Category: Basketball

Warriors' ‘Strength in Numbers' absent as Buddy Hield, bench struggle vs. Magic originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Don’t blame the three veterans in the starting lineup. Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green each played imperfect games Tuesday night, but they surely did enough to give the Warriors a reasonable chance at a victory that would have pushed their win streak to four games.

Several factors contributed to Golden State’s 121-113 loss to the Orlando Magic, but the most disappointing was the bench production. Or lack of it.

Orlando was without star forward Paolo Banchero, who averages 21.7 points per game. Yet he was not missed, as a 21-year-old wing named Anthony Black came off the Magic bench to torch the Warriors with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. He played 33 minutes and posted a team-best plus-18.

Orlando’s bench piled up 35 points, while Golden State’s reserves totaled 22 points on 8-of-23 shooting, including 2 of 10 from deep.

Folks, a minus-13 bench output is not a winning formula – particularly for a team that starts three men in their mid-30s.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, however, remains optimistic.

“We have good team,” he told reporters at Kia Center. “We’ve got a lot of depth, we’ve got a great approach, our players are connected, chemistry is good.”

The Warriors qualify as a “good” team. Their approach is mostly solid. The players generally seem to be pulling in the same direction.

The depth? It’s a tour of highs and lows. And it hit another low against the Magic.

Al Horford led the bench crew with nine points and six rebounds and two steals, but he finished minus-11 over 27 minutes. Brandin Podziemski contributed five points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field, finishing minus-7 over 27 minutes. Gary Payton II, who scored four points, somehow finished minus-15 in 10 minutes. Quinten Post scored two points and finished with an even plus-minus.

And then there is Buddy Hield, the team’s most explosive bench player. The guy who over the last five seasons has drained more 3-pointers than anybody besides Curry. The guy who scored 33 points, dropping nine triples, to lift the Warriors to a Game 7 win over the Houston Rockets in a first-round NBA playoff series last season.
Hield came off the bench Tuesday, contributing two points and finishing minus-5 over 15 low-impact minutes.

The 32-year-old guard did not find his rhythm during the first four weeks of the 2025-26 NBA season. Since scoring 17 points – and banging five 3-pointers – on opening night, he is shooting 40.8 percent from the field and only 28.3 percent beyond the arc. He has scored in double figures only three times.

This Buddy isn’t helping the Warriors, and he’s trying the patience of his teammates. There is a reason why Butler, peeved committing a first-quarter turnover on a pass to Hield, barked at his teammate and friend.

“I’m never passing you the ball again,” Butler said.

No doubt, Butler will pass to Hield again. He’ll be a lot more comfortable doing so if he knows Buddy’s head is in the game and he’s playing at the level everyone knows he can reach.

Again, inefficiency and low production of the bench was the most disappointing factor. Turnovers, once again, damaged the Warriors. They were outrebounded (43-36) and punished in the paint (Orlando posted a 64-46 edge), as will happen to the smallest team in the league. Players not named Curry shot 6-of-21 from distance.

But to be destroyed by Black is a demerit for Warriors, and most of it lands on their bench.

“Anthony is a really good young player,” Kerr said. “He’s aggressive. I thought his defense was good and he attacked the rim and got some buckets.”

No lies detected, but the Warriors are in trouble if Black is outscoring their entire collection of reserves.

Black was leading an Orlando bench that entered the game ranked 28th in scoring, averaging 30.1 points per game. Golden State’s reserves, by contrast, were ranked 10th, averaging 37.1 points per game.

Insofar as this was Game 5 of a six-game road trip, the trio of heavy-minute veterans – who combined to commit 11 of Golden State’s 18 turnovers, clearly hurting the cause – really needed a boost from the bench. Not a lot, with Curry scoring 34 points, Butler dropping 33 and Green totaling 12 points, six rebounds, six assists and two blocks.

For the Warriors to become the feared offense they aim to be, there will have to be nights when they prevail with neither Curry nor Butler wearing a cape. As prolific as the Curry-Butler combo was, it was not enough.

Golden State’s bench, which has had some terrific games, must find ways to generate offense with more consistency. Even if it requires the support of the entire team to nudge Hield closer to his career shooting metrics.

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Lakers' LeBron James making season debut on Tuesday vs. Jazz originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

After weeks of whispered optimism and cautious updates, the moment has finally arrived. LeBron James will make his long-awaited season debut tonight at Crypto.com Arena when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Utah Jazz, according to sources.

The 39-year-old superstar, who missed the team’s first 14 games with a right-side sciatica injury, has been cleared to return following a steady rehab process that tested both patience and belief. And with his first steps onto the hardwood tonight, James will cross a threshold no player in NBA history has ever touched — a 23rd NBA season, a landmark that bends the timeline of what longevity in sports was ever thought to be.

