Category: Basketball

The Knicks had an offensive explosion on Wednesday night, beating the Charlotte Hornets, 129-101.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Things got off to a fast start as both offenses came out firing and shot the ball extremely well in the first quarter. Josh Hart, in particular, had a fantastic opening quarter in what was his second start of the season after he logged 38 minutes in a win against the Nets last time out. 

The 30-year-old looked like a man inspired and scored 11 points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field in eight minutes on the floor. He also had a steal and an assist in what was a fast-paced and entertaining back-and-forth first quarter.

-- It wasn't just Hart, though, as every starter saw at least two baskets go through in the opening frame. Jalen Brunson (9), Karl-Anthony Towns (6), Mikal Bridges (6) and Miles McBride (5), along with Hart, combined to score 37 points and shoot 15-of-20 (75 percent) from the field. 

-- Mitchell Robinson led everybody with three rebounds in four minutes off the bench, while Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele also saw some minutes. 

-- The Hornets had a similarly successful first quarter with Collin Sexton leading the scoring charge with seven points off the bench. LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges each had five and after 12 minutes, New York was up 37-31.

-- Scoring slowed to start the second quarter as both teams began the period 3-for-11 from the field. Nevertheless, the Knicks continued to add to their lead and were up by 15 after Brunson completed an and-one with 3:35 remaining in the half as Charlotte struggled mightily on offense. 

-- Things exploded from there with New York ending the half on a 15-2 run to take complete control. The two daggers came in the final minute when Brunson and Hart each splashed deep three-pointers, with Hart's coming with 1.2 seconds left. The last-second triple was Hart's third of the half as he led all scorers with 19 points (7-for-9 from the field, 3-for-3 from deep, 2-for-2 at the free throw line) heading into the locker room with the Knicks up, 72-47.

-- Essentially over from there, New York did well to not let the Hornets get back into the game in the second half as Brunson carried the load offensively by scoring 16 points in the third quarter. It wasn't his most efficient night, shooting 14-for-28 from the field and 2-for-6 from three, but Brunson ended with a game-high 33 points.

-- After his incredible first half, Hart took a backseat to Brunson in the second and let the point guard cook. Still, Hart finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals in a do-it-all type performance. Towns had a double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds), Bridges had 18 points and McBride added 19 to round out most of the Knicks' scoring.

-- New York shot an incredible 57 percent from the field, 52 percent from deep and 89 percent from the charity stripe in one of its most impressive offensive showings, especially on the road. It was enough to capture just the team's third road win of the season and they are now 3-5 away from MSG. 

-- The Knicks are now 2-1 in NBA Cup group stage play.

Game MVP: Josh Hart

Hart was everywhere in the first half and was a big reason why the Knicks got out to such a big lead at halftime.

Highlights

Josh Hart to the basket 💪 pic.twitter.com/I2kN3v7nnq

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 27, 2025

Josh Hart steal & score! pic.twitter.com/hd2b2sCsJg

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 27, 2025

19 first-half points for Josh Hart 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xlSly0WZ2b

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 27, 2025

What's next

The Knicks return home after a five-game road trip to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night in their final NBA Cup group stage matchup. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

Doug Christie, Kings haunted by appalling first quarter in NBA Cup loss to Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – Keegan Murray was fairly pleased with how the Kings played defense over the final three quarters on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center when they limited the Phoenix Suns to 71 points despite their 112-100 loss.

The problem for Sacramento came in the first quarter of the night, when the game got out of hand before many fans had a chance to settle into their seats comfortably.

It was 12 minutes of absolute dysfunctional play on both ends of the court for Sacramento, a complete 180 from Monday’s game against Minnesota when the Kings rallied to stun the Timberwolves.

“Obviously when you lose a quarter 41-16, it’s hard to come back,” Murray told reporters. “We just dug ourselves too big of a hole. It was rough. It wasn’t our brand of basketball at all. The next three quarters, we started to figure it out a little bit, but it was just too late.”

That was the general sentiment everywhere in Sacramento, where fans, in evident frustration, booed the hometown squad for most of the night before heading for the exits with more than two minutes still on the clock.

An apparent disturbance with a Kings fan put the game on hold 😳 pic.twitter.com/1djfk3f1JR

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 27, 2025

Kings coach Doug Christie echoed sentiments of disappointment.

