Monday represents an unwanted milestone for the Knicks.
It marks one month since they beat a team above .500. Their last such win came against the Nuggets in Denver on March 6. Since then? They’ve gone 0-5 against teams with winning records. All of those games were on the road against the Lakers, Clippers, Hornets, Thunder and Rockets.
Monday starts a final four-game stretch against teams above .500 to close the regular season, beginning in Atlanta against the Hawks, followed by home games against the Celtics, Raptors and Hornets.
Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks and guard Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks speak on the court during the first half at Madison Square Garden, Friday April 3rd, 2026, in New York, NY. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
“For us, I think it’s just making sure we’re locked in and focused,” Josh Hart said after practice Sunday. “Obviously this is a good little stretch to end the season to make sure we’re as sharp as we can be going into the playoffs. The past is the past, nothing you can do about it now. Our focus is on tomorrow being 1-0 against playoff teams, and then we move on to the next one, and then we want to be 1-0, and then we want to move onto the next one and be 1-0. Nothing in the past really matters. It’s about what we do moving forward that we’ll be judged on and what we judge ourselves on.”
Those five losses are sandwiched between seven- and two-game winning streaks against teams well below .500 and, for the most part, tanking. And they are part of a growing concern that the Knicks have struggled against higher quality opposition for a while now.
The NBA, this year more than ever, has clear haves and have-nots in team quality. A few wins or blowouts over bottom-feeders composed of youngsters or G-Leaguers don’t quell the alarm bells regarding how the Knicks fare in real tests.
And it’s not just the results that are troubling, it’s how the Knicks lose. Their offense becomes more stagnant and Jalen Brunson-heavy. There are particularly bad starts to games, which they might be able to overcome against lowly teams but find much harder to overcome against quality teams. Their transition defense is shoddy, betraying so much of their improvement on that side of the ball in the second half of the year.
“You gotta give Charlotte, Oklahoma City and Houston credit, they played well,” coach Mike Brown said. “I said it postgame, we did not play well in some areas. … We didn’t play well in those three games and we deserved to lose, as much as you hate to say it. And hopefully we’ll play better going forward because we’ve got a couple of teams above .500, so we’ll see.”
Beyond simply being above .500, all four of the Knicks’ remaining opponents will be Eastern Conference playoff or play-in teams. One thing Brown acknowledged is that they don’t want to show these potential playoff opponents everything and that they want to keep a few looks in their back pocket to unleash during the postseason.
It creates a weird dynamic this final week.
Knicks guard Landry Shamet puts up a shot as guard Josh Giddey #3 of the Chicago Bulls defends during the first half at Madison Square Garden, Friday April 3rd, 2026, in New York, NY. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
“It’s a challenging stretch that not a lot of people talk about,” Landry Shamet said Sunday. “This last stretch of the season, these last few games, you’re kind of gearing up for the playoffs, you know what you’re building for, but you gotta be here and locked in each night, each team, each challenge in front of you. I think it’s more about approaching each game with the right mentality. Make it more about us than who we’re playing. We’re working on something bigger and building for something bigger, keeping that top of mind while still taking each game seriously and approaching them as you should.”
Last year, the Knicks’ struggles against top opposition in the regular season — particularly with the Celtics — didn’t really translate to the postseason. But they should not just be ignored or considered meaningless.
Just relying on everything changing once the playoffs start is a risky mindset.
“It’s not something you can just flip a switch in the playoffs and say, ‘OK the playoffs are here, let’s go out there and do our thing,’ ” Hart said. “We gotta make sure that we take these next four games as serious as we can, make sure we lock in mentally and physically to what the game plan is and to what this team wants to do moving forward and execute.”
Four more games means four final chances for the Knicks to quiet a worrying narrative that has recently begun hovering over them.
HOUSTON, TX - APRIL 3: Alperen Sengun #28, Amen Thompson #1, Reed Sheppard #15, and Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the game against the Utah Jazz on April 3, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors
April 5, 2026
Location: Chaste Center, San Francisco, CA
TV: NBC/Peacock,
Radio:KBME Sports Talk 790 / KLTN 102.9 (en español)
With a chance to pull even with the Wizards atop the lottery standings, the Nets instead pulled out a come-from-behind 121-115 win that saw them consigned to third place.
The Nets are two full games behind Washington and a game behind the Pacers, pending their tilt vs. Cleveland. They’ll host Milwaukee on Tuesday and the Pacers two nights later, with huge tanking ramifications in each.
The Nets (19-59) are 2 ¹/₂ games ahead of the Jazz and two ahead of the Kings, who played the Clippers at home on Sunday.
Nets guard Nolan Traore (88) shoots past Washington Wizards Leaky Black during the first half at Barclays Center, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Brooklyn, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
The Nets (19-59) were two games ahead of the Jazz and Kings, pending Utah’s game against OKC and Sacramento’s tilt vs. the Clippers.
They trailed a skeleton Wizards crew 105-101 after Jamir Watkins’ 3-pointer with 3:50 left. But the Nets reeled off eight unanswered points to seize the lead for good, part of a game-breaking 14-3 run.
Nolan Traore — who’d been fighting through the rookie wall — had 10 of his team-high 23 points in that Nets blitz to lead the comeback.
His 3-pointer made it 105-105 with 2:56 left, and his layup capped the 8-0 spurt. Traore’s final 3 off a Jalen Wilson feed made it 115-108 with 1:15 left.
Drake Powell (4) shoots one Washington Wizards forward Anthony Gill (16) during the first half at Barclays Center, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Brooklyn, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“He did a great job,” said Jordi Fernández. “He’s a big reason why we won this game, especially towards the end.”
It remains to be seen how much the win costs them in the lottery. But for the struggling Nets, it felt sweet on Easter Sunday.
Josh Minott (15 points, three blocks, two steals) gave the Nets a 17-point lead in the first quarter, before they gave it up with a shaky second and third.
