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Doctor details Moses Moody's calf injury rehab, return timeline for Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

With Warriors guard Moses Moody doubtful for Golden State’s 2025-26 NBA season opener due to a calf strain, when could the fifth-year pro make his debut?

Stanford Medicine orthopedic surgeon Dr. Geoffrey Abrams, MD, provided some expert analysis on what Dub Nation can expect from Moody’s injury — which Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the team isn’t “too concerned” about — as he works his way back to the court.

“If the team is describing it as a minor muscle strain, it’s probably … some microscopic tearing and minor partial tearing,” Abrams told NBC Sports Bay Area on Friday. “The good news about that, obviously, it’s on the lesser severe end of the spectrum, and typical return-to-play timelines are a couple weeks or so for these more minor muscle grade strains.”

Kerr said this past Tuesday, Oct. 14, that Moody would be reevaluated in a week, with the Warriors set to open their new season against the Los Angeles Lakers this Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. A return timeline of a couple weeks, as noted by Abrams, hopefully would put Moody back in Kerr’s rotation by Golden State’s Oct. 28 game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center, their fifth contest of the season.

There are several hurdles Moody will have to clear before that happens, Abrams explained.

“Obviously, the Warriors are a great professional organization and they’ve got top notch medical personnel, so they’re going to run him through the professional protocol and things like that,” Abrams said. “In terms of returning to play, he basically has to be able to participate in full practices 100 percent, and before he even gets to that, he has to demonstrate he’s got strength, range of motion, flexibility of the muscle and be able to do the things that are required for an NBA athlete, of course, before they even throw him into full practices.

“And then, once he’s comfortable with full practices and jumping and running up and down the court, that’s when you start to think about getting back into games. Sometimes … there’s situations where they may limit minutes initially before throwing him back into full pre-injury participation. But that just depends on a variety of different circumstances.”

After entering the Warriors’ starting lineup late last season en route to the NBA playoffs, Moody missed Golden State’s final three preseason contests this month with his calf issue.

As long as the Warriors don’t rush Moody back, Abrams noted, there’s little chance that the calf strain impacts Moody’s play moving forward, and the chance of an Achilles tear, as has been seen in countless NBA stars recently, is minimal.

“Certainly re-injury is also sometimes a possibility, but that’s why you go through the protocol is really to reduce that risk and not put him out there before he’s ready, which I’m sure the staff will do,” Abrams said.

Moody has proven himself as a valuable member of the Warriors’ lineup, and Kerr certainly hopes to have the 23-year-old back sooner rather than later.

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Steph Curry outlines Warriors' ‘mission' before NBA season opener vs. Lakers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry and the Warriors have some unfinished business to take care of as their 2025-26 NBA season tips off Tuesday in Los Angeles.

After Golden State’s preseason finale on Friday night at Chase Center, the team’s star point guard outlined how Opening Night against Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers can set the tone as the Warriors seek a return to the NBA playoffs.

“It’s the same mission every year,” Curry told reporters after the Warriors’ 106-103 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. “Last year we accomplished it, and the wheels fell [off] a little bit. But no matter [what], you don’t really want to fast forward too much or panic if it doesn’t go well to begin with, but you want to have intentionality on how you’re trying to start out both ends of the floor, understanding, again, we’re a team that is building on a foundation we had last year, so want to win the first game.”

Stephen Curry said the Warriors want to have “intentionality” with how they start the regular season Tuesday in Los Angeles.

“Were a team that is building on the foundation we had last year. So, you want to win the first game. That’s kind of how you take it.”

More: pic.twitter.com/ZQNlYH0UXz

— Sam Gordon (@BySamGordon) October 18, 2025

Curry and Co. will play their first game of the new campaign against a Lakers team without LeBron James, who is out with sciatica to start the season, at Crypto.com Arena. But after Los Angeles added Dončić in February of this year, Curry knows a steep challenge awaits the Warriors as they enter their first full season with their own recent trade-deadline acquisition in Jimmy Butler.

“It’s exciting knowing we’re starting on the road against a team that — wish LeBron was playing — but is lethal with Luka, so a good test to start out, and hopefully we can hit the ground running.”

The Warriors jumped out to a 12-3 record in their first 15 games last season and certainly hope to do so again this year — but instead, keep that momentum going this time as the season progresses. They hit a wall after their hot start in 2024-25, and Butler’s arrival in February rejuvenated the team and helped Golden State reach the postseason before a second-round exit.

