“There was something extra,” Horford said. “It was about the second or third time they, especially KCP, went at him in that way.”
When Tatum was ruled out for Game 2, fans at TD Garden directed their ire toward Caldwell-Pope by booing him early in the contest — which caused Caldwell-Pope to give it right back to the crowd.
Ahead of Game 3 in Orlando, Caldwell-Pope laughed when asked how he felt about getting a hostile reaction at TD Garden.
“I’ve had that before,” Caldwell-Pope told reporters at Magic shootaround, via Sports Illustrated’s Mason Williams. “Getting a little boos, I must be doing something right.
“It was fun; a little bit more energy for me. I wish I had knocked down some shots, would’ve been a lot better. But I try to do everything possible to get the win for my team, and if I’m not making shots — I do defend at a high level, and that’s what I’ll be focusing on.”
#Magic’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on the reaction he drew in Boston: “(laughing) I’ve had that before. Getting a little boos, I must be doing something right. It was fun, a little bit more energy for me. I wish I had knocked down some shots, would’ve been a lot better.” pic.twitter.com/GH0xIPmr4K
Caldwell-Pope is a 12-year veteran who’s won two NBA championships, so he’s not one to be rattled by rowdy fans. That said, he endured a brutal shooting night in Game 2, going 1 for 9 from the floor and 0 for 6 from 3-point range to finish with three points. He has nine total points through two games on 3 for 14 shooting (2 for 10 from 3) and got on Horford’s bad side again in Game 2 by colliding with the Celtics big man in the second quarter.
The Magic are committed to playing very physical and “mucking it up” against the Celtics, to use Cole Anthony’s words. To their credit, they’ve played with energy and effort and haven’t backed down against a superior opponent in Boston.
But Orlando can’t knock off the reigning champs if it can’t score, and lack of offense is the primary reason why the Magic trail 2-0 in the series. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have accounted for more than 62 percent of Orlando’s points through two games, with no other player scoring more than 16 points in either contest.
The Magic need a lot more offense from their supporting cast — Caldwell-Pope included — if they want to extend this series. Their next chance comes Friday night in Orlando for Game 3, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.
Jimmy Butler’s status for the Warriors is threatened after suffering a deep glute muscle contusion against the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of the Western Conference playoffs.
The Rockets forward, who, like Green, never shies away from speaking his mind, responded to the recent narrative circulating the NBA world of his teammate Amen Thompson being a dirty player. Thompson undercut Butler as he was in the air fighting for a rebound before suffering a hard fall in Wednesday’s game.
“Nah. I think the dirty player is Draymond, giving [Thompson] a little push,” Brooks said Friday (h/t Chancellor Johnson). “That’s what regular basketball players do. Jimmy flew in the air for a rebound and, you know, stuff happens. Amen’s not a dirty player, he has nothing to do with being a dirty player.
“We’re not worried about that. We’re on to the next game and we hope Jimmy can get better.”
The “push” Brooks might be referring to was Green trying to box out Thompson, who fought through the contact and plunged under Butler.
Butler was on the floor for several moments before getting up, shooting two free throws and remaining in the game for a few possessions before ultimately exiting and heading for the locker room.
The play since has led many spectators to believe it was a dirty play from Thompson in an already physical series.
But Brooks defended his young teammate, who’s been a defensive standout since coming into the league last season.
The latest on Butler’s status came from ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday night, who reported that Butler was diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion but avoided any fracture or structural damage, adding that his status for Saturday’s Game 3 is in “serious jeopardy.”
It’s safe to say the Warriors are less focused on playing the blame game and just hoping their star forward can get fully healthy as they look to take a 2-1 series lead on their home floor.
Lakers reserve guard Gabe Vincent tries to take a charge from Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo as LeBron James gives chase during Game 2 of their playoff series. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Jordan Goodwin had done everything right by losing more than 20 pounds, dropping more than 10 percent of body fat, sleeping better, eating right and putting basketball ahead of all the trappings the NBA can offer.
