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

Can Steph open 5K 3-pointer Club? Don't bet against Warriors star originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Steph Curry defies high definition. He’s 4K – a step above, creating new records as he goes. 

On his fourth 3-point attempt in the Warriors’ 130-104 win against the Sacramento Kings, Curry gave Golden State a nine-point lead Thursday night at Chase Center a few minutes into the third quarter, giving him 4,000 3-pointers for his career.

Club 4K only has one member: Curry. 

So did Club 3K when Curry first established it. 

Steph opened its doors as a late Christmas gift to himself on Dec. 28, 2021. All he needed was three years and a little more than two months to upgrade to a doper spot down the block. How far can Curry keep pushing the 3-point barriers? 

“Eight thousand?” Steve Kerr semi-jokingly responded. “Who knows? Who knows? It just seems like it was not too long ago that he broke the record. And what was that? Less than 3,000. (Kerr is told 2,974)

“He just keeps going. The way that he keeps himself in shape, in condition, in rhythm – he’s going to make another thousand, for sure. That’s what I would guess, but who knows.”

Curry’s two threes while being face guarded and top locked for all 94 feet puts him at 253 in 57 games this season. He’s making 4.4 threes per game, and he hasn’t missed a game since Jan. 28. Bilateral knee tendinitis had a treatment plan called Trading For Jimmy Butler. 

Assuming he plays every game the rest of the season, though Kerr would love to give him a rest or two if the playoff picture ever becomes clearer, Curry’s 3-point rate would have him finish his 16th regular season with around 324 threes. That puts him at 4,071 for his career. 

Steph is the first player in NBA history with 4,000 3-pointers 🙌

pic.twitter.com/9VHHDnsunJ

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 14, 2025

Shooters know shooters. They share a secret language, and Curry holds the passcode to where everybody wants to be but know it’s a place out of their reach. 

“Very special,” Buddy Hield said to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke in response to Curry reaching 4,000 career threes. “Growing up, you never think that mark will be in reach. But every year, every game, Steph always amazes people. It just shows his true dedication to the game of basketball and he’s been tremendously blessed.

“I just hope he gets to 5,000. I think he can do it.”

Say it again, Buddy. Five thousand? 

“I think so,” Hield said, doubling down. “I was doing the math the other day. … If he makes, what, 330 threes the next three years, I think he’s good for it. Nothing’s impossible for him.”

Those last four words beat math. Curry beat the system. He altered the game. Hield, as someone who joined Club 2K this season, should be heard. 

Curry’s current pace has him a few threes shy of Hield’s calculation. That’s questioning a couple of games of Curry going berserk behind the 3-point line. As history shows, that option always has to be considered. 

Giving him 330 threes this season now moves his career mark to 4,077. Curry’s current contract has two more years on it after this season ends, running through the 2026-27 season. Hield has Curry making 660 total threes in the final two years of his contract, now adding up to 4,737. Or, 263 short of 5,000.

But Curry said the day before he reached 4,000, two days before he turns 37 years old, he’s already eyeing to play past the 2026-27 season. 

“I know how my contract’s lined up, and I would like to outplay that for sure,” Curry said on 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” after Warriors practice Wednesday. “But how long that goes? I have no idea.”

What about just one more season? Can Curry, in what would be his 19th season, make 263 threes? In a final campaign where he would turn 40 with one month left in the regular season? 

If Curry were to play 62 games and miss 20 in his age-39 season, one year longer than his current contract goes, he’d have to average 4.3 threes made per game to get to 5,000.

Doubt him at your own risk. Look where that has got him: Standing on a mountain nobody once dared to climb. 

“This is a really cool milestone,” Curry said, walking back to the Warriors locker room. “Let’s see how far we can push this thing.”

Don’t look now, but the competitor inside Curry is already drawing blueprints to Club 5K.

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Admiring Steph's attitude, gratitude, greatness on his 37th birthday originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The NBA was the unloved brother of American sports 45 years ago when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird showed up with cleanser, polish and charm. Elite talents and extreme competitors bound by the kind of racial dynamic that enthralls this nation, they rescued the league.

