From the first quarter, it seemed like it could be a special night for Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson.
After 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first 12 minutes and his team up 37-23, Brunson and the Knicks were on their way to a series clincher against the Detroit Pistons.
But that would've been too easy.
No, in a series that was separated by eight total points, the Pistons fought back and made New York work for it.
"They brought the fight to us and we had to respond," Brunson said after the game.
That fight first appeared in the second quarter, where Detroit ended up taking the lead, completely erasing the 14-point advantage that Brunson and the Knicks had built. Coincidentally, Brunson scored just five points in the quarter.
The All-Star woke back up in the third quarter, scoring 10 points as New York went out to another big lead thanks to help from Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. Surely, that would be enough to put away the young Pistons for good.
Wrong.
Once again, here came Detroit storming back while the Knicks couldn't get anything going. Even Brunson was struggling from the floor and it looked like the series might be headed back to New York for a decisive Game 7.
But when the lights are the brightest, that's when Brunson is at his best.
Down 112-105 with 2:35 left in the game, Brunson scored five straight points in less than a minute to get to within two points. A minute later, Bridges tips one in to tie the game.
"We all have each other's backs and we all know what we want to do and I’m just thankful for my teammates and coaches," Brunson said.
After Cade Cunningham, the Pistons' answer to Brunson in this series, missed a layup with 20.1 seconds remaining, head coach Tom Thibodeau called a timeout to draw up a play.
Obviously, the play was for Brunson, but with Ausar Thompson defending him, it was going to be tough to get a good look. Unfazed, Brunson made a move to shake Thompson that left him wide open at the top of the key.
With a good look and the ball in his hands, Brunson took the shot and drilled it.
"Just found a way to create some separation," he said. "Shot it a little earlier than I wanted to, but I mean, Ausar is a great defender and the fact that I got that much space, I had to shoot it right there. Happy the ball went in."
The three-pointer gave Brunson 40 points on the night, the most he scored in this series. It was also the second time he had 40 or more points in a road closeout game during the playoffs after scoring 41 points to eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round last year.
"It’s all about us staying poised and having that composure," Brunson said. "Obviously, we want to have it throughout the game, but it’s most important at the end."
He continued: "I stay poised and I rely on the trust and composure that my teammates give me. I wouldn’t be in that position without this man next to me [Bridges], the way he played tonight.
"Obviously, everyone’s gonna say a lot about the last shot, but throughout the game, the ups and downs of it, we all stayed composed and the way he played it was tremendous. So, gotta give a lot of credit to my teammates. None of this happens without them."
Bridges had 25 on the night in 44 minutes, including the game-tying tip-in.
"Once he got separation, I knew it was curtains," Bridges said. "When he shot it and made it, I felt like I made i.t I was so geeked up. You would’ve thought I hit the game-winner."
Clippers guard James Harden celebrates after shooting a three-pointer in the fourth quarter of a 111-105 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs Thursday at the Intuit Dome. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Tyronn Lue made sure to call every player, a move the Clippers coach said was necessary to check the “temperature” of his team before its biggest game of the season.
Lue refused to text his players in a group message because he wanted to “hear their voices” and encourage them before playing in a win-or-go-home Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets.
His players responded and delivered in a 111-105 win at the Intuit Dome on Thursday night.
“Got a great temperature,” Lue said. “Took a lot of temperatures in the last 36 hours.”
Lue’s two stars are reticent, but James Harden and Kawhi Leonard spoke volumes with their play in forcing a Game 7 in Denver on Saturday night.
Harden had 28 points, eight assists and six rebounds. He played 46 minutes 35 seconds after being criticized for his subpar play in Games 4 and 5.
Harden said he was “tired a little bit" but didn't see the criticism "at all.”
“Tonight the game plan was more for me to be in attack mode and making sure our spacing was right,” Harden said. “And as a result, you know, I’ll be aggressive.”
Leonard had 27 points and 10 rebounds and Norman Powell added 24 points.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic drives to the basket in front of Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard in the second quarter of Game 6. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“He usually does that,” Leonard said about Lue calling players. “It was nothing new. Like during the season, winning steaks or losing streaks, he’s calling us just to see what we feel with the lineup and getting insight of how we should play defensively with matchups or whatever is really working for the player. He’s pretty good at that.”
The Clippers opened a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter on a Bogdan Bogdanovic three-pointer with 5:57 left. But that lead was sliced to 107-101, forcing the Clippers to call a timeout with 2:43 left.
Clippers guard James Harden, right, celebrates with forward Nicolas Batum after making a three-pointer in the fourth quarter of Game 6. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The Clippers didn’t score out of the timeout but got a break when Russell Westbrook missed a fast-break layup, and Powell made a three. The Nuggets weren't done, though, as Aaron Gordon scored and Christian Braun made two free throws with 58.5 seconds left to cut the lead to 110-105.
