Category: NBA

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.

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.

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.

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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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.

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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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 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.

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.

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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Cooper Flagg became the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 40 points in a game as the Dallas Mavericks lost 140-133 after overtime to the Utah Jazz.

The number one pick at this year's Draft, the 18-year-old forward finished with 42 points, seven rebounds and six assists at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Only Cliff Robinson (45), GG Jackson (44) and LeBron James (43) have scored more points in a game as a teenager, while Flagg equalled Mark Aguirre's record for a Mavericks rookie.

Flagg, who turns 19 on Sunday, is the third teenager in the league's 79-year history - after James and Kevin Durant - to claim 40 points, five rebounds, and five assists.

The Mavericks led 75-71 at half-time - by which time Flagg had 24 points - and 124-116 late in the fourth quarter.

However, after blowing their eight-point lead to trail 129-127, they required two free throws from Max Christie with less than five seconds remaining to level the game.

The Jazz dominated overtime to register their 10th win of the season as Keyonte George finished with 37 points and Lauri Markkanen 33.

The Jazz are 10th in the Western Conference and the Mavericks 12th.

Who is Cooper Flagg?

The 6ft 8in Flagg became the first freshman to be named Maine Player of the Year after leading high school Nokomis Regional to the state title in 2021.

He transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida, winning the 2022 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year and 2024 National High School Player of the Year awards.

He was part of the USA side that won the 2022 Under-17s World Cup and was named in the all-tournament team.

In 2024-25 Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in a 37-game debut season for Duke University.

They reached the Final Four and he was named National College Player of the Year.

Flagg, who made his debut for the Mavericks against the San Antonio Spurs in October, averages 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists after 25 matches.

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