Category: Basketball

Lakers star LeBron James will miss Sunday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans as he manages a right foot injury, the team announced.

The Lakers (14-4) are playing the first of two games in as many nights at home. They host the Phoenix Suns on Monday, which will be the team's third game in four days after a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.

Playing in just his fourth game of the season, James played 34 minutes in the 129-119 win, scoring 13 points with seven assists. He missed the beginning of the season for the first time in his 23-year NBA career because of right sciatica that sidelined him for 14 games.

Read more:Former Lakers star Anthony Davis makes long-awaited return to L.A. after trade

Despite James' limited time, the Lakers have still thrived behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Doncic leads the NBA in scoring with 35.1 points per game. The dynamic duo combined for 72 points in Friday’s win, led by 38 points on 12-for-15 shooting from Reaves. The Lakers' guard scored 31 points in the team’s first matchup against the Pelicans, a 118-104 win on Nov. 14 in New Orleans.

The Pelicans (3-17) have the worst record in the Western Conference. The Lakers need James for the tougher matchup against the Suns (12-9) on Monday before playing in Toronto on Thursday, the first game of a three-game East Coast trip.

The Lakers will also be without guard Marcus Smart (back spasms) for the second consecutive game.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Australia's Tim David crashed a stunning 98 from 30 balls as UAE Bulls won their first Abu Dhabi T10 League title with an 80-run win over Aspin Stallions.

After being put in to bat, James Vince retired hurt early for Bulls, before Phil Salt (18) fell in the third over.

From there it was the David show. He had hit 57 off 18 balls earlier in the day to lead Bulls to the final, but this was even better.

He hit three fours and 12 sixes as he shared an unbroken 128 with Rovman Powell (24* off 20) to power Bulls to 150-1.

Stallions, who were playing in the competition for the first time, never got going in reply and were 10-1 after two overs and already well behind the required run-rate.

They finished on 70-4 with Rahmanullah Gurbaz top-scoring with 18.

David finishes the tournament as the leading run-scorer (393), with England's Salt second on 256.

Australia's Andrew Tye was the leading wicket-taker with 13.

Jalen Brunson finished with 37 points on 21 shots in Friday night’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks, his ninth 30-point effort of the early season. The performance drew calls for Brunson to receive recognition in the MVP race, first from Stan Van Gundy during the broadcast, then from head coach Mike Brown after the game. 

It’s tough to argue for Brunson’s season being anything but MVP-worthy thus far. He’s averaging a career high 29.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists on 54.5 percent shooting from two and 38 percent from three. 

Last season, Brunson was similarly impressive and valuable, yet only mustered one fifth-place vote. He fell short of nine of his peers, including Cade Cunningham and Jayson Tatum,both of whom he would go on to eliminate in the Playoffs. 

Others are calling it out early, but we need to see proper respect given to Brunson this year. He’s one of the league’s most consistent performers and feared scorers, yet dumbfoundedly, isn’t recognized as one of its most valuable players. 

No matter your personal criteria in determining the award’s winner, Brunson fits the bill. If you’re looking for the best player on the best team, the Knicks are 12-6 and slowly rising in the East, and there’s no dispute who their captain has been. 

Sure, OKC is a juggernaut that may be on its way to 74 wins, but having historically exceptional candidates doesn’t delegitimize Brunson’s case. It only shows how well he’s made it in spite of who he’s up against. 

If you’re dead set on the “value” piece of the award, the Knicks are outscoring their opponents by eight more points per 100 possessions with Brunson on the court vs off, in line with the effect Luka Doncic has had this season. Brunson also has much less ball handling and creation help than his other candidates, further emphasizing his importance.

When the game comes down to its closing moments, nobody outshines Brunson. What’s more valuable than having the league’s ultimate closer?

At least that's what he was crowned last season when he won the Clutch Player of the Year award. He’s off to a hot start this year, with a last-minute and-one and some clutch passing against the Bucks, another key dime in Dallas and some daggers thrown against Boston. 

