Warriors coach Steve Kerr had a more positive update on Jonathan Kuminga on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old forward, who will miss his seventh consecutive game on Wednesday due to bilateral knee tendinitis, got back on the court and is making progress.
“He did 3-on-3 before practice and that went well,” Kerr told reporters after practice on Tuesday. “And then he took part in all of practice. Tomorrow, he will scrimmage. He won’t play in the game tomorrow but he will take part in a 5-on-5 scrimmage tomorrow evening before our game. And that will give us a good gauge for where he is.”
For the Warriors, a 5-on-5 scrimmage typically is the last hurdle before a player is cleared to return to game action.
Kerr said Warriors’ director of sports medicine and performance, Rick Celebrini, will watch Kuminga scrimmage and they will talk afterward to see how he feels.
Kuminga already has had a rollercoaster 2025-26 NBA season. He started the first 12 games of the season and averaged 17.2 points during that span. But his production tailed off in the last four games he played before being sidelined with the knee injury, as he averaged just 6.0 points in those contests.
“He’s got to tell you where he is,” Kerr told reporters when asked about Kuminga’s activity on Sunday (h/t ClutchPoints’ Kenzo Fukuda). “He didn’t do anything. We didn’t do scrimmages, but we did live drill work, and he barely did any of that. So, [he’s] not moving well, so the training staff [is] working with him. I have no idea what he’s doing.”
But after a couple of days and a productive day of practice, it appears Kuminga is on the right track.
“He said he’s feeling better,” Kerr told reporters. “We’ll list him as questionable for tomorrow but he’s definitely trending upward.”
The Warriors could use Green against the 11-4 Rockets, who have one of the biggest lineups in the NBA, even without Kevin Durant, who will miss Wednesday’s game to attend to a family matter.
Rick Barnes didn’t have long to enjoy 17th-ranked Tennessee’s lopsided win against Rutgers. Not with No. 3 Houston awaiting as part of a loaded field at the Players Era.
Don't miss tonight's exciting Coast 2 Coast Tuesday NBA doubleheader on Peacock. The action starts at 8:00 PM ET when the Philadelphia 76ers host the Orlando Magic. Then, at 11:00 PM, the LA Clippers take on the LA Lakers in a West Coast showdown.
Live coverage tonight begins at 7:30 PM. See below for additional information on how to watch tonight's game and follow all of the NBA action on NBC and Peacock. Peacock will feature 100 regular-season games throughout the course of the 2025-2026 season.
The Magic fell 138-129 to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, putting an end to their three-game win streak. Jett Howard scored a season-high 30 points, while Jase Richardson and Desmond Bane each added 18 points. Franz Wagner, who currently leads Orlando in scoring (23 ppg), finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists in the win.
The Magic are still without their star forward, Paolo Banchero, who suffered a left groin strain on November 12. He is second on the team in scoring (21.7 ppg) and leads the Magic in rebounding (8.7 rpg). There is no timetable for Banchero's return.
Philadelphia 76ers:
The 76ers are coming off a 127-117 loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday. Tyrese Maxey led the way for Philadelphia with 27 points, while Trendon Watford added 19 points and 9 rebounds off the bench.
Maxey has scored at least 20 points in all 16 games this season. He is second in the league in scoring with 33 points per game, behind only Luka Doncic (34.5 ppg).
Joel Embiid has missed the last seven straight games due to knee soreness. He is currently listed as questionable for tonight's game.
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones.
Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
Peacock ScoreCard:
Peacock ScoreCard turns the NBA into an interactive experience. Pick from a selection of premade cards based on what you think will happen during the game. Earn leaderboard points and see how you rank against other viewers in real-time. Click here to get started.
How to sign up for Peacock:
Sign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports, sports shows, documentaries, classic matches, and more. You'll also get tons of hit movies and TV shows, Originals, news, 24/7 channels, and current NBC & Bravo hits—Peacock is here for whatever you’re in the mood for.
NBA on NBC 2025-26 Schedule
Click here to see the full list of NBA games that will air on NBC and Peacock this season.
The 6-foot-4 junior guard had a huge week, averaging 31.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists in three games. The Big 12 player of the week started with 31 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Tulsa, becoming the first Wildcats player to post a 30/10 double-double since freshman star Michael Beasley in 2008.
