Category: NBA

Hugo Gonzalez by the numbers: Inside the rookie's early impact with Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

With more than a third of the 2025-26 season in the rearview mirror, the Boston Celtics sit third in the Eastern Conference, outkicking most pundits’ expectations after the team’s summer overhaul to a championship core and with Jayson Tatum sidelined to start the new campaign.

But if you take a step back, perhaps the most important development through the first two months of the season has been the positive gains from Boston’s stable of young wings.

From third-year wing Jordan Walsh emerging as a starter-caliber lockdown defender, to second-year Baylor Scheierman making good things happening in small doses, to 19-year-old rookie Hugo Gonzalez being an absolute energy-shifter in his floor time, the three players drafted highest by Brad Stevens over the past three years all look like they can be contributors for Boston’s next version of a title chaser.

Walsh changed the entire tenor of the season while kicking down the playing time door early in the season, and Scheierman has played in 16 straight games after a rash of DNPs in early November.

Playing time is earned not given under Joe Mazzulla, but the rookie Gonzalez has basically demanded more time given the way his play has inspired some of Boston’s best basketball over the past month.

Let’s crunch the numbers on Hugo:

+19.9

That’s the team-best net rating the Celtics have posted during Gonzalez’s 305 minutes of court time. The number that pops: Boston’s defensive rating plummets to a team-best 103 with Gonzalez on the court, or 11.7 points per 100 possessions better than the team’s season average.

+111

That’s the raw number that Boston has outscored opponents by this season with Gonzalez on the court, which is best among all rookies. Gonzalez is comfortably ahead of Philadelphia’s VJ Edgecombe (+94) and San Antonio’s Dylan Harper (+80), both of whom were top-three draft picks.

3 percent

That’s the percentage of defensive plays that Gonzalez is generating steals on, which ranks in the 98th percentile among all wings, per Cleaning the Glass data. Only Oklahoma City’s Cason Wallace and Sacramento’s Keon Ellis have higher rates at that position. Gonzalez ranks in the top 10 in steal percentage among all positions.

16.2 percent

That’s the percentage of opponent misses that Gonzalez is rebounding this season. He’s tied for seventh among all wings, with teammate Walsh. Gonzalez has tied or bested his season high in rebounds in each of the last three games, culminating with his first double-double of the year when he snagged 10 rebounds on Saturday in Toronto.

50 percent

That’s our crude estimate on the percentage of time that Gonzalez has defended a former — or soon-to-be — All-Star this season. His most-frequent matchups read like an Eastern Conference All-Star ballot: Cade Cunningham, Franz Wagner, Bam Adebayo, Brandon Ingram, Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Scottie Barnes, Tyrese Maxey and Donovan Mitchell. He’s also taken turns against West stars like Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Durant, and Austin Reaves.

Over at BBall Index, they have Gonzalez graded at an A- for overall matchup difficulty (62nd out of 501 players) and an A+ in defensive positional versatility (9th out of 501 players). Gonzalez has spent nearly as much time on centers (18.5 percent) as he has defending shooting guards (22.6 percent).

David Butler II-Imagn Images

1

Loud poster dunk produced by Gonzalez this season, when he threw down over Toronto’s Sandro Mamukelashvili on Saturday night. It ranked 11th in Dunk Score by a Celtics player this season.

2

Tommy Awards won by Gonzalez on consecutive nights during Boston’s weekend back-to-back. Gonzalez now has three Tommy Awards this season.

Warriors' Steve Kerr hilariously recalls emails from fan before 2025 NBA Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Joe Lacob isn’t the only one in the Warriors organization getting emails from fans. 

Steve Kerr, during an interview on “The Tom Tolbert Show,” recalled a particularly ridiculous email he received from a fan before the 2025 NBA Draft. 

“I occasionally do [respond] but often do not. If something warrants a response, I will respond. I’m not gonna put anything out there, you know, that would be controversial,” Kerr said. “I remember last year, before the draft, I had a guy, he kept emailing me and saying, ‘just offer Dallas three firsts for Cooper Flagg.’” 

Imagine if trades were as simple as that. 

Nico Harrison, general manager of the Dallas Mavericks at that time, already had made a controversial trade sending Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in February. If Harrison approved the fan-proposed deal, he might have been fired much sooner than his Nov. 11 departure. 

But the fan in Kerr’s inbox was adamant. 

“The guy sent me like three of them, but he kept calling him Cooper Kupp,” Kerr recalled. 