It remained precarious for the Clippers after Harden turned the ball over, but Nikola Jokic (25 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) had his layup blocked by Ivica Zubac, and the Clippers got the ball back. Leonard made one of two free throws with 18.8 seconds left, and the Clippers' defense did the rest.
“It’s win or go home,” Harden said. “And we still had some mistakes tonight, but I think our energy defensively and even offensively, our aggressiveness was different, which starts with me. So, watch some film, get better, figure out things that I can continue to get better at, do it one more game.”
Lue said he considered making a change to his starting lineup but decided against it. That was until the start of the second half, when Lue started Nicolas Batum in place of Kris Dunn.
The 6-foot-9 Batum gave the Clippers more size and consistent outside shooting. And right on cue Batum struck early, drilling a three-pointer to open the third.
Batum played another of his typical all-around games, finishing with six points, six assists, five rebounds and three blocks.
“He [Lue] just told me after halftime, ‘Nico, you’re starting,’” Batum said. “So, I have to do my job. That’s it.”
The Knicks won Game 6 against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night after finishing the game on an 11-1 run, culminating with Jalen Brunson's game-winning three-pointer at the top of the key.
Brunson's incredible shot gave the point guard 40 points and came after a difficult quarter in which he didn't shoot the ball great. But with the clutch gene since he arrived in New York, Brunson was the hero and sent the Knicks into the second round of the playoffs.
After the win, Knicks fans (and one teammate) took to the internet to react to the game-winning shot.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - MAY 01: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks celebrates after making a three-point basket late during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons in Game Six of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena on May 01, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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Jalen Brunson's New York legend just keeps growing.
Detroit was ahead by 7 and 2:30 away from forcing a Game 7 back in New York, but as has been the case all series, the Knicks executed better down the stretch. They also have the Clutch Player of the Year in Jalen Brunson, who scored a quick five to start the Knicks' comeback. Then, with the game tied and time running out, he made an outstanding defender in Ausar Thompson touch earth, then did this:
The Pistons had one more chance, but Malik Beasley fumbled a pass out of bounds and the game was over.
The Knicks won Game 6 116-113, giving them a hard-fought 4-2 series win. The Knicks advance to face the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs, starting Monday in Boston.
The Pistons, after an improbable season that saw Cade Cunningham become a breakout star and the team wildly outperform expectations, head home for the summer with hard lessons learned about what it takes to win in the playoffs.
Brunson taught that lesson, finishing the night with 40 points.
"He's at his best when his best is needed and he's done it all year," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said, via the Associated Press. "That's what makes him special."
New York was not the model of consistency in this game, they led by a dozen early in the fourth quarter, gave it all back and then some, which forced the late comeback. The Knicks also got 25 points from Mikal Bridges and 22 from OG Anunoby.
Cunningham had a big night for Detroit with 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, but he was 0-of-8 from beyond the arc.
In a game that featured swing after swing, the Knicks used an 11-1 run at the end of the game to come back and beat the Detroit Pistons, 116-113, in Game 6 to advance to the second round.
Here are the takeaways...
-It was as perfect of a first quarter as New York could've asked for, outscoring the Pistons, 37-23, while shooting 60 percent from the field, 40 percent from deep and 100 percent from the free-throw line with just one turnover.
-Jalen Brunson, on the heels of an off shooting night in Game 5 where he went 4-for-16, set the tone early and got off to a much better start and went 7-for-9 from the floor with 15 points. He also got involved in the passing game, and with his teammates just as hot, the point guard had four assists in the first 12 minutes.
-A 14-2 run by the Knicks in the middle of the quarter, punctuated by OG Anunoby's three-pointer, put them up 23-10 with 5:48 left in the frame. Anunoby had eight first-quarter points while Mikal Bridges also scored eight.
-Detroit's defense started out shaky, which allowed New York to hit six consecutive shots, and its offense wasn't up to par either with Cade Cunningham leading the team with nine. Tobias Harris, the only other Piston to make more than one shot in the quarter, had five while the entire team shot 38.1 percent from the field and just 20 percent from three-point range.
-But what a reversal it was in the second quarter.
-Leading the charge for Detroit was Malik Beasley off the bench, who was unconscious from deep. After going 1-for-3 from beyond the arc in the first quarter, Beasley went 5-for-8 in the second, including a contested 27-footer as time expired in the half that brought the Pistons all the way back and gave them a two-point lead.
-That's right, the 14-point lead the Knicks had built in the first was completely erased in the second thanks to poor shooting by New York, which included a stretch that saw the team miss six straight shots, and the Pistons finding their footing after taking a punch earlier in the game to outscore their opponent 38-22.
-After his unbelievable first quarter, Brunson only managed five points in the second and the Knicks got nothing from their bench. Also quiet was Josh Hart, who picked up two quick fouls. He went into the locker room with three fouls, four points, four rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes.
