Former Michigan State forward Xavier Booker wrote Friday that he’s transferring to UCLA, confirming earlier reports with a post on his social media account. The Spartans expected big things from the 6-foot-11 Booker when he arrived on campus in 2023-24. While he appeared in 60 games, he started only starting five and averaged just 11.3 minutes in two seasons in East Lansing.
Jaylen has jokes for Porzingis after big man's nasty cut on nose
Jaylen has jokes for Porzingis after big man's nasty cut on nose originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Kristaps Porzingis quickly diffused a scary moment Friday night at TD Garden.
The Boston Celtics big man took an elbow to the face from Phoenix Suns wing Cody Martin while defending the paint in the fourth quarter of Friday’s matchup and started bleeding from his nose while lying on the hardwood.
Porzingis quickly got to his feet with a big smile, however, and started pumping up the home crowd as he walked toward the locker room with a trainer.
The cut on Porzingis’ nose required stitches, but while he didn’t return to the game– a 123-103 Celtics rout — he seemed to avoid any serious injury. That meant he was open to chiding from his teammates, and good friend Jaylen Brown happily obliged.
“I told KP, ‘The stitches can’t make you uglier than you already are,'” Brown joked in his 1-on-1 with Abby Chin after the game, as seen in the video player above.
Celtics big man Luke Kornet, meanwhile, got a rise out of watching Porzingis channel his inner wrestler by hyping up the crowd as blood streamed from his nose.
“I feel like for anyone to have just blood dripping down the middle of their face — kind of the whole wrestler persona, the UFC-type persona — I feel like KP was perfect for that,” Kornet said in an exclusive interview with Celtics Postgame Live.
Porzingis has always had a great relationship with the Garden crowd, and his ability to feed off their energy even while dealing with a bloody nose will only add to his legend in Boston.
The C’s are back in action Sunday at TD Garden against the Washington Wizards, with tip-off at 6 p.m. ET.
Podz reveals mindset shift behind 3-point shooting revival
Podz reveals mindset shift behind 3-point shooting revival originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski saved his best for the most vital stretch of the season.
Since March 18, the 22-year-old guard leads the NBA in 3-pointers made with 34 (h/t StatMuse) after netting four in Golden State’s 118-104 win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night at Chase Center.
Battling injuries and struggling to establish a shooting rhythm early on in the season, the second-year Warriors guard revealed the mindset reset behind his recent three-point revival.
“Yeah, I got some great people on my corner that I talk with extensively about it,” Podziemski admitted to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike on “Warriors Postgame Live.”
“Really breaking shooting down to the physics of it: How my body moves and things that are going to help me personally. [I’m] just trying to stay consistent and stay in the moment.”
On Thursday night, Podziemski netted a career-best 8 of 10 from 3-point range in the Warriors’ win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Although Podziemski’s 3-point shooting on Friday night fell below his personal record, his overall performance in recent weeks has been remarkable.
Spot the difference 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/EUHIwv3JT7
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 5, 2025
Teammate Steph Curry, who has been on a run of his own, sits at 32 3-pointers made since March 18 – two behind Podziemski.
Cognizant of the ups and downs of playing against the best, Podziemski is prioritizing a level-headed approach when it comes to shooting from deep.
“Sometimes, you make two, three in a row and you get excited and start taking bad ones or rush it,” Podziemski added. “[I’m] just trying to stay in the moment and take one shot at a time, like it’s my last shot. And that’s all I’ve been focused on.
“Like I said to you guys in November when I was struggling, I always [knew] the percentages were going to even out to where they should be because I know how much time and effort I put into the gym. To see it paying off at the right time of the year, it’s really good for me.”
For Florida’s Clayton, spiking football and saying so long to Pitino leads to the Final Four
Most people thought Walter Clayton Jr. would play football in college. Taking a different path has turned Clayton into one of the best players to wear a Gators uniform, and also led him down a road every college basketball player hopes to travel — the one that ends at the Final Four. Heading into Saturday's game against Auburn, Clayton averages 18 points this year, 22.2 in the tournament and, maybe most important, is proving to be the most clutch player in all of March Madness so far.
What we learned as Steph Curry ignites Warriors' incredible win over Nuggets
What we learned as Steph Curry ignites Warriors' incredible win over Nuggets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Following a two-week road trip and playing their second game within 24 hours, the Warriors shook off their early lethargy to summon enough energy to drop their own personal colossus Friday night.
