Category: NBA

What we learned as Steph Curry exits late in Warriors' NBA Cup loss to Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors were pushing toward a wire-to-wire victory Wednesday night, but the wire began fraying late in the third quarter and snapped in the fourth.

As the Warriors began fading, the Houston Rockets came back to own the second half and slap a 104-100 loss on the Warriors, sending their record back to .500 at 10-10. 

To make matters worse, Stephen Curry, attempting to take a charge in the fourth quarter, fell to the floor and came up limping. He tried to play through it but was subbed out with 35.2 seconds remaining.

Six Warriors scored in double figures, led by 21 points from Jimmy Butler III. Rookie Will Richard scored 18 points, Curry and Brandin Podziemski each finished with 14, while Draymond Green and Quinten Post each had 12.

The loss is the fourth in five games for Golden State, which is 1-2 on the homestand it hoped would be a source of recovery.

Second-year pro Reed Sheppard scored a game-high 31 points to lead the Rockets (12-4).

Here are three observations from a game that the Warriors are hoping won’t force their best player to the sidelines:

Warriors punished by Sheppard

With leading scorer Kevin Durant, averaging 24.3 points per game, unavailable while attending to a family matter, it figured Houston’s offense would be somewhat crippled.

It was, as No. 2 scorer Alperen Sengun was held to 16 points, six below his average, on 7-18 shooting from the field, including 0-of-4 from distance. No. 3 scorer Amen Thompson, averaging 17.9 points, was limited to 10.

The Rockets were saved by Sheppard, who averages 13.1 points but poured in a career-high 31 on 12-of-25 shooting, including 4-of-12 from deep. He added nine assists and five rebounds.

Sheppard got a few open looks, but also torched several defenders, including Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody. Sheppard was the best player on the floor when it mattered most.

And Golden State’s point-of-attack defense continues to be a weak component.

About that third quarter

After a mostly impressive first half in which they led throughout, the Warriors’ offense sputtered to only 17 points, recording only five assists, in the third quarter.

The Warriors shot 7-of-19 from the field, including 0-of-8 from beyond the arc, in the quarter. They went from shooting very respectably to chucking up rocks.

Meanwhile, the Rockets rang up 27 points, trimming Golden State’s 12-point halftime advantage to two (76-74) and sending a wave of restlessness through the sellout crowd. 

It was as if the Rockets remembered they are the league’s best rebounding team in the NBA and went to work on the glass while also turning Warriors’ turnovers into fast-break buckets. Moreover, the Warriors got the worst of the whistles, sending the Rockets to the line for 10 free throws, which gave them time to set up their fourth-ranked defense.

Warriors make early statement but can’t finish 

The Warriors wasted no time in making it clear this would be a battle despite Houston being three games ahead of them in the Western Conference. They made their first five shots and went up 20-11 on a Curry layup with 6:16 left in the first quarter.

Playing solid defense and holding their own on the glass (25-25) against the league’s premier rebounding team, Golden State never trailed and went into the locker room holding a 59-47 lead.

Green not only frustrated Sengun but also outscored Houston’s talented young center 10-8 before intermission. While Sengun was minus-21 over 17 minutes in the first half, Green posted a plus-16 over 16 minutes. The biggest blemish in the first half was Golden State’s seven turnovers, which gifted the Rockets with 12 points – nearly one quarter of their total.

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What we learned as Kings' bad habits return in streak-snapping loss to Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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SACRAMENTO – Two days after maybe their most inspiring victory of the season, the Kings got into the wrong holiday spirit against the Phoenix Suns and laid an egg at Golden 1 Center, losing 112-100 on Wednesday night.

The game started out brutal, got a little bit better for a few brief moments in the second half until the Suns ultimately prevailed and ended the Kings’ first winning streak of the season, albeit it was only two.

Playing again without do-it-all center Domantas Sabonis and Dennis Schroder, Sacramento struggled to gets much going consistently on offense and allowed Phoenix to have its way in the paint almost all evening.

