Category: Basketball

Does Jaylen Brown have a real case for best two-way player in the NBA? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Fresh off matching his career high in scoring with a 50-point outburst against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, Jaylen Brown boldly declared his belief that he is the best two-way player in the world.

Brown is now averaging 30.1 points per game for the Boston Celtics this season, ranking fourth in the NBA in scoring. Few would quibble with any suggestion that he’s among the very elite at scoring the basketball. 

And with all due respect to the 500 NBA players lingering down the list of the league’s leading scorers (and to all the recreational hoopers worldwide still waiting for their call-ups), it seems fair to suggest that Brown simply needs to be the best defender among the NBA’s other top bucket-getters to lay claim to the “best two-way player in the world” championship belt.

For the purposes of this exercise, we’re narrowing our field to Brown’s chief competition for another lofty NBA honor: Most Valuable Player. We’re crunching his defensive metrics compared to Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, New York’s Jalen Brunson, and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey. 

Squeezed out here are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama, who are all uncertain to reach the NBA’s 65-game threshold for award voting due to injuries. All three could make strong cases as the best two-way players in the world based on their overall impacts, but the top two-way player has to hit 65 games for this debate.

The case for Brown centers on the caliber of opponent he frequently defends. His declaration came Saturday night after he logged a game-high in matchup time against a previously white-hot Kawhi Leonard, and limited him to nine points on 3-of-7 shooting over seven minutes of matchup time. 

Over at the stat-crunching site BBall Index, they group players into six tiers based on usage to monitor how much time players spend defending various tiers of talent. A high usage rate doesn’t immediately confirm superstar talent, but if you look at this year’s usage leaders, there are very few outliers among the stars who dominate the top of the list. 

Brown not only logs the highest percentage of Tier 1 matchups compared to our field, but nearly 57 percent of his total defensive time is spent against players in Tiers 1-3. By comparison, that number sits just south of 36 percent for someone like Brunson (the worst among our candidates).

The closest player to Brown in terms of defending Tiers 1-3 is Cunningham, with 44.7 percent of his assignments there.

The folks at BBall Index also have a metric tracking the percentage of defensive possessions that players specifically match up against the opponent’s star player.

Yet again, Brown is decidedly ahead of the field: 

Simply logging a bunch of time against elite players doesn’t necessarily confirm defensive ability. But it does show some level of trust. In attempt to gauge how our MVP candidates are faring as defenders, we decided to examine how these players are faring with their defensive assignments compared to expected output.

Here’s a look at how the MVP candidates are impacting shot efficiency this season, with defensive field goal percentage (DFG%), expected output by the defended player (xFG%), and the resulting differential. Also listed is where the player ranks in differential among the 127 qualified players who have defended an average of 10+ shots per game with 25+ games played this season.

Defensive data is noisy, and how the NBA assigns “closest defender” can often be maddening. ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted in a social media post Sunday that, based on GeniusIQ tracking, Brown is holding opponents to 39.37 percent shooting as the closest defender, ranking second among the 111 players who have defended at least 300 field goal attempts this year. Brown ranked behind only Oklahoma City’s Cason Wallace, but one spot ahead of Wembanyama.

Given his willingness to defend top opposing talent and the individual success he’s enjoyed this season, it doesn’t seem far-fetched for Brown to declare himself the best two-way player in the world. Given the difficulty in quantifying defensive impact, it’s a very subjective claim.

The bigger question to us is whether Brown’s impact on both ends of the court this season might vault him further into the MVP conversation. For most of the year, he’s lived on the periphery. But the injury woes for Jokic and Wembanyama have opened the door a bit for Brown’s contention.

The Celtics are outkicking most preseason expectations, and Brown is spearheading their play at both ends of the floor. Saturday’s outburst put him on the MVP radar for anyone who was sleeping on his impact this season.

The challenge for him is to keep it up for another 50 games and see if voters will consider him for the season’s loftiest award, because he is in fact one of the best two-way players in the game. 