Other candidates have their share of teammate injuries, but Brunson has had to deal with that plus the installation of an entirely revamped offense. He’s taken the new system in stride, while injecting his own flavor to it, but it took a few games to get going and may still need tweaking.

For those caught up on Brunson’s physical, savvy play that’s misconstrued as foul-baiting or unethical, just note every leading MVP candidate is top-20 in free throw attempts per game, but not Brunson. His defense also likes to get nitpicked, but the Knicks' D has held up well with Brunson, being far more heavily swayed by OG Anunoby’s absence and Mitchell Robinson’s struggles.

It shouldn’t take elite basketball minds like Brown’s or Van Gundy’s to get across what’s obvious to anybody watching: Brunson is an MVP-caliber player, and the voters and coverage should reflect that.

Buddy Hield hilariously trolls ‘foul-baiter' Jimmy Butler after Warriors' win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jimmy Butler was ready to talk hoops after the Warriors’ 104–96 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, but Buddy Hield was ready to talk trash.

As Butler spoke to reporters at Chase Center, Hield crashed the presser and jokingly called out his teammate’s foul-drawing ways.

“Stop foul-baiting, Jimmy,” Hield shouted.

Butler didn’t hesitate with a comeback.

“If you don’t got no haters, you’re not popping,” Butler joked. “Remember I told y’all that.”

“You’re not popping at all,” Hield fired back.

“Yes I am,” Butler responded. “It’s my number one fan over there.”

Despite the verbal sparring, Butler closed the night with 24 points with 10-of-14 from the free-throw line, while Hield chipped in eight points off the bench.

Later, Hield summed up what had everyone laughing in the press conference: Butler’s foul-drawing and free-throw craft aren’t just good for comedy — they’re game-winning tools.

“Jimmy’s able to control the game with him just foul-baiting and getting to the line and making plays for us,” Hield told reporters.

Butler’s performance at the stripe proved decisive as the Warriors closed out the win. Golden State will look to carry that momentum into Tuesday’s matchup with the NBA-best 19-1 Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center.

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Does Jaylen Brown have a legitimate gripe with lack of foul calls? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Is Jaylen Brown getting a bad whistle this season?

The Celtics rank dead last in the NBA in free throw attempt rate (18.7 per game) and are on pace for the league’s lowest output in that category in more than a half decade. Boston’s inability to consistently get to the line is further accentuated by the fact that the team ranks 27th in opponent free throw rate this season (27.6 per game).

Opponents have attempted 169 more free throws than Boston through the first 19 games of the season. The Celtics have not attempted more free throws than an opponent in any game this season (though they did match the Cavaliers’ output of 24 attempts on October 29).

The Celtics haven’t been a foul-generating team in recent seasons, in part due their 3-point loving ways. Boston ranked dead last in free throw attempt rate last season (19.1 per game) but it hardly hindered the team in winning 61 games. Boston ranked tied for 25th in free throw rate (20.2 per game) while winning 64 games during its 2024 title season.

But it does seem fair to wonder if Brown specifically is deserving of more whistles. While many NBA superstars get calls for the lightest graze on a drive to the basket, Brown is often left animated when he doesn’t get those calls despite drawing more obvious contact.

Referees most certainly missed an important call when Brown was tripped in a loss to the Jazz in October, and the league didn’t fine Brown for venting in the aftermath. Brown has expressed frustration about inconsistent whistles on multiple other occasions, including after Saturday’s loss in Minnesota.

The data seem to back up his frustration.

Brown ranks sixth in the NBA in drives per game (16.4) but gets fouled on just 9 percent of those treks. Among the 45 highest-volume-drive players in the league (10+ drives per game, 10+ games played), Brown ranks 22nd among that group in foul rate, per NBA tracking data.

On one hand, he’s one spot behind Detroit’s Cade Cunningham (who gets fouled on 9.4 percent of drives) and six spots behind the free-throw-line dwelling Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (10.4 percent). On the other hand, the league-leading Anthony Edwards gets fouled on a staggering 15.5 percent of his drives.

