Category: Basketball

More than a feel-good story: How Seth Curry can help Warriors right away originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

There isn’t a cure for the Warriors playing without Steph Curry. His brother, Seth, still can be a remedy to some of their biggest offensive issues six weeks into the 2025-26 NBA season. 

The Warriors on Monday officially signed the younger Curry brother to a one-year contract for the rest of the season. Seth, 35, joined the Warriors in training camp but was waived before the season for financial reasons. As a team hard-capped at the second apron, the Warriors could only have 14 players on their roster to begin the season.

Curry signed as the 15th man on the Warriors’ roster. Each day they waited to sign him gave the Warriors more financial flexibility down the road, which could be beneficial at the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Now that he’s back with the Warriors, he knows exactly what he brings to them. 

Everybody does. 

“I think everyone around the league knows what I bring to the table as far as my game,” Curry told reporters Monday at Chase Center after Warriors practice. “Just being able to spread the floor, make shots – just create offense. I feel like I can with my movement. I feel like I’m a little underrated on the ball, as far as playing ball screens, dribble-handoffs and just creating that attention from the defense. 

“They know what I bring and I think the whole league knows what I bring. Just trying to provide that as soon as possible.” 

Warriors coach Steve Kerr confirmed that Curry will be active for his season debut Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. A need for shooting against the Thunder without Steph is obvious. That was evident last game Saturday night in an eight-point win against the three-win New Orleans Pelicans when the Warriors shot 40.9 percent from the field (38 of 93) and 25.5 percent from 3-point range (12 of 47). 

Shooting was such a struggle that the Warriors missed 20 of their first 21 3-point attempts, making their third and then going 16 straight misses until a Moses Moody three snapped the streak halfway through the second quarter. Quinten Post made one three in the first quarter, and Moody made one in the second. Those two were 2 of 7 at halftime. 

The rest of the Warriors were 0 of 15. 

Even though the Warriors lead the NBA in 3-pointers made per game (15.9), they’re an average shooting team in terms of accuracy. The Warriors rank 14th in 3-point percentage (35.9 percent). In terms of effective field goal percentage (54.2 percent, 19th) and true shooting percentage (58.5 percent, 16th), the Warriors are a below-average shooting team. 

The most traditional of stats, field goal percentage, has the Warriors as a bad shooting team (45.1 percent, 24th). 

Which is where Curry first can make his mark. Curry is coming off a season where he played 68 games and led the NBA in 3-point percentage at 45.6 percent. He also had a 59.9 effective field goal percentage and a 61.6 true shooting percentage. Of the nine seasons he has played at least 44 games, Curry has finished with a 3-point percentage of 40 percent or better in eight. 

Steph has a 42.3 3-point percentage for his career. Seth’s career 3-point percentage is 43.3.

But back to why Seth’s shooting prowess matters for the Warriors. 

Steph has missed five games already and still leads the Warriors in 3-point attempts by 67, and makes by 26. Buddy Hield is searching while shooting a career-worst 30.8 percent from three. Post is shooting 31.6 percent from three after having a 40.8 3-point percentage as a rookie, Draymond Green’s 3-point percentage is down to 32.9, Al Horford has only made 32 percent of his threes in the 12 games he has played and Jonathan Kuminga (33.3 percent) still isn’t a threat from downtown. 

The Warriors’ newest Curry is. This also isn’t the first time he has mentioned he believes he’s underrated on the ball. Pat Spencer might be Kerr’s most trusted ball-handler in the second unit right now to keep the offense flowing, but he isn’t close to worrying teams shooting the ball. 

“It’s great having Seth officially,” Kerr said. “He gives us another great shooter, a guy who’s really solid with the ball. Total pro. Ready on a moment’s notice. It’s exciting. Obviously, we’ve been anticipating this and he’s been staying as ready as possible.” 

Curry’s main focus as he waited to finally sign with the Warriors was making sure he kept his body right and wouldn’t have any health concerns upon his return. He was on the Warriors’ recent six-game road trip, went home on some of the shorter trips to work with a personal trainer and has been around Chase Center plenty of times. 