Devin Booker scored with 0.7 seconds remaining as the Phoenix Suns beat defending NBA champions the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-105.

The Thunder led 100-94 with four minutes left, but Booker, who finished with 24 points, nine assists and six rebounds, ended their four-game unbeaten run with his only three-pointer.

Jordan Goodwin recorded career highs of 26 points and eight three-pointers, while Suns team-mate Dillon Brooks scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points, Jalen Williams contributed 23 and Chet Holmgren recorded 18 and nine rebounds for the Thunder, who still have the best record in the Western Conference with 30 wins and six defeats.

The Suns, who are seventh in the West, were thumped 138-89 by the Thunder in the quarter-finals of the NBA Cup in December.

• NBA results & fixtures

Smart roster management can be the difference between winning and losing in fantasy basketball, and it all starts with understanding the weekly schedule. In this article, we break down the upcoming Week 12 slate to help you fly up the fantasy basketball rankings by identifying ideal streaming days and prioritizing the teams worth targeting. We'll highlight light-schedule dates to exploit, squads with heavy workloads to lean into and the best matchups to attack based on defensive trends. Whether you're chasing counting stats, planning short-term adds or setting weekly lineups, this guide will help you squeeze every possible edge out of the week ahead.

Days with fewer than six games

These are dates to target players for streaming options from the following teams: 

Thursday, January 8 - IND at CHA, CLE at MIN, MIA at CHI, DAL at UTA

Teams with more than three games this week

Make sure to activate players and target weekly pickups from the following teams:

Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Bulls, Nuggets, Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Knicks, Thunder, Magic, 76ers, Suns, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Raptors, Jazz, Wizards

Teams with fewer than three games this week

Consider looking for streaming options if your roster includes players from these teams:

N/A

Top teams to target based on favorable matchups

Rockets vs. Suns, at Trail Blazers, at Trail Blazers, at Kings 

The Rockets are 5-5 in their last 10 games but have a good chance to build momentum in Week 11. They begin with a matchup against the Suns, a team they defeated by almost 20 points in early-December. The Suns give up the league's seventh-most offensive rebounds and sixth-most turnovers per game, which likely means that guys like Tari Eason, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith will pad their stats on both ends of the floor. Up next, the Rockets clash with the Trail Blazers, who give up the league's eighth-most points and fourth-most free throws per game. They also give up the league's most turnovers per game, leaving plenty of opportunity for score-first players like Kevin Durant and Reed Sheppard to help take control. Finally, the Rockets close their week against the struggling Kings, who are giving up the league's fourth-most points and sixth-most free throws per game, providing an opportunity for Josh Okogie and Dorian Finney-Smith to possibly benefit from some extra playing time. 

Pelicans vs. Lakers, at Hawks, at Wizards, at Magic

The Pelicans sit last place in the West and have dropped seven straight games. However, this week provides a good opportunity to make up ground, as they are lined up against a few of the league's most troubled defenses. They start the week against the Lakers, whogive up the league's third-highest field-goal percentage, including the second-highest three-point shooting percentage, along with the league's fifth-most turnovers per game. Trey Murphy, who thrives as a long-range shooter and is averaging 1.6 steals per game, is the ideal candidate to take control. Up next, the Pelicans encounter the Hawks, who give up the league's sixth-most points per game, including the eighth-most points in the paint, which should allow room for Derik Queen and Zion Williamson to pick up steam. They then look ahead to a meeting with the Wizards, who are giving up the league's second-most points and fifth-most three-pointers per game, while their last game of the week features the Magic, an opponent that is giving up the league's eighth-highest field-goal percentage, along with the league's fourth-most points per game to opposing point guards. Both of the final two matchups provide an environment where Jeremiah Fears can shine, as the rookie has already hit the 20-point mark eight times this season. 

