Green finished with nine points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field to go along with four rebounds, three assists and one block.
While Steph Curry made the “night night” celebration a global sensation, the Warriors have another term for the action when Green does it.
“We say in the locker room, Draymond do the ‘nightmare,’ ” guard Moses Moody told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke after the Warriors’ win. “Nah, bit it’s cool. That’s something obviously started with Steph, but he passed it on, moved it around and the whole team is sending them home.”
Green and the Warriors have won seven consecutive games and improved to 39-28 with the win over the Knicks, who head back to New York after going 2-3 on a five-game West Coast road trip.
After Saturday’s loss, the Knicks might not sleep well on the cross-country flight.
SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors on Saturday night at Chase Center extended their win streak to seven consecutive games, beating the New York Knicks, 97-94, making more history along the way.
Steph Curry scored a game-high 28 points, and added seven rebounds and five assists. The spotlight always belongs to Curry. Moses Moody in this win deserves an equal amount of praise.
Moody was a plus-12, scoring 18 huge points and draining four 3-pointers, each one feeling more timely than the other.
The Warriors’ largest lead was nine points. The Knicks’ largest lead was five points. This came down to the last man standing as the Warriors outlasted every punch the Knicks threw their way.
Here are three takeaways from yet another impressive Warriors win.
Draymond, KAT Claw All Game
The matchup to watch was between a Swiss Army Knife who plays point-center and a 7-footer who lives behind the 3-point line. Basketball wasn’t the main reason everybody was locked into watching Draymond Green and Karl-Anthony Towns. Controversy was.
Towns missed the Knicks’ game against the Warriors at Madison Square Garden on March 4, to which Green on his podcast joked the All-Star center was ducking Butler, his former teammate in Minnesota. The real reason Towns didn’t play was to attend the funeral of a longtime family friend.
Trash talk began shortly after the opening tip. Towns got Green to jump on pump fake, drove past him and threw down a dunk. When Green one minute later went through Towns for a contested layup, the volume was turned up. The same can be said about Green’s reaction to his first three of the night.
Green’s defensive genius was on display in the second quarter while guarding Towns behind the 3-point line. Towns, dribbling between his legs, tried to lull Green. But right when Towns gathered to get in a shooting motion, Green got right up on him, knocking the ball off Towns and out of bounds.
All four quarters felt like a heavyweight fight, especially between two big men who are polar opposites. Towns dropped 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but Green hit him with Curry’s signature Night Night celebration after driving past him for a layup with 25 seconds remaining in the game.
Another New Starting Lineup
Quinten Post as a rookie already has given Golden State more than the Warriors ever could have asked for this season. The fact is, despite all the winning, the Warriors’ starting lineup hasn’t been working as Brandin Podziemski continues to nurse his lower back soreness.
The five-man lineup of Curry, Butler, Green, Post and Moses Moody had played four games together going into Saturday night for a total of 32 minutes. They produced a minus-21.9 net rating with a 95.8 offensive rating and a 117.6 defensive rating. Steve Kerr had seen enough, at least for one game, so he opted to use his 36th different starting lineup this season.
In came Gui Santos for Post. Even with Santos’ first 3-point attempt getting blocked, he showed why he’s the perfect glue guy and fits multiple lineups.
Kerr’s newest starting five played the first four-plus minutes of the game together, spending five minutes and 25 seconds on the floor as a group in the first half. Through two quarters, they outscored the Knicks 12-11. Santos in 25 minutes had five points and seven rebounds. As a group, the starting five played 12 minutes and 19 seconds together, outscoring the Knicks by one point, 25-24.
Every Detail Matters
Both the Warriors and Knicks have star powers. Big names on the court, and fan bases full of celebrities. A game between two contenders came down to every small detail mattering.
The Warriors in their previous five games averaged more than 16 turnovers, which resulted in an average of nearly 20 points for the opposition. In their win against the Knicks, the Warriors are two fewer turnovers. As the Warriors totaled 11 turnovers that resulted in eight points for the Knicks, Golden State turned New York’s 13 turnovers into 19 points.
