Category: Basketball

Why Draymond Green's second-quarter ejection woke up Warriors in win over Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – It’s dubious, perhaps even silly, to conclude that the Warriors are a better team without Draymond Green.

But they surely were Saturday night – because Green’s absence left them no choice.

Trailing by 11 when Green was ejected early in the second quarter, the Warriors shook off their atrocious start, reacquainted themselves with defense in the middle quarters and then hung on for a 119-116 win over the Phoenix Suns before a sellout crowd (18,064) at Chase Center.

The victory was a tonic for the Warriors, snapping their three-game losing streak and alleviating some of the internal frustration, allowing the twitchiest activists within Dub Nation to get at least one night of peaceful sleep.

All because of their response to Green’s ejection with 10:39 left in the first half.

“Sometimes we take advantage of Draymond, what he does for us, and we count on him to clean up everything,” Gary Payton II said. “But once he’s out of there, we know we all got to come together and do it collectively. I think everybody felt that. And when we’re doing that as a unit, we can be pretty damn good.”

Green was assessed his first technical foul for shoving Suns guard Collin Gillespie in transition, and the second came moments later, when Draymond taunted lead official Pat Fraher and received the automatic ejection.

The Warriors were trailing 48-37 when Green was tossed. They had given up 44 points in the first quarter, with the Suns torching the nets, shooting 70.8 percent from the field, including 60 percent from beyond the arc.

“We were giving up straight line drives, straight bullet passes to the weak side, and they’re just teeing off on 3s, or they were just walking from the 3-point line to the basket getting a layup,” Stephen Curry said.

Phoenix forward Dillon Brooks scored 12 points, shooting 5-of-5 from the field in the first quarter, and All-Star guard Devin Booker put in another 11. The Warriors gave up five dunks in the first 12 minutes. Their Golden defense was asleep.

The sight of Draymond stalking off the floor for the rest of the evening got the Warriors’ attention.

“I think it woke us up,” Curry said. “Because we knew without him, we’re going to have to play even tougher, dig deeper down the rotation. I think everybody was kind of on alert and trying to have his back.”

The Warriors turned ferocious, limiting the Suns to 31.8-percent shooting from the field, including 17.6 percent from deep in the second and third quarters. Golden State took a six-point (93-87) lead into the fourth quarter and pushed to 11 before Phoenix staged a comeback, cutting the margin to one in the final seconds before Curry dropped in a reverse layup with 5.7 seconds remaining to secure the win.

“The game settled down for us after the first quarter,” coach Steve Kerr said. “(The Suns) came out lights out, shooting. We made a few mistakes, and then we buckled down defensively. The middle quarters were fantastic defense. They broke free a little bit at the end.”

The result was the Warriors crashing through a barrier that seemed to be getting sturdier each game. After three consecutive clutch-game losses, they found success. They have played 16 clutch games and now are 6-10.

But watching the Suns go on an 11-5 run inside the final two minutes frayed a few nerves inside Chase and did not go unnoticed by Kerr.

“We know we have to execute better down the stretch,” the coach said. “We didn’t execute well, especially defensively. We gave up some open looks, and the 3-point play by (Booker) with about a minute to go . . . we can’t have had the full-court press on and let him move freely and go right to the rim. So, we have a lot to look at and learn from.”

Draymond did a lot of looking on Saturday. And he learned something, too. That his teammates did a splendid job covering for him. They applied defense because he could not, and it won the game.

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Hugo Gonzalez ‘brings the energy' in huge night vs. Raptors originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Hugo Gonzalez is making the most of his increased opportunity with the Boston Celtics.

The 19-year-old rookie followed his 10-point, eight-rebound performance in Friday’s win over Miami with another gem Saturday in Toronto. He was an incredible +37 while notching 10 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals in the Celtics’ 112-96 victory.

Gonzalez played 28 minutes after logging 29 against the Heat. After Saturday’s win, NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin asked the Spaniard how he still had the energy to come up big for Boston.

“It’s what everyone told me, like, you can’t be tired because you’re 19,” Gonzalez said. “So I tried to bring the energy. … It’s easy to me to have great energy when the team is also helping and everyone is engaged on the game, and everyone wants the guy next to them to be successful.”