Michael Jordan came along a few years later and his flair for the spectacular, along with the global technology boom, turned the NBA into the league heard around the world.

With those Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers in their 60s, Stephen Curry, who celebrates his 37th birthday Friday, has bundled their best attributes and taken the league to another level. 

It’s more than being the first player to reach 4,000 career 3-pointers, from all areas of the court, which has accorded Steph one-name status and the title of “greatest shooter ever.” That’s only the beginning, for there is no more dazzling showman in the NBA and no more committed ambassador for basketball – or, perhaps, American sports in general.

“Steph is something like we’ve never seen,” says Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, a Hall of Fame guard and NBA champion who has spent the past 27 years in various capacities within the NBA.

Billups is not wrong. Fans around the globe – all ages, faiths, genders and skin tones – are bewitched by a superstar that radiates Magic’s exuberance but sprinkles it far beyond the lenses of cameras. By someone who has Larry’s gift for scoring and sensation but has expanded it to the outer edge of creativity. By someone who has Michael’s broad appeal but with a smoother exterior and expressing a more generous heart.

If Curry were someday to run for political office – and he declines to rule it out – his resumé would offer a comprehensive thread of humanity, benevolence, kindness and common sense too often missing in 2025 America. He’s a glorified soul with a basketball, a year-round Santa bearing gifts to the unprivileged. A hooper faithful to peace, justice and compassion.

“He might be the greatest human being …,” former teammate Andre Iguodala said recently, “after that Guy.”

And yet, Curry continues to play basketball at an ultra-high level even while peeping toward retirement. He’s invested in the tech sector and is a patron saint of the golf program at Howard University. He owns a piece of the Under Armour sports attire company and, along with his wife Ayesha, donates meals, books and playgrounds to Oakland Public Schools. He conceived his own international amateur golf program, Underrated Golf, sort of a DEI program for young people in the BIPOC community.

“For him to combine his love of golf with his understanding how important golf can be in a business sense for minorities who have been historically excluded from golf – and, thus, excluded from business opportunities,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “What an incredible project.”

During his first couple seasons coaching the Warriors, Kerr often wondered if Curry was burning himself out with so many off-court objectives that required his time and energy. The coach eventually realized that Curry is energized by the challenge that comes with managing his life.

“There’s so much more that’s going on off the court that can try to drag you down a little bit or distract you,” Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area in November. “Trying to battle that is great. The league has changed so much, and trying to reimagine what it would look like for Golden State Warriors in the [2024-25] season to win a championship is totally different than even ’22. It’s totally different than ’17 or ’18 or ’15.”

Curry thrives on doing what others believe he cannot. Been that way since childhood, when recruiters shunned him and wrote him off as too scrawny and fragile. Was that way after the 2009 NBA Draft, when he watched point guards Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn selected ahead of him. Was that way early in his Golden State career when he was battling Acie Law for minutes.

Even now, 16 years later, Curry still carries that chip, on and off the court, like a security blanket.

The game still comes first. Well, after family. The Currys have four children, two boys and two girls, and dad racks up the FaceTiming minutes when the Warriors are on the road. Not at the cost of his fitness. Yes, the man who has his own bourbon brand, Gentleman’s Cut, still pours himself into a regimen devised by longtime personal trainer Brandon Payne.

That’s before and after games. After mesmerizing audiences at home and across the NBA with his pregame workout routine, he signs autographs before heading to the locker room – and often signs more after the game. Crowds holding signs and Sharpies – or merely hoping for a glimpse of Curry – are not unlike the adoring galleries that followed Tiger Woods in the prime of his golf career.

“I was thinking to myself that the NBA is lucky because this man’s going into every arena putting on the show,” longtime teammate Draymond Green said. “It sounds like it’s a home game every time he does it. We’re all lucky to watch him operate the way he operates, playing the game the way he plays the game.”

