MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 29 points and topped the 21,000-point mark for his career on Saturday night as the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 116-99 victory over the short-handed Brooklyn Nets.
Antetokounmpo, in his second game back after missing four due to a groin strain, became the 42nd player, and sixth-youngest, in NBA history to reach 21,000 career points when he hit a 3-pointer midway through the third quarter.
Antetokounmpo shot 12 for 15 in 19 minutes and had eight rebounds.
Bucks guard Kevin Porter Jr. scored 13 points in his first game back since spraining an ankle in the season opener. Porter then injured his right meniscus working his way back and underwent surgery in early November. A.J. Green added 15 points and Bobby Portis Jr. 13 for Milwaukee.
Rookie Danny Wolf, playing in his fifth game, had a career-high 22 points for the Nets. Wolf shot 8 for 16, including 5 for 9 from beyond the arc. Jalen Wilson added 13 points.
The Bucks took control with a 39-24 scoring advantage in the second quarter and held a 71-53 lead at the half. The margin ballooned to 92-60 with just over five minutes left in the third quarter.
The Nets were without leading scorer Michael Cooper Jr. (24.3 points per game), who missed his second consecutive game due to lower back tightness. Starting guard Egor Demin was sidelined with injury management for a left plantar fascia tear.
Brooklyn already was without guard Cam Thomas (21.4 points), who has been sidelined since early November due to a left hamstring strain.
Antetokounmpo returned to the lineup Friday and scored 30 points in 118-109 loss to the New York Knicks that eliminated the Bucks from the NBA Cup.
Motiejus Krivas scored 20 points, Koa Peat added 16 and No. 2 Arizona overpowered Norfolk State 98-61 on Saturday. The Wildcats (7-0) are one of the tallest teams in Division I and used it to their advantage against the Spartans (4-5). Coming off a 30-point win over Denver on Monday, Arizona shot 56% from the floor, had a 58-24 advantage in the paint and shot 32 of 46 on free throws.
SAN FRANCISCO – Injury-diminished New Orleans was the perfect opponent for the Warriors, who on Saturday were taking their first tentative step into the expected brief void created by the absence of Stephen Curry.
One of six teams destined to blow past the 60-loss mark, the Pelicans are profoundly vulnerable but were plucky enough to drag the Warriors into “clutch game” territory.
The Warriors emerged victorious, 104-96, but coach Steve Kerr and his staff will be blessed with plenty of video sure to leave various members of the roster palming their faces.
Three days after Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler III blistered the team for its polite approach to defense – which showed signs of improvement – their offense spent most of the evening trying to survive spells of self-suffocation. AKA, the No Steph Syndrome.
The Warriors on this occasion were rescued by Gary Payton II, who came off the bench and pulled his teammates to a win that spared them loads of embarrassment.
“He was amazing,” Kerr said. “Gary was one of the keys to the game, just his activity levels, his defense obviously working kind of underneath the basket, freeing himself up for some layups, and then obviously knocked down the three. That was kind of the killer, the killer shot.”
Payton, who left the game Wednesday night against Houston with a bum ankle, was cleared Saturday before tipoff and submitted the fourth double-double of his NBA career and first this season, with 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and a dagger triple with 57.7 seconds that gave the Warriors a 99-88 lead with 57.7 second remaining.
Moreover, the 6-foot-2 utility man grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and the displayed the level of smarts, spirit and determination Green and Butler were pleading for during their separate postgame harangues.
“Gary, he’s hella smart,” Butler said. “Gets the ball where a ball needs to go, guards at a high level, rebounds the basketball and just plays the right way. When he’s open, he shoots the ball when he’s not, he passes it. I think we all can learn a lot from him.”
It took a full half before the Warriors showed any ability to find buckets. They scored 17 points, shooting 24 percent from the field, including 7.1 percent from deep, in the first quarter, ticking up to 25 points in the second quarter, shooting 43.5 and 12.5 percents.