LeBron James has only been back on the court for two games this season, his record 23rd in the NBA, and already the talk is about whether there will be a 24th season for the legend. And if that would be with the Lakers.
The prevailing theory in league circles has been that he would play one more season, kind of a farewell tour, then step away — but LeBron himself remains undecided on playing another season, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The focus of the story is LeBron's record 21-year streak of making an All-NBA team (which is in jeopardy, he can miss only two more games this season and still qualify under the 65-game rule), but it also touches on his future.
At the same time, if James believes this could be his last season -- something that sources close to James have insisted that he remains undecided about -- he might feel even more responsibility to suit up for every game on what would then be a retirement tour.
After missing the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica on his right side, part of LeBron's decision on another season will be physical — how does he feel after this season? Does he believe his body can handle one more? However, nobody in the league takes better care of their body than LeBron. The bigger question is one other legends in sport have discussed, including the Lakers' own Kobe Bryant: At age 41, will he want to put in all the work it will take to physically and mentally play another season? While his love of the game can't be questioned, there comes a point when the greats know it's time to walk away.
Only LeBron can answer if he is there yet, and he very well may not have that answer until this season ends for him and the Lakers, whenever that might be.
If LeBron decides to play another season (or more), he will be a free agent this summer and will have to decide whether that final year is with the Lakers or somewhere else — one more return to Cleveland? New York? Golden State? But before that speculation can get serious, LeBron will have to make a call on that farewell tour, or if this season — with the All-Star Game in Los Angeles (and on NBC and Peacock) — is the time to step away.
It sounds like LeBron hasn't yet decided what he plans to do.
Week 5 is in the books, and a full month of NBA action is now officially in the rearview.
We take a look at which players are rising and which are slipping ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
→ Watch the NBA Coast 2 Coast Tuesday on NBC and Peacock: In Emirates NBA Cup Group Play, the Magic take on the 76ers at 8pm ET, followed by Clippers and the Lakers at 11 pm ET. Both games are available on Peacock. Check your local listings for the NBC game in your area.
A slower start to the season could have been anticipated for Reid, but he’s been significantly more productive over the past couple of weeks. He’s averaging 17.5 points,7.3 rebounds and 2.7 three-pointers since the middle of the month, with a couple of huge performances sprinkled in. He offers a high ceiling almost every time he steps on the floor, given his shooting and scoring versatility at the position. What continues to stop Reid from really taking off is the fact that he plays behind a productive starting frontcourt. Still, he’s a double-double threat each time he takes the floor, with the potential to take a leap should an opportunity present itself for Reid to log more minutes over an extended period. Regardless, he’s a nice depth option at his position in fantasy leagues.
Andre Drummond - C, 76ers
Given Drummond’s track record as a big-time rebounder and play finisher around the rim, and Joel Embiid’s struggles to stay on the floor, it's easy to be sold on Drummond’s potential moving forward. He won’t consistently secure north of 20 rebounds, as he did in the Sixers’ most recent game against the Heat when he totaled 24 boards. However, it’s not far-fetched to imagine that the veteran center will pull in numbers that rival his November averages of 10.6 points and 12.7 rebounds per game — in seven starts this season, those numbers jump to 12.0 points and 14.0 rebounds. Drummond is rostered in fewer than half of Yahoo! leagues currently. He could serve as a reliable roster addition for those fantasy managers looking for rebounding and field-goal percentage.
I’m here for the Ayo Dosunmu takeover. He’s been a good player throughout his career, but he’s been at his best this season from a production standpoint, and it’s been fun to follow. He’s averaging a career-high in points per game despite his production coming in his fewest minutes per game since his sophomore season. Everything is trending in the right direction for Dosunmu at the moment: He’s fresh off a season-high 28 points in the Bulls’ most recent game, has scored at least 20 points in three of the past five games, and has started the last three. Finding a way to consistently contribute in other ways aside from scoring will take his fantasy value to the next level. Still, stock up.
Since his career-best 33-point, 19-rebound performance in Sacramento against the Kings earlier in November, Hartenstein’s numbers haven’t necessarily popped. He’s averaged a modest 11.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game in the eight games that followed, which are fine, but nothing breathtaking. Surely he’s remained an impactful player for the Thunder, as they continue to win games and prove they are the best team in the league. But when examining the recent numbers from the point of view of a fantasy basketball manager, it’s easy to want more production.