But they settled in for a clean fourth, their 13-0 edge in points off turnovers the difference.
“We just had a collective mindset to be better than what we did in the third quarter,” said Wilson. “I feel like we got away (from our plan), let them get comfortable. Give any team confidence in the NBA, it can be a tough game.”
But we were able to get them to turn the ball over a lot and capitalize on that.”
Wilson finished with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Will Riley scored 30 for the Wizards, who suited up just eight players and dropped their sixth straight to fall to 17-61.
But Washington moved 1½ games clear of the Pacers and two ahead of Brooklyn.
Ben Saraf, Terance Mann (right patella tendon soreness/left Achilles) and Noah Clowney (left ankle) were ruled out, with Michael Porter Jr., Egor Dëmin, Nic Claxton, Danny Wolf, Ziaire Williams and Day’Ron Sharpe already sidelined.
But not to be out-tanked, the Wizards played without Anthony Davis (finger), Trae Young (back/right quad), Justin Champagnie, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr, Cam Whitmore and D’Angelo Russell.
“An important figure in the evolution of modern basketball who elevated the game through his uptempo, space and pace philosophy that helped redefine offensive strategy… emphasizing ball movement, shooting, and efficiency and shaping the analytics-driven era of the sport — known as Seven Seconds or Less,” Hall of Fame officials wrote in the announcement.
In the previous 2016-17 season, D’Antoni won NBA Coach of the Year honors after leading the Rockets to a 55-27 record — a 14-win improvement relative to the previous season under a different coaching staff. D’Antoni finished his Houston tenure (2016-17 through 2019-20) in the No. 2 spot in both categories, trailing only Hall of Fame coach and two-time NBA champion Rudy Tomjanovich. He’s easily the top coach in Rockets history by winning percentage (217-101, .682). D’Antoni holds the best winning percentage in Houston Rockets history at .682 (217–101).Dantoni led the Rockets to a franchise-best 65-17 record in the 2017-18 season, where he was named NBA Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, and during his four seasons with Houston, the Rockets reached the playoffs each year, often battling as a top contender in the Western Conference.
Those Houston years included a memorable 2017-18 campaign in which the Rockets (65-17) finished with the most wins of any NBA team, and it remains a franchise record to this day. As the star player and centerpiece of D’Antoni’s high-powered offense, James Harden easily won league Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors.
Although none of D’Antoni’s teams won an NBA championship, they were close on several occasions. The 2017–18 Rockets, who were possibly just one Chris Paul hamstring injury away from overthrowing the Golden State Warriors, were on that list.
As it stands, they did enough to ensure that D’Antoni’s legacy would be honored and acknowledged in Springfield, Massachusetts, as a member of the 2026 Hall of Fame class. The dates of the enshrinement weekend are August 14–15, 2026.
BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 5: Anthony Gill #16 of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on April 5, 2026 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Gotta admit: when I saw the lineups for this Wizards at Nets game, I set aside the notepad. There were two key numbers that jumped out at me before the game began. They were:
Washington: 2
Brooklyn: 1
Those numbers represent how many players each had available who’d be expected to be part of the team’s full-health rotation next season. For the Wizards, it was Bub Carrington and Will Riley. For the Nets, Nolan Traore. If you want to stretch to include either Drake Powell or Jalen Wilson, I wouldn’t squawk much, but the core point remains.
Will Riley attacks the paint during the Washington Wizards loss to the Brooklyn Nets. (Photo by Pamela Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Both teams are committed to losing as much as possible to finish the season.
Despite that commitment, the Wizards blew a 17-point first quarter deficit to actually take the lead a few times in the fourth quarter. Then the Nets got a case of “competence” and closed the game on a 20-10 run to give Washington the loss.
This was an odd game in a few ways. The Wizards had just eight players available, yet head coach Brian Keefe barely played Sharife Cooper and Jaden Hardy.
No one from the Wizards was particularly impressive, though there were some positives. Riley led the offense throughout the afternoon, and closed with a flurry of pointless buckets to juice his final tally to 30 points. He got the experience of trying to attack a defense loading up to stop him, and acquitted himself decently, despite four turnovers.
JuJu Reese once again mashed a center-free opponent, this time with 16 rebounds in 44 minutes.
I’d caution against reading much into anything that happened in this game because of the dearth of genuine NBA talent on the floor for either team.
None of this should undermine enjoyment of the game itself. I had fun watching — Traore is super-fast and seems to be developing as a shooter. Chaney Johnson had some oomph to his game. Watching Reese battle on the boards is entertaining. And Riley hit some crazy fluky shots, including that one off the top of the backboard while getting fouled and falling out of bounds, and a banked in three. They count though!
Just four left in the 2025-26 season.
Four Factors
Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).
The four factors are measured by:
eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)
FOUR FACTORS
WIZARDS
NETS
LGAVG
eFG%
61.4%
57.4%
54.5%
OREB%
30.6%
25.0%
26.0%
TOV%
20.4%
11.2%
12.7%
FTM/FGA
0.228
0.227
0.207
PACE
98
99.3
ORTG
117
123
115.7
Stats & Metrics
PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).
PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.
POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.
ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.
USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median so far this season is 17.7%.
ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.
+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.
Players are sorted by total production in the game.
Donovan is the big fish still swimming in the pond. Can UNC hook him? Donovan has been linked since the Tar Heels fired Hubert Davis on March 24. The Bulls' season ends April 12, and they won't be in the playoffs. Is UNC willing to wait and miss out on the first week of the transfer portal? For the right fit, why not? Plus, the Bulls are reportedly set for a front office shakeup, so it may be time to jump ship.
After 11 years away from college basketball, is Donovan ready for a return to campus? College ball is basically pro ball, anyway now. He'd be the candidate most UNC fans are pinning their hopes on after other high-profile rejections.