As bad as the offense was early, Golden State’s defense wouldn’t allow the Pelicans to take advantage. Both teams shot 33.3 percent from the field and nine percent from beyond the arc before halftime.
“If you take care of the ball and you get shots on goal, it just sets the game of your transition defense is better,” Kerr said. “It gives you a chance to get offensive boards. The game didn’t feel that rhythmic, but it felt clean. We weren’t turning it over, making mistakes, and that’s important, the shots will start going in.”
The chemistry between Payton and Butler, beginning late in the second quarter, was crucial to making the offense blossom in the second half. Payton scored 12 points in the quarter on 6-of-6 shooting, mostly working near the rim.
“Just playing behind the defense, being an outlet and making layups,” Payton neatly summarized.
“Jimmy draws a lot of attention when he’s driving to the rim, and Gary was able to find all the open spots in their defense,” Draymond Green said. “He was great cutting, rebounding the basketball, which was incredible. He did a great job of playing behind the defense, and Jimmy’s always looking for the open man. If you’re open, he’s going to throw that pass every time. And G was open, and he found him four or five times.”
Butler finished with a team-high 24 points and a game-high 10 assists, five of which were dimes to Payton. They were responsible for restoring the heartbeat of the offense, as the Warriors in the second half scored 62 points on 48.9 percent shooting from the field, including 40 percent from distance.
There was some defensive slippage by Golden State, but not enough to give the game to the Pelicans.
There will be at least two more games without Curry, beginning Tuesday at Chase against the obnoxiously good Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by Thursday in Philadelphia against the 76ers, who are 10-8 despite Joel Embiid and Paul George missing a combined 26 games.
The Warriors will be off on Sunday before coming into Chase to practice and study video on Monday. They’ll spend less time reviewing the Pelicans than previewing the Thunder, who give their every opponent reason to palm its collective face.
Terry Rozier, the NBA player facing criminal sports betting charges, has resolved at least one other matter with the federal government: a multimillion-dollar tax lien.
On Oct. 29, the IRS filed a certificate of release in Broward County (Fla.), where Rozier resides, confirming he satisfied the lien of $8.2 million, which was originally assessed in August 2023.
The release came one day after ESPN reported on the lien, which occurred a few months after Rozier was accused of taking part in a betting scheme involving prop wages on his performance as a member of the Charlotte Hornets.
A federal indictment alleges Rozier tipped off a friend, Deniro Laster, that he planned to exit early from a game on March 23, 2023, against the New Orleans Pelicans, and that Laster and other individuals used that information to place $200,000 in wagers predicting Rozier would underperform his statistical averages.
Rozier, who was averaging 35.3 minutes and 21.1 points per game at the time, exited the contest against New Orleans less than 10 minutes into the first quarter and did not return, finishing with five points.
Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, told ESPN last month that Rozier only actually owed $9,000 on the $8 million-plus tax bill and that it had already been paid.
“We just need the IRS to help remove the now-defunct lien,” Trusty said at the time. The attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment from Sportico.
Following his arrest on Oct. 23, Rozier—currently with the Miami Heat—was placed on immediate leave by the NBA, a move swiftly condemned by the NBA Players Association, which said it would appeal.
The government alleges that after the March 23, 2023 game, Laster drove from Philadelphia to Rozier’s home in Charlotte, where they counted the tens of thousands of dollars in profits that the scheme had netted. Rozier’s scheduled arraignment is next month, and his attorney Trusty has said the player plans to plead not guilty.
Jamichael Stillwell had 21 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and three steals for his third double-double of the season, Jordan Burks added 14 points, and UCF beat VMI 82-57 on Saturday.
There wasn’t much else to cheer for, even in a 104-96 Warriors win.
