Feb 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
It’s time for a meeting.
All stakeholders of the Boston Celtics — the optimists, the skeptics, the doom-scrollers, the “I told you so’s, the ones who check box scores with breakfast — please take your seats.
We’ve reached late February, meaning there’s a big enough sample size in front of us that it’s worth taking stock of what we have. At a high level, the Celtics look structurally sound in the areas that usually matter when games slow down and whistles tighten in the playoffs.
As emotionally-invested stakeholders in the Boston Celtics, we’re allowed to dream. But we also owe it to ourselves to do a little due diligence. Fortunately, history gives us a blueprint for success. Over the last two decades, championship teams have tended to share similar statistical markers — strong records, dominant possession margins, top-tier defenses, and elite talent at the top.
So, that’s what we’re going to measure.
We’ll walk through the key pillars that usually define a real contender, stack this year’s Celtics up against those benchmarks, and decide whether what we’re watching is sturdy enough to hold up when the games really matter.
I. The Record & Net Rating Audit
The champions’ benchmarks
.634+ win percentage
Top 7 overall record
Top 8 net rating
+4.0 or better point differential (per 100 possessions)
2026 Celtics snapshot
38–20 (.655) | 4th overall record
+7.6 net rating (4th) | +6.95 point differential per game
18–13 vs .500+ teams | 18–9 at home
What the numbers mean
This season was pre-packaged with a “please be patient” label.
The roster churn was predictable. In today’s NBA, the cap math always shows up eventually. Fans braced for an identity transplant. How could you not after losing five key rotation players without obvious replacements?
Their success is what the overall record captures, and the net rating confirms it. A +7.6 net rating over nearly 60 games usually belongs to teams with a clear system and a clear sense of themselves. Boston has done it while mixing lineups constantly, asking young guys to play significant minutes, and still landing in the same place most nights: ahead on the scoreboard, dominating the margins, and looking down, not up, in the standings.
Yes, they missed the 40–20 stamp of approval. For context, since the 1979-80 NBA season, 41 of the last 45 champions won their 40th game before losing their 20th.
But that rule is less prophecy and more math trick, another way of identifying teams on a mid-to-high 50s win trajectory. The 2021–22 Celtics are a reminder of that. That group started 16–19, sat at 34–26 through 60 games, and never came close to clearing Phil’s threshold. They still finished 51–31, swept Brooklyn, survived seven-game battles with Milwaukee and Miami, and reached the NBA Finals.
Momentum, structure, and health matter more than the order in which the wins arrive. Boston’s current pace and efficiency margins still place them in the same statistical neighborhood as teams that typically contend, regardless of whether they crossed the 40-win line on game 59 or 61.
If this run were purely the product of a hot shooting stretch or clutch time anomalies, the overall profile would wobble. Instead, Boston’s success shows up in the possession math and keeps showing up regardless of who’s available on any given night.
The Verdict: The win profile matches the contender blueprint, and the process behind it looks repeatable.
II. The Defense Audit
The champions’ benchmarks
Top-11 defensive rating
Top-13 opponent effective FG%
2026 Celtics snapshot
111.9 defensive rating (7th)
109.8 defensive rating since Jan. 1 (3rd)
52.2% opponent eFG% (3rd)
What the numbers mean
Championship teams almost always pack a defense that travels. Boston checks that box.
Seventh in defensive rating and third in opponent effective field goal percentage tells you that teams are not getting easy math against them. The Celtics contest cleanly. They rotate with purpose. They’re willing to send help and live with the right shots rather than panic into fouls.
The trend line matters, too. Since Jan. 1, they’ve tightened the clamps even more, ranking third in defensive efficiency over that time period.
The identity this season — more movement, less watching, more stability, less frenetic scrambling — is woven into the texture of their defense. Switching and surviving is one thing. These Celtics are scouting, pre-rotating, and hunting tendencies on a nightly basis. When games slow down in May, you need a defense that understands details. Boston plays like a group that expects to know what’s coming.
The Celtics have allowed nearly 10 PPG fewer than any other NBA team in February. Their defense is on track for the lowest-scoring full month by any team in 8 years.
1. Boston – 96.7 opp pts 2. Detroit – 105.4 Houston – 105.4 4. Charlotte – 107.1 5. Toronto – 108.1 pic.twitter.com/EPZQXmVj0U
Are they perfect? No. The opponent 3-point percentage is middle of the pack. There will be nights when the late closeouts and overhelp bite them. But structurally, this looks like a defense built to survive playoff basketball.
The Verdict: The defensive foundation aligns with the championship template, and it’s trending in an even better direction.
III. The Offense Audit
The champions’ benchmarks
Top-16 offensive rating (modern champs usually much higher)
Top-15 effective FG%
Reliable halfcourt efficiency
Shooting that holds under pressure
2026 Celtics snapshot
119.5 offensive rating (4th)
54.9% eFG% (12th)
36.1% from three (12th)
42.4 3PA per game (2nd)
100.9 halfcourt offensive rating (5th)
111.2 clutch offensive rating (14th)
What the numbers mean
Offense is where the data gets noisy.
Some champions are historic scoring machines. Others just need to be good enough because their defense carries the load. What almost all of them share is that when the game slows down, they can manufacture clean looks in the halfcourt.
Boston’s overall offensive profile is strong. Fourth in offensive rating is no joke, but fifth in halfcourt efficiency is what might matter more down the stretch. Their 100.9 halfcourt offensive rating tells you the Celtics aren’t solely reliant on transition chaos or early-clock threes to build their leads. They can execute when possessions stretch deep into the shot clock.
The shot diet has changed, too.
This group still shoots a lot of threes, but they don’t seem to hunt them out at the same frequency they did in the previous two seasons. Jaylen Brown’s expanded freedom is showing up in the mid-range. Pritchard continues to hunt advantages created by coming off the bench. Vucevic is instantly providing a whole new kind of interior gravity. In other words, the offense feels less scripted and more read-based than it did two years ago.
That matters in the playoffs.
The one area that warrants a raised eyebrow is the clutch offense. Fourteenth in clutch offensive rating is fine, not dominant. It suggests this team still wins more through structure and margin than through late-game shot-making heroics.
Not disqualifying, but worth monitoring. The good news is that underlying math is strong, and the halfcourt foundation is legitimate. Those are the parts that tend to travel into May and beyond.
The Verdict: The offensive profile clears the historical bar, with enough half-court stability to project into playoff basketball. The late-game execution remains the swing factor, though.
IV. The Star Talent Audit
The champions’ benchmarks
At least one top-15 player in the league
An All-NBA level engine
Preferably multiple high-end contributors
2026 Celtics snapshot
Jaylen Brown:
22.5 PER (19th)
+2.4 EPM
All-Star
All-NBA projection (likely 1st or 2nd Team)
What the numbers mean
This is the part where history may not be all that helpful, considering who might be on their way back soon. Data aside, it’s a good thing to have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on your basketball team.
Almost every champion of the modern era has had a player who lives in the top-10 conversation. This year, that responsibility has belonged to Brown.
The MVP buzz isn’t accidental. Brown has absorbed more defensive attention, expanded his shot profile, and carried scoring volume without the infrastructure this team leaned on in prior seasons. The mid-range freedom, the late-clock creation, the willingness to take tough shots when the plan breaks down.
That’s all nice to see in February, but it matters even more in May.
The advanced metrics for Brown may not scream top-five player in the league, but the impact shows up in how opponents guard Boston. He bends coverages, forces matchups, and dictates pace whenever he’s on the floor.
