Category: Basketball

Basketball News

Posted on

Knicks' Mitchell Robinson changed how he shoots free throws and it paid off against 76ers

Despite the Knicks' loss to the 76ers on Friday, there was one bright spot for New York.

Mitchell Robinson had his best offensive performance of the season in the team's 116-107 loss at MSG, and the big man has the free-throw line to thank for his offensive explosion.

Entering Friday's game, Robinson was 6-for-27 in the regular season from the charity stripe. He eclipsed that mark in one night, going 7-for-8 in his 21-point performance against Philadelphia.

"He’s been working hard at it. It’s a process," head coach Mike Brown said of Robinson's free throws after the game. "[Shooting coach] Peter Patton, Mark Bryant has done a great job with him, but more importantly, Mitch has bought into what they are trying to work with him on when it comes to free-throw shooting. 

"It’s good to see, anytime you can see positive results, it breeds confidence not just in the individual but also in the rest of the group. It’s good for him tonight to do that."

Robinson's teammates also acknowledged the work he's been putting in.

"He’s been working, going early, getting his shots up," Josh Hart said of his teammate. "His hard work is paying off."

"It was due, we seen him working hard with our shooting coach Peter Patton. He's in the gym everyday, shooting free throws, trying to get better," Tyler Kolek said. "He’s got all the touch on the offensive rebounds and stuff, so just a mindset to get his touch at the free-throw line." 

"He’s working, he’s concentrating, and he’s seeing the progress on his work," Jalen Brunson added. "Very happy for him, very proud of him. Just gotta have to continue it."

Robinson said the coaches have had him change his shot, specifically putting more arc on the ball instead of the line drives that fans are used to seeing. He got up at 10 a.m. Friday to get in some practice before the game, and, despite Robinson admitting it's too early for him, it paid off. Robinson says his early-morning shooting will be part of his gameday routine.  

"Feel way more comfortable, getting my elbow in the air a little more," Robinson explained. "It’s been great."

Robinson had never hit seven free throws in a game before. He even made 76ers head coach Nick Nurse pay for utilizing the hack-a-Mitch strategy in the third quarter. Robinson knocked down both free throws and even motioned toward the Sixers bench.

"I’m trying to stop everybody from hacking and s***. That's the main goal," Robinson said. "I want to play the fourth quarter. The longer I'm out there, the longer I can help my teammates." 

Robinson gave the Knicks all he had and they needed it. The grueling schedule this week took its toll on the Knicks. OG Anunoby and Hart scored a combined seven points and Brunson was off. Despite scoring 22 points, the Knicks guard was just 7-for-22 from the field and 1-for-7 from three. 

With the usual offensive pieces unable to score, Robinson's contributions were massive.

"Mitch is going to be impactful whether the ball’s going in for him or not. That’s who he is as a player and a teammate," Brunson said. "He’s going to find ways to impact the game. When that’s happening to us as well, we have to try and capitalize and try to win games." 

Not only did Robinson find paydirt at the line, but he also scored a season-high 21 points and had his first double-double of the year, after coming down with 16 rebounds. He also had two blocks, one steal, and an assist. 

"Just the energy, my teammates. They were penetrating and stuff like that and I was just trying to help there," Robinson said of his performance. "For me, it’s just help my team, help us have a better chance at winning."

And although Robinson feels good after his best game of the season, the win would have made it mean more. He'll have his chance to help the Knicks get back in the win column when they welcome the Heat to the Garden on Sunday.

Posted on

Knicks can't overcome turnover issues in 116-107 loss to 76ers

The Knicks were unable to overcome 18 turnovers as they lost to the 76ers, 116-107, on Friday night at MSG.

It was the second of a back-to-back for New York and their third game in four days after their NBA Cup win on Tuesday. The Knicks suffered just their second loss at home this season and their six-game winning streak ended. 

After Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson missed Thursday's game against the Pacers, all three returned to action on Friday and all contributed, but it just wasn't enough. Fatigue hit New York, especially Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, who both played against Indiana. 