Mark Byington, Vanderbilt
Byington, 49, played at UNC Wilmington and was an assistant at Virginia and Virginia Tech, so he's got some familiarity with the state and ACC. He may not have the name recognition as some of the other coaches linked to the job, but he's averaged 25 wins across his past four seasons as a head coach, including 27 victories this season in his second year at Vanderbilt
He’s never made a Sweet 16, but he’s never been at a program like North Carolina, either.
Todd Golden and Nate Oats had never been to a Sweet 16 before coaching at Florida and Alabama, respectively. Now, they’re two of the best coaches in the sport.
Sean Miller, Texas
Miller is a winner. He's coached in 14 NCAA tournaments, reached the Sweet 16 nine times and the Elite Eight four times.
Miller spent five seasons on Herb Sendek's NC State staff, so knows the state. His firing at Arizona will raise some red flags with his involvement in 2017 Adidas FBI probe, but if Rick Pitino, Will Wade and Bill Self (among others involved) can still coach at the top level, why shouldn't Miller?
He just finished his first season at Texas, going 21-15, taking the Longhorns from the First Four to the Sweet 16, and a last-second tip-in away from the Elite Eight.
Ben McCollum, Iowa
McCollum is a proven winner at multiple levels and a program builder. The 44-year-old coach won four Division II national championships before jumping to the Division I level. He's won more than 80% of his games, leading Drake to 31 wins before making the move to Iowa and taking the Hawkeyes to the NCAA Tournament this season. Imagine what he could do with a blue-blood program?
Scott Drew, Baylor
Two years ago, Drew claimed a spot near the top of Kentucky’s wish list. He turned down the Wildcats, a humbling blow to UK. Two years later, you must wonder whether Drew would benefit from a restart. His Baylor team went 16-16 and got trampled within the Big 12. Drew last reached a Sweet 16 in 2021, when he produced a national title.
Take the macro view, and Drew’s Baylor accomplishments are phenomenal. He rescued from the trash bin a program that had been rocked by a deadly scandal. He took the Bears up, up, up, until they reached the top of the sport.
Zoom in, and you realize Drew’s best days at Baylor are behind him. He’s still widely respected, and if Drew, 55, is ever going to leave Baylor, right now is likely his last best chance.
Like McCollum, Schertz cut his teeth coaching in Division II, reaching four Final Fours at Lincoln Memorial. His 2024 Indiana State team was electric — and an NCAA Tournament snub before reaching the NIT final. He's rebuilt Saint Louis in just two seasons and plays a brand of basketball that's easy on the eye.
Grant McCasland, Texas Tech
All but one of his 12 seasons as a head coach have been in Texas. It'll likely be hard to pry him East, especially with the deep pockets in Lubbock.
But he'd be an interesting option. Another former Division II and JUCO head coach, McCasland's teams win. He won the NIT at North Texas in 2023 and led Texas Tech to the Elite Eight in 2025. Had JT Toppin not gotten hurt this year, who knows how far the Red Raiders could have advanced.
Jerry Stackhouse, Golden State assistant
Stackhouse is a candidate if the Tar Heels stay in the family, His Vanderbilt tenure was up and down, and before the Commodores really dipped into the NIL space. He had two winning seasons in his five years in Nashville, but that 28-60 SEC record will be hard for UNC fans to swallow.
Mike Malone, former NBA coach
An underrated possibility, the 54-year-old Malone is a championship-caliber coach and has a daughter who plays volleyball at UNC. He’s been around the Tar Heels’ basketball program at times and has history as a college and NBA coach. Malone led the Denver Nuggets to an NBA title in 2023.
T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State
If UNC wants to build its identity around defense, Otzelberger is the guy to do it. The 48-year-old coach has produced top-10 defensive units in four of his five seasons at Iowa State. The Cyclones are elite at creating turnovers. The Heels would have a clear identity and structured program under Otzelberger. Considering what he's built in Ames, this could be UNC's safest, most reliable option.
USA TODAY Sports reporters Blake Toppmeyer and John Brice contributed to this report.
NEW YORK (AP) — Nolan Traore hit five three-pointers and finished with 23 points and seven assists, Jalen Wilson added 19 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Washington Wizards 121-115 on Sunday.
The Wizards (17-61) have a two-game lead on the Nets (19-59) for the best lottery odds. Indiana is 18-58 entering Sunday’s game at Cleveland.
Washington has lost six in a row and 22 of its past 23. The Wizards had given up 305 combined points in back-to-back losses to Philadelphia (153-131) and Miami (152-136).
Brooklyn won for just the second time in its past 14 games.
Will Riley, who had a career-high 31 points Saturday against the Heat, scored 30, Jamir Watkins added 20 points, and Julian Reese had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Wizards. Anthony Gill also scored 17 points and Bub Carrington had 13 points.
E.J. Liddell and Josh Minott each scored 15 for Brooklyn. Drake Powell added 13 points and Ochai Agbaji scored 12.
Watkins hit a three-pointer that gave the Wizards a four-point lead with 3:50 left in the game. The Nets answered with an 8-0 run that culminated when Traore made a layup that made it 109-105 with two minutes remaining and Brooklyn led the rest of the way.
Leaky Black responded with a three-pointer that cut the deficit to a point, but Wilson and Traore hit back-to-back threes before Trevon Scott’s layup made it 117-108 with 42 seconds to go.
BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 5: Will Riley #27 of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on April 5, 2026 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Washington Wizards lost to the Brooklyn Nets, 121-115 on Easter Sunday. This game was important for the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery! The Brooklyn Nets coming in a full game behind the Wizards in the standings, and if the Wizards managed not to lose, they would enlarge that gap to 2 full games!
Yes, the Wizards were standing at 17-60, and the Nets at 18-59.
Things started well for the Nets (and the Wizards’ Draft Lottery hopes) as the Nets stormed to a 35-24 lead at the end of the first quarter. Traore and Agbaji were hitting their threes, and on the other side the Wizards were kept in the game by their 6th man of the month, Will Riley, who would go on to score 15 points in 20 minutes of action in the first half alone.