I’m proud of this group and staff/ office looking forward to 2nd half go Cs ☘️ pic.twitter.com/I0cqxQTPYg
The potential return of Jayson Tatum is not something we can model cleanly. It’s the ultimate unknown in this audit. What we can say is that the Celtics have built a contender profile without him.
If he returns and resembles himself, the ceiling changes immediately. That’s a powerful, albeit unpredictable, place to be.
The Verdict: The star engine is strong enough to qualify, with an upside variable that could shift the entire equation.
Final Assessment
Entering this season, the reasonable take was that Boston would recalibrate. Too much turnover. Too much youth. Too much money. A year to reset and regroup.
Instead, nearly three-quarters of the way through the season, they look like a team that fast-forwarded through the transitional phase and landed squarely back in a contention window.
The audit told us what we needed to know. The record aligns with past champions. The possession margins are strong. The defense travels. The offense holds up when the game slows down. And the star power — present and potentially expanding — clears the historical bar.
Of course, that doesn’t promise anything. But when the underlying structure matches the teams that usually matter in late spring, you stop asking whether it’s sustainable and start asking how dangerous it might be.
Tyrese Maxey’s record-breaking Thursday night was not just one of those silly, manufactured milestones.
It wasn’t as if he became the first Sixer to ever post at least 25 points, 10 assists and three steals in a game during the last week of February while wearing a black uniform and red shoes.
Maxey broke Allen Iverson’s franchise three-point record in the first quarter of his team’s win over the Heat. The Sixers acknowledged the moment with a Jumbotron graphic and a video following Maxey’s 20-point first quarter. The fans chanted “MVP” and Maxey soaked it all in.
Not a game that will bled in with the blur of NBA life at the end of Maxey’s career.
“I’m just happy, man,” Maxey said. “I’m blessed. I thank God for the opportunity, thank God for the Sixers organization drafting me, trusting me, believing in me. I thank God for both my coaches, Doc (Rivers) and (Nick) Nurse. They’ve instilled a lot of confidence in me.
“And lastly, my teammates, man. I gave a shoutout to Tobias (Harris) earlier. My rookie year, he told me I was a great shooter. Even though I wasn’t shooting as well as I wanted to, he told me I was a great shooter. And Joel (Embiid), man. He’s been on me about shooting 10 threes a a game since probably my second or third year and I appreciate him for that.”
The names directly below Maxey on the Sixers’ three-point leaderboard are now Iverson, Robert Covington, Kyle Korver, Harris and Embiid. Of course, Iverson is not the best pure shooter on that list. Korver’s an all-time great in that department. He still ranks in the top 10 in NBA history for both three-point makes and three-point percentage.
Iverson’s a Hall of Famer and franchise legend, though. The basic facts are Maxey, at 25 years old, broke his record. He didn’t take that lightly.
“A.I. is somebody that we’ve all looked up to, that I looked up to, being a small guard,” Maxey said. “To be able to pass him at anything in basketball, that’s cool. To have my name next to his is a blessing.”
The gist of Maxey’s route to stardom is well-known, but some scenes pop to mind again.
In all likelihood, Maxey would’ve been drafted higher than the 21st pick if he’d been a better shooter in college. He went 29.2 percent beyond the arc in his 31 games at Kentucky and COVID-19 then canceled the NCAA tournament.
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey even said on draft night that, “People have sort of fixated on his shooting” and noted “we strongly believe Tyrese will shoot better than the number that sticks next to his name in not a lot of Kentucky games.”
Maxey missed the start of his first NBA training camp after testing positive for COVID.
Though he showed fantastic abilities as a rookie, Maxey only made 31 threes and shot 30.1 percent. He kept firing up shots before most players were awake and kept improving. If you saw him behind the scenes, you knew he was determined to find out his full potential.
Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell was an early believer during his three seasons mentoring Maxey on the Sixers’ staff.
“The kid puts the work in, so his success doesn’t surprise me,” Cassell told NBC Sports Philadelphia in 2022. “It surprised all of y’all, but nothing he does on the basketball court surprises me.”
Maxey’s speed remains his world-class tool. There’s many aspects of his game one can easily glide past these days, including his immense, league-leading minutes load.
For good reason, Maxey was happy to pause Thursday night and share why he had a historic game ball in his hands.
“I always said I was going to make it to the NBA and I didn’t know what to expect,” Maxey said. “Someone asked me at All-Star (weekend), ‘Did I expect to be an All-Star starter?’ And I was like, ‘No, man. I just worked.’
“I just work, work, work until I can’t work anymore. That’s just the mindset that I have.”
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 26: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts after making a three-point shot against the LA Clippers in the second half at Intuit Dome on February 26, 2026 in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game Story
Sorry to spoil the recap, but everything that happened tonight was exactly as you would’ve expected.
You would think that after three whole days off, the Los Angeles Clippers would be well-rested against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They had just thrashed the Wolves by 19 at Target Center as Kawhi Leonard dominated the game with 41 points.
Tonight? Minnesota held him to zero points.
That’s not a typo.
Leonard rolled a donut in the box score. Including minutes played. The future Hall of Famer was nursing a sore ankle despite the 72+ hours of rest. Were the Clippers load managing? Is this foreshadowing of what’s coming down from Adam Silver’s office? To be honest, it’s expected that Leonard’s availability is always in flux.
To make matters worse for the sparce home fans in attendance, Los Angeles was also missing John Collins (concussion) who was their second leading scorer in the previous meeting.
Meanwhile, this was a Timberwolves fans worst enemy: A classic low-reward, high-risk game.
After struggling to barely squeaking out a “moral loss” win against an injury ravaged Portland Trail Blazers team two days ago, Minnesota lacked great energy out of gates today as well. A pair of Donte DiVincenzo triples and a Jaden McDaniels dunk seemed like a good sign though at first. Heck, even Anthony Edwards came out putting on a show for his large fan base here in Los Angeles.
However, as expected, the Wolves defense was the problem.
Despite shooting 61.1% in the opening quarter, the Wolves allowed the Clippers to score 23 of 27 first quarter points at the basket or free throw line. It was a real jump scare to look down at the box score after the opening stanza and see that Los Angeles logged just one three-point attempt. Things got a little better for them by halftime though. They hit a whole one three-pointer out of 12 attempts!
Yet somehow, they still trailed by only six points.
What exactly was going on? Minnesota had no shortage of opportunities to extend their lead well over double-digits, but poor offensive execution capped their upside. Spacing was an issue. They were cold from perimeter. The floor spacing was just off. It was essentially a game straight out of the 90’s, as only two players in the entire game scoring in double-digits (Edwards and DiVincenzo).
If you thought Chris Finch had a rousing half time speech that woke up his team, then you would have been mistaken.
A fracas between McDaniels and Kris Dunn looked like it might’ve sparked some life into Minnesota, but to no avail. All it did was garner a flagrant foul which, to be honest, he should’ve gotten in the first half for discarding Kris Dunn. Jaden losing his cool? Expected.
When I asked Chris Finch after the game about how a team of emotional players can balance playing with force, but not losing their cool, he dropped a pretty awesome bar.
The Wolves continued with a flurry of one or no-pass possessions after this. It felt as though every player took a shot like My Hero by Foo Fighters was playing in the background. Even the steadfast Mike Conley was dusted off and immediately airballed a three-pointer. The Clippers slowly, but surely inched ahead by as many as six points which felt like more like sixteen.