Now, Curry, Butler and the rest of the Warriors will look to begin the new season on a high note in just a few days.

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There were some question marks surrounding Egor Demin's shooting ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, and rightfully so.

Demin shot just 27.3 percent from three during his lone season of college basketball at BYU, causing many scouts to be hesitant about how his shot would translate to the NBA. But that didn't scare the Nets away, as they saw the potential star upside in his game and selected him with the No. 8 overall pick in June. 

While it's still very early in his professional career, Demin demonstrated his skill set Friday night in his preseason debut against the Toronto Raptors. The 19-year-old, who missed the team's first three preseason games due to a plantar fascia tear, scored 14 points with five rebounds and an assist in 19 minutes off the bench.

The performance earned him praise from teammates Michael Porter Jr. (34 points) and Cam Thomas (seven points), who believe the 6-foot-9 rookie can make a real impact in the NBA.

"Oh, yeah, he’s solid. He’s going to be really good," Porter Jr. told the New York Post. "Positionally, for his size, if he can translate all those point guard skills over to the pros, he’s going to be a problem. 

"He makes the right reads and the right plays. So I know it may take time to deal with the physicality of the point guard position in the NBA, but once he gets the hang of it, he’s going to be really, really good."

the rook pullin' up with confidence! 🎯@whoisegor3 | #NetsWorldpic.twitter.com/6GJIxez3Bt

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 18, 2025

Demin's 14 points came on 3 of 5 shooting, including 2 of 3 from three-point range, and 6 of 7 on free throws. 11 of his 14 points came in the first half, including all of the foul shots. He also recorded a block and committed two turnovers in the 119-114 loss.

"He was great. He was great. Obviously, it’s preseason, but he was good for his first game," Thomas said. "We’ll see what happens in Charlotte, but it was a great start for him, for sure."

While Demin is still working his way back to full strength from the foot injury, as he only started playing five-on-five while the team was in China, head coach Jordi Fernandez was pleased with what he saw from the guard Friday night.

"He was excellent," Fernandez said. "There’s going to be things he’s going to keep working on. We’ve got to keep building him up physically to be able to sustain more minutes. … But I’m very happy with his presence, how composed he was, how he talked to his teammates, all those things. And made it look easy. 

"He shot the ball every time he was open or halfway open, got to the free-throw line and rebounded. He got five rebounds, made nice plays at the rim. It was good."

Demin added that his first bit of NBA action was a great learning experience, and he'll take those lessons with him into the regular season.

"Yeah, 100 percent. I’ve been told a lot about the Raptors as one of the most physical and longest teams from the standpoint of pressure almost the whole game, and how pesky they are," Demin said. "I don’t want to say I was scared, but I was super aware of what to expect. But I also couldn’t understand what to expect in my first game … so I’m just happy we went through this and had this experience. It’s a huge lesson for all of us, and I can’t wait for the start of the season."

Domantas Sabonis to miss Kings' season opener with Grade 1 hamstring injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Kings will begin the 2025-26 NBA season without their star center.

Domantas Sabonis suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain and will miss at least the first two games of the season. The Kings say he will be re-evaluated in one week.

Sabonis exited Wednesday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers and later was ruled out with the hamstring issue. An MRI confirmed a Grade 1 strain.

Sacramento now will be without two starters to begin the new season, as forward Keegan Murray had surgery to repair a UCL tear in his left thumb and will be out for at least three to six weeks.

Sabonis has been instrumental to the Kings over the past couple of seasons, with their offense running through the 6-foot-10 big man.

In Friday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Kings started newly acquired Drew Eubanks with Sabonis out. Isaac Jones, Dario Saric, Dylan Cardwell and Maxime Raynaud are options, too.

Through 246 games in just over three seasons with Sacramento, Sabonis has averaged 19.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 34.9 minutes.

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Warriors waive Seth Curry, expected to re-sign him later in 2025-26 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors, as expected, waived guard Seth Curry on Saturday.

Seth Curry, the younger brother of franchise superstar Steph Curry, was in Warriors camp on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract.

Warriors waive guards LJ Cryer & Seth Curry: pic.twitter.com/is4HgJuMwz

— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) October 18, 2025

Golden State intends to bring him back around mid-November, as the team is hard-capped at the second tax apron and currently not in a position to carry a 15th player.

ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported the Warriors could opt to wait longer than mid-November to give themselves more flexibility for the rest of the season.

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy addressed Seth’s complex contract situation speaking to the media on Oct. 1.

“As far as the season goes, yeah, he’s on a one-year deal, and we’ll figure it out as we go,” Dunleavy said. “There’s some cap and apron stuff that we’ve got to deal with, but that’s something for our strategy team to figure out.”

Golden State also waived guard LJ Cryer.

The Warriors now have 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

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Sloppy Warriors vow to make fixes before 2025-26 NBA season opener vs. Lakers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry concluded his 2025 NBA preseason Friday night as the best player on the floor, while the rest of the Warriors too often looked like the squad that fumbled and bumbled its way through the heart of last season.

You may recall the days and nights of “mid,” before Jimmy Butler III arrived to fill the role of stabilizing sidekick, helping Curry lift the team to heights it never would have achieved.

After the Warriors’ performance in the preseason, they might welcome back Butler with a kiss.

Their most significant minutes in a 106-103 loss to the diminished Los Angeles Clippers were a festival of turnovers and errant shooting. In what often is considered a dress rehearsal for the regular season, there was more disorder than order.

The first quarter was an utter disaster for the Warriors, with 11 turnovers turning into 16 of LA’s 31 points. Golden State committed 23 turnovers in all, gifting the Clippers 29 points.

“Nine [turnovers] in the first six minutes,” coach Steve Kerr said. “That bothers me.”

Brandin Podziemski committed three giveaways in the first quarter and finished with six. Draymond Green committed two in his first seven minutes and finished with five.

“A lot of turnovers, a lot of careless turnovers,” said Al Horford, who committed one turnover in 20 minutes. “I started with one, I’m going to the post and threw it out of bounds. And I feel like after that, we just kind of snowballed.”

Some chaos is natural, as injuries to Moses Moody and Butler – starters late last season – have Kerr shuffling through a variety of lineups, some of which might never again be seen.

Curry, who committed one turnover in 30 minutes, made no excuses for those who were on the court, no matter the lineups.

“I would say it was more sloppy play in general,” Curry said.

“But preseason is interesting because you’re trying stuff out, but there’s not as much game-plan preparation in the sense of, ‘What do the Clippers do?’ We have a mentality to that kind of approach, and you save a lot of that for the regular season.”

In short, the Warriors were keeping their regular-season plans under wraps. Didn’t matter that the Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Brook Lopez and Chris Paul.

Golden State’s biggest concealment, though, was the absence of Butler. He is among the best in the game at assessing disarray and restoring order. On a night when the Warriors sorely needed that skill, he was missing his third consecutive game after tweaking his left ankle last weekend. He appeared in only two of the five preseason games.

He is, for this roster, a key ballhandler and, also, the cleanup man.

“Some of it [was odd rotations], but some of it is just careless play and lack of fundamentals,” Kerr said. “One-hand passes off the dribble when two hands are available. And if you have two hands on the ball, and the guy cuts as you’re passing, you can pull it back. But one hand, you throw it out of balance. And we had several of those. So, the fundamental stuff has to improve.

“But, you know, I think Jimmy solves a lot of that.”

Said Horford: “I do think that once Jimmy gets back out there and all our guys, I feel like there will be more of an awareness, an urgency and understanding that we have to take care of the ball.”

The Warriors committed 110 turnovers in their five preseason games, averaging 22 per game. That’s about six or seven more than Kerr’s comfort zone.

“We definitely had a turnover problem throughout the preseason,” Kerr said. “But I’m confident that when the lights go on Tuesday, our guys will be locked in.

“We had a lot of mix-and-match lineups, but that’s not an excuse for the careless ones. So, we’ve got to improve. We need a couple of good days of practice before we head out to LA but I’m confident we can. We should be fine.”

Taking care of the ball has been an issue with the Warriors for 11 seasons. It remains one of the points of emphasis for every game. Butler is the antidote. At least they hope he is.

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After slow-playing stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, rotating different lineups to accommodate an unreasonably busy six-game preseason schedule and giving their two-way players extended run, the Lakers buttoned up the rotation for a final preseason game Friday that coach JJ Redick called a “dress rehearsal.”