Jaren Jackson Jr. - PF, C, Grizzlies
It’s been a strange season in Memphis, and it's made for unspectacular fantasy production for some of their top guys. Ja Morant’s struggles were highlighted in one of our most recent pieces, so now we turn our production to the next decorated player. Jackson Jr.’s scoring has dipped, the defensive stats from a blocks and steals standpoint are no longer special, and rebounding remains a part of his game that hasn’t developed. But what’s been most notable to me is how the former DPOY and player with superstar potential hasn’t been able to elevate his game in the absence of other star players around him. He’s made it to the 20-point mark three times this season, and has yet to reach double figures as a rebounder. From a strictly fantasy standpoint, I’ve been waiting for the numbers to pop — such a thing doesn’t appear imminent.
Joel Embiid - C, 76ers
Embiid has missed the last seven Sixers games, but even when he eventually makes his return, there’s no telling how productive he’ll be, or what his workload will look like. The former league MVP is averaging fewer than 20.0 points per game for the first time in his career and is pulling down a career-low 5.5 rebounds on average. Getting through the regular season in good health for a playoff run likely is the priority for Embiid and the Sixers’ organization alike. And with the group playing solid basketball in his absence, he may have a bit more time to trust the process. However, those fantasy managers who have Embiid on their roster should consider picking up Andre Drummond as an insurance option.
And when Mazzulla was asked about Queta’s status after Tuesday’s practice at the Auerbach Center, he played mysteriously coy.
“I haven’t seen him,” Mazzulla told reporters, before repeating that phrase when asked if Queta had gone through practice. When asked a third time if he had any update on Queta’s outlook, the Celtics head coach responded:
“I haven’t seen him or spoken to him.”
Less than an hour after Mazzulla spoke, however, Queta strolled through the Auerbach Center court.
What seems likely is that Queta didn’t participate in practice, and could have been getting treatment on his ankle while the Celtics were practicing. But it’s still a bit odd that Mazzulla claimed he had no communication with Queta before or during practice.
The C’s will put out an injury report later in the day Tuesday, so we should have more clarity on Queta’s status shortly.
Queta has made an outsized impact on winning for Boston this season, averaging 9.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game as the Celtics’ starting center. The C’s are outscoring opponents by an average of 16.4 points per 100 possessions when Queta is on the floor, which is the best mark on the team.
If Queta can’t play Wednesday against the 15-2 Pistons, Mazzulla could insert backup big man Luka Garza into the starting lineup to contend with Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart and a physical Detroit frontcourt. Mazzulla also could opt for a “small ball” lineup that features Josh Minott as a big, or lean on depth options Xavier Tillman and Chris Boucher.
Tip-off for Celtics-Pistons is set for 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
For the second straight week, Nikola Jokic is the odds leader for MVP, but I'm headed in a different direction. Victor Wembanyama and Alperen Sengun saw the biggest shift in odds, while Tyrese Maxey and Cade Cunningham continue to play at elite levels, keeping their names in the hat.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & team props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder (+190)
Points Per Game: 32.2 (3rd) Assists Per Game: 6.6 (16th) Rebounds Per Game: 4.9 RPG (94th)
In 11 out of 18 games, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played 30 or fewer minutes, including six of the past seven games. Despite the lower minute output, SGA has a 32.7% usage rate, which ranks the fifth-highest. A great examine if how dominant SGA has been, he scored 31 points in 30 minutes on 9-of-14 field goals, three-of-three from deep, and 10-of-12 free-throws. Not many players can be that efficient and it's one of the many reasons why SGA is regarded as the best bucket-getter on the planet — and his team is an NBA-best 17-1.
2. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets (+130)
Points Per Game: 29.6 (6th) Rebounds Per Game: 12.8 (2nd) Assists Per Game: 11.1 (1st)
In November, Nikola Jokic has six triple doubles over 12 games and 11 consecutive performances of 26 or more points until last night! Denver is 13-4 after going 3-2 over the past five games, but still good enough for the second-best record in the West behind the Thunder and third overall (OKC, DET).
Jokic has been the odds on leader for MVP two weeks now, but I still sit him at No. 2. The team success for Oklahoma City (17-1 record) has been more impressive with a target on their backs, but if Jokic finds a way to elevate his game — I may come around to The Joker being No. 1.
3. Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers (+400)
Points Per Game: 34.5 (1st) Assists Per Game: 8.9 (4th) Rebounds Per Game: 8.8 (18th)
Luka Doncic did not see his odds shift a single cent over the past week. It wasn't his scoring though, because Doncic has been on fire. In the past four games, Doncic has scored 24, 41, 37, and 33 points with three double-doubles. Doncic has had a turnover and efficiency problem.
In those four games, Doncic has 20 total turnovers and shot 50% from the floor once in that span. He's attempted 41 triples as well, nailing 13 of them (31.7%). With LeBron James back in the mix, the cohesion of the Lakers offense will look a little different, so Doncic's odds may not change much in the next month, if anything, drop back to +500 or +600.
4. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (+5000)
Points Per Game: 27.1 (14th) Rebounds Per Game: 6.0 (T-55th) Assists Per Game: 9.6 (2nd)
Detroit has now won 13 straight games and owns the best record in the East and second-best in the NBA! Cade Cunningham has been the driving force for the Pistons as he's played in 10 of those 13 games.
Cunningham scored at least 30 points in five of those 10 and double-doubled in eight with one triple double. He's on a tear and with Boston, Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, and Milwaukee in the next five games — Detroit will be tested with some of the best competition in the Eastern Conference outside of Cleveland or New York.
5. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers (+4000)
Points Per Game: 33.0 (2nd) Rebounds Per Game: 4.6 (T-106th) Assists Per Game: 7.8 (6th)
Tyrese Maxey continued his reign of terror on opposing defenses by dropping 54 points on the Bucks in a 123-114 OT win. Maxey put up 30 field goal attempts, making 18 of them (60%), to go along with 12 made free-throws and 6-of-15 from three (40%).
Maxey is a walking bucket and is currently averaging 32.0 points per game in 11 November games. Maxey scored at least 30 points in six of those contests, but the 76ers are 5-6 in that span. Despite Philadelphia's losses stacking up, Maxey's MVP odds continue to shorten.
Stock Up
2. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets (+130)
Points Per Game: 29.6 (6th) Rebounds Per Game: 12.8 (2nd) Assists Per Game: 11.1 (1st)
Nikola Jokic has now held strong as the MVP favorite in terms of odds for two weeks, but I still prefer SGA. However, Jokic ranks top six in points, rebounds, and assists so far on 62/41/85 shooting splits. Jokic has put together 44 and 55-point efforts over the last six games and 11 consecutive performances of 26 or more points.
Stock Down
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs (+10000)
Points Per Game: 26.2 (14th) Rebounds Per Game: 12.9 (2nd) Blocks Per Game: 3.6 (1st)
Alperen Sengun went from +8000 to +20000 over the past week, but that wasn't the biggest drop in stock — that was Victor Wembanyama. Amid his injury news, Wemby went from +750, meaning $10 wins $75, to +10000, $10 wins $1,000!
With concerns of Wembanyama hitting the league minimum of 65 games played to win an award. He's only missed four games so far, but Wembanyama could miss multiple weeks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (+1600)
Points Per Game: 31.2 (4th) Rebounds Per Game: 10.8 (8th) Assists Per Game: 6.8 (14th)
Giannis Antetokounmpo shifted from +900 to +1600 as he missed the past three games after suffering a low-grade left groin strain. He was expected to miss 1-2 weeks and already missed one. Through 13 games, Antetokounmpo is averaging the most points (31.2), assists (6.8), and highest field goal percentage (62.9%) of his career this season. If he misses another week, there won't be many more he can miss in order to win MVP.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & team props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
How to sign up for Peacock:
Sign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports, sports shows, documentaries, classic matches, and more. You’ll also get tons of hit movies and TV shows, Originals, news, 24/7 channels, and current NBC & Bravo hits—Peacock is here for whatever you’re in the mood for.
NBA on NBC 2025-26 Schedule
Click here to see the full list of NBA games that will air on NBC and Peacock this season.
The Sixers made several midday injury status changes Tuesday before their meeting with the Magic.
The team downgraded Joel Embiid (right knee injury management) and Paul George (right ankle sprain) to out. Tyrese Maxey was upgraded from probable with a right shoulder sprain to available.
