard from national-champion runner up Houston; and Chance McMillian, a guard from Texas Tech.

Exhibit 10 is a one-year, non-guaranteed contract for the NBA minimum that gives a team the option to transfer a player to a two-way contract before the regular season.

Here in alphabetical order is the latest version of the unofficial Bilas scouting report:

L.J. Cryer (6-foot-1, 200 pounds, 23 years old)

“He won a championship at Baylor and then he transferred to Houston, and one of the reasons was he wanted to be a better defender and realized that was an area where he could really improve and thought that Kelvin Sampson could really help him there. And I think he did. L.J. can really shoot, and he can get his own. The only, I guess criticism, is he’s not a big guard. He’s small. He’s not really a point guard, but he doesn’t really have to be. But he can put buckets up.  L.J. moves really well and he could move without the ball, but he can also score with the ball in his hands and create his own.”

Chance McMillian (6-foot-3, 190, 23)

“If he can get a roster spot, he might be spending time with the G League. Solid. He’s just a solid player that has some developing to do. There are so many guys now that go undrafted and if you give them some time in the G League, and give them some time in the NBA, and they could blossom into important pieces for a championship-level team.”

Will Richard (6-foot 4, 206, 22)

“He started his career at Belmont and then transferred to Florida, and he’s a guy that I think perfectly fits the Warriors’ culture because he can shoot it. But he’s also a very good defender, and a willing defender. He’s a team guy and he can operate without the ball, so he’s a really good catch-and-shoot guy. He can put it on the deck, but he’s an older experienced player that I think fits the Warriors’ culture because it’s not all about him. He has won a championship. He knows what that is about. I think he’s got a chance to be a solid NBA player.

“He gets he gets a fair amount of steals [mostly] off the ball. But he’s an impactful defender, and he’s a good help defender. He’s aware, and you could switch with him; he’s not going to be guarding a 4-man. I think he’ll fit in really well there.”

Alex Toohey (6-foot-8, 223, 21)

“Very talented, and he’s really young. He’s an upside pick, but really, really talented. Good size, good body. And especially at that age, you never know with guys that are 18-19 years old how they’re going to do. But at that age, there aren’t many there are many that are better than he is that are coming from Australia.”

Toohey turned 21 in May. After spending three years in the NBA Academy, the league’s global development league, he opted for the Sydney Kings of the NBL’s Next Stars program, where he spent two seasons before being selected in the NBA draft.

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The Jays' original nickname: How ‘7-11' was born at Celtics Summer League originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics begin their 2025 NBA Summer League schedule Friday afternoon with a matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Summer League is where many of the sport’s best players get their first taste of pro basketball, and that’s true of the Celtics’ two best players: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

The 2017 Summer League was a memorable one for the Celtics. Brown was coming off an impressive rookie campaign, and Boston had just selected Tatum with the No. 3 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Tatum and Brown teamed up together at Summer League in Utah and put on a show, combining for 50 points to help the Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers and No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz.

Boston trailed by as many as 15 points late in the third quarter, but the C’s battled back as Tatum scored eight of his team’s final 10 points, including the go-ahead jumper with less than 10 seconds remaining. Brown then blocked Fultz’s last-second layup to secure the victory.

It was a preview of what was to come in Boston.

“He talks to me all the time,” Tatum said of Brown after that Summer League win in 2017. “He tells me to keep going, and we feed off each other.”

Tatum and Brown weren’t being called “The Jays” at that time, however. They were nicknamed “7-11,” in reference to Brown wearing No. 7 and Tatum wearing No. 11.

You might remember that Avery Bradley was still with the Celtics when Tatum was drafted, and he wore No. 0. Tatum, as a result, originally picked No. 11, and that’s what he wore in Summer League.

But after the Celtics signed Gordon Hayward in free agency in July of 2017, they had to trade Bradley for salary purposes. That move opened up No. 0, which Tatum took and still wears to this day. No. 11 was eventually taken by Kyrie Irving, who Boston acquired later that summer.

Irving and Hayward were expected to help lead the Celtics to Banner 18, but they were unable to deliver on that expectation. Instead, it was Brown and Tatum who ended the Celtics’ title drought with a 2024 NBA Finals triumph over the Dallas Mavericks.