Indeed, the second quarter shifted towards the Wizards, much thanks to Riley, and at halftime the scoreboard showed a close contest 59-54 in favor of the hosts in Brooklyn.
The Nets came strong out of the gates in the locker-room, pushing the lead quickly (within less than a minute) to double digits after two quick turnovers by the Wizards. Four quick buckets by the Wizards showed they are in this game, and the remainder of the third quarter remained close with several lead changes. Ultimately, the Nets took a one-point lead 85-84 heading into the final stanza.
The final quarter started with a couple quick buckets by Gil and Watkins, with Washington taking a small but quick lead 89-85. And, the contest remained close! The scoreboard showed 105-105, knotted up, with less than three minutes to go.
At that point the Nets made two quick buckets, by Powell and Traore (who is shaping up to be quite a player), but Leaky Black answered with a clutch three, 109-108 with 100 seconds to go. Traore then drew a couple defenders and sprayed out to Jalen Wilson who nailed a clutch three of his own from straight ahead, 112-108 in favor of the nets, with 92 seconds on the clock.
Timeout for the Wizards.
Whatever the ATO was, Will Riley turned the ball over in-bounding…. Jalen Wilson heat-check for a dagger three, missed, but after a rebound, Traore (who else) came up big with a three, 115-108 for the Nets, and the game was pretty much sealed.
Some stats to close: Anthony Gil played 40+ minutes. Black, Reese, and Watkins topped 42 minutes. Overall the Wizards were decent with 55 percent from the field and 36 from deep. But they missed a ton from the charity stripe (18-for-28). Will Riley led the Wizards in scoring with 28 in 35 minutes off the bench.
Traore led the Nets with 23 points including 5-for-11 from deep in 28 minutes. Nobody on the Nets actually played more than 29 minutes. Which makes sense.
The Wizards now return home where they will face the Chicago Bulls twice in the last stretch of the regular season.
BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 26 points, Jayson Tatum had 23 points and 13 rebounds and the Boston Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 115-101 on Sunday.
Neemias Queta had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Payton Pritchard scored 17 points for the Celtics, who won their third straight to move closer to clinching second place in the Eastern Conference.
Ja’Kobe Walter led Toronto with 16 points, and Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett each had 15.
Coming off consecutive games of putting up at least 43 points in the opening quarter, the Celtics looked a bit sluggish and were cold from long range early, missing 13 of their initial 16 shots from 3-point range. The teams were tied at 26 after one.
Fighting for a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference to avoid the play-in tournament, the Raptors were outscored 35-24 in the final quarter that was filled with their turnovers and breakdowns defensively. Walter even missed all three free throw attempts on one trip to the line.
BUCKS 131, GRIZZLIES 115
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Rollins scored 24 points and Milwaukee withstood a triple-double from Memphis’ Rayan Rupert to outlast the Grizzlies in an afternoon matchup of short-handed, lottery-bound teams.
Rupert established new career highs with 33 points and 10 assists, and he matched a career best with 10 rebounds. The 21-year-old Rupert entered Sunday averaging 4.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists.
Milwaukee snapped an eight-game skid in this series and beat the Grizzlies for the first time since a 126-114 decision on Jan. 19, 2022. The Bucks committed 20 turnovers but shot 60.2% overall and went 16 of 32 on 3-pointers.
The Grizzlies have lost four straight and 17 of their last 19.
Memphis had so many injury-related absences that it dressed four players on 10-day contracts (Dariq Whitehead, Toby Okani, Lucas Williamson, Adama Bal).
NETS 121, WIZARDS 115
NEW YORK (AP) — Nolan Traore hit five 3-pointers and finished with 23 points and seven assists, Jalen Wilson added 19 points and Brooklyn beat Washington.
The Wizards (17-61) have a two-game on the Nets (19-59) for the best lottery odds. Indiana is 18-58 entering Sunday’s game at Cleveland.
Washington has lost six in a row and 22 of its past 23. The Wizards had given up 305 combined points in back-to-back losses to Philadelphia ( 153-131 ) and Miami ( 152-136 ).
Brooklyn won for just the second time in its past 14 games.
Will Riley, who had a career-high 31 points Saturday against the Heat, scored 30, Jamir Watkins added 20 points, and Julian Reese had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Wizards. Anthony Gill also scored 17 points and Bub Carrington had 13 points.
E.J. Liddell and Josh Minott each scored 15 for Brooklyn. Drake Powell added 13 points and Ochai Agbaji scored 12.
SUNS 120, BULLS 110
CHICAGO (AP) — Devin Booker scored 30 points, Jalen Green added 25 and Phoenix ended the game on an 11-2 run to top Chicago.
Dillon Brooks scored 15, and the Suns shook off back-to-back losses at Orlando and Charlotte.
The Suns led by 13 late in the third quarter before the Bulls went on an 11-0 run. They were clinging to a 109-108 advantage with about three minutes remaining when Brooks hit a turnaround jumper to start the decisive run and added a 3-pointer.
The Bulls missed four shots on their next possession, including three straight at point-blank range by Leonard Miller, before Booker made a 3 to make 117-108 with 1:33 remaining.
Chicago’s Josh Giddey (strained left hamstring) and Matas Buzelis (illness) missed the game. And with their two best players out, the Bulls lost their seventh in a row.
Tre Jones scored 29 for Chicago. Collin Sexton had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Miller scored 17.
In a very messy, stop‑and‑go kind of game that wasn’t exactly pleasant to watch, the Suns pulled out a 120–110 win against a courageous Chicago team. The matchup was defined by constant rhythm swings, sloppiness, and physical intensity. In short: a classic Sunday game at a European-friendly tipoff.
The night was highlighted by Booker and Green on the Suns’ side (54 points combined), and by Tre Jones (29 points) along with the Miller/Sexton duo (35 points and 20 rebounds between them) for the Chicago piece. Phoenix shot the ball relatively well (50% from the field, 40% from three), didn’t get crushed too badly on the boards (41 vs 46), and dominated in forcing turnovers: 18 turnovers created, 10 steals.