“About as disappointing as it gets,” Christie told reporters. “Probably should have called a timeout within the first six seconds with the very first turnover. You can’t dig a hole like that.

“Not only digging a hole that way, but it’s the confidence that you give another team that is just out of control. You can’t give NBA players that type of confidence. Just man for man. It can’t happen.”

The hole was dug, and, as a result, the Kings played from behind all night. The Suns got away with too many easy baskets inside, a result of star big man Domantas Sabonis not playing.

Sacramento was also without its backup point guard and one of its top defensive stoppers in Dennis Schröder.

Regardless of the situation, the first quarter was as bad as it’s been this season for the Kings.

“I guess we were just stuck in the mud tonight,” guard Malik Monk said. “They were hitting shots, we were letting them get open shots, but they were knocking them down. It’s hard to win, man, when you got a big deficit like that.”

It would be easy to shrug this off as one game, but Monk said it’s been a pattern for the Kings ever since he signed with the team before the 2022-23 NBA season.

“I wouldn’t say it’s surprising to me, because that’s been the story of my seasons (since) I’ve been playing here,” Monk added. “We start kind of flat sometimes, and sometimes we don’t. Super disappointing, man, because we know what we can do when we come out, play hard and compete for four quarters.”

The first quarter fiasco against Phoenix was definitely one for the books.

Sacramento scored just 16 points, its fewest in any opening quarter this season. The Kings shot 6 for 17 (1 for 7 on 3s), committed seven turnovers and failed to record a single assist.

For a squad that has been preaching about team identity all season, the Kings really don’t have one yet. If they do, it definitely was missing Wednesday.

“I don’t think we’re showing it right now,” Murray concluded. “I think you saw more in the Minnesota and the Denver game, but we just want to try and disrupt teams. Play fast, be the aggressor, have the other team be on their heels, and just keep punching them. But tonight, obviously, I think we only did that for one quarter.”

It was also just one quarter that proved to be the Kings’ downfall against the Suns.

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Watford sidelined, Bona eyeing return for Sixers' Black Friday game in Brooklyn  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ revolving injury door keeps swinging.

A team official said that an MRI confirmed Trendon Watford suffered a left adductor strain in the second quarter of the Sixers’ 41-point loss Tuesday to the Magic. He’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks. 

After missing the start of this season with a left hamstring injury, Watford had played in 14 consecutive games and averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists. The highlight of his season has been a first career triple-double in the Sixers’ Nov. 8 win over the Raptors. He wasn’t too far from a second on Sunday, posting 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a loss to the Heat. 

“We were just getting ready to get used to him,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said Wednesday afternoon. “That he’s going to be a Swiss Army knife kind of guy that probably plays anywhere from one to four for us. I think he had a good knack of getting us some timely buckets, a good knack of setting up things for people. He can guard multiple positions. That’s a lot of stuff, right?”

Nurse had Adem Bona back at practice. The second-year big man told reporters he aims to return Friday against the Nets.

Bona’s been out the past five games because of a right ankle sprain. With Joel Embiid also sidelined by a right knee injury, the Sixers have needed to lean heavily on Andre Drummond at center. 

“I think we need that position manned by two people,” Nurse said. “And I think Drum’s done a great job, but you can see as the games stack up, it gets to be a lot for one guy. And the other guys have tried to fill in, but it just gets a little small certain nights. So that’s the biggest thing, that he can help shore up that position over 48 (minutes). We certainly need what he brings us — energy, rim protection, some shot blocking. 

“You think back to what he was giving us, it was maybe not 20 minutes of amazing play, but there was always that spurt of three or four minutes that got you to the next part of the game or sparked you on a momentum run. He looked pretty good today, so hopefully things go OK and he makes it back by Friday.”

VJ Edgecombe (left calf tightness) and Paul George (right ankle sprain) also practiced. Embiid (right knee injury) had “an individual strength and conditioning session,” according to a team official. 

“I would say they looked pretty good,” Nurse said of Edgecombe and George. “They did everything all the way through. Again, it wasn’t a ton of stuff coming off last night, but they did both make it through. We’ve got a couple days yet (before the Nets game), so hopefully we can get at least one — hopefully both of them — back.”