With Stephen Curry leading the way, scoring 36 points, the Warriors came together for a 118-104 victory over Denver, snapping a nine-game regular-season losing streak against the Nuggets.
STEPH IS FIRED UP 😈 pic.twitter.com/vNhxNwxYON
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 5, 2025
The Warriors (46-31) outscored Denver 84-60 over the final three quarters, delighting the sellout crowd (18,064) and moving within a half-game of the fourth-place Nuggets (47-31) in the Western Conference.
Golden State remains the Western Conference’s No. 5 seed with the win, one game up on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Brandin Podziemski finished with 26 points and Jimmy Butler added 19 to support Curry’s game-high total. The Warriors forced 26 Denver turnovers, off which they scored 23 points.
Here are three observations from Golden State’s third consecutive win in a four-game stretch against conference competitors:
Steph quickens sluggish pulses
The Warriors played in the first quarter in haze, with countless defensive lapses, more dribbling than passing and giving away eight points off turnovers. They looked like a team on the dark side of a back-to-back set after a two-week road trip.
After his teammates pulled it together enough to shave nine points off a 10-point lead while Jokic was on the bench early in the second quarter, Curry took it upon himself to restore his team’s lagging collective pulse.
Returning simultaneously with Jokic, Curry scored 12 of Golden State’s next 14 points – awakening the snoozing sellout crowd – to give the Warriors a 62-58 lead. After trailing by as much as 12 early, they went into intermission up 66-60.
Steph's seventh 3 makes it a 15-point game 💦 pic.twitter.com/RVg9Ioy1Rw
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 5, 2025
Of Curry’s 19 first-half points, 12 came during his 5:33 stint in the quarter. His flurry, along with a revived defense (Denver scored 16 points in the quarter), put the Warriors in position to succeed.
Draymond vs. Joker
Given the monumental task of trying to keep Jokic from dominating the game, Draymond Green immediately tried to defend his way into the big man’s head.
It worked, initially. Frustrated with Green’s mongoose energy, Jokic aggressively shoved Draymond to the floor and was whistled for an offensive foul within the first three minutes of the game. Green lobbied for a flagrant, but crew chief Josh Tiven held firm.
It was clear Green, knowing the Nuggets follow the lead of the three-time NBA MVP, wanted to maximize his energy on defense. Jokic scored 15 points in the first quarter, 18 over the final three.
That's our DPOY 😤pic.twitter.com/mQsX2s5OuQ
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 5, 2025
Multiple Warriors took turns defending Jokic, with Jonathan Kuminga the most prominent. Jokic totaled 33 points on 13-of-17 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. He added 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Butler’s quiet-storm excellence
This was Butler’s introduction to a Warriors-Nuggets clash, and he fit right in with the physicality and the psychological warfare.
While Curry and Podziemski were splashing pretty jump shots, Butler, who was listed as questionable on the injury report with left forearm strain, committed to the dirty buckets that come amid crowds in the paint or under late-shot-clock pressure.
He was the third scorer the Warriors needed, but he also brought more than points, adding five assists, five steals, three rebounds and his usual late-game composure as Golden State held on down the stretch.
Jimmy Buckets connects on a PRAYER 🙏 pic.twitter.com/3qNL2TtXyB
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 5, 2025
Butler’s 19 points came on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, including 1-of-3 from distance, and 6-of-6 from the foul line. He played 34 minutes and finished a team-high plus-21.
Reliving Arkansas’ 1994 National Championship win, 31 years later
On a mostly clear, roughly 58-degree day in Charlotte, North Carolina, 31 years ago on Friday, the Arkansas Razorbacks clinched their first and only National Championship 76-72 over the Duke Blue Devils. Legendary Razorback head coach Nolan Richardson patrolled the sidelines, with his patented “40 minutes of hell” winning him games left and right, as the Hogs finished the season with 31 wins and just three losses in the 1993-1994 season. Corliss Williamson led the Razorbacks in scoring that season with 20.4 points per game and Scotty Thurman — who hit the famed three to win the title — averaged 15.9 points.
How Jon Scheyer’s career-ending eye injury led to coaching Duke
The former Blue Devils player and current head coach reflects on the fluke injury that ended his pursuit of playing professionally, but opened the door to returning to the bench in Durham.