Seth was even in attendance at Chase Center, sitting with the Curry family a week before his signing during the Warriors’ win against the Utah Jazz. Between watching games and picking Steph’s mind, Seth is well-versed on the insides of how the Warriors’ season has gone. And he has kept his pulse on the rest of the NBA. 

“I got a handle on the league and how the league’s been playing over the past month or whatever,” Curry said. “I feel like my mental is right. It’s just obviously me trying to keep my game sharp and stay in the best shape as possible.” 

Adding Curry only makes the Warriors’ rotation of guards that much fuller. De’Anthony Melton’s season debut is on the horizon, too. Whether Curry’s first official game in a Warriors jersey comes against the defending champions or not, and who knows how big his role will be, Seth has stayed ready.

“I’m trying to do whatever I can to help the team right away if possible. Whatever,” he said. “If they throw me out there tomorrow, fine. If not, it is what it is. I’m trying to obviously get back in the flow of an NBA season. 

“I’m just here to do what I do. I feel pretty good. Whatever they need from me, I’m gonna try to just provide what I bring.”

He’s more than the name on the back of a Warriors jersey that he shares with his superstar older brother turned teammate. What Seth does and brings to any given game also should only add to the lore of the greatest shooting family in the history of basketball.

The Warriors could not wait any longer.

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How Warriors' Steph Curry navigates highs and lows of his Draymond Green bond originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

There have been a few times since 2012 when Draymond Green’s occasionally rambunctious conduct tested the limits of everyone within the Warriors’ orbit, including the team’s prince of patience and prudence, Stephen Curry.

Never for a moment, though, has Curry considered endorsing a Green-Warriors divorce.

“I don’t ever get into that narrative because he’s had some situations where people want to criticize and jump in,” said Curry, appearing on NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dubs Talk podcast, which debuted Monday. “And he’s obviously taken a lot of responsibility for things that have happened over the years.

“But when it comes to seeing somebody for who they truly are and what they bring to the table, there’s no better example of a friendship and a teammate relationship that can stand the test of time. Because there’s just trust at the end of the day. I know he’s going to show up with the right mentality and do it his way and over the course of a season. I can rely on that.”

Now in their 14th season as teammates – longest active duration in the NBA – Curry-Green is a ride-or-die relationship. It goes back to Green’s rookie season, when he proved capable of helping the Warriors in ways no one else could. They bonded off the court, too. When Curry, a devoted Carolina Panthers fan, mentioned in 2015 that he and his family were flying to Seattle to see them face the Seahawks, he was reminded of their notoriously boisterous fans.

Curry’s response: Draymond’s coming with me. And, naturally, when things got rowdy at the stadium, Green relished playing the role of bodyguard. That provided Curry with a glimpse of Green’s commitment to those closest to him. He understood it because he’s no different in that regard. They’re both born under the Pisces astrological sign and their loyalty is reciprocal.

At the heart of their relationship is the pursuit of victory. They’re outstanding individual players, with Curry as Golden State’s offensive engine and Green playing the same role for the defense. Their two-man activity on offense is sublime, as it should be after 771 games together. Each man’s game is enriched by the other.

“I’ve said it since his first game, pretty much in terms of him being a guy that could influence the game no matter what the stat sheet says,” Curry said. “And he’s lived up to that and beyond his entire career, and as a true winner.

“But there are times where I need him to lift me up emotionally, because you know I might not have it in the tank. And I need to kind of cool him off if he’s running too hot at times, and vice versa.”

It’s Draymond’s emotions that at times rub people the wrong way and also diminish the effectiveness of the Warriors. Between technical fouls and other small fines, he has turned over nearly $1 million to the NBA, according to Spotrac. He has been suspended six times over a seven-year (2016-2023) span, losing more than $3 million in salary.

The most sensational moment of Green’s unwelcome conduct came in October 2022 when he slugged then-teammate Jordan Poole in the face during a training-camp practice. Some within the organization pondered whether Draymond still was good for the franchise.