With the curtain finally lifting on Tuesday, the Lakers are not quite ready for showtime.

Doncic dazzled with 31 points, nine assists and five rebounds to lead five double-digit Lakers scorers, but the Kings came back for a 117-116 win at Crypto.com Arena. Despite playing without Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan or Malik Monk, the Kings still shot 54.7% from the field, led by 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting from former Laker Dennis Schroder. Redick lauded the Lakers' 28 assists to 10 turnovers, but lamented that they should have had 35 assists had some lob plays not gone awry. 

The result won’t count, but the energy from the sideline in the final seconds still indicated the tight game mattered to those on the court. When Lakers guard Dalton Knecht hit a game-tying three-pointer with 9.4 seconds remaining, the entire Lakers bench, full of the starters and rotation players who had earned a rest to finish the preseason, jumped in the air to celebrate. 

But Kings forward Isaac Jones made a winning free throw with 0.8 seconds left after he was fouled by Nick Smith Jr. Doncic’s initial thought when asked what the team could take from its final preseason game was that it didn’t win. 

“We have two more practices,” Doncic said, “so we need to clean up some things.”

While Doncic and Austin Reaves (eight points, four rebounds and eight assists) played together in a preseason game for the first time, the Lakers were still without superstar LeBron James, who remains sidelined because of a sciatica issue in his right side. His absence, which is expected to last at least until November, forced the Lakes to re-evaluate their starting lineup.

Redick unveiled his first choice to fill the role, adding guard Gabe Vincent into the starting lineup along with Reaves, Doncic, forward Rui Hachimura and center Deandre Ayton. Vincent, who averaged 17 points in his first three preseason games while shooting 50% from three-point range, continued his incredible preseason with 14 points on five-of-six shooting with four made threes.

The 29-year-old who has struggled with injuries the last two seasons played the majority of the preseason without Doncic or Reaves, but fit into the starting lineup seamlessly Friday as a potential solution to James’ absence.

“His ability to shoot the ball in such tight windows; he takes shots that I would never even think about taking in situations,” Reaves said before the game Friday. “... And it can't happen to a better guy. He's one of our leaders of this team. Lead-by-example kind of guy. Shows up at work every single day, smile on his face.”

Marcus Smart, whose preseason got off to a slow start because of Achilles tendinopathy, came off the bench for 14 points with three rebounds.

It was a classic “Marcus Smart game,” Redick said proudly. The former NBA defensive player of the year dove on the floor for balls. He knocked down shots after a slow first half to score 11 points in the second half and attacked aggressively off the dribble.   

“This is probably the best I felt tonight since I got here,” said Smart, who has played in just 54 regular-season games over the last two seasons because of injuries. “As I continue to get better and get to 100%, you’ll see more nights like tonight where I’m more aggressive and I’m moving really well and just energy on both ends of the floor.” 

Smart was seen as a potential starting option after he signed with the Lakers. The team was desperate for his defense, leadership and toughness, and needs it even more with James sidelined. The team’s initial timeline that he would be re-evaluated in three to four weeks covers the first nine regular-season games. It will be the first time in James’ 23-season NBA career that he misses the season opener.

The 40-year-old superstar sat at the end of the bench Friday on an elevated seat cushion.

The Lakers were also without Bronny James (ankle) and rookie Adou Thiero (knee). Center Jaxson Hayes, who slammed three monstrous dunks in the first half, didn’t play the second half because of a right wrist contusion sustained on a lob dunk. Redick said X-rays were negative. 

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Knicks will waive guard Garrison Mathews ahead of Saturday’s 5 p.m. deadline, league sources told SNY’s NBA Insider Ian Begley.

New York has been impressed by Mathews’ play during the preseason and training camp, but with the club financially restricted by the second apron, there was no space for the 29-year-old veteran.

Mathews, off that strong preseason, is expected to draw interest from teams around the league looking to add shooting ahead of the regular season.

Entering the preseason, the Knicks had veterans Landry Shamet and Malcolm Brogdon battling with Matthews for the final available roster spot. With Brogdon announcing his retirement earlier this week and Matthews' release, the final spot will go to Shamet.

Shamet joined the Knicks last year, appearing in 50 games off the bench, averaging 5.7 points on 46.1 percent shooting (39.7 percent from three) in 15.2 minutes.