Despite outrebounding the Sixers, 61-42, the team hit a wall.

Here are the takeaways...

-The Knicks had seven first-quarter turnovers against the Pacers, which led to their double-digit deficit. It was just a tad better on Friday, turning the ball over five times, as the Knicks and Sixers entered the second quarter tied at 29-29. The turnovers were negated by the Knicks shooting 57 percent from the field. And while Philly shot 41 percent, they had no answers for Tyrese Maxey, who returned to the lineup after missing the last two games. Maxey scored 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting (2 of 4 from three) while Dominick Barlow added nine points to help lead the 76ers lead for most of the opening frame. 

-With Brunson and Hart on the bench for the first half of the second, the lineup of KAT, Mikal Bridges, Tyler Kolek, Anunoby and Robinson provided elite defense to help the Knicks take the lead. Robinson in particular had a pair of big blocks and went 3-for-4 at the free throw line to score seven of his nine points in the frame, setting his season-high for a game.

It was a back-and-forth quarter but an and-one three from Brunson in the final minutes helped the Knicks take a 59-57 lead into halftime. Philadelphia dominated from three, hitting 9 of 25 threes in the first half, while the Knicks were just 4-for-17 from downtown. However, without Joel Embiid (illness), the Knicks outrebounded the Sixers 35-19 through the first two quarters.

-Philly got out to a seven-point lead -- matching their game-high -- thanks to the three-point shot from everyone on the court and the Knicks lack of three-point makes. However, the Knicks would go on an 8-0 run thanks to a couple of threes and the Sixers missing their shots. It was back and forth from there even when Maxey took a seat for the final five minutes of the third. But rookie VJ Edgecombe took over offensively, making shots and facilitating. 

In the waning minutes, it was Robinson who brought the Knicks back. The Sixers tried to hack-a-Mitch and the big man made them pay. He scored five points, and made a career-high seven free throws (he finished 7 of 8 from the line). The Knicks could have taken a lead into the fourth, but mental lapses, turnovers and silly fouls allowed the Sixers to take an 88-87 lead, which could have been a bigger deficit if Philadelphia had capitalized on the Knicks' mistakes.

-The final frame was sloppy on both ends, but Philadelphia built a five-point lead with their efficient three-point shooting with eight minutes to go. Despite heroics from Robinson, fatigue hit the Knicks as the play of Maxey and Edgecombe overwhelmed New York.

The guards helped build a nine-point lead in the final minute as the Knicks fell 116-107.

-Kolek checked in to start the second quarter to a good ovation from the MSG crowd, but he picked up two quick fouls. Head coach Mike Brown stuck with the young guard and he settled down, but a couple of turnovers and a third foul put a damper on Kolek's night. He finished with two points on 1-for-3 shooting with two assists and two rebounds but turned the ball over four times and inflicted five personal fouls.

Anunoby had a rough shooting night. He went 1-for-9 (0-for-4 from three) for two points. He did provide elite defense and intangibles but the Knicks could have used his scoring in this one. 

Brunson and Towns both finished with 22 points but the Knicks guard went 7-for-22 and 1 of 7 from three. Bridges added 21 points while Robinson had a season-high 21 points on 7-for-8 shooting and an improbable 7-for-8 at the line. 

Game MVP: Tyrese Maxey

Maxey did it all for the Sixers. Whenever he was on the court, he was near-unguardable. 

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks return to action on their home court for a Sunday night game against the Miami Heat. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Posted on

NBA lays out injury reporting policies, reviewing other 'sports betting policies,' tanking rules

Having an NBA player and active head coach — Miami's Terry Rozier, Portland's Chauncey Billups, respectively — arrested and appearing in court on federal illegal gambling charges shook the NBA. Soon after, the league's executives and lawyers were reviewing old cases and looking ahead, trying to close loopholes that fueled the gambling charges in the first place.

All of which has led to a change in the league's injury-reporting rules, something the league informed teams by memo on Friday, which was reported by Shams Charania of ESPN.

