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Knicks capture 2025 NBA Cup title with dramatic 124-113 win over Spurs

While celebrations for an NBA Cup title stick in the craw of basketball purists, the Knicks need to dust off their trophy case and find room for a new piece of hardware.

The Knicks were crowned champions of the league's in-season tournament on Tuesday night, as they outlasted the Spurs, 124-113, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

By winning the finals matchup, Knicks players earned a cash prize of $530,933 each. Fans can also count on a banner being raised to the Madison Square Garden rafters -- head coach Mike Brown said as much before the game.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The incentive to compete was clear from the jump, as both teams played up-tempo and produced runs in a closely contested first quarter. After making three of the game's first four buckets, the Knicks allowed the Spurs to score nine unanswered points, and the heat-check also occurred without superstar Victor Wembanyama -- hecame off the bench midway through the opening period, under a minutes restriction. But the Knicks regrouped with help from OG Anunoby, who added 10 points on two-made threes. After one, the Spurs led by two, 30-28.

-- There was no change of pace in the second quarter. The Spurs kept their foot on the gas, extending their lead to seven at the halfway mark by forcing turnovers and spreading the floor in transition. They also saw De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle work as catalysts, contributing 15 combined assists. But the Knicks stayed in striking distance, cutting their deficit to one with 2:28 left in the half and knotting the score at 59-59 in the final minute. While the Spurs entered the break ahead by two, Anunoby flexed his muscles by adding another 10 points (20 total).

-- It took just two minutes of third-quarter action to notice an energy shift. The Spurs returned from the locker room with tenacity, orchestrating a quick 9-2 run that forced the Knicks to call timeout. By the halfway point, the Knicks' deficit reached double-digits, and to add injury to insult, Karl-Anthony Towns hurt his left leg after driving to the hoop on a contested layup. While the Knicks' star received treatment on the bench, Wembanyama took advantage of his limited time with the rock, finishing the quarter with 13 points (16 total). Still, the Knicks kept things tight, finishing the quarter on an 8-2 run to trim their deficit to 94-89.

-- The fourth quarter opened with a complete role reversal. Behind a pair of threes from Jordan Clarkson off the bench, the Knicks caught fire with eight unanswered points in 93 seconds that extended their run to 16-2, placed them ahead by three, and forced the Spurs to use a timeout. After the break, the Knicks stretched their lead to 104-97 on a three from Anunoby and a pair of jumpers from Jalen Brunson, who delivered a relatively quiet 23 points up until that point. With 4:49 remaining, Towns surprisingly checked back in after spending more than 10 minutes on the bench. The broadcast crew reported moments earlier that Towns had reaggravated a lingering calf issue.

-- Josh Hart gave the Knicks their largest lead of the night with 2:58 left, draining a three with a noticeable limp from the left wing to push the score to 115-107. Then, after a three from Harper that cut the Spurs' deficit to five, Anunoby took charge again with a corner three that widened the margin back to eight. The momentum swing placed the Spurs in a closing-minutes hole they simply couldn't climb out of, and when the final buzzer sounded, the Knicks were crowned winners of the third NBA Cup.

-- From start to finish, the pace was intense. Both teams combined for 204 shots, and the Knicks made just one more three (15) than the Spurs (14). The difference was seen on the boards, as the Knicks out-rebounded the Spurs, 59-42, and scored 12 more points in the paint. The Knicks' leader on the glass was Mitchell Robinson, who racked up 15 boards in 18 minutes. Towns wound up playing 30 minutes, adding 16 points. The early fourth-quarter swing gave the Knicks a jolt -- they outscored the Spurs, 35-19, during the 12-minute stretch.

Game MVP: OG Anunoby

Anunoby found a groove early and never gave it up. He finished with a game-high 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting with eight rebounds and three assists. It was Brunson who earned NBA Cup MVP honors, however -- he scored 25 on 11-of-27 shooting with eight assists and four boards.

Highlights

Up next

The Knicks (18-7) will resume regular-season play on Thursday night, with a road matchup against the Indiana Pacers (7 p.m. tip-off).

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Knicks' Jalen Brunson named 2025 NBA Cup MVP

Jalen Brunson has been everything for the Knicks over the past few seasons. 

On Tuesday, the captain was officially named the 2025 NBA Cup MVP. 

Brunson was spectacular for New York throughout the tournament to help them secure the title. 

He led all scorers averaging 33.5 points and 6.5 assists on a stellar 55 percent shooting from the field. 

While Brunson took home the award, he credited his teammates for stepping up during Tuesday's win over the Spurs.

"OG Anunoby, Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson, Mitchell Robinson, they played their a-- off tonight," he said. "Without them, we don't win this, they played their a-- off tonight."

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Winners and losers as Knicks claim NBA Cup over Wembanyama, Spurs 124-113

Winners and losers as Knicks claim NBA Cup over Wembanyama, Spurs 124-113 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

An NBA trophy is headed to New York.

The Knicks on Tuesday won the 2025 NBA Cup Final in Las Vegas with a 124-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

It marks New York’s first win in the tournament, as the first two editions went to the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, respectively.

Both teams stayed neck and neck for the opening two-and-a-half quarters, when San Antonio went up by double digits late in the third behind a Victor Wembanyama solo run.

But that didn’t continue in the fourth, as the Knicks capitalized on Wembanyama sitting on the bench due to an injury limiting his minutes. New York outscored the Spurs 35-19 in the fourth, with OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson, the eventual MVP, showing their quality.