Doc Rivers has 'much more hope' that Damian Lillard will return this season
A year ago, the Milwaukee Bucks were bounced by the Pacers in the first round of the playoffs with Giannis Antetokounmpo watching from the bench, out injured.
Milwaukee could be without its other star — Damian Lillard — for the 2025 playoffs as he is out with deep vein thrombosis in his calf. While Lillard has missed the last eight games and did not travel with the team on its current road trip, coach Doc Rivers is increasingly optimistic that Lillard will be back this season, something he talked about Thursday night (before the Bucks beat the 76ers), via Eric Nehm at The Athletic.
"We have much more hope today than we did three days ago, I can tell you that. And so we're going to take everything that we can do to see if there's a way we can get him back."
At the time of the diagnosis, the Bucks organization was optimistic that Lillard could return before the playoffs, and that optimism appears to be growing. While good for the Bucks, it's better news for Lillard and his family that he could be healthy enough to return to play.
The Bucks have gone 4-4 with Lillard out, missing the 24.9 points and 7.1 assists he brings each night. With that Milwaukee and Detroit are tied for the 5/6 seeds in the East with six games to play — and the last two games of the season for both teams are against each other.
The Bucks have a +5.4 net rating when both Lillard and Antetokounmpo are on the court. For a Bucks team that has been good but not threatening to the league's best this season — trading for Kyle Kuzma at the deadline didn't change that — they will need both on the court to have a chance to advance out of the first round.
Is four No. 1 seeds good for the Final Four?
Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz reports from San Antonio on how the players & coaches in this year's event feel about all the top seeds advancing to the national semifinals.
Auburn and Florida meet in the Final Four as last of the 14 SEC teams that packed March Madness
Auburn and Florida are the last two standing of a record 14 Southeastern Conference teams that made the NCAA Tournament. Only one of them will get to play for the national championship. In a Final Four filled with No. 1 seeds, the SEC regular-season champion Tigers (32-5) play the conference tournament-winning Gators in the first national semifinal game Saturday in the Alamodome.
Does Duke feel the pressure entering the Final Four?
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz reports from San Antonio on the Blue Devils’ mindset heading into Saturday’s national semifinal against Houston.
Christie lauds Kings' effort in crucial bounce-back win vs. Hornets
Christie lauds Kings' effort in crucial bounce-back win vs. Hornets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
It’s not how one falls. It’s how one gets back up.
After a flustering loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, the Kings responded like a team yearning for NBA playoff basketball, cruising to a much-needed 125-102 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday at Spectrum Center.
In the midst of a six-game road trip and with a loose grip on the Western Conference’s No. 10 seed, interim coach Doug Christie praised the way in which his team bounced back.
“A total team effort,” Christie told reporters. “Love and respect the way that the guys came out after a really disappointing loss.
“One that, in many ways, a team can go the other way. That’s what talking and being about your teammates and loving your teammates and respecting them is all about. A lot of love and respect for how the guys came out and approached this game.”
Sacramento, who dropped the first three games of the team’s last road trip of the regular season, leveraged a balanced approach on offense against an ailing Hornets side.
Despite shooting 0 of 9 from beyond the arc early on, the Kings finished draining 19 3-pointers on 36 attempts.
Trey splashes his THIRD triple of the quarter ☔ pic.twitter.com/WFqpwrJBhB
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 5, 2025
On the other side of the ball, Sacramento did its part in containing the league’s lowest field-goal percentage team to under 40 percent from the floor.
Guard Malik Monk credited the Kings’ mindset for a well-rounded performance.
“Yeah, definitely, that’s what we’ve been talking about: just coming in with the right mind, knowing we’re going to win it and knowing we’re going to play together and play hard and not in spurts,” Monk told NBC Sports California’s Morgan Ragan and Deuce Mason on “Kings Postgame Live.”
“We played, I wouldn’t say a full game, but we played close to a full game today.”
All-Stars Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine combined for 71 points, while Monk and Trey Lyles contributed a combined 29 points off the bench.
Domas hits the spin cycle AND the slam 😈 pic.twitter.com/GAY6nF697h
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 5, 2025
With the urgency and expectation to break out of a three-game rut and gain a frim grip on the West’s No. 10 seed, Sacramento delivered.