Golden State rookie Quinten Post grew up in the Netherlands. The 24-year-old center grew familiar with Curry’s name and game while the Warriors were on their dynastic run almost a decade ago. Now as Curry’s teammate, he’s awestruck at his following.

“I had an expectancy,” Post said this week. “But after what he did in these Olympics and what I’ve seen traveling with him, it’s insane how we turn almost every away arena into a home game. And then, seeing him move from the bus to the hotel, there’s always people there.

“What I’m learning is that not every team deals with that. What I’m also learning is that those people are not there for me. They’re there for Steph. And that’s awesome.”

All superstars are subjected to the whims of a public that can be divided in its opinion. Curry has detractors because that’s part of the story with any accomplished life. Not everybody loves, or even likes, Steph. 

But the search for someone who “hates” him would be prolonged and conclude with one of two things. Questioning that person’s motives or nothing at all.

“One of my favorite qualities about Steph is that he understands his power and then he uses it productively,” Kerr said. “But it’s always done in the spirit of giving. There’s never a thought of ‘How can I make myself look better?’ It’s authentically kind and generous.

“He knows he can make an impact, and he does it out of the goodness of his heart. He’s an amazing human being.”

The world would benefit immensely if it had Curry for 37 more years. And another 37 after that.

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CHICAGO (AP) — Coby White scored 31 points, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Brooklyn Nets 116-110 on Thursday night.

White extended his streak of 20-point games to a career-best seven, helping the Bulls rally to win their season-high fourth in a row.

Kevin Huerter added 18 points and nine rebounds. Tre Jones scored 18 points and Julian Phillips finished with 16. Chicago is 10th in the Eastern Conference at 28-38 and holds the final play-in spot.

Cam Thomas led Brooklyn with 24 points and a career-high 10 assists, and Nic Claxton added 18 points and 14 rebounds. Tyrese Martin scored 19 points and Cam Johnson had 16, but the Nets lost for the 10th time in 12 games.

Takeaways

Nets: The Nets once again couldn’t protect a lead, after Cleveland rallied from 18 down in the third to beat them on Tuesday night.

Bulls: Josh Giddey sat out this one after spraining his right ankle against Indiana on Monday. The Bulls hope to get him back during a season-high, six-game trip.

Key moment

The Nets led 92-80 in the closing minute of the third quarter, only to have the Bulls answer with a 17-3 run. Brooklyn then led 101-99 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining when Chicago reeled off eight straight points, with Jones’ reverse layup putting Chicago up by six with just under three minutes remaining.

Key stat

White is averaging 28.6 points in his past seven games.

Up next

Nets: Host Boston on Saturday.

Bulls: Open a season-high, six-game trip at Houston on Saturday.

When the Lakers were playing their best basketball in February, they were fueled by the energizing power of belief, the knowledge that they could win on any night. Even when they weren’t at their best, a mixture of pace, toughness and execution got the Lakers through the finish line.

Now, as they’re slogging through March, the bulk of their frontcourt back in Los Angeles resting and rehabbing injuries, the tank looks much emptier, the joy much more fleeting and the belief, at least temporarily, disappearing in a 126-106 loss.

Even with Luka Doncic scoring 45 points, his most since the Lakers acquired him from Dallas, the game never really looked within reach for Los Angeles. Instead, they played 48 minutes in sort of a futile chase, forced to double-team Giannis Antetokounmpo only to leave a shooter wide open at the three-point line.

“It has to be another night where we have to do both,” coach JJ Redick said of the Lakers’ challenge pregame. “We have to protect the paint and we have to close out and guard their lasers.”

They didn’t do either.

While it was clear that Redick’s diagnosis of the Lakers’ defensive responsibilities would be too much for them to handle, something else he said before the blowout loss was probably more important than anything that happened in the four quarters to follow.

Redick said LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes were no longer with the Lakers on this trip, meaning none of them will be available Friday night in Denver against the Nuggets. But Redick also said that the trio of players, James included, would be considered “day-to-day” moving forward, meaning the Lakers have a good chance to get whole sooner than later.