Thanks in large part to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, the Lakers have raced out to a 10-4 start, good for fourth place in the Western Conference. But James has always been the franchise’s gravity, the emotional and tactical engine that changes the shape of games just by existing on the floor. His presence stabilizes everything — pace, spacing, confidence — in ways analytics struggle to fully measure.

Tonight’s matchup against the Jazz suddenly becomes more than a mid-November meeting. It becomes a night where history and urgency share the same stage. Fans will see a player who refuses to age quietly, a man carrying the weight of two decades and still choosing to chase the game with the same fire he once brought as a teenage prodigy from Akron.

James said on Monday that he feels like “the new kid at school,” as far as re-entering the lineup on a team that added a few new faces in the offseason. Both James and head coach J.J. Redick said it could take some time for James to acclimate with new teammates DeAndre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia among others. 

James agreed, but it more concerned with his conditioning after he said his lungs “feel like a newborn baby” following a full practice with the Lakers on Monday morning at the team’s UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo. 

Tipoff is set for 7:30PM PT tonight in downtown L.A., where the arena lights will feel just a touch brighter. The Lakers get their leader back. The league gets another chapter in a story still refusing to end. And basketball, once again, leans in to watch the King walk out of the tunnel and into history.

What we learned as Warriors' bench falters in streak-snapping loss vs. Magic originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

For the first night of a back-to-back to close out a six-game road trip, the Warriors traveled their full squad to Orlando.

But the Warriors were outplayed and couldn’t get past the young and rising Orlando Magic in a 121-113 loss Tuesday at the Kia Center. The loss snapped the Warriors’ three-game win streak, falling to 9-7 on the 2025-26 NBA season and 4-7 on the road. 

Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler did all they could. The two combined for 67 points on 56.4-percent shooting from the field (22 of 39), with Curry scoring a game-high 34 points and Butler right behind him at 33. Draymond Green (12 points) was the lone other Warrior to reach double figures. 

That’s half as many as the six Magic players to get to double figures. All of their starters scored 13 or more points, and Anthony Black gave them 21 off the bench. The Warriors as a team scored 22 bench points.

Whenever they wanted, the Magic easily scored at the rim. The Magic scored 64 points in the paint to wipe off their ugly 7-of-31 shooting behind the 3-point line (22.6 percent).

The Warriors now are 1-7 when losing the turnover battle, and 8-0 when winning it this season.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ loss in Orlando.

Steph’s Love For Orlando

Wearing Reebok Shaqnosis into the arena and a pair of Nike Air Penny 2 Le Sprite during pregame warmups, Curry paid homage to two Orlando legends. Curry then reminded the Magic how much he enjoys shooting the ball inside their gym once the game began. 

It almost has been 10 years since Curry scored 51 points and made 10 3-pointers against the Magic in Orlando while setting a new record of 128 straight games with at least one made three. This past season, in his one trip to Orlando, Curry dropped 56 points and made 12 threes. So yes, Steph enjoys shooting down the street from the Magic Kingdom. 

Curry in the first quarter scored nine points and made two threes, even coming back in for the final few seconds to splash a triple nearly from halfcourt. Jalen Suggs is one of the better defenders in the game. But Curry was toying with him at times, maybe making fun of him along the way, too. He already was up to 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting at halftime, going 5 of 7 from deep. 

Though it wasn’t another 22 points, Curry did score 12 in the second half. Curry came into Tuesday with a 49.8 3-point percentage for his career in Orlando, his best of any road arena, and then shot 46.7 percent (7 of 15) in his one game there this season.

Too Easy

Unless it was right around the rim, the Magic went ice-cold in the second quarter. They took just 16 shots and only made six. They took seven threes, and missed six of them. So, how did the Magic still outscore the Warriors by three points in the second quarter? 

Free throws.

The Warriors were whistled for nine fouls in the quarter, four more than the Magic, and they paid the price. The Magic were a perfect 18 of 18 on free throws in a quarter where they led by as much as 15 points. For context, the Warriors entering Tuesday were allowing 22.1 free throws per game, the second-fewest in the league. 

Free throws, fastbreaks and getting downhill. The Magic never were going to be a threat from downtown. Yet the rest of the court was too easy for them to score from. The Warriors were outscored by five points at the free-throw line, 14 from fastbreak points and 18 in the paint.

Needing Better Buddy

“Put your hands up!” Butler yelled at Buddy Hield as he walked to the free-throw line.

Butler then said to Hield’s response, “I’m never passing you the ball again.” 

“Don’t be like that,” Hield said back.

The two are teammates and great friends. Social media can see it as another funny moment between Butler and Hield. The truth is, the Warriors need more out of Hield. 