Mathews did not play in New York's preseason finale on Friday. Shamet logged 20 minutes off the bench, scoring 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting (all from three) and was a plus-3 in the 113-108 win over Charlotte.

Mathews, undrafted out of Lipscomb in 2019, broke into the league with Washington, where he spent two years before bouncing to Houston for parts of two seasons and spending the last two years in Atlanta. In 314 career games (64 starts), the six-foot-six guard has averaged 6.5 points on 40 percent shooting (38.2 percent from three) in 17.5 minutes.

The deliberately short-handed Knicks wrapped up their preseason slate on a high note, outlasting the Hornets, 113-108, on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

Here are the takeaways...

-- As much as the Knicks wanted their final exhibition game to serve as a proper dress rehearsal with the regular season opener less than a week away, head coach Mike Brown ultimately erred on the side of caution with a few banged-up starters. Before the game, he ruled out Josh Hart (back), Karl-Anthony Towns (quad), and OG Anunoby (ankle) as preventative measures. Mitchell Robinson (load management) was also given the night off.

-- The emphasis on quicker ball movement and frequent three-point shooting was apparent from the jump. As the Knicks' only lineup regulars, Jalen Brunson tallied 15 first-quarter points (12 shots) with two assists and two rebounds across 11 minutes, while Mikal Bridges added five points with four boards in seven minutes. The planned rest for key players pushed Jordan Clarkson into the starting five, and he demonstrated his value as an impact bench scorer by posting eight points with a pair of made threes. Overall, the Knicks shot 39 percent (7 of 18) from beyond the arc in the period.

-- Among the bench players competing for a roster spot is Landry Shamet, and the veteran guard showed some shrewd physicality in the second quarter by forcing a couple of Hornets turnovers. He also scored five points in 11 minutes. Tyler Kolek logged the fewest first-half minutes (6) in the 10-man rotation, and before halftime, Brunson produced 20 points (7 of 15 shooting) and appeared to debut a new archery-style hand celebration. Circling back to that stress on three-point shots -- the Knicks took 30 through 24 minutes. At the break, they held a 64-54 lead on 47-percent shooting.

-- Brunson and Bridges didn't treat the preseason finale like a practice session. They maintained regular-season rhythms in the third quarter, combining for 12 points to push their game totals to 27 and 14, respectively. There was a brief injury scare for Miles McBride midway through the period, when he landed awkwardly on the baseline after having a runner emphatically rejected. While he got up gingerly with a limp, he stayed in the game and appeared to jog off the discomfort. The Knicks were outscored by seven points in the third, but still held a 90-87 advantage.

-- The start of the fourth quarter didn't mark the end for the Knicks' pair of stars. Bridges continued to hustle in transition, pulling off a highlight-reel swat that preceded a one-handed slam midway through the period. Brunson, who was subbed out with 3:33 left in the third, checked back in with 7:41 remaining in regulation. Of course, it wasn't a dress rehearsal for three Knicks starters, but their captain lived up to midseason form with a laudable 31 points in 34 minutes. Bridges also performed at a high level, racking up 16 points with seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks across 33 minutes.

-- “I thought we did some pretty good things tonight, especially starting two young guys in [Mohamed Diawara] and [Trey Jemison], but we played in spurts too many times,” Brown said. “We just gotta be a little more consistent with what we’re doing. And if we do, we’re gonna have a chance to be pretty good.”

-- Brown has set a goal for the Knicks to average 40 threes per game this season, and they met the mark by posting 48 with a success rate of 38 percent. While the team struggled to contain Hornets starters Miles Bridges and Collin Sexton -- they combined for 41 points -- they still forced 21 turnovers and won the rebounds (44-41), steals (11-9), and paint points (40-34) battles. McBride found a groove off the bench, scoring 15 points with four assists in 24 minutes, while Shamet added six second-half points to finish with 11 over 20 minutes. Clarkson reached 13 points over 23 minutes.

Highlights

Clarkson fires away immediately pic.twitter.com/LOmbiruwq7

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) October 17, 2025

Jalen 👌 pic.twitter.com/YnDgCXA4da

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) October 18, 2025

Brunson behind the back to Jemison! pic.twitter.com/BMp6k1C1HS

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) October 18, 2025

Mikal slam! pic.twitter.com/3RR1aeouMR

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) October 18, 2025

What's next

The Knicks will begin regular-season play at home on Wednesday night, in a highly anticipated matchup with the Cavaliers (7 p.m. tip-off).