Doncic’s 45 points came from the wild array of skills he possesses — deep threes, drives where he pulled the emergency brake for a pull-up jumper and trips to the line thanks to his physicality. Austin Reaves, who struggled in the Lakers’ loss to Brooklyn, scored 28.

But other than Doncic and Reaves, no other Lakers player ever provided much of an offensive threat.

Five Bucks scored at least 16 points, with plenty of Milwaukee’s 17 made threes coming off wide-open looks.

The Lakers, who have lost three in a row, close out the trip Friday in Denver — another tough game where the Lakers will be severely undermanned.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

LeBron congratulates Steph for his ‘crazy' 4K 3-point feat originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Legend recognize legend. 

Shortly after Warriors superstar guard Steph Curry became the first player in NBA history to record 4,000 made 3-pointersagainst the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, superstar LeBron James didn’t hesitate to give the four-time NBA champion his roses. 

How so? 

From one NBA icon and future Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer to another, James took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to congratulate Curry for his “crazy” accomplishment. 

🧑🏽‍🍳 4K from Trey is CRAZY!!!!! Congrats my brother!! That’s 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 @StephenCurry30

— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 14, 2025

Despite only finishing with 11 points and two 3-pointers, Curry’s third-quarter triple made history – and prompted the home crowd to ring out “MVP” chants. 

Steph is the first player in NBA history with 4,000 3-pointers 🙌

pic.twitter.com/9VHHDnsunJ

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 14, 2025

In December 2021, Curry became the league’s all-time 3-point leader when he hit his 2,974th career triple to pass Ray Allen (2,973) in a win over the New York Knicks.

As it stands, Los Angeles Clippers star guard James Harden is the only player in NBA history to surpass 3,000 made 3-pointers. At 3,127 made 3-pointers, Harden, who is also a member of the 2009 NBA Draft class, is a ways away from Curry.  

All facts considered, it only makes sense that James would congratulate Curry. 

After all, he is the undisputed 3-point king – and, by the looks of it, that won’t change anytime soon. 

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Why Steph immediately gave 4K 3-pointer ball to wife Ayesha originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Ever wondered what happens to the game ball from an historic NBA achievement?

For starters, the most important thing is ensuring the safety of the now-treasured artifact. Which is exactly why Steph Curry gave the ball from his iconic 4,000th 3-pointer milestone to his wife Ayesha, who was in attendance for the special moment after she was unable to witness his record-breaking 2,974th 3-pointer on Dec. 14, 2021.

“She wasn’t in New York for the the record, 2,974. So it was cool that for the 4,000 she was here,” Curry told reporters after Thursday’s game. “She got the reponsibility of making sure the ball gets home. Just the idea, like you said, we’ve been all together for a very long time. Coach [Steve Kerr] allows family to be a part of what we do as much as possible. We got kids running around the practice courts. I realize when we all started this we were all youngins in the league and he’s seen our families grow one-by-one over the years. So it’s kind of cool that we get to share the on-court and off-court experience together.”

Curry’s other family — Dub Nation — also got to experience the iconic moment in person after seeing his last significant 3-point milestone occur during a road game, creating a “special” atmosphere the Warriors superstar soaked up in its entirety.

Dub Nation loves you, Steph 💙💛

pic.twitter.com/fsOtYkwRxr

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 14, 2025

While Curry certainly had a quiet night in the stat sheet by his own standardsduring the Warriors’ 13-104 win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday — 11 points in 30 minutes — his all-time achievement still remained the highlight of an unforgettable night. And now he has a memento to reflect on it forever.

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Why Steph immediately gave 4K 3-pointer ball to wife Ayesha originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Ever wondered what happens to the game ball from a historic NBA achievement?

For starters, the most important thing is ensuring the safety of the now-treasured artifact. Which is exactly why Warriors star Steph Curry gave the ball from his iconic 4,000th 3-pointer milestone to his wife Ayesha, who was in attendance for the special moment Thursday at Chase Center after she was unable to witness his record-breaking 2,974th 3-pointer on Dec. 14, 2021.