-Speaking of Hart, following the Game 5 loss at home where New York was outscored 28-24 in the third and lost its lead -- as had happened in Game 4 -- Hart spoke about needing to find a way to come out of halftime with more energy and aggressiveness. That's exactly what he and the team did on Thursday.
-Led by Brunson, who scored another 10 points to reach the 30-point mark for the fifth time in the series, the Knicks punched right back and outscored Detroit by 13 points to head to the fourth quarter with a 96-85 lead.
-Bridges and Anunoby gave Brunson some much-needed help offensively while Karl-Anthony Towns was a menace on the glass. Even Hart stepped it up and became a scoring threat while providing his usual contributions elsewhere on the court.
-New York also held the sharpshooting Beasley in check in the third, allowing him to score just two points on two free throws.
-But the Pistons just wouldn't go away. Despite Cunningham missing all eight of his shots from deep, he was still able to come up big when his team needed him. Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson also deserve credit for helping Detroit claw its way back in the final frame in a game that featured wild swings quarter to quarter.
-Still, for as good as the Knicks played in the third quarter, they played just as badly in the fourth and let the game slip away. That is, until an 8-1 run in the final minute tied the game at 113-113. Before that, turnovers killed them and their offense went blank as the Brunson well went dry.
But when it mattered the most, Brunson stepped up and saved the day, hitting a three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left that gave him 40 points on the night and New York the lead that it would not relinquish.
Game MVP: Jalen Brunson
The point guard went for 40, and after a tough shooting night from long range, he won the game with a three-pointer in the final seconds of the game.
The Knicks advanced to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs and will take on the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics. After a few days of rest, they will resume action on Monday night for Game 1 at TD Garden. Tip-off is TBD.
Rumors swirled that Suns' owner Mat Ishbia was going big game hunting for a new general manager, targeting former Warriors lead decision-maker Bob Myers among others. In the end, he stayed in house.
Phoenix has promoted Brian Greggory to general manager (he had been vice president of player programming), the team announced Thursday. Current GM James Jones has been kicked upstairs and given the title of "Senior Advisor."
“Brian has been a valuable member of our front office, playing an integral role in drafting and developing our young players,” Ishbia said in a statement. “I am excited for him to step into the role of general manager. He is a brilliant basketball mind, and he will transform and elevate our team.”
Gregory joined the Suns in 2023 after spending nearly two decades as a head coach in the college ranks, most notably with the University of South Florida. He also was the head coach at Georgia Tech and the University of Dayton (where he won the NIT Championship). His connection to Ishbia stems from his role as an assistant coach under Tom Izzo at Michigan State from 1999 to 2003, when Ishbia was a walk-on with the team. In addition, Oronde Taliaferro has been promoted to assistant general manager (from head of scouting) and Paul Rivers will add basketball operations responsibilities to his role as Chief Innovation Officer.
Gregory steps right into the fire — he is now the face of a massive roster overhaul, retooling the team around Devin Booker.
That has to start with finding an identity, something the Suns have lacked on and off the court in recent years. What kind of team are the Suns going to build around Booker?
Part of that identity is finding a new coach, who will be the team's fourth since Ishbia purchased the team in 2023. The Suns fired Mike Budenholzer after one very disappointing season, one in which he did not connect with the players and Phoenix missed even the play-in tournament.
It is expected that Gregory will work with Kevin Durant and his representatives to find the future Hall of Famer a new home, seeking a trade that benefits everyone. The challenge is the market for to be 37-year-old will not bring back the haul that Phoenix will want. The Suns also will attempt to trade Bradley Beal.
It's a lot on Gregory's plate, and Ishbia will still be hands-on, but the former college head coach is now the face of the Suns' latest rebuild.
A new chapter in the classic rivalry between Boston and New York will be written over the next two weeks when the Celtics and Knicks clash in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
This is the first Celtics-Knicks playoff series since 2013, and it’s the first time they’ve met in the postseason after the first round since 1984, when the Celtics defeated the Knicks in Game 7 of the conference semifinals. Boston is 4-3 all-time in playoff series versus the Knicks.
The Knicks made two blockbuster trades in the offseason to acquire center Karl-Anthony Towns and forward Mikal Bridges. The hope for the Knicks was that those moves would give them a better chance to beat top contenders in the East like the Celtics. But the Knicks went 0-4 against the Celtics in the regular season, and three of those losses were by 13 or more points.
The Knicks had no answers for Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum in those four games. Tatum averaged 33.5 points on 53.5 percent shooting and 47.8 percent from 3-point range. His efficient scoring helped the Celtics put up 125 points per game against the Knicks.
Boston also shot 50 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent on 3-pointers. If the Knicks’ defense doesn’t improve dramatically, this will be a short series.