Keegan Murray provided a few of the highlights with 19 points and eight rebounds, including back-to-back 3-pointers that helped the Kings get within single digits in the third quarter.

Russell Westbrook had 19 points and eight rebounds, Malik Monk scored 15, Precious Achiuwa had 14 and Zach LaVine added 13.

The Kings remained winless (0-3) in NBA Cup play while the Suns improved to 3-0.

Sacramento trailed the entire game but made it close late.

Westbrook connected on his third 3-pointer of the night that pulled the Kings within 93-84 with 8:34 remaining.

That in itself is encouraging.

The Suns led by 25 at the end of the first quarter and were on pace to win 164-64. The Kings showed a lot more fight in the second half, and although they fell short, it was infinitely better than the way the night began.

The Kings fell to 5-14. They were 9-10 after 19 games last season, about a month before the decision to fire then-coach Mike Brown.

Here are the takeaways from Wednesday:

Pre-Tryptophan Effects

The game started about 17 hours before most folks were to gather for the holiday feast, but it sure appeared that the Kings’ players might have gotten to the turkey a little early because they came out as if they were in a tryptophan coma.

Phoenix built an 18-point lead in the first quarter when a soft chorus of boos rained down from the Golden 1 Center crowd. The gap extended to 25 points at the half, then 2 1/2 minutes into the third quarter, the Suns had the Kings doubled up with a 46-23 lead.

That went on all night, as Sacramento seemed a step or two behind. As a result Phoenix was able to get its fastbreak initiated quicker and got to the rack for easy tip-ins.

Missing The Big Fella

The Kings haven’t been a very good rebounding team all season, and things have continued in the wrong direction since Sabonis got hurt. The Suns, who have been marginally better than Sacramento on the boards, continued that trend the night before Thanksgiving when they feasted all night in the paint.

At one point late in the first half, Devin Booker missed a deep 3-pointer that bounced off the front of the rim. Three Kings players were positioned for the rebound only to see Phoenix’s Jordan Goodwin sneak through to get the putback.

Backup center Drew Eubanks started and was decent — 10 rebounds and four points in 14 minutes — but his impact was minimal and he finished minus-12.

With Sabonis expected to miss at least two more weeks, the Kings need to more from the interior on both ends.

Back That (Point Guard) Thing Up

With Schroder unavailable because of a sore hip, the Kings turned to Keon Ellis to handle the majority of minutes at backup point guard, and he had mixed results with six points and one assist.

Monk also took a crack at it and was much more effective. The former Sixth Man of The Year runner-up was more in flow with the rest of the offense and made several clutch buckets in the second half, including a 3-pointer that pulled the Kings within 83-73 heading into the fourth quarter.

The result was predictable.

Sacramento had only five assists on 18 buckets in the first half and finished with 20. Nine different players had at least one assist but no one had more than three.

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Knicks guard Landry Shamet, who left last Saturday's loss to the Orlando Magic early, has been diagnosed with a shoulder sprain and will be re-evaluated after four weeks. 

Shamet previously dislocated this same right shoulder during the 2024 preseason and was able to avoid surgery then. Per SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley, there is optimism that Shamet, who is currently rehabbing the injury, can once again work his way back without needing surgery.

Shamet, who started Saturday's loss to the Magic with OG Anunoby injured, collided with Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr. and immediately made his way to the locker room. 

The veteran sharpshooter has been a key piece of the Knicks' rotation under head coach Mike Brown. 