Thunder vs. Hornets, vs. Jazz, at Grizzlies, vs. Heat, 

The Thunder sit first in the West and are likely to build on their position in Week 11. They open against the Hornets, who give up the league's third-highest shooting percentage, followed by a meeting with the Jazz, who give up the league's most points, most made threes and third-most turnovers per game. These should be relatively easy for the squad that is averaging 121.9 points per game, led by 32.1 points, including 2.1 made three-pointers and 1.5 steals per game from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Up next, they clash with the Grizzlies, who give up the league's sixth-most three-pointers per game, which should allow Ajay Mitchell, who averages 1.1 made threes per game, and Aaron Wiggins, who averages 1.8 made threes per game, to keep it up from deep. The Thunder finish the week against the Heat, who give up the league's fourth-most rebounds, including the fourth-most offensive rebounds per game, a matchup where Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams will have to take charge. 

Magic at Wizards, at Nets, vs. 76ers, vs. Pelicans

The Magic begin the week against the Wizards, who give up the league's most rebounds and offensive rebounds, along with the fourth-most turnovers per game. Paolo Banchero, who averages 21.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, should be the one to lead the charge and get the week off to a good start. Up next, the Magic meet the Nets, who are giving up the league's ninth-most points in the paint, along with the fourth-most turnovers per game, making Wendell Carter and Goga Bitadze likely candidates to derive the most out of the matchup. Moving ahead, an encounter with the 76ers, who are playing well lately but are giving up the league's ninth-most rebounds per game, along with the league's eighth-most points to opposing centers, which means the three aforementioned Magic bigs will have to work hard to help build an advantage. The Magic close the week against the Pelicans, an opponent that gives up the league's third-most points, including the second-most made three-pointers per game, giving Desmond Bane and Anthony Black a prime chance to get hot. The Pelicans also give up the third-most points in the paint and third-most offensive rebounds per game. 

Warriors at Clippers, vs. Bucks, vs. Kings, vs. Hawks 

The Warriors have won six of their last 10 games and should be looking to make the most of a few winnable matchups in Week 11. They begin against the Clippers, who give up the league's fourth-highest three-point shooting percentage, which certainly favors Stephen Curry, but might also allow guys like Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard or Moses Moody to step up as an X-factor. Next, the Warriors clash with the Bucks, who give up the league's fifth-most free throws per game, an ideal chance for Jimmy Butler, who averages the league's eighth-most free throws per game, to prosper. Moving on, a meeting with the Kings, who give up the league's second-most points in the paint, along with the highest field-goal percentage and sixth-most rebounds per game. Then lastly, a tilt with the Hawks, who give up the league's fifth-most rebounds per game, including the sixth-most offensive rebounds. The final two matchups provide the opportunity for Warriors bigs, Draymond Green, Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis, to pad their stats and help lead the way.

They met two days prior to Sunday night’s encounter at Crypto.com Arena, a two-game set between the Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies reminiscent of a playoff series.

The Lakers won the first game Friday night here and knew the Grizzlies were going to bring more intensity and a stronger effort even with star guard Ja Morant (right calf contusion) not playing.

And that was the case, the Lakers falling behind by 16 points in the second quarter, the Grizzlies ramping it up in a big way. But with Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Jake LaRavia leading the way, the Lakers pulled out a 120-114 win and improved to 12-0 in clutch games.

“They played exceptional basketball in the first half when we knew we were going to get their best shot, especially after the playoff-type of format,” said LeBron James, who had 26 points, 10 assists to go along with seven rebounds. “The team always make the adjustments coming to the next game, better prepared. So, I think it's just in the second half, we started to crack the code a little bit. Was able to get the lead down in the third. They kind of broke away a little bit again, but we just kept at it out there and was able to have a great fourth quarter.”

Doncic almost had a triple-double with 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. LaRavia, starting in the absence of Rui Hachimura, had 26 points, five rebounds and four assists. It was the second straight time LaRavia, who came in averaging 9.1 points, scored 20-plus. HIs defense also was on point again, another sign of LaRavia’s development and a role he has been able to fill for the Lakers.