What we learned as Warriors conclude 2025 NBA preseason with loss to Clippers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – The 2025 NBA preseason is over, and everybody can sense a sigh of relief — including the Warriors, too. 

To put a final stamp on the preseason, the Warriors battled all four quarters, but too many mistakes cost them in a 106-103 loss against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night at Chase Center.

Steph Curry’s 20 points led the Warriors, and his rookie teammate continued to make a strong impression. Will Richard started his second consecutive game and made an impact on both sides of the ball. The second-round 2025 NBA Draft pick out of Florida scored 13 points, but on 5-of-14 shooting and 3 of 10 on threes, adding four rebounds and three steals.

The rookie strikes AGAIN 👌 pic.twitter.com/l6xLDj1dVb

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 18, 2025

Neither team could consistently buy a bucket from beyond the arc. The Warriors (8 of 34) made 23.5 percent of their 3-point attempts, and while the Clippers made 15 triples, they converted on a lowly 32.6 percent clip.

The Warriors were without several key players, including Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Seth Curry and De’Anthony Melton.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ preseason finale. 

Injury Scare

Health will be top of mind for the Warriors all season. The very last thing they, or any team, wants to see is a player go down in the final preseason tune-up. But just two and a half minutes into Friday night’s game, Brandin Podziemski took a hard fall and only added more worries once he was up. 

Podziemski collided with Kobe Brown while dribbling at halfcourt. He stayed on the floor for an extended period and then hobbled very gingerly off the court and into the Warriors’ locker room. Podziemski tried twice to walk but had to stop right away before he finally was able to make his way down the tunnel with director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini. 

Brandin Podziemski went to the Warriors' locker room after a hard fall on this play pic.twitter.com/vQStnqA0An

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 18, 2025

Brandin Podziemski hobbles off the court very, very slow and gingerly 2.5 minutes into the final Warriors preseason game @NBCSWarriors

Podz had to stop twice before he could keep walking pic.twitter.com/S1JmKgmBpg

— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) October 18, 2025

While the Warriors ruled Podziemski’s return as questionable with a left hip contusion, he was back in at the 3:50 mark of the first quarter. Podziemski drained his first shot attempt, a three from the left wing, with just 25 seconds remaining in the first quarter, but he also had three turnovers in only six minutes.

Podziemski played 20 minutes and scored five points on 2-of-4 shooting. He didn’t rack up his usual rebounds or assists. His six turnovers were a team high, one more than Draymond Green’s five, and Podziemski’s minus-9 was the worst plus/minus among starters. 

Turnover Trend Continues

Warriors players often joke they have three players allowed to turn the ball over: Curry, Green and Butler. Without Butler, that only gave two Golden State players the leeway Friday night. Yet the Warriors already had up to 14 turnovers at halftime, and Curry (one) and Green (two) were responsible for only three.

Seven players not named Curry or Green accounted for at least one turnover. Podziemski had the most of the bunch with four. Once the regular season begins in a few days, the Warriors simply can’t be as sloppy, especially in games they’re down at least one of their core veterans. 

The Warriors entered Friday averaging 21.8 turnovers per game, which was fewer than only the Brooklyn Nets (24) and Indiana Pacers (23.7) in the preseason. Their 14 first-half turnovers resulted in 18 points for the Clippers. Luckily for Golden State, the Clippers tallied 15 turnovers in the first half for 16 Warriors points. 

Though the Warriors took much better care of the ball in the second half with nine more turnovers, they ended the preseason with at least 20 turnovers (23 on Friday) in all five preseason games.

Curry Does His Part 

When the fourth quarter began, the Warriors trailed by 11 points. The deficit was cut down to six points when Curry took a seat for the rest of the game, and he was the main reason why the Warriors got it down to a one-point game with eight and half minutes left. 

When Curry left the game, he was leading the Warriors in points (20), assists (five) and plus/minus (plus-7). He also was second in rebounds (four). Curry made four 3-pointers in 30 minutes, and just one other Warrior had made more than one. 

Steph hit this from Ghirardelli Square 🍫 pic.twitter.com/3VVniVKhCD

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 18, 2025

It’s true that the Warriors were down multiple players. As were the Clippers. There will be nights where even in Year 17 the Warriors need Curry to be a one-man show. 

