SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors seem to get a boost whenever Draymond Green is banished from a game.
Trailing by 12 when Green was ejected late in the second quarter, the Warriors responded by outscoring the Utah Jazz by 21 points over the final 26 minutes and cruising to a 123-114 victory Saturday night at Chase Center.
Golden State (19-17) recorded 32 assists and overcame 15 turnovers that gave the Jazz (12-22) 22 points.
Here are three observations from a game that dropped Utah to 0-11 at Chase Center:
Steph’s insane third quarter
After a nine-point first half during which he shot 2-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-7 from beyond the arc, Curry blasted out of intermission and delivered 11 minutes of spectacular offensive pyrotechnics.
His full arsenal was on display, everything from slashing layups to midrange jumpers to free throws to step-backs and pull-ups from distance – including a 36-footer. Coach Steve Kerr, who typically pulls Curry four or five minutes into the quarter, let him cook until less than a minute remained.
Curry’s third 20-point quarter of the season – and 45th of his career – came on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including 4-of-6 from deep and 4-of-4 from the line.
Moreover, Curry’s outburst powered a 42-point quarter for Golden State, wiping out a seven-point halftime deficit and allowing for a four-point lead (100-96) to open the fourth quarter.
Curry‘s 31 points came on 8-of-18 shooting from the field, including 6-of-12 from beyond the arc. He was 9-of-9 from the line.
Draymond does it again
With 2:25 remaining in the first half, Green received two technical fouls and an automatic ejection after complaining long and loudly to two different officials.
Tech No. 1, whistled by umpire Simone Jelks, came after Green defended Kyle Filipowski in the paint beyond three seconds. When Jelks, stationed along the baseline, didn’t call the violation, Green turned toward her and protested. As he protested, Lauri Markkanen breezed past him for a dunk.
Tech No. 2 came after Green turned his ire toward referee Kevin Cutler, who wasted little time blowing his whistle and banishing Green, who walked directly to the locker room.
Though Green had a point with his protest, he took his protest far beyond what typical officials will allow. This was the third time in the last three home games that he failed to finish, twice due to ejections and once after a heated argument with coach Steve Kerr.
The Warriors won the first two such games, and the third on Saturday.
Melton finds wayward 3-ball
Since concluding rehab from ACL surgery and returning on Dec. 4, Melton has played solid defense, made smart plays and struggled mightily with his 3-point shot. The career 36.4-percent shooter from deep entered the game shooting 16.7 percent (6 of 36).
Melton made his first one with 3:58 left in the first quarter, drained his second 87 seconds later and a third with 2:13 left in the first half.
Melton’s 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field, including 3-of-7 from distance.
Micah Robinson scored 13 points and TCU beat Baylor 69-63 on Saturday in the Big 12 opener for both teams and the Bears debut of 7-foot center James Nnaji, a 2023 NBA draft pick whose signing drew criticism from coaches across college basketball. Xavier Edmonds had 12 points while Liutauras Lelevicius and David Punch added 11 apiece for the Horned Frogs (11-3, 1-0 Big 12), who ended a five-game home losing streak in the series.
Tyler Tanner had 19 points and a career-high 14 assists, AK Okereke scored 17 and No. 11 Vanderbilt improved to 14-0 with an 83-71 victory over South Carolina on Saturday. The Commodores (1-0 Southeastern Conference) are off to their best start since the 2007-08 team opened 16-0.
Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 31 points, including two 3-pointers in overtime, and No. 23 Georgia kept up its high-scoring pace as the Bulldogs held off Auburn 104-100 on Saturday in the Southeastern Conference opener for each team. Auburn's Keyshawn Hall made two of three free-throw attempts with 0.7 seconds remaining in regulation. Kevin Overton rebounded the missed third attempt and sank a buzzer-beating jumper to send the game to overtime at 92-92.
Stefan Vaaks scored 15 of his 16 points in the second half and Jamier Jones had 15 points and 10 rebounds to help lead Providence to a 77-71 victory against St. John’s on Saturday despite Zuby Ejiofor tying a career-high with 33 points.