The 32-year-old wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks would be an interesting fit for Golden State to say the least. 

Kupp does have some basketball experience playing for Davis High School in Yakima, Washington. In 2012, the now-Seahawks receiver held Sacramento Kings star Zach LaVine to four points in the first half of a state quarterfinal game. 

Nevertheless, it is unclear how sending three first-round draft picks to Dallas would help Golden State acquire Kupp. 

Aside from crazy trade proposals from fans, the Warriors could use a bit of a boost from a trade, just like the boost the acquisition of Jimmy Butler gave the team last season. Kerr applauded Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy for having the team primed to make such a move. 

“Mike has done an amazing job as GM. He’s signed guys who have helped us on the court. He’s signed guys to good contracts that are tradeable. He’s given us the flexibility to go out and do something,” Kerr explained. “There’s no doubt at 13-and-15; we’d be foolish to sit here and say we can’t get better. So, I’m for anything that helps us get better for sure.” 

The Warriors have added one more win since the time of the interview, but Kerr surely still would welcome any big improvements added via trade. 

But, for all parties involved, some realistic expectations are necessary to draw up a trade that actually works. 

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If you’re looking at the Knicks box score from Sunday, Jalen Brunson’s line (47 points, 8 assists, 0 turnovers) probably catches your eye. Maybe Mikal Bridges’ three-point shooting (6-for-7) gets your attention.

What about Josh Hart? 

Hart’s numbers (13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists against Miami) are solid. But they aren’t spectacular.

Judging Hart’s impact by a box score, though, is a mistake.

“His impact, you can't really tell from the stat sheet,” Brunson says. “But by the eye test, everyone knows that he's a competitor. He brings a winning style of basketball to this team."

The Knicks have done a lot of winning since they traded for Hart in 2023. 

In fact, they are 137-89 in the regular season with Hart in the lineup -- that includes a 10-2 record this season when Hart is in there alongside Brunson, Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns.

“I think he does a great job pushing the pace, and he presents a different... obstacle for the opponents to have to deal with,” Towns said after the Knicks’ win over Miami. “I think that he's done a great job of utilizing his game, what he does best, and maximizing our team’s chance to win.”

Entering Sunday's game against the Heat, New York had the No. 2 net rating in the NBA since Nov. 24, when Hart moved into the starting lineup. And they have a net rating of +16.1 with Hart on the floor since the lineup change.

They rank fourth in the NBA in rebounding percentage during that span.

“He’s a guy that just does everything well. If you’re not careful, you may look at it and say, ‘Well, he can’t really do (this).’ Nah, nah, he does everything well,” Mike Brown said. “He does a couple things at an elite level, and when you have a guy like that who’s pretty selfless, it can bode well to connecting the group, no matter who he’s on the floor with.”

Brown moved Hart into the starting group in late November after listening to feedback from his staff.

Credit Brown for keeping an open mind. Hart’s ability to push the ball in transition has changed the Knicks.

“Josh gets in (and) he's probably one of the fastest with the ball; he's going to the rim, or he's driving in the paint, trying to find guys,” Bridges says. “I think his ability to get in transition and push and create opens up a lot.”

Hart’s individual numbers as a starter are strong. He’s averaging 15 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor and 40.7 on threes. And the Knicks have done a lot of winning with Hart in the starting lineup.

“He’s our Draymond Green,” one Knick staffer said recently.

The comparison is not far off.

In 2015-16, Green averaged 14.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game prior to the All-Star break. The Warriors were 48-3 with Green in the lineup at the time. Opposing coaches recognized Green’s value by voting him to the Western Conference All-Star team. He joined teammates Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in the game.

If you looked at Green’s individual numbers that season, you wouldn’t think he’d make an All-Star team.  

Green’s All-Star bid was based on team success, not individual stats.

Just like Green in 2015-16, Hart is having a huge impact on his team’s success. Opposing coaches recognize his value.

“Right now, he’d definitely get consideration,” one opposing coach said of Hart and an All-Star bid. The coach cited Hart’s 'impact on' New York’s record and said he’s 'playing like’ an All-Star

It sounds like Hart will have a strong case for an All-Star spot if he continues to produce and the Knicks continue to win.

Perfect night

Brunson had an MSG career-high 47 points against Miami. But he was pleased with another stat from Sunday’s win: zero. Brunson had eight assists and no turnovers against the Heat. Brunson had nine assists and zero turnovers in a loss to Philadelphia on Friday. No turnovers in his past 75 minutes on the floor.