Curry was among the many who were disappointed with the needless violence, but he stood by his longtime teammate.

“His highs and his lows are a little bit (louder) than most,” Curry said. “When you’re teammates and friends and been together with somebody for that long . . . he’s seen my highs and my lows, too, and whether that’s in front of the camera on the court, or behind the scenes in the locker room, or whatever. We’ve both had those moments where we can kind of lift each other up.”

It is that rarely publicized side of Green that Curry appreciates most. The world knows of Draymond’s blowups, but Curry and others close to him know of the kind, giving individual who grew up in rugged Saginaw, Mich., and understands the value of being there for others, particularly those in need.

Which is an attribute shared by Green and Curry, who as the son of NBA star Dell Curry, grew up under very different circumstances.

“That’s the stuff that you learn over the course of getting to know somebody from Day 1,” Curry said. “Seeing him as a husband, as a father, as a friend, the idea of how he shows up for people. He’s taught me a lot as well just in the consideration of trying to meet people where they are. As wound up as he is, he has a very empathetic side to him that not many people get to see.

“He’s fiery, and he keeps you on edge all the time. And that’s kind of what you need. But the other side of him, Pisces gang. He’s a feeler too. Don’t let him get it twisted.”

Curry has seen dozens of teammates come and go since 2009, when he was drafted by the Warriors. Green came and has stayed. The result has been six trips to the NBA Finals, with four ending with a championship. These achievements don’t happen without Steph – or Draymond. “Oh, zero,” Curry said when asked how many titles the Warriors might have won without Green. “Zero. Zero. “And the idea is, hopefully, there’s one more in the tank.

“And he would say the same thing about me. He’d say the same thing about Klay (Thompson), or Andre (Iguodala) or (Kevin Durant). It goes back to the fact that when it’s all said and done, we’ll be able to go back to those specific moments.”

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With Steph Curry out and Jimmy Butler aching, here come Thunder to face Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – After sitting for about 20 minutes, Jimmy Butler III rises from his chair moving one limb at a time. His discomfort is evident. Asked how he’s feeling, he eschews athlete-speak and responds with typical candor.

“You see how I’m walking,” he said with a sigh, left hand resting on his left hip and as he shuffles carefully out of the room.

Three hours later, Butler’s name appeared on the Monday afternoon NBA injury report submitted by the Warriors in advance of their game Tuesday against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder at Chase Center.

Two days removed from landing hard on his backside late in the Warriors’ 104-96 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Butler was listed as “questionable” with a left gluteal contusion. In simpler terms, an aching ass.

Add this to the first unwelcome blow to the Warriors last week. Stephen Curry sustained a left quad contusion last Wednesday and is expected to miss at least two more games, the next being OKC on Tuesday.

And to think, the Warriors had hoped to use their five-game homestand to generate enough momentum to escape mediocrity. They split the first four games and now must take down the mighty Thunder (20-1 record) to achieve a winning homestand.

And now, Butler’s availability is in question. He is Golden State’s No. 2 scorer, behind Curry, averaging 20.2 points per game. His role in the offense expands when Curry is not available. He was superb Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans, producing a team-high 24 points, a game-high 10 assists, grabbing eight rebounds and finishing a game-best plus-22 over 37 minutes.

“He didn’t practice today,” coach Steve Kerr said of Butler. “He feels like he’ll be able to play [Tuesday], but he was pretty sore from that spill he took.”

The Warriors made it through the first month of the season without significant injuries to their four veterans – Curry’s three-game absence to due to an illness was the worst of it – only to come home 10 days ago have each of them afflicted. In addition to Curry and Butler, Draymond Green (listed as “probable”) is trying to play through a sprained right foot, and Al Horford (listed as “out”) is coping with sciatic nerve irritation.

As much as we might like to consider the game on Tuesday as some kind of in-season exam on the status of the Warriors, this now looks more like a test of will. OKC is missing three rotation players – Alex Caruso, Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein – but that’s been the case most of the season and it has not mattered.