Jimmy Butler was the main bright spot in a game where the Warriors badly missed Steph Curry, who is out because of a quad contusion he sustained last game. Butler was the Warriors’ offense. Making the Pelicans pay in the paint and at the free-throw line, Butler was a plus-22 and barely missed a triple-double, finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists.
Second on the medal stand for the Warriors was Gary Payton II. The Warriors’ best offense when they’d go completely stagnant was Payton sneaking behind the Pelicans’ defense, running the baseline and converting for two points. Payton played 25 minutes off the bench and was a plus-13 with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Draymond Green took nine shots and missed all nine, including seven 3-point attempts. His only two points came from two late free throws.
The Warriors as a team shot 40.9 percent overall and 25.5 percent behind the 3-point line.
Looney in his return to the Bay Area was a plus-8 in 10 minutes off the bench, scoring four points and securing five rebounds.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ win.
Kuminga’s Return
The loudest ovation of the day belonged to Looney. The second-loudest was for Kuminga making his way back from knee issues that held him out for the last two weeks.
How Kuminga scored his first two points of the game is exactly what the Warriors want from him. Kuminga screened for Brandin Podziemski on a dribble-handoff, got the switch, forced Derik Queen to jump on a pump fake and laid it off the glass for an easy bucket. Later in the first quarter, Kuminga rebounded a missed three and went straight up for his next two points.
Kuminga then went scoreless in the second quarter, but was a plus-10 over a stretch of four and a half minutes where he had two assists. He was bad in the third quarter when he again was held scoreless and committed two rough turnovers.
Then in the fourth quarter, Kuminga made back-to-back 3-pointers with Looney guarding him. Those were his only shot attempts of the fourth quarter, and they proved to be big 3-pointers. Kuminga after missing the last seven games played 19 minutes and was a plus-2 off the bench with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, but had just one rebound.
Giving the Warriors’ offense a D-plus after 20 games felt generous with the product they put on the floor without Curry. The offense went missing like Will Byers early on, but the Warriors didn’t have their superhero to bail them out. The numbers don’t even do it justice to how bad the Warriors’ offense was to begin the game.
They scored a lowly 17 points in the first quarter, going 6 of 25 from the field and 1 of 14 on 3-pointers. That means the Warriors in the first 12 minutes of the game made five of their 11 two-pointers but kept taking 3-pointers, and kept missing them too. Quinten Post was the only Warrior to make a three.
The Warriors then missed their first five threes in the second quarter before Moses Moody snapped the streak halfway through the period. Moody’s three was the Warriors’ lone triple of the quarter, but they outscored the Pelicans 25-20 from second-chance points, points off turnovers and free throws to hold a four-point halftime lead. Both teams were shooting 33.3 percent from the field and 9.1 percent on threes in the first half.
Offense for the Warriors and Pelicans decided to show up in the third quarter. Podziemski scored 10 points in the quarter and Butler added eight, but the Warriors were outscored 34-31, cutting their lead down to one point entering the final 12 minutes.
Without a doubt, the sequence of the game for the Warriors happened with a little under four minutes left when Podziemski made a huge three to take back the lead, and Payton on the next possession threw down a dunk in traffic off a perfect pass from Butler. Starting with that Podziemski three, the Warriors outscored the Pelicans 17-8 the rest of the way.
Former Warriors assistant, and now former Pelicans head coach Willie Green, did Looney wrong when he didn’t play him at all two weeks again in New Orleans against Golden State. Current Pelicans coach James Borrego knew better than that, putting Looney in for the final minute of the first quarter in front of Dub Nation.
Looney in the first minute of the second quarter stole a bad Buddy Hield pass and pulled up for an 18-foot jumper to a handful of “Looooon” chants. He played five and a half minutes in the first half and was a plus-9 with four points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Looney sat the entire third quarter before starting the fourth on the floor.
Forever a Warriors fan-favorite, Looney played the first five minutes of the fourth quarter where he came down with two rebounds. His Pelicans were outscored by one point in those five minutes. Whether he watches from the bench or plays 10 minutes in reserve like he did Saturday night, it always will be weird and feel wrong to see Looney playing for a team that isn’t the Warriors.