“That means a lot,” Brunson said late Sunday. “…. Obviously, no turnovers is what I strive for. Obviously, sometimes when you're aggressive, you make aggressive mistakes. I can live with (the aggressive mistakes), the passive mistakes, I can't live with. But yeah, just trying to hold the ball as much as I can and not give it to the other team.”

In the first half on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, three of the Knicks' starters had five points between them. But New York entered the interval up by four. How did they do it? 

Jalen Brunson poured in 27 points on an efficient 10-for-15 shooting en route to a 47-point outburst in the Knicks' 132-125 win over the Heat.

“Our guys, just, found a way,” head coach Mike Brown said after the win.

And while Mikal Bridges chipped in 18 of his 24 in the first half before OG Anunoby turned a scoreless first half into 18 points in the second, it all came down to Brunson.

“You’re struggling a little bit offensively, you want to have an MVP of the league on your side,” Brown said of Brunson. “For him to score 47, especially on 15-for-26, 6-for-13 from the three-point line, 11-for-11 from the free-throw line, while dishing out eight assists, again, I have to mention it, but that’s what he’s capable of, and that’s what MVPs are supposed to do on nights like tonight.”

And he did it all without turning the ball over once.

“No turnovers is what I strive for,” Brunson said. “Obviously, sometimes when you’re aggressive, you make aggressive mistakes. The passive mistakes, I can’t live with. But, just trying to hold the ball as much as I can and not give it to the other team.”

It was Brunson’s 20th 40-point game since he joined the Knicks and the most points he’s scored with the team at MSG.

“He’s a special player, I think we all know that,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “It doesn’t surprise me when he has nights like that.” 

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra called Brunson an “incredible competitor.”

“If you want to beat a great competitor, you have to do above and beyond,” Spoelstra said. “It is possible, but you can’t just play well, you can’t just compete well, you can’t just be there. You gotta put him away. You gotta put possessions away. And he’s gonna put his imprint on it. That’s what great players do. 

“He has a great knack for it. He’s relentless.”

Brunson did this while playing 38 minutes, which may seem low from his numbers last year, not something Brown is hoping to do regularly.

“You try to sit ’em as long as you can,” Brown said. “But if you feel the game slipping, it’s my job to help us win in the best way possible.

“... It’s just a matter of I know we’re in a little bit of that we got to keep fighting to get out of, get our feet back underneath us. And it’s me just throwing him out there, knowing we've got to get this game. I tried to sit him as long as I can. [But] ‘Let’s go get this game.’

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. scored 24 points, Noah Clowney added 19 and Brooklyn Nets beat the Toronto Raptors 96-81 on Sunday night.

Rookie Egor Demin had 16 points and Nic Claxton finished with 12 for the Nets, who led by 15 points in the third quarter, fell behind early in the fourth and then surged ahead again.

Brandon Ingram finished with 19 points and Immanuel Quickley added 17 points and 10 assists for the Raptors, who have lost six of their last nine games after starting the season 15-7.

Brooklyn outscored Toronto 29-16 in the fourth quarter. The Nets allowed their lowest point total of the season.

Brooklyn led 60-45 midway through the third quarter before the Raptors went on a 20-7 run to close the period. The Nets were 0 for 7 from the field and turned the ball over five times during that stretch.

Toronto opened the fourth quarter with consecutive baskets from Jamison Battle and Collin Murray-Boyles to take a 69-67 lead before the Nets called a timeout with 10:55 to play.

After Battle's dunk made it 73-72, Brooklyn responded and blitzed the Raptors with a 10-0 run, capped by Clowney's 3-pointer with 7:22 left.

Ingram hit a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession before Claxton scored three consecutive baskets to extend the lead to 88-75 and put the game out of reach with 4:42 remaining.

Toronto center Jakob Poeltl was removed from the game during the first quarter due to a back injury.

Up next

Raptors: Continue their three-game road trip in Miami on Tuesday.

Nets: Visit Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Jalen Brunson scored a season-high 47 points to power the Knicks to a 132-125 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

It was Brunson's 20th 40-point game with New York and the most points he's scored at MSG. Mikal Bridges added 24 points (6-for-7 from beyond the arc), including 18 in the first half, on a night when the Knicks turned around some first-quarter woes into a big bounce-back win to improve to 20-8 on the season (14-2 at home) and sent the Heat to a seventh loss in their last eight games to fall to 15-14 on the year.