Given how porous Minnesota’s defense was, losing the free throw battle by 11 in the third quarter was expected.
Everything was setting up for a disappointing final quarter for the Wolves. There was no rhythm to the game and it certainly played into the zombie Clippers hands. Choppy. Grimy. In the mud. Typically, this would be a type of scenario where someone like Julius Randle would be able to thrive in the grind, but he was still seemingly on another planet. Still. The box score only accredited him with two turnovers and a one of 10 mark from the field, though he certainly played much worse than that.
Thankfully for the visitors, DiVincenzo continued his excellent play from the first half. He single-handedly kept the game from going completely off the rails like that Tobey Maguire Spider-Man holding back a train with his body GIF. A big triple. Assist for another trey. Two straight illegal screen fouls drawn. Another steal. He was everywhere.
Meanwhile, McDaniels continued his personal vendetta against seemingly every Clipper. He was terrorizing Bennedict Mathurin all night, helping the Wolves maintain a small lead. All of this bought just enough time for Edwards to don his cape and rescue his team once again.
Just as we all expected.
There was murmuring about extracurriculars between Edwards and Finch, as caught on video after this shot. According to Edwards, his coach told him to pass the ball after he had his a tough fade-away mid-range shot right before that three-point dagger. According to Finch during the postgame press conference, he denied telling Edwards not to shoot.
You be the judge.
No matter what was said, it’s clear Edwards understands the importance of his relationship with his coach and continues to beat the drum that he’s tight with Finch. “Me and my coach got the best relationship ever. He be right most of the time.” He may have his flaws on and off the court, but he continues to flex his emotional intelligence in these types of situations where others may try sow doubt. Just as expected.
After all the dust (bricks?) settle, Minnesota earned a stronger hold on the fifth seed in the Western Conference. They’re still just half a game out of fourth, and one game out of third place. All that matters right now are wins, no matter how you get them. Should it have been an easy win today? Yes. Was it an ugly “moral loss” win again? Sure.
But what else did you expect?
Box Score
Comment of the Night
Kawhi jokes, SlowMo return, Ant dramatics, none of it is more important than the health of that little boy.
Up Next
Minnesota finally gets two days off for the first time since the All-Star break before a marquee matinee showdown against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, March 1 at 2:30 pm CT. An early tip, in Denver, at the end of a road trip? Sounds like a recipe for an unexpected win! Or maybe just a delicious recipe recap. Either way, the Wolves will look to avoid getting swept 4-0 by the Nuggets this season, just a year after Minnesota swept Denver.
Simplicity and audacity joined forces 10 years ago when one majestic shot and one word said twice stamped the greatest call from the greatest regular season game in NBA history.
The simplicity of broadcaster Mike Breen to enthusiastically yell out “Bang!” And, unknowingly doing so twice. The audacity of Steph Curry to shoot, not heave, a 38-footer to beat the buzzer in a 121-118 Warriors overtime road win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 27, 2016. The stakes of a historic season for a player and a team made this game everything that it was.
Curry was closing in on his second straight NBA MVP season, and the first unanimous win in league history. He had scored 51 points the previous game and 42 the one before that. Neither could live up to the 46 points he scored and NBA-record tying 12 threes he made that night in OKC.
The Warriors were 52-5 and weren’t backing down in their pursuit of eclipsing the 72-10 Chicago Bulls from 20 years prior.
NBC Sports Bay Area went in-depth with Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Breen, the man behind the call, for the oral history of the Double Bang Game. Interviews have been edited and condensed.
Steve Kerr (Warriors head coach): “It’s one of the great regular-season games I’ve ever been part of. They were a hell of a team. We were obviously having a historic season, and they dominated the first half. It was one of the great wins of that season, for sure.”
Mike Breen (Hall of Fame broadcaster): “I’ve been doing this a long time. That was one of the most anticipated regular-season games ever. And that’s the thing, is that we all went into the game and couldn’t wait for the game to happen. There was such hype about the game, and then for it to turn out that way, nobody expected that because it was such a historic season for Golden State and they were the greatest show on Earth. It was some of the most beautiful basketball, team basketball, that I had ever seen, and a lot of people had ever seen. It was just a magical season where everything seemed to have this excitement and drama and just pure joy of watching. You couldn’t wait for the next game. OK, what are they going to do? Every arena they went into as the streak built and the historic season built, every arena they went into on the road, even when teams came to visit them, it was the No. 1 game on that team’s schedule.
“So there was the pressure of that. There was the pressure of possibly setting the record for greatest regular season of all time, and then now they’re facing the one team that people thought had a chance to beat them. If you think about it, Oklahoma City’s record in that game was 41-17. They were 41-17 and they were 12 games behind. Amazing, because they were a great team. Oklahoma City was a great team, but Golden State was just playing at a level that very few teams clearly have ever played at, and they were led by this special player that had captured the imagination and the hearts of not only Dub Nation, but basketball fans around the world.”
The Lead Up
Just three weeks earlier, the Warriors and Thunder played each other for the first time as the prelude to an all-time great. The Warriors beat the Thunder 116-108 at Oracle Arena in a game where Curry had a 26-point, 10-assist double-double, and Kevin Durant (40 points and 12 rebounds) and Russell Westbrook (27 points and 12 assists) had double-doubles for the Thunder. They also were set to play each other again four days later, back in Oakland after this thriller in OKC, with all three of their regular-season games being played in less than a four-week span.
While the Warriors were dominating the rest of the league, the Thunder had the third-best record in the NBA and wanted to do everything in their power to prove the Warriors didn’t scare them. Nothing about this felt like another regular-season game.
Kerr: “Yeah, definitely felt like a playoff preview. We knew how good they were and how athletic they were, so definitely had that type of feel for a regular-season game.”
Breen: “We all use the cliche, ‘Oh, this game feels like a playoff atmosphere.’ Well, this game was like a Finals atmosphere. It just had so many great individual players and these two teams playing at such an incredible level, and that building … that building was, and still is, one of the great venues in all sports, in any sport. That team means so much, not just to the fan base, but to the community. It’s such an important part of Oklahoma City, and the people there and they took this game as this is our chance. We’re going to show them that this is not going to be a runaway, that we’re not just going to hand the championship to these Warriors. We’re going to show them how great we are.
“It had all the hype. And as a broadcaster in any game like that, you have to tell yourself, ‘OK, this has a chance to be something special. Let’s not get carried away early and keep your composure.’ All of us who call the games, clearly the No. 1 objective is to call a good professional game, but on certain games, sometimes the fan takes over. I’ve loved basketball since I was a kid. When you get to watch basketball played at this level with this kind of tenacity, sometimes the fan comes out of you.”
The Game
The Thunder raced out to an 8-0 lead and led by as many as 14 points in the first quarter. The Warriors trailed by 10 points after the first quarter, 11 points at halftime and five points after the third quarter. Their first lead wasn’t until Curry made a 3-pointer in the third quarter that put the Warriors ahead 78-77 at the 1:22 mark.
Was there a point where it felt like the Thunder was the better team and simply had the goods to beat them on this night?
Kerr: “Well, because it’s a regular-season game, those thoughts aren’t even going on in your head. It’s just, ‘Hey, let’s just try to win, and we know they’re really good, and let’s see what we can do.’ We always felt like we were in any game that we played because of our firepower and our defense. We knew we were right there and we were just a spurt away from taking the lead, which is exactly what happened.”
Breen: “You thought they certainly had a chance. But we’ve seen so many amazing comebacks, especially by a team of the caliber of the Warriors. So it was not a given. There just were so many other things, like at halftime with Draymond.