Though the Knicks had four more rebounds, 10 more points in the paint and eight more second-chance points, the Warriors won the battle of assists, 3-pointers, free throws, steals and fastbreak points.
Their bench also outscored the Knicks 26-4.
Strong screens. Better box outs. Crisp passes and disrupting the lanes defensively. That’s how the Warriors will beat teams chasing a title like the Knicks, as well as their next two opponents in the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks.
Steve Kerr stands on top in the Warriors’ record book.
The Golden State coach now has the most wins in franchise history, earning his 558th victory with the team’s 97-94 triumph over the New York Knicks on Saturday night at Chase Center.
Kerr came into the game tied with Warriors legend Al Attles at 557 franchise wins.
Immediately after the record-setting win, Kerr spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke on the Chase Center court, and in typical fashion, he had a tongue-in-cheek beginning to his answer about the accomplishment.
“It’s amazing to do this without any talent at all. I’ve just had to coach up these guys,” Kerr said jokingly. “Are you kidding me? To be able to coach Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, I mean, we’ve been blessed with such incredible rosters the entire 11 years. And more than anything, this is a reflection of the entire organizational strength, stability, the collaboration we all share, the players, coaches, management, ownership. We have an incredible collection of people and the record is just a reflection of that.”
Kerr’s 558 career wins place him 29th all-time among NBA coaches. His mentor, Gregg Popovich, holds the record with 1,415 wins.
Appointed by Warriors CEO Joe Lacob, Kerr’s head coaching career began with Golden State in May 2014, succeeding Mark Jackson.
In the 2014-15 NBA season, Kerr and the Warriors won 67 games, becoming NBA champions after defeating superstar LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kerr, a five-time NBA champion as a player, brought a winning culture to the Warriors from the moment he arrived in the Bay. Along with a franchise-record 558 franchise victories, the 59-year-old has won 91 playoff games and four NBA titles at the helm.
Outside of the 2019-2020 season, the Warriors have finished every season above .500 under Kerr, who also led Golden State to an NBA-record 73 wins during the 2015-16 season.
As it stands, Golden State can benefit from all of Kerr’s coaching expertise as it looks to punch a playoff ticket.
The Warriors currently sit at xx-xx and are the No. x seed, x games back of the Houston Rockets for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference with x regular-season contests remaining.
It’s Saturday, March 15, and the Indiana Pacers (37-28) and Milwaukee Bucks (37-28) are all set to square off from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
The Pacers are currently 16-18 on the road with a point differential of 1, while the Bucks have a 6-4 record in their last ten games at home. Milwaukee is 2-1 in the season series but Indiana won the most recent matchup on Tuesday thanks to Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning four-point play.
Milwaukee is 8-4 since the All-Star break but 1-3 over the past four games. Indiana has won two straight but is 2-3 over the past five games.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Pacers vs. Bucks live today
Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025
Time: 8:00PM EST
Site: Fiserv Forum
City: Milwaukee, WI
Network/Streaming:
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Pacers vs. Bucks
The latest odds as of Saturday:
Odds: Pacers (+154), Bucks (-185)
Spread: Bucks -4.5
Over/Under: 236 points
That gives the Pacers an implied team point total of 117.11, and the Bucks 119.46.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Saturday’s Pacers vs. Bucks game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes the Bucks to cover:
"These teams just met on Tuesday and the Pacers won on a miracle four-point play. This is an easy handicap. It's Bucks or pass for me. The loser of the previous meeting during the same week often covers or wins the second matchup and the Bucks have plenty of motivation."
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Pacers & Bucks game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Milwaukee Bucks on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Indiana Pacers at +4.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the under on the Game Total of 236.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Pacers vs. Bucks on Saturday
The Bucks have won four of their last five home games against teams with winning records
The under is 4-1 in the Bucks' last five matchups against divisional opponents
The Bucks have covered the spread in four of their last five games against teams with winning records
The Bucks have won and covered the handicap in four of their last five home games against teams with winning records and they can make the most of a scheduling advantage here, with the Pacers having played a tough game against the 76ers last night.