The Hoosiers are 7-0 for the first time since last making the NCAA Tournament following the 2022-23 season, 50 years after posting the last perfect record in men’s college basketball.
SAN FRANCISCO – Selected by the Warriors in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft, No. 30 overall, Kevon Looney underwent surgeries on each hip, forcing him to do more watching than playing in his first two seasons. By his fourth season, when he played 80 games, making 24 starts, he was a parable.
In his seventh season, when he played all 82 games and was essential to Golden State’s 2022 NBA championship, Looney achieved cult status in Dub Nation. The appreciation came in the form of thunderous cheers – and the “Looooon” serenade – inside Chase Center, particularly when he was snagging offensive rebounds by the bushel.
So, naturally, “Loon” would receive the warmest of welcomes Saturday when introduced at Chase not as a member of the Warriors, but the opposing New Orleans Pelicans, where last summer he signed a free-agent contract.
“He’s been a fan favorite for a long time, so he’s going to get an amazing reception,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said shortly before tipoff.
“I think there’ll be a lot of love,” Looney said 45 minutes earlier. “They always treated me really well in the streets. Even with a new team, I still get a lot of love from Warriors fans across the country, across the world. They always come to me and give me a lot of support. I expect nothing less than that.”
Looney’s pregame appreciation video was followed by a standing ovation that went beyond a full minute. Richly deserved, for a variety of reasons. Some of the feeling is nostalgic, a sincere expression of gratitude for a man who overcame so much to be a force in the NBA. And some of it is very much in the moment.
Getting real, today’s Warriors miss Looney. The evidence is in the team statistics, the tenuous bridge between the veterans and the youngsters and the commentary Kerr.
“The offensive rebounding, and you’re seeing kind of a trend around the league,” Kerr said, referring to Looney’s specialty. “Saw it with Houston the other night [when the Warriors were minus-12 in that category]. Portland, it’s crash, crash, crash. Loon gave so much of that to us. The offensive boards, the extra possessions. It might have gone less noticed five or six years ago, when he was doing all that than it would be now. We recognize it and we miss some of that now.
“[But] it goes way beyond the court stuff. Just his locker-room presence, his maturity, the way he generated a professional atmosphere with the whole group. Just a remarkable teammate.”
When the Warriors did not offer Looney a contract last July, he signed a two-year deal with the Pelicans. Golden State’s farewell was New Orleans’ hello. Which is why facing the Warriors at Chase is not just another game.
“Man, I had this game circled,” Looney said before tipoff. “It’s one of the games I looked at as soon as the schedule came out, when I was coming back here. It was really exciting to see everybody again, play for the Warriors fans again. It’s always a lot of fun. I got a little bit more anxiety for a regular-season game than normal. A lot of little jitters, but I’m excited.”
It was with the Warriors that Looney won three championship rings. Evolved from a player whose career was threatened by an unforgiving body – many wondered if it could withstand the rigors of the league – to one who appeared in 290 consecutive games to an NBA career now in its 11th season.
Looney, 29, still hears the roar of the crowd at old Oracle Arena in Oakland, still hears former teammate Andre Iguodala’s voice of discipline and discretion regarding foods to accept and reject for the sake of health and conditioning.
Looney cleared every obstacle did what it took to contribute to a quality team, in and out of the locker room. He cleared every obstacle, even neuropathy, to give his heart and soul to his team.
“I’d just like to be remembered being a tough guy,” Looney said. “A guy that showed up every night. A guy that brought his hard hat every night. A guy that never complained about anything. Whatever I was asked to do, I went out there and tried to do is my best ability. That’s kind of how I want to be remembered.
“When I came to the league, I was injured. I wasn’t able to really be there for the team. I wanted to kind of change that narrative. I did a good job of that.”