JT Toppin had 23 points and 14 rebounds for his 39th career double-double, Christian Anderson had 19 points and a career-high 13 assists, and No. 15 Texas Tech beat Oklahoma State 102-80 on Saturday. LeJuan Watts finished just shy of Tech's third double-double of the game at 19 points and nine rebounds. Donovan Atwell had 15 points on five 3-pointers, and Jaylen Petty had 12 points on four 3s.
Sam Lewis matched his career high with 23 points, Thijs De Ridder took over after halftime and No. 21 Virginia beat N.C. State 76-61 on Saturday. Lewis had 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting by halftime for the Cavaliers (12-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who never trailed three days after losing in triple overtime at Virginia Tech. Lewis helped Virginia go up 20 by halftime, then De Ridder took charge after the Wolfpack tried to rally.
After missing five games due to a sprained ankle, Clippers center Ivica Zubac is off the injury report and is expected to return Saturday night when Boston comes to Los Angeles.
Zubac limped off the court during the Clippers' game on Dec. 20 against the Lakers with what turned out to be a Grade 2 sprained ankle. Zubac is averaging 15.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game this season, with his counting stats and efficiency down slightly from last season. A key reason for the dip is that defenses were more focused on him and collapsing down, and the Clippers were not making defenses pay for that choice.
That has changed with Zubac out. The Clippers face the Celtics looking for their seventh straight win, with the previous six wins all by double-digits. The turnaround starts with Kawhi Leonard playing some of his best regular-season ball in years, including dropping 45 on the Jazz in the latest win. The Clippers have also benefited from a lot of 3-point shooting luck during this stretch, shooting 41.2% from beyond the arc on increased volume in their last six games, while their opponents have gone cold, shooting below 25% from deep.
Tyronn Lue has found something in rookie backup center Yanic Konan Niederhäuser, who has played well enough with Zubac out to justify minutes even with the starter's return.
LeBron James claps hands with Jake LaRavia and Luka Doncic after the Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
This is what the Lakers imagined when they nearly broke the NBA with the trade that brought Luka Doncic to L.A.
Doncic and LeBron James scored 30 points apiece during the same game for just the third time as teammates Friday to help the Lakers hold off the Memphis Grizzlies 128-121 at Crypto.com Arena. Doncic led the way with 34 points, using 17-of-20 shooting from the free-throw line to maintain his NBA-leading scoring average, while James had 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting with nine rebounds and six assists.
The Lakers (21-11) needed 41-year-old James to be at his best. They squandered 13- and 15-point leads in the first and second quarters, respectively, but pieced together a timely 12-2 run in the fourth to improve their record in clutch games to 11-0.
“It felt like nearly every time we needed a bucket, he just kind of willed [it],” coach JJ Redick said of James, “whether it was driving the basketball, getting to the paint, getting to two feet, and he was just phenomenal tonight."
Here are three takeaways from the win:
Jake LaRavia stars in his role
Laker Jake LaRavia celebrates making a three-pointer against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday at Crypto.com Arena. (Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images)
James and Doncic led the way, but another player set the strongest tone for the night.
“Obviously it started with Jake,” James said.
Jake LaRavia scored 21 points, hitting three of his six three-point attempts, with nine rebounds, two steals and a block. In the starting lineup for the injured Rui Hachimura (calf), LaRavia delivered the necessary spark of energy on defense while also getting his shot going early to add a scoring punch.
“When I just talk about roles and the amount of hats that I can wear with this team, some nights, this is what happens,” LaRavia said. “Other nights I'm that defender, connector, crasher, like all that kind of stuff. So just continuing to play confidently throughout but also understanding what my role is going to be each game.”
The Lakers coveted the 6-foot-7, 24-year-old forward during the offseason for his versatility on defense and his three-point shooting on offense. He hit his first three-pointer on Friday. Then he nailed another midrange jumper 28 seconds later. He had 11 points in the first quarter and 18 in the first half.
LaRavia knew almost instantly it could finally be his night again.
LaRavia hadn’t scored 20 points in a game since Nov. 2 as his playing time has fluctuated with the Lakers’ ever-changing injury report. He is also shooting a career-low 30.9% from three after shooting 42.3% from long distance last season.
But LaRavia asked his teammates to maintain their confidence in him as he worked with assistant coach Beau Levesque to fine-tune his shot again.