Now, with a difficult back-to-back coming up against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, Christie has reasons to believe the Kings are up for challenge — regardless of what took place against the Wizards.
“We have some tough teams coming up on a back-to-back,” Christie concluded. “One that we’ve beat, so they’re going to be ready for us. And another one that beat us on a last-second shot.
“So, you bring it. That’s what you do. And that’s what I expect. Hopefully, these are the types of games that you find yourself, you love your teammates and now you take that and continue it on play by play.”
Celtics break Warriors' 3-point NBA record, on track to set new milestones
Celtics break Warriors' 3-point NBA record, on track to set new milestones originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics broke one of the NBA’s 3-point records in Friday’s game versus the Phoenix Suns, and it probably won’t be the only one they set during their historic season from beyond the arc.
The Celtics have passed the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors for the most 3-pointers made by one team in a single season. The Warriors’ record was 1,363 and the Celtics currently stand at 1,364 and counting after Payton Pritchard’s second-quarter 3-pointer with five games left in the regular season.
The C’s came close to breaking the Warriors’ record last season but came up 13 short.
Back in 2016-17, Isaiah Thomas set the Celtics record for most 3-pointers made in a season with 245. Derrick White broke this record on Monday, and it’s likely Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard will surpass Thomas before the regular season concludes.
Barring a surprise downturn in the Celtics’ 3-point shooting, they are on track to break two more 3-point records.
The Utah Jazz set the record for most 3-point shots made per game with 16.74 during the 2020-21 season, and the Celtics are at 17.9 per game.
The Houston Rockets set the record for most 3-point attempts per game with 45.38 in the 2018-19 campaign, and the Celtics are at 48.5 per game.
The Celtics have ranked first or second in both 3-pointers made and attempted per game every season since Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach in 2022. His 3-point-heavy strategy has produced fantastic results. Boston reached the NBA Finals in 2022 and 2024 (won the title) and Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.
It’s very difficult to beat the Celtics when they’re firing on all cylinders from beyond the arc. The C’s have made 15 or more 3-pointers in 62 of their 75 games so far this season, and they’ve won 48 of those matchups.
If the Celtics continue to hit 17.9 3-pointers per game throughout the 2025 NBA playoffs, it’s hard to imagine any team beating them four times in a seven-game series.
Celtics break Warriors' single-season NBA record for 3-pointers made
Celtics break Warriors' single-season NBA record for 3-pointers made originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Boston Celtics broke one of the NBA’s 3-point records in Friday’s win over the Phoenix Suns, and it probably won’t be the only one they set during their historic season from beyond the arc.
The Celtics have passed the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors for the most 3-pointers made by one team in a single season. The Warriors’ record was 1,363, and the Celtics currently stand at 1,370 after making 14 3-pointers against the Suns.
Payton Pritchard’s 3-pointer in the second quarter Friday night was the record-breaker for Boston, which still has five regular-season games remaining to extend the record.
Back in 2016-17, Isaiah Thomas set the Celtics record for most 3-pointers made in a season with 245. Derrick White broke this record on Monday, and it’s likely Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard will surpass Thomas before the regular season concludes.
Barring a surprise downturn in the Celtics’ 3-point shooting, they are on track to break two more 3-point records.
The Utah Jazz set the record for most 3-point shots made per game with 16.74 during the 2020-21 season, and the Celtics are at 17.9 per game.
The Houston Rockets set the record for most 3-point attempts per game with 45.38 in the 2018-19 campaign, and the Celtics are at 48.5 per game.
The Celtics have ranked first or second in both 3-pointers made and attempted per game every season since Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach in 2022. His 3-point-heavy strategy has produced fantastic results. Boston reached the NBA Finals in 2022 and 2024 (won the title) and Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.
It’s very difficult to beat the Celtics when they’re firing on all cylinders from beyond the arc. The C’s have made 15 or more 3-pointers in 62 of their 75 games so far this season, and they’ve won 48 of those matchups.
If the Celtics continue to hit 17.9 3-pointers per game throughout the 2025 NBA playoffs, it’s hard to imagine any team beating them four times in a seven-game series.
Houston culture starts & ends with Kelvin Sampson
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz reports from San Antonio on the Cougars’ quest to take home its first national championship in school history.