Teams currently only have to update their injury report every hour on game days. Both Rozier and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones have been charged in federal court with sharing inside information on injuries with bettors, who were able to profit by betting proposition unders.

Commissioner Adam Silver said this week that the league was thinking big-picture about how it can address loopholes such as the ones involving Rozier and Jones
.
"We're in the process, as I said right now, in working with our teams, thinking about anything else we can be doing, if there's any aspect of our system that needs to be shored up, and that includes working with the regulators on some, certain kinds of problematic betting," Silver said before the NBA Cup Final Tuesday night in Las Vegas. "For example, we know unders and prop bets are where we are most vulnerable. As I think you know, we don't control the bets that are placed on our own sport right now. We're left to lobby regulators or try to convince the legal sports betting companies that that's bad for them, as well."

The memo from the league told teams this (via The Athletic): "Core to the NBA's position is that sports leagues should have control over the types of bets offered on their games. Because leagues currently do not have such control, any changes will need to be pursued via negotiation with sports betting operations, requests to state gaming regulators, legislative action, or some combination of these avenues."
While the league might be able to influence its partners — such as DraftKings or FanDuel — to eliminate or significantly reduce the amount that can be wagered on prop bets, there are increasingly popular prediction markets that are much more like the Wild West and over which the league has no say. There is no easy answer here for the league, although better injury reporting would help.

All of this also has the league also undertaking "a renewed review of league policy changes concerning 'tanking' -- such as potential modifications to rules regarding Draft pick protections, revised Draft lottery rules, and other approaches," Charania reports. That news comes as we pass the 1/3 mark of the NBA season, and with some teams looking ahead to what is considered a talented, deep draft at the top, there will be a temptation to field nightly lineups with a lower chance of winning. The league already has a policy on resting star players — the Cleveland Cavaliers have been fined twice this season — but that is just part of the challenge.

Posted on

Blake Griffin, Jamal Crawford, Candace Parker headline list of Hall of Fame nominees

The list is stacked: Blake Griffin, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Mike D'Antoni and Kelvin Sampson.

Those are just the first-time headliners on the list of eligible candidates for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

The list released on Friday includes a number of returning candidates eligible for the Hall, including Doc Rivers, Amar'e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion. The complete list released Friday will be narrowed down to Finalists selected on Feb. 9, with the 2026 class unveiled on April 4.

Jamal Crawford, a three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year, is now an analyst for NBC Sports and its broadcasts of NBA games on the network and Peacock.

At first glance, Griffin, Parker and Delle Donne seem locks to be voted into the Hall of Fame.

Griffin, the No. 1 overall pick of the Clippers in 2009, went on to help change the franchise's reputation. He was the 2011 Rookie of the Year and went on to be a six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA player, most famously one of the engines of the Lob City Clippers era. He is currently an analyst with Amazon Prime on their NBA broadcasts.

Posted on

Observations after Sixers snap Knicks' 7-game winning streak at the Garden

Observations after Sixers snap Knicks' 7-game winning streak at the Garden originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

NEW YORK — The Sixers snapped the Knicks’ seven-game winning streak and earned a high-quality victory Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

They notched a 116-107 win to improve to 15-11 this season. New York fell to 19-8. 

Tyrese Maxey tallied 30 points and nine assists. VJ Edgecombe recorded 23 points and four assists.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns each posted 22 points. Mitchell Robinson added 21 points and 16 rebounds.

The Sixers were down Joel Embiid (illness, right knee injury management), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain). 

Embiid was present at the team’s morning shootaround. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said he does not believe the big man has had a recent setback.

Watford took pregame jumpers. Both he and Oubre have advanced to individual on-court workouts in their rehab processes.

The Sixers will travel home and face the Mavericks on Saturday night. Here are observations on their win over the Knicks:

Maxey’s return 

Maxey drew back into the lineup after missing the Sixers’ past two games with an illness.

He didn’t lose his scoring touch. The Sixers’ star guard made a floater on his first shot and then drained a pair of long-range jumpers to give his team a 16-10 lead. 