“I think we’ve just got to continue to grow his time on the floor,” Nurse said Monday. “The minutes restriction thing has to grow. Hopefully, it keeps heading in the right direction. … I think he’s moving good and the opportunity to get him going and get him some shots is going to be important. … I think conditioning and more minutes and all that stuff just takes a bit of time.”
On top of Embiid and George, the Sixers won’t have VJ Edgecombe (left calf tightness), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Adem Bona (right ankle sprain) vs. the Magic.
"I heard everything. I heard the dude in the crowd, first off, say 'Who's number 12?' I saw Anthony Edwards do his little throw both arms up, like, 'I don't know,'" the Lakers' Jake LaRavia said of his viral moment. "And then, if you saw the video, I put my arms up at the free throw line, so just kind of like playing along with it.
"But I just find that kind of stuff funny. It's amusing to me. It is what it is. I just continue to do what I do."
What LaRavia does is just hoop.
The rest of the nation is about to see what No. 12 can do up close when the Lakers take on the Clippers Tuesday night on NBA Coast 2 Coast on NBC and Peacock — in what will be a critical NBA Cup game.
It’s all about that fit
What matters for role players in the NBA, as much as talent or skill, is fit.
LaRavia brings a well-rounded and a bit of an old-school game that is a hand-in-glove fit in Los Angeles, where he has quickly become a critical cog in the Lakers' attack. While
"The way that we play, and me being able to play off-ball and read when cut, and just when to space the floor and be able to get catch and shoot 3s, and reading closeouts and stuff like that, I definitely feel very comfortable," LaRavia said.
Jake LaRavia shot LIGHTS OUT in the @Lakers' win tonight
While he's averaging 10.3 points and 4.3 rebounds a game, what makes him invaluable is his willingness to do the little things. He's been a physical and opportunistic defender. He also has consistently played with pace, getting downcourt and finishing plays in transition — occasionally on highlight reel look-ahead touchdown passes from Doncic or Reaves.
Most impressively, he has shown some secondary playmaking skills we haven't seen much from him before.
LaRavia said he played his same game in Memphis and Sacramento (his first stops around the NBA), but the fit is just more natural in Los Angeles. LaRavia's jack-of-all-trades game can get glossed over by scouts and front offices — "But what is he elite at?" — and when the Lakers signed him this summer to fill the shoes of Dorian Finney-Smith, most pundits saw it as a downgrade.
It hasn't been. Not that all those comments ever fazed LaRavia — it's the only way he knows how to play.
"It's kind of just the way I grew up playing," LaRavia said. "I'm from Indiana, kind of Midwest ball, fundamental basketball, cutting, like playing off two feet, all that kind of stuff. It's kind of just, it came, it comes kind of natural." Coming to the big stage of the Lakers — and playing with Luka Doncic and LeBron James — didn't change his game.
"To be honest, like, my, my whole career has kind of been that," LaRavia said. "Just like, even in college, I wasn't the number one scoring option, but I, but I was the guy that kind of was able to complement that number one scoring option [Note: G-League star Alondes Williams led Wake Forest in scoring LaRavia's final year].
"And it's kind of the same thing here. I play, I play so well off of AR, Luka, and Bron to where, if they're not open, I can still be that kind of secondary shot creator. I'm still able to create my own shot, still able to catch and shoot three, still able to drive and attack the paint and get to the rim."
Playing with Doncic, LeBron
LaRavia said the biggest adjustment coming to the Lakers was playing with Doncic, and now LeBron.
"Just playing off-ball so much, the amount of attention that they draw offensively — with their passing ability — just makes the game so much easier," LaRavia said. "My defender is pulled in or guarding him and I can get cuts to the basket, and they can find me. It's like, even when I don't think I'm open, they see it before I'm even there." Like on this play from LeBron's first game back
"It was right out of a timeout, and he literally came up to me," LaRavia said of LeBron. "He told me, he said, 'Just cut behind him.' He said, 'Cut behind him and I'll find you.' So when he got the ball on the post, my guy was just not even looking at me, so I just cut behind him." LaRavia was not even two years old when LeBron made his NBA debut, and getting to play with someone he idolized growing up was special.
"It was dope to finally get on the court with him," LaRavia said. "He brings something to this team that I don't think we really had, just another level of passing ability that he's able to do, and just the force he is on offense, in transition, and when he has the ball in his hands."
What's evident being around these Lakers — something that wasn't always there the past few years — is a genuine connection between the players off the court. These guys like each other.
