Category: NBA

What we learned as Steph-less Warriors struggle in bad loss to Hawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

The last time the Warriors beat the Hawks in Atlanta, Steph Curry (30 points), Kevin Durant (28 points) and Klay Thompson (27 points) combined to score 85 points in a 128-111 win at State Farm Arena. 

It was Dec. 3, 2018, six seasons ago. The Warriors now have lost their last six games in Atlanta after falling to the Hawks 124-115 on Saturday without Steph Curry to start a six-game road trip.

In the final three quarters, the Warriors outscored the Hawks by eight points. But they fell behind by as many as 20 points in the first quarter, and swimming upstream the rest of the way was too hard to overcome. 

Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 25 points on 7-of-15 shooting and was 10 of 14 on free throws. Butler, plus-11, was the only Warriors starter with a positive plus/minus. Gary Payton II (plus-6) joined Butler as the only two Warriors to have a positive plus/minus. 

Jimmy with the up-and-under finish 👏

pic.twitter.com/xkQwhZZ5UM

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 22, 2025

Trae Young had a 25-point, 10-assist double-double, but he wasn’t the only Hawk to star offensively. They had three players score at least 20 points, including 23 off the bench from Georges Niang.

The Hawks ended up shooting 57 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from deep. They dished 37 assists and outscored the Warriors 60-44 in the paint.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors losing once again in Atlanta.

DPOY Battle

As the Cleveland Cavaliers have lost four consecutive games, Draymond Green has risen to a neck-and-neck race with Evan Mobley as the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. Hawks defensive ace Dyson Daniels is right there, too.

Daniels came into the day leading the NBA in total steals (194) and steals per game (3.0). Halfway through the first quarter, Daniels snuck from behind to steal the ball away from Green, drove down the court and finished with a tough layup over him. 

I spy the DPOY pic.twitter.com/rPfkXl1VWy

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 22, 2025

Green roamed as he always does in Golden State’s defense. Daniels began the game guarding Butler, and also spent time on Brandin Podziemski and others. Both were effective in their own ways.

Each player had three steals, and Green added one blocked shot. Awards season is creeping closer, and both stated their case to hoist the DPOY trophy.

Hawks Slice Dubs’ Defense 

Offense isn’t an issue for Atlanta. The Hawks since the start of February are top five in points per game, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. There was no slowing them down Saturday on their home court. 

The Warriors in the first quarter fell into a 17-point deficit they couldn’t fully climb back out of. Simply put, the Hawks got whatever they wanted. Atlanta tallied 40 points on 64-percent shooting, going 16 of 25 overall and 4 of 9 on 3-pointers. Everybody put up points. 

Quin Snyder used nine players in the first quarter, and all nine scored. At halftime, the Hawks held a 12-point lead from shooting 60 percent (30 of 50) while handing out 23 assists and turning the ball over only three times. Onyeka Okongwu scored 18 of his 22 points in the first half.

Through three quarters, six Hawks had scored in double figures, giving them a 17-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

This was supposed to be all about containing Young. It wound up being about so much more. 

Podz’s Up-And-Down Performance

Without Curry, the ball was going to be in Podziemski’s hands, and his 3-point shot was going to be needed. Well, Podziemski did bring the long ball to Atlanta. 

He made two 3-pointers in the first quarter and another two in the third quarter. Podziemski made a fifth three in the fourth quarter, giving him a season high. He struggled scoring elsewhere.

Podz knocks down his fifth triple of the night 🙌

pic.twitter.com/XbHev5jmGI

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 23, 2025

Podziemski missed numerous chances right around the rim. Whether it was a layup, tip shot, floater or getting stuck in the paint, Podziemski found himself in more trouble the closer he was to the hoop. Podziemski was 5 of 8 on threes, but 1 of 6 on 2-pointers. 

Ending with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists is a strong stat line. Podziemski also was a minus-8 in 36 minus, and every opportunity for points becomes amplified when the Warriors don’t have Curry.

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Young gets away with blatantly obvious travel in Warriors-Hawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Hawks star Trae Young, looking like Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. evading the pass rush, got away with a blatant travel at the end of the first quarter against the Warriors on Saturday night at State Farm Arena.

With the Hawks holding a commanding 38-23 lead, Young was double-teamed by forward Jimmy Butler and center Kevon Looney.