Will the Celtics continue their dominance over the Knicks and advance to the conference finals for the fourth straight season? Or will the Knicks pull off the upset and get to the conference finals for the first time since 2000?
Here’s a breakdown of Boston and New York’s season stats and NBA rankings from the 2024-25 season.
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Celtics will win the series if…
Kristaps Porzingis continues to dominate his former team.
Porzingis has been inconsistent in the 2025 playoffs so far. He scored 20 points in Game 2 against the Magic and 19 points in Game 4. But he only chipped in five points in Game 1, seven points in Game 3 and nine points in Game 5. He also pulled down less than 10 rebounds in four of five games versus Orlando.
The Celtics need a lot more from Porzingis, especially as a scorer, to beat the Knicks. Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard struggled to make a consistent impact offensively in Round 1. Jrue Holiday missed the last three games of the Magic series. It’s unknown how effective he’ll be coming back from injury.
It can’t just be that Tatum and Brown show on the offensive end of the floor. Someone needs to be a reliable No. 3 option, and Porzingis is best suited for this role.
The good news for the Celtics is the Knicks seem to bring out the best in Porzingis. He loves playing against his former team. The veteran center averaged 24.5 points and two blocks per game, while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent on 3-pointers versus the Knicks in the regular season. Since joining the C’s, Porzingis is averaging 22.4 points versus New York.
Porzingis scored 34 points in an overtime victory against the Knicks at MSG on April 8.
Porzingis’ ability to score from anywhere on the floor and defend the rim against Knicks drives to the paint (especially Jalen Brunson) will play a pivotal role in this series.
Knicks will win the series if…
The Knicks’ role players step up.
Jalen Brunson averaged 26.8 points per game against the Celtics in the regular season. If he’s healthy enough to play, he can score 30-plus any night. You can count on him to provide strong offensive production. The same can’t be said for many of his teammates.
Even if Karl-Anthony Towns plays well in Round 2 — and that’s a serious IF, because he struggled at times versus the C’s this season — the Knicks will still need a few other players to step up.
OG Anunoby averaged 18 points per game in the regular season, but only nine per game against the Celtics. Boston limited him to a 29.6 field goal percentage and a 13.3 3-point percentage. He also struggled defending Jayson Tatum.
The same goes for Mikal Bridges, who scored just 13.8 points per game versus the Celtics and shot 31.8 percent from beyond the arc in those matchups. Bridges is a very good defensive player, but you wouldn’t know it by watching him defend Tatum this season.
Tatum scored 35 points on 13-for-19 shooting when Bridges was the primary defender in their four regular season matchups.
One of the reasons why the Knicks gave up so many draft picks to acquire Bridges last summer was for him to guard the best wing players New York would face in the playoffs, including Tatum and Brown.
It’s impossible for the Knicks to win this series if Bridges and Anunoby don’t contribute at an elite level, especially defensively against the Jays.
Odds
The Celtics are favored to win the series.
Celtics to win series: -800
Knicks to win series: +550
Prediction
Celtics in five.
The Celtics are a bad matchup for the Knicks. They also have homecourt advantage, much more playoff experience, a deeper roster and the best player in the series in Tatum. Boston is a little banged up, so injuries could definitely be a factor, but it’s probably going to take a near-perfect effort from New York to pull off the upset.
Lakers star Luka Doncic gives a fist bump to general manager Rob Pelinka, who earned a contract extension after landing the All-Star guard in a trade with Dallas. Now the club's top basketball executive has a roster to restock, starting with a center, he acknowledged Thursday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
JJ Redick and Rob Pelinka sat in the nearly identical places on the team’s practice court as they did last June when Redick was introduced as the Lakers' head coach. In the time since that decision last June, a lot has changed for the Lakers.
Pelinka earned a contract extension and an elevated front-office title after trading for Luka Doncic. Redick went from coaching unknown to a successful culture builder, even if his boldest strategies in the playoffs didn’t keep the Lakers from being eliminated after just five games for the second straight year.
“Every year we embark training camp, the journey of a season, with the goal of putting another banner up, and any season we don’t do that, we’ve fallen short of our ultimate goal here,” Pelinka said as he began Thursday’s news conference. “That said, this season was full of some exciting things that we really need to lean into for our future. One is the coach sitting next to me. JJ brought just a complete revival of energy and incredibly hard work ethic, attention to detail, a spirit to our team, to our group, to our franchise as a rookie coach that we haven’t seen in a long time.
“Our level of confidence, my level of confidence couldn’t be higher.”
Still, Thursday wasn’t about celebrating any of that — at least not on the surface. The rawest and most prevalent emotions were still tied to the Lakers’ losing 4-1 to Minnesota in a best-of-seven series in which were beaten by “the better team,” Redick said.