On Saturday night in Minnesota, Brown was credited with 21 drives leading to 10 shot attempts. He drew fouls on just 4.8 percent of those drives. By comparison, Edwards drove 15 times leading to eight shot attempts, but generated fouls on 26.7 percent of those treks.

Brown is drawing more fouls overall this season. He has been fouled on 13.9 percent of his shot attempts, which is up 1 percent from last season and 2.3 percent from his 2023 All-NBA season. What’s more, he ranks in the 99th percentile among all wings while getting fouled on 3.3 percent of plays when he’s on the court, per Cleaning the Glass data.

Brown’s 6.3 free throw attempts per game easily would be a career high, and he ranks eighth in the NBA in scoring at 28.8 points per game. Yet all seven players in front of him get to the line more frequently, with Luka Doncic (12.3 free throws per game), SGA (10.1), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (10.3) all averaging double-digit free throw attempts per game.

Brown generated his 10th 30-plus-point game of the season on Saturday in Minnesota. He has sometimes singlehandedly kept Boston competitive this year while teammates have struggled with their shots. Brown is a big reason Boston ranks sixth in the NBA in offensive rating.

The real question is, will referees ever give him the sort of whistle befitting his superstar play?

Seth Curry reportedly will re-sign with Warriors for remainder of season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Reinforcements are on the way for the Warriors.

Not only is De’Anthony Melton’s 2025-26 NBA season debut right around the corner, but Golden State will add a sharp-shooting Curry to the mix as well.

No, not that Curry, who currently is nursing a quad contusion.

Seth Curry intends to re-sign with the Warriors for the remainder of the season on Monday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Sunday, citing sources.

Curry originally signed with Golden State back in September on an Exhibit 9 contract and spent the entire training camp and preseason with the team before he was waived on Oct. 18 before the start of the season. The move was expected, and the Warriors intended to re-sign Curry once his veteran-minimum contract could be prorated, starting in November, to fit under the second apron of the league’s salary cap.

The 35-year-old Curry, in 11 NBA seasons, has averaged 10.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists on 47.1-percent shooting from the field and 43.3 percent from 3-point range, which currently is the eighth-best mark in league history and the better than his brother, Steph’s, 42.2-percent clip.

The younger Curry also led the league in 3-point shooting (45.6%) last season with the Charlotte Hornets.

Now he re-joins his brother in Golden State, where he should provide the team with elite shooting off the bench.

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points and topped the 21,000-point mark for his career on Saturday night as the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 116-99 victory over the short-handed Brooklyn Nets.

Antetokounmpo, in his second game back after missing four due to a groin strain, became the 42nd player, and sixth-youngest, in NBA history to reach 21,000 career points when he hit a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter.

Antetokounmpo shot 12 for 15 in 19 minutes and had eight rebounds.

Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. scored 13 points in his first game back since spraining an ankle in the season opener. Porter then injured his right meniscus working his way back and underwent surgery in early November. A.J. Green added 15 points and Bobby Portis Jr. 13 for Milwaukee.

Rookie Danny Wolf, playing in his fifth game, had a career-high 22 points for the Nets. Wolf shot 8 for 16, including 5 for 9 from beyond the arc. Jalen Wilson added 13 points.

The Bucks took control with a 39-24 scoring advantage in the second quarter and held a 71-53 lead at the half. The margin ballooned to 92-60 with just over five minutes left in the third quarter.

The Nets were without leading scorer Michael Cooper Jr. (24.3 points per game), who missed his second consecutive game due to lower back tightness. Starting guard Egor Demin was sidelined with injury management for a left plantar fascia tear.

Brooklyn already was without guard Cam Thomas (21.4 points), who has been sidelined since early November due to a left hamstring strain.

Antetokounmpo returned to the lineup Friday and scored 30 points in 118-109 loss to the New York Knicks that eliminated the Bucks from the NBA Cup.