With the preseason over and the regular season lurking in the shadows, that can’t be the case too often starting Tuesday night in LA.

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3 observations after Embiid comes back, Edgecombe shines in Sixers' preseason finale originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers concluded their 2025 preseason with a win and Joel Embiid’s first appearance in many months.

The team closed out a 1-3 preseason Friday night by notching a 126-110 victory over the Timberwolves at Xfinity Mobile Arena. 

In his first game since late February, Embiid tallied 14 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals. 

Tyrese Maxey had 27 points and seven assists. VJ Edgecombe added 26 points, six rebounds, three assists and five steals.

The Sixers were still down Paul George (left knee), Jared McCain (right thumb) and Trendon Watford (right hamstring). Veteran Kyle Lowry also sat. 

The team’s regular-season opener is next Wednesday against the Celtics. Here are observations on the Sixers’ win over Minnesota:

Embiid’s return  

Seconds after the opening tip, Embiid took a pull-up jumper that grazed the front rim. He got everything properly calibrated soon enough, making his next try from the left elbow.

bucket from the big fella. 🪣 pic.twitter.com/hq4pxcZcS4

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 17, 2025

Outside of scoring, Embiid had several bright moments in the early going. He swiped a steal and then tossed a long-range outlet pass that set Maxey up for an and-one layup. 

Joel ➡️ Tyrese. pic.twitter.com/G6sV74KKws

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 17, 2025

The Sixers’ half-court offense largely revolved around Embiid in the middle of the floor. Embiid facilitated well, initiating two-man games with his guards, spotting open cutters and capitalizing on the Timberwolves’ aggressive double teams. 

When Embiid rested at the 5:44 mark of the first quarter, the Sixers held a 20-11 lead. His conditioning appeared to be good throughout his 19 minutes on the floor.

In terms of health, Embiid generally did not look bothered by his left knee. The big man did have a somewhat worrisome play in the third quarter when he committed a charge, fell awkwardly and was slow to get up.  He stayed in the game but subbed out about a minute later.

Starting nod for Bona 

Embiid started the night with Maxey, Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Adem Bona. 

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse acknowledged pregame that his current plan is to start the 20-year-old Edgecombe on opening night. All signs have been pointing toward thatthis preseason.

Bona’s start was less expected, although it wasn’t a complete shocker. The Sixers played Bona and Embiid together Sunday in their Blue-White scrimmage and Nurse suggested he wanted to experiment further with the double-big frontcourt. 

Bona steered clear of foul trouble and had an excellent offensive rebounding game. He posted four points, seven boards and a block in 23 minutes.

Dominick Barlow still seems to be firmly in the rotation picture with George and Watford out. The 22-year-old was the first player off the bench Friday and started the second half in Bona’s place. He played 20 minutes and had six points and five rebounds. 

As far as rotation projections, it’s notable that the Sixers’ only four bench players until the fourth quarter were Barlow, Quentin Grimes, Justin Edwards and Jabari Walker. Edwards had the smallest first-half role of that group, playing just three minutes in the second quarter. 

Edgecombe does it all

Edgecombe brought the ball up often Friday. 

Nurse wants greater offensive variety and movement this season. One important aspect of that vision is more Maxey off-ball reps and less onus on the sixth-year guard to create offense from thin air. It will be interesting to see how Edgecombe deals with the ball pressure and split-second decision-making that come with NBA point guard work. 

Edgecombe’s transition talent pops every time he plays. He capped the third quarter with a buzzer-beating fast-break layup. The home crowd encouraged him to sprint ahead of the pack and fly high in the fourth. Edgecombe did so at every possible opportunity. At a bare minimum, the Sixers should have elite speed when Edgecombe shares the floor with Maxey.

The No. 3 overall pick has also continued to look promising in quite a few other departments, including cutting and offensive rebounding. He already has a knack for impacting the game in both eye-popping and subtle ways.

Defensively, Edgecombe got beaten on a couple of occasions by T-Wolves guard Rob Dillingham. However, he’s frequently shined on defense. Edgecombe had several rock-solid 1-on-1 sequences and those five steals. 

As Maxey’s final stat line indicates, he enjoyed playing off the ball and found plenty of shots in his wheelhouse. Not too shabby a preseason finale for the Maxey-Edgecombe duo.