Regardless of who’s available, the 9-8 Sixers will expect a bounce-back performance when they face the 3-14 Nets. The team’s one blowout win so far is a 24-point victory on Nov. 2 in Brooklyn.

“The amount of effort and work they’ve put in has been as high as it can be,” Nurse said. “Even though you got punched in the mouth last night — repeatedly — you’ve got to be able to come back and do it again. Keep that mindset and that process going.”

Steph Curry sustains quad injury in Warriors' loss to Rockets, will undergo MRI  originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – A banged-up Steph Curry limped down to the locker room alongside director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini with 35 seconds left in the Warriors’ 104-100 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night at Chase Center. 

Curry has a right quad contusion and will receive an MRI, per the Warriors. The time and date of the MRI were not announced after the loss.

As Rockets center Alperen Şengün set a screen on Curry late in the fourth quarter, his left knee hit the Warriors superstar directly on his right quad. Curry had a noticeable limp that only worsened as the game went on. 

Curry at the 2:47 mark took a charge with Amen Thompson lowering his shoulder and barreling straight into him. But Rockets head coach Ime Udoka challenged the call, and upon review it was overturned as a blocking foul on Curry. 

Exactly one minute later, Curry again found himself on the ground diving for a loose ball. His lower legs were taken out, and it was deemed an out-of-bounds turnover on Curry. 

After Rockets guard Reed Sheppard made one of his two free throws with 35 seconds remaining to push the Warriors’ deficit to five points, coach Steve Kerr called timeout and Curry had an extended conversation with Celebrini. In the end, Celebrini pointed to the bench as a gesture that Curry could no longer play. 

Angrily staring straight ahead while limping, Curry didn’t say a word down the tunnel and back to the Warriors’ locker room. 

Curry came into the game having scored at least 30 points in three consecutive games. But the Rockets’ physical defense held him to 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting and 2 of 9 from 3-point range. Curry also committed a season-high seven turnovers, and his 14 points were his third fewest this season.

“It obviously changes everything,” Kerr said in response to what happens if Curry has to miss any time. “Our rotation, how we’re playing, who we’re playing through – so, we’ll see.” 

Curry missed three consecutive games because of an illness earlier this season, and one because of an ankle issue.

“When I heard it was a quad I was actually kind of relieved,” Kerr said. “Better than an ankle or knee. Hopefully he can recover quickly and be OK, but we got to hold down the fort.” 

The Warriors are 1-4 without Curry this season, and have a 92-155 record all time when he doesn’t play.

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What we learned as Steph Curry exits late in Warriors' NBA Cup loss to Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors were pushing toward a wire-to-wire victory Wednesday night, but the wire began fraying late in the third quarter and snapped in the fourth.

As the Warriors began fading, the Houston Rockets came back to own the second half and slap a 104-100 loss on the Warriors, sending their record back to .500 at 10-10. 

To make matters worse, Stephen Curry, attempting to take a charge in the fourth quarter, fell to the floor and came up limping. He tried to play through it but was subbed out with 35.2 seconds remaining.

Six Warriors scored in double figures, led by 21 points from Jimmy Butler III. Rookie Will Richard scored 18 points, Curry and Brandin Podziemski each finished with 14, while Draymond Green and Quinten Post each had 12.

The loss is the fourth in five games for Golden State, which is 1-2 on the homestand it hoped would be a source of recovery.

Second-year pro Reed Sheppard scored a game-high 31 points to lead the Rockets (12-4).

Here are three observations from a game that the Warriors are hoping won’t force their best player to the sidelines:

Warriors punished by Sheppard

With leading scorer Kevin Durant, averaging 24.3 points per game, unavailable while attending to a family matter, it figured Houston’s offense would be somewhat crippled.

It was, as No. 2 scorer Alperen Sengun was held to 16 points, six below his average, on 7-18 shooting from the field, including 0-of-4 from distance. No. 3 scorer Amen Thompson, averaging 17.9 points, was limited to 10.

The Rockets were saved by Sheppard, who averages 13.1 points but poured in a career-high 31 on 12-of-25 shooting, including 4-of-12 from deep. He added nine assists and five rebounds.