When Curry took that knee to the quad against the Houston Rockets last week, he immediately knew he would miss some time. The proof was in the look on his face, one of deep disappointment and barely submerged fury. The Warriors had led most of the game but were clinging to an 89-88 lead inside the final five minutes. He knew what the moment meant, so he tried to limp his way to the finish line.

Curry didn’t quite make it, and the Warriors were outscored 16-11 over the final 4:19.

Like Curry, Butler knows what the moment means. The Warriors haven’t been more than three games over .500 all season, and this homestand was an opportunity. Instead, it’s been a loss, a win, a loss and another win. Which has their record at 11-10.

Reinforcements are coming. Seth Curry signed on Monday and will be active Tuesday night. De’Anthony Melton is expected to be available sometime on the road trip that begins Thursday in Philadelphia. They will help, eventually. Melton may find his way back into the starting lineup.

“We’ll see how much time it takes, but we’re excited to get him back,” Kerr said of Melton. “He’s a two-way player, he’s really good fundamentally in terms of taking care of the ball and decision-making. I say it all the time it’s a decision-making sport, and De’Anthony is a guy who makes really good decisions at both ends.”

But Golden State’s pursuit of a stretch of games when it flashes the top end of its potential continues to be elusive. And it’s impossible when Curry is in street clothes.

Knowing that, Butler’s thirst for victory may send him onto the floor against the Thunder. If he strolls out for the opening tip at 8 o’clock, he surely will be compromised.

I saw how he was walking.

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Are Steph Curry, Klay Thompson best NBA backcourt ever? Warriors star sees case originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Aside from the Boston Celtics building the most remarkable dynasty ever, the history of the NBA is light on absolutes. From greatest player to greatest at each position to greatest coach, opinions tend to vary. And forever will.

One claim, however, that can stake a reasonable case for being above debate is that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, during their 666 games as teammates on the Warriors, represented the best, and most enduring, guard duo ever.

“You let everybody have their opinions on that,” Curry said in an appearance on the NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dubs Talk podcast, which debuted Monday. “It is kind of crazy to think that it’s not inconceivable, or you won’t be yelled at, if you’re standing on that hill.”

It’s a sturdy hill that began forming in 2012-13, their first full season as starters with Golden State. After becoming the first teammates to make more than 200 3-pointers in the regular season, they made 67, on 40.6-percent shooting, as the No. 6 seed Warriors upset the third-seeded Denver Nuggets in six games before pushing the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs to six games.

One year later, the Warriors gave birth to a dynasty.

Curry and Thompson are the only backcourt duo to reach five consecutive NBA Finals. The Celtics of three generations ago went to 10 consecutive Finals but had a rotating cast of starters in the backcourt, with Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, Tom “Satch” Sanders and Larry Siegfried, among others.

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant never reached the NBA Finals in four consecutive seasons, and their backcourt partners are, to be frank, relegated to trivia. Magic Johnson made it to four in a row, two with Norm Nixon and two with Byron Scott – neither of whom will join Magic in the Hall of Fame.

The above players made an impact on the game – Magic, Michael and Kobe in particular – but none altered the basketball landscape to the degree the “Splash Brothers” did. Curry is the all-time leader in 3-pointers and, by consensus, the king of the 3-pointer. Yet Thompson holds the record for most in a game, draining 14 in 27 searing minutes in 2018. All five of Curry’s assists went to Klay, including the one that tied Steph’s single-game record of 13.

“My coach at Davidson, Bob McKillop, used to say if you help somebody, you help yourself,” Curry said. “And that’s not like a selfish ambition. That’s an approach to the game. And that night was exactly what it’s supposed to be.

“I did make it harder myself if I want to come back and try to now make 15 3s in a game to have that record. But I’m glad that it’s his right now.”

With Curry being the family man and Thompson a confirmed bachelor, they led very different lives off the court. It was their competitive zeal and shared desire for excellence that was perhaps the strongest bond between them. There were times when it seemed they competed to see who would be the last to leave the practice court.