The win moves the Suns to 43-35 on the season.
Game Flow
First Half
Rough start, clearly. Tons of sloppiness on both sides: Chicago coughing up the ball, Phoenix stacking up short misses. It takes 2–3 minutes before Devin Booker finally gets the Suns on the board with a fadeaway. In the middle of this messy opening, Leonard Miller is already locked in: 8 points in 4 minutes, mixing it up perfectly (drive, corner three, transition).
First real turning point: as expected, the Bulls impose their presence on the glass and push the pace. Push it hard. As a result, Phoenix’s paint is under pressure, and offensive possessions become rushed and poorly constructed. After six minutes, Chicago is in control (12–19). Jordan Ott goes to his bench: Grayson Allen first, then Oso Ighodaro, Collin Gillespie, and Royce O’Neale.
End of the quarter is more encouraging for Phoenix. The defense ramps up, gets more aggressive, disrupts Chicago’s flow, and slows down transition, but at the cost of fouls. Offensively, though, it’s still very poor: little movement, lots of static situations, and points coming almost exclusively from individual creation. Despite that, the Suns manage to stay afloat and tie it up: 30–30 after one.
The main issue remains obvious: Chicago scores way too easily in transition. The Suns’ transition defense and overall floor balance are not good enough and need to be fixed quickly.
Start of the second quarter follows the same pattern: the Bulls keep hurting Phoenix in transition, and the Suns still struggle to match the pace. Offensively, it’s a bit cleaner, more fluid in stretches, but still heavily reliant on individual talent — mainly Jalen Green and Collin Gillespie. The point guard does a genuinely good job as a creator, repeatedly finding Oso Ighodaro on pick‑and‑rolls, helping Phoenix take the lead (39–38).
First real adjustment from the Suns: they play faster, but more importantly, they play smarter. Physical intensity rises, transition defense improves, and Chicago is gradually forced into half-court offense. Immediate result: bad decisions pile up for the Bulls, shots get tougher, and turnovers increase (already 10 with four minutes left in the half, shooting percentage dropping below 50%). Phoenix capitalizes and builds its first real gap (52–47).
But as has been the theme of this first half, the end of the quarter collapses into chaos again. Sloppy, choppy, poorly managed. Phoenix’s defense holds up, but the offense wastes possessions instantly: 5 turnovers in just a few minutes. Jordan Ott calls a timeout with 3 minutes left (54–49). Despite the messy stretch, the Suns limit the damage and head to the locker room up 63–56.
Worth noting: Grayson Allen already has 4 fouls, and Phoenix gave up way too many free throws (13 team fouls). On the bright side, they dominated the rebounding battle in the second quarter (15–6). Individually, Jalen Green is on fire: 18 first‑half points with a real impact on the offensive rhythm.
Second Half
Phoenix comes out of the locker room locked in. This time, they dictate the pace from the jump — and even outrun the Bulls. The offense is sharper, cleaner, and more decisive, and it shows immediately: +10. Billy Donovan has to burn a timeout quickly (69–59).
Phoenix stays in control afterward. The plan is clear and well executed: limit Chicago’s transition and force them to play in the halfcourt. And collectively, the Suns do a solid job. The Bulls remain dangerous whenever they can run, but overall, they’re contained. On the other end, Phoenix keeps producing and maintains a solid lead (82–69 with four minutes left in the quarter).
And then… another collapse. Again. The end of the quarter completely kills the momentum. Just when Phoenix seemed in control, the lead doesn’t grow — it evaporates. A 13–2 run allowed, with the offense going totally silent. No field goals in the last four minutes, only free throws. Instead of putting the game away, the Suns let Chicago right back in it.
86–84 heading into the fourth. Everything resets.
Start of the fourth is fairly balanced. Both teams score, but no real run emerges. The rhythm is constantly broken: fouls, turnovers, interference calls… the game never finds flow. Phoenix still holds a small edge (102–97) with seven minutes left.
Tension rises, but the Suns handle it reasonably well at first, especially physically. The tempo slows down — maybe too much. In trying to control the game, Phoenix lets Chicago hang around, giving up easy buckets both inside and from three. Jordan Ott calls a timeout with four minutes left (109–106), aware that the game could swing.
And then, individual talent takes over. Dillon Brooks, quiet until then, completely shifts the momentum: valuable connective play on offense, strong defensive impact, influence on both ends. At the same time, Devin Booker takes command in the clutch and punishes Chicago, pushing the lead to +9 with 1:30 left.
The Bulls fade on the final possessions, and Phoenix closes it out without trembling: 120–110.
Up Next
After this hard‑earned win, Phoenix will host the Rockets to kick off the final week of the regular season.
NEW YORK (AP) — Nolan Traore hit five 3-pointers and finished with 23 points and seven assists, Jalen Wilson added 19 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Washington Wizards 121-115 on Sunday.
The Wizards (17-61) have a two-game on the Nets (19-59) for the best lottery odds. Indiana is 18-58 entering Sunday's game at Cleveland.
Washington has lost six in a row and 22 of its past 23. The Wizards had given up 305 combined points in back-to-back losses to Philadelphia ( 153-131 ) and Miami ( 152-136 ).
Brooklyn won for just the second time in its past 14 games.
Will Riley, who had a career-high 31 points Saturday against the Heat, scored 30, Jamir Watkins added 20 points, and Julian Reese had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Wizards. Anthony Gill also scored 17 points and Bub Carrington had 13 points.
E.J. Liddell and Josh Minott each scored 15 for Brooklyn. Drake Powell added 13 points and Ochai Agbaji scored 12.
Watkins hit a 3-pointer that gave the Wizards a four-point lead with 3:50 left in the game. The Nets answered with an 8-0 run that culminated when Traore made layup that made it 109-105 with two minutes remaining and Brooklyn led the rest of the way.