Meanwhile, two Sixers who shined in Maxey’s absence had rough shooting starts.

Coming off of a season-high 35-point outing last time out against the Hawks, Paul George opened 0 for 6 from the floor and didn’t score until the 4:59 mark of the second quarter. OG Anunoby defended him well, tightly contesting George’s jumpers and making him toil in search of openings. 

Edgecombe began 2 for 8 from the floor following his 26-point night in Atlanta. He had two first-quarter jumpers swatted by Robinson. 

Shots dropping for Edwards again 

Dominick Barlow wound up being the Sixers’ second-leading scorer in the first quarter. He posted nine points on 4-for-5 shooting in the period and also grabbed four offensive rebounds. 

The Sixers shifted to a bench-heavy lineup late in the first. On New York’s second unit, former Sixer Guerschon Yabusele sunk a three on his first touch.

Backup big man Adem Bona picked up his third foul early in the second quarter on a Towns and-one hoop. Bona subbed out and Barlow subbed in for a brief stint at center. The Sixers’ fouls started to pile up and their offense turned cold. The Knicks went up 40-34 on a Robinson put-back slam. 

Justin Edwards was the final player to check in of the Sixers’ 10-man rotation. The lefty wing made an immediate splash in his first game as a 22-year-old, hitting two straight catch-and-shoot threes from the left wing. 

Those jumpers were Edwards’ first made field goals in an NBA game since Dec. 4. He certainly looked like he’d gained confidence from his G League appearance Tuesday with Bona. Edwards poured in 37 points Tuesday for the Delaware Blue Coats. 

“Listen, I’m going to tell you again that I love Justin,” Nurse said Wednesday. “He’s still a very young player. … Both (him and Bona) went down there and embraced it, and they played great. I told them both, ‘Do your thing. Play hard. … Play to your strengths.’ … It was good to see them both have some fun.

“They’re young, man. I would imagine we’re going to use them this weekend in a back-to-back, right? And it was a good time for them to get some rhythm and go down there.” 

Edwards couldn’t stay hot through the end of the first half. He missed his next two jumpers, then fouled Brunson on a corner three. The Villanova product converted a four-point play and the Knicks entered halftime with a 59-57 edge. 

Sixers’ guards great down the stretch

The Sixers had a strong start to the third quarter.

Edgecombe scored a fast-break layup and played a fantastic period overall. Andre Drummond nailed his third corner three of the game.

Like all of the Sixers’ guards, Edgecombe played aggressively while avoiding costly turnovers. Late in the third quarter, the Sixers had a 12-0 advantage in points off turnovers. Their success in that department helped them mitigate New York’s superior offensive rebounding (21-10).

Robinson sparked the Knicks in the final few minutes of the third quarter, partly through improbable success at the foul line when the Sixers intentionally hacked him. Going into Friday, he was 6 for 27 (22.2 percent) this season on his free throws. He went 7 for 8 against the Sixers. Robinson’s put-back lay-in on the Knicks’ first possession of the fourth quarter lifted his team to an 89-88 lead.

The Sixers bounced back with threes from Jared McCain and Maxey that pushed them to a five-point edge. McCain gave the Sixers 12 useful points in 21 minutes off the bench.

Edgecombe was brilliant down the stretch. He made a mid-range jumper, a clutch three and a big-time dunk.

The rookie also dove on the floor to recover a crucial loose ball. Seconds later, Maxey buried a dagger three.

Posted on

NBA Trade Rumors 2025-26: While Anthony Davis gets headlines, Mavericks to ‘explore’ Klay Thompson trade

Front office personnel from around the league gather in Orlando starting today (Dec. 19) for the G-League showcase. And while the GMs are keeping one eye on the prospects on the court, there is a lot more action off it as this is when trade deal-making really starts to get done.

Where do things stand? Here are the latest rumors on some of the biggest names (if you want the latest on Giannis Antetokounmpo, click here).