Young picked up his dribble at the edge of the Hawks’ center-court logo and shuffled both feet until he was at the mid-court line.

By the time Young passed the ball to teammate Georges Niang, he was holding the ball at least a foot over the mid-court line.

The missed call came back to bite the Warriors as Niang found guard Caris LeVert, who hit a jumper at the first-quarter buzzer to give the Hawks a 40-23 lead.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr has been demanding the NBA train referees to call traveling more, and he might need to make another plea to the league after Young’s shuffle across the court.

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Kings convert Isaac Jones to reported standard two-year contract originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Isaac Jones has continued to grind and stay patient, and on Saturday, he was rewarded.

The Kings converted the young center’s two-way contract to a standard NBA deal, the team announced two hours before tip-off against the Milwaukee Bucks.

ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported, citing sources, that Jones’ new contract is a two-year pact.

On Wednesday, Jones reached the NBA’s maximum 50-game active limit during Sacramento’s 123-119 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jones has appeared in 31 games this season for Sacramento, averaging 8.3 minutes and 3.7 points in such contests.

In 11 games with the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, Jones averaged 20.9 points on 55.5 percent shooting, with 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 blocks in 32.2 minutes.

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Source: Warriors to sign Knox for rest of 2024-25 NBA season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors will sign veteran forward Kevin Knox for the rest of the 2024-25 NBA season, sources confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area. 

ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report the news Saturday. However, the move will not take place Saturday. 

Knox will be signed by the Warriors on Sunday, NBC Sports Bay Area has learned. He will not be with the team for Saturday’s game in Atlanta against the Hawks, and is expected to join the team for Tuesday’s game in Miami against the Heat. 

The Warriors had until Sunday to add a 14th player on a standard NBA contract, meeting the league’s requirement. Between their roster overhaul at the NBA trade deadline and going through 10-day contracts, the Warriors currently have 13 players on standard NBA contracts, plus all three two-way contracts filled. 

Knox’s second 10-day contract expired on March 10. The Warriors saved around $56,000 per day by not signing him once his two 10-day contracts ran up. But to keep him in the building, the Santa Cruz Warriors reacquired Knox’s rights on March 14. 

This has been the plan all along. Knox, the former No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has done everything the Warriors asked, joining them for summer league, impressing in training camp and starring in the G League for Santa Cruz. 

Knox, still only 25 years old, has appeared in seven games for Golden State this season. He scored a season-high 12 points in the Warriors’ win against the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 25, and he has averaged 4.0 points in 7.3 minutes per game. 

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Why Podziemski, Warriors' defense vs. Young key to win over Hawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors open a six-game road trip Saturday knowing they won’t have Stephen Curry, which is reason enough to ignore the sub-mediocre records of their next four opponents.

First up are the Atlanta Hawks, whose 33-36 record belies the fact that they have through a spate of injuries to win five of their last seven games. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins with Warriors Pregame Live at 3 p.m., with tipoff from State Farm Arena scheduled for 4.

The priority for Golden State (41-29) is containing Hawks point guard Trae Young, who is averaging a team-high 24.1 points per game and tops the NBA in assists at 11.4 per game. His 40 double-doubles lead all guards.

It’ll be up to Brandin Podziemski to keep Young from getting into the paint and generating offense with lobs, driving and kicking to shooters — and one of the league’s most dangerous floaters. He’s averaging 28.2 points over his last seven games.

Podziemski will get plenty of help from Moses Moody and perhaps Jonathan Kuminga, as their length could make things difficult for the 6-foot-1 Young. Gary Payton II could be a factor, but he missed Golden State’s win over Toronto on Thursday with left knee soreness and is listed as questionable.

The goal for the Warriors is to make Young a volume shooter and avoid fouling. He’s not an efficient scorer (shooting 40.6 percent from the field, including 32.8 percent from deep this season), but his 414 made free throws rank third in the league.

Young will be carrying a heavier load than usual, as Atlanta is without several key weapons. Dynamic power forward and No. 2 scorer Jalen Johnson and center Clint Capela, a certified lob threat, are out for the season.

Another area of concern for Golden State is the bench battle. Atlanta’s bench players, led by Caris LeVert and Terance Mann, have been among the NBA’s top five in scoring all season and are No. 3 in March.