“Coming into the building today, sort of an eerie, familiar feeling,” Redick said. “I’ve always felt like a team is a living organism. And that season, you’ve got to feed the organism, and you hope that it’s healthy. Certainly, every organism has some chronic issues, and you try to address those. Then when you come in after the season, it feels like a funeral.
Exit interviews, which were conducted with players Wednesday night and with Redick and Pelinka on Thursday, give a sense of the initial autopsy — with hints and promises of what the future should hold.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Redick's and Pelinka’s comments on Friday:
The roster
Pelinka addressed the elephant in the room — the lack of a giraffe on the court.
“I'll say in general, it's very clear and it was clear then, and we spoke to it that this team and this roster needs more size and needs a center position,” he said. “That's a very clear and obvious byproduct of trading potentially the best big in the league to Dallas to get a point guard. Of course, that's going to open up a huge hole. And as I said before, the trade deadline and the moments up to it don't allow you the requisite time to explore every single unturned stone to add a big to our roster. We just didn't have the time after the Luka trade. But now we do.”
So what kind of center?
“I think in terms of center traits, it would be great to have a center that was a vertical threat, lob threat, and someone that could protect the interior defensively. I think those would be keys,” Pelinka said. “But there's multiple different types of centers that can be very effective in the league. There's also spread centers that can protect the rim. We'll look at those as well. So I wouldn't want to limit the archetype, but we know we need a big man.”
Pelinka also said he believes in the Lakers’ core.
Lakers forward LeBron James talks to a referee as he walks to the bench alongside teammate Luka Doncic during Game 5 of the playoff series against the Timberwolves. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“The level of confidence in Austin Reaves, LeBron James and Luka Doncic is at an all-time high still. So no change in how we feel about those three guys,” Pelinka said. “And in terms of assessing it, we lost the series, so we did not accomplish what we wanted to do, which was win in this series. But in every series, to me, it's like a game of chess. You learn and then when you get to play the game the next time, you're better. But I think those three guys have incredible promise playing together.
“And we will collectively do a better job to make sure they're surrounded with the right pieces to have ultimate success. And we talked at the beginning what ultimate success is here. And we're going to put in the work to allow that group of guys to win a championship.”
LeBron James and his role as the Lakers build the roster
“LeBron is a GOAT, one of the GOATs of the game. And he’s been a completely selfless leader. And I think we saw that in this playoff series, moving to playing more off the ball and committing more to the defensive end,” Pelinka said. “I think it’s just a testament to his championship DNA and character. And I think LeBron’s going to have high expectations for the roster. And we’re going to do everything we can to meet those. But I also know that whatever it is, he’s still going to give his 110% every night, whether that’s scoring, assisting, defending, rebounding, leading. We know that’s always going to be 100%, and that never wavers.”
On what needs to improve
The most direct criticism of the team came from Redick, who said he believed the Lakers needed to be in better condition to compete for a title.
“I think I'll start with the offseason and the work that's required in an offseason to be in championship shape. And we have a ways to go as a roster,” Redick said. “And certainly, there are individuals that were in phenomenal shape. There's certainly other ones that could have been in better shape. That's where my mind goes immediately is we have to get in championship shape.”
The spotlight on decisions as Lakers head coach
Lakers coach JJ Redick slaps hands with guard Luka Doncic as he walks off the court after injuring his back during Game 5 on Wednesday night. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“We all know what the Lakers is," Redick said. "I talked about it when I did my opening press conference, I know what I signed up for and I know there's a lot of blame that gets placed on me and I'm willing to accept that. Believe me, no one's harder on me than me. In terms of our players, I think they handled it well all season. And we certainly had ups, and we certainly had downs, and we were able to weather that as a group. I think it's hard sometimes to admit this and maybe this is hard sometimes for a coach or a player to admit this. We lost to a better team. That's just the reality. We did. And we put ourselves in a position to win Games 3, 4 and 5 and we weren't able to do that in the fourth quarter.
“And that's where I think you really have to evaluate and really try to grow from as a coach and certainly as a group, whatever that group looks like next year. Minnesota is a great basketball team. They really are.”
On coaching Luka Doncic
“I think our first conversation when he flew into L.A. that night, he wants to be coached. He wants to be held accountable,” Redick said. “And I think he's expressed to me and what I've expressed to him is very similar. I want to bring out the best version of Luka. And that's what he wants from me. And so that's the partnership going forward. That's the expectation. And that's the baseline of what we're trying to do. Let's try to bring out the best version of Luka and hopefully win a championship doing that.”
Pistons guard Malik Beasley made a bold claim about his shooting abilities after the New York Knicks eliminated Detroit in Game 6 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series on Thursday night.
“It’s been us against the world, our team,” Beasley told reporters at Little Caesars Arena after his team’s 116-113 loss. (h/t NBACentral). “… Obviously the pain hurts. [Ausar Thompson] was pissed. He is the best defender in the world. He feels like he should have got a stop on that last possession.