"The vibes are really high," LaRavia said. “We all get along with each other really well off the court. You see it on the court when we're playing, just what our chemistry is. Yeah, it's a really good group of guys."
NBA Cup
Tuesday night, when the Lakers take the court against the Clippers, it will be a critical NBA Cup game that could decide West Group B — win and the Lakers advance to the quarterfinals, one win away from a trip to Las Vegas for the semifinals and finals. The game is the second of the Coast 2 Coast Tuesday NBA doubleheader on NBC and Peacock.
Don't question the players' motivation for these games.
"I think $500,000 will motivate just about anyone," LaRavia said. "I think half a million dollars is still a good, amount of money to be able to motivate you to want to win games." These NBA Cup games are regular-season games, as well, so there is motivation there already, LaRavia noted, but added that having a target like a mid-season tournament adds a little something.
"It is cool to just be able to play for something in the middle of the season and be able to get a nice little bonus," LaRavia said.
If the Lakers get that bonus, it will be in no small part due to LaRavia finding his role, his comfort zone on a team that needed him.
How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
SAN FRANCISCO – Jimmy Butler ran down the right lane of the court and caught a pass from Gary Payton II to finish a 2-on-1 fastbreak. He jumped off two feet, and was vertical with a 7-foot Lauri Markkanen, absorbing the Utah Jazz star before moving the ball to his right and kissing it off the glass for two points.
The Warriors beat the Jazz 134-117 Monday night at Chase Center to snap a three-game losing streak. Butler was their prize at last season’s trade deadline. Markkanen is the player they highly coveted during the 2024 summer.
There isn’t a thing the Warriors would change about acquiring Butler as Steph Curry’s co-star alongside Draymond Green.
“Lauri Markkanen is having an incredible run. He’s been playing at a high level for a couple years now,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Sunday after practice.
Markkanen going into his game against Golden State was averaging a career-high 29.3 points per game, slightly ahead of Curry, for the seventh-best mark in the NBA. He already had a 51-point game this season, three games of 40 or more points and eight of at least 30 points. The 2023 All-Star and former winner of the NBA’s Most Improved Player looked to be taking a leap as one of the league’s premier scorers, especially at his size.
Everything Markkanen does as an off-ball 3-point threat who can score in multiple ways for Jazz coach Will Hardy can be imagined in Kerr’s offensive system. The two coaches have history together with Team USA basketball, and Kerr highly respects the younger Hardy’s vision.
“We see the game in a similar fashion, but to really be proficient in that, you need somebody like Markkanen or Steph or Klay [Thompson],” Kerr said during his pregame press conference. “You need somebody who has to draw that type of attention to create reactions from the defense. What I see is a team that spaces the floor well, that is pushing it, that is playing aggressively, playing confidently.
“Yeah, they’re hard to guard.”
So, Kerr stuck someone 10 inches shorter on Markkanen in the Warriors’ first game against the Jazz this season. With Draymond Green and Al Horford out to injuries, Gary Payton II had the job of guarding Markkanen to open the game and a handful of Warriors were part of the Jazz star having his second-worst scoring night of the season. Markkanen scored 17 points, nearly 13 off his previous season average, on 31.6-percent shooting (6 of 19) and only was 1 of 5 from 3-point range.
He was a minus-20 in 33 minutes.
Meanwhile, Butler was a plus-19 in 28 minutes, dominating doing what he does best. Always under control, Butler scored 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, had six rebounds (tied for a team high) and seven assists (one behind Payton’s eight). The furthest shot he took was a 13-foot jumper after recognizing a mismatch being guarded by rookie Walter Clayton Jr.
Butler rebounded his own first miss, a contested layup through traffic, and tipped it back in for two points. His second miss was a driving layup where Butler expected more contact, and his third actually came from Clayton swiping down and blocking the start of a shot around his waist.
The summer of 2024 for the Warriors was about Paul George and Markkanen. They dodged a bullet in George, who only played 41 games last year and has played just three this season. Markkanen had a down year last season while playing a lowly 47 games, and Butler, who didn’t get to play against George as a Warrior last season, highly outplayed him in his first game against Utah with Golden State.
The Warriors’ focus at the trade deadline turned to a Kevin Durant reunion, which didn’t transpire due to KD not wanting to reopen that chapter of his career. Durant didn’t play last April when Butler and the Warriors blew out the Phoenix Suns. He will his Houston Rockets’ game against the Warriors on Wednesday because of a personal family matter.