Playing just under 21 minutes per game, Shamet has averaged 9.3 points and two rebounds while shooting 42.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Landry Shamet runs directly to locker room after hurting right shoulder he separated last year pic.twitter.com/UYZUodE4X9

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 22, 2025

Luka Doncic set the tone with 24 points in the first quarter. LeBron James picked up the baton with 18 over the next two quarters. Austin Reaves put the finishing touches on the Lakers' 135-118 win over the Clippers on Tuesday by scoring 18 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers Big Three each starred in their solo parts while harmonizing almost perfectly together to propel the Lakers (13-4) to their fifth consecutive win. Doncic starred with 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. Reaves added 31 points and nine rebounds, and James scored a season-high 25 points and six assists.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

Read more:Luka Doncic owns the Clippers again as Lakers win NBA Cup matchup

LeBron James feeling ‘better and better’

During parts of Sunday’s game in Utah, James desperately motioned toward the Lakers bench for a sub. When asked after the game about a particularly labored stretch during the second quarter, James quipped that it wasn’t just that moment.

“First, second, third and fourth,” James joked Sunday in Utah. “Come get me.”

Two days later, James looked almost back to normal as he had season-high 25 points, showing he had no trouble pushing the pace in transition while the team was plus-18 with him on the court.

“It will get better every game,” James said Tuesday of his conditioning. “Today was another … testament to that. So great win for us, but I'm starting to feel better and better.”

Coach JJ Redick said the Lakers will be tracking James’ three-point shooting, play-making and transition points as indicators of how he is progressing in his return from sciatica that sidelined him for 14 games.

On a team that was struggling to find its three-point shot, James can be a much-needed laser. James has shot 41.3% on catch-and-shoot threes during the past three seasons while increasing the volume of his shots. He has taken at least 184 such three-pointers in each of the past four seasons after taking no more than 148 in any of the prior eight seasons for which tracking data is available.

That skill came through in the perfect moment Tuesday with a corner three off an assist from Reaves in the fourth quarter, helping the Lakers start the fourth quarter on a 14-4 run. James made two of five three-pointers as the Lakers shot a season-best 44.8% from three to snap out of their shooting slump.

Lakers win their NBA Cup group 

The Lakers locked up their spot in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, but there are still meaningful Cup games to be played.

With a 3-0 record in West Group B, the Lakers can clinch home-court advantage in the quarterfinals with a win Friday against the Dallas Mavericks in the group stage finale. A win would be the simplest way to avoid resorting to the point differential tiebreaker that could still be in play to decide the No. 1 seed in the West. Outscoring opponents by 36 points, the Lakers' point differential is 27 points behind West Group A leaders Oklahoma City (2-0 in group play) for the potential No. 1 seed. The top-seeded team will host the wild-card team, which earns its spot in the quarterfinal by virtue of being the best second-place team in group play. Portland and Denver are tied atop West Group C with 2-1 records.

The three-year-old NBA Cup, inspired by similar in-season tournaments in European leagues, has sparked confusion about the colorful courts and ever-changing group stage scenarios. The potential extra road trip and extra championship game could end up putting more wear on teams that have larger playoff ambitions, but the prize makes it worth the trouble: $500,000 for each player.

“Obviously I’ll accept money,” Doncic said with a sarcastic smile. “That's easy. ... I played it in Spain, something like this, so I like it. Just the courts, please.”

Doncic said the Lakers’ NBA Cup court — bright yellow with the gold and black trophy painted into the key — caused problems for a few players as they slipped on the new hardwood. An area near the free-throw line in front of the Clippers bench appeared to be especially slippery. Doncic said he could tell immediately during warm-ups that the surface could be a problem.

“I slipped a lot of times and you could see a lot of players slipped,” Doncic said. “And that's dangerous, man.”

Redick said he noticed players slipping, but also that they were falling prior to that. He said the team will look into the court.

Jaxson Hayes has Luka Doncic’s back 

With the $53,000 earned from advancing to the quarterfinals, Doncic can easily cover the fine that Jaxson Hayes incurred on Doncic's behalf late in Tuesday’s game.

With 3:36 remaining in a 10-point game, Doncic was positioning himself for a potential rebound under the rim when Clippers gaurd Kris Dunn shoved him in the back. Doncic called it a “cheap shot” and shouted back at Dunn, who answered by pushing the ball in Doncic’s chest. Hayes then stepped in and pushed Dunn away from Doncic.