He’d joined the Lakers in training camp on a non-guaranteed deal, a hamstring injury costing him a chance earn a spot on the roster. He’d bounced from Washington to Phoenix to Memphis in the early stages of his NBA career, but was now without consistent work. The Lakers had hopes for him — that he could be the kind of player critical to the culture JJ Redick and his coaching staff wanted to emulate by doing all the little things, by putting the team first and by making life hell for the other team whenever he took the court with his relentless effort.
Goodwin recovered from a hamstring injury while with the Lakers’ G League team and waited for his chance to get back into the NBA. On Feb. 7, he signed a two-way contract, making him eligible for the main roster. And then he got the formal assignment.
“Be a banshee,” Redick said.
A banshee?
Goodwin wasn’t sure if he should be offended or feel complimented.
Reserve guard Jordan Goodwin is among the reserves who drew praise this season for their "banshee" style of all-out play. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“I had to look it up after he told me,” Goodwin said.
After one game, Redick was convinced that he’d found one, gushing as he described a possession Goodwin won for the Lakers by giving multiple efforts on the offensive glass.
“That's just, that play embodies who he is,” Redick said. “And then he's ripping his mask off and throwing it on the sideline twice. I mean, he's a banshee.
“He's a banshee, that's why we like him."
Months later as Redick walked toward his car parked near the loading dock at Crypto.com Arena, he thought about the things it would take for his team to advance out of the first-round of the playoffs. The Lakers had just beaten Minnesota 94-85 in Game 2 by winning loose balls, taking charges, fighting through screens and literally, in the case of Rui Hachimura, leaving blood on the court and in the hallways outside the team locker room.
It was the fewest points the Lakers had scored in a playoff win since 1991 — a real celebration of the banshee stuff the coaches had been preaching for months.
“It's the only way we're going to win,” he told The Times.
“Banshee” had become shorthand around the Lakers in Redick’s first season for the kind of attitude he wanted his team to have. It’s the name of the group chat Redick has with assistants Greg St. Jean, Beau Levesque, Ty Abbott and video coordinator Michael Wexler.
Lakers coach JJ Redick, an intense player during his NBA career, has helped foster the "banshee" style of play in his first season with the storied franchise. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
It was something St. Jean and Wexler used with their Phoenix co-workers as a catch-all scouting term for the type of player all coaches love, the kind who don’t care about anything other than winning and understanding the ugly stuff you have to do on the court to get that done.
The Lakers began the season by successfully getting Max Christie to fully buy in to the role. When Christie struggled early in the season, he was the first player to publicly get the “be a banshee” instructions. Redick has used the term to describe the Lakers’ video coordinators, to rave about Portland’s Toumani Camara’s defense and the impact of Jarred Vanderbilt’s return from injury.
And in speaking to his team, he brought visual aides.
In Gaelic lore, a “banshee” is a female spirit whose scream warns of impending death. In the Halo video games, it’s a combat aircraft. In the “Avatar” universe, it’s a type of mountain dragon. In "Star Wars," it’s kind of a flying scorpion.
After using the term in news conferences, meetings and conversations around the Lakers’ facility all season, Redick and the coaches finally decided to define to the team in a meeting.
“We had slides!” Redick said, almost bragging.
Luka Doncic, who was in that meeting, remembered thinking that he’d never before heard the word outside of the very TV-MA Cinemax show “Banshee. (“Good show,” Doncic said.) LeBron James had never heard a coach describe players that way and didn’t think much of it.
Yet for the Lakers’ role players, that ethos give a uniform vision for the style and effort in which they should play. The Lakers wanted this to be a defining characteristic all season. Swapping D’Angelo Russell’s on-ball skills for Dorian Finney-Smith’s intangibles and off-ball play started the transformation. Getting Vanderbilt healthy bolstered it. Adding Goodwin and two-way center Trey Jemison III cemented it.
Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith forces Timbewolves center Naz Reid to lose possession of the ball during Game 2 of their playoff series. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“I heard it in film one day, knew what it was from like folklore, but when he said it, the timing, it made sense,” Jemison said. “Being aggressive. Being a loud talker. I loved it. It makes me feel like I'm bringing value. Encouraging. Yelling. I'm always going to yell.”