Any kind of Warriors what-ifs of Markkanen, George or Durant have been put to rest because of Butler’s presence. The trio of Butler, Curry and Green have played 14 games together this season and are a plus-61 with a 15.0 net rating. Green missed Monday’s win, but the Curry-Butler duo improved to a plus-50 in 15 games this season and they’ve produced a 120.6 offensive rating.
After beating the Jazz, the Warriors at 10-9 are one game over .500, powered by three players 35 or older that still are elite. The Warriors again were reminded that although Butler wasn’t the franchise’s first pick before knowing he was available, he was the right choice in a move where they were able to keep all their best assets to keep building around him, Curry and Green in their first full season together.
Steph Curry needed fewer than 30 minutes to make NBA scoring history Monday night.
The Warriors star poured in 31 points in 29 minutes, knocking down six 3-pointers in Golden State’s 134–117 win over the Utah Jazz at Chase Center. The performance officially tied Curry with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo for the most 30-point games played in under 30 minutes in NBA history, with 30 such games each.
Curry now has totaled 1,043 points in 865 minutes across those 30 games, averaging 34.8 points in 28.8 minutes. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, has recorded 989 points in 831 minutes across 30 games, averaging 33.0 points per 27.7 minutes.
The timing of the tie is notable. Antetokounmpo currently is sidelined with a low-grade left groin strain, leaving his total frozen as the Bucks slide in the standings. Milwaukee dropped its fifth straight game on Monday — a 115–103 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers — continuing a skid that began when Giannis exited the lineup.
Milwaukee will have to wait for Antetokounmpo to return before he can push that mark any further. Golden State, meanwhile, is moving in the opposite direction. The win lifted the Warriors to 10–9, a modest but meaningful step as they try to climb back into the upper half of the Western Conference.
And if Curry keeps delivering this kind of production in under 30 minutes, Golden State’s ascent might just come faster than expected.
San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama arrives well dressed for a game earlier this season. Photograph: Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images
Lonzo Ball’s froze in confusion. The question – “What do you think about the NBA dress code?” – hung in the air for a second before he cracked a sheepish grin.
“There’s a dress code?” he said, smiling.
Twenty years after the introduction of a rule that once roiled the league and ignited a culture war over image and identity, one of the NBA’s current players didn’t even know it existed.
“Now do-rags are flying, along with jerseys and baggy stuff,” said Ball, a point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers. “I didn’t know we had a dress code. I just knew we had to put something on.”
Former NBA commissioner David Stern instituted the dress code, which went into effect at the start of the 2005–06 season. The policy has been relaxed since Adam Silver succeeded Stern in 2014, but the initial rollout – as with most change – came with controversy and pushback.
The code required all players to dress in business or conservative attire when arriving and departing games, on the bench when injured, and when conducting official NBA business.
Players bristled at the announcement because the policy effectively banned oversized T-shirts, do-rags, jerseys, and other “hip-hop-inspired” attire.
The league’s move was widely seen as a critique of Black culture – a policing of expression and a response to the NBA’s discomfort with hip-hop aesthetics that had become inseparable from basketball itself. The backlash was immediate, loud, and deeply personal.
For many, it was also a direct attack on Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson, who became the poster child for what not to wear. Iverson, then one of the biggest stars in the league, was known for his tattoos, braids, and baggy gear.
In a recent interview on The Breakfast Club radio show and podcast, Iverson said his influence on other players helped trigger the NBA’s response. “David Stern and the rest of the NBA were like, ‘No,’ because it was all right when I was doing it,” Iverson recalled. “But then everybody else said, ‘OK, if he can do that, we can do this.’ You see Kobe coming in with diamond chains and baggy clothes, and everyone started doing it. Then the league was like, ‘Hold on, we’ve got to do something about that.’”
Twenty years later, that moment – once seen as a culture war between the league office and players – has come to represent something far more complicated. Instead of erasing individuality, the rule inadvertently helped create a fashion renaissance that reshaped both the NBA and global style.
What began as a mandate for “professionalism” evolved into tunnels lined with photographers, endorsement deals with high-fashion brands, and players driving global trends in ways the league never imagined. Former NBA forward Ira Newble, who remains racially conscious, vividly remembers the tension.