And Butler was right. He was hit with a turnover when Hield ran through the paint, yet didn’t expect a pass from Butler that became an errant giveaway. Those are the mental lapses that can crush the Warriors, and they’re only heightened when Hield isn’t playing his best.

Hield played eight-plus minutes in the first half and was scoreless as a minus-10. Seconds into his first stint of the third quarter, Hield caught himself in mid-air and passed the ball to Magic guard Anthony Black for a horrible turnover. He finished as a minus-5 with two points in 15 minutes. 

In the season opener, Hield scored 17 points and made five 3-pointers. He hasn’t reached that point totals since, and has made multiple threes in just four other games.

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Warriors' Steve Kerr ‘very concerned' by trend of lower-body injuries around NBA originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steve Kerr entered the season knowing the Warriors would require considerable handling to have any chance of maintaining the health of a roster with such a vulnerable core.

So far, mostly good for Golden State.

But Kerr also is hoping that the Warriors don’t become susceptible to a disturbing trend around the NBA involving injuries. Rarely does a day go by without a player sustaining a lower-body injury that sidelines him for at least a week. Of the 53 players declared “out” on the injury report Tuesday, 42 fall into one of seven categories: Hip, groin, hamstring, calf, knee, ankle or foot.

“I’m very concerned,” Kerr told reporters before the Warriors vs. Magic game in Orlando. “The pace difference is dramatic. This team tonight (the Magic) has really upped their pace compared to last year. Across the league, everybody understands now that it’s just easier to score if you can beat the opponent down the floor and get out and transition.

“But when everybody’s doing that, the games are much faster-paced. And then everyone has to cover out to 25 feet because everybody can shoot 3s.”

Kerr isn’t the only coach to lay the blame for so many injuries, particularly to hamstrings and calves, on overuse. The Warriors opened the season with 17 games over the first 29 days, including a league-high five back-to-back sets – including two on the current road trip.

Moreover, medical and training staffs, including Golden State’s group led by Dr. Rick Celebrini, are acutely aware of the impact of scheduling and pace.

“We have all the data,” Kerr said. “Players are running faster and further than ever before, so we’re trying to do the best we can to protect them. But we basically have a game every other night and it’s not an easy thing to do.”

“Medical and training staffs believe that the wear and tear, the speed, the pace and the mileage … it’s all factoring into these injuries.”

Among those listed out on the Tuesday injury report were Orlando’s Paolo Banchero (groin), Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas (hamstring), Memphis’ Ja Morant (calf), San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama (calf) and Portland’s Jrue Holiday (calf).

And that doesn’t include four stars caught up in the spate of ruptured Achilles’ tendons sustained last year: Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and New Orleans’ Dejounte Murray.

Kerr has long been a proponent of reducing the regular-season schedule from 82 to the 72-75 range. The problem with that is the loss of revenue. Neither the players nor the ownership groups have thus far been in favor of that.

“I bring it up a lot,” Kerr said of league meetings. “I just think it’s if we’re actually focused on the product, it would be great.”

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Jimmy Butler threatens Buddy Hield after turnover in Warriors' game vs. Magic originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jimmy Butler was not happy with Buddy Hield toward the end of the first quarter of Tuesday’s game.

During an inbounds play with less than one minute remaining in the opening frame, Butler’s pass intended for Hield was intercepted by Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane. After the apparent miscommunication between the two teammates, Butler shared a not-so-subtle threat to the Warriors guard.

“Put your hands up,” Butler shouted. “I’m never passing you the ball again.”

Yikes.

It appears Hield is on a short leash with Butler.

Of course, the two have a great relationship off the court that has been adored by Dub Nation since Butler was traded to the Warriors in February.

But Butler is a fierce competitor, and perhaps his warning was an attempt to motivate Hield to better lock in as the Warriors seek their fourth consecutive win amid their current six-game road trip.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr has been adamant and overly vocal about limiting turnovers after his team has made some careless mistakes throughout the early part of the 2025-26 NBA season.

Hopefully for the Warriors, Hield is receptive to the constructive — and outspoken — criticism from his teammate.

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Steph Curry passes Vince Carter for 22nd place on NBA's all-time scoring list originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Human Torch has vanquished Half-Man/Half-Amazing.

With his 14th point in Tuesday’s Warriors game against the Orlando Magic, Steph Curry passed Hall of Famer Vince Carter for No. 22 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Curry entered the day with 25,715 career points and trailed Carter by 13 points.

The Warriors star continues to climb up the all-time scoring list, and if he stays healthy this season, he could pass another eight Naismith Memorial Hall of Famers.

Next up for Curry is former Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets great Kevin Garnett, who finished with 26,071 points in 21 NBA seasons.

At his current average of 29.1 points per game, Curry could catch Garnett by mid-December.

Curry has a legitimate chance to finish his career in the top 10 on the all-time scoring list, which would cement his status as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

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