Good? No, during his time as a Warrior, he aced it.
There was plenty of drama on the final night of NBA Cup group play, with the Magic, Thunder, and Spurs winning their way in, while losses by the Cavaliers and Pistons opened the door for Miami to make it in as a Wild card.
Here are the four quarterfinal games, with how the teams got there and some quick analysis.
Dec. 9 How they got here: Orlando clinched East Group B and the No. 1 overall seed with a win over Detroit on Friday. That Pistons loss, plus a Cavaliers loss, opened the door and Miami walked through it to advance as the Wild Card with a 3-1 record.
Game Analysis: Orlando has found its footing and gone 6-2 with Paolo Banchero out — the team is making quick decisions, the ball is moving, the pace is up and the Magic's elite defense from a season ago is starting to round into form. By this game on Dec. 9 Banchero is expected to be back in the lineup, but can he fit in with what has been working in Orlando — the model for that might be Tyler Herro in Miami. The Heat began the season without their All-Star, but the combination of a new-style attacking offense that shuns picks in favor of isolation attacks, as well as brilliant play from Norman Powell, has made the Heat one of the best stories of the first quarter of the NBA Season. When Herro returned, he blended right into this system and made it even better. If Banchero can't do that or Orlando struggles at all, this Heat team will exploit it.
New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors
Dec. 9 How they got here: Toronto advanced as the No. 2 seed with a 4-0 record in NBA Cup play, but it had clinched its spot a week ago with a win over Washington. New York secured its spot by beating Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee on Friday and clinching Group B, thanks to some big Duece McBride 3-pointers helping the team pull away in the fourth.
Game Analysis: The RJ Barrett revenge game? Styles make fights and this is a good one. Toronto wants to run — it starts more of its possessions in transition than any team in the league, and it's got the athletes who can finish in space with Barrett, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley. The Knicks are bottom 10 in the league in percentage of plays that start in transition, but they have the league's sixth-best first-shot halfcourt offense behind Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Which team dictates the style of game wins here, and when the Knicks do slow the game down, can Brandon Ingram dominate in the halfcourt for the Raptors?
Western Conference
Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder
Dec. 10 How they got here: This game will be a rematch of the one we saw Friday night, which the Thunder won 123-119 behind 37 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. With that, the Thunder won West Group A, but the Suns were still 3-1 in group play and had the point differential to advance as the Wild Card.
Game Analysis: Nobody has been able to slow down the 19-1 Thunder this season, but Phoenix showed how it can give them a game — and why the Suns have been one of the surprise teams of the NBA this season — with its balanced attack. Sure, SGA had the headlines, but Oklahoma City got Jalen Williams back on Friday, and while his shot looked understandably rusty (this was his first game back following offseason wrist surgeries), he finished with 11 points, eight assists, and he played some high-level defense. Phoenix had six players score in double digits, led by Collin Gillespie with 24 and Devin Booker with 21. Phoenix has been a surprise this season, but they're legit, and this will be a big stage for them to show the rest of the NBA just that.
San Antonio at Los Angeles Lakers
Dec. 10 How they got here: The Lakers clinched West Group B on Tuesday night with a convincing win over the Clippers, then secured home court Friday with a victory over Anthony Davis and Dallas (a game played on a regular NBA court after Luka Doncic called the Lakers’ one “dangerous” after the Clippers game; the NBA Cup court is supposed to be back for this game). The win against Dallas summed up the Lakers this season: The Mavs made a fourth-quarter push and took a one-point lead, then Doncic and Austin Reaves took over on their way to a combined 73 points on the night (LeBron James is now a very good third option in Los Angeles).
San Antonio won West Group C by beating Denver — and doing it without Victor Wembanyama or Stephon Castle, both out injured (it's unlikely that Wemby is back for this coming NBA Cup game). Devin Vassell was 7-of-9 from 3-point range on his way to 35 points for San Antonio, who also got 25 points and 10 boards from Julian Champagnie, who is having a strong season in Texas.