It paid off for the Warriors, who, behind the Curry-Thompson backcourt, appeared in six Finals, winning four. 

It also paid off for Curry and Thompson individually, with them going to five consecutive All-Star games – a feat no modern-era backcourt has achieved. (Cousy and Sharman went to eight in straight from 1953-60).

“Two guys that played hard, were irrationally confident with our jumpers and we kind of thrived off each other in terms of when one got going, it wasn’t like, ‘Oh, when is my turn?’” Curry said. “It was like we’d start to feel the heat and the energy of the arena, the ball and whatever the flow of the game is.

“Klay was such an asset for me on the court, because he usually guarded the best perimeter guy on the other team. He took that responsibility and loved it. He was selfless about it. You know he wanted to score, but he knew he could help us on that end of the floor.

“And then for me, like using gravity, trying to get him easy shots on the other side. You’ve got to kind of pick your poison. Who you’re going to leave open? That’s why it worked.”

Curry’s acknowledgment of Thompson’s defense is one of the persuasive elements in the duo receiving GOAT status. Klay, standing 6-foot-6, with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, was the primary defender not only on smallish point guards like Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard and Chris Paul but also bigger guards, such as DeMar DeRozan and James Harden.

Yet it is the 3-point deep shooting of Curry and Thompson that stands as the first of several arguments on their behalf. Curry ranks No. 1 on the career list with 4,133, while Thompson, who missed two full seasons, is fifth at 2,754. Former Warriors coach Mark Jackson, in 2013, was the first to anoint them as the “best shooting backcourt in the history of the game.

Twelve years later, there is no debate.

“I’m pretty sure we got that one,” Curry said. “But in terms of backcourt in general, there’s obviously a lot of competition there. Who knows how these debates get solved and settled?

“But it’s the idea that because of our accomplishments as a team and what me and Klay did for such a long time at the 1 and the 2 spots, and how we did it, and the way people remember those moments in that run. You walk into any barber shop, any gym, any men’s league or whatever, and they start bringing that conversation up, you won’t be the only one in the room (with that opinion).”

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The Lakers’ seven-game winning streak came to a crashing halt with a 125-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday at Crypto.com Arena.

While Luka Doncic continued his scoring surge with 38 points and 11 rebounds, the loss laid bare the Lakers’ biggest problems. The Lakers (15-5) turned the ball over 21 times, which led to 32 points for the Suns. The team’s middle-of-the-road defense had no answer for Phoenix’s dizzying offense that shot 57% from the field. LeBron James, who sat out Sunday to manage a left foot injury at the start of the Lakers' home back-to-back, faded into the background most of the night.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer didn’t exert any force on the game until the fourth quarter as the possibility of his streak of 1,296 consecutive games with 10 or more points looked to be in danger. Entering the fourth quarter with just six points, James hit a step-back fadeaway jumper with 6:51 to go that pushed him to 10.

Read more:Lakers try to fight the boredom of seventh straight win

It was the only moment of consequence in a second half that the Lakers had long let get out of control.

Collin Gillespie buried the Lakers with 28 points and eight three-pointers, including four that came in the fourth quarter. Dillon Brooks had 33 to lead the Suns, who had little trouble scoring despite losing star guard Devin Booker.

Booker left the game with 2:05 remaining in the first quarter and didn’t return because of a right groin injury. The Suns still dictated the pace and built a 14-point halftime lead by finishing the second quarter on a 19-4 run. Brooks had 23 points in the first half.

Doncic scored 20 points in the first quarter for the second consecutive game, but unlike when he dominated the struggling New Orleans Pelicans, Doncic’s scoring was not enough Monday.

The Suns, the league leaders in steals, forced 12 Lakers turnovers in the first half, which led to 17 points for Phoenix. The Suns outscored the Lakers 16-0 in fast-break points.