And now that the Lakers are in a full-on fight with Minnesota in the playoffs, James, Doncic and Austin Reaves have played with that level of force, particularly in Game 2 when the Lakers’ defense and toughness defined the series-tying win.
“I think it's the importance of having Doe and Goodie and guys that are naturally like that," Redick said Tuesday of Finney-Smith and Goodwin. "And it goes back to a conversation we had as a team around the first Brooklyn game [in mid-January] and I talked about leadership and how everyone can lead in their own way. Banshee culture has to be pervasive for it to work. It can't just be one guy. So you need guys that are going to lead on that and everyone else follows.”
Maybe the Lakers have been able to make this all a part of their identity because it’s always been a part of Redick’s identity.
“That's why everybody hated him when he was at Duke. … For sure you remember how feisty he was,” James said.
Redick might not have been wrestling rebounds away like Goodwin or putting his chest into scorers like Vanderbilt and Finney-Smith, but he was constantly moving, consistently energetic and continually leaning and embracing the little things during the heights of his NBA career. After retiring, he didn’t stop feeding into being a basketball sicko — his words — or a full-on basketball psycho — his and his peers’ words.
Whatever the task in front of him, at the very least, Redick would fight for it.
After the Lakers won one of their ugliest playoff games in years Tuesday, James scoffed a little bit when asked about one of Redick’s on-court outbursts during Game 2. The four-lettered freak-outs, he said, aren’t that surprising from his coach. It’s just a sign of the seriousness and intensity he’s brought to the job.
And that he’s helped give to the team.
“We finally embodied the spirit and the demeanor of our head coach. That's just how he is,” James told The Times. “He's not about the bull---, about the sugar-coating. He understands. We've got to be tough. Like, we might not shoot the ball well every game, we might not do this or do that, whatever the case might be, but we've got to be … tough.”
They have got to be banshees. And the Lakers all know exactly what that means.
Apr 24, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) moves the ball up court against the Denver Nuggets during the second half of game three in the first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Denver Nuggets didn't play good defense this season. They were a middle-of-the-pack team for much of the year (16th in the league before the All-Star break) that got worse in the final months of the season and was bottom 10 in the league after the break.
It's impossible to play defense like that all season and then flip the switch in the playoffs.
Especially going against a Clippers offense that was the best in the league in the final 20 games of the season, when the Clippers went 17-3.
That's the story of Game 3 on Thursday night. It was the kind of night where everything worked for the Clippers, even when it shouldn't have.
Harden loses it mid-air and somehow gets it back in stride ♂️
After two tight games to open this series, the Clippers' offense caught fire when it got home to the Intuit Dome — a 132.9 offensive rating behind 21 points and 11 rebounds from Kawhi Leonard — and the Nuggets had no answers.
The result was a 117-83 blowout Clippers win, taking a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is Saturday afternoon.
"The first two games were very competitive. This game was not," interim Nuggets coach David Adelman said. "But you can come back Saturday and you can right a lot of wrongs."
There are a lot of wrongs for Denver to right.
The Clippers rained 3-pointers, hitting 18 on the night and shooting 46.2% from beyond the arc. It was the Clippers' bench that did much of the damage, led by Derrick Jones Jr. and Nicolas Batum, each hitting four 3-pointers.
In addition to the defense, the Nuggets' offense struggled, scoring less than a point per possession for the game. Nikola Jokic had an efficient triple-double of 23 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists, but take him out of the equation and the rest of the Nuggets shot 34.9% on the night. Denver had just six points from their bench.
Usually, when the other Nuggets have struggled this season, Jokic has just done more and done it better. However, that will be difficult against a strong Clippers defense, led by Ivica Zubac, who has played well against Jokic.
It's a lot of questions for the Nuggets to answer. Maybe too many, this was the kind of blowout playoff win that makes it feel like the Clippers solved the puzzle.
We'll see on Saturday if that's the case, or if the former champions have a little more fight left in them.
Apr 24, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) and forward Chet Holmgren (7) look on during the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies during game three for the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Chet Holmgren scored all but one of his 24 points in the second half as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a 29-point deficit after Ja Morant left the game with a hip injury and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 114-108 on Thursday night for a 3-0 lead in the first-round series.