“I didn’t like the way he shoved him,” Hayes said. “I just wanted to help.”

Read more:Luka Doncic helps Lakers hold off Jazz for fourth win in a row

Hayes was assessed a technical foul while Dunn picked up a technical for shoving the ball toward Doncic and was ejected with a second technical for retaliating against Hayes. Doncic immediately told Hayes that he would cover the $2,000 fine for Hayes’ first technical foul of the year.

"That says a lot about him," Doncic said. "That says a lot about this team. Everybody has got each other's back.”

Hayes and Doncic have grown so close in less than one season playing for the Lakers together that they have explored opportunities for Hayes to become a naturalized Slovenian citizen to play for the national team with Doncic. A high-flying athletic center, Hayes is the type of player who excels next to a pick-and-roll artist such as Doncic, who loves to put on a show with flashy lobs.

They paired for an exclamation point on the win when Doncic tossed up a pass for Hayes to slam down with two hands to put the Lakers up by 14 with 1:52 remaining. Hayes, who started for injured center Deandre Ayton, had eight points, four rebounds and three assists. Ayton is game-to-game because of a right knee contusion and Redick said he could return by the end of this week.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

These next two weeks could be a defining stretch for 2025-26 Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

We’re about to find out a whole bunch about the 2025-26 Boston Celtics.

On Thanksgiving Eve, the Celtics launch into a brutal seven-games-in-12-days stretch. That includes the second dreaded five-games-in-seven-nights span of the season, with five games in four different cities and travel before each tilt.

The next seven games will also feature:

• Matchups with four of the top five teams in the Eastern Conference (Detroit, Toronto, Cleveland, New York)
• Two games against teams with double-digit win totals in the West (Minnesota, LA Lakers)

Take away a pit stop in Washington on December 4 — the night before a rivalry showdown with the Lakers back in Boston — and the other six opponents in this seven-game stretch have a combined .702 winning percentage (73-31).

In the ’90s, the World Wrestling Federation often held an annual pay-per-view on the night before Thanksgiving. Now, the Celtics are about to launch into their own Survivor Series.

The Celtics are 4-6 this season against opponents with a record of .500 or better. Two of those wins came against Orlando, with the others against Cleveland and Philadelphia.

After a roller-coaster 9-8 start to the season, these new-look Celtics are either going to show that they can measure up against some of the NBA’s elite, or get a bit of a reality check about the ceiling of this team while hunting for their identity as Jayson Tatum rehabs from his ruptured Achilles.

The gauntlet starts Wednesday with a showdown against the streaking Pistons. How ironic that, as Boston was starting its title march two years ago, the Celtics handed Detroit their record-tying 28th consecutive loss (albeit needing overtime) as the Pistons matched their longest losing streak in league history.

This year? Detroit will be looking to set a new franchise record Wednesday night while hunting its 14th consecutive win. Life comes at you fast in the NBA.

Adding to the daunting nature of the upcoming schedule, the Celtics will start this stretch without center Neemias Queta, who owns the best net rating (+16.4) and on/off differential (+21.0) on the team. The Celtics defense is 21.3 points per 100 possessions better with Queta on the floor and the team is severely undersized without him.

Yes, Boston starts this tall task without its tallest player (and the only 7-footer on the roster).

After kicking away some wins earlier in the season, the Celtics have won five of their last seven. As part of that stretch, they let a win slip away in Philadelphia, then played down against an inferior Brooklyn team on Sunday.

Despite some early bumps in the road, the 2025-26 Celtics sit a game above .500. There have been a lot of positives, though they’ve sometimes been masked by consistency woes.

The next two weeks ought to tell us a lot more than the first four weeks did.

Is the glass half full for the Celtics? Boston owns the fifth-best offensive rating in the league and sits inside the top 10 in net rating (tied for ninth, +4.8). Boston ranks in the top five in half-court defense and has been slowly tightening up its early-season rebounding woes.