Anthony Davis

Davis is the biggest name and best player known to be available at the trade deadline — Antetokounmpo doesn't count until he actually asks for a trade and the Bucks start talking to teams — but the Dallas Mavericks are not looking just to dump Davis' contract. This was the main guy they got in return for Luka Doncic, and while Nico Harrison is gone, the Mavericks still want a lot in return for AD, reports Marc Stein at The Stein Line.

"Sources say Dallas, furthermore, is not at all interested in just shedding Davis' contract, which is essentially the same deal as Antetokounmpo's in Milwaukee. The Mavericks have maintained to date that they would only be willing to part with the centerpiece of their infamous [Luka] Doncić deal last February if the trade brings back a return of real consequence."

Dallas' problem? A market that brings "a return of real consequence" does not seem to exist right now. Davis, being 32 and having played in just a dozen games this season due to nagging injuries, and wanting a contract extension this offseason, has limited his market. That said, for optics reasons, Dallas has to get a big haul in any Davis trade.

Atlanta and Toronto are the teams most mentioned as teams interested in Davis — teams in the East who see themselves as close and one player away. Detroit gets brought up as a possibility, too, although its level of interest is up for debate.

Much like Antetokounmpo, a Davis trade is more likely to happen in the offseason than at the deadline. That said, the Mavericks are entertaining offers.

Klay Thompson

Another player Dallas will explore the trade market for is Klay Thompson, reports ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Tim MacMahon.

The bigger question: How much of a market is there for Thompson right now? How much of a return could Dallas get?

Thompson, 35, is averaging 10.8 points a game, largely coming off the bench in Dallas. He can still hit big shots, but he's shooting 35.7% from 3-point range this season — although that has jumped to above 40% in his last 10 games — and he is not near the defender he used to be. He is making $16.7 million this season and is owed $17.5 million next season, complicating matters for teams that might have interest in him.

Lauri Markkanen

Despite interest from teams such as Detroit, Memphis, and maybe San Antonio (where he would be an upgrade in the Harrison Barnes spot), the Utah Jazz are signaling to teams so far that they plan to hold on to Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, reports Michael Scotto of Hoopshype.

At this point, however, Utah has signaled a desire to build with Markkanen despite constant trade interest in his services, HoopsHype has learned.

Utah owes its first-round pick to the Thunder, but it is top-eight-protected. Utah currently has the eighth-worst record in the league, which means that if the NBA Draft Lottery were held today, the Jazz would have a 60.7% chance of keeping their picks. Are those odds good enough for Utah, or will they look to trade Markkanen to improve them (Kessler is off the table)?

Ivica Zubac

With the Clippers struggling and looking more and more like a team in need of a pivot, a lot of other front offices are watching, waiting and checking in to see if LA becomes a seller at the trade deadline. Even if they are open to it, don't expect deals for high-priced veterans with baggage — such as James Harden or Kawhi Leonard — to come in February.

Ivica Zubac is another story. Teams are interested in the underrated big man, but the Clippers are not interested, The Ringer’s Zach Lowe said on the Bill Simmons podcast.

"The Clippers have shoved away people calling, because the vultures are circling with Zubac. And the Clippers are shoving people away."
While the Clippers have set themselves up for a pivot with the books cleared in 2027, there is just one rotation player with a contract that extends beyond that — Zubac. The Clippers see him as part of whatever comes next at the Intuit Dome. It would take a lot to pry him out of LA.

The Clippers' struggles on the perimeter have defenses collapsing on him and focusing more on Zubac, yet he is still averaging 16.2 points, 11.5 rebounds (third most in the league), and is shooting 61.3% this season.

Nick Richards

If Zubac isn't available, one of the big men eyed by a lot of teams is Phoenix big man Nick Richards, but the Suns are being patient, reports the tied in John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 in Phoenix.

The Suns and Raptors reportedly discussed a trade that would have sent Richards to Toronto in exchange for Ochai Agbaji and a second-round pick, but those talks are on hold.

• One team looking to trade for a big man is Indiana, which misses what Myles Turner brought to the table. They have called Utah about Walker Kessler and been shot down, and have engaged Dallas in talks about Daniel Gafford, who is available but the price will be steep.