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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Nets star Cam Thomas suffered a left hamstring strain during Thursday night’s loss to the Chicago Bulls.
The team announced Saturday that given the number of days left in the schedule and the time it would take to work his way back to full health, the 23-year-old is expected to be out the remainder of the season.
This is Thomas’ third hamstring ailment this year -- limiting him to just 25 games.
He has, however, remained a scoring machine when healthy -- averaging a career-high 24 points over that span while putting together a team-leading six 30+ point showings, including a season-high 43 points on Nov. 15 against the Knicks.
He notched his first career double-double in his final game of the year (24 points, 10 assists).
It’ll be interesting to see how the rebuilding Nets handle things with Thomas this offseason, as he is currently in the final year of his rookie deal and is set to be a restricted free agent at season's end.
He appeared to be headed for a big payday coming into this year, but we’ll see if the injury-plagued season affects that.
With a month to go in the NBA season, there are eight teams (conservatively, you could argue 10) more focused as an organization on lottery odds than winning games. Or, to put it bluntly, they are tanking with their eyes on Cooper Flagg. That means a lot of good players are missing games for dodgy reasons.
The NBA is pushing those teams to keep their best players on the court. The league already fined the Utah Jazz $100,000 for not playing Lauri Markkanen against the Wizards and in other games — and, shockingly, he was suddenly available for the next game after the fine. Now, Shams Charania of ESPN reports that both the Thunder and 76ers are being investigated for violating the league's Player Participation Policy.
The Thunder are not tanking — they have run away with the West at 54-12 — but on March 7 they sat six key players (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace) in what was still a home win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Only two of those players, Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, meet the NBA's qualifications for a star player under the league's Player Participation Policy (an All-Star the last three years), but sitting that many players raised eyebrows. Still, this was a home game that was not nationally televised, so it's a little difficult to get worked up over OKC's decision.
The league is investigating Philadelphia "for the recent absences of players such as Paul George (knee, back, finger) and Tyrese Maxey (back, finger)," according to the ESPN report. George has admitted he is playing through pain and, with the 76ers season all but over, he will be meeting with doctors about treatment for his knee and groin/back issues. It seems challenging to blame him for not playing through pain. Don't expect to see a lot of Maxey, either.
Philadelphia has real motivation to tank. Its first-round pick this year belongs to Oklahoma City but is top-six protected. Philly is trying to tank its way into keeping that pick, the 76ers are currently tied with the Nets for the 5th/6th worst record in the NBA. If the Sixers can hold on to the fifth-worst spot, they have a 62.1% chance of retaining that top-six pick after the lottery. It would be shocking if we see George again this season, Embiid is already out for the season to get treatment on his knee (although no definitive plan has been released) and expect Maxey to be limited.
Again, is that worth the league's fine? Where is that line?
The first fine for violating the league's Player Participation Policy is $100,000 — enough to get a team's attention, but this is the cost of a 10-day contract to teams, so it will not break them. However, a second violation is $250,000 and the third $1 million — teams can live with the first fine but want to avoid climbing that ladder.
Which will make the final month of the season interesting for teams such as Toronto (Scottie Barnes qualifies for the Player Participation Policy) and others trying to tank but avoid a fine. It's a fine line everyone is trying to walk.
Mar 14, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) reacts after a play in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
These games happen in the NBA. There was no LeBron James or Luka Doncic for the Lakers, but with the chance to shine, other guys stepped up — Austin Reaves scored 37, Dalton Knecht had 32 with five 3-pointers, and Los Angeles just played hard. Meanwhile, Denver played like they expected the Lakers to roll over.
Fortunately, with the game on the line, Nikola Jokic set a massive (moving?) screen, taking out two defenders, which opened the door for Jamal Murray to save the day for the Nuggets.