Morant was hurt with just over three minutes left in the first half and Memphis leading 67-40. The Grizzlies led by 26 points at halftime.
The 29-point comeback was the second-largest in an NBA postseason game since play-by-play data began being recorded in the 1996-97 season.
The only one bigger: A comeback from 31 points down by the Los Angeles Clippers against Golden State on April 15, 2019.
The top-seeded Thunder, who won Game 1 131-80 in the fifth-biggest margin of victory in NBA postseason history, didn’t even have a lead in this one until the fourth quarter. Now, they can close out the series Saturday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points for Oklahoma City and Jalen Williams added 26, including splitting a pair of free throws with 1:20 left to give the Thunder their first lead of the game.
Scotty Pippen scored 28 points, two short of his career high, to lead Memphis. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22 points as Memphis saw its substantial lead evaporate in the second half.
Morant went down hard under the basket with just over three minutes remaining in the first half and was ruled out for the remainder of the game early in the second half with a left hip contusion.
Memphis was on a fast break after a Thunder turnover. Pippen was driving to the basket when he dropped the ball off to Morant at the rim. Luguentz Dort, who was stumbling at the time, fell into Morant while he was in the air, sending the Morant crashing to the floor. The play was reviewed for a flagrant foul, but was ruled a common foul.
Morant was being helped to the locker room but returned - noticeably limping - to shoot the free throws. He missed both, but the ball went out of bounds, allowing Morant to leave the game. He took his jersey off as he was helped off the floor.
Morant had 15 points and five assists when he left the game.
The Grizzlies had outscored Oklahoma City in only one period of the first two games of the series.
Things started out differently Thursday with the Grizzlies at home. Memphis jumped to an early lead behind its 3-point shooting. The Grizzlies kept the pressure by continuing to shoot better than 55% and benefitting from Oklahoma City turnovers, crafting a 25-5 run in the second quarter.
Memphis carried a 77-51 lead into the break. But the Thunder used a 36-18 scoring edge in the third quarter to claw back into contention.
Clippers guard James Harden looks to pass the ball under pressure from three Denver Nuggets defenders Thursday night at the Intuit Dome. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
He insisted that his group could play better and had to play better even though the Clippers snatched home-court advantage away from the Nuggets by winning Game 2 in Denver.
What mattered to Lue was his team pushing itself to a higher level against the Nuggets.
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard scores in front of Nuggets center Nikola Jokic Thursday night at the Intuit Dome. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The Clippers found another gear, fielding a stingy defense and a balanced scoring attack that helped them build a 31-point lead en route to a convincing 117-83 win over the Nuggets on Thursday night. The rowdy crowd celebrated the first playoff game ever hosted at the Intuit Dome.
Six Clippers scored in double figures and that was a big reason they now have a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference first-round playoff series.
Kawhi Leonard had a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes.
James Harden scored all 20 of his points in the first half to go along with nine assists and six rebounds.
Ivica Zubac had 19 points and nine rebounds, Nicholas Batum came off the bench to score 12 points, doing his damage by going four for six from the three-point line, and Derrick Jones Jr. had 10 points.
“We can play better, we got to play better,” Lue said before tipoff. “We have to play better, and that’s our mindset. Like, we got a win there, but I think we still can play better.”
Fans cheer as the scoreboard shows the Clippers defeated the Denver Nuggets 117-83 in Game 3 of their playoff series Thursday at Intuit Dome. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The Clippers played perhaps their best defense of the series, holding the Nuggets to 40.3% shooting and 26.9% from three-point range while keeping their offense out of sorts all game.
And so with four minutes and 34 seconds left and the Nuggets about to go down by 26 points, Nuggets interim coach David Adelman pulled his starters to get them ready for Game 4 at the Intuit Dome on Saturday afternoon.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic had his second straight triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists, but the Clippers overcame his outstanding play.
Harden set the tone early for the Clippers, his shot-making and passing allowing them to open a seven-point lead to end the first quarter.