Sacramento sellers

The Kings are open for business and there is some interest in Domantas Sabonis, but less so in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.

However, it's not those big names that are drawing the most talk in league circles, it's Keon Ellis and Keegan Murray — and the Kings will not talk Murray trade. Here is how Marc Stein put it at The Stein Line.

The Kings have largely been open to fielding trade calls on pretty much anyone on the roster outside of Keegan Murray and rookie Nique Clifford but have also been telling potential trade partners that they do not intend to attach draft capital to veteran contracts to try to move them … or use Keon Ellis' contract to try to sweeten deals. Ellis has been attracting trade feelers for some time given the leaguewide dearth of 3-and-D players currently available.

Expect Sabonis trade chatter to pick up, but if a team wants Ellis it's going to cost them.

Posted on

NBA Trade Rumors 2025-26: Giannis Antetokounmpo says he is 'locked in' on getting healthy, teammates

It feels like we're in the movie Groundhog Day, but let's repeat this one more time:

The Milwaukee Bucks will not trade Giannis Antetokounmpo unless he demands it — and Antetokounmpo has yet to play the bad guy and make that push. Milwaukee is shooting down teams calling about an Antetokounmpo trade, and reportedly is signaling to other teams that it is looking to add players at the deadline, to improve the roster, not trade away the best player in franchise history.

That last part played out again on Thursday, when Antetokounmpo, speaking to reporters for the first time since reports surfaced that his agent was talking to the Bucks about his future in Milwaukee, said he was not aware of any of it (via Eric Nehm of The Athletic).

"I didn't hear about the report. Again, if my agent is talking to the Bucks about it, he is his own person. He can have any conversation he wants about it. At the end of the day, I don't work for my agent, my agent works for me...

"But, at the end of the day, I personally have not had the conversation with the Bucks. I'm still locked in, locked in on my teammates. Most importantly, locked in on me getting back healthy. And then locked in on my teammates and how can I help them from the sideline or encourage them to be able to play and play free...

"So, right now again, I'm just focused on getting back healthy on the court, focusing on how can I encourage my team to be the best version of themselves. After that, focus on how can I go out there and help them win games and get out of this hole that we've dug ourselves in and then everything else comes after that."

Antetokounmpo is on social media, with a marketing and PR team, and is undoubtedly aware of the trade reports and talk around him, as well as how this is playing out. What he said above fits the pattern we have long seen from him: trying to stay focused on what is in front of him at this moment, but that also is not him asking for a trade.

Whatever Antetokounmpo says, the trade rumors do not stop, but the in-season market for him may be somewhat limited. Here are some of the other trade rumors tied to Antetokounmpo:

• The Golden State Warriors want to see how the Antetokounmpo situation plays out before making a run at New Orleans wing Trey Murphy III (the Pelicans are reportedly asking for a very high price for Murphy or Herb Jones, more than teams seem willing to pay), reports Marc Stein at The Stein Line.

• Don't expect the Spurs to push all in to go after Antetokounmpo, league sources told NBC Sports (echoing other reports). Impressed by the way Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper and De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell are coming together, San Antonio wants to see how the rest of this season plays out — especially after an impressive run to the NBA Cup finals — not break up a promising young core for an older player with an injury history.

• Along those same lines, anyone suggesting the Oklahoma City Thunder — the young, defending champions who are 25-2 and have the best point differential in NBA history to this point — are going to blow up their core so they can get into the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes is just trolling for clicks. There is no truth to it.

Posted on

NBA confirms odd Russell Westbrook foul call in Kings' OT loss to Trail Blazers

NBA confirms odd Russell Westbrook foul call in Kings' OT loss to Trail Blazers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Kings can’t catch a break this season.

Just when it appeared they were well on their way toward win No. 7 on the season, the unthinkable happened Thursday night at Moda Center.

Russell Westbrook was called for a foul on Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija with 1.5 seconds remaining in overtime. Even after an initial review, officials deemed that the foul occurred before time expired, sending Avdija to the free-throw line, where he knocked down the game-winning free throw.