Each player on the Knicks will now take home an extra $530,933 for the win. Let’s analyze the game further with winners and losers:

WINNER: OG Anunoby, Knicks

Anunoby chose a fantastic game to go above and beyond. The 28-year-old forward recorded a game-high 28 points on 10 of 17 shooting overall, including a 5 of 10 clip from deep. He added nine rebounds and three assists to his stat line, with four offensive boards.

He may not have claimed the MVP award for his game, but these types of two-way performances can give New York the edge come playoff time.

LOSER: De’Aaron Fox, Spurs

With Wembanyama playing limited minutes on a bench role, these are the types of games where Fox has to reach the next level. That just wasn’t the case.

The point guard went for just 16 points on 5 of 16 shooting with nine assists, two rebounds and five turnovers. He was second to everything offensively and defensively down the stretch, and it’s not ideal that Wembanyama and Dylan Harper outscored him in less minutes.

WINNER: Jalen Brunson, Knicks

It may not be the NBA Championship, but Brunson remains on the right track to potentially winning the major trophy. The 29-year-old, sometimes deemed too small to be the No. 1 option on a title-winning team, assembled a 25-point showing to go with eight rebounds, four rebounds and two blocks.

Not everything was clean, though, despite the MVP win. He shot 11 of 27 overall, 1 of 5 from deep and 2 of 4 from the foul line. How things would look in a four-game series vs. San Antonio is unclear, but it’s a night to celebrate regardless.

LOSER: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Wembanyama has enjoyed two 40-point games against the Knicks in his young career, but he was limited to just 25 minutes in this one. Had he played the majority of the fourth quarter instead of Luke Kornet, perhaps the outcome may have been different.

But the young French star will not get the chance to add to his resume early on, scoring 18 points on 7 of 17 shooting with a 2 of 6 mark from deep. He added six rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal. Now he’ll need to stay healthy with San Antonio’s roster in much better shape to embark on a playoff run.

WINNER: Mitchell Robinson, Knicks

Sometimes you need your role players to come up big when needed the most. New York received valiant bench-scoring efforts from Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek, but it was long-time center Robinson that was at the heart of everything.

In 18 minutes, he nabbed 15 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass. The Spurs had success with second-chance points, but Robinson helped the Knicks tilt that to their advantage, especially without Wemby. New York also had 56 points in the paint to San Antonio’s 44. Again, it’s not the main title, but New York fans will appreciate what Robinson did for them given his time spent with the franchise.

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Winners and losers as Knicks claim NBA Cup over Wembanyama, Spurs 124-113

Winners and losers as Knicks claim NBA Cup over Wembanyama, Spurs 124-113 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

An NBA trophy is headed to New York.

The Knicks on Tuesday won the 2025 NBA Cup Final in Las Vegas with a 124-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

It marks New York’s first win in the tournament, as the first two editions went to the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, respectively.

Both teams stayed neck and neck for the opening two-and-a-half quarters, when San Antonio went up by double digits late in the third behind a Victor Wembanyama solo run.

But that didn’t continue in the fourth, as the Knicks capitalized on Wembanyama sitting on the bench due to an injury limiting his minutes. New York outscored the Spurs 35-19 in the fourth, with OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson, the eventual MVP, showing their quality.

Each player on the Knicks will now take home an extra $530,933 for the win. Let’s analyze the game further with winners and losers:

WINNER: OG Anunoby, Knicks

Anunoby chose a fantastic game to go above and beyond. The 28-year-old forward recorded a game-high 28 points on 10 of 17 shooting overall, including a 5 of 10 clip from deep. He added nine rebounds and three assists to his stat line, with four offensive boards.

He may not have claimed the MVP award for his game, but these types of two-way performances can give New York the edge come playoff time.

LOSER: De’Aaron Fox, Spurs

With Wembanyama playing limited minutes on a bench role, these are the types of games where Fox has to reach the next level. That just wasn’t the case.

The point guard went for just 16 points on 5 of 16 shooting with nine assists, two rebounds and five turnovers. He was second to everything offensively and defensively down the stretch, and it’s not ideal that Wembanyama and Dylan Harper outscored him in less minutes.

WINNER: Jalen Brunson, Knicks

It may not be the NBA Championship, but Brunson remains on the right track to potentially winning the major trophy. The 29-year-old, sometimes deemed too small to be the No. 1 option on a title-winning team, assembled a 25-point showing to go with eight rebounds, four rebounds and two blocks.

Not everything was clean, though, despite the MVP win. He shot 11 of 27 overall, 1 of 5 from deep and 2 of 4 from the foul line. How things would look in a four-game series vs. San Antonio is unclear, but it’s a night to celebrate regardless.

LOSER: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Wembanyama has enjoyed two 40-point games against the Knicks in his young career, but he was limited to just 25 minutes in this one. Had he played the majority of the fourth quarter instead of Luke Kornet, perhaps the outcome may have been different.

But the young French star will not get the chance to add to his resume early on, scoring 18 points on 7 of 17 shooting with a 2 of 6 mark from deep. He added six rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal. Now he’ll need to stay healthy with San Antonio’s roster in much better shape to embark on a playoff run.

WINNER: Mitchell Robinson, Knicks

Sometimes you need your role players to come up big when needed the most. New York received valiant bench-scoring efforts from Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek, but it was long-time center Robinson that was at the heart of everything.

In 18 minutes, he nabbed 15 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass. The Spurs had success with second-chance points, but Robinson helped the Knicks tilt that to their advantage, especially without Wemby. New York also had 56 points in the paint to San Antonio’s 44. Again, it’s not the main title, but New York fans will appreciate what Robinson did for them given his time spent with the franchise.

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NBA Trade rumors 2025-26: Bucks want to be buyers, not sellers, to try and keep Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Milwaukee Bucks are not going to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo until he forces them to. While it's been reported that his agent and the Bucks are discussing his future, Milwaukee will try to keep him and make him happy until Antetokounmpo is willing to be the bad guy and demand a trade (and he's not doing that, he's saying he would run through a wall for this team).

Which brings us to the latest reports that the Bucks are telling teams they want to be buyers, not sellers, at the trade deadline. The first report came from the well-connected Eric Nehm, who covers the Bucks for The Athletic.

League sources told The Athletic the Bucks have told teams they are looking to add to their roster in hopes of fortifying their struggling team in the week leading up to Dec. 15. That messaging could certainly change as the Feb. 5 trade deadline nears.

Then there is this via Jake Fischer at The Stein Line.

"After repeatedly telling teams that Antetokounmpo is not available and that it is not interested in fielding trade offers for him, now Milwaukee is messaging that it wants to be buyers at this deadline to try to get Giannis more help. Even with no clear return-from-injury timetable yet in place for Antetokounmpo, Jon Horst's front office continues to hold onto hope that assembling a puncher's chance contender remains viable in the wide-open Eastern Conference.

"One rival general manager I spoke to went so far as to say that the Bucks have convinced him that 'they're going big-game hunting.'"

The Bucks previously have been linked to Miami's Andrew Wiggins and the Kings' Zach LaVine.

Milwaukee has to give up something to get something, and that's where the problems begin. The biggest issue is draft picks: The Bucks have just one first-round pick they can trade at the deadline (at the NBA Draft, that number jumps to three, including drafting a player for another team and sending him there in a deal). As for players, the big names the Bucks can dangle are Bobby Portis and Kyle Kuzma, but there are also Ryan Rollins (who they really want to keep), Kevin Porter Jr., AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr.

Is there any trade that can turn around a team that has gone 3-11 in its last 14 and remains without Antetokounmpo due to a calf strain? Maybe not, but the Bucks are all-in on Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP who led this team to a championship and is the greatest player in franchise history (we can argue about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar if you want, but at worst they are 1 and 1A). The Bucks are going to try to make Antetokounmpo happy, not trade him.

If there is a parting of the ways, it may be more likely this offseason if Antetokounmpo tells the Bucks he will not sign a contract extension, as he is heading into the final year of his current deal (then Milwaukee would have to trade him or risk losing him for nothing).

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Winners and losers as Knicks claim NBA Cup over Wembanyama, Spurs 124-113

Winners and losers as Knicks claim NBA Cup over Wembanyama, Spurs 124-113 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

An NBA trophy is headed to New York.

The Knicks on Tuesday won the 2025 NBA Cup Final in Las Vegas with a 124-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

It marks New York’s first win in the tournament, as the first two editions went to the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, respectively.

Both teams stayed neck and neck for the opening two-and-a-half quarters, when San Antonio went up by double digits late in the third behind a Victor Wembanyama solo run.

But that didn’t continue in the fourth, as the Knicks capitalized on Wembanyama sitting on the bench due to an injury limiting his minutes. New York outscored the Spurs 35-19 in the fourth, with OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson, the eventual MVP, showing their quality.

Each player on the Knicks will now take home an extra $530,933 for the win. Let’s analyze the game further with winners and losers:

WINNER: OG Anunoby, Knicks

Anunoby chose a fantastic game to go above and beyond. The 28-year-old forward recorded a game-high 28 points on 10 of 17 shooting overall, including a 5 of 10 clip from deep. He added nine rebounds and three assists to his stat line, with four offensive boards.

He may not have claimed the MVP award for his game, but these types of two-way performances can give New York the edge come playoff time.

LOSER: De’Aaron Fox, Spurs

With Wembanyama playing limited minutes on a bench role, these are the types of games where Fox has to reach the next level. That just wasn’t the case.

The point guard went for just 16 points on 5 of 16 shooting with nine assists, two rebounds and five turnovers. He was second to everything offensively and defensively down the stretch, and it’s not ideal that Wembanyama and Dylan Harper outscored him in less minutes.

WINNER: Jalen Brunson, Knicks

It may not be the NBA Championship, but Brunson remains on the right track to potentially winning the major trophy. The 29-year-old, sometimes deemed too small to be the No. 1 option on a title-winning team, assembled a 25-point showing to go with eight rebounds, four rebounds and two blocks.

Not everything was clean, though, despite the MVP win. He shot 11 of 27 overall, 1 of 5 from deep and 2 of 4 from the foul line. How things would look in a four-game series vs. San Antonio is unclear, but it’s a night to celebrate regardless.

LOSER: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Wembanyama has enjoyed two 40-point games against the Knicks in his young career, but he was limited to just 25 minutes in this one. Had he played the majority of the fourth quarter instead of Luke Kornet, perhaps the outcome may have been different.

But the young French star will not get the chance to add to his resume early on, scoring 18 points on 7 of 17 shooting with a 2 of 6 mark from deep. He added six rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal. Now he’ll need to stay healthy with San Antonio’s roster in much better shape to embark on a playoff run.