Halftime Incident
The Warriors trailed 57-46 at halftime, and then tensions ran hot. Draymond Green and Kerr, in his second season as head coach, get into a heated, expletive-laden argument. Green, three months ago, on his podcast, took listeners behind the scenes to what happened. He says he only attempted two shots (he took three) and Kerr called out both of them, which he took exception to.
Green says that’s when the two started yelling at each other. He also added that he had thrown his shoes and that Kerr had told him he was done playing for the night.
But Kerr doesn’t remember anything about shoes, and his memories of what happened are a bit different.
Kerr: “I remember showing an offensive clip he was involved in. I didn’t remember him shooting it. I remember him not passing it. It was a moment of frustration for him and for me, and yeah, got heated. Yeah, it got heated. Back then, especially, that was something that happened two or three times a year with us and we were both young. A lot of piss and vinegar, as they say.”
Breen: “Here’s this team that has this magical run and they’re playing in the most anticipated regular season game of what has been a historic season. And that’s the game where Draymond Green and Steve Kerr go at it. It was, it was shocking. Like, how could this happen? Really, can this happen? But I think in many ways, that showed the magnitude of the game. The game meant so much to both teams. They realized that the basketball community, everybody was tuned in to watch to see what was going to happen. Even these great Warriors probably felt a little pressure on this particular one, and that’s probably what was part of what happened at halftime.
“We were waiting to see if, ‘OK, is this going to have any impact?’ And we quickly realized that it was going to have zero impact.
ABC’s Lisa Salters served as the game’s sideline reporter. Waiting to interview Kerr outside the visiting locker room, she heard Green yelling profanities, daring and threatening teammates to calm him down, and later in the game reported on her information.
Breen: “I remember coming back out to the court and hearing it, but Lisa Salters was there the whole time. Lisa Salters did an amazing job in getting whatever information she could get, most of it by just being there and hearing it. She wasn’t spying or anything. She was just waiting out to talk to the coach. She was able to gather as much info as she could, and then she did a great job of reporting it. And we’re just looking at each other like, wow, this is unbelievable that this happened.”
Kerr: “I wish it didn’t happen. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. Yeah, it happened. You adapt to things as you go. We have a great relationship of 12 years of going through everything two people can possibly go through, and I love him. It’s like getting into a fight with a family member. It happens, but it doesn’t take away the love.”
Green in the second half and overtime combined to have eight rebounds, eight assists, four steals and four blocked shots.
Steph’s Injury Scare
Curry scored 15 points in the first half and made all four of the Warriors’ 3-pointers. The Warriors opened the third quarter on a 6-0 run and Curry then jumped a Durant pass to Westbrook. Driving to the basket, Curry stumbled and fell into the stanchion. As he was falling, Westbrook leapt and Curry rolled his left ankle, yelling at his teammates to foul since he couldn’t get up and began limping once he was on his feet.
Breen: “The thing that made us wonder was when he turned his ankle. People forget, there was one time earlier in his career where the Warriors, and I don’t think hesitant is the right word, but they had to have a discussion: ‘Are we going to give this young player a big extension?’ And he’s had all sorts of ankle injuries, because he had quite a few of them early in his career. Here he is in this game, and he turns his ankle and he’s hobbling and he has to leave. And now you wonder, ‘Oh no, please. This amazing game is not going to turn because the star player is out with an ankle injury.’ That was the other concern. [The Warriors] just keep overcoming these adversities to lead to what turned into one of the most spectacular endings in a regular-season game that the NBA has ever seen.
Fourth Quarter
The Warriors hung tough without Curry. It was 57-52 when he exited with 10:29 left in the third quarter. And then, he returned with the Warriors down 70-63 and scored 11 points in the final five minutes of the quarter. The Thunder held a 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Warriors never went away and brought their best in the final minutes.
Klay Thompson’s 3-pointer with 36 seconds to go in regulation made it a one-point game, 100-99, prompting the Thunder to take a timeout. Durant responded with a 3-pointer of his own to give the Thunder a 103-99 lead with just 14.5 seconds on the clock. Thompson went right by Andre Roberson for an easy layup from an out-of-bounds play after a Warriors timeout, cutting the deficit to two with 11.8 seconds.
Though the Thunder had a timeout at their disposal, the Warriors pulled a perfect trap on Durant, who panicked and threw the ball to halfcourt. Thompson deflects it like a defensive back, Green saves the ball from going out of bounds and gets it back to Thompson, who finds Andre Iguodala for a last-second shot attempt.
Kerr: “Everything is just about strategy at that point. At that point, we’re in Steal, Foul. We call it Steal, Foul. You’re going for the quick steal. You don’t want to foul immediately, because you have time. Perfect trap. It’s exactly what you’re looking for. You’re looking for a moment to trap a guy, cause a difficult pass, make a steal, and it all happened exactly as such, and that’s when Andre got fouled.”
Breen: “It just shows the competitive nature, the back and forth of the game. Oklahoma City, you can’t stress enough what a great team they were. A 12-point lead, or let me put it this way, a 12-point deficit against a team with such an offensive bunch of weapons, like Oklahoma City, that’s not easy to overcome. So much has to go right. We always talk about these different big plays that have happened, and we always focus on the last play and Curry’s 3-pointers, it’s obviously the key to the whole thing. It’s why we talk about this game with such reverence. But there were so many other plays that led to that particular moment. If one of those plays doesn’t happen, the whole thing changes. And that’s the beauty of basketball. Sometimes it’s the big shot, but other times it’s so simple as hitting a big free throw or setting a great screen or getting a deflection. Those all incorporated what happened on that particular game down the stretch that set up the perfect ending for Steph.”
The Free Throws
Iguodala caught the ball with one second left and immediately had a good enough, and quick enough, pump fake to get Durant to leave his feet. Durant is called for a foul on Iguodala’s shot with 0.7 seconds left. On the season, Iguodala was shooting 61 percent from the free-throw line. In the game, he hadn’t shot a single free throw yet. Iguodala makes the first, confidently turns to the Warriors’ sideline and drains the second to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Walking back to the Warriors’ bench, Iguodala shrugs his shoulders as if the two free throws were no big deal.
Kerr: “We get the steal, and then Andre makes a really ballsy play drawing the pump fake and then jumping into Kevin, knowing he was gonna have to make two free throws to tie the game, basically at the buzzer. And then he knocks them down. Andre, you know, not a great free-throw shooter either – a guy who has frequently struggled at the line in his career. Those were two amazing free throws to knock down.”
Breen: “From an announcer standpoint, when you have a game like that and big free throws are coming up, the first thing you do as a play-by-play announcer is you check how many free throws he shot that game. And then you check, is this a great free-throw shooter? Is this an average free-throw shooter? Is this a poor free-throw shooter? He clearly was not having a good season, percentage-wise. But this is one of the smartest players I’ve ever seen. He just had tremendous poise.”
Kerr: “Thinking about it now, it reminded me of when we beat Cleveland in the Finals. I think it was 2017, Game 5, he scored 20 points. It just seemed like the bigger the moment, the better shooter Andre became. And that was a good example.”
Breen: “Are you surprised that he gets the clutch free throws? Not really, because that’s who he was. Great players who have such mental toughness like Iguodala had, that’s what they do. Even a guy who shoots 61 percent from the line, he lives for that moment to show his mental toughness. That’s another thing that makes that game, that particular game, so great, is a player like that, who most people who played with him say he’s one of the all-time great teammates, is able to have his moment and calmly knock down those free throws.