“I’m the best shooter in the world. I feel like I should have got it on the last possession.”
"It's been us against the world, our team. Ausar was pissed. He is the best defender in the world. I'm the best shooter in the world"
The Pistons had one more chance late in the fourth quarter to send the elimination game into overtime after Knicks star Jalen Brunson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer over Thompson for a 116-113 lead. But on the next play, a pass from Cade Cunningham to Beasley went through his hands and out of bounds, and Detroit’s season was over.
While Beasley is an accomplished shooter, averaging 16.3 points per game on 43-percent shooting from the field and 41.6 percent from deep this season, Dub Nation certainly would argue that title still belongs to Warriors star Steph Curry.
At 37 years of age, Curry remains one of the game’s most lethal shooters, posting a 44.8 shooting percentage from the field during the 2024-25 NBA season and still finishing third in threes per game (3.8) during his 16th campaign.
Not to mention Curry owns the NBA’s single-season (402) and all-time (4,058) 3-point records, and he doesn’t just kill his opponents from deep, sniping from mid-range, floaters, and everywhere else on the court. He also further etched his name into basketball shooting lore last summer with his “Golden Dagger” in the 2024 Paris Olympics, which sent Team USA home with a gold medal on the world’s biggest stage.
In short, Curry’s list of shooting accomplishments could go on and on.
It’s hard to argue that any one player is the “best” at anything in the NBA, let alone the world, and everything is subjective. But in this case, the consensus tends to lie in Curry’s favor.
The Sacramento Kings announced they have hired Doug Christie as their full-time head coach following an interim stint that ended with a loss in the play-in tournament.
The Kings announced the hiring in the first major decision made since Scott Perry was hired after the season as general manager. Christie will be formally introduced at a news conference.
“I’ve known Doug a long time and have been impressed with his leadership, presence, and ability to connect deeply with his players,” Perry said in a statement. “He embodies the core values we believe in — toughness, discipline, professionalism, a defensive mindset, and a selfless, team-oriented approach on offense. Our goal is to support him fully and help set the stage for his long-term success. We’re excited to move forward with Doug as our leader.”
Christie took over the Kings after Mike Brown was fired in late December and posted a 27-24 record in his interim stint. Sacramento made it into the play-in tournament as the ninth seed but lost its home game to Dallas.
General manager Monte McNair and the team “mutually parted ways” immediately following that game and Perry was hired as his replacement.
Perry said he wanted to come to a quick resolution on the coaching decision, and he did that by keeping Christie in the role. The two will now try to get the Kings back to the postseason after losing in the play-in tournament the past two seasons.
Christie had previously played for the Kings and served as both an assistant coach and announcer.
“I am deeply humbled to be named head coach of the Sacramento Kings,” he said. “This organization and city have been home for over 20 years. I want to thank the Kings organization and Scott for their support during this process. For me, this opportunity is all about service to the team, the organization, and the city of Sacramento. My family and I couldn’t be more excited for this new chapter.”
The Kings have made the playoffs just once in the past 19 seasons, losing in the first round to Golden State in 2023 in Brown’s first season as coach.
Sacramento has the fifth-worst record in the NBA since Vivek Ranadive took over as owner in 2013. The team has had five lead executives and nine head coaches — including interims — in that span.
The Kings hope the new team of Perry and Christie brings needed stability to the franchise. The team has a core in place led by Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk.
The team likely won’t have a first-round draft pick; the Kings have a 3.8% chance of moving into the top four in the lottery. Otherwise the pick will go Atlanta as part of a previous deal made for Kevin Huerter.
This move was expected — and not just when it was reported the sides were close to a deal just days after the Kings' season came to an end. With Doug Christie being a favorite son of Sacramento's ownership and front office, this was expected even before Scott Perry was hired as the new general manager. It was expected from the day he got the job on an interim basis.
Christie is officially the new head coach of the Sacramento Kings, the franchise announced Thursday.
"I am deeply humbled to be named head coach of the Sacramento Kings," Christie said in a statement. "This organization and city have been home for over 20 years. I want to thank the Kings organization and Scott for their support during this process. For me, this opportunity is all about service to the team, the organization, and the city of Sacramento. My family and I couldn't be more excited for this new chapter."
"I've known Doug a long time and have been impressed with his leadership, presence, and ability to connect deeply with his players," Perry said in a statement. "He embodies the core values we believe in — toughness, discipline, professionalism, a defensive mindset, and a selfless, team-oriented approach on offense. Our goal is to support him fully and help set the stage for his long-term success. We're excited to move forward with Doug as our leader."
The Christie hire is a great narrative that will play well with the fan base. Christie was a popular starting two guard in Sacramento in the early 2000s who has been part of the coaching staff through multiple regimes.
Christie was hired as the interim coach mid-season after Mike Brown was fired after a 13-18 start.