WINNER: Mitchell Robinson, Knicks

Sometimes you need your role players to come up big when needed the most. New York received valiant bench-scoring efforts from Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek, but it was long-time center Robinson that was at the heart of everything.

In 18 minutes, he nabbed 15 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass. The Spurs had success with second-chance points, but Robinson helped the Knicks tilt that to their advantage, especially without Wemby. New York also had 56 points in the paint to San Antonio’s 44. Again, it’s not the main title, but New York fans will appreciate what Robinson did for them given his time spent with the franchise.

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Why Steve Kerr is committed to keeping Warriors' starting lineup consistent

Why Steve Kerr is committed to keeping Warriors' starting lineup consistent originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Warriors coach Steve Kerr has used nine unique starting lineups in as many games. He isn’t about to make it a perfect 10 for 10 Thursday in Phoenix against the Suns, or so he says. 

“I would love to get some continuity,” Kerr said Tuesday at Chase Center after practice. “It’s been tough to string together games with everyone healthy and the same starting lineup. So assuming everybody’s available in Phoenix, we’ll start the same way we did last game. I’d like to keep doing that to really build some continuity with the starting lineup and then also with the rotation off the bench.” 

A number of factors have led to Kerr trotting out a different starting five in each of the last nine games. The most notable obstacle has been health and availability. 

Steph Curry only played in four of them, missing five. Draymond Green played three, missing six, and exited in the second quarter in one of the games he played. Jimmy Butler played seven, missing just two, but was unavailable the entire second half to injury in one of the games he was available for. 

“To be honest, it’s been impossible the last couple of weeks,” Kerr said. “I mean, I don’t think we’ve had Dray, Steph and Jimmy all together since the Houston game, which was, I don’t know, six or seven games ago. And then obviously Pat [Spencer] played so well on the road and I wanted to reward him and we got two wins with him starting. 

“Circumstances have led to some of the lack of continuity, but I can do a better job of trying to help the guys build some of that too.” 

Prior to Sunday’s loss against the Portland Trail Blazers, the last time Curry, Butler and Green all played in the same game was the Warriors’ 104-100 loss against the Houston Rockets on Nov. 26, which was seven games and three weeks ago. Curry began limping the last few minutes of that loss and went to the locker room for the final 35 seconds with what later was deemed a left quad contusion that kept him out the next five games. 

Butler missed two and a half games to left knee soreness, and Green missed a handful from a combination of a right foot sprain and an excused personal reason. 

The starting five that Kerr went with Sunday night in Portland featured Curry, Butler, Moses Moody, Green and Quinten Post. It’s a group Kerr wants to give an extended run. As always, however, there are no guarantees. 

“I would love for this to be our starting lineup,” Kerr said. “It’s our starting lineup going forward and we’ll give it a good look. I feel confident with it, but we always have to make adjustments as the season goes.” 

That group of Curry, Butler, Moody, Green and Post played eight minutes and 55 seconds together in the Warriors’ 136-131 loss against the Trail Blazers. The starting five was outscored 29-28. They only made one of their three 2-point shots on the floor together while also going 8 of 14 from 3-point range. 

On the other side, the Blazers went 2 of 5 on 2-pointers against the Warriors’ starting five and 5 of 8 from deep for an 80.6 true shooting percentage. 

To no surprise, Curry, Butler and Green have started every game they have played this season. Moody has played 25 of the Warriors’ 27 games and has started 14. Post has played in all 27 and has been a starter in 13. 

“Consistency is good,” Moody said after practice. “You can get a comfort and feel in your role your spot so you know it. But it’s the NBA, so you’ve got to be ready to adjust.” 

Moody and Post making shots from deep is imperative for the lineup to work. Moody missed four open threes in the first half Sunday and then made two of his four in the second half to wind up with 12 points. Post scored 11, going 4 of 9 from the field and 3 of 6 on threes. 

For years, the Warriors have thrived using Green as a small-ball center. But the 6-foot-6 veteran can only take so much at 35 years old, and Kerr believes the give and take of having a 7-foot center that can stretch the floor like Post next to him is a benefit the Warriors have to lean into. 

“We’re more dynamic speed wise and disruptive defensively when he [Green] is at the five,” Kerr said. “He’s pushing the ball, he’s playing center field and blowing up a lot of things defensively. But when he’s at the four, he’s more on the perimeter offensively. So we’re not quite as dynamic, but I think the trade off is a good one. We get some minutes from him at the four, we can close the game with him at the five anytime we want. 

“And this will give QP, who’s had a great year, who’s playing at a very high level, especially defensively, the size rebounding – I like that. We’re a pretty small team in general. So to get QP in the starting lineup with Dray feels good.”

That unit had played just six minutes together going into Sunday’s game. Starting with the Warriors’ contest Thursday in Phoenix, Kerr hopes he can trust it for much longer.

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NBA reportedly considering moving NBA Cup championship game out of Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS — The NBA Cup will be back next season. It is a key reason Amazon Prime Video paid so much money for broadcast rights fees, as it became home to the league's early-season tournament — and ratings were up 90% this year, according to the league.

However, the NBA Cup championship game may not return to Las Vegas next year.

The league is considering moving the championship game next year, a story broken by Tim Bontemps of ESPN and confirmed by other reports. The decision had already been made to move next year's semifinal games — played this year on a Saturday in Vegas — to the home market of the higher-seeded team. While the league remains committed to a neutral-site Finals, that may not be in Las Vegas.