It was an ugly win for the Nuggets, but after rough losses to top teams (Boston, Oklahoma City, Minnesota), they needed the win. That doesn't mean Michael Malone was happy about it, he walked into his postgame press conference, crumpled up the stat sheet and threw it away. The win moved the Nuggets back up to No. 2 in the West.
Jokic finished the game with 28 points, seven rebounds, and five assists — a great night for most players but a pedestrian one for him.
The Lakers went 0-4 on their road trip and will have to continue without LeBron James (groin strain) for another week or so, but now come home for four games, with a couple of winnable ones to start against Phoenix Sunday (nationally televised), followed by the very shorthanded Spurs. Then they get another shot at Denver.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves, right, drives past Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray during the first half of Friday's game. (David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
Inside a locker room, geography matters and Friday night in Denver, Austin Reaves was in the big seat.
Using the space typically assigned to LeBron James inside the Nuggets’ visiting locker room, Reaves sat closest to the showers, players passing him on their way in and out after they’d fumbled a chance to stun Denver.
Cam Reddish, Christian Koloko, Jordan Goodwin — each one passed by the space only to briefly stop and get a quick word of encouragement from the lone Lakers starter who played Friday night.
They were fully under the watch of Reaves, the unquestioned third member of the Lakers’ big three who nearly carried his team minus James and Luka Doncic to a win in Denver on the second night of a back-to-back minus 60% of its 10-man rotation.
But his 37 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds and four steals weren’t enough — numbers so special that they’ve been accomplished only seven other times, Reaves joining Doncic, James, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Pete Maravich, Bernard King and Kenny Anderson as the select few to have done it.
Earlier this year, minus James and Doncic, Reaves scored 45 points with seven rebounds and seven assists, numbers equaled only 25 times in Lakers history by a list of the organization’s greats. Elgin Baylor did it 10 times. Kobe Bryant did it six. Jerry West had at least 45-7-7 four times. Magic Johnson did it once. And then there’s Reaves.
“Looks weird when you see my name up there,” Reaves said after that game against the Indiana Pacers.
Maybe it’s time to stop being so surprised.
For what it’s worth, Reaves isn’t that shocked, having been confident enough to tell people around him he was going to matter for the Lakers as an undrafted rookie on a two-way contract after one day of minicamp.
“I’ve weirdly been confident for a long time,” Reaves said Friday night, his feet and ankles soaking in ice. “It’s just being on the stage for the world to see. But I tell you all the time, I just try to play the game the right way. And when shots fall, it looks good. And when shots don’t fall, everybody’s ready to kill me. Everybody in the locker room did what they had to do to win. And unfortunately, we didn’t get it done.”
The Lakers, in all honestly, probably should have.
They led by three in the final minute after back-to-back steals by Reaves led to transition points, starting with one in which he ripped the ball away from annual most valuable player candidate Nikola Jokic.
The second steal led to a Dalton Knecht dunk, with Knecht landing scarily on his back and head after he lost his grip and slipped off the rim. JJ Redick ran to check on Knecht as Denver called timeout and was late back into his huddle.
The Nuggets came out and attacked Koloko, who rarely plays, Jokic quickly scoring and drawing a foul to tie the game.
“I didn’t have time to really get us the right substitutions and matchups that I would have wanted,” Redick said. “And that’s not a knock on CK, but I just kind of put him in a tough spot knowing that Jokic was going to go quick.”
After Reaves’ jumper rimmed out, Denver created an open Jamal Murray three off a screen from Jokic, and like he’s done multiple times before, the Denver guard hit the game’s biggest shot.
“Losing sucks,” Reaves said. “But I’m happy with what these guys in the locker room did tonight.”
As the Lakers head back to Los Angeles on a four-game losing streak, Reaves’ last two games are one of the few slivers of encouragement after the 26-year-old-guard shook off any rust from a two-game absence because of a calf strain this month. He’s also been dealing with right wrist pain and wore a large ice pack on his shooting arm after he scored 28 against Milwaukee on Thursday.