Harden scored 11 of the Clippers' final 16 points in the first and assisted on three more when he found Batum for a three-pointer with 1.5 seconds left in the first. Harden had 20 points in the first half on six-for-10 shooting and three for five from three-point range.
It allowed the Clippers to build a 20-point lead in the second quarter, adding to it as the crowd cheered on the dominant performance.
The Knicks have been a resilient group all season.
They’ve bounced back from tough losses time and time again, and have been one of the best road teams in basketball -- both of those were on display during Thursday night’s Game 3 win over the Pistons.
It seemed as if Detroit had captured all of the momentum in the series.
They had just pulled off a massive Game 2 victory at Madison Square Garden and were set to play the next two games in front of a rocking hometown crowd for the first time in six years -- but the Knicks had other plans.
It was a complete team effort from beginning to end, but none was more notable than the bounceback showing from Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished with a game-high 31 points after putting up just 10 in Game 2.
Towns used his size and toughness to dominate the undersized Tobias Harris all night.
“He bounced back well,” Tom Thibodeau said. “He was unfazed and he’s been around. He has a lot of confidence in his game, he can score in a lot of different ways. I thought he used his versatility to his strength and moved well without the ball.”
OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges were also tremendous defensively -- limiting Pistons All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham to just 24 points and 11 assists after he took over in a dominant Game 2 showing.
They also made some clutch buckets -- finishing with 22 and 20 points, respectively.
"Cade's a great player, he puts a lot of pressure on you," Thibodeau said. "The thing I like about OG and Mikal is that they stick with it, and you have to -- you have to have a determination."
And as has been the case all season long, it was the captain, Jalen Brunson, who stepped up and put the team square on his back when they needed it the most -- despite being heckled profusely all night long.
Brunson was held in check for the most part over the first three quarters -- but the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year took things over in a close game, dropping 12 of his 30 points to help seal the deal down the stretch.
“It took a lot of focus, mental toughness and just us sticking together,” Brunson said.
"We’ve been that team all year,” Josh Hart added. "Now the tough part is how do you add up the wins. We have to make sure we come in Sunday with the early start ready to play, get off to a good start like we did today and just execute."
With Jimmy Butler back in the locker room for most of Game 2, the Golden State offense struggled in the face of an athletic and aggressive Houston defense.
The Warriors may need to find a way to win a game without Butler if they are going to win this series.
Butler suffered a "a deep glute muscle contusion and his status for Game 3 against the Houston Rockets is in serious jeopardy," according to a report from Shams Charania of ESPN, largely confirmed by Chris Haynes. The important news is that there is no structural damage. Butler is officially listed as day-to-day, and considering his history and the fact that it's the playoffs, his playing would not be a shock. If he does play, he could be limited.
Butler was injured in the first quarter of Game 2 when Amen Thompson missed a shot, Jimmy Butler went up for the rebound, Thompson tried to push through to get the offensive rebound, got tangled up with Steven Adams, fell forward and took out Butler's legs (Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game it was not a malicious act, just unlucky).
If Butler is out it hurts the Warriors on both ends of the floor. He was a key part of a Golden State defense that was the best in the league after the All-Star break, and he is also the best secondary shot creator on the team, taking some of the offensive load — and defensive attention — off Curry. With him out, Kerr went deep into his bench in Game 2, trying to find a spark somewhere. None came.
The Warriors can win at home without Butler, but against a young and hungry Rockets team, it would take not only a monster night from Curry, but someone else to step up as well.
The Knicks were able to pull out a massive 118-116 win over the Pistons on Thursday night, regaining a 2-1 advantage in their first-round series.
New York made some clutch baskets down the stretch -- but it wasn’t without some high-stress moments.
With the Knicks leading by one and just seconds remaining on the clock, Jalen Brunson was fouled on an inbounds pass -- sending him to the line for a pair of free throws as he looked to put the game on ice.
Brunson knocked down the first shot with ease to make it a two-point ballgame, and then intentionally missed the second since there was not enough time remaining for the Pistons to get up a reasonable shot -- but that’s where things went a little haywire.