Still, navigating even a short stretch without Queta could be daunting. Can the Celtics survive going small with Josh Minott or Chris Boucher eating the majority of center minutes? Can the team confidently lean on Luka Garza, who logged a rare DNP even after Queta limped off on Sunday night? Can rookie two-way center Amari Williams hold up if thrown into the NBA spotlight the next two weeks?

The next two weeks could answer a lot of the lingering questions about the Celtics, and it might dictate a whole new batch of questions about where the season goes from there.

Luka Doncic drilled a three-pointer right in front of the Clippers’ bench late in the first quarter and then glared at them, shaking his head as he ran back down court to play defense for the Lakers, just one of the many piercing stares he sent their way after delivering one of his three-point bombs.

It seems as if Doncic has his own personal rivalry against the Clippers and it just simply folded into the inter-city rivalry.

And once again, Doncic overwhelmed the Clippers in directing the Lakers to a 135-118 win Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

He came up one rebound shy of a triple-double, dropping 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. He was 14 for 28 from the field, seven for 12 from three-point range and eight for 11 from the free-throw line.

Read more:'Legend': Claire Rothman, Forum president during Lakers' 'Showtime' dynasty, dies at 97

In leading the Lakers to their fifth straight win, Doncic now has recorded 39 double-double games of at least 40 points, which moved him past Anthony Davis for the fourth most among active players and tying Magic Johnson for the sixth most 40-point double-doubles as a Laker.

Doncic also tied Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal for the most 40-point double-doubles as a Laker before the age of 27 since the NBA/ABA merger (five).

"I think we played a great game,” Doncic said. “I think they were getting a lot of shots, especially in the first half.”

Late in the fourth quarter, the game turned physical, and Doncic was in the middle of it.

Kris Dunn pushed Doncic in the back, and Doncic confronted Dunn, who then put the basketball in Doncic’s chest. Jaxson Hayes then stepped in and pushed Dunn.

In the end, Dunn was assessed two technical fouls and ejected from the game and Hayes was assessed a technical foul. Doncic shot a technical foul free throw with 3:33 left in the game.

“Of course, I appreciate it,” Doncic said about Hayes stepping in to help him. “I told him right away, ‘Thanks for having my back.’ And that says a lot about him. That says a lot about this team. Everybody has got each other's back.”

Doncic scored 24 points against the Clippers in the first quarter alone, making his first five three-pointers before finishing the quarter five for eight from three, nine for 14 from the field, many of the baskets punctuated by a stare down at the Clippers’ bench.

By the half, Doncic had posted 32 points on 11-for-17 shooting and six for 10 on three-pointers and six assists.

Over the course of his career with the Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic, who is averaging 12.5 free-throw attempts per game, has torn the Clippers apart.

Entering Tuesday night’s game, he had averaged 32.2 points per game over 20 games, his highest against any Western Conference foe. He had produced 7.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists and shot 48% from the field, 36% from the three-point line.

When asked why he has performed so well against the Clippers, Doncic shrugged.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I think we just met a lot of times in the playoffs. They beat me the first two times, so I don't know what it is. I guess I like it.”

Read more:Shooters shoot: How the Lakers are handling their early three-point slump

With Deandre Ayton (right knee contusion) out and Hayes starting in his place, Austin Reaves (31 points) and LeBron James (25), did their part to help the Lakers clinch Group B of the NBA cup with a 3-0 record.

The Lakers finish group play against the Dallas Mavericks here Friday night and the Clippers complete their group play against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at Intuit Dome.