Gonzalez’s 10 rebounds marked a career high. He also tallied two steals in a performance that showcased his exciting potential.

“I just try to (do) whatever I can for the team, whatever they ask me to do,” Gonzalez added. “Obviously, sometimes it’s going to be good, sometimes it’s going to be worse, but you have to be mentally prepared to make a play, to be useful for the team.”

The youngster’s huge night came at a perfect time for the C’s with star Jaylen Brown (illness) sidelined. Payton Pritchard also stepped up, erupting for a game-high 33 points with 10 assists and seven rebounds.

At only 19 years old and just 22 games into his NBA career, Gonzalez already looks outstanding on the defensive end. His offensive game continues to improve as well, as he’s shot 62.5 percent from the floor so far in December.

Gonzalez will look to continue his hot streak when the Celtics (17-11) host the Indiana Pacers (6-22) Monday night.

Surprising Warriors rotation change paves way for Will Richard's big night  originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — When the Warriors needed a spark on the heels of three consecutive gut-wrenching defeats, Golden State turned to a player who was a healthy scratch in each of those contests — Will Richard.

The 22-year-old rookie proved to be the difference in Golden State’s 119-116 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday at Chase Center, dropping 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting including a perfect 4 of 4 from beyond the 3-point line. Richard was a perfect 6 of 6 to begin the game and didn’t record his lone miss until well into the fourth quarter.

“Unbelievable performance, coming off an extended time not being in the rotation,” Steph Curry said of Richard’s efforts in Saturday’s win. “The way he played, not just his scoring, but just his presence all over the floor.”

However, Richard’s impact on the Warriors’ bounce-back victory wouldn’t have been possible without ending a different streak. Buddy Hield had suited up and played in every possible game since joining Golden State before the 2024-25 NBA season (110 consecutive games) and had an even larger consecutive-game streak that extended well beyond his time in the Bay.

That streak would come to an end Saturday, as Hield was the only Warriors player to be a healthy scratch in their gritty win over the Suns.

“I replaced [Hield] in the rotation with Will,” Kerr said. “I told him beforehand, I feel terrible, he had a streak of 199 games in a row, it was one of the longest streaks in the league and one of the things I love about Buddy is he’s there for you every single night.

“He’s the greatest teammate ever and just an amazing spirit and a key part of our team, and it felt terrible not to play him, but I sat Will the last five or six games and we needed to get him back out there and you can see why. Buddy’s time will come back around, it always does. He has got the right attitude, he’s going to keep working and getting shots up and I know things will work out for him.”

Beyond the spacing and gravitational pull Hield offers as one of the NBA’s most respected 3-point shooters, it’s clear how much his personality impacts the Warriors’ morale as they navigate the marathon that is an 82-game regular season.

While Hield surely was disappointed with the news he would be bumped for the rotation in favor of the rookie, Richard revealed how the veteran sharpshooter admirably handled the change, maintaining his positive energy and demeanor while supporting his young teammate’s return to action at the cost of his own playing time.

“Buddy is the same every day. He’s always going to be the guy bringing energy to the team,” Richard said. “Always supporting me no matter what. He definitely handled it well and he has been doing a great job of being the same guy every day bringing the energy and just being a guy everyone knows they can look to for support.”

Richard hadn’t played a single minute in nearly two weeks, with his last appearance coming on Dec. 7 in the Warriors’ blowout win over the Chicago Bulls, where he finished the game as a plus-36 in 24:11 minutes of action.

So how exactly did Richard remain prepared to come out firing on all cylinders despite a prolonged absence from the court?

“Working out a lot. Afternoon shootaround, I was at every one of those,” Richard said. “I knew my time was going to be called so I had to be ready when my time.”

After hitting a big 3-pointer during Golden State’s second-half comeback, Richard took a moment to face the rabid Chase Center crowd and share a special moment with the raucous fanbase that was in the process of erupting in response to his heroic efforts.

Going from three consecutive DNPs to having a sellout crowd of 18,064 losing their minds over your contributions would be a roller coaster of emotions for even the most seasoned NBA veterans. How does the 22-year-old rookie compartmentalize that? What are you supposed to think as you’re stamping your impact on a game after not even getting the chance to see the court in two weeks?