In a city all about big, buzzy events — such as the recent F1 race that takes over the Strip — talk to locals, and there is very little buzz about the NBA Cup. Whatever the announced attendance for games, there are sections of the upper bowl that are empty during the semifinals, and there has been a concern that the empty seats and a more neutral crowd (most fans are not traveling for these games, the building is filled with locals) can come across as too low energy on the broadcast. To be fair, there was a better crowd and energy for the second semifinal Saturday — maybe that was because it featured Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or maybe the 6 p.m. local start time was better than the 2:30 p.m. start time for the Knicks game.

The T-Mobile Arena was filled and loud in the tournament's first year, 2023, but that's because the Lakers were in it — Las Vegas is a Lakers city, plus it is a short trip for Lakers fans in Southern California to come out for a day or two and see a game. The atmosphere has been different since, even with an international brand with a large fan base such as the New York Knicks playing in the NBA Cup finals on Tuesday.

The league's challenge becomes: Where are they going to move the title game that's better? Put the game in Seattle for a year? Move it around the nation to non-NBA cities and see if they get excited about it? Is that going to generate more buzz?

The NBA Cup has primarily done what Adam Silver and the league hoped it would — it gave more meaning to some early-season games, it got more people to talk about the league before Christmas, it motivated players (giving the players on the championship team $530,000 will do that), and it created some buzz around the game. The tournament has been a hit with the core NBA fan base, and it's at least gotten some more casual fans to pay attention. However, the reaction on the ground in Las Vegas has not been what the league hoped. l

There are no easy answers here, but the league has maintained flexibility — it does not have a contract locked in to bring the NBA Cup back to Las Vegas in a year. The NBA and Amazon Prime Video can come together to assess their options and decide if it is time to be leaving Las Vegas.

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Warriors' Steve Kerr downplays ‘coaches desires' narrative from Joe Lacob email

Warriors' Steve Kerr downplays ‘coaches desires' narrative from Joe Lacob email originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steve Kerr moved quickly to shut down any speculation.

After Warriors owner Joe Lacob’s brief email response to a frustrated fan circulated online, some fans interpreted one line referencing “coaches’ desires regarding players” as a possible critique of Kerr’s rotational or lineup choices.

Emailed Joe Lacob
byu/Justdutari inwarriors

Kerr addressed that interpretation while speaking to reporters on Tuesday at Chase Center and dismissed any suggestion of tension between himself and Lacob.

“It’s not a big deal,” Kerr said. “I’m not concerned about anything like that.”

Lacob’s email was sent just minutes after a fan reached out following Golden State’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. In the message, Lacob acknowledged frustration around the team’s current struggles, citing a combination of factors including style of play, league trends and roster usage, while emphasizing that Jimmy Butler “is not the problem.”

Kerr emphasized that frustration is shared throughout the organization.

“Well, we’re all frustrated,” Kerr added. “Joe is frustrated. I’m frustrated. Steph [Curry], [Draymond Green] — everybody’s frustrated. This is kind of how the league works.”

The Warriors’ struggles have stretched across much of the early season, with Curry’s extended absence playing a role. But even since his return, the results haven’t changed. Curry has scored 87 points over the past two games, and Golden State still came up short both times, dropping the Warriors to 13-14.

Kerr also pushed back on the broader idea of private correspondence becoming public discourse.

“I hate when people are going to post private emails,” Kerr noted. “Imagine if everyone’s emails were just publicly posted — how tough that would be to live our lives.”

More importantly, Kerr stressed that nothing has changed in his relationship with the organization’s ownership.

“Joe supports me 100 percent. I support him,” Kerr said. “We have a great connection, and we’ve had so much continuity here in our stable environment. Our organization is one of our strengths. So yeah. It’s not a big deal.”

As Golden State continues to search for consistency, Kerr made it clear that internal alignment isn’t in question — even if frustration is.

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Fantasy Basketball Stock Up Stock Down: Paul George is back

Tuesday’s NBA Cup Championship between the Knicks and the Spurs is the highlight of the NBA schedule this week. Yet, Monday already provided some talking points after an entertaining previous week. There’s still a lot to follow before the Holiday arrives, and plenty of players to discuss.

Let's get into it.

NBA: Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers
2025-26 Fantasy Basketball Top 200 Rankings: Paul George continues his ascent
While Joel Embiid’s return has been huge for fantasy basketball, so has Paul George’s.

STOCK UP

Paul George — SG/SF/PF, Sixers

PG-13 may very well be back. How back? Well, the accomplished veteran wing has tallied at least 20 points in three of his last four games, including a recent 35-point performance in which he went 7-of-10 from beyond the arc and led the Sixers in scoring. George has also been solid as a passer, leading to solid fantasy production recently, despite the stocks not being there. But arguably, the most important stat to stress is that he’s logged at least 30 minutes in each of the last four games. We’ll just need his body to hold up a little bit longer before getting overly optimistic about his ceiling going forward. Nonetheless, he’s currently healthy and has looked here in December. Stock up.

Kyle Kuzma — SF/PF, Bucks

Now may be an ideal time to make a move for Kuzma. With Giannis Antetokounmpo missing games, Kuzma has been more aggressive in looking for shots during his time on the floor — he’s landed double-digit field goal attempts in each of the last games and scored 13 or more in all of them. His most productive outing of those four games was a 31-point performance against the Celtics when he went 13-of-17 from the field. Although it’s unlikely he’ll consistently display that level of shooting efficiency on such high volume, the score-first approach from him for a team currently down its top scorer should continue to yield good scoring production and high upside.