Friday, James was courtside in Sacramento watching his son Bryce and Sierra Canyon win a state title while he recovers from a groin strain. Starters Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura also were not with the team because of knee injuries. Doncic, who scored 45 against the Bucks, didn’t play because of calf and ankle injury management. Key bench players Gabe Vincent (knee) and Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) also sat out.
Reaves acknowledged all the absences left him wondering whether he should get one too, with only James having played more minutes for the Lakers this season.
“They told me to go play, so I go play,” Reaves said afterward.
If the Lakers were Reaves’ team Friday, that isn’t expected be the case much longer. The trade for Doncic ensured he’d be the team’s primary creator for the remainder of his contract — and beyond, if the Lakers can keep him. James also will be back to dominate possessions as he’s having an All-NBA-type season, meaning Reaves will be taking a step back and tasked with making the biggest adjustment of the three.
Reaves is a critical part of all that, and finding lanes for him to lead like this — whether he’s in the big seat or not — is a major task for the final month of the regular season.
“Austin has done a great job throughout his career of just like figuring it out. And you don’t always figure it out in a week or a month,” Redick said before Thursday’s game, adding: “There’s a lot of stuff that has happened over the last six weeks. He’s been phenomenal this season. We have a lot of confidence in him as a player. We have a lot of confidence in the duo of him and Luca together. And X-and-O-wise, he’s going to play on ball. He’s going to play off ball. We’ll have a ton of opportunities once we get LeBron back. Those two guys have such great synergy and chemistry. They’re incredibly intelligent players and really understand how to play off of each other.
“And then, I think you’ve seen it when we’ve been whole, the guys have really learned how to play with Luka. And we’ve gotten some good stuff when we’ve been organized.”
Draymond implied on his weekly podcast that Towns was dodging Warriors forward Jimmy Butler, Towns’ teammate when they were on the Minnesota Timberwolves. The truth? The 7-footer was away to attend a memorial service.
Green’s disrespect for Towns is part of the backdrop Saturday when the teams meet at Chase Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:35. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 4:30 with Warriors Pregame Live, with Warriors Postgame Live immediately following the ABC telecast.
Both players say they have moved on, but this is the first time this season that they will share the court. Green, as in the past, will be the primary defender on Towns, who is in the absence of guard Jalen Brunson (ankle) is New York’s top scorer, at 24.2 points per game, on 54.2 percent shooting from the field, including 42.2 from deep.
Towns, who over his nine-year career averages 22.2 points per game against Green (per statmuse.com), considers himself the best-shooting big man in the NBA. Draymond considers himself the best all-around defender in the league.
Defending KAT is crucial, as he the most efficient scorer on New York’s roster that includes Mikal Bridges (17.5 ppg), OG Anunoby (16.6) and Josh Hart (14.5). Miles McBride, who is replacing Brunson in the starting lineup, is averaging 9.2 points per game – but posted a career-high 29 points at Chase last season.
With Towns bearing an additional scoring burden, and Green, five inches shorter, will have to avoid foul trouble to have a chance to meet that task.
It’s reasonable to believe ego and pride will get involved. Towns chose not to respond to Green’s comments, but Hart spoke up on his behalf.
“I think KAT handled it the right way,” Hart told the New York Post on Friday. “For me, I have my own podcast and all that stuff. Whenever I’m wrong about something, I’ll sit there and say I was (wrong). I wish he kind of did that. Just apologized.”
Draymond, once presented with the facts, did offer a tepid apology.
But that wasn’t the first time he disparaged KAT, so don’t expect him to be anything other than his usual assertive self when they meet on Saturday.
It’s Saturday, March 15, and the Oklahoma City Thunder (54-12) and Detroit Pistons (37-30) are all set to square off from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
The Thunder are currently 25-7 on the road with a point differential of 12, while the Pistons have a 6-4 record in their last ten games at home. This is the first meeting of the season between OKC and Detroit.