Overtime
The Thunder score the first five points of overtime. Durant fouls out in the first minute-plus and finishes with 37 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and seven 3-pointers. Curry then scores the Warriors’ first seven points of OT and the game is tied 110-110. Back and forth they go, with the Warriors never having the lead until Curry’s final shot.
Before the infamous shot and Breen’s call, Curry’s Splash Brother, Thompson, displayed his two-way impact on both sides of the ball.
Clutch Klay
A Roberson layup gives the Thunder a 118-115 lead with 33.9 seconds left in overtime. Kerr calls a timeout and draws up an out-of-bounds play from the right side where Curry is the passer. Thompson sets a screen for Green up top, back cuts off a Harrison Barnes screen and Green finds him in stride. Absorbing contact from Westbrook, Thompson completes a nifty up-and-under three-point play to tie the game, 118-118, with 29.5 seconds left.
Kerr: “It was a play we ran frequently that year. We had it in our book. It seemed like a good call at the time. It was a different option out of the play that Draymond and Klay sort of made up and ad-libbed. But that’s what basketball players do, you know? The play was something we had run all season long. The guys were very comfortable with it. They both made great reads. The And-1 was particularly fortuitous. To get the free throw on top of that changed the game entirely.”
Thompson then picked up Westbrook full court and ran off a Roberson screen to go 1-on-1 with him. Spectacular defense made Westbrook pick up his dribble and pass the ball to Kyle Singler, who gave it right back to Westbrook, who again tried to go 1-on-1 with Thompson.
No luck. Thompson forced Westbrook to attempt a leaning jumper to his left at the end of the shot clock. The ball bounces hard off the backboard and once off the rim, falling into Iguodala’s hands.
Breen: “Because Thompson is one of the best pure shooters the game has ever seen, Klay’s defense was often overshadowed. That’s the part of that team that I think sometimes doesn’t get the proper recognition. Nobody was better than him. We talk about players who have the ability to hit clutch shots. Well, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, and in this instance, Klay, he had the ability to make clutch defensive plays. So much is spoken about the offensive end, but that’s what made him such a special player, and that’s one of the key reasons, his defense, why they won all those championships.
The Shot
When Iguodala grabs the rebound, Curry begins asking for the ball on the left side. Kerr waits a split second and then motions for everybody to go. The Warriors still have one timeout left but opt not to use it with about five or six seconds remaining. Breen even says, “They do have a timeout, decide not to use it,” right before Curry lets it fly.
Kerr: “If we didn’t have Steph Curry, we would have called a timeout, for sure. But because we had Steph, we knew with five seconds he’s gonna dribble up and shoot a 35-footer, and there’s a great chance it’s going in. And we were wrong. He ended up shooting a 40-footer. But it seemed like a much better option against such a long and athletic team, rather than face a set defense with five seconds left and in the front court, just let Steph go.”
Breen: “I understand that strategy, and a lot of coaches prefer to do that. The problem was, there wasn’t a heck of a lot of time, and even Steph says he wasn’t exactly sure where he was when he took the shot, because he could have taken another dribble or two to get a little closer. But he found the spot, and that’s what made it work, because the defense was scrambling in the open floor on a full-court situation. In hindsight, it clearly was the right call, but I’m sure that’s what Steve Kerr was thinking. Like, no, we’re not going to give them a chance to set up their defense. We’re going to let Steph work his magic.”
Kerr: “There was never any other option besides Steph pulling up and shooting. But as I said, I thought maybe he’d get a little closer. But knowing Steph, he likes the flair for the dramatic and I think he relished taking the shot from as deep as he did, honestly. Part of what makes him special is he’s a showman. And even under the most pressure, he wants to put on a show. He’s just one of a kind, and I think he had every awareness of what was happening in the moment, and he just couldn’t wait to shoot a 40-footer to end the game. That’s how confident he is.”
Breen: “As a play-by-play announcer, you just have to watch him and what he’s going to do. I did think it was a little early, but clearly he had the vision and he had the angle to get off his great shot.”
Both teams are scattering to run back. Curry takes three dribbles, barely crosses halfcourt, uses a stutter step and swishes from 38 feet away and less than a second still on the clock to give the Warriors the 121-118 lead for the win in the greatest regular season game in NBA history.
Kerr: “I just looked at Luke Walton and we just started laughing. I have so many great memories of just looking at Luke those two years when Luke was with us. We would just look at each other and shake our head and laugh, like, how lucky are we to be able to coach this guy and witness these miracles. It was a beautiful moment.”
Breen’s famous “Bang!” calls for big shots had become a staple, especially with Curry. On this night, in this moment, he let out his very first Double Bang, yelling, “Bang! Bang! Oh, what a shot from Curry!”
Kerr: “I think I saw it on SportsCenter that night. He got the double. Got the Double Bang. Pretty great.”
The fan came out of Breen. Admittedly, Breen had no idea he had just given Curry his very first Double Bang call, and still doesn’t remember saying the word twice.
Breen: “It was kind of an out-of-body experience. It was just, it was the buildup of the season. It was the buildup of this magical year that Curry was playing on a level that very few have ever played on. So all this buildup comes to this great game, and these two great teams, an amazing comeback, comes out of the locker room from an injury – it’s like one thing after another. If it’s a movie script, the producers are saying, nah, this could never possibly happen. He hits this extraordinary shot, and I just lost it.
“I talk about those moments you want to do justice for the player in their moment. You want to give the call the proper respect that it deserves. But in that time as a basketball fan, I think I became a fan as much as a broadcaster. A fan of the special ability of this young man, and a fan of the greatest game in the world to give the fans a chance to watch something like this. In many ways, yeah, I was a broadcaster calling it, but I was the basketball fan experiencing it. And I think that’s where it came out of because I just, I kind of lost it.
“I do think the first time I heard it back, I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness, I sound like a screaming fool.’ It was an emotional call, because you knew you just witnessed something that was one of the great moments in NBA history.”
When did you first realize and understand you had made such an iconic call that will live forever?
Breen: “It’s still hard for me to understand. I think the reason that it resonates is because in many ways, and not to be overly dramatic, but that shot changed the NBA. The legend of Steph Curry was already on the way, but it went to another level with that shot. He was so relatable to so many people, that I think that’s an important part of it. He’s not this overpowering, 6-foot-8, 250-pound sculpted athlete. A lot of people could go down to their local park in a pickup game and there would be a guy his size playing. But he had this incredible talent that was produced, obviously God-given, but also with one of the most incredible work ethics. I think that can never be stated enough.
“He made that shot in that moment because of all the work he put in when nobody was around. To see this young man, who not only has this great talent, but has such a beautiful humility about him, it just was a wonderful thing. He changed the definition of long-range shooting forever. Those shots that he takes now, that one is different because it’s in the final seconds, but a lot of these shots were once considered a bad shot and the coach would take you out of the game. Now it’s a part of the way the NBA is played more so every year, and it’s because of this fabulous talent who happened to hit a shot that won a game that everybody still talks about 10 years later.”
What Breen remembers next isn’t his call or the crowd’s reaction. It’s seeing Curry celebrate with his teammates and start dancing as the perfect representation of who he is and what that game was.
Breen: “I remember him dancing after hitting the shot. I don’t think he was in full shimmy mode by those days. He wasn’t doing the Night Night then. I think the fan in him came out as well. There was such joy in his face and his teammates’ faces. Obviously, we didn’t care who won from a broadcasting standpoint, but there was joy in everybody who watched, because you knew you just saw something special.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to call these games, and it’s an honor and a privilege to be involved in a moment like that, especially with a special player and a special man like Steph.”