The opening quarter on Sunday began like a Sunday drive: A bit aimless, a bit stop-and-go, featured a few wrong turns, and some back-seat driving as Karl-Anthony Towns was issued a technical foul all within the opening five minutes. Mike Brown called for a timeout after the Heat converted an easy layup as they beat the Knicks down the floor in transition. The pause didn't help: Towns committed the Knicks' third turnover with an offensive foul, and Miami scored five straight for an 18-9 advantage.

Down 10 late in the period, the Knicks finally got a bit of rhythm going with seven straight points. The Heat, with quick ball movement and pushing the pace, converted on 7-for-11 from behind the arc in the first for a seven-point edge after 12 minutes, despite the Knicks’ 12-for-22 (54.5 percent) start from the floor. 

Entering midway through the second with the Knicks down nine, Brunson went back to work with five points. Bridges, who started hot, didn't want to miss out, connecting on back-to-back threes to force Erik Spoelstra to call for time in a one-point game with 3:42 to play in the half. Five straight from Brunson gave the Knicks a lead, 61-57, for the first time since it was 9-8 early in the first. The guard rattled in his fifth three of the half just before the buzzer to give him 27 and the Knicks a 66-62 lead.

In the third, after Miami cut the lead to two, seven straight from New York, which turned offense to defense with a pair of blocks, forced a timeout up nine, their largest lead of the night. Norman Powell woke up with 19 points in the quarter and Kel'el Ware, the Heat's second-year big man, found his stroke, pouring in four of six from deep for 22 points. But OG Anunoby, who was scoreless in the first half, answered with 12 points and Brunson added 12 of his own to keep the Knicks up by six.

As the two sides looked to end the shooting barage of the first three quarters, the game became bogged down by free throws and missed shots (Knicks 6-for-16 from the floor, Heat 4-for-14 in the early goings), but the New York kept its edge with a couple of big threes, including a desperation heave from Josh Hart late in the shot clock and a corner three from Brunson after Mitchell Robinson kept the ball in-play on an offensive rebound.

But Miami wouldn't go down easily, as Ware connected again from deep to give him 28 points, and two free throws from Jamie Jaquez Jr. to give him 19 off the bench made it a three-point game with 3:12 to play. But a 5-0 run, with Bridges making a second three in the quarter to give him 24, and a flagrant foul on Powell while Brunson attempted a three, allowed the Knicks to make it a 10-point game with 94 seconds left to play and that just about did it. 

Here are the takeaways...

- Brunson was the offense early, connecting on five of eight attempts from the floor for 14 points with three assists to his name. After time on the bench to start the second, Brunson came in with two quick buckets, the second a layup off a nice give-and-go with Hart. The Knicks' MVP poured in 27 in his first 18 minutes on 10-for-15 shooting (5-for-8 from deep). He went 5-for-11 in the second half and had several clutch free throws down the stretch. Where would the Knicks be without him?

- Bridges started well, hitting five of his first six buckets, including both his three-point attempts for 12 points, with two rebounds and two assists. The guard continued to find good looks and hit back-to-back threes from a spot on the right elbow extended to give him 18 in the first half on 7-for-10 shooting. After not attempting a shot in the third, Bridges converted 2 of 4 in the fourth to finish with 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting with four assists, two rebounds, but was a minus-2 in 40 minutes.

- Towns had a rough start, picking up his second offensive foul of the game just over three minutes into the second quarter. He started point-less (0-for-4 from the floor) in his first 13 minutes with two rebounds, one assist, two turnovers (both fouls), and was a minus-8 in the first half. 

Towns put in his first shot of the third quarter for his first points. But his rough night continued with a third offensive foul to open the fourth. He finished with just two points on 1-for-5 shooting with six rebounds, two assists, two steals, three turnovers, four fouls, and was a minus-1 in 29 minutes.

- Anunoby, coming off his worst game of the season Friday in Philadelphia, had a very quiet opening five minutes, with just a turnover, and he was the first one to the bench. He didn't attempt a shot in the first and missed his first two in the second (both threes), the second of which looked very flat. He had two turnovers and was a minus-2 in 15 first-half minutes.

Anunoby finally got cooking in the third, scoring 12 points (5-for-7 shooting) with three blocks, an assist, and a steal in the quarter. Four free throws to start the fourth meant the bad start was a distant memory, finishing with 18 points on 6-for-12 shooting  (2-for-6 from deep) with three assists, two rebounds, two blocks, one steal, four turnovers, and was a plus-3 in 34 minutes.