“She wasn’t in New York for the the record, 2,974. So it was cool that for the 4,000 she was here,” Curry told reporters after Thursday’s game. “She got the reponsibility of making sure the ball gets home. Just the idea, like you said, we’ve been all together for a very long time.

“Coach [Steve Kerr] allows family to be a part of what we do as much as possible. We got kids running around the practice courts. I realize when we all started this we were all youngins in the league and he’s seen our families grow one-by-one over the years. So it’s kind of cool that we get to share the on-court and off-court experience together.”

Curry’s other family — Dub Nation — also got to experience the iconic moment in person after seeing his last significant 3-point milestone occur during a road game, creating a “special” atmosphere the Warriors superstar soaked up in its entirety.

Dub Nation loves you, Steph 💙💛

pic.twitter.com/fsOtYkwRxr

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 14, 2025

While Curry certainly had a quiet night in the stat sheet by his own standardsduring the Warriors’ 130-104 win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday — 11 points in 30 minutes — his all-time achievement still remained the highlight of an unforgettable night. And now he has a memento to reflect on it forever.

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‘Hellified' Kuminga impresses Butler in explosive Warriors return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Having watched from the sidelines for the past two months while the Warriors added Jimmy Butler and instantly transformed into a legitimate contender in the NBA’s Western Conference, Jonathan Kuminga’s biggest concern coming back Thursday was not to mess things up.

Butler almost laughed at that idea.

“You can’t mess [anything] up whenever everybody wants everybody to be great,” Butler said after Golden State’s 130-104 win against the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center. “We don’t got no selfish people on this team. I’m going to come in there and tell him, ‘Be you, be you, be you.’

“He’s here and he’s been doing him for some time now, and I want [him] to be [him] more than anybody. You come in and play basketball the way you know how. I myself and everybody else will make sure that we fit your game.”

Playing for the first time since suffering a serious ankle injury against the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 4, Kuminga had a solid enough game and a few times flashed some of the athleticism that has kept him a prized prospect in Golden State despite multiple attempts by opponents to trade for him.

Welcome back, JK 😤 pic.twitter.com/orHlyskYM7

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 14, 2025

Kuminga logged nearly 20 minutes off the bench, scoring 18 points (second on the Warriors behind Draymond Green’s 23) while connecting on seven of his 10 shot attempts. Kuminga was in attack mode almost from the jump and maintained that energy throughout the night.

“I thought he played really hard, and what you notice is just the different dimension he gives us with his explosion to the rim,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “The way teams are playing Steph [Curry], everybody now is just top-locking him. It makes sense because you’re trying to take away Steph, but then you don’t have help in certain areas.

“So if you have a guy like JK who can attack and score at the rim, it’s a huge help. Just really happy for him. He’s put a lot of work in … and it took him quite a while to get to this point. There was a lot of hard work that went into it and I’m proud of him.”

The Warriors were mired in mediocrity and an erratic team at best before general manager Mike Dunleavy swung the trade for Butler in early February. That deal elevated Golden State to another level and completely changed the outlook for Kerr and his players.

Getting Kuminga back might not have that same type of impact, but it assuredly adds another top-flight scorer to a unit that already has several of those.

Kuminga also was a core part of the Warriors’ defense that forced 14 turnovers and limited the Kings to 37.8-percent shooting from distance.

“Just pretty much getting to where I needed to get to make things happen,” Kuminga said. “Being in the right situation, being in the right position to make everything smooth. Just having [Butler and Green] and the way they’re making things look easier, it’s kind of helped me just to go out there and be myself and not rushing.”

Kuminga back in the mix just as the NBA playoff race heats up gives the Warriors another proven scorer and defender who definitely can make a big difference in any game that he plays.

He got the assist on Curry’s 3,999th career 3-pointer, then later added two of his patented powerful dunks, including a one-handed windmill that had the Chase Center crowd roaring.

“I love that my man came out there aggressive, putting the ball in the basket, high energy, jumping out the gym and dunking the basketball,” Butler said. “I want him to be him to the best of his abilities, continually be great and help this squad achieve something special.