Sacramento went 27-24 overall under Christie, 12-15 with a bottom-10 defense after the All-Star break (and after the trade of De'Aaron Fox that brought back Zach LaVine). For the second consecutive year, the Kings advanced to the Play-In Tournament but were eliminated there.
Who is on the roster that Christie will coach next season is the bigger question — Perry needs to provide a clear direction for this franchise. Sacramento has a core of Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and LaVine, but can they win with that group? The Kings had a -3.5 net rating when those three were on the court together last season.
Whatever direction Perry points the team, he is counting on Christie as coach to be a stabilizing influence who can get the most out of this roster and get the Kings back to the playoffs.
As the Warriors, trailing the Houston Rockets 76-49, walked off the floor at halftime during Game 5 on Wednesday at Toyota Center, coach Steve Kerr posed a question to veteran forward Draymond Green.
“You can feel that it’s a game that is highly unlikely to go our way,” Kerr told 95.7 The Game’s “Willard and Dibs” the day after Golden State’s eventual 131-116 loss. “And Draymond and I know each other so well, I didn’t even have to express the question explicitly. All I said to him was, ‘What do you think?’ And he knew exactly what I meant.
“And he said, ‘5 minutes.’ And I said, ‘I think that makes sense, too.’ “
That’s exactly how long Kerr waited in the third quarter before pulling his starting five of Green, Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield off the court, replacing them with reserves Pat Spencer, Gui Santos, Quinten Post, Moses Moody and Kevin Knox II.
By then, the bench still faced a 29-point deficit.
“[Warriors assistant coach] Terry Stotts and I had talked about [pulling the starters] even before halftime started,” Kerr continued. “We debated, do we send them out at all [for the second half], and we agreed it didn’t make sense to pull them out at that point altogether. Let’s give them a chance to make a little push, but we’re not messing around because Game 6 is 48 hours later, and at that point it becomes risk [versus] reward.
“The obvious choice was to get them off the floor.”
Kerr wrestled with the decision to give his starting five a chance to make things interesting against the Rockets, and Green clearly knew that if something special didn’t happen within the first five minutes of the second half, all bets were off. But it actually was the Warriors’ bench that pulled within 11 points of the Rockets at one point in the fourth quarter.
Golden State’s reserve surge forced Houston coach Ime Udoka to put his own starters back in the game with 7:59 remaining, cutting their rest for Game 6 short while the Warriors’ mainstays remained on the bench.
“I thought that was important,” Kerr said of the Warriors’ bench bringing the Rockets’ starting five back into the game. “And to play with that kind of aggression and to force some turnovers and to make them uncomfortable, because the first 30 minutes of that game were entirely too comfortable for Houston. So I loved what our guys did in the fourth quarter.”
Kerr said it was “highly unlikely” that the Warriors’ starters would re-enter the game, because their minds already had turned the page to Game 6 and what they must do to close the first-round NBA playoff series out on Friday at Chase Center.
“My experience has always been, you let the bench ride it out and see if they can get it done.”
LOS ANGELES — When a player is coming off an All-NBA level season where he averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds a game, plus he has a player option to make $52.6 million next season, retirement usually is not a question on the table.
"I don't know. I don't have an answer to that," James said. "Something I'll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and just kind of talk through it and see what happens. Just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play.
"I don't know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So, we'll see."
The expectation in league circles is LeBron will return. He was energized this season, both playing with his son, Bronny, and after the Luka Doncic trade. He is still playing at a high level, and most importantly, this is a Lakers team that is just a few moves away from competing for a title (getting a rim-protecting center is at the top of the list). LeBron has been clear for years that his top priority is another championship for his resume, and this Lakers team should enter next season with legitimate title aspirations.
There is also an expectation that LeBron will opt out of his $52.6 million for next season — the second year of a two-year, $101.4 million contract signed last summer — to sign another two-year extension with the Lakers. He also has a no-trade clause (although it is unlikely to come into play).
"This is a business, too," LeBron added. "So you don't know what the roster will look like next year besides the guys that are locked into contracts. I mean, s***, I got a lot to think about myself. I don't know what the roster will look like. I don't know where I stand right now."
It's a lot for a player of LeBron's age to get his body ready to compete at this level and the point will come where he doesn't want to put in that much work anymore. Right now, LeBron appears willing to put in the work.
There will be roster changes, the Lakers are going to go hunting for a center who can protect the paint on defense and be a vertical floor spacer on offense (think of how Dereck Lively II fit next to Doncic in Dallas). LeBron wasn't going to publicly push for the Lakers to go get a big after being dismantled by Rudy Gobert in Game 5, and in doing so had the line of the night.
"No comment. I'll never say that," LeBron said of Los Angeles needing a center. "Because my guy AD said what he needed and then he was gone the following week, so I got no comment."