For Richard, it’s all about keeping it simple and focusing on what matters most.

“Just trying to win,” Richard said. “I don’t really think a lot when I’m out there, I’m just trying to win games.”

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Lakers guard Marcus Smart has been fined $35,000 for making an obscene gesture toward a game official during halftime of the game Thursday against the Utah Jazz, the NBA announced Saturday.

Smart was assessed a technical foul for his action as walked off the court for intermission after exchanging words with an official.

The Lakers pulled out a 143-135 victory in Salt Lake City when the 31-year-old defensive specialist scored nine of his 17 points by making three of four three-point shots in the fourth quarter.

Smart, who is averaging 10.6 points, 2.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 17 games this season, will again be in the starting lineup Saturday night in place of injured Austin Reaves when the Lakers take on the Clippers at Intuit Dome.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Steve Kerr blasts ‘weak' Draymond Green ejection, compares it to Dillon Brooks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Steve Kerr started slowly, then worked himself into a mini-lather when discussing Draymond Green’s ejection during the Warriors’ 119-116 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday at Chase Center.

Green’s first ejection of the season came about 48 hours after Suns guard Dillon Brooks jumped high to defend a shot by Stephen Curry, then deliberately and flagrantly hit the two-time NBA MVP in the stomach.

For anyone who has ever seen Brooks in the NBA, it wasn’t a complete surprise — but other than the Flagrant 1 foul he was assessed, he wasn’t ejected and no further penalties or discipline from the NBA came.

Fast forward to Saturday, when Green and Suns guard Collin Gillespie got into a lightly heated exchange after Green blocked one of Gillespie’s shots. The two men kept jawing at one another, with Green earning his second technical for arguing over the first. 

Kerr also picked up a technical for arguing the situation.

“I thought it was weak. I mean, [Green] was yelling at the refs, so he definitely deserved one. But then, he’s walking to the bench and he yells something, and the second technical … We just saw a guy on their team literally punch Steph in the stomach the other night, and premeditated punches him in the stomach,” Kerr said, referring to the Warriors’ loss in Phoenix on Thursday. “No ejection for that. Two nights later, refs got upset with some words from Draymond.

“I just I totally disagree, and that’s why I got my tech because I was furious that they booted him out just like that so easily. This is a guy [Brooks] who broke [Gary Payton II’s] elbow in the playoffs, clothes-lining him with one of the dirtiest plays I’ve ever seen. So it’s not like there’s not a track record there. I don’t know what the point of replay is if you’re not going to kick a guy out for literally punching somebody. It’s bizarre to me that he was not ejected from that game and then suspended or fined. Nothing, nothing.

“So apparently you are now allowed, this is my team, you’re now allowed to premeditate a punch of a shooter who’s left defenseless … you can now take a swing at him. Maybe we’ll do that. Probably not.”

That was just one chapter in the Brooks saga Saturday.

Early in the game, the Warriors seemed bent on matching Brooks’ energy and did a lot to show that he wasn’t going to get under their skin as he has with them and so many other teams during his NBA career.

Jimmy Butler grabbed a loose ball and shoved it in Brooks’ chest. When a nearby official refused to call anything, Brooks waved his arms and clearly was upset.

Throughout the night, the Warriors seemed to be playing with a more physical edge to them, especially against Brooks, than they normally do. During the second half, Trayce Jackson-Davis picked up an offensive foul after leveling Brooks with a devastating screen.

Brooks definitely got his, scoring 22 points in 32 minutes. He shot 8 of 11 from the floor and proved to be a good Robin to Devin Booker’s Batman.

Where the Warriors stood out, however, was limiting Brooks’ impact to the stat sheet and not their minds.

“He’s a very intense player,” Jackson-Davis told NBC Sports Bay Area. “Obviously he’s having a really good year this year, but at the same time you can’t be a bully in this league. We came out and we handled business.

“Things got chippy. We got chippy right back. We showed them that we’re not soft and we’re not going for any of the things that he does. It’s not easy to get under my skin in general. That’s just the type of player I am. I remember he cheap-shot me, hit me, and I’m just laughing. Like, ‘You’re going to be an idiot and do dumb stuff, that’s on you.’ At the same time, we’re just gonna go out there, play basketball, play hard.”

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