“I just feel like I’m a player where when you tell me the things that you want me to do I’m going to just go out there and do them,” said LaRavia, who was nine-for-16 from the field and four-for-10 from three-point range. “I’ve had plenty of conversations with (Lakers coach) JJ (Redick), with (Lakers assistant) coach Beau (Levesque) and they tell me what they want me to do out there and I kind of just go out there and I try my best to do that every game. Shots aren’t going to fall every game, but I can control the effort that I bring to a game, crashing every time. I know they talk about offensive crash-rate. I’m just trying to do that every night and just bringing energy to this team.”

Back-and-forth the game went in the fourth quarter,, with the Lakers and Grizzlies taking turns delivering in tense moments. The Lakers finally took the lead for good at 100-99 on a basket by Doncic.

Read more:Plaschke: Thank you, L.A. sports teams, for saving me during the worst year

Then James scored on a three-point play and made one of two free throws for a 104-99 lead with 3 minutes 49 seconds left.

The Lakers (22-11) had an answer for every Grizzlies counter, the final stamp on the game being Doncic’s back-to-back three-pointers for a nine-point lead with 2:01 left.

So, the Lakers passed the test the NBA put in front of them by scheduling a game against the Grizzlies here Friday night and then at home again on Sunday night.

“I like it,” Redick said. “I do think it does replicate [the playoffs] in some ways. A playoff series, particularly when it's not a home-and-away situation, but more of you're playing a two-game series on somebody's home court for the day in between. Had a few of these last year. So, I like this for our team and it's a good growth opportunity. Coming off a win, knowing that there's a lot of stuff that we can be better at and where can we make improvements. That's the big challenge to me.”

For Redick, that meant what it always does for the Lakers — improving on defense.

They held the Grizzlies to 42% shooting and 24.4% from three-point range.

The Lakers also wanted to jump-start center Deandre Ayton from a five-game slumber.

Ayton had just four points on two-for-four shooting against the Grizzlies on Friday night and hadn’t scored more than 12 points in that span.

So, the Lakers went to Ayton at the outset, trying to ignite his game. It worked to a degree, Ayton scoring 15 points, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking three shots.

“I trust my teammates so well and they are generational players so I really try not to clog their brain up with just me or try to focus on me,” said Ayton, who was six-for-eight from the field. “It’s more like me wanting to crash the boards early and get going. But I just appreciate them finding me in spots where I got the advantage and that’s all I can really worry about. It’s really me not getting frustrated. It’s more like this where I dominate. I don’t really care about a play for me or touches. It's the rhythm of the basketball game that keeps me in the flow and keeps me going.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. had 27 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in his first game against his former team, and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Denver Nuggets 127-115 on Sunday to snap a three-game losing streak.

The Nuggets got Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun back from lengthy injury absences and a huge game from Jamal Murray, but fell to 1-2 since Nikola Jokic was lost for perhaps a month with a hyperextended left knee.

Murray finished with 27 points, a career-high 16 assists and six rebounds. Gordon had 20 points off the bench after missing 19 games with a strained right hamstring, while Braun started and scored four points after he sat out 23 games with a sprained left ankle.

Noah Clowney added 22 points for the Nets, while Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe each had 17. Sharpe started at center with Nic Claxton out for personal reasons.

Porter played six seasons for the Nuggets after being taken with the No. 14 pick in the 2018 draft and was a starter on their 2023 NBA championship team. He was traded to Brooklyn in the offseason for Cam Johnson and came in averaging a career-high 25.8 points.

He scored nine points in the second quarter and Brooklyn led 59-52 at halftime after Murray’s jumper with 0.2 seconds to play.

The Nets quickly opened it up again in the third quarter. Brooklyn was 7 for 9 from three-point range in the period, scoring 41 points and taking a 100-84 advantage to the fourth.