Bub Carrington — PG, SG, Wizards

Over the last three appearances, Carrington is averaging 17.3 points and 7.3 assists in 38.0 minutes per game. He flirted with double-doubles in two of the games and was aggressive in his approach to the three-point shot. With the Wizards unlikely to turn their season around on a wins-and-losses basis, it’s logical to expect they'll allow the young players to get in as many reps as possible. And if these recent three games are a sign of things to come, it may be worth adding Carrington from the free agency pool now — he’s got some upside and has recently shown he’s capable of some monster stat lines.

nbc_roto_edey_251212.jpg
Fantasy Basketball Week 9 Schedule Primer: Gearing up for the pre-Christmas rush
The end of the Emirates NBA Cup means the back end of Week 9 will be loaded with games.

STOCK DOWN

Kel’el Ware — PF/C, Heat

Ware hasn’t scored in double figures in five of his last six games and has only secured double-digit rebounds in two of them. Such minimal production of late should be both concerning and frustrating for fantasy managers after seeing the sophomore center go for 15.9 points and 15.1 rebounds per game over an eight-game stretch earlier this season, which included three straight 20-point, 14-rebound double-doubles. He came off the bench in the most recent couple of games, including one with both Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro healthy and starting alongside Norman Powell, Davion Mitchell, and Andrew Wiggins. If Miami is set on going away from the double-bigs look to begin games, Ware could continue to see fewer opportunities to produce.

Pat Spencer — PG/SG, Warriors

The NBA is an unpredictable league. On the heels of a five-game stretch in which Spencer averaged 15.2 points and 4.6 assists, and made three starts, he was relegated to the bench in Sunday’s loss to the Trail Blazers and logged just seven minutes of action. With so many proven players on the Warriors’ roster and the team currently owning a below-.500 record, the cut in playing time, at least for a game, isn’t totally shocking. But as we’ve seen with other Warriors like Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga and Quinten Post, role and nightly rotation minutes aren’t consistent. Spencer could have more moments, but it’s difficult to have an idea of when or for how long.

Jimmy Butler — SG/SF/PF, Warriors

More on the Warriors: they could really use another guy to consistently put the ball in the basket, not named Stephen Curry. Butler had been that guy briefly to begin the season, averaging 21.7 points per game in October. But he dropped down to 19.5 in November, and is currently sitting at 14.0 points per game through four December contests — he’s taking fewer shots and free throws each passing month. The good news for fantasy managers who roster Butler is that even with the scoring production slowing, he’s still rebounding, tallying assists, and collecting steals to put forth solid fantasy production. Still, we want more. The Warriors need more.

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NBA Cup 2025: Knicks, Spurs looking at NBA Cup as stepping stone toward loftier goals

LAS VEGAS — The NBA Cup is not the NBA Finals. It is, however, something more than just a regular season game — putting half a million dollars per player on the line will have that effect.

Yes, Knicks or Spurs players want to grab that bag. However, they also see the Cup as a stepping stone to where they want to be next May and June.

"I think history is kind of showing that if you can make it to this Cup, then you can win a championship," San Antonio's De'Aaron Fox said.

Last season, Oklahoma City lost in the NBA Cup championship game but went on to win the NBA title in June. The Lakers, who won the inaugural tournament in 2023, did so with essentially the same core that won the NBA title three years before. Los Angeles beat an Indiana team that advanced to the NBA Finals last season.

The stepping-stone analogy particularly resonated with a young Spurs team looking to grow into a contender.

"It's a high-stakes game that both teams are going to be very invested in winning," San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama said. "It just shows that we are preparing and we will pass the next step for more significant games in the playoffs. This is a complicated explanation, but it's as simple as that: As competitors, we want to win every game, and this one brings something new on the table, so we want to win it even more."

"Being able to have this, obviously it's not going to be the exact same, but you get a little glimpse of what it could be like playing in the Playoffs and the different officiating," Fox said. "No matter how much they say they don't officiate the games differently in the playoffs, we all have eyes, and we can see it. But being able to play in as many of those games, it definitely helps you come playoff time."

These Knicks have more playoff experience — they were in the Eastern Conference Finals last season — but also see the Cup as a path forward.

"I think the Cup is big for us just for the energy it brings to our team…" Karl-Anthony Towns said, adding that the energy and winning foster belief this team will need in the postseason. "I think it brings great energy to the team, great mojo to the team. It also brings that feeling of winning. No matter if it's the Cup, NBA Finals, winning any game, when you get that feeling of winning, it's addictive. Obviously, I want us to have that mindset where we're addicted to the next championship if we can win this one."

Can Knicks stop Wemby? Can the Spurs stop Brunson?

As for the game itself, Wembanyama's return against the Thunder in the semifinals changed the dynamics. While the Spurs' speedy guards — De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper — can all get downhill and touch the paint, Wemby adds another dynamic.

"You're not going to be able to guard a guy like that one-on-one," Knicks coach Mike Brown said. "You try to put length, size, physicality at the point of attack when it comes to him, but it's got to be five guys guarding the basketball at all times… But we have some pretty good defenders with length, and hopefully they can, at the point of attack, try to make it as difficult as possible with him, knowing that they have help behind them."

The Spurs have their own defensive challenge in slowing Jalen Brunson. San Antonio is loaded with long defensive wings who are strong at the point of attack, but so did Orlando in the semifinals, and Brunson dropped 40. In the quarterfinals, it was Toronto with their long, rangy defenders, and Brunson dropped 35 on them.