Being without Curry is always a challenge for the Warriors, as he is the longtime hub of their offense. They will lean on the playmaking of Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green to manufacture offense.

After controlling their turnover rate through most of last month, the Warriors lately have resumed their old habit of giving the ball to their opponent. The Hawks, behind NBA steals leader Dyson Daniels, rank No. 2 in that category.

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The high-level competition the Clippers faced this week allowed them to gauge themselves against some of the NBA's best teams.

The Clippers have proven they can go toe-to-toe with elite teams and they've done so without coach Tyronn Lue, who has missed five of the last seven games because of back pain.

And the Clippers displayed their grit again Friday in a 128-108 blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies at the Intuit Dome.

The seventh-seeded Clippers not only moved to 2½ games behind the fifth-place Grizzlies with their fifth consecutive win, but they also swept the season series 3-0. The Clippers (40-30) are just one game behind sixth-place Golden State.

Read more:Clippers continue playoff push against formidable opponents

“We want to focus on ourselves and win as many games as we can,” said Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who had another double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. “But at the same time, every night I’m watching the games, watching the teams in front of us, teams that are behind us in the standings, hoping they lose — I’m being a hater. ... But now, we’re trying to win as many games as we can, focus on us and see where that takes us.”

James Harden led the Clippers with 30 points and nine assists. He was five for 10 from three-point range, giving him 202 on the season. He joined JJ Redick and Paul George as the only players in franchise history to make at least 200 threes in a season.

Kawhi Leonard had a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Norman Powell got back in the groove, scoring 14 points. Powell, who was one for two from three-point range, has made 448 three-pointers with the Clippers, pushing him past Lou Williams for seventh on the team's all-time list.

“Obviously we’re playing our butts off and finding the rotations, who is playing well and going with that,” Harden said. “We got a full roster. We’ve been waiting on this moment the entire year and now we’re here to where we actually see some good Clipper basketball. So, for us it’s just figuring out who is playing well, what works and what doesn’t work and in the midst of that trying to win games.”

With Lue at home, Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw was at the helm. The Clippers are 5-1 under his guidance.

Before the game, Shaw was asked how being in charge of a team is different from being an assistant.

“A lot less sleep,” Shaw said, laughing.

Shaw led the Clippers to an impressive win Tuesday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the best record in the NBA. On Sunday in Inglewood, the Clippers meet an Oklahoma City Thunder team that has the best record (58-12), and Shaw will be ready.

Read more:No coach, no problem as Clippers rise up to beat NBA-leading Cavaliers

"Every game is a must-win for us," Zubac said. "So, we’re feeling good, we’re playing good. I think we’re in a good rhythm right now and it’s obviously going to be a challenge. I think that’s the best team in the league throughout the whole year. ... I don’t know if it’s going to show where we’re at, but it’s going to be a good challenge for us.”

Assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy missed his second straight game dealing with a family medical issue. He won’t return to the Clippers for at least a couple of weeks, the team said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

3 observations after Sixers fall to Spurs despite four 20-point performances  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Multiple career highs and four 20-point outings did not add up to a victory for the Sixers on Friday night in San Antonio.

The Spurs pulled out a 128-120 win at Frost Bank Center. They improved to 30-39 and the Sixers fell to 23-47. 

San Antonio’s top scorer was Jeremy Sochan with 23 points. Rookie guard Stephon Castle tallied 17 points and 14 assists.

For the Sixers, Quentin Grimes posted 25 points and a career-best 10 assists. Justin Edwards also put up 25 points, which is tied for the most he’s scored in a game his rookie year.

Ricky Council IV set a new career scoring high, adding 20 points. Guerschon Yabusele had 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

The Sixers were still heavily shorthanded. Lonnie Walker IV returned from a four-game absence with a concussion. However, according to the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast, Walker was ruled out at halftime because of a mild headache. 

The Spurs’ sidelined players included star center Victor Wembanyama, who’s out for the rest of the season because of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

The Sixers will finish their six-game road trip with games Sunday against the Hawks and Monday against the Pelicans. 

Here are observations on their loss to the Spurs: 

Edwards’ steady scoring 

In their 70th game of the season, the Sixers used a 46th starting lineup.

After his 14-point, 15-rebound night Wednesday in the Sixers’ loss to the Thunder, Chuma Okeke started next to Jared Butler, Grimes, Edwards and Yabusele. 

The Sixers were the sharper team out of the gates. They played active defense, forced turnovers and profited in transition. Butler’s fast-break three-pointer gave the Sixers an early 15-6 lead. 

Edwards posted five of the Sixers’ first seven points with a put-back layup and corner three. He’s scored smoothly and consistently on this road trip, hitting double figures in all four contests. The rookie wing has generally taken sensible shots while also increasing his aggression for an extremely undermanned team. 

Over his past three games, Edwards has totaled 62 points and gone 23 for 43 from the floor (53.5 percent).

Grimes and Yabusele making plays

The Spurs eventually got rolling. The Sixers took plenty of hasty jumpers in the first half and missed many, opening 3 for 16 from long range.

They also committed 10 first-half turnovers. The Sixers were whistled for an eight-second violation after Walker couldn’t handle Blake Wesley’s backcourt pressure. A Wesley corner three built San Antonio’s lead to 42-32. 

The Sixers’ offense suddenly looked far more crisp when Grimes took charge. He had five assists in the first half, including a drive-and-kick dish to set up a Walker three.

Like Grimes, Yabusele has a knack for finding savvy ways to create open looks out of stagnant situations. He fed Grimes on a backdoor cut late in the second quarter and the 24-year-old guard slammed home a dunk before Sochan could recover. 

Offensive magic runs out

Chris Paul canned four three-pointers early in the third quarter and the Spurs extended their advantage to 16 points.

Not much was working for the Sixers’ defense, which has conceded 132.5 points per game thus far on the road trip.

Led by Grimes, the Sixers made a big run back. Grimes poured in 10 straight points, converting three layups, a three-pointer and a free throw. He’s been great this month at attacking constantly and going directly at any defense on its heels. 

Council drilled a three late in the third quarter to put the Sixers in front. Two nights after shooting 1 for 11 from the floor against the Thunder, Council had a strong, very efficient night. Over two career appearances in San Antonio, Council has scored 31 points on 10-for-14 shooting.

The Spurs went down 117-111 on an Okeke three, but they responded with a 10-0 spurt.

The Sixers’ offense grew shaky. The team committed two shot-clock violations, one of which came when Grimes air balled a deep, desperate three. Grimes threw a loose perimeter pass that Sochan picked off and turned into a slam on the other end.

Though Grimes made a triple to cut his team’s deficit to one point, the Sixers then left Harrison Barnes wide open. He nailed a crucial corner three and the Sixers wound up losing on a night they shot 56.8 percent from the field and received four excellent offensive performances.

Doctor explains why Steph's injury update is ‘good sign' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Dub Nation experienced a collective fright when Steph Curry exited the Warriors’ win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday after suffering an injury in the third quarter.

On Friday the Warriors announced Curry would be re-evaluated Monday after an MRI revealed the superstar point guard suffered a pelvic contusion, but not structural damage, which is a good sign according to Stanford Medicine’s Dr. Todd Alamin.

“So that’s really good news,” Dr. Alamin told NBC Sports Bay Area regarding Curry’s MRI results. “He landed directly on his tailbone, and the worry is that he might have a more significant injury to his tailbone such as a fracture or a dislocation of one of the joints within it. The fact that he had a contusion, which is basically a little bit of bleeding between the back of the bony part of the tailbone and the skin overlying it. It’s a really good bit of news because it tells us it’s more of a soft-tissue injury than a bone injury.

Following Thursday’s game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr shared that Curry wanted to come back into the game after suffering the injury. Dr. Alamin shared why that is an encouraging development in Curry’s eventual return to action.

“That’s also a really good sign. I think the team did exactly the right thing though in getting an MRI scan to really be able to understand the significance of his injury,” Dr. Alamin said. “Obviously he’s a competitor and an incredible athlete, sometimes incredible athletes can do things that might not be great for them in the longer term. But with this knowledge they’ll be able to use how Steph is feeling to determine when he’s able to get back to the game.”

While Curry missed five games toward the end of the 2020-2021 NBA season after suffering a tailbone injury, it’s unlikely that history would play a role in his most recent ailment.

“The only situation we’d be worried about is a situation in which he broke his tailbone and then re-broke it, which clearly did not happen based on the information we have available,” Dr. Alamin explained. “So, I think his previous injury and this one are not going to be affecting each other in any signifcant way, which is really good news.

While it’s hard to place an exact timetable on Curry’s eventual return, Dr. Alamin exuded confidence in the Warriors’ ability to assess whenever the two-time NBA MVP will be ready to return to action.

“Well, it’s a little variable from one person to the next. But soft tissue injuries like this can take a week to six weeks to heal. And it just sort of depends on how he feels,” Dr. Alamin said. “Again, I have not seen the imaging studies directly, but how significant the contusion was. I think he’s going to have a pretty good sense as to when he’s able to get back in. I think the [Warriors] training staff and the coaches will be able to have a pretty good idea of when it’s safe to get him back based on how he’s feeling and how he’s moving aorund the court.”

As the Warriors gear up for a stretch run entering the NBA playoffs, Dr. Alamin believes Curry’s pelvic contusion isn’t a significant concern when it comes to re-injury or additional ailments directly caused by it.

“No I don’t think so. Although, clearly basketball players are susceptible to direct falls ont heir back, on their tailbone. These things happen in games,” Dr. Alamin said. “If it were to happen again, it might take longer to heal from a secondary episode if it was within, hard to say exactly, but two to six weeks of the original injury here that he has just had.”

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Doctor explains why Steph's injury update is ‘good news' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Dub Nation experienced a collective fright when Steph Curry exited the Warriors’ win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday after suffering an injury in the third quarter.

On Friday the Warriors announced Curry would be re-evaluated Monday after an MRI revealed the superstar point guard suffered a pelvic contusion, but not structural damage, which is a good sign according to Stanford Medicine’s Dr. Todd Alamin.

“So that’s really good news,” Dr. Alamin told NBC Sports Bay Area regarding Curry’s MRI results. “He landed directly on his tailbone, and the worry is that he might have a more significant injury to his tailbone such as a fracture or a dislocation of one of the joints within it. The fact that he had a contusion, which is basically a little bit of bleeding between the back of the bony part of the tailbone and the skin overlying it. It’s a really good bit of news because it tells us it’s more of a soft-tissue injury than a bone injury.

Following Thursday’s game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr shared that Curry wanted to come back into the game after suffering the injury. Dr. Alamin shared why that is an encouraging development in Curry’s eventual return to action.

“That’s also a really good sign. I think the team did exactly the right thing though in getting an MRI scan to really be able to understand the significance of his injury,” Dr. Alamin said. “Obviously he’s a competitor and an incredible athlete, sometimes incredible athletes can do things that might not be great for them in the longer term. But with this knowledge they’ll be able to use how Steph is feeling to determine when he’s able to get back to the game.”

While Curry missed five games toward the end of the 2020-2021 NBA season after suffering a tailbone injury, it’s unlikely that history would play a role in his most recent ailment.

“The only situation we’d be worried about is a situation in which he broke his tailbone and then re-broke it, which clearly did not happen based on the information we have available,” Dr. Alamin explained. “So, I think his previous injury and this one are not going to be affecting each other in any signifcant way, which is really good news.

While it’s hard to place an exact timetable on Curry’s eventual return, Dr. Alamin exuded confidence in the Warriors’ ability to assess whenever the two-time NBA MVP will be ready to return to action.

“Well, it’s a little variable from one person to the next. But soft tissue injuries like this can take a week to six weeks to heal. And it just sort of depends on how he feels,” Dr. Alamin said. “Again, I have not seen the imaging studies directly, but how significant the contusion was. I think he’s going to have a pretty good sense as to when he’s able to get back in. I think the [Warriors] training staff and the coaches will be able to have a pretty good idea of when it’s safe to get him back based on how he’s feeling and how he’s moving aorund the court.”

As the Warriors gear up for a stretch run entering the NBA playoffs, Dr. Alamin believes Curry’s pelvic contusion isn’t a significant concern when it comes to re-injury or additional ailments directly caused by it.

“No I don’t think so. Although, clearly basketball players are susceptible to direct falls ont heir back, on their tailbone. These things happen in games,” Dr. Alamin said. “If it were to happen again, it might take longer to heal from a secondary episode if it was within, hard to say exactly, but two to six weeks of the original injury here that he has just had.”

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