Sheppard got a few open looks, but also torched several defenders, including Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody. Sheppard was the best player on the floor when it mattered most.

And Golden State’s point-of-attack defense continues to be a weak component.

About that third quarter

After a mostly impressive first half in which they led throughout, the Warriors’ offense sputtered to only 17 points, recording only five assists, in the third quarter.

The Warriors shot 7-of-19 from the field, including 0-of-8 from beyond the arc, in the quarter. They went from shooting very respectably to chucking up rocks.

Meanwhile, the Rockets rang up 27 points, trimming Golden State’s 12-point halftime advantage to two (76-74) and sending a wave of restlessness through the sellout crowd. 

It was as if the Rockets remembered they are the league’s best rebounding team in the NBA and went to work on the glass while also turning Warriors’ turnovers into fast-break buckets. Moreover, the Warriors got the worst of the whistles, sending the Rockets to the line for 10 free throws, which gave them time to set up their fourth-ranked defense.

Warriors make early statement but can’t finish 

The Warriors wasted no time in making it clear this would be a battle despite Houston being three games ahead of them in the Western Conference. They made their first five shots and went up 20-11 on a Curry layup with 6:16 left in the first quarter.

Playing solid defense and holding their own on the glass (25-25) against the league’s premier rebounding team, Golden State never trailed and went into the locker room holding a 59-47 lead.

Green not only frustrated Sengun but also outscored Houston’s talented young center 10-8 before intermission. While Sengun was minus-21 over 17 minutes in the first half, Green posted a plus-16 over 16 minutes. The biggest blemish in the first half was Golden State’s seven turnovers, which gifted the Rockets with 12 points – nearly one quarter of their total.

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What we learned as Steph Curry exits late in Warriors' NBA Cup loss to Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors were pushing toward a wire-to-wire victory Wednesday night, but the wire began fraying late in the third quarter and snapped in the fourth.

As the Warriors began fading, the Houston Rockets came back to own the second half and slap a 104-100 loss on the Warriors, sending their record back to .500 at 10-10. 

To make matters worse, Stephen Curry, attempting to take a charge in the fourth quarter, fell to the floor and came up limping. He tried to play through it but was subbed out with 35.2 seconds remaining.

Six Warriors scored in double figures, led by 21 points from Jimmy Butler III. Rookie Will Richard scored 18 points, Curry and Brandin Podziemski each finished with 14, while Draymond Green and Quinten Post each had 12.

The loss is the fourth in five games for Golden State, which is 1-2 on the homestand it hoped would be a source of recovery.

Second-year pro Reed Sheppard scored a game-high 31 points to lead the Rockets (12-4).

Here are three observations from a game that the Warriors are hoping won’t force their best player to the sidelines:

Warriors punished by Sheppard

With leading scorer Kevin Durant, averaging 24.3 points per game, unavailable while attending to a family matter, it figured Houston’s offense would be somewhat crippled.

It was, as No. 2 scorer Alperen Sengun was held to 16 points, six below his average, on 7-18 shooting from the field, including 0-of-4 from distance. No. 3 scorer Amen Thompson, averaging 17.9 points, was limited to 10.

The Rockets were saved by Sheppard, who averages 13.1 points but poured in a career-high 31 on 12-of-25 shooting, including 4-of-12 from deep. He added nine assists and five rebounds.

Sheppard got a few open looks, but also torched several defenders, including Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody. Sheppard was the best player on the floor when it mattered most.

And Golden State’s point-of-attack defense continues to be a weak component.

About that third quarter

After a mostly impressive first half in which they led throughout, the Warriors’ offense sputtered to only 17 points, recording only five assists, in the third quarter.

The Warriors shot 7-of-19 from the field, including 0-of-8 from beyond the arc, in the quarter. They went from shooting very respectably to chucking up rocks.

Meanwhile, the Rockets rang up 27 points, trimming Golden State’s 12-point halftime advantage to two (76-74) and sending a wave of restlessness through the sellout crowd. 

It was as if the Rockets remembered they are the league’s best rebounding team in the NBA and went to work on the glass while also turning Warriors’ turnovers into fast-break buckets. Moreover, the Warriors got the worst of the whistles, sending the Rockets to the line for 10 free throws, which gave them time to set up their fourth-ranked defense.