What might be the story in this game is the Knicks' 3-point shooting. Under Brown, the Knicks get 37.4% of their points from beyond the arc, ranking in the top 10 in the league. With Wemby patrolling the paint, New York may need those threes coming over the top of the defense to win this one.

Towns said the key for the Knicks is to keep doing what got them to this point—and to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

"Everything for us is about execution," Towns said. "I think that's what's made us really good recently playing basketball is our execution. So we've just got to go out there and find a way to do that for 48 minutes."

If they do, if they win the NBA Cup, it's something to build on.

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NBA Cup 2025: Knicks, Spurs looking at NBA Cup as stepping stone towards loftier goals

LAS VEGAS — The NBA Cup is not the NBA Finals. It is, however, something more than just a regular season game — putting half a million dollars per player on the line will have that effect.

Yes, Knicks or Spurs players want to grab that bag. However, they also see the Cup as a stepping stone to where they want to be next May and June.

"I think history is kind of showing that if you can make it to this Cup, then you can win a championship," San Antonio's De'Aaron Fox said.

Last season, Oklahoma City lost in the NBA Cup championship game but went on to win the NBA title in June. The Lakers, who won the inaugural tournament in 2023, did so with essentially the same core that won the NBA title three years before. Los Angeles beat an Indiana team that advanced to the NBA Finals last season.

The stepping-stone analogy particularly resonated with a young Spurs team looking to grow into a contender.

"It's a high-stakes game that both teams are going to be very invested in winning," San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama said. "It just shows that we are preparing and we will pass the next step for more significant games in the playoffs. This is a complicated explanation, but it's as simple as that: As competitors, we want to win every game, and this one brings something new on the table, so we want to win it even more."

"Being able to have this, obviously it's not going to be the exact same, but you get a little glimpse of what it could be like playing in the Playoffs and the different officiating," Fox said. "No matter how much they say they don't officiate the games differently in the playoffs, we all have eyes, and we can see it. But being able to play in as many of those games, it definitely helps you come playoff time."

These Knicks have more playoff experience — they were in the Eastern Conference Finals last season — but also see the Cup as a path forward.

"I think the Cup is big for us just for the energy it brings to our team…" Karl-Anthony Towns said, adding that the energy and winning foster belief this team will need in the postseason. "I think it brings great energy to the team, great mojo to the team. It also brings that feeling of winning. No matter if it's the Cup, NBA Finals, winning any game, when you get that feeling of winning, it's addictive. Obviously, I want us to have that mindset where we're addicted to the next championship if we can win this one."

Can Knicks stop Wemby? Can the Spurs stop Brunson?

As for the game itself, Wembanyama's return against the Thunder in the semifinals changed the dynamics. While the Spurs' speedy guards — De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper — can all get downhill and touch the paint, Wemby adds another dynamic.

"You're not going to be able to guard a guy like that one-on-one," Knicks coach Mike Brown said. "You try to put length, size, physicality at the point of attack when it comes to him, but it's got to be five guys guarding the basketball at all times… But we have some pretty good defenders with length, and hopefully they can, at the point of attack, try to make it as difficult as possible with him, knowing that they have help behind them."

The Spurs have their own defensive challenge in slowing Jalen Brunson. San Antonio is loaded with long defensive wings who are strong at the point of attack, but so did Orlando in the semifinals, and Brunson dropped 40. In the quarterfinals, it was Toronto with their long, rangy defenders, and Brunson dropped 35 on them.

What might be the story in this game is the Knicks' 3-point shooting. Under Brown, the Knicks get 37.4% of their points from beyond the arc, ranking in the top 10 in the league. With Wemby patrolling the paint, New York may need those threes coming over the top of the defense to win this one.

Towns said the key for the Knicks is to keep doing what got them to this point—and to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

"Everything for us is about execution," Towns said. "I think that's what's made us really good recently playing basketball is our execution. So we've just got to go out there and find a way to do that for 48 minutes."

If they do, if they win the NBA Cup, it's something to build on.

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Kings reportedly have disconnect between veteran players and coach Doug Christie

Kings reportedly have disconnect between veteran players and coach Doug Christie originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 2025-26 NBA season has not gone well for the Kings.

To put it lightly.

While Sacramento (6-20) has struggled on the court, things might not be going well behind the scenes, either.

Andscape’s Marc Spears reported, citing sources, in a story published Monday that there is a “disconnect” between some of Sacramento’s veteran players and coach Doug Christie and his staff.

Spears also reported, citing a source, that the Kings are expected to explore trades of their veteran players, with the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline seven-plus weeks away.

Many have criticized the fit of star players, such as Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schröder together on the court, and believe Sacramento’s collection of talent creates for a mismatched roster.

Christie is in his first full season as Kings coach after taking over for Mike Brown, who Sacramento fired midway through the 2024-25 season. In 78 games between last season and this season combined, Christie’s Kings are 33-45.

And if they continue to struggle, could significant roster changes soon be on the way?

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What more can Jaylen Brown do? C's star needs help from supporting cast

What more can Jaylen Brown do? C's star needs help from supporting cast originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Maybe the only thing that Jaylen Brown has done more consistently than churning out 30+ point games this season has been going to the podium after losses and taking blame for Boston coming up short.