“He’s a hellified athlete. He’s a scorer. He wants to be great and he’s going to do whatever anybody asks him to do on both sides of the ball. That’s what you can ask of anybody, let alone a young player that has as much upside as he does. I see why they want him here.”

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Watch Steph Curry make history with his 4,000th career 3-pointer originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Steph Curry once again etched his name in the NBA record books.

Curry became the first player in NBA history to record 4,000 made 3-pointers Thursday after draining a triple in the third quarter of the Warriors’ matchup with the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center. After the bucket, the home crowd rained down “MVP” chants upon the 3-point king.

Steph is the first player in NBA history with 4,000 3-pointers 🙌

pic.twitter.com/9VHHDnsunJ

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 14, 2025

Curry’s first NBA 3-pointer came on Oct. 30, 2009, against the Phoenix Suns in his second professional game, and nearly 16 years later the Warriors superstar stands alone in the record books.

Another historic milestone for Steph 🐐 pic.twitter.com/EvdmgFZFTp

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 14, 2025

Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden is the only other player in NBA history to eclipse 3,000 made 3-pointers, but still sits nearly 1,000 behind Curry despite the two entering the league in the same 2009 draft class.

Curry also eclipsed the 25,000-career point mark this past Saturday against the Detroit Pistons, further adding to his already cemented status as one of the greatest players ever to step on an NBA court.

Curry always will be synonymous with the 3-point shot, and while his current mark of 4,000 and counting might already be insurmountable, it appears the two-time NBA MVP is showing no signs of slowing down and could add even more triples to his gaudy count.

Could 5,000 ultimately be in play before Curry decides to retire? He’s under contract with the Warriors through the 2026-27 NBA season, with his basketball future beyond that undetermined

Time will tell, but one thing is certain — no basketball fan would be surprised to see Curry finish on a number never to be matched by another NBA player.

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Steph elated to reach 4K 3-point mark on Warriors' home court originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry’s 4,000th career 3-pointer always was going to be a special moment, but doing it on his home court took on an added significance for the Warriors superstar.

Following Golden State’s 130-104 win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, Curry detailed the “special” energy he felt inside Chase Center on an unforgettable night for everyone in the building.

“It was a special moment to do it at home, obviously,” Curry told the NBA on TNT broadcast after Thursday’s game. “The 2,974 record in New York was great because it was an unbelievable environment at [Madison Square Garden]. But to do it in front of my home fans, it was a weird game because I didn’t get many attempts, but to finally get it in the third [quarter], I felt the energy. It was special.”

“I felt the energy. It was special.”

Dub Nation showed out on Steph’s historic night 😤

pic.twitter.com/1EMHsKyStk

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 14, 2025

While Curry’s scoring numbers were down — 11 points in 33 minutes — his iconic moment still stole the show.

Steph is the first player in NBA history with 4,000 3-pointers 🙌

pic.twitter.com/9VHHDnsunJ

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 14, 2025

The two-time NBA MVP was showered with “MVP” chants from an energized Bay Area crowd that has seen Curry record countless historic feats over the years, with his latest highlighting the incredible longevity of his 16-year career.

Dub Nation loves you, Steph 💙💛

pic.twitter.com/fsOtYkwRxr

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 14, 2025

There certainly is a special vibe around these Warriors, who are riding a season-high six-game winning streak and are 13-1 with Jimmy Butler in the lineup since trading for the two-way star.

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Chuck's halftime bet on Kings backfires after Warriors' win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Charles Barkley is going to take shots at the Warriors whenever he can, but the TNT analyst’s halftime guarantee about the Sacramento Kings on Thursday certainly aged poorly.

After Golden State’s 23-point lead midway through the second quarter at Chase Center dissolved to a 10-point advantage by the break, Barkley was willing to put money on a Sacramento comeback.

“I’m not even worried about it. Sacramento Kings, they’re going to win this game,” Barkley told his fellow “Inside the NBA” panelists. “All they’ve got to do is take care of the ball.”