Leaky Black responded with a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to a point, but Wilson and Traore hit back-to-back 3s before Trevon Scott's layup made it 117-108 with 42 seconds to go.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 4: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets looks to drive against Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs during the first quarter at Ball Arena on April 4, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Spurs played one of the most entertaining games of the season in Denver on Saturday. Unfortunately, it ended with a painful loss in overtime for the Silver and Black, which helped confirm the concerns of the skeptics about San Antonio’s chances to execute down the stretch against top-level opponents in games with playoff intensity.
In reality, the loss, while annoying, is actually encouraging for the Spurs. It doesn’t make it sting any less, because the team seemed to have it in the bag a couple of times, but it showed just how high the ceiling of this group is, even when they are not at their best. Let’s break it down.
The Spurs made a lot of mistakes and still almost won the game
Close losses to other contenders are discouraging when a team plays almost flawless basketball, and it’s still not enough. When your best falls short, it’s time to reconsider whether you can actually measure up with the top dogs. But the Spurs did not play near their best down the stretch, and they still had a chance to beat an opponent the consensus believes can win a championship.
While rewatching the fourth quarter, here are the mistakes in judgment I could see:
With Jokic off the court and Valanciunas reeling defensively, Wembanyama takes a pull-up three with 18 seconds on the clock instead of running anything. Not one pass on the play.
With Jokic back on the floor, the Spurs get Dylan Harper a switch to attack Jokic and he settles for a three instead of driving to collapse the defense or try to get to the rim, where his finishing is elite.
Wembanyama is guarding Jokic. It gets physical, and Wemby flops to get the official’s attention. They don’t call the foul, and Jokic has a clear path to score at the rim.
After a Keldon Johnson missed three, the Spurs get back in transition, but no one rushes to pick up Jamal Murray as the trailer, and Murray hits a lightly contested three.
Keldon Johnson passes up a good three with eight seconds in the shot clock. Spurs try to reset with Harper attacking with the shot winding down, but turn it over, and allow a transition bucket.
Again, these are just errors in judgment, not execution. The possessions in which the ball got sticky and the Spurs didn’t find an open shooter quickly enough, or, for example, when De’Aaron Fox closed out too recklessly on a three for a four-point play, are not counted. The focus is also on process over result, so Harrison Barnes airballing an open three or Castle travelling on an isolation against Hardway Jr., for example, aren’t on this list.
No team is perfect, and the Nuggets also had their errors, but those are a lot of mistakes for San Antonio, especially against an opponent that can capitalize on them. Looking at that list, you’d imagine the Spurs got crushed in the fourth quarter, but they only lost by four and held a two-possession lead in the final minute.
The coaching and execution have plenty of room to improve
Now, since the biggest knock on the Spurs as legitimate contenders is their youth and lack of experience, some would say that the fact they lost because of poor decision-making shows that there are plenty of reasons for concern. But the game was also lost strategically, and that shouldn’t happen in a playoff series where obvious adjustments are expected.
Again, just focusing on the fourth quarter and overtime, there were plenty of tweaks Mitch Johnson could have made to counter the Nuggets’ play. One of the main ones involved Nikola Jokic. Denver hid The Joker on Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie, and Stephon Castle, alternatively. Instead of getting the big man involved in the main action and forcing him to defend either Wembanyama or a guard after a switch, they largely allowed Jokic to rest on defense, as he stood near the corner, barely contesting shots if the ball moved to his man.
So if they were not hunting Jokic, what were the Spurs doing on offense? They were running a lot of their plays through Wembanyama at the elbow. When Wemby got Jamal Murray on a switch, that was a good outcome, as he either scored or someone got an open three after a double team. The problem was that whenever Aaron Gordon managed to recover and guard Wemby, he struggled against one of the best defenders in the league, either taking off-balance shots or holding the ball for too long and passing out with the shot clock about to expire.
Is it worrisome that the adjustments never came? Only if you believe that Johnson wouldn’t make them if these two teams met in the playoffs.
The Spurs probably needed this loss to keep them sharp
It has to be at least somewhat reassuring to see that this Spurs team is so talented that there were a couple of plays away from winning the game. If Wemby doesn’t botch the switch in the tying Nuggets’ bucket in regulation or hits the would-be game-winner, the discourse would be completely different. Had Fox made a slightly better pass or had Vassell been able to control the ball in the alley-oop attempt to tie it with 23 seconds to go, maybe San Antonio would have ended up winning.
At the same time, a lot of games, especially close postseason games, come down to a handful of plays. The Spurs need to be the ones who are sharper, and they were not getting tested much in the past couple of months. There are no moral victories for contenders, but there are learning experiences, and this was one. Even the players agreed.
“A game like this is something that we needed, especially with the games we’ve been playing the past week and a half, with some teams that are not fighting for what we are fighting for,” said Julian Champagnie. “Obviously, we lost, and that’s not the outcome you want to leave with, but I think that when we go back and watch the film, there will be a lot of valuable things that we can take from that.”
“My conclusion for this game is that it’s good for us. Everything that happened tonight is good for us. It’s a real test against a team that actually is playing for something right now. It had a little bit of playoff vibes.”
A win would have been ideal, and was within grasp, but the loss reminded the Spurs they need to clean things up as the postseason approaches, which is undoubtedly a good thing.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 05: Jalen Wilson #22 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots the ball against Julian Reese #15 of the Washington Wizards during the second quarter at Barclays Center on April 05, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Pamela Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
“I’ve always told the players from the first week that I was here that winning starts now,” Jordi Fernández said pregame today. “And for a lot of people, winning means different things. You can see a win on the standings — that’s a win for some. Development can be a win. Real minutes in the NBA can be a win.”
Today, it would have been a loss.
Let’s not kid ourselves. For the Brooklyn Nets and visiting Washington Wizards’ organizations, today’s “game” was all about picking up a key loss to better position themselves for the upcoming NBA draft lottery. Washington came in today with a half game lead over Brooklyn for the top lottery slot. Both teams have just four remaining games, and if the Nets lost, they’d jump into a tie for first.