With several hours to further review the call, the NBA confirmed the foul on Westbrook was the correct call in the league’s Last Two Minute Report, which states that Westbrook raised his right arm up into Avdija’s arm and initiated contact “that affects his shot attempt.”

It was a true rollercoaster ride for the Kings, who went back and forth with the Trail Blazers through the first three quarters before letting the game slip away in the fourth and then coming back from being down 15 points in the final two minutes of regulation to force overtime.

DeMar DeRozan, who knocked down a 3-pointer to send the game to overtime, was clutch again in the extra quarter as he made a 14-foot turnaround jumpshot that gave Sacramento the 1-point lead with 4.4 seconds left.

Celebration quickly turned into confusion and catastrophe for the Kings, who lost 134-133.

Luckily for them, they don’t have to wait long to get their revenge as they host the Trail Blazers on Saturday at Golden 1 Center.

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast

Posted on

Knicks' Jalen Brunson called own number on game-winning three over Pacers: ‘That’s what real MVP’s do’

The Knicks could’ve easily rolled over and punted Thursday night’s game. 

They were just two days off of their NBA Cup clinching victory over the Spurs, and found themselves leaning on numerous reserves with three key pieces sitting out on the first night of a back-to-back. 

However, the captain refused to let them go down without a fight. 

After trailing by as many as 16 points twice in the ballgame, New York was able to pull to within two when Mike Brown called a timeout with 11.4 seconds remaining in regulation. 

At the time, Jalen Brunson had knocked down just one of his five shots and had a turnover during the fourth quarter. 

Still, the reigning Clutch Player of the Year called his own number during that timeout. 

“Mike drew up a play and allowed me to get right,” he said. “I asked if I could go for the win and he said sure -- I work at it all the time, it’s a shot that I’m comfortable taking.”

Brunson missed the same shot two possessions ago and had just taken a hard foul from Andrew Nembhard, but he looked more than comfortable as he took the inbounds pass and drilled a step-back dagger three with just 4.4 seconds left. 

After the Pacers took a timeout to draw up a play of their own, OG Anunoby came up with a massive steal on the other end, helping the shorthanded squad somehow pull out a gutsy come-from-behind victory. 

“Our MVP, the league’s MVP,” Brown said. “As Jalen’s walking onto the floor he turns to me and says, ‘I’m getting this win, I’m going for it.’ I said, ‘You do you, that’s who you are.’ Then he went out and came through -- that’s what real MVP’s do.”

Brunson finished the night with 25 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.

Posted on

NBA states controversial foul on Moses Moody in loss to Suns was correct call

NBA states controversial foul on Moses Moody in loss to Suns was correct call originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors won’t point fingers for their losses, given how careless they’ve been with the ball this season.

But a foul call with less than one second remaining in regulation — yes, one second — only made matters worse in Thursday’s 1-point loss to the Phoenix Suns.

The controversial foul call on Moses Moody, which led to a game-winning free throw for Suns guard Jordan Goodwin, caused chaos and chatter for NBA fans on social media. And Friday morning, the NBA didn’t budge.

The league’s Last Two Minute Report revealed that the foul call on Moody was the correct call.

Again, the Warriors have no one but themselves to blame for another disappointing loss. They turned the ball over 20 times, which led to 30 Phoenix points.

Golden State, which now has lost three games in a row and five of its last seven, endured yet another deflating loss in a season in which it has struggled to close out games. Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters postgame that he was in disbelief the game ended the way it did.

“Tonight we executed really well,” Kerr said. “It’s hard to believe that the game was decided on that call, you know, on an air ball that hits the side of the backboard, and guys behind the bench told me that Moses got all ball. Everybody’s tangled up … That, to me, it better be a foul to decide the game on a play like that.

“So, disappointing that we didn’t get to go to overtime because I thought our guys executed and did a great job in the last few minutes of giving ourselves a chance.”

The NBA’s final ruling doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but it certainly doesn’t make Dub Nation feel any better about the outcome.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Posted on

Doug Christie explains decision to bench Malik Monk in Kings' OT loss to Blazers

Doug Christie explains decision to bench Malik Monk in Kings' OT loss to Blazers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

As if the Kings’ 2025-26 NBA season couldn’t get any weirder, one of the team’s key contributors was benched in Thursday’s heartbreaking overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center.

Malik Monk received his first DNP-CD (Did Not Play, Coach’s Decision) of his Kings tenure, raising eyebrows in Sacramento and across the league.

After the down-to-the-wire, controversial loss, Kings coach Doug Christie explained why he opted not to play Monk.

“We were going with defense, but it’s a logjam,” Christie said (h/t The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson). “We’ve got a lot of guards, so whenever it was Keon [Ellis] being the odd man out, then it was Keon being out. Tonight, we were playing Keon, so Malik was out.”

Ellis, whose DNP-CDs and inconsistent minutes have perplexed Kings fans and the NBA as a collective, played a season-high 32 minutes off the bench Thursday night, finishing with 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting, with four rebounds, three assists and six steals.

With DeMar DeRozan, Russell Westbrook, Dennis Schröder and Nique Clifford all playing at least 20 minutes, Christie couldn’t find the minutes for Monk, one of Sacramento’s most effective reserve players.

Despite trade rumors involving Monk dating back to this past offseason, Anderson reported, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, that Monk’s benching was not trade-related and rather simply a coaching decision.

Christie and his coaching staff still are searching for the solutions to this guard logjam, but he’ll remain open-minded in the meantime.

“Nothing is permanent,” Christie said. “Obviously, we’re going to continue to try to make it happen, but Keon played well. We’ll give Keon a run and allow him to continue to develop with those guys.

“He came in off the bench, I thought, and played fantastic with that bench unit. They did a really good job in the third quarter. It just kind of got away from us. We got stalled out a little bit, but they came back with the starters and Keon was a part of that group. … I thought those guys did a great job.”

Sacramento fell to 6-21 on the season, tied for the second-worst record in the Western Conference.

“We’re searching,” Christie said. “So far, it has not worked the way we want it to work. Now, I will say obviously we haven’t had our full deck, but the point is we’re continuing to search. We’re continuing to coach. We’re continuing to push.

“We’re not stopping anything that we’re doing to try to find a way to get ourselves, not only wins, but to find the ability to say this is the standard of what we’re going to do.”

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast

Posted on

Mazzulla's latest wild idea: Why Celtics coach wants a wolf

Mazzulla's latest wild idea: Why Celtics coach wants a wolf originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

If you’re unfamiliar with Joe Mazzulla’s “unique” personality, we’ll direct you to this list of the Boston Celtics head coach’s best quotes, which include his thoughts on psychological warfare, the animal kingdom and, of course, The Town.

If you are familiar with what makes Mazzulla tick, you may not be surprised by what he told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak & Bertrand during his weekly radio interview Friday.

“We obviously have a dog, but I’m trying to convince (my wife) to get a wolf that just kind of roams the area of our house, as kind of an extra layer of protection,” Mazzulla said.

If anyone would have a wolf guarding their property, it’d be Mazzulla, who never sits with his back to the door in restaurants and doesn’t use revolving doors because “if one of them gets stuck, then you’re just a sitting duck.”

It appears Mazzulla is meeting some resistance on the wolf front, however.

“Apparently the trainer said that another guy had one and it turned on him in the middle of the night,” Mazzulla added.

To the trainer’s point, wolves are wild animals for a reason. But Mazzulla insisted he wouldn’t find himself in the same predicament.

“I was like, ‘(The wolf) didn’t have a good enough relationship with him,'” Mazzulla replied.

Fair point, Joe.

The Celtics are in the middle of their season and play three games in the next four nights, so Mazzulla might not have much free time to build a bond with one of nature’s fiercest predators. But there’s always the offseason.

Mazzulla’s Celtics take on the Miami Heat at TD Garden on Friday night, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.