- Hart had five in the first half, but added all of the things that make him good: six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and was a plus-5 in 16 minutes. He finished with 13 points (5-for-10 shooting, 3-for-5 from deep) with 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and was a plus-4 in 33 minutes.

- Off the bench, Robinson got one of the biggest cheers of the night when he knocked down his first two free-throw attempts late in the second quarter. He extended his streak to 10 consecutive free throws made after starting the year 6-for-27 (22.2 percent) to the year. He finished with nine points (3-for-4) with seven rebounds, two steals, two assists, one block, and was a plus-6 in 22 minutes.

Jordan Clarkson added five points in the first half and dished out an assist in the first half, finishing with 10 points (4-for-5) with two rebounds, an assist, two turnovers, and was a minus-2 in 18 minutes. 

Tyler Kolek added four points with two rebounds, three assists, and two fouls, and was a plus-10 in 12 first-half minutes, really giving them a second-quarter spark to grab the lead. He finished with six points (3-for-6) with four rebounds and three assists and was a plus-16 (a Knicks high) in 22 minutes.

- For Miami, Ware finished with 28 points (11-for-15) and 20 rebounds (six offensive) as the Heat outrebounded the home side 56-42. Jaquez had 23 points and Powell addded 22.  

Game MVP: Jalen Brunson

He heard MVP chants from the MSG faithful and for good reason, as he finished with 47 points on 15-for-26 shooting (6-for-13 from deep) with eight assists, three rebounds, zero turnovers, and was a plus-10 in 38 minutes.

Highlights

Josh Hart from the corner 3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/qC6f1FqT1t

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 21, 2025

Alley-oop to Robinson! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/fs83y2a7aY

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 21, 2025

Jalen Brunson drills a triple 🎯 pic.twitter.com/tjeFXQSgsr

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 21, 2025

JALEN BRUNSON ENDS THE FIRST HALF WITH A THREE

27 FIRST-HALF POINTS FOR THE CAPTAIN pic.twitter.com/sd1MtkrHIs

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 22, 2025

37 points for Jalen Brunson 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UkBmKglZtN

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 22, 2025

What's next

The Knicks are back in action on Tuesday night when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Kings' compete level answers Doug Christie's plea in OT thriller vs. Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – The 2025-26 Kings are not a playoff team.

But Doug Christie still would like to see some fight from his guys after losing 22 games before January and plummeting to dead last in the Western Conference.

Over the past three games, the Kings have shown that competitive edge that Christie was known for as a player and preaches now as a coach. The last two have resulted in losses to the Trail Blazers, with the first in Portland ending in overtime controversy and the second in Sacramento being a back-and-forth battle.

After Saturday’s 98-93 loss to Portland, the first question Christie responded to was whether the competitive level his team had displayed was what he’s been looking for with this roster, given its rocky start to the season and its realistic future.  

“Yeah. Ultimately, defensively, I thought we were better,” Christie said. “We’re in a hunt. The competition level was higher. That’s what we need. You have to be in the hunt, and then once you get there, you have to execute down the stretch. [Us] missing 10 free throws, those are the things that are going to get us over the [hump]. 

“But first and foremost, you got to compete at a high level and be in the hunt. We did a pretty good job in Portland as well [on Thursday]. That’s the biggest thing. We have to compete at a high level. And then, in this league, you have to learn how to win games. And that’s where we’re at right now.”

Well, Sunday’s showing was a promising start.

In Sacramento’s second overtime game in four days, the Kings once again displayed resilience and, yes, that competition level Christie has been begging for from his squad. This time, though, it didn’t end in heartbreak or controversy; it ended with a win against one of the top Western Conference teams, the Houston Rockets, that snapped a five-game skid.

It was a true collective effort.

A late surge led by Keegan Murray erased Houston’s 14-point lead and kept the Kings alive in crunch time. Murray, who has been struggling offensively really since returning from a UCL injury this season, got going when the Kings needed him to most.

Over a two-minute-and-30-second span, Murray couldn’t miss. He scored 10 points in that time, including two big 3-pointers that pulled the Kings within two points with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation. 

Then it was a cat-and-mouse game from then on.

And even when Houston took a 5-point lead with 2:17 remaining, Sacramento never wavered. In fact, the Rockets never scored again in the fourth quarter, and the Kings went on a 5-0 run to force overtime after Russell Westbrook’s corner triple hit nothing but net to force overtime.