Game Analysis: San Antonio has gone an impressive 5-1 without Wembanyama, thanks to great play from DeAaron Fox leading the fifth-best offense in the league over that stretch. That will make an intriguing matchup against a Lakers team with an elite offense behind Doncic — who is playing like an MVP and leads the league in scoring at 35.1 per game — and just enough defense. Bet the over on this one, then grab the popcorn, it should be entertaining.
When are the NBA Cup quarterfinals, Finals
Here is the schedule for the quarterfinals and beyond:
Quarterfinals: Dec. 9 and 10 (at home of higher-seeded team)
Semifinals: Dec. 13 (Las Vegas)
Championship: Dec. 16 (Las Vegas)
How much money does the champion get?
Make no mistake, for the players it is all about the money — and the teams that have advanced this far will get some payday, but they all have their eye on the big prize.
"I think half a million dollars is still a good amount of money to be able to motivate you to want to win games," the Lakers' Jake LaRavia told NBC Sports.
Players on teams that advance out of the group stage receive bonuses from a league-sponsored prize pool, with teams that advance further receiving more. It breaks down this way:
• Each player on the team that wins the championship: $530,933
• Each player on the team that loses in the championship: $212,373
• Each player on a team that loses in the semifinals: $106,187
• Each player on a team that loses in the quarterfinals: $53,093
How to Watch the NBA on NBC and Peacock
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones. Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
The Warriors could get a positive reinforcement soon.
Veteran guard De’Anthony Melton, who has been sidelined for more than a year while recovering from a torn ACL, could make his 2025-26 NBA season debut during Golden State’s upcoming three-game road trip that begins Dec. 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers, per an update issued by the team on Saturday.
The Warriors, who currently are in the midst of a five-game homestand, say Melton continues to make good progress and has been a full participant in recent practices, but he won’t appear in the next few games at Chase Center.
Melton also has scrimmaged in various settings.
The 27-year-old tore his ACL less than one month into the 2024-25 season and underwent surgery on Dec. 4, 2024. He was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in December but re-signed with Golden State during the 2025 offseason.
In six games with the Warriors, Melton averaged 10.3 points on 40.7-percent shooting from the field and 37.1 percent from 3-point range, with 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 20.2 minutes.
His anticipated return comes at a good time for the Warriors, who currently hold a 10-10 record after a frustrating start to the 2025-26 season.
The Knicks are a team built on consistency. Jalen Brunson is a sure bet to score efficiently almost every night while manipulating his way into scores via pull-up jumpers. Karl-Anthony Towns has recorded a double-double in all but three games. Mikal Bridges has never missed a game in his eight-year career.
Consistency is great. But every now and then, a wild card that can change the pace or tenor of a game is needed. That wild card for the Knicks is Josh Hart. After a slow start to the season, Hart has come on as of late, and it’s helping the team weather injuries on the perimeter to OG Anunoby and Landry Shamet.
After beginning the season as a reserve, Hart has emerged as a starter, replacing Mitchell Robinson. He brings a jolt of energy to the game with versatility, mad dashes in transition and hustle plays.
The Knicks' 118-109 home win over the Bucks on Friday night propelled the club into the knockout round of the NBA Cup tournament. Hart was everywhere in the victory, notching 19 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. With Anunoby out, Hart stepped up to take on the Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive assignment despite a severe size deficit.
The performance against the Bucks has been the norm for Hart. His efficiency has picked up as he’s padded the entire stat sheet. In the last 13 games, he's averaging 13.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists. He has also found the range, shooting 40.1 percent from beyond the arc during that time.
On the rebound
Hart’s had his ups and downs from outside throughout his career. He still needs to be aggressive as a scorer to keep defenses honest. Teams will sag off him even more if he’s not, mucking up driving lanes for Brunson and Towns.