LeBron is going to take his time to think about this, but don't be surprised when he is back next season. Although, also don't be surprised if next season, his 23rd, is his farewell tour.
It’s Thursday, May 1, and the New York Knicks (51-31) and Detroit Pistons (44-38) are all set to square off from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Detroit stole Game 5 in New York, 106-103, now the Pistons will have to defend home court in order to extend the series to a Game 7 at MSG.
The Knicks are currently 24-17 on the road with a point differential of 4, while the Pistons have a 5-5 record in their last ten games at home.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Knicks vs. Pistons live today
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM EST
Site: Little Caesars Arena
City: Detroit, MI
Network/Streaming: TNT / TruTV / Max
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Knicks vs. Pistons
The latest odds as of Thursday:
Odds: Knicks (+113), Pistons (-134)
Spread: Pistons -2
Over/Under: 213 points
That gives the Knicks an implied team point total of 106.03, and the Pistons 107.07.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Thursday’s Knicks vs. Pistons game
Rotoworld Best Bet Vaughn Dalzell @Vmoneysports likes the game Under and Brunson’s points prop:
"While I lean New York to win this game, this will be a dogfight. I think the Under will be the best between these two teams with Jalen Brunson showing out. Brunson is coming off his worst game of the playoffs with 16 points on 4-of-16 shooting. That was his only game under 30 points in the playoffs, so I will go Over 28.5 points for Brunson in a closeout game."
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Knicks & Pistons game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the New York Knicks at +2.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 213.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Knicks vs. Pistons on Thursday
The Knicks have won 5 of their last 7 road games, while the Pistons have lost 5 in 6 at home
The Total went over in 52% of the Knicks' regular season games (43-39-0)
The Pistons are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite
The Knicks have won 4 of their last 5 at Eastern Conference teams
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) - Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) - Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) - Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
Lakers guard Luka Doncic leaves the court after a season-ending loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
JJ Redick was about to coach his first game in the NBA, a step into a new life that he was sure he wanted for himself. He was no longer the hotshot Duke star, the aimless former lottery pick, the reliable NBA starter, the trusted vet or famous podcaster.
This was something different.
“You know, I think whatever I envisioned in my previous life, that's gone,” Redick said. “This is who I am now. I'm a coach.”
And as the Lakers coach, he wanted to make one thing more than any other clear. Results would be secondary. Development would be first. A shooter can’t control whether or not an open jumper goes in; they only can control the amount of work they’ve put into giving that shot the best possible chance to go in.
And after his first NBA win, Redick reinforced that idea.
“They’re bought into the fact that this is a process and we’re not going to compete for a championship right now,” Redick said opening night. “We have buy-in from our players, we have buy-in from our coaching staff. That’s all we want right now.”
The Lakers did buy in, even when the season came to a pause due to a historic natural disaster, even when the main characters changed due to a historic superstar swap. They witnessed history when their leader fulfilled a dream to play with his son, they reshaped their culture with one trade and pulled the emergency brake to get out of another. A homegrown star rose; the NBA’s all-time leading scorer moved one step closer to his last basket.
All through it, the big wins, the crushing losses, the high-end drama and the 48 minutes of mundane, the Lakers followed Redick's lead.
But they didn’t compete for a championship — not at this step in their process. Their season ended, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, 15 wins away from the championship they hoped to claim.
And, as soon as the mourning ends, the work erecting the bridge from one win to 16 of them can begin.
For the first time since the Lakers last ended their season as champions, the building process won’t be centered on LeBron James. They’ll have a summer to put the right pieces around a new focal point in Luka Doncic, the 26-year-old future of the franchise.
That search is expected to start in the middle, where the Lakers will look to add a center to pair with one of the NBA’s top passers. The Lakers already tipped their hand on this midseason when they followed up the Doncic deal by agreeing to trade a first-round pick and Dalton Knecht to Charlotte for Mark Williams.
But the Lakers didn’t pass Williams’ physical with the team, people with knowledge of the decision but not authorized to speak publicly pointing to knee and lower leg concerns as the reasons. Some people around the NBA simply wondered if the Lakers got cold feet. Others questioned the fit in the first place.
Regardless, the Lakers are expected to go on the hunt to upgrade the position, and again, will have their 2031 first-round pick and Knecht as the carrots to try and land one. A name like Brooklyn center Nicolas Claxton will certainly be linked to the Lakers.
Dorian Finney-Smith, about to be 32, has become a favorite in the locker room. He has a player option for $15.3 million and could be looking for his last significant long-term deal.
Doncic and the Lakers will likely have extension conversations with him being eligible for one in August. Austin Reaves is also eligible for an extension that could be worth up to $90 million over four years, but Reaves is expected to garner significant interest for much more money when he can become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
And there’s James, who can opt out of the last year of his contract to restructure his deal. And, obviously, at this stage of his career, retirement gets closer with every day, with only James knowing for sure where that road ends.