Curry can’t wrap his head around it being 10 years since his shot and Breen’s call. He marvels at how spot on Breen was in the details and how easily he met the moment. “I’ve heard it enough now I could go word for word,” Curry says.
To put a bow on a night that forever will be part of Curry’s story, NBC Sports Bay Area asked him how he’d describe his shot and what followed. The answer was pure emotions from pure joy.
Curry: “I blacked out and lost my mind, for sure. For sure.”
Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton raised eyebrows this week when he was heard saying in the Lakers locker room his team is "trying to make me Clint Capela."
Those remarks have indeed gotten back to Capela.
The Houston Rockets center took a playful shot at Ayton Thursday night via his Instagram story. Sharing an ESPN post that contained Ayton's comments, Capela wrote "U got 2 of the best floor general in the game my dawg Lockinnn" and included two crying from laughter emojis.
Capela's comments went up roughly around the time when the Lakers' game against the Suns was concluding. Los Angeles lost a heartbreaker, 113-110, as Phoenix's Royce O'Neale hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds. Ayton struggled mightily in the contest.
Fresh off saying he was "Not no Clint Capela," following the Lakers' prior game, Ayton went out and scored just 2 points on 1-for-3 shooting. He added just 4 rebounds in his 23 minutes.
The performance, coinciding with the Lakers' third consecutive loss, is not likely to quiet down the conversation around the former No. 1 overall pick.
New Orleans Pelicans (18-42, 14th in the Western Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (18-41, 13th in the Western Conference)
Salt Lake City; Saturday, 9:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans visits the Utah Jazz after Saddiq Bey scored 42 points in the Pelicans' 129-118 victory over the Utah Jazz.
The Jazz are 10-28 against conference opponents. Utah has a 4-7 record in one-possession games.
The Pelicans are 11-26 in Western Conference play. New Orleans gives up 120.3 points to opponents and has been outscored by 5.2 points per game.
The Jazz average 118.0 points per game, 2.3 fewer points than the 120.3 the Pelicans allow. The Pelicans average 11.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 4.3 fewer made shots on average than the 15.5 per game the Jazz allow.
The teams play for the second time this season. In the last matchup on Feb. 27 the Pelicans won 129-118 led by 42 points from Bey, while Ace Bailey scored 23 points for the Jazz.
TOP PERFORMERS: Keyonte George is shooting 45.8% and averaging 23.8 points for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Derik Queen is averaging 12.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and four assists for the Pelicans. Bey is averaging 22.2 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 3-7, averaging 115.9 points, 46.7 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 11.5 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.6 points per game.
Pelicans: 5-5, averaging 118.2 points, 42.1 rebounds, 26.8 assists, 8.1 steals and 6.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.6 points.
INJURIES: Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: day to day (ankle), Vince Williams Jr.: out for season (acl), Keyonte George: day to day (ankle), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (nose), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).
Pelicans: Yves Missi: day to day (calf), Trey Murphy III: day to day (shoulder).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Toronto Raptors (34-25, fifth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Washington Wizards (16-42, 13th in the Eastern Conference)
Washington; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Washington aims to end its three-game skid when the Wizards take on Toronto.
The Wizards are 11-26 against conference opponents. Washington ranks ninth in the Eastern Conference with 47.5 points per game in the paint led by Anthony Davis averaging 13.1.
The Raptors are 26-15 in conference play. Toronto is fourth in the Eastern Conference allowing just 111.8 points while holding opponents to 46.0% shooting.
The Wizards' 12.7 made 3-pointers per game this season are just 0.2 fewer made shots on average than the 12.9 per game the Raptors give up. The Raptors are shooting 47.1% from the field, 0.4% lower than the 47.5% the Wizards' opponents have shot this season.
The teams square off for the third time this season. In the last meeting on Dec. 27 the Wizards won 138-117 led by 23 points from Kyshawn George, while Brandon Ingram scored 29 points for the Raptors.
TOP PERFORMERS: George is scoring 14.8 points per game with 5.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists for the Wizards. Will Riley is averaging 13.8 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 46.8% over the past 10 games.
Scottie Barnes is scoring 19.1 points per game and averaging 8.2 rebounds for the Raptors. Immanuel Quickley is averaging 3.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Wizards: 3-7, averaging 110.3 points, 40.9 rebounds, 24.6 assists, 9.1 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 124.3 points per game.
Raptors: 5-5, averaging 113.9 points, 42.0 rebounds, 27.6 assists, 9.5 steals and 6.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.3 points.
INJURIES: Wizards: Anthony Davis: out for season (finger), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Kyshawn George: day to day (knee), D'Angelo Russell: day to day (not injury related), Alex Sarr: out (hamstring), Trae Young: out (knee).
Raptors: Collin Murray-Boyles: day to day (lower body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Los Angeles Lakers (34-24, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (31-28, eighth in the Western Conference)
San Francisco; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Los Angeles visits the Golden State Warriors after Luka Doncic scored 41 points in the Lakers' 113-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
The Warriors are 21-17 in conference matchups. Golden State is the league leader averaging 16.4 made 3-pointers per game while shooting 36.2% from downtown. Moses Moody leads the team averaging 2.5 makes while shooting 40.5% from 3-point range.
The Lakers are 23-15 in Western Conference play. Los Angeles has a 6-2 record in one-possession games.
The Warriors are shooting 46.2% from the field this season, 2.4 percentage points lower than the 48.6% the Lakers allow to opponents. The Lakers are shooting 49.8% from the field, 2.6% higher than the 47.2% the Warriors' opponents have shot this season.
The teams square off for the third time this season. The Lakers won the last meeting 105-99 on Feb. 8. LeBron James scored 20 points to help lead the Lakers to the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brandin Podziemski is averaging 12.3 points and 3.7 assists for the Warriors. Moody is averaging 15.8 points over the last 10 games.
James is averaging 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers. Austin Reaves is averaging 17.6 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Warriors: 4-6, averaging 112.5 points, 42.8 rebounds, 30.9 assists, 10.2 steals and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.8 points per game.
Lakers: 5-5, averaging 112.4 points, 38.8 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 8.0 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 50.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.8 points.
INJURIES: Warriors: LJ Cryer: out (hamstring), Kristaps Porzingis: out (achilles), De'Anthony Melton: day to day (knee), Jimmy Butler III: out for season (knee), Draymond Green: day to day (illness management), Stephen Curry: out (knee), Seth Curry: out (back).
Lakers: Rui Hachimura: day to day (illness).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
BOTTOM LINE: Dallas looks to break its six-game home slide with a victory over Memphis.
The Mavericks are 3-9 against opponents in the Southwest Division. Dallas is ninth in the Western Conference with 25.1 assists per game led by Cooper Flagg averaging 4.1.
The Grizzlies are 5-6 against opponents in the Southwest Division. Memphis allows 118.1 points to opponents and has been outscored by 2.7 points per game.
The Mavericks average 10.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 3.6 fewer makes per game than the Grizzlies give up (14.3). The Grizzlies average 13.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.2 more made shots on average than the 12.3 per game the Mavericks give up.