The Kings have been notorious for their inability to close out games, even when starting them off strong. But their competitive spirit never died, not even on the second night of a back-to-back.

The back-and-forth scoring continued literally until the final seconds of the extra period.

Just when it appeared to be over for the Kings when Westbrook fouled Jabari Smith Jr. at the 3-point line, and Smith Jr. made two of his three free-throw attempts to give Houston a 2-point lead with 10 seconds remaining, it was another Kings veteran guard who stepped up and came up clutch.

Schroder knocked down a trey with 3.1 seconds remaining, and Kevin Durant’s missed jumper on the other end sealed the deal in Sacramento.

After the game, Westbrook stated that it all comes down to putting your best foot forward and competing. He added that Sunday’s win embodied the Kings finally “getting over the hump” and closing a game out.

Christie, too, was impressed with his team’s fight from start to finish.

“To come out and compete like that, for our guys, after some of the heartbreaks that we’ve had lately, says a lot about their character as individuals and collectively,” Christie said.

Christie also took a moment to shout out who he called two of the “best competitors” in the game in Sacramento in Westbrook and Schroder.

This win doesn’t solve everything for the plethora of issues in Sacramento, but it’s without a doubt a step in the right direction.

And right now, that’s all Christie can ask for.

“We haven’t particularly played at the level that we want to at home. Oddly enough, we’ve done it on the road quite a few times, where we competed really well. But these fans, this is what they deserve, and this is what we will give them. Ultimately, can win them all? No, but they want to know that you are pouring your heart and soul out on the floor when they walk out of the building. And they got that tonight.”

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 What we learned as Kings' late rally powers huge overtime win against Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO — Their record might not indicate it, but Doug Christie has emphasized competitiveness for his Kings as they continue to figure out a solution to their now 7-22 record.

In the last three games, at least, including Sunday’s win, they’ve shown that.

Sacramento overcame a 14-point deficit thanks to a late fourth-quarter surge fueled by Keegan Murray and a clutch corner 3-pointer by Russell Westbrook with 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.

But that wasn’t the only clutch 3 of the night.

Dennis Schröder sank a 26-foot 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining in overtime to secure the victory.

The Rockets still had time to steal the lead — and win — but Kevin Durant’s missed jumpshot ended those hopes.

The Kings snapped a five-game losing streak, and it was a true team effort.

DeMar DeRozan’s 27 points led the way for the Kings, with Keegan Murray contributing 26 and Schröder adding 24 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds off the bench.

Rockets young star center Alperen Şengün dominated Sacramento for most of the game, finishing with 28 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 40 minutes.

Here are the takeaways from Sunday’s win:

Extra basketball

The Kings got rolling at the right time, with Westbrook’s corner triple sending the game to overtime.

The action-packed thriller in Sacramento continued for five more minutes, as the game ended with a game-winning triple from Schroder.

In the extra period, Westbrook fouled Jabari Smith Jr. at the 3-point line with 10 seconds remaining, and Smith Jr. knocked down two of his three attempts from the charity stripe.

But it was Schroder who called game in the end.

Malik returns

Malik Monk recorded two consecutive DNP-CD (Did Not Play, Coach’s Decision) in a road and home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday and Saturday.

Before Sunday’s game, Kings coach Doug Christie was swarmed with questions about the bizarre situation, and he hinted that Monk could see the floor against the Rockets.

He kept his word, although it took a while.

Monk entered Sunday’s game for the first time of the night toward the end of the third quarter. And as expected, he was welcomed with a loud and warm welcome from the Golden 1 Center crowd.

Oh, he also instantly drove to the basket and made a layup within seconds of being on the court.

While being repeatedly asked about the decision to bench Monk in the past two games, Christie maintained it solely was based on it being a “logjam” at the guard position and simply a “numbers game.” He also stated that Monk was the “odd man out” since the Kings decided to emphasize defense and insert Keon Ellis into the rotation over Monk.

Ellis played just nine minutes in Sunday’s game, and has been struggling as of late. It could be possible that Ellis is back to being the “odd man out,” while Monk resumes his role.

Keegan’s resurgence

Keegan Murray has struggled to find a consistent offensive flow since returning from a UCL injury.

But his confidence never wavered, and neither did his coaches’ or teammates’ in him.

He showed just why on Sunday.

Murray missed all six of his 3-point attempts in Saturday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. On Sunday, his first attempt from downtown — a 30-point trey — was a make. He finished the first quarter with 10 points and scored just two points in the second quarter.

But he got going when it mattered most, helping fuel a late rally to keep Sacramento alive in the fourth quarter. Murray finished the game with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and 3 of 4 from downtown.

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Warriors see their warts, but still believe in their lofty NBA potential originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Two months into a season that has delivered more losses than wins, the Warriors still believe that between Monday night and April 12 they will secure an automatic berth in the Western Conference playoffs.

When the Orlando Magic come to Chase Center on Monday, the Warriors will be sitting in eighth place, 4.5 games away from the guaranteed playoff berth that comes with finishing sixth and six games away from the home-court advantage that comes with finishing among the top four.

Are the Warriors dreaming? Maybe.

They realize 53 games remain for them to make the steep climb toward their goal, they scan the standings and, still, they believe.

“I look (at the standings) every day; I looked this morning,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We all know where we are.”

“Our goal coming into the season was to be a top-four seed, and I still think it’s well within our reach. It can be daunting if you look and you go, ‘Man, we’re five, six games back.’ But we know how fast things can flip if we can take care of our business and find some momentum. Because everybody else is going to go through tough stretches too.”

Taking care of business has been difficult and momentum has been elusive. And the Warriors would like to believe their “toughest stretches” are behind them after burying a three-game losing streak Saturday with a win over the Phoenix Suns.

Even in victory, however, they saw there are many miles to go to achieve their quest.

“We watched the last three minutes of the game,” Trayce Jackson-Davis said, referring to a late 14-8 run by Phoenix that nearly erased Golden State’s seven-point lead.

“I wanted the guys to see it,” Kerr said. “There were a couple of just mindless plays where we score and we’re all standing there, instead of having urgency to get back. And the (Suns) race the ball up the floor, we’re trailing the play. There’s no way that can happen. We just have to be sharper and more on edge.”

Golden State is 6-6 against the seven teams above them, beating the Lakers, the Nuggets, the Spurs twice the Suns twice. Yet the Warriors are 0-3 against the 10th-place Trail Blazers and 0-1 against the last-place Kings.

Who are the Warriors?

They are a team still seeking rhythm for an offense that too often collapses under the weight of its turnovers and searching for consistency on defense – with both issues on display over the last four games. They stumbled and fell against Minnesota, at Portland and at Phoenix but stayed upright against the Suns at home.

“We already know what the problem is (or) was,” Jimmy Butler III said, taking scant contentment from beating the Suns. “It’s just on us to go out there and do what we say that we’re going to do to win these games. We’re capable of it. We all know that.”

Butler’s expression of belief suggests the best is yet to come. That they have the capability to move beyond the nights of blowing double-digit leads in the fourth quarter to teams that, on paper, are inferior. Seven of Golden State’s 15 losses have come against sub.-500 teams.

The road to recovery begins with an offense that takes care of the ball and makes open shots, particularly from deep. The Warriors are shooting 32.6 percent on “open” shots (closest defender between four and six feet away), ranking 19th in the league.

This is a team, folks, that has the greatest deep shooter of all time on the roster. Stephen Curry’s gravitational effect opposing defenses often create open looks for teammates. In a league where the 3-point shooting average is 35.8 percent, the Warriors have seven players that qualify as below average, including stretch-5 Quinten Post, at 33.8 percent and 3-point specialist Buddy Hield at 32 percent.

Unless Golden State’s offense drains open triples at a higher rate and its defense learns lessons administered during video study on Sunday, an automatic berth will be out of reach.

Curry believes but tempers his faith with the evidence already gathered. At 14-15, the Warriors are not close to being among the top six in the West, much less the top four.

“We don’t want to look too far ahead,” he said. “Just focus on Orlando and what we need to do to beat that team. I like that idea of just taking it one game at a time, because we don’t have any other choice with the way we’ve been playing.”

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The only thing left for JJ Redick to do was joke about it. What else could be said after the Lakers made just six of 38 three-pointers in a 103-88 loss to the Clippers on Saturday?

“I was proud that we improved from three 4-for-33,” the coach deadpanned. “So we got better as the game progressed.”

With four regular starters limited by injuries, the Lakers’ ice cold shooting night doomed them to a season-low in points. Star guard Luka Doncic left the game with 12 points at halftime after a left leg contusion sustained in the first half. Redick noticed the NBA’s leading scorer limping on the court during the second quarter. Starters Austin Reaves (calf), Deandre Ayton (elbow) and Rui Hachimura (groin) were all sidelined for the game, as well as key reserve Gabe Vincent (back).