He has shot better so far this season, but Hart is a career 34.2 percent three-point shooter. To weaken the Brunson-Towns pick-and-roll, many opponents put a wing on Towns while hiding their center on Hart.
In Friday's win, the Bucks had Myles Turner guard Hart down the stretch while Antetokounmpo checked Towns. The Knicks looked to bring Turner into every Brunson pick-and-roll. As the Bucks blitzed Brunson, it allowed Hart to attack in the short roll. He had a couple of good opportunities to create. One key play was Hart finding Miles McBride for an open corner three out of a short roll.
Hart’s first four games were a struggle -- he scored just 11 points on 4-for-19 shooting. During the spell, he was out of sorts, passing up open looks.
It’s not a shock that Hart played poorly to begin the season. A back injury kept him out for most of the preseason and the season opener. Anerve injury in his right hand has also been a setback. The start of this season was an adjustment for Hart, who was coming off the bench. He started all 77 games he played in last year.
One of head coach Mike Brown’s goals with the Knicks was to get them to play faster and create easier scoring opportunities. Hart’s ability to push the pace is an underrated skill that the Knicks could use more often. They average 16.1 fastbreak points per 100 possessions when Hart is on the floor, versus just 12.8 fastbreak points per 100 possessions when he sits, per NBA Stats.
After the Knicks' starting five of Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Hart and Towns crumbled in the playoffs last year, the group has looked better so far in the new season. In 40 minutes, this five-man unit is plus-24.2 points per 100 possessions, per NBA Stats. With the added playmaking from Hart, it might make sense to revisit the starting lineup permanently once Anunoby returns.
Hart can go into prolonged shooting slumps, pile up careless turnovers and make questionable decisions. But he’s been consistently effective over the past month. If Hart continues to play this well, it will be hard to keep him out of the starting five going forward.
First, the Kings will host the Denver Nuggets at 7 p.m. PT on Thursday, Dec. 11 at Golden 1 Center. Then they will head to Minnesota three nights later for a matchup with the Timberwolves at 4 p.m. PT on Sunday, Dec. 14.
Sacramento went 0-4 in Cup action in West Group A, having lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz.
Entering Friday’s game against the Jazz, the Kings already were eliminated from advancing in the Cup. They fell to Utah 128-119 and now hold a 5-15 record.
The reigning NBA champion Thunder have a flawless 4-0 record in group play.
After Friday, the eight teams that will advance are set: Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns.
From this point on, it’s a single-elimination tournament featuring the eight remaining teams.
Lakers forward LeBron James and Mavericks forward Anthony Davis battle for a rebound at Crypto.com Arena on Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers’ new big man went to the free-throw line. The team’s former big man was on the mind of fans.
“I miss you, AD!” a Lakers fan shouted into the silence as Deandre Ayton prepared to shoot a free throw in the first quarter Friday.
Former Lakers star Anthony Davis played his first game in L.A. since being traded to the Mavericks last season, finishing with 12 points, five assists, five rebounds and three blocked shots in the Lakers' 129-119 win at Crypto.com Arena.
He had an emphatic one-handed block on a shot by former teammate LeBron James in the fourth quarter, but didn’t hold any satisfaction in the play. The Mavericks lost for the fifth time in six games.
“I get pleasure in winning,” a subdued Davis said.
The Lakers (14-4) won their sixth consecutive game, securing home-court advantage for the NBA Cup tournament quarterfinals. The Lakers will host the San Antonio Spurs, who won West Group C, on Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.
Doncic had 35 points and 11 assists for the Lakers. Former Laker guard Max Christie, who was also involved in the trade, had 13 points and has become a starter for the Mavericks.
After two emotional matchups against his former team last year, Doncic said some of the feelings have subsided, but games against Dallas will always have special meaning for him.