Oklahoma City is 8-1 in the last nine games and coming off a win over the Celtics in Boston. Detroit is 8-4 since the All-Star break but is 2-3 over the previous five contests.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Thunder vs. Pistons live today
Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025
Time: 7:00PM EST
Site: Little Caesars Arena
City: Detroit, MI
Network/Streaming:
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Thunder vs. Pistons
The latest odds as of Saturday:
Odds: Thunder (-240), Pistons (+197)
Spread: Thunder -6
Over/Under: 234 points
That gives the Thunder an implied team point total of 119.12, and the Pistons 115.99.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Saturday’s Thunder vs. Pistons game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Thunder to cover:
"While Detroit has played up to competition and exceeded expectations, the Pistons have dropped games to the Clippers and Wizards in two of the past three losses. Coming off a loss to the Wizards is concerning when they beat them by 20 points a few nights prior. It's Thunder or pass."
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Thunder & Pistons game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Oklahoma City Thunder on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Detroit Pistons at +6.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the under on the Game Total of 234.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Thunder vs. Pistons on Saturday
The Thunder have won 4 of their last 5 matchups against Eastern Conference Central Division teams
The Over is 7-3 in the Thunder's last 10 road games
The Pistons have covered the spread in 7 of their last 10 home games against teams with better records
Betting the Thunder on the Money Line in all their road games this season is showing a 110% return on investment
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It’s Saturday, March 15, and the Boston Celtics (48-19) and Brooklyn Nets (22-44) are all set to square off from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The Celtics are currently 25-7 on the road with a point differential of 9, while the Nets have a 5-5 record in their last ten games at home. Boston won both meetings by 4 and 25 points this season. This is the third of four meetings this year.
Boston won six of the past seven games, including their previous outing against Miami by double-digits. Brooklyn is 1-9 over the last 10 games and coming off a six-point loss to Chicago.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Celtics vs. Nets live today
Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025
Time: 6:00PM EST
Site: Barclays Center
City: Brooklyn, NY
Network/Streaming:
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Celtics vs. Nets
The latest odds as of Saturday:
Odds: Celtics (-602), Nets (+446)
Spread: Celtics -11.5
Over/Under: 214 points
That gives the Celtics an implied team point total of 111.93, and the Nets 105.95.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Saturday’s Celtics vs. Nets game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Celtics to cover against the Nets:
"These teams split ATS this season, while the Celtics are 2-0 on the ML, and I think this game goes in Boston's favor. The Celtics rested a handful of players against Miami and won that game by double-digits. I think they will have some of those guys back and can win this game by double-digits too before they meet again on Tuesday."
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Celtics & Nets game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Boston Celtics on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Brooklyn Nets at +11.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 214.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Celtics vs. Nets on Saturday
The Celtics have won 17 of their last 20 matchups against Eastern Conference Atlantic Division opponents
The Over is 8-5 in the Celtics' matchups against Eastern Conference Atlantic Division teams this season
The Nets have covered the spread in 4 of their last 5 home games against teams with winning records
The Nets have covered the Spread in 7 of their 11 matchups against Eastern Conference Atlantic Division teams this season
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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Lakers guard Austin Reaves drives to the basket during the first half of a 131-126 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. (David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
Entering Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets, things were not good for the Lakers. They entered on a three-game losing streak. They were down three starters in LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes. A fourth, Luka Doncic, was sitting out on the second night of a back-to-back. Two more key rotation players, Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent, also were unavailable as they managed long-term injuries.
A week ago the Lakers were mostly healthy, flying to Boston on an eight-game winning streak. A week ago they were climbing the standings, not sliding.
But even if the personnel didn’t mirror the Lakers of a week ago, at least the energy did Friday, the team pushing the Nuggets over four quarters before making one too many mistakes in a 131-126 loss.
“I’m proud of the group for the level of fight and resiliency,” Redick said.