Lakers guard Marcus Smart missed a third consecutive game, leaving the Lakers without a stalwart defender and vocal leader. He was previously sidelined because of back spasms, but the Lakers designated Monday’s absence as back injury management. Redick doesn’t believe the absence will be long-term as Smart underwent imaging that was “unremarkable,” Redick said, outside of looking “like a normal 11-year NBA veteran,” the coach added with a smile.

The Lakers could use Smart’s toughness as they proceed toward a difficult three-game East Coast trip that begins Thursday in Toronto. They play three games in four days, including in Boston on Friday and in Philadelphia on Sunday. All three teams are above .500, while the Lakers are 4-4 against such teams.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. scored 35 points, Noah Clowney had 18 and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Charlotte Hornets 116-103 on Monday night.

Nic Claxton added 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Brooklyn, which had lost four in a row. Reserves Danny Wolf and Drake Powell each scored 10 points.

Porter went 7 for 11 from 3-point range. The Nets went 17 for 43 from beyond the arc, compared to 12 for 32 for the Hornets.

Kon Knueppel scored 18 points for Charlotte, which had won two in a row. LaMelo Ball had 12 points and 14 assists, and Collin Sexton finished with 15 points.

The Hornets closed to 96-93 on Liam McNeeley's two foul shots with 7:06 left. But Wolf converted a layup and Porter made a pull-up jumper to increase the Nets' lead to 100-93 with 6:16 remaining.

Wolf and Clowney connected from long range to make it 112-98 with 2:36 left.

The game was tied at 59 at halftime. Porter scored 17 points in the first half, and Knueppel had 12 at the break.

Up next

Hornets: At the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.

Nets: At the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

Immanuel Quickley just needed his chance. 

The young point guard was as a spark plug off the bench for the Knicks his first four seasons, finishing in the top-10 of Sixth Man of the Year voting twice. 

Due for a big contract, though, New York decided to ship him out of town. 

Quickley was traded to the Raptors alongside fellow RJ Barrett as part of the OG Anunoby deal nearly two years ago. 

The 26-year-old has taken full advantage of his opportunity since then. 

He missed some time to injury but established himself as a starter in Toronto’s lineup, producing 17.0 points and 5.2 assists over his first season and a half with the team. 

Quickley has been able to stay healthy to this point this year -- putting together 16.0 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.6 rebounds across the first 21 games of the season. 

Though some around the game may be surprised by the Kentucky-product’s growth, his former teammate certainly isn’t. 

“The way he’s worked on his game since I’ve seen him and even before then,” Jalen Brunson said. “Hearing about his work ethic and everything, nothing surprises me -- the way he’s been playing and what he’s been able to do has been great.

“This is the opportunity he’s been looking for and he’s been showing out. I have nothing by respect for him, that’s my guy. The way our relationship is we go out there, we compete but I’m always rooting for him.”

Quickly gave the MSG-faithful a blast from the past returning to the Big Apple on Sunday, finishing just shy of a double-double (19 PTS, 8 AST) while knocking down 50 percent of his shots (7-of-14).

He’ll face Brunson and the Knicks again next week in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals.

Jalen Brunson is off to an MVP-caliber start to the season with the Knicks, and he earned a different award on Monday, when he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. 

In four games last week, Brunson averaged 28.8 points and 4.5 assists per game, shooting 40.7 percent from three-point range.

Perhaps most importantly, the Knicks went 4-0 in those four games, including a 118-109 win over Milwaukee in which Brunson went off for 37 points.

“There’s not enough [MVP] chatter,” head coach Mike Brown said of Brunson after the win over Milwaukee. “It’s early, so I’m not throwing a fit, but the guy had 37 tonight on 12-of-21 (shooting), and he gets blitzed often and he makes the right play -- he did what he’s supposed to do, and that’s why we don’t talk about it because that’s what he’s capable of.

“But hopefully you guys will start talking the right way about this young man in terms of him having some MVP talk because that’s what he is. We’re not playing the best basketball right now, but we’re trending in the right direction and he’s the engine behind it, so to me he did what he's supposed to do which equates to him being the MVP.”

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors.