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What we learned as Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler burn Suns in Warriors' clutch win

What we learned as Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler burn Suns in Warriors' clutch win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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SAN FRANCISCO – Jimmy Butler made a clutch three-point play with 54.6 seconds remaining, and the Warriors bounced back from their heartbreaking loss in Phoenix two days ago and beat the Suns 119-116 on Saturday at Chase Center.

Butler scored 25 points, while Stephen Curry went deep into his bag of tricks with 28 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Will Richard added 20 points and Brandin Podziemski scored 11 for the Warriors, who ended their three-game losing streak with their third win in their previous eight games.

Butler’s basket had the Chase Center crowd rocking but the Warriors still had to sweat out the final minute. Collin Gillespie’s desperation heave from just behind the arc pulled the Suns within 117-116 with 9.8 seconds left.

After Curry scored on a reverse layup with 5.7 seconds remaining, the Suns had one final chance but couldn’t get a clean look off.

It was a much more enjoyable end to the evening for Dub Nation, 48 hours after the Warriors fell one point short, losing 99-98 in Phoenix on a late, controversial foul call.

This time around, the Warriors (14-15) made sure the game wasn’t decided in the final minutes nor did it come down to a foul call.

It wasn’t a complete beauty of a game but it was just enough to bring the positive vibes back to Chase Center.

This one had a little of everything. Curry making his patented step-back 3-pointer, Draymond Green earning two technical fouls and an ejection, and Phoenix’s Dillon Brooks continuing to prove himself to be the biggest antagonist in the NBA.

The two teams came out firing and combined for 76 points in the first quarter. The Warriors had respectable shooting numbers (13-for-23) while the Suns knocked down shots at a clip of nearly 71 percent.

Curry had 12 of his points in the second quarter as Golden State chipped away at the lead and got within 67-64 at the half.

The game flipped in the third quarter when Butler got aggressive and scored 12 points to give the Warriors a 93-87 edge heading into the final 12 minutes.

Here are the takeaways from the Warriors’ skid-busting win:

Richard pushes for more time

For a guy who hadn’t played in nearly two weeks, Richard looked fresh and crisp in his return to the rotation while providing a needed spark off the bench.

Richard made his first six shots, including a clutch putback off DeAnthony Melton’s missed free throw in the final seconds of the first half and a heat-check 3-pointer in the third quarter,

Richards had been a healthy DNP in the Warriors’ previous three games but was active all night and played like a man looking to earn a spot in the rotation against the Suns, snatching five rebounds in 19 minutes.

Richards’ extended minutes came at the expense of Buddy Hield, who was held out and did not play for the first time this season.

Bullying the bully

Brooks certainly won’t be getting any Christmas cards this year from the Warriors, and it’s not just because of the cheap shot he took on Curry a few days ago in Phoenix.

The NBA super-villian was booed heartily by the Chase Center crowd whenever he touched the ball, then early in the first quarter, the Warriors gave Brooks a little taste of his own medicine when Butler grabbed the ball during a timeout and purposely shoved it into Brooks’ chest.

A referee was standing nearby but declined to call an infraction on Butler, and Brooks tried to plead his case to deaf ears while the crowd chuckled.

In the third quarter, Trayce Jackson-Davis set a hard screen that sent Brooks sprawling onto the court as the crowd again cheered, though TJD was called for an offensive foul.

While Golden State won that part of the battle, Brooks gave the Warriors’ defense trouble all night. He went 5-for-5 shooting in the first quarter and finished with 22 points and five rebounds.

Doing without Draymond

The Warriors had to play the final 34 minutes without their best defender when Green was slapped with a pair of technicals and ejected for the first time this season.

Green had blocked a shot by Gillespie, then bumped into Gillespie hard from behind as the two jogged to the other end of the court. The two men exchanged words and Green was hit with the first T.

Surprised by the call, Green continued to argue with an official, which ultimately got him the second tech and ejection. His final stat line of four points and three assists didn’t factor much into the final outcome but he’s the Warriors’ enforcer whose energy in many ways provides the heartbeat for this club.

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No. 9 Michigan State beats Oakland 79-70 as Tom Izzo and Greg Kampe don custom holiday sweaters

Coen Carr scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half to help No. 9 Michigan State hold off Oakland for a 79-80 win on Saturday. The Spartans (11-1) have won three straight since losing their only game this season, a six-point setback to No. 3 Duke. The Golden Grizzlies (6-7) led for much of the first half and were ahead by as much as seven points before trailing the entire second half.

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Mavericks not rushing new GM hire, reportedly will keep interim co-GMs through deadline

The Dallas Mavericks need to nail the hiring of their next general manager. Firing Nico Harrison was a fait accompli the moment he traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers, and while that played well with Dallas fans, the next GM hire needs to be someone who wins back their trust. More importantly, they have a franchise cornerstone in Cooper Flagg and can't blow that opportunity.

Which is why the Mavericks are taking their time and will not have a new full-time general manager in place before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, reports Christian Clark of The Athletic, adding that it will likely be "several" months before a hire is made.

That means Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi will continue as the Mavs' co-interim GMs and make any big moves at the deadline. The Mavericks reportedly are listening to trade offers for Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson and center Daniel Gafford (the most likely of the group to be traded before the deadline), as well as others.

Both Finley and Riccardi are in the mix for the job full-time, but Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont is looking for someone with experience as the lead executive of a team, reports Clark. That group likely includes former Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey (now with the Pistons), someone backed by former owner Mark Cuban, but Dallas has cast a much wider net than that, seeking the right fit. Whoever is hired needs time before the June draft and the offseason to establish themselves and prepare for a big sumer for the team.

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Draymond Green ejected for shoving Suns' Collin Gillespie after blocking shot

Draymond Green ejected for shoving Suns' Collin Gillespie after blocking shot originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The last thing the struggling Warriors need is Draymond Green to have a short fuse.

But that’s what they got against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night at Chase Center.

Green was ejected early in the second quarter after he shoved Suns guard Collin Gillespie during a sequence in which the Warriors forward recorded a blocked shot that led to a Steph Curry 3-pointer.

After Green blocked Gillespie’s shot, he had some words for the young Suns guard and eventually pushed him as they ran down the court.

The referees quickly assessed a technical foul to Green, and when he mimicked giving the ref a technical foul, the 35-year-old was hit with a second tech, earning himself an early shower.

Green had to be restrained by several members of the Warriors’ security team before he finally went to the locker room.

The ejection is Green’s first of the 2025-26 NBA season.

Green finished the game with four points, three rebounds, one assist and one block in eight minutes.

The Warriors will have to try to snap their three-game losing streak without their defensive leader, which is no easy task.

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Kings' Domantas Sabonis to miss another 4-5 weeks with left knee meniscus issue

Domantas Sabonis has missed the last 13 Kings games due to a partially torn meniscus in his left knee, and he's going to miss a lot more games before his return.

Sabonis "continues to progress through the current phase of his rehabilitation for a partial meniscus tear in his left knee. He will be re-evaluated in approximately 4-5 weeks," the Kings announced.

The Kings announced just over a month ago that an MRI revealed the partial tear and he would be re-evaluated in 3-4 weeks. This latest evaluation finding that he needs to miss at least another month is concerning.

Sabonis has drawn more interest around the league in a potential trade than the Kings' other big names (Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan), but this news makes a deal much more unlikely. Sabonis is going to have to return to the court and prove he is healthy before any deal is finalized. He will be re-evaluated in late January, and the trade deadline is Feb. 5.

Sabonis, a three-time All-NBA center, has played 11 games this season (he's been out since Nov. 16). When on the court, he averaged 17.2 points and 12.3 rebounds a game (which was leading the league). He is a high-level offensive center but a liability on the other end of the court.

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Edgecombe lives up to ‘the lights' again, makes show-stopping Garden debut

Edgecombe lives up to ‘the lights' again, makes show-stopping Garden debut  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Nothing about VJ Edgecombe’s performance Friday night suggested he was awestruck or overwhelmed by playing at Madison Square Garden for the first time. 

If anything, perhaps Edgecombe thought his debut was a bit overdue. 

“It’s crazy,” he said the day prior when asked whether he’d ever played at the arena. “No, I haven’t. I was on the No. 1 team in New York and I didn’t get to play at MSG.”

The Long Island Lutheran high school product was everywhere you looked in the final minutes of the Sixers’ 116-107 win over the Knicks. His loud late-game contributions featured a pull-up jumper through contact, a fierce put-back dunk and extremely stingy defense on Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson. 

“It was amazing, man,” Edgecombe said of his first Garden experience. “It was everything I expected it to be. The fans … it was great, man. It was a good first game at the Garden for sure.”

After starting 2 for 8 from the field, Edgecombe made 8 of his last 10 shots and tallied 23 points. The 20-year-old now has six 20-point outings in the NBA, including three in a row. He’s up to 39.3 percent from three-point range and is averaging 15.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals.

Edgecombe was happy to have Tyrese Maxey on the floor with him again after his star teammate missed the last two games with an illness. 

Maxey’s past the point of being surprised by anything Edgecombe does in crunch time. 

“That’s just who he is,” Maxey said following a 30-point, nine-assist night. “We realized that Game 1. Yeah, you can do what you’re going to do in the preseason, practice and training camp, but when those lights come on, you just never know. And the lights came on and he came on with it.”

Time and again, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has praised Edgecombe’s anticipation, intelligence and ability to do “a little bit of everything.”

His instincts seem to be sharpening with more NBA reps. Unlike many rookies, Edgecombe hasn’t been inclined to stop and think lately. 

“I just try to play hard,” he said. “That’s the main thing. I want to win. I’m diving on the floor, diving in the crowd. Whatever it takes for me to win, to be honest. I think last. I just go and do it.”

Across the board, the 15-11 Sixers appeared well-rested against a 19-8 Knicks team playing its third game in four days. Even with Joel Embiid sidelined (illness, right knee injury management) and Paul George going 2 for 10 from the field, the Sixers never faced a serious deficit and surged into the lead early in the fourth quarter. 

Plenty of role players gave Maxey and Edgecombe handy support.

Andre Drummond drilled a career-high three long-distance jumpers and posted a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double. Jared McCain scored 12 points off the bench and deservedly closed out the game. Justin Edwards knocked down two timely three-pointers in the second quarter, building on a big game Tuesday for the G League’s Delaware Blue Coats. 

“We were really debating over there,” Nurse said, “and that was one of the things I said: ‘I’m putting him in, man. He just scored 37 points the other night. He’s got to be feeling good. Let’s get him in there.’”

Ultimately, the youngest player on the court had a show-stopping Garden debut. 

He’s hungry for a lot for more of these nights, too. 

“I know I have a lot of work to do,” Edgecombe said. “I want to be the best player ever, so I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

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Kings star center Domantas Sabonis out another 4 to 5 weeks with knee injury

Kings star center Domantas Sabonis out another 4 to 5 weeks with knee injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Kings will be without their star center for even longer.

Domantas Sabonis, who has been out since Nov. 19 with a partial meniscus tear in his left knee, will be sidelined for another 4 to 5 weeks, the team announced Friday.

In the 13 games Sabonis already has missed with the injury, Sacramento has a 3-10 record.

The Kings are 6-21 on the season.

Sabonis, in limited action this season, is averaging 17.2 points on 51-percent shooting, with 12.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists through 11 games.

Kings rookie Maxime Raynaud has seen increased minutes on the floor with Sabonis sidelined, averaging 12 points on 54.8 percent shooting, with 5.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists in 22.8 minutes over the past 13 games.

Raynaud, the Kings’ 2025 second-round draft pick, has started the past five games, averaging 15.4 points on 53.4 percent shooting, with 8.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists in 29.6 minutes in that span.

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