Nuggets stars Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic ran a pick and roll, opening up Murray for a clean look at a three-pointer with 5.6 seconds left. Like he has so many times against the Lakers, the point guard hit the big shot.
Austin Reaves, who capped his rookie season with a 31-point triple-double in Denver, nearly led the Lakers (40-25) to the upset, scoring 37 along with 13 assists and eight rebounds. Dalton Knecht, starting near his hometown, had his most points since mid-November with 32, and Shake Milton scored 16 off the bench.
Knecht scored his final two points on a dunk and landed awkwardly on his back and head. He was able to stay in the game.
“I told him in the huddle, I said, 'Hey, if you want to shoot it, shoot it. I don't care if you shoot it 35 times, we're going to need every bucket you can get,'” Reaves told Knecht. “So he's a hooper.”
The Lakers led by three in the final minute before a Jokic three-point play and Murray’s triple. All five starters scored in double figures for Denver (43-24).
Reaves, who had to ice his right wrist after the Lakers’ loss in Milwaukee on Thursday, said he wasn't sure he'd play, but ultimately the chance to compete carried him.
“We know when we're full healthy and got everybody on the team that we have a really good chance to beat anybody," Reaves said. "I just see this group, coming together, locking in on one common goal and that's to win. And tonight I think is the biggest testament to that. Very shorthanded and went and played a really good basketball team with probably the best player in the world. And went toe to toe and had an opportunity to win it and just didn't execute the last 50 seconds.”
He played 39 minutes.
“Certainly asked a lot of him on the second night of a back-to-back, not just the 40 minutes, but just the vast majority of playmaking duties,” Redick said. “And I thought he did an outstanding job.”
The Lakers had a chance to force overtime but they couldn’t get the inbounds pass to Reaves, with Russell Westbrook getting the steal and dunking in the final seconds.
Before the game Redick again sounded optimistic about the Lakers getting more help over the next week, when the team plays five games in Los Angeles, including a pair of back-to-backs Sunday and Monday and Wednesday and Thursday to wrap a stretch in which they’ll play six times in eight days.
The Lakers are the first team since 2022 to have six games in eight days, playing a makeup of a game with the San Antonio Spurs that was postponed during the wildfires in January.
They head back to L.A. on a season-worst four-game losing streak, with full health still some time away.
“We went 0-4, so it's a pretty bad trip. But ... JJ said, ‘A week ago, everybody's like Lakers in five.' So we just don't listen to any of it,” Reaves said.
The Knicks are in the Bay Area to take on the Golden State Warriors on Saturday in what will be the final game of their five-game West Coast road trip. While the game itself is enough for NBA fans to want to tune in, the controversy surrounding Draymond Green and his comments about Karl-Anthony Towns has added a layer of intrigue to the matchup.
The outspoken Warriors forward made news when he suggested Towns did not want to play Golden State when the two teams matched up last week at The Garden. On his podcast, Green said Towns wanted to avoid Jimmy Butler.
Of course, Towns missed that game due to the loss of a family friend. When Green was asked about his comments after Golden State's game against the Brooklyn Nets on March 7, Green was surprised and offered condolences but didn’t apologize for his baseless accusation.
Josh Hart was asked about Green’s comments Friday and said the team is ready to move on, but wishes the former Defensive Player of the Year was more responsible.
“I think KAT handled it the right way,” Hart told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “For me, I have my own podcast and all that stuff. Whenever I’m wrong about something, I’ll sit there and say I was (wrong). For me, I wish he kind of did that - just apologized. You don’t got to be embarrassed or feel like apologizing is when you’re wrong isn’t manly. I wish he did. Now that’s in the past and we’re moving on.”
“I choose to approach that with love and not hate. That’s all I really care about,” Towns said. “I hope no one has to go through what I went through and those kids—and what those kids had to go through. Losing a parent is tough."