On Monday night, after a late charge fizzled against the East-leading Detroit Pistons, Brown declared that he needed to do more. Instead of putting the spotlight on all that he did — including posting team highs in minutes (40:29), points (34), rebounds (eight), and assists (seven) — he fretted missed free throws, an untimely turnover, and an undisciplined late-game foul.

The reality is that Brown is giving Boston a chance each night with play that has thrust him into the MVP conversation.

With Monday’s output, he has now scored 30+ points in eight of Boston’ last nine games. In the only game he failed to reach that mark, he produced a triple-double in a win over Cleveland. Brown has reached 30+ points in five straight games and 15 times overall in Boston’s first 26 games to remain tied with John Havlicek for the team record for most 30+ point games to start a season.

But when you dig beyond the base stat line, Brown’s attempts to keep Boston afloat Monday night are even more jarring. Here are the many ways Brown impacted Monday’s game:

Driving force

Brown drove a staggering 29 times against the Pistons, generating 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He also got fouled three times and created three assists off those drives.

Brown is generating 12.3 points per game off drives this season, which ranks second in the NBA behind only reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (13.8). Still, those 29 drives were well above his season average of 16.8 drives per game. The rest of Boston’s roster generated 20 drives total (though they did generate 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting off those drives).

Creating his own offense

Brown generated 15 points on pull-up shots while connecting on 7 of his 10 attempts, many of which came in his beloved midrange sweets pot.

Derrick White added 13 pull-up points on 5-of-10 shooting, many of which came during Boston’s late-game rally. The rest of the Celtics generated eight points on 4-of-10 shooting in pull-up scenarios.

Basically, no one beyond Brown and White could consistently generate their own shot on a night when the Celtics were ice cold on catch-and-shoot opportunities.

To underscore Boston’s catch-and-shoot woes: The Celtics average 31.7 catch-and-shoot points per game while shooting 36.9 percent overall, and 37 percent on 3-point shots with 29 total catch-and-shoot attempts per game. On Monday, the Celtics generated 18 catch-and-shoot points while shooting 22.2 percent overall, and 25 percent on 3s with 27 total catch-and-shoot attempts.

Creating offense for others

Brown still generated 17 assist points on a team-high seven assists. He had 11 potential assists. All of those numbers were well above his season averages of 4.8 assists per game, 13 assist points per game and 9.4 potential assists per game.

Locked in on defense

Brown posted the best defensive field goal percentage among Boston players Monday night, limiting the Pistons to 3-of-11 shooting with three blocks when he was the primary defender.

What’s more, Brown generated a team-high five contested rebounds, often sparring with Detroit big man Isaiah Stewart under the basket for a size-deprived Boston team.

Yes, Brown missed seven of his 14 free throw attempts, diminishing another strong night of getting to the stripe (six straight games with nine or more free throw attempts). Yes, he would love to have back a fourth-quarter pass that Cade Cunningham deflected for a steal and led to free throws at the other end. Yes, Brown bit on a Tobias Harris pump fake and committed a shooting foul after Boston crawled to within two with 2:24 to play.

But the Celtics would not even have been in position to compete at the finish line without the efforts of Brown, who barely left the court in the second half.

The truth is, the Celtics need more from everybody else.

Jordan Walsh got a tough whistle and early foul trouble basically neutralized him for the game. Payton Pritchard started fast then fizzled late, potentially hindered by neck spasms. Rookie Hugo Gonzalez gave the team much-needed energy in the first half when Walsh went out, then had an agonizing sequence late in the third frame that included a turnover which led to easy points.

Josh Minott was minus-11 and rarely impacted the game in 13 minutes. Sam Hauser limped off with an ankle injury in the first half. Boston’s bench generated just 14 points in nearly 75 minutes of total floor time.

Brown doesn’t need to ask his teammates for more. He’s being a good leader while putting the pressure on himself. Brown’s teammates ought to want to do more for that reason alone.

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Warriors owner Joe Lacob swiftly responds to frustrated fan's email plea

Warriors owner Joe Lacob swiftly responds to frustrated fan's email plea originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Joe Lacob is listening to Warriors fans.

Golden State’s owner has heard the feedback from Warriors fans — well, one fan in particular — and is working on improving the team.

After the Warriors’ 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, one Golden State fan on Reddit, Justin Dutari (u/Justdutari), who SFGate’s Alex Simon recently interviewed for a story on his viral post, sent an email at 8:44 p.m. PT after the loss, to an address he guessed belonged to Lacob.

Emailed Joe Lacob
byu/Justdutari inwarriors

Dutari, with a subject line of “Please read,” wrote:

“Dear Joe,

Please do something about this team. What [does] Steph [Curry] need to do every night to win? Drop 50 points? Team is [in] need [of] a real second option. Jimmy [Butler’s] tools are being underutilized because he is playing as a power forward due to the small position players. We have no true center.
I am so frustrated.

Thanks,
Justin”

Lacob himself, which Simon and SFGate confirmed through Warriors Senior Vice President of Communications Raymond Ridder, actually replied to the fan’s email two minutes after Dutari sent it, and relayed his shared frustration while stating he was “working on it.”

“You can’t be as frustrated as me,” Lacob wrote. “I am working on it. It’s complicated. Style of play. Coaches desires regarding players. League trends. Jimmy is not the problem.

Joe”

It’s no secret that Lacob cares deeply about the current state of the Warriors, and reportedly has not been shy about sharing his input on or even pushing for certain moves to be made in the past in order to continue contending for championships.

And it appears that still is the case.

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