The two teams match up for the third time this season. The Grizzlies defeated the Mavericks 102-96 in their last matchup on Nov. 23. Santi Aldama led the Grizzlies with 20 points, and Klay Thompson led the Mavericks with 22 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Flagg is shooting 48.2% and averaging 20.4 points for the Mavericks. Thompson is averaging 2.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Cam Spencer is averaging 11.2 points and 5.6 assists for the Grizzlies. GG Jackson is averaging 17 points and 6.2 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mavericks: 2-8, averaging 115.9 points, 42.5 rebounds, 23.7 assists, 7.0 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 48.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 123.4 points per game.
Grizzlies: 3-7, averaging 119.4 points, 37.9 rebounds, 28.5 assists, 11.7 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 125.2 points.
INJURIES: Mavericks: Daniel Gafford: day to day (ankle), Dereck Lively II: out for season (foot), Kyrie Irving: out for season (knee), Cooper Flagg: day to day (foot), P.J. Washington: day to day (ankle).
Grizzlies: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: out for season (finger), Ja Morant: out (elbow), Zach Edey: out (ankle), Cedric Coward: day to day (knee), Santi Aldama: day to day (knee), Brandon Clarke: out (calf).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
BOTTOM LINE: Brooklyn aims to break its six-game slide with a victory over Boston.
The Celtics are 7-5 against division opponents. Boston is ninth in the NBA with 33.1 defensive rebounds per game led by Nikola Vucevic averaging 6.7.
The Nets are 3-9 against the rest of their division. Brooklyn averages 14.8 turnovers per game and is 4-14 when winning the turnover battle.
The Celtics average 15.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.9 more made shots on average than the 12.4 per game the Nets give up. The Nets average 13.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.4 fewer makes per game than the Celtics allow.
The two teams play for the fourth time this season. The Celtics defeated the Nets 130-126 in overtime in their last matchup on Jan. 24. Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with 32 points, and Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 30 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jaylen Brown is averaging 29.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Celtics. Pritchard is averaging 2.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
Day'Ron Sharpe is scoring 8.6 points per game and averaging 6.7 rebounds for the Nets. Porter is averaging 15.8 points and 5.3 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 8-2, averaging 105.5 points, 51.1 rebounds, 25.2 assists, 5.8 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 44.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 96.7 points per game.
Nets: 2-8, averaging 106.5 points, 41.1 rebounds, 26.7 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.7 points.
INJURIES: Celtics: Jayson Tatum: out (achilles).
Nets: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
It just seems fitting that Kon Knueppel has this record.
With a third quarter 3-pointer, Knueppel moved past the Kings' Keegan Murray and took over the record for the most 3-pointers by a rookie in NBA history.
KON MAKES HISTORY ‼️
With this three, Kon Knueppel has set the new NBA rookie record for 3-pointers made in a season! pic.twitter.com/CoaK09QIQY
Knueppel is in the mix for Rookie of the Year, averaging 19.3 points a game while shooting 43.6% from beyond the arc. His shooting was expected, but what has stood out has been his playmaking and offensive diversity, things he didn't get to show off as much at Duke next to Cooper Flagg (the guy he is in the race with for ROY). Knueppel's other advantage in the Rookie of the Year race: He's playing in meaningful games for a Hornets team that appears headed to the play-in in the East.
Knueppel finished with 28 points in Charlotte's win in Indiana on Thursday.
Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards wasn't afraid to put Thursday's game in his own hands ... and wasn't afraid to let everyone know about it, including Minnesota head coach Chris Finch.
Edwards made a huge shot to give the Timberwolves a 92-88 lead over the Los Angeles Clippers with 42.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter, before getting in Finch's face.
"That's what I do," Edwards could be seen telling Finch on the broadcast after the 3-point shot.
The Timberwolves went on to win 94-88 and Edwards was asked about that moment during his postgame interview with Amazon Prime.
"I told him, you don't want me to pass the ball, you want me to shoot it." 🗣️
“The play before, when I took the midrange over two (players), (Finch) said to pass the ball and I told him, 'You don't want me to pass the ball, you want me to shoot it,'" Edwards said.
Edwards had 31 points, five assists and three rebounds for the Timberwolves. He shot 12-of-24 from the field, including 2-for-6 from the 3-point line.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 26: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center on February 26, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Lakers 113-110. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
How many “worst losses of the season” in a row could the Lakers string together in the coming week, because it seems like they’re trying to do as much.
After a lifeless loss to the Celtics and handing a game away to the Magic, the Lakers went to Phoenix against an undermanned Suns team and blew a double-digit second half lead to lose a third straight. When could this streak end? If they lose to a Steph-, Jimmy-, Kristaps- and, potentially, Draymond-less Warriors team on Saturday, that would be worse.
They then host the tanking Kings and Pelicans in the next two games. We could only be halfway through an impressive run, guys!
So, let’s dive into the loss. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.
We were long overdue for a good Marcus game, and he delivered in a couple of ways. He knocked down a couple of important shots in the fourth, but his biggest play was a block at the rim that somehow didn’t count in the box score.
These are symptoms of bigger issues offensively, but LeBron has been a bystander more often than not of late. It doesn’t help that his 3-point shot has absolutely cratered this year.
Most of his baskets in this one came in the third quarter when he punished an undersized Suns team with simple baskets at the rim. Those were nice, but he didn’t do much else.
He made countless defensive mistakes by not getting out on shooters early enough on screens, resulting in one flagrant foul and six-point Suns possession.
Ironically, his only basket was a pretty Capela-esque lob.
Similar to LeBron, Reaves has been relegated to ball-watching too much offensively. He did hit a huge shot to tie the game late, but missed the look to tie the game at the buzzer at the same time.
Without a single caveat, Luka was the reason the Lakers got back into the game at the end with his offensive brilliance. He had one of his 3-point shooting games of the season with multiple of those coming down the stretch. Just a brilliant performance offensively from him and the Lakers needed every bit of it.
But I can’t just not mention how bad he was defensively. He lost Colin Gillespie multiple times for threes. Grayson Allen was hunting him in the pick and roll and Luka couldn’t stay in front of him. Don’t get me wrong, he was much, much more good than bad. But there was bad, which is why I can’t give it an A+.
It remains extremely funny how positively impactful Luke Kennard has been without taking threes. It’s now just six threes over his last four games and one in the last two. He’s been good for the Lakers and a big upgrade over Gabe Vincent. It’s just funny as to how and why he’s been an improvement.
A very nice return game for Hayes, who brought a level of energy and activity that Ayton did not. Grabbing eight rebounds in any amount of minutes is a big positive for Hayes, too.
Another role player who was due for a good game that had one. LaRavia’s 3-point shooting just isn’t going to come around this year it seems and he still made some mistakes defensively, but he also had a big steal late and was overall good in this one.
Grade: B+
Jarred Vanderbilt
Vando was already teetering on even getting two shifts per night, then he had a horrid sequence in the second quarter where he had a bit of miscommunication defensively with Kennard that allowed Jalen Green to get off a clean, even if very deep, look from three that banked in at the shot clock buzzer. Vando’s ensuing inbound was lackadaisical and stolen, leading to another three from Phoenix.
He did not play after that.
I’m back to the point that I think Thiero should get a couple of games to see if he can provide something.
Maxi Kleber
He logged one second, but set one hell of a screen to free up Reaves for the near game-tying shot.
JJ Redick
JJ made some mistakes in this one. I didn’t think the play he used his challenge on was worth it and he lost it. I also felt he waited multiple possessions too long to call some timeouts, especially in the third quarter.