Warriors make early statement but can’t finish 

The Warriors wasted no time in making it clear this would be a battle despite Houston being three games ahead of them in the Western Conference. They made their first five shots and went up 20-11 on a Curry layup with 6:16 left in the first quarter.

Playing solid defense and holding their own on the glass (25-25) against the league’s premier rebounding team, Golden State never trailed and went into the locker room holding a 59-47 lead.

Green not only frustrated Sengun but also outscored Houston’s talented young center 10-8 before intermission. While Sengun was minus-21 over 17 minutes in the first half, Green posted a plus-16 over 16 minutes. The biggest blemish in the first half was Golden State’s seven turnovers, which gifted the Rockets with 12 points – nearly one quarter of their total.

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What we learned as Kings' bad habits return in streak-snapping loss to Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

SACRAMENTO – Two days after maybe their most inspiring victory of the season, the Kings got into the wrong holiday spirit against the Phoenix Suns and laid an egg at Golden 1 Center, losing 112-100 on Wednesday night.

The game started out brutal, got a little bit better for a few brief moments in the second half until the Suns ultimately prevailed and ended the Kings’ first winning streak of the season, albeit it was only two.

Playing again without do-it-all center Domantas Sabonis and Dennis Schroder, Sacramento struggled to gets much going consistently on offense and allowed Phoenix to have its way in the paint almost all evening.

Keegan Murray provided a few of the highlights with 19 points and eight rebounds, including back-to-back 3-pointers that helped the Kings get within single digits in the third quarter.

Russell Westbrook had 19 points and eight rebounds, Malik Monk scored 15, Precious Achiuwa had 14 and Zach LaVine added 13.

The Kings remained winless (0-3) in NBA Cup play while the Suns improved to 3-0.

Sacramento trailed the entire game but made it close late.

Westbrook connected on his third 3-pointer of the night that pulled the Kings within 93-84 with 8:34 remaining.

That in itself is encouraging.

The Suns led by 25 at the end of the first quarter and were on pace to win 164-64. The Kings showed a lot more fight in the second half, and although they fell short, it was infinitely better than the way the night began.

The Kings fell to 5-14. They were 9-10 after 19 games last season, about a month before the decision to fire then-coach Mike Brown.

Here are the takeaways from Wednesday:

Pre-Tryptophan Effects

The game started about 17 hours before most folks were to gather for the holiday feast, but it sure appeared that the Kings’ players might have gotten to the turkey a little early because they came out as if they were in a tryptophan coma.

Phoenix built an 18-point lead in the first quarter when a soft chorus of boos rained down from the Golden 1 Center crowd. The gap extended to 25 points at the half, then 2 1/2 minutes into the third quarter, the Suns had the Kings doubled up with a 46-23 lead.

That went on all night, as Sacramento seemed a step or two behind. As a result Phoenix was able to get its fastbreak initiated quicker and got to the rack for easy tip-ins.

Missing The Big Fella

The Kings haven’t been a very good rebounding team all season, and things have continued in the wrong direction since Sabonis got hurt. The Suns, who have been marginally better than Sacramento on the boards, continued that trend the night before Thanksgiving when they feasted all night in the paint.

At one point late in the first half, Devin Booker missed a deep 3-pointer that bounced off the front of the rim. Three Kings players were positioned for the rebound only to see Phoenix’s Jordan Goodwin sneak through to get the putback.

Backup center Drew Eubanks started and was decent — 10 rebounds and four points in 14 minutes — but his impact was minimal and he finished minus-12.

With Sabonis expected to miss at least two more weeks, the Kings need to more from the interior on both ends.

Back That (Point Guard) Thing Up

With Schroder unavailable because of a sore hip, the Kings turned to Keon Ellis to handle the majority of minutes at backup point guard, and he had mixed results with six points and one assist.

Monk also took a crack at it and was much more effective. The former Sixth Man of The Year runner-up was more in flow with the rest of the offense and made several clutch buckets in the second half, including a 3-pointer that pulled the Kings within 83-73 heading into the fourth quarter.

The result was predictable.

Sacramento had only five assists on 18 buckets in the first half and finished with 20. Nine different players had at least one assist but no one had more than three.

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