It left just LeBron James, who had 36 points, four rebounds and three assists as the Lakers (19-8) fell behind by 22 but cut the deficit to seven in the fourth quarter before fading again.

“We just didn’t make shots,” said James, who was three for seven from three-point range and made half of the team’s threes. “It happens over the course of a season. We had some great looks. We just didn’t make shots. But we still gave ourselves a chance to be in the game with how well we defended, our competitive spirit, our competitive nature.”

Here are three takeaways from the game: 

Lakers pleas toward referees falling flat

The Lakers have been assessed five technical fouls in the last two games because of conduct with officials as frustration over inconsistent calls is starting to boil over. After Doncic, Jaxson Hayes and Marcus Smart were all given technical fouls in the third quarter of Thursday’s win over Utah, Doncic and Smart were T’ed up again Saturday in the first and third quarters, respectively.

“I think if any coach, any player, what we ask for is consistency,” Redick said. “And that's not to single any official out or any crew out, it's not about that. We need to know what it is night to night.”

Smart also drew a technical foul against Utah after attempting to talk to an official at halftime. When Smart walked away frustrated, he raised his middle finger toward the official, a gesture that got him fined $35,000 Saturday, the NBA announced.

“Sometimes you got to take the hit to get your point across,” Smart said Saturday.

Read more:Lakers lose Luka Doncic to injury, then fall to Clippers despite LeBron James' 36 points

Redick expressed additional frustration with the lack of transparency in the replay system and murky communication with officials. He said he has not received any feedback when he requests it and the distinction between plays that can and can’t be challenged appears to change every night.

The lack of communication has been frustrating for players as well, Smart said, who met with referees before the Utah game as a team captain, but still had his questions dismissed.

“The captain should be able to come talk to them,” Smart said. “They still don't want to hear it. So control what you can control. They don't want to talk, you know, you try and you move on. But it definitely is frustrating when you pour your heart out to this game and the feedback is literally waving you off, telling you to get out your face, and then giving you a tech because you're asking a simple question.”

Way off the mark

The Lakers had their worst shooting night of the season by far, making just 34 of 88 shots (38.6%). The team that was second in the NBA in shooting percentage hadn’t shot worse than 40.3% from the field in a game this season. Even their shaky three-point shooting that was 23rd in the league (34.5%) found a new low: the 15.8% (six for 38) shooting from three-point range is the worst for the team since Jan. 3, 2024 when the Lakers made four of 30 threes in a 110-96 loss to Miami.

Smart, who had made 14 of 28 threes in his last three games, missed on all of his nine long-range shots Saturday and finished with five points on one-of-12 shooting. Jake LaRavia, who was acquired as a free agent in part for his three-point shooting, was 0 for four from beyond the arc. The 24-year-old is shooting a career-low 32.1% from three-point range this season despite his eight-for-15 start in the first five games of the year.

“I know I'm a good shooter, everyone on the staff knows I'm a good shooter, everyone on the team knows I'm a good shooter,” LaRavia said. “At some point, I have to make shots. Obviously, been in a slump pretty much this entire season outside of that first stretch of games where I was making some. But they'll drop."

LeBron James carries the load alone

Once Doncic left the game, the Lakers’ best chance at scoring points became “effort offense,” LaRavia said. Hustling, grabbing offensive rebounds and cherry-picking points in transition was almost enough as the Lakers pieced together a 15-0 run to cut a 22-point Clippers lead to seven with 7:56 remaining in the fourth.

Redick praised the team’s “incredible spirit,” noting that James led the charge in that aspect. In addition to making 15 of 28 shots from the field for his season-high in points, James had two steals and a block. After he drove aggressively to the basket for a layup through contact and finished a three-point play to cut the lead to nine, he was the first to dive on the floor for a loose ball on the next defensive possession when he poked the ball away from Kawhi Leonard.

With the Clippers (7-21) playing most of the game without center Ivica Zubak, who rolled his ankle in the first quarter and didn’t return, James took advantage of the smaller lineup by aggressively getting into the paint.

“He did a terrific job of driving the basketball,” Redick said. “Anytime he had [Brook] Lopez on him, he'd beat him up from the perimeter. Great game from him.”

James, who turns 41 on Dec. 30, has passed his unofficial “training camp” phase after he missed the first 14 games of the season because of right sciatica. He has averaged 30 points in the last three games while shooting 50% from the field.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.