After the time clock operator started the clock too early, refs stopped play and after a review, they awarded the ball to the Pistons with just 0.5 seconds remaining in regulation.
While it still would’ve taken a miracle, things could’ve gone a bit south for the Knicks -- but Detroit big man Jalen Duren turned over the inbounds pass and New York regained possession to close out the victory.
No harm, no foul, but Tom Thibodeau did not agree with the call.
“They said that’s what’s in the rules,” the head coach said. “It doesn’t seem right to me, it’s unfortunate -- that should never happen ever in a playoff game. Never happen.”
Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns joked that’s the benefit of homecourt advantage.
“We're in Detroit, what do you expect?” Hart said.
“I ain’t gonna lie, shoutout to the table,” Towns joked. “Giving your team another chance like that is fire -- I gotta give them a lot of respect for that. I ain’t never seen something like that in 10 years of playing in the NBA.”
Apr 24, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates a three point basket in the first half against the Detroit Pistons during game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
This was the Karl-Anthony Towns the Knicks have been waiting for this postseason. The one getting deeper post position to receive the ball and taking advantage of it. When he got the ball further out on the floor, he was in motion downhill to the rim.
"He bounced back," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said, via the Associated Press, referencing KAT's rough Game 2. "He can score a lot of different ways and he used his versatility to his strength."
This was the Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson, scoring 12 of his 30 in the fourth quarter, making sure the Knicks didn't blow their double-digit fourth quarter lead and hang on for the win.
The result was New York going into Detroit and taking back home-court advantage with a 116-113 win. The Knicks now have a 2-1 series lead.
"I thought the way we started the game was much better," Thibodeau said. "And, we made timely plays down the stretch."
Give the Pistons credit, a young team with limited playoff experience, they are not backing down — the Knicks would make a run, Detroit would answer.
The Pistons' bench was their real key — it outscored the Knicks' bench 40-9. Cade Cunningham and Tim Hardaway Jr. each had 24 points to lead Detroit, but Cunningham added 11 assists. Dennis Schroder had 18 off the bench for the Pistons.
But as they have all season, Thibodeau and the Knicks leaned heavily into their starters, with four of them — Brunson, KAT, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges scoring at least 20.
New York is back in front in this series, but Detroit is not about to roll over. This series could go on for a while.
The Knicks bounced back to regain a 2-1 series advantage over the Detroit Pistons with a 118-116 win in Game 3 of their first round matchup on Thursday night.
Here are the key takeaways...
- The Knicks were one of the best road teams in the league during the regular season and they continued that in their first postseason matchup away from Madison Square Garden -- playing spoiler in the first playoff game in Detroit in six years.
- The intensity in this series has been through the roof and that didn't change as things shifted to Detroit. The chippiness started from the opening tip as Jalen Brunson was assessed a Flagrant 1 just minutes into the game after poking Tim Hardaway Jr. in the eye attempting to block a three.
Mitchell Robinson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Paul Reed received technicals for a skirmish later in the quarter.
- As far as the early action, the Knicks were able to accomplish their goal of getting off to a hot start. New York was sharing the ball and finding the open man -- knocking down eight of their first 11 shots while dishing nine assists in the opening quarter after finishing with a season-low in that department in Game 2.
- The Knicks also accomplished one of their other big goals -- getting Towns more involved early after he was limited to just 10 points in Game 2. The big man was locked in and ready to roll, knocking down three threes to help him top that point total in just the first eight minutes of the game (11).
- Cam Payne questionably played just four minutes during Game 2, but he also saw a bigger role in this one and provided a spark on both ends right away. With Brunson receiving a breather early in the second, the reserve guard came off the bench and helped keep the Knicks in front.
- The Pistons came surging right back, though, knocking down three after three to take their first lead of the game. The former Knick Hardaway Jr. made his first five attempts from behind the arc after going scoreless in Game 2 and Dennis Schroder provided a spark off the bench, drilling three of his own.
But a well-timed Tom Thibodeau timeout helped the Knicks survive the surge and they used a 23-6 run over the final five minutes to carry their largest lead of the half into the break (13). New York finished a terrific first two quarters with as many assists as they had in Game 2 and they held Detroit to eight points in the paint.