“Everyone seemed upset and up in arms about the dress code,” Newble, who was playing for the Cavaliers when the ban came in, says. “No one wanted to have a dress code. It was a big deal.”
Players were used to traveling in sweats, hoodies, or whatever felt comfortable during long road swings. The style of the time – oversized clothing, long white tees, and baggy jeans – was heavily linked to hip-hop culture.
“My style at that time reflected hip-hop culture,” Newble says. “I had the braids and wore baggy clothes. The sentiment among players was that the NBA was trying to take away from the cultural end. Iverson was an influence of that culture. That’s what the controversy was about. It felt as though they were trying to change and get rid of hip-hop culture.”
But Newble also recognizes how the moment evolved. “Everything kind of grew in a different direction where hip-hop culture can still be embraced within the dress code,” he says. “So it’s cool to see how it evolved.”
Inside the league offices, the intent was different, according to Kathy Behrens, the NBA’s president of social responsibility and player programs.
“We felt at the time that it was important for our players to present themselves in a more professional fashion when on league business,” Behrens says. “We were not demanding a suit culture, but we did want to raise the level of how players showed up.”
She says the league anticipated pushback, but emphasized it was never meant to sanitize hip-hop expression.
“We knew what the goal was, and it had nothing to do with changing our players’ fashion or culture,” she says. “We talked with many players about this change before implementing it.”
What the NBA didn’t expect, Behrens admits, was what happened next.
“The reality is our players embraced the change very quickly and truly raised the level much higher than we anticipated,” she says. “Pre-game ‘fits’ became a thing. It soon became a competition over who could dress the best. How you dress became a cultural touchpoint.”
Two decades later, the league still maintains a dress policy, though it has evolved with changing definitions of “professional attire” and is not as strict as it once was, allowing the players to be more creative with their fashion choices. But the legacy remains.
“When the people most impacted by it embrace it the way our players have, you have to feel that it worked as intended,” Behrens says.
When the rule came in, Jameer Nelson was in his second NBA season with the Orlando Magic. Nelson, now the 76ers’ assistant general manager, can appreciate how the policy unified the league.
“So it didn’t affect me either way,” Nelson says. “But it was cool to see the brotherhood, the fraternity of basketball players, move in the same direction, whether we liked it or not.”
Nelson laughs at how players have flipped the narrative completely.
“You can see now how the personalities are being shown through fashion,” he says. “I have my own style, more old school, more casual. Somebody told me yesterday I dress hip-hop slash front office.”
He says players today simply have more tools to showcase their creativity.
“These brands, because of social media, take advantage of it,” Nelson says. “If social media was as big back in 2005, we probably would’ve done the same thing. Getting dressed is art. It’s how you express yourself without even speaking.”
Few players symbolize that shift more than those in the current era, where tunnel entrances resemble fashion runways and some players are followed by photographers and videographers from the parking garage to the locker room.
Take Cavaliers star Darius Garland, considered one of the team’s most fashionable players. He marvels at how far things have come.
“The league implemented a dress code 20 years ago – that’s crazy,” Garland says. “Now we can put on our own stuff. We can express ourselves.”
To Garland, fashion and business are intertwined.
“A lot of guys have different avenues of revenue with clothing pieces,” he says. “Guys have Lululemon deals, Armani deals. It’s crazy now. With the dress code not being a dress code anymore, it’s giving us money we can put in our pockets, and it lets us express ourselves.”
If only the league had embraced a more relaxed dress policy earlier, says Garland.
“Hip-hop culture influences basketball, and basketball influences hip-hop culture,” he says. “Everyone wants to see what athletes are wearing so they can wear it. We are the influencers.”
What began as a controversial, racially charged flashpoint has become a cultural engine, embraced by the league, celebrated by players, and followed by millions worldwide.
The NBA tried to define professionalism. The players redefined it instead. The dress code did not suppress the culture. It amplified it.
Years later, the runway to the locker room, once a battleground, is now one of the most influential stages in global fashion.
“You can trace the swag back to [Iverson],” Ball says. “The tattoos, the braids, the baggy stuff. We came a long way from [the NBA] punishing him for expressing himself. Now [hip-hop fashion] is at an all-time high again. We need to give Allen Iverson a lot of respect.”
Kurt Helin
Vaughn Dalzell
Raphielle Johnson