Friday’s game was a well-timed return for Davis, who played in his first game after missing a month because of a calf strain. The injury stretched for weeks as the Mavericks fell into the basement of the Western Conference.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) scores two of his 38 points against Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) in the second half Friday at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Meanwhile, the Lakers have the second-best record in the West. Doncic leads the league in scoring with 35.1 points per game.
Doncic’s continued ascent to superstardom and Davis’ growing injury list has only made the trade more bitter for Mavericks fans. They got their form of revenge when general manager Nico Harrison was fired on Nov. 11, but the change only signaled a new low for the franchise that went to the NBA Finals two seasons ago.
Now the player who was supposed to help fill the void left by Doncic has been included in trade rumors. The Mavericks went 3-11 without Davis.
To ensure Davis stayed in a positive mental state during the time of turmoil for the franchise, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd encouraged him to simply stay focused on getting healthy.
“The train keeps moving,” Kidd said. “No matter of a trade or a dismissal, you got to keep moving. And so for AD, [it] was to focus on his body, come back healthy. … Can't get everything solved in 24 minutes tonight, but as we go forward, we feel like we have a chance to win when he's in uniform.”
Davis was on a 24- to 27-minute limit Friday. To adhere to the restriction, he had to leave the game with 6:56 left in the fourth quarter with the Mavericks trailing by three points.
Leaving the court hurt, Davis said. He had gotten two blocks, an assist and a basket during the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, then the Lakers went on a 9-1 run after Davis went to the bench.
To Kidd, Davis is still one of the best in the world when he is healthy. The coach pointed to Davis’ impressive play in the Paris Olympics when he averaged 8.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 62.5% from the field.
The Lakers didn’t need to be reminded of Davis’ talent. Coach JJ Redick said Davis would get the respect that all star players deserve because of his versatile skill set. But more than the shots he blocked or baskets he scored with the Lakers, Redick valued Davis for his support during Redick’s first year as a head coach.
“Very grateful that I had buy-in from him coming in Day 1 never had coached before,” Redick said. “So, it’s one of those things like you’re rooting for certain guys. … There are certain teammates you had, there’s always going to be guys that I coached [who] I either root for them after they are not your teammate and they are not one of your players. Just not when they play against us. Not tonight.”
The Lakers played a tribute video last year when Davis was sidelined because of an abdominal injury for his first game back after the trade. Fans showered him with cheers when he was introduced in the starting lineup Friday. James playfully bumped Davis at the center of the court before the game, then they did the same intricate handshake they performed before games as teammates.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic puts up a jumper between Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington and guard Max Christie on Friday at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
After the game, Lakers players lined up to hug Davis. Austin Reaves, who dominated with 38 points on 12-for-15 shooting with eight rebounds and three assists, gave him a two-armed bear hug. Davis grabbed the strap of his jersey and pointed toward Reaves.
“I always liked his game, what he was able to do,” Davis said of Reaves. “Just now he’s doing it on a more consistent basis, putting up elite numbers. … He’s a player who I always knew could play to this level.”
Reaves left the Lakers locker room with Davis’ blue No. 3 jersey signed by his former teammate.
“He's one of the best players to ever touch a basketball. I don't know why he wanted my jersey,” Reaves said. “But for me to get his, it's pretty fun. … From Day 1, he was telling me to be myself, don't be anybody else. Continue to work and really be myself on the court. So I owe him a lot.”
First, the Warriors will host the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7 p.m. PT on Friday, Dec. 12 at Chase Center. Two nights later, they’ll head to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers at 6 p.m. PT on Dec. 14 at Moda Center.
Golden State fell 104-100 against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at Chase Center in the NBA Cup finale. With the Memphis Grizzlies’ win over the New Orleans Pelicans earlier that day, both the Warriors and Rockets were eliminated from the cup before their game ended.
The Warriors are 10-10 on the season and have lost four of their last five contests.
They’ll look to get back in the win column when they host the Pelicans (3-16) on Saturday at Chase Center.