- As was the case in Game 1, the third quarter of doom haunted the Knicks. The Pistons came out of the locker room with a force and began attacking the heart of the Knicks defense -- using a massive 20-9 run of their own to cut things back down to a one possession game.
The Knicks threw their counterpunch and were able to get the lead back up 10 heading into the fourth.
- New York had plenty of opportunities to put this one away for good, but once again the Pistons came storming right back. Tobias Harris was held scoreless over the first three quarters, but his lay-in with just over four an a half minutes remaining again made it a three-point ballgame.
- But as had been the case all season long, Brunson put the Knicks on his back when they needed it the most. The NBA's Clutch Player of the Year had a relatively quiet first three quarters, but delivered 12 of his 30 points to help seal the deal down the stretch.
- It wasn't just Brunson who delivered for the Knicks offensively, as they had four different players top the 20-point mark in a playoff game for the first time since 1972 (KAT 31, Brunson 30, OG Anunoby 22, Mikal Bridges 20). While Josh Hart wasn't quite there offensively, he still finished with nine assists and 11 rebounds.
- New York did a good job of limiting Cade Cunningham for the most part after his monster Game 2 showing -- holding him to just 24 points on 10-of-25 shooting. He did have 10 assists and seven rebounds but wasn't nearly the force he was in the previous meeting.
- In NBA history, teams that have won Game 3 have gone on to win the series 74.2 percent of the time.
Game MVP: Jalen Brunson
Captain Clutch delivered for the Knicks down the stretch, once again.
From the opening tip of the season, Evan Mobley was the best defender on a Cavaliers team that had the eighth-best defense in the league — and a 108.6 defensive rating when he was on the court that would have been second in the League. Mobley is a valued rim protector who can switch out on (or just be assigned to) perimeter players, closing them down.
That play and that consistency earned him the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, as voted on by members of the media.
What won Mobley the award was both the quality of his play and the consistency — he was good all season. Mobley had the counting stats — 1.6 blocks per game (sixth in the league) and 7 rebounds (13th) — but it was the eye test that won a lot of voters over. Using the league's tracking stats, Mobley contested 10.4 shots per game, the third most among players who played at least 58 games.
DPOY was a wide-open race (once Victor Wembanyama was out for the season) and that is reflected in seven players getting first-place votes for the award.
Mobley had 35 first-place votes (and 30 for second place), edging out Atlanta's Dyson Daniels (25 first-place votes) and Golden State's Draymond Green (15). The Thunder's Lu Dort and the Rockets' Amen Thompson finished fourth and fifth in the voting.
Warriors forward Jimmy Butler avoided a major injury, but his status for Game 3 against the Houston Rockets is up in the air.
An MRI confirmed Butler sustained a pelvis and deep gluteal muscle contusion, the Warriors shared Friday, and his status for Saturday’s game at Chase Center is questionable.
This comes after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday night, citing a league source, that Butler sustained a deep glute muscle contusion and his availability for Saturday’s game at Chase Center is in “serious jeopardy.” Charania reported that Butler’s MRI revealed no pelvic fractures or structural damage.
Before the updates about Butler’s status, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Tristi Rodriguez spoke to Stanford Medicine’s Dr. Marc Safran, M.D., about when the 35-year-old might be able to return to the court.
“Totally a guess because we don’t know the degree of damage, but my guess is, if it’s nothing structural, if you will, it’s just inflammation, it’s really going to be about managing the pain and what he can play through and being able to play effectively through,” Dr. Safran said. “He’s a motivated guy that wants to get out and play, and so he’ll come back as soon as it’s absolutely possible without trying to put himself at greater risk.
“So, fortunately, again, if it’s not structural, which the MRI will tell us, then it’s just really more a function of being able to manage the inflammation, manage the pain to be able to get him out there.
“So, is the next game completely out of the picture? No, it’s not. But most people, because of where this is, it can take a week to two or three to actually get back. But I think they’re going to do obviously everything in their power to reduce inflammation, get him back to doing what he wants to get out and do.”