But I saw criticism of his defensive scheme because of the open looks the Suns had from three. The Lakers did not play zone because they wanted to try to limit Phoenix’s outside shooting. They also wanted the bigs to come out higher to stop the Suns from shooting off screens, too.
Ayton struggled badly on that coverage though, evidenced by his foul on a closeout that led to a six-point possession. Redick then tried to go to a switching lineup, but the Suns would just find Luka and pick on him. There were a couple of instances of overhelping from the Lakers as well, but that’s a trait of a bad defensive team that knows its teammates can’t stay in front of the opponent.
The Lakers have a team that can’t shoot and can’t defend. JJ isn’t innocent but he didn’t build this team.
Grade: C
Thursday’s DNPs: Kobe Bufkin, Dalton Knecht
Thursday’s inactives: Rui Hachimura, Drew Timme, Nick Smith Jr., Bronny James, Adou Thiero, Chris Mañon
Clippers guard Kris Dunn drives to the basket in front of Minnesota's Donte DiVincenzo during the Clippers' 94-88 loss Thursday at Intuit Dome. (Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
Anthony Edwards scored 31 points, Donte DiVincenzo added 18 and the surging Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Clippers 94-88 on Thursday night.
Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu each scored 12 points and Rudy Gobert had 13 rebounds to help the Timberwolves improve to 5-1 since Feb. 9 and 3-1 since the All-Star break.
Edwards, returning to the site of the All-Star Game, where he was the MVP, was 12 for 24 from the floor and sealed the victory with a step-back three-pointer over two defenders for a 92-88 lead with 42.9 seconds left.
Derrick Jones Jr. scored 18 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 14 for the Clippers, who struggled from the outset with a season-low 38 points in the first half. Kris Dunn had 11 points for the Clippers (27-31), who have lost three consecutive games for the first time since December.
The Clippers struggled on offense without star Kawhi Leonard, out because of ankle soreness. The Clippers shot 40.5% from the floor, including 18.2% (four for 22) in the second quarter. Minnesota shot 43.4% in the game.
The Timberwolves (37-23) scored just 15 points in the second quarter and still topped the Clippers, who had 11. Minnesota led 44-38 at halftime behind 12 points from DiVincenzo and 11 from Edwards.
The Clippers led by six in the third quarter and were up 68-63 heading into the fourth. Edwards' drive and reverse layup put the Timberwolves up for good at 76-74 with 7:40 remaining.
The Clippers pulled within one three times in the last 2½ minutes, but Edwards answered each time. He scored the Timberwolves' last nine points.
Up next for Clippers: vs. New Orleans on Sunday night.
MEMPHIS, TN - FEBRUARY 20: Olivier-Maxence Prosper #18 of the Memphis Grizzlies drives to the basket during the game against the Utah Jazz on February 20, 2026 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks (21-37) will play for the second consecutive night with a game Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies (21-36) that tips at 7:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center. Dallas snapped a two-game winning streak in losing 130-121 to the Kings Thursday. Naji Marshall scored 36 in the effort and the team was once again without Cooper Flagg, who missed his fourth straight game with a foot injury. As of this writing Flagg’s availability for Friday has not been announced.
Led in scoring by veteran swingman Ty Jerome, the Grizzlies enter this game on a three-game skid and having dropped seven of their last eight; they beat the Mavericks in each of these teams’ first two meetings, winning 118-104 at home Nov. 7 and in Dallas Nov. 22, 102-96. Since then both clubs have undergone major changes at the trade deadline. Although the bar for “surprising trade” is pretty high around these parts, the Grizzlies’ Feb. 3 deal with Utah sending Jaren Jackson Jr. and others away in a change for guard Walter Clayton Jr., forward Taylor Hendricks, guard Kyle Anderson, and three first round draft picks represented an abrupt change in direction for Memphis.
The post-trade Grizzlies, already without Jackson’s fellow building blocks Ja Morant (elbow) and Zach Edey (ankle) for much of this season, are giving their entire remaining roster a long look to see who to keep around for a likely rebuild, with wing Rayan Rupert, who arrived last week in a trade with Portland, the only Grizzly not to have yet started a game. For this approach, they have the right coach in Tuomas Iisalo, whose coaching style involves frequent substitutions and high demands on reserves. Since returning from the All-Star break, the only Memphis player to appear in a game and play fewer than 20 minutes has been Anderson, who left Feb. 20 against Utah with a knee injury after playing 18.
Next up
While it will take years to fully determine whether the Jazz or Grizzlies won the Feb. 3 trade, one of the deal’s clear early winners has been GG Jackson, a starter at power forward in eight of the nine games since. The third-year player has used the increased playing time to go on a 20-of-39 bender from long range, a stunning turnaround that has brought his season average up to 34.7 percent. Already an excellent finisher through contact at the rim, his shooting from deep has opened up the floor for him to operate and for his teammates. On a Grizzlies team that’s suddenly one of the smallest in the league he’s still looking for his first double-digit rebounding game of the season. The four-year contract he signed after making the team as a second-round pick in 2023 looks like quite a bargain now; the Grizzlies have a $2.4M option on him for 2026-27 but he is earning himself a lot of leverage at the negotiating table.
Welcome back, O-Max
Former Maverick Olivier Maxence-Prosper has also made hay with the opportunity afforded him lately; he had a rough scoring night Wednesday against the Warriors, with a late three-pointer his only scoring output, but has posted a couple of 20-point games since the break. The Mavericks drafted Prosper in 2023 for his athleticism, and in Memphis he has shown more refinement in his offensive game, with the ability to handle the rock in transition and put the ball on the floor to drive. He’s also had some nice nights shooting from three, including a seven-of-eight effort against Portland Feb. 7.
The Grizzlies are not a good team but they do have an intriguing collection of young, talented players, including Hendricks, another third-year player whose offense is gradually catching up to his defense. In the backcourt, guard Javon Small responded to his first start of the season Wednesday with a four-of-eight three-point performance, and Scotty Pippen is turning into a valuable pest with quick hands and a nose for the ball. Guard Walter Clayton Jr., on a title run with Florida this time a year ago, now finds himself taking his lumps in the pros alongside shooting guard Jaylen Wells, the Grizzlies’ leader in starts, though both show signs of being pretty good players in the long haul.
A new leaf
While the Grizzlies turned themselves into a two-month open mic at the trade deadline, the Mavericks have been reshaped into a team with size and veteran experience by the deal that sent Anthony Davis to Washington and brought Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley III, Tyus Jones, and others to Dallas. They beat the Nets Tuesday with a balanced attack in which the team’s success getting into and controlling the paint led to success in the backcourt, where Klay Thompson made 5-of-10 threes and Brandon Williams connected on 9-of-11 from the field and racked up 10 assists.
One might expect a team like that to chew up the young developing Grizzlies if that team had not just gotten thumped by the worst team in the league, Sacramento, the night before, making 10 three-pointers and turning the ball over 17 times. The Kings beat the Grizzlies this week too, winning 123-114 Monday by outmuscling Memphis in the paint; if the Mavericks are healthy they’ve got the size to impose their will. One downside to the Mavericks’ recent infusion of veterans is that playing on consecutive nights becomes a much taller order; if the team needs young legs they can see if guard AJ Johnson can reprise his impressive 4-4 effort against the Kings. Up until the last two games, the Mavericks appeared to have solved their turnover woes; Friday’s game presents a good opportunity to get back on track.
How to watch/listen
You can watch the game on KFAA Channel 29 or MAVS TV (streaming), or listen at 97.1FM KEGL (English), and 99.1FM KFZO (Spanish).