Etc.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said that Ayton got an MRI exam on his knee that “was clean other than just some swelling, a little bit of a bruise.” Ayton was injured in the first half against the Jazz Sunday. “Don’t think it’s going to be a long-term thing,” Redick said. “Hopefully it’s a game-to-game thing and he’s back at some point by the end of the week.”...The Lakers announced that they signed forward Drew Timme to a two-way contract and waived two-way center Christian Koloko. Timme has played for the Lakers’ G League team, the South Bay Lakers, and posted averages of 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 25.5 minutes over six games. The 6-foot-10 Timme played his college basketball at Gonzaga.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Observations after Sixers get crushed by 41 points and injury list grows  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

By an enormous margin, the shorthanded Sixers fell to their worst loss so far this season on Tuesday night.

Going into their meeting with the Magic, the Sixers’ largest margin of defeat was 11 points. They trailed by as many as 46 against Orlando and lost by a 144-103 score. 

The 9-8 Sixers’ top scorer was Tyrese Maxey with 20 points. Anthony Black scored a career-high 31 for the 11-8 Magic. 

The Sixers were missing the following players: 

• Joel Embiid (right knee injury management)
• Paul George (right ankle sprain)
• VJ Edgecombe (left calf tightness) 
• Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain)
• Adem. Bona (right ankle sprain)

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that Embiid had been “trending toward playing” Tuesday and participated in some of the team’s morning shootaround, but he’s “not quite there yet.”

Nurse said Edgecombe’s calf is “improving” and that George reported ankle soreness after the Sixers’ loss Sunday to the Heat. He was unsure whether the 35-year-old forward would need to be sidelined for multiple games. 

Tuesday’s game was an NBA Cup contest. The Sixers are now 0-3 in East Group B and Orlando is 3-0.

The Sixers’ final Cup game will be Friday night in Brooklyn against the Nets. Here are observations on their blowout loss to the Magic:

Sixers’ injury list grows

The Sixers went to their bench early, bringing in Jared McCain and Trendon Watford to replace Justin Edwards and Dominick Barlow.

Both Watford and McCain were strong in their first stint. McCain nailed a catch-and-shoot three-pointer on his first shot. Watford had a couple of driving baskets around the midpoint of the first quarter. He also drew and made four free throws later in the period. 

McCain celebrated with Maxey and Watford after drilling another long-range jumper in transition, giving the Sixers a 21-17 edge and prompting an Orlando timeout.  As a duo, McCain and Watford posted 15 points in the first quarter on 4-for-4 shooting.

Unfortunately for Watford, his night ended abruptly in the second quarter.

While he was handling the ball on a fast break, Watford fell awkwardly to the floor. He was helped back to the locker room with 4:07 left in the second and ruled out at halftime with a left adductor strain. 

Justin Edwards also went to the locker room at the 10:24 mark of the third quarter. Whatever Edwards’ issue, he got the green light to return to the game late in the third.

Woeful defensive night 

The Sixers turned to a zone defense early in the first quarter. Orlando was unable to knock down jumpers in the opening minutes, starting 0 for 8 from three-point range, which allowed the Sixers to sit in the zone for an extended stretch. 

Finally, the Magic saw a few deep shots drop late in the first quarter. A Tyus Jones three with 2.5 seconds left in the first tied the game up at 35 apiece. 

Defensive rebounding was a predictable, major challenge for the Sixers in their zone. The Magic scored 15 second-chance points in the first half to the Sixers’ zero.

Orlando’s offense stayed hot to begin the second quarter and the Sixers’ relative lack of size became a more glaring problem. Multiple Sixers also had very porous moments individually, allowing just about everyone on the Magic to coast to the rim.

Black was a giant standout off of Orlando’s bench. His second straight corner three extended the Magic’s lead to 57-43. In animated fashion, Maxey appeared to ask Andre Drummond why he hadn’t closed out on the player torching the Sixers. Fair question. 

The Sixers’ deficit ballooned to 80-54 on a Wendell Carter Jr. alley-oop slam late in the second quarter and they heard boos from the home crowd.

Black scored 27 points in the first half. Before Tuesday, his career high for a game was 23. 

Dust-up adds a bit of drama

Drummond was at the center of a dust-up in the final minute of the first half. 