Butler sustained the injury late in the first quarter of the Warriors’ Game 2 loss to the Rockets and was ruled out midway through the second quarter with a pelvis contusion.
“There is some hope, though,” Spears shared Thursday on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “Bernie Lee, Jimmy Butler’s agent, texted me saying, ‘Pray for the bear.’ That tells me that’s some optimism for Jimmy.”
Warriors forward Jimmy Butler avoided a major injury, but his status for Game 3 against the Houston Rockets is in question.
Butler sustained a deep glute muscle contusion and his availability for Saturday’s game at Chase Center is in “serious jeopardy,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday night, citing league sources.
Golden State's Jimmy Butler has been diagnosed with a deep glute muscle contusion and his status for Game 3 against the Houston Rockets is in serious jeopardy, league sources tell ESPN. This is best case because MRI showed Butler avoided any fracture or structural damage. pic.twitter.com/nTEjv4QKp7
Charania reported that Butler’s MRI revealed no pelvic fractures or structural damage.
Before Charania reported about Butler’s status, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Tristi Rodriguez spoke to Stanford Medicine’s Dr. Marc Safran, M.D., about when the 35-year-old might be able to return to the court.
“Totally a guess because we don’t know the degree of damage, but my guess is, if it’s nothing structural, if you will, it’s just inflammation, it’s really going to be about managing the pain and what he can play through and being able to play effectively through,” Dr. Safran said. “He’s a motivated guy that wants to get out and play, and so he’ll come back as soon as it’s absolutely possible without trying to put himself at greater risk.
“So, fortunately, again, if it’s not structural, which the MRI will tell us, then it’s just really more a function of being able to manage the inflammation, manage the pain to be able to get him out there.
“So, is the next game completely out of the picture? No, it’s not. But most people, because of where this is, it can take a week to two or three to actually get back. But I think they’re going to do obviously everything in their power to reduce inflammation, get him back to doing what he wants to get out and do.”
Butler sustained the injury late in the first quarter of the Warriors’ Game 2 loss to the Rockets and was ruled out midway through the second quarter with a pelvis contusion.
“There is some hope, though,” Spears shared Thursday on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” “Bernie Lee, Jimmy Butler’s agent, texted me saying, ‘Pray for the bear.’ That tells me that’s some optimism for Jimmy.”
DALLAS, TX - MARCH 31: Head Coach Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks looks on during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on March 31, 2025 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. 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 2025 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
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NBA great Jason Kidd has entered the soccer world by joining the ownership group of English Premier League club Everton.
The Hall of Fame point guard and current Dallas Mavericks coach said he was “honored” to join Roundhouse Capital Holdings, which is part of the Friedkin Group that took control of Everton last year. The group also owns Italian team Roma.
In a statement released Thursday by Everton, executive chairman Marc Watts said Kidd’s “knowledge and winning mentality will be an incredible resource” for a nine-time English champion which is without a major trophy since 1995 and has been battling relegation in recent years.
Kidd “is a respected leader and household name for many sports fans,” Watts said, “and will bring a deeper understanding of high performance as we collectively strive to build a brighter future for this storied club.”
Kidd won an NBA title as a player with the Mavericks in 2011 and was a two-time Olympic gold-medal winner with the U.S. national team, in 2000 and 2008. He took the Mavs to the NBA Finals as coach last year and has had previous spells in charge of the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.
Everton recently secured its status in the Premier League for another year and is moving to a new state-of-the-art stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock for the start of next season.
“I’m honored to be joining Everton’s ownership at such an important moment,” Kidd said in Everton’s statement. “With a new stadium on the horizon and a bright future ahead, it’s a great moment to come on board.”
Everton has been an ever-present in England’s top soccer league since 1954.
The 52-year-old Kidd becomes the latest high-profile figure from American sports to get involved in English soccer.
On Wednesday, Everton announced that Christopher Sarofim, chairman of global investment firm Fayez Sarofim & Co, had joined the ownership group in a move that “will further strengthen the club’s financial base.”
Everton said Sarofim will be a board observer at the club.