“He says, ‘Control the input and the output is going to show for itself,’” LaRavia said of the coach. “So that's kind of what I'm doing right now. I'm just working on my shot, starting with the basics again, and just kind of going from there. And, you know, hopefully I can find my rhythm again. And tonight was just the start.”
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes yells as he dunks in front of Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. and center Jock Landale during the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena on Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Last year, Jaxson Hayes watched the Lakers’ season end from the bench after he fell out of the playoff rotation in the first round against Minnesota. The 7-foot center started the first four playoff games, but never played more than 10 minutes in each as his role dwindled to not playing at all in the decisive Game 5.
After the benching, Hayes said he had something to prove this season.
He made a loud statement Tuesday, earning the closing minutes over starter Deandre Ayton. Hayes played 11 minutes and nine seconds of the tight fourth quarter and finished with13 points on five-of-six shooting.
Ayton had four points and six rebounds, but the Lakers were outscored by one during his 24 minutes and 49 seconds compared with a plus-eight scoring margin during Hayes' 23 minutes and 11 seconds.
"He was playing better,” Redick said of the decision to play Hayes at the end of the game.
Hayes has 25 points on 10-of-11 shooting in the last two games since returning from an ankle injury. Defensively, Hayes added two steals, two rebounds and a block Friday. Hayes is shooting a career-best 78%, but he does not qualify for the league’s official leaderboard with just 64 makes on 82 attempts.
Doncic praised Hayes for his improvement in the pick-and-roll, noting how the center is finding “the right pocket” while Doncic is handling the ball.
“His ability to control the paint for us has been huge,” said guard Marcus Smart, who flirted with a triple-double with 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. “… Just his ability to go get the ball at the highest point when we throw it and then defensively to alter shots, whether he’s blocking them or just changing shots for us allows our defense to pick it up from our guards even more. To have that urgency that he brings, that’s huge.”
Dalton Knecht to get more playing time
Lakers forward Dalton Knecht extends to shoot the ball while being guarded by Detroit Pistons forward Ronald Holland II on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. (Caroline Brehman / Associated Press)
Diminished defense headlined the Lakers’ December struggles, but the offense was also out of sync during the Lakers’ 5-7 month. They were ranked 18th in offensive rating during December and were shooting 33.9% from three-point range, which ranked 25th in the league.
With several of the team’s top shooters currently injured, Redick is opening the door for second-year forward Dalton Knecht to work back into the rotation. Knecht will get "consistent" playing time over the next few weeks, Redick said, but he won't be solely judged on his shooting percentage while he tries to stick in the lineup.
"Play hard,” Redick said before the game of what Knecht needs to do to stay in the lineup. “That's been the biggest playing emphasis for him all season. He's not going to be judged on whether he makes or misses shots. That helps. When you go through a stretch and you feel like your team isn't playing hard, you got to play the guys that are consistently playing hard.”
Knecht was scoreless in 10 minutes and 47 seconds against the Grizzlies, missing both of his three-point attempts and notching one turnover.
Knecht is shooting 37.3% from three in his short NBA career, but has struggled to stick in the lineup because of defensive lapses. He grabbed Maxi Kleber’s minutes at the end of the Lakers' rotation after not playing in the first half of a game since Dec. 23 against Phoenix, a blowout loss.
The Lakers are digging into their bench while injuries pile up. Austin Reaves remains out at least three more weeks because of a calf strain. Forward Adou Thiero was diagnosed with a right MCL sprain on New Year’s Eve and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Guard Gabe Vincent is closing in on a return from a back injury that’s cost him seven games. The Lakers hope he can be available for at least one of their upcoming road games, Redick said, against New Orleans on Tuesday or in San Antonio on Wednesday.
"I didn't know that he broke another record tonight. He continues to break records," Kings coach Doug Christie said postgame. "Russ is a freak of nature. His competitiveness, his competitive drive, his spirit to continue to play as hard as he does, I think this is year 18 or whatever it is. Always been a fan of his and it's an absolute honor to coach him."
Westbrook finished with 17 points and teammate Keegan Murray had 23 for Sacramento, but it was not near enough on a night Devin Booker had 33 to lead the Suns to a comfortable 129-102 victory.