He fouled Carter on the perimeter and then squared up to the Magic big man with a boxing-style stance. Drummond didn’t throw any punches, but the situation escalated when Jalen Suggs shoved him. Jabari Walker joined the fray, too.

After the dust settled, officials assessed technical fouls to Drummond, Carter, Desmond Bane and Walker. Suggs received two technicals, which resulted in his ejection. 

Nothing about the second half was nearly as interesting. Johni Broome checked in with 5:09 to go in the third quarter and finished with four points on 2-for-9 shooting and six rebounds. Fellow rookie Hunter Sallis played most of the fourth quarter.

Kyle Lowry was the one active Sixer who didn’t see any action, although “We want Kyle” chants popped up. Maxey logged a season-low 32 minutes and watched the whole fourth.

Nick Young sticks up for Warriors' Draymond Green, epically trolls Kenyon Martin originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The ongoing beef between Warriors star Draymond Green and former NBA star Kenyon Martin took another odd turn on Tuesday.

Before the latest episode of Gilbert Arenas’ “Gil’s Arena” show, former Warriors guard Nick Young wore a No. 23 Golden State jersey into the studio in an attempt to rile up Martin.

While it’s possible Young is wearing Green’s jersey, the official “Gil’s Arena” social media accounts allude to the 2018 NBA champion donning the wrong jersey.

Whether it actually is a Green jersey or possibly a Jason Richardson No. 23 jersey, Young’s intention was clear: Get under Martin’s skin and stir the pot.

It worked.

The beef between Green and Martin came up again during Tuesday’s episode of “Gil’s Arena,” and 2000 No. 1 overall draft pick again took shots at the four-time NBA champion.

Martin rekindled the feud when he addressed Green’s on-court antics.

Green used last week’s “The Draymond Green Show” podcast to respond to Martin’s slight.

“The constant shots have been a little confusing to me because I don’t quite know where they came from,” Green said. “And you think someone who was the No. 1 pick that didn’t quite have the career that I’ve had, but playing similar roles in a sense, would appreciate it, would show more love — especially when you go back to a kid born and raised in Saginaw, you think it’ll be a little more love. So it’s a little disappointing to see the constant shots. I just always thought it would be a little more love than that.

“But when you were the No. 1 pick and effectively underachieved, I guess that would be the reason why. To be the No. 1 pick and make the All-Star Game one time, most would say it’s probably an underachievement. Being that I was the 35th pick and made the All-Star Game four times. Defensive Player of the Year. Kenyon Martin was a defender. I think he would consider himself a good defender, [but] never quite reached the pinnacle of that when you talk Defensive Player of the Years, or the nine All-Defensive Teams that I have, and he has zero.

“It’s tough to sit in a space of like continuing to speak on my name and call my name out as if I underachieved or am underachieving. When I was just simply the 35th pick in the NBA draft, and somebody took a swing on me the second round and it just happened to work out to become one of the greatest players in franchise history.”

Green and Martin, both born in Saginaw, Mich., clearly don’t like each other, and time will tell how long they plan to keep taking shots at each other.

But while Young regularly appears on “Gil’s Arena” with Martin, it’s evident he has taken Green’s side in this argument.

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The Lakers made two announcements Tuesday, saying that center Deandre Ayton was out for the game against the Clippers at Cyrpto.com Arena because of a bruised right knee and that they had signed forward Drew Timme to a two-way contract.

The team also announced that it had waived two-way center Christian Koloko.

Timme had played for the Lakers’ G League team, the South Bay Lakers, and posted averages of 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 25.5 minutes during six games.

The 6-10 Timme played his college basketball at Gonzaga.

“I talked to [Lakers president of basketball operations] Rob [Pelinka] and everyone yesterday, last night and they told me,” Timme said after the Lakers’ shootaround Tuesday. “I was just super excited. It’s super cool.”

Jaxson Hayes will start at center in place of Ayton in the NBA Cup game.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.