Tim Hardaway Jr. had two three-pointers to open the fourth and cut it to 10, but Thomas had the last seven points of a 12-0 spurt that blew it open at 112-90.

Hardaway scored 26 but Denver fell to 1-4 on its seven-game East Coast trip. Johnson sat out with a knee injury.

Up next

Nuggets: Visit Philadelphia on Monday.

Nets: Host Orlando on Tuesday.

Keegan Murray's future status uncertain after ankle injury in Kings vs. Bucks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Keegan Murray’s injury status remains unknown after the Kings’ tough 115-98 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night at Golden 1 Center.

The 25-year-old was ruled out with a left ankle sprain in the third quarter and was helped to the locker room after an awkward landing due to mid-air contact with Bucks center Myles Turner. 

Sacramento coach Doug Christie couldn’t share much about Murray’s status with reporters postgame.

“I don’t know yet,” Christie said. “So, it’s not even for me to speculate. Obviously, we’ll get everything, and you guys will know as soon as we do.”

Murray had just recovered from a two-game absence due to a calf injury and returned to the Kings’ starting lineup in Tuesday’s blowout loss to the Clippers.

He was off to a strong start against the Bucks, posting 12 points on 6-of-13 shooting with two blocks, one steal and three rebounds over 27 minutes.

Murray’s mobility particularly was on display, as he made a pair of coast-to-coast highlights in the first quarter after intercepting a Giannis Antetokounmpo pass and later stuffing Bobby Portis Jr.

The last thing Sacramento needed after its record worsened to 8-28 following the loss to Milwaukee was another injury to deal with.

But after Zach LaVine returned to action on Sunday upon recovering from a left ankle injury that had sidelined him for nine games, Christie now has to wait and see — and work with — a potentially hobbled or sidelined Murray.

The injury bug truly is decimating the Kings.

“It’s hard, man,” Christie said. “You feel for your kids, first and foremost … It’s just difficult … yeah.”

Sacramento has lost five games in a row.

Next up, the Kings have an 8 p.m. matchup with the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday at American Airlines Center, and it’s to be determined if Murray will be available.

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Jimmy Butler gets ‘brutally honest' with heartfelt Buddy Hield description originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

One thing you always can count on is Jimmy Butler keeping it real — no matter the cost.

The always honest Warriors star was asked how Buddy Hield continues to bring good vibes to the team despite not playing consistent minutes on the floor.

“It matters,” Butler told reporters after Golden State’s win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday at Chase Center. ” But Buddy is just goofy anyway, whether he’s playing or not, he’s goofy. And I think that’s the consistency that we love. Buddy’s going to be Buddy, and we hope everybody is like that — good, bad or indifferent. You have good days, more good ones than bad ones. But I think Buddy is the most consistent.

“He’s smiling, joking no matter what, his spirit’s always high and we follow suit in that.”

Butler, in his 15th NBA season, has seen and been around all types of different players.

He also is an avid world traveler and enjoys experiencing things outside of basketball, which also has allowed him to be around different types of people and personalities. So while Hield’s spirit is unique to the NBA circumstance, Butler acknowledged that he might know where it comes from.

“Man, you know what?” Butler said. “Personally, because I know so many people from the Caribbean, I know so many people that are from Africa, they’re some of the most humble and grateful people to be where they are and to have what they have. That’s Buddy’s background. That’s who Buddy is. I don’t like Buddy, but I really respect Buddy. I do. I really respect Buddy for what he brings every day, as far as smiling, being a great teammate, you know, doing whatever you need him to do.

“And then if you need anything from him off the court or just to hang and just to talk, he actually is a good guy to vent to.”

There it is! Butler almost gave Hield a complete compliment without teasing him.

Almost.

The Warriors (19-17) will continue to need Hield’s contagiously positive vibes as the second half of the 2025-26 NBA season quickly approaches.

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