The Knicks enter Saturday’s matchup with a 2-2 record on the road trip and hope to finish it on a high note without their captain, Jalen Brunson who is out for a few weeks due to an ankle sprain. Entering Friday, the Knicks (42-23) sit five games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Draymond Green suggests on his podcast that Karl-Anthony Towns missed Tuesday’s game vs GSW because he wanted to avoid Jimmy Butler. Green casually throwing this out there on his platform without researching the situation is extremely irresponsible: pic.twitter.com/UkUpMp2111
Jrue Holiday may not be the first, second, third, or even fourth player who comes to mind when thinking about the Boston Celtics’ star-studded roster. Still, the All-Defensive guard is a crucial part of the C’s championship formula.
Holiday provided a firm reminder of that in Friday’s 103-91 victory over the Miami Heat, battling through his right-hand mallet finger injury to deliver a season-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He also contributed four rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal in a stellar two-way performance.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla heaped praise on Holiday after the win. When asked about the 34-year-old veteran’s impact being “kind of” overlooked, Mazzulla issued a correction.
“It’s not ‘kind of.’ It is overlooked,” Mazzulla said. “But it’s overlooked because that’s just the type of person that he is, and it’s also just the type of teammate that he is, that he’ll do whatever it takes to win for his team.
“Tonight, the ball found him early and I’m glad he was aggressive and then he was able to build through that. I thought he made some timely plays and some big-time plays. I’m really happy for him because he does get overlooked at times, but we’re really grateful to have him.”
Holiday has never been flashy or outspoken, but he has been among the most consistent two-way players since entering the league in 2009. The two-time NBA champion continues to lead by example in Boston, most recently by battling through a finger injury that forced him to miss several games.
“I’m doing the best I can. Today was a good day,” Holiday told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin. “Sometimes on the catch, it feels weird, but there’s no excuses out here. They don’t care that my finger’s broken or I have mallet finger. Just trying to come out here every game and focus and try to lock in.”
Holiday stepped up with Jaylen Brown (right knee posterior impingement) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) sidelined. The Celtics will hope to have the duo back in the starting lineup when they visit the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday for the second night of their back-to-back.
Tip-off for C’s-Nets is set for 6 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.
At the trade deadline last month, when the Suns needed to find a new home for Bradley Beal to complete a Jimmy Butler trade, there was no deal to be made. Part of that was a limited market for Beal, but a more significant issue was Beal having a no-trade clause that he would have to waive for any deal to get done.
If the Suns are going to attain their goal of reshaping the roster around Devin Booker and getting under the second apron of the luxury tax, Phoenix is going to have to revisit Beal trades this offseason (not just trade Kevin Durant). Beal is far more open to an offseason move, he told Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The one caveat is that he wants to go somewhere with a chance to win.
"It is a different deal in the summer," Beal said. "Everything is kind of more laid out on the table. You got more options...
And my biggest thing is when I came here, I want to win. I've scored 30 points a game. I've been an All-Star. I've been All-NBA. I want to win. That's always been my label -- I haven't won anything. So whatever that looks like for the team, whether that's me coming up the bench, whether it's me starting, whether it's me, whatever it is, I'm going to do it... I enjoy the game, man. This game is fun. I try not to let nobody take the joy out of it for me... I'm still playing in the NBA, I still have the best job in the world, and I still have my no-trade clause. So I'm smiling every day."
It's unclear how big a trade market there might be for Beal this summer, and it's likely the Suns would need to attach a draft pick to him in any deal to get a team to take on the $110.8 million he is owed over the next two seasons. Beal still has value in the league, he's averaging 17.7 points a game this season and is shooting 39.3% from 3. He can still get buckets. But his role on any team now will not be as a primary offensive creator, at least with the first unit. His price tag outweighs his contributions at this point, limiting the market for his services.
Beal is not eager to uproot his family and move, it will have to be to a situation where he feels comfortable and the team has a shot at winning. That said, there's a better chance a Beal trade happens in June around the NBA Draft or during free agency in July than there was at the trade deadline.
Expect a lot of Beal rumors this summer. Whether any of them pan out is another question.