If you were looking for a contested, high-stakes basketball experience, featuring the heart-pumping, competitive thrill all forms of competition rely and thrive on, the Barclays Center simply was not the place for you or it today.
Calling the injury report a “laundry list” doesn’t do it enough justice. Between the two teams, the following players did not suit up this afternoon:
Ben Saraf (back tightness)
Noah Clowney (left ankle soreness)
Terance Mann (right patella tendon soreness/left achilles soreness)
Ziaire Williams (left foot soreness)
Nic Claxton (right hand soreness)
Danny Wolf (left ankle sprain)
Michael Porter Jr. (left hamstring strain)
Day’Ron Sharpe (left thumb surgery)
Egor Dëmin (left plantar fascia injury management)
Justin Champagnie (right knee contusion)
Bilal Coulibaly (right retrocalcaneal bursitis)
Anthony Davis (left finger sprain)
Kyshawn George (left elbow sprain)
Tre Johnson (right foot sprain)
Alex Sarr (left big toe capsulitis)
Trisitan Vukcevic (right knee contusion)
Cam Whitmore (right shoulder deep vein thrombosis)
D’Angelo Russell (not with the team)
Trae Young (low back pain/right quad contusion)
There are civil war histories with less populated casualty lists!
Still with us? Gravy! That left each team with only a handful of players available, many having spent the majority of this season in the G-League. Brooklyn started with Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell, Jalen Wilson, E.J. Liddell, and Chaney Johnson. For the latter two, this was their first career start at the pro level.
For a while, it didn’t look too shabby. Even with a motley crew out there, the Nets had an easy time setting up early offense. With how they welcomed any and all Brooklyn ball-handlers inside, you would’ve thought the Wizards were training to be hosts at Applebee’s. Even Jalen Wilson, who’s not exactly known for putting pressure on the rim, got through for some paint points in the first.
That put an abundance of drive and kick threes on the Easter menu early. The Nets opened the game 6-8 from deep, and in a flash, were up double digits.
“Little bit of game flow, little bit of just taking what I get,” Wilson said. “I don’t want to just be so stuck on threes and limit myself. Like being able to get downhill, not only looking to get to the cup, but looking for my teammates. You know, when the paint collapses, we got guys ready to spray.”
But while Washington couldn’t match Brooklyn’s shooting, the Net defense wasn’t so strong either, particularly on the glass. The Wizards wingardium leviosa’d nine offensive rebounds in the first half for 15 second chance points. The Nets have understandably struggled on the boards since losing Day’Ron Sharpe for the season. Johnson stood as their tallest player today, being just six-foot-nine.
That clean up work from Washington helped them cut the lead to four with 6:06 remaining in the second, yet Brooklyn remained ahead at halftime. Even as the Nets cooled off from three, missing their next nine attempts after the 6-8 start, the Washington defense remained laughably weak. The Nets quit getting fancy, now just taking what their opponent kept giving them, and scored 22 paint points in the second after notching just 12 there in the first. That kept them afloat by five at the break.
Highlights were hard to come by in this game, but Josh Minott provided what he could. He had seven points and two blocks at the break. Wilson led with 13 points at halftime, followed by Traoré with 10, and Ochai Agbaji with eight.
“The dunk he had was crazy,” Wilson said of Minott’s jam. “I think Josh has played with such a high motor, and he’s confident himself. We’re all confident him shooting the ball, guarding good players. I think his hands are very active, and I feel like when he’s playing with that good pace, it boosts us a lot too, because he makes plays that get the crowd involved.”
When play resumed, the Nets had a hard time getting their engines up and running once more. For starters, there were a series of clock malfunctions in the period that made it tough for anyone to get into rhythm. Bub Carrington also started to heat up at the other end, at one point hitting a three that tied us at 73-73 with 4:13 to go in the third.
Still, Brooklyn trotted into the fourth with an 85-84 lead. After being -8 in second chance points, they rebounded literally and figuratively in the third, allowing just one offensive board and two second chance points. They did, however, nearly double their turnover output from the first half, giving it away five times in the third.
Down the stretch, fixing that ended up being their saving grace, or damnation, depending on how you feel about tanking.
The Wizards started the fourth with a 5-0 jolt that gave them their first lead of the ballgame. All of a sudden, the Nets were missing layups, giving up open lanes to the basket, and all sorts of things that if clipped and posted online would create viral hysteria as tanking accusations stack.
But the Nets, as the admirable, yet frustratingly gritty team they’ve been for two years now, battled back with eight straight. It was no heavyweight fight, but two fighters going punch for punch with each other never fails to entertain, and that’s what we saw down the stretch. Will Riley was the guy for Washington, adding 12 points in the fourth. The Nets continued to rely on a balanced attack. With a little over two and a half to go, we were tied 105-105.
Then, after a few missed bunnies by both teams, the Nets had their second 8-0 run in the period, ignited by a handful of Washington turnovers. The Nets played an entirely clean final period, while turning the Wizards over five times for 13 points.
“Very clean with the spacing and handling,” Fernández said. “That’s a big reason why we won, to your point, having zero in the fourth. That’s how you win games in the NBA.”
Indeed, after Traoré and Wilson hit back-to-back threes, each a handful of feet beyond the arc, you knew we were headed for another victory most Nets fans will roll their eyes at. Brooklyn went on a 12-3 run to break the tie, take the game, and pass up on the best chance to take the best player this summer.
However, everyone was naturally concentrated on the win postgame, especially Traoré’s role in it. Much has been said of the rookie point guard lately with how he’s seemingly run into the “rookie wall,” but today, he looked spry.
“Yeah, I think he did a great job on this game, especially towards the end,” Fernández said. “Even though at times it gets a little rocky with the amount of games and so forth, it’s part of the NBA, and he’s a rookie, so he’s always trying to do the right thing.”
“He’s a point guard, he’s a rookie in NBA, and he’s leading us, putting us in positions to succeed offensively, defensively, vocalizing everything it needs to,” Wilson added. “I think that the development that he’s, you know, from day one to now, it’s amazing. I’m pleased with his attitude, his work, and trying to do the right things. And today, he was able to close the game. Obviously, you cannot control always making shots, but he made the right play over and over, and at the end of the day, that’s a big reason why we won.”
Traoré finished as the leading scorer for the Nets with career-high 23 points and seven dimes while shooting 7-18 from the field and 5-9 from three. Wilson followed with a 19/4/5 line, shooting 6-9 from the field and 2-4 from deep. Liddell also had a career-high with 15 points after shooting 5-7 from the field and 2-2 from deep. He also blocked two shots, grabbed five rebounds, and dished two assists.
In past instances, I’ve advised against getting too worked up over occasional wins for this team. After all, top odds don’t guarantee a top pick, and even with as little as four games left, there’s a number of variables in play that could alter how Brooklyn’s draft goes. At the moment though, the Nets are two games behind the Wizards in lottery odds and a game behind the Pacers. An rd as we’ve harped on, no team with the worst regular season record has won the overall No. 1 pick (and the last team to win the lottery from the third spot was the San Antonio Spurs in 2023 and that worked out just fine for them.
However, today can’t be one of those days. The Nets blew a chance on something right in front of them. Tanking isn’t fun, but neither is this.
Final: Brooklyn Nets 121, Washington Wizards 115
Milestone Watch
Nolan Traore scored a career-high 23 points today against Washington with a career-best five 3-pointers (5-of-11) to go with two rebounds and seven assists. It was his ninth game of the season with 7+ assists, which tied Marcus Williams for the fifth most by a Nets rookie.
E.J. Liddell hit career highs with his 15 points and two blocks. It is his second career game with 10+ points (10 on 3/14/26 at PHI).
Next Up
The drama-riddled Milwaukee Bucks are next on the docket for the Nets. Brooklyn hasn’t played the Bucks since December. Believe it or not, they beat the breaks off them, winning by 40+ points. With the season coming to a close an draft lottery positioning being top of mind, we’ll hope for a different result this time. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday.
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 12, 2026: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) plays tight defense on Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena on February 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks (24-53) are home for an early Sunday evening game against the Los Angeles Lakers (50-27). The Mavericks are coming off a loss against the Orlando Magic, but one where Cooper Flagg was on fire from the field and he scored 51. The Lakers had a devestating loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in more ways than one on Thursday.
Here are the main things you need to know:
WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers
WHAT: Dallas tries to end a long, long home losing streak
WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
WHEN: 6:30 pm CST
HOW: NBC/Peacock
The Mavericks are fielding as close to a full team as we’ve seen in several games. Caleb Martin is out with his plantar issue. Moussa Cisse is questionable and I don’t think he’ll play given who Dallas has available. Tyler Smith is questionable due to illness. John Poulakidas is probable to play. Marvin Bagley is as well after dealing with a shoulder injury.
The Lakers are in a brutal injury position. Luka Doncic went down with a very bad hamstring injury against the Thunder. Austin Reaves also suffered a very bad oblique injury. Both players will be out for weeks and weeks and I don’t see how the Lakers win a playoff round. Dallas native Marcus Smart will miss this game with an ankle injury. Jarred Vanderbilt is questionable as of this writing with a calf issue.
Give how close to the end of the regular season we are, the Mavericks winning this game is going to drive some people mad. But the Lakers don’t have the horses and I don’t care how bad Dallas has been as of late, when the top heavy Lakers are missing two of their three best players, the Mavericks should have more than enough juice to win.
Be sure to chime in with your predictions in the comments!
Consider joining Josh and me on Pod Maverick live after the game on YouTube, we should start LATE. Thanks so much for spending time with us here at Mavs Moneyball. Let’s go Mavs!
The Golden State Warriors haven't been at full strength for seemingly the entire season. But with five games left to go before the play-in begins, they're reportedly set to bring back their most important piece.
An official announcement will likely come closer to the 7 p.m. PT tip-off but in the meantime, here's everything you need to know about Curry's impending return:
Is Steph Curry playing tonight vs. the Houston Rockets?
It hasn't been officially announced yet as of 3:15 p.m. PT, but all indications are that Curry will be cleared to play Sunday night for the first time in over two months. ESPN's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater first reported on Curry's impending return on Friday, April 3.
Official word from the Warriors on Curry's status will likely come closer to Sunday night's 7 p.m. local time tip-off.
Steph Curry stats
Prior to injuring his knee in February, Curry was averaging 27.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 39 games played this season, while shooting 46.8% from the field, 39.1% on 3-pointers and 93.1% on free throws.
Curry participated in a scrimmage at Warriors practice on Friday, and head coach Steve Kerr came away from it hopeful about his star.
"Everything went well. Yeah, he looked good," Kerr told reporters. "He’s pretty good. He looks like Steph Curry."
Warriors playoff outlook
Golden State has been in turmoil ever since Curry went down. They were already dealing with several injuries, but being without their best player sent them spiraling. The Warriors went 9-18 in the 27 games Curry missed, but his return is just in time for the most important time of the year.
Though they won't be able to catch the sixth seed, the Warriors' spot in the play-in tournament is set. With five games left to go in the regular season, Golden State currently holds the 10th and final seed as they trail the seventh-seeded Phoenix Suns by six games and the No. 9 Los Angeles Clippers by three.
"Yeah, I mean he brings hope to a tough situation," Kerr told reporters on Friday. "I thought [Spurs] game, we were never really in the game, but the guys fought, they competed, they stayed with it until the end. The vibe was good. When Steph’s around, the vibe tends to be better. It’s definitely better right now so hopefully we’ll have another good effort tonight and he’ll be on the sidelines cheering. We’ll see how it goes the next couple of days but we’re obviously dying to get him back.”