Tatum and Brown have become Celtics legends, and it all started at Summer League.

For more on Tatum and Brown’s first Summer League game together, check out the video player above or watch on YouTube below.

Why Warriors rookie Will Richard ‘perfectly' fits team culture, per Jay Bilas originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• Programming note: The American Century Championship will air Friday, July 11, from 1-3 p.m. PT on Peacock, and again from 5-7 p.m. PT on GOLF Channel. Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13, the tournament will air locally on NBC Bay Area (KNTV) from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT.

The Warriors’ culture has proven to be a real thing, and it appears one of their newest additions will fit right in.

At least according to ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, who spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole at the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe and gave a promising scouting report on Golden State’s second-round draft pick Will Richard.

“He’s a guy that perfectly fits the Warriors’ culture,” Bilas told Poole. “One, he can shoot it. But he’s also a very good defender and a willing defender. He’s a team guy. He can operate without the ball. So he’s a really good catch-and-shoot guy. He can put it on the deck, but he’s an older, experienced player that I think fits the Warriors’ culture because it’s not all about him.

“He’s won a championship, he knows what that’s about. And I think he’s got a chance to be a solid NBA player.”

That certainly is reassuring for the Warriors, who traded up to select the former Florida guard No. 56 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Richard averaged 13.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game for the 2025 National Champions, playing a key role in the Gators’ success. The 22-year-old was exceptional in Florida’s National Championship win over Houston, logging a game-high 18 points while shooting 4 of 7 from 3-point range.

“We see him as a two-way player, shoot it and defend it,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said of Richard. “He’s a pretty good on-ball defender, very good off-ball defender, and he’s got good length. And he’s coming from a really good program and system where (he was) well-coached, well-taught through many years in college.

“This is a guy that knows how to play.”

And in his first game as a Warrior during the team’s California Classic finale, Richard showed exactly why Golden State coveted him.

Now, the Warriors — and Richard — hope it carries over into the 2025-26 season.

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Warriors reportedly among teams that considered another LeBron James trade offer originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

After the initial shockwave that hit the NBA after Luka Dončić was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, the biggest picture became more and more clear. What does that mean for LeBron James’ future in LA?

It was a question that crossed several NBA executives’ minds, including the Warriors.

Golden State was among the handful of teams that considered whether to make an offer for the four-time NBA MVP, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst reported, citing sources.

The Warriors tried to acquire James during the 2023-24 season’s trade deadline in February, and it appears that interest never wavered.

James’ future in the City of Angels became even more blurry after he exercised his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season, his agency told ESPN, adding that James wants to compete for a championship next season and closely will be monitoring the Lakers’ moves this summer.

“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career,” Paul said in a statement to ESPN’s Shams Charania on June 30.

“He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

The Warriors also made calls about James before this year’s trade deadline, Charania reported back in February of Golden State’s aggressive pursuit of another star player, which also included players such as Kevin Durant and Paul George.

They also inquired about Jimmy Butler, whom they wound up trading for on Feb. 6.

Golden State’s interest in teaming up Steph Curry and James in the NBA is well documented. But will it forever remain a fever dream for fans? Only time will tell.

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How Hugo Gonzalez is already impressing Celtics ahead of Summer League debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It’s been a whirlwind past two weeks for Hugo Gonzalez. But the Boston Celtics’ first-round pick appears to be taking everything in stride.

Gonzalez spent the last three seasons with the Spanish club team Real Madrid, which plays deep into June in the EuroLeague and didn’t finish its 2024-25 campaign until June 25. In fact, the 19-year-old guard had a game on the same night the Celtics selected him with the No. 28 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and didn’t arrive in Boston until July 1.

Given the quick turnaround, it was unclear whether Gonzalez would join the Celtics’ Summer League squad in Las Vegas less than two weeks after arriving stateside. But not only is the young guard on the Summer League roster, he could see a significant amount of time.

“A lot. I hope he plays a lot,” Celtics assistant and Summer League head coach Matt Reynolds told reporters Thursday of Gonzalez, via CLNS Media.

Gonzalez has a steep learning curve compared to his Summer League teammates; whereas players like Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh are familiar with the Celtics’ system, Gonzalez has had to learn a whole new playbook and new team principles in just two weeks. According to Reynolds, however, the rookie is a quick learner.

“He’s been awesome,” Reynolds said of Gonzalez. “Our staff is very pleased with him, especially having just arrived in the country. We’re throwing our whole playbook at him and all these things that some of our returning players just have a leg up on him with. So, he’s diligent with film, both in the skill side and in the concepts and action side.”

Gonzalez — who’s the youngest player on Boston’s roster — inevitably will make some mistakes in Vegas as he catches up to speed. But Reynolds and the Celtics will live with those mistakes as long as his effort level doesn’t waver.

“The motor that he plays with is something you can’t teach,” Reynolds recently told Celtics team reporter Marc D’Amico. “He plays very hard. … His effort is going to make up for any delay (in learning the playbook).”

Gonzalez’s Celtics teammates already have raved about his hustle, with Walsh calling the rookie a “defensive menace” who “plays really hard … dives on the floor … and attacks the rim with force.” It sounds like Gonzalez is putting similar effort off the court to dive into the Celtics’ playbook and get caught up to speed as quickly as possible.

Gonzalez and the Summer C’s will debut Friday afternoon against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, with tip-off set for 4 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.

Warriors' key to competing in ‘brutal' Western Conference, per Jay Bilas originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• Programming note: The American Century Championship will air Friday, July 11, from 1-3 p.m. PT on Peacock, and again from 5-7 p.m. PT on GOLF Channel. Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13, the tournament will air locally on NBC Bay Area (KNTV) from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT.

The Western Conference won’t get any easier during the 2025-25 NBA season, but Jay Bilas shared one crucial key for the Warriors to stay afloat with the best in the West.

The ESPN analyst spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole at the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe and shared how Golden State’s path to another championship comes down to one thing.

“Stay healthy and put yourself in a good position going into the playoffs,” Bilas told Poole. “It’s crazy, one or two games throughout the year can determine whether you’re fourth or eighth. Heck, last year, the last three games of the year, Denver was either going to be fourth or in the Play-In. It was that close. Every game you play, and I know there are 82 of them and you’re not going to be your best all the time, but every game matters in the Western Conference. It’s brutal.

“But because everybody’s so close, that means if you get in the playoffs, you have a chance. especially if you’re healthy. And that’s what doomed Golden State this last year, [Steph] Curry had that injury. It didn’t matter if it was Curry, [Jimmy] Butler or [Draymond] Green, you get one of those guys hurt and you’re not going to win. It’s unfortunate, but you got to keep your guys healthy.”

Seems simple enough, right?

Not always.

Injuries, of course, are unpredictable. The 2023-24 NBA champion Boston Celtics had an early playoff exit when their superstar, Jayson Tatum, went down with a torn Achilles.

The Indiana Pacers’ triumphant season came to a gutwrenching ending when Tyrese Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury and will miss the entire 2025-26 season to recover.

Golden State only can control what it can control, and the Warriors will have to take it day by day to survive another battle in the West.

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Kings rookie Nique Clifford hilariously reveals fitting first word as baby originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Mama? Dada? Baba?

The list of common first words goes on. But how about “ball” as a baby’s first word?

During an interview with NBC Sports California’s Morgan Ragan on “Kings Central,” Nique Clifford, the No. 24 overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, hilariously revealed what his first words were.

And, yes, there couldn’t have been a more fitting first word for the 23-year-old rookie guard/forward.

“I started playing when I was three years old,” Clifford shared with Ragan. “My parents put the ball in my hands when I was a baby. My first word was ball, so I was kind of meant to do this, I feel like.” 

Sacramento traded up into the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft for the No. 24 pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder, acquiring the rights to Colorado State’s Clifford in exchange for a protected 2027 first-round pick. 

The 6-foot-5, 202-pound Clifford, a fifth-year senior, led the Rams to a first-round upset of Memphis in the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 steals in 35.4 minutes per game last season at Colorado State.

As with many other players in the league, Clifford was obsessed with the sport for as long as he can remember.

“I was just a happy-go-lucky kid that would play outside all day, play at the park with my friends,” Clifford added. 

“I was always playing basketball or some type of sport. I played a lot of sports growing up, but basketball was always my favorite.”

There’s no doubt that Clifford always was meant to play professional basketball.

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