When Barkley was told the Warriors at that point were 12-1 when Jimmy Butler plays, he confidently responded that wouldn’t be the case against the Kings.

“Well, they’re going to be 12-2,” Barkley said. “How about that?”

The Barkley Curse struck again tonight in San Francisco 😂 pic.twitter.com/ftIoK3GHK1

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 14, 2025

Barkley very quickly found out about “that,” but not before Shaquille O’Neal pulled out wads of cash and tossed them onto the desk to put money against his claim.

While Sacramento made it close, pulling within four points of Golden State in the third quarter, the Warriors ultimately roared ahead for a blowout 130-104 win. Star point guard Steph Curry became the first player in NBA history to make 4,000 career 3-pointers, and forward Draymond Green led the Warriors and tied the game-high with 23 points.

Barkley, meanwhile, added one more failed Warriors prediction to his résumé.

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When the Knicks hired longtime player agent Leon Rose as their president in March 2020, the on-court product wasn't the least bit appealing. They were in the midst of their seventh straight losing season, beset by a reputation known for instability and a constant struggle to attract star talent.

But it didn't take long for Rose to lay the foundation of a winning culture and meet the team's desperate expectations. In five years at the helm, the once-super agent has built a playoff contender, as the current Knicks are well on pace to achieve consecutive 50-win campaigns for the first time in three decades.

The Knicks believed that Rose's relationships and experience in the league would yield positive results in a front office role, and according to team owner James Dolan, their initially-shared vision is being realized.

"We're kind of there. [Karl-Anthony Towns] was sort of the last piece. I'm not expecting any significant changes," Dolan said on the latest episode of the Roommates Show podcast with Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. "Now it's all up to these guys, the coach, to make it happen. I don't know. Do you think we're missing any pieces?...

"It feels like it's kind of a puzzle, where you change one piece, it changes all the other pieces. We've got to figure all that out, figure it out on the court. I think the fans, as much as they want it every day, they're on this journey with you. They do see it. I feel it. I feel the team is growing, growing, growing. I think the fans see the same thing."

While the Knicks haven't played at full strength for prolonged periods of time this season -- Brunson is the latest starter sidelined due to injury -- adversity isn't exactly impeding progress. Their record of 42-23 is best for third in the Eastern Conference, and they rank sixth in the NBA in average points, fifth in offensive rating, and third in field goal percentage.

It's no secret that Brunson is the catalyst. Entering the All-Star break, he ranked first in points, assists, and minutes among all 28-year-olds in the league this season, and in late January, he became the fastest player in Knicks history to score 5,000 points. Brunson has blossomed into a superstar in New York, and his family's ties with Rose are strong.

Now, consider the two-way impact of Towns, who has been averaging 24.2 points since joining the Knicks via trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves back in October. The veteran center is averaging a career-best double-double this season, despite nursing thumb and knee injuries for months. New York's deal for Towns also required sacrifice -- they were forced to say goodbye to veteran Julius Randle, who played a pivotal role in the franchise turnaround.

With a healthy two-headed monster of Brunson and Towns, along with reliable contributions from Hart, OG Anunobdy, and Mikal Bridges, the Knicks have a starting lineup that can instill fear in opponents and hope in fans. Of course, only time will tell if the gas left in their tank can take them on a deep playoff run this spring. But Dolan is pleased with the process and Rose's efforts.

"The hardest thing to do, particularly in the NBA, is to attract talent," Dolan said. "So who would be the best guy you could find in order to bring talent to your team? At that time, who was the No. 1 basketball agent? Leon Rose. I knew Leon. I'm going to get Leon to do this.

"[The conversaion] was short. He was ready... One of my favorite things we used to say in sales was, 'You can't fall off the floor.' At that point [hiring Rose], we were on the floor. He's been doing a great job."

New York will look to extend its win streak to three games in a must-see road matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. This time, they'll be riding momentum from Mikal Bridges, who drilled a last-second three to give the Knicks an overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.