Up next

Nets: Host the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.

Bucks: Visit the Washington Wizards on Monday.

Gary Payton II saves Warriors from considerable embarrassment vs. Pelicans originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Injury-diminished New Orleans was the perfect opponent for the Warriors, who on Saturday were taking their first tentative step into the expected brief void created by the absence of Stephen Curry.

One of six teams destined to blow past the 60-loss mark, the Pelicans are profoundly vulnerable but were plucky enough to drag the Warriors into “clutch game” territory.

The Warriors emerged victorious, 104-96, but coach Steve Kerr and his staff will be blessed with plenty of video sure to leave various members of the roster palming their faces.

Three days after Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler III blistered the team for its polite approach to defense – which showed signs of improvement – their offense spent most of the evening trying to survive spells of self-suffocation. AKA, the No Steph Syndrome.

The Warriors on this occasion were rescued by Gary Payton II, who came off the bench and pulled his teammates to a win that spared them loads of embarrassment.

“He was amazing,” Kerr said. “Gary was one of the keys to the game, just his activity levels, his defense obviously working kind of underneath the basket, freeing himself up for some layups, and then obviously knocked down the three. That was kind of the killer, the killer shot.”

Payton, who left the game Wednesday night against Houston with a bum ankle, was cleared Saturday before tipoff and submitted the fourth double-double of his NBA career and first this season, with 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and a dagger triple with 57.7 seconds that gave the Warriors a 99-88 lead with 57.7 second remaining.

Moreover, the 6-foot-2 utility man grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and the displayed the level of smarts, spirit and determination Green and Butler were pleading for during their separate postgame harangues.

“Gary, he’s hella smart,” Butler said. “Gets the ball where a ball needs to go, guards at a high level, rebounds the basketball and just plays the right way. When he’s open, he shoots the ball when he’s not, he passes it. I think we all can learn a lot from him.”

It took a full half before the Warriors showed any ability to find buckets. They scored 17 points, shooting 24 percent from the field, including 7.1 percent from deep, in the first quarter, ticking up to 25 points in the second quarter, shooting 43.5 and 12.5 percents.

As bad as the offense was early, Golden State’s defense wouldn’t allow the Pelicans to take advantage. Both teams shot 33.3 percent from the field and nine percent from beyond the arc before halftime.

“If you take care of the ball and you get shots on goal, it just sets the game of your transition defense is better,” Kerr said. “It gives you a chance to get offensive boards. The game didn’t feel that rhythmic, but it felt clean. We weren’t turning it over, making mistakes, and that’s important, the shots will start going in.”

The chemistry between Payton and Butler, beginning late in the second quarter, was crucial to making the offense blossom in the second half. Payton scored 12 points in the quarter on 6-of-6 shooting, mostly working near the rim.

“Just playing behind the defense, being an outlet and making layups,” Payton neatly summarized.

“Jimmy draws a lot of attention when he’s driving to the rim, and Gary was able to find all the open spots in their defense,” Draymond Green said. “He was great cutting, rebounding the basketball, which was incredible. He did a great job of playing behind the defense, and Jimmy’s always looking for the open man. If you’re open, he’s going to throw that pass every time. And G was open, and he found him four or five times.”

Butler finished with a team-high 24 points and a game-high 10 assists, five of which were dimes to Payton. They were responsible for restoring the heartbeat of the offense, as the Warriors in the second half scored 62 points on 48.9 percent shooting from the field, including 40 percent from distance.

There was some defensive slippage by Golden State, but not enough to give the game to the Pelicans.

There will be at least two more games without Curry, beginning Tuesday at Chase against the obnoxiously good Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by Thursday in Philadelphia against the 76ers, who are 10-8 despite Joel Embiid and Paul George missing a combined 26 games.

The Warriors will be off on Sunday before coming into Chase to practice and study video on Monday. They’ll spend less time reviewing the Pelicans than previewing the Thunder, who give their every opponent reason to palm its collective face.

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