Category: Basketball

Where Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler rank in first return of NBA All-Star fan voting originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Two Warriors players landed in the Top 20 in the Western Conference for the first returns of NBA All-Star fan votes. 

Steph Curry received 1,031,455 votes, the third-most in the Western Conference, while Jimmy Butler received 111,411 fan votes, good for 17th-most in the West. 

The first WEST returns for NBA All-Star 2026! ⭐️

Which name stands out to you?

NBA All-Star Voting continues on the NBA App and https://t.co/Pqxh2EQ21u until January 14!

➡️ https://t.co/TGQMZlxeAfpic.twitter.com/XsL66DbMv7

— NBA (@NBA) December 29, 2025

Curry landed behind Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić, who received the most and second-most votes in the Western Conference, respectively. 

The 37-year-old Curry seeks his 12th All-Star selection. Golden State’s star is averaging 28.8 points in 24 games played this season after scoring 27 in the Warriors’ win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night at Barclays Center. 

Butler, 36, has six All-Star nods in his career, but he has not been selected for the midseason showcase since his 2021-22 NBA season with the Miami Heat. 

Butler, Golden State’s second-leading scorer, is averaging 19.7 points in 29 games played this season. 

Responding to the Warriors’ social media campaign for his All-Star candidacy, Butler jokingly asked fans to direct their energy elsewhere. 

Fan voting for the 2026 All-Star Game began on Dec. 17 and will conclude on Jan. 14. It will account for 50 percent of the final vote, while current NBA players and a media panel will each account for 25 percent to make up the other half. 

This season, All-Stars will be selected without regard to position. The new United States vs. The World format will include 24 players split into three teams, with five players earning honors as starters from the two conferences.

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What we learned as Steph Curry drops 27 in Warriors' bounce-back win over Nets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

An ugly overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors, where the Warriors blew another fourth-quarter lead, had to be quickly flushed with a game the next night in Brooklyn against the Nets. 

The response from the Warriors was a 120-107 win over the Nets at Barclays Center, beating one of the NBA’s hottest teams this month. The Warriors, now 17-16, have just one more game in 2025 when Steph Curry gets to enjoy a Charlotte homecoming against the Hornets on New Year’s Eve. 

Curry (27 points) and Jimmy Butler (21 points) combined to score 48 points as the rest of the Warriors’ starting five scored 14.

At least this one counted 😉 pic.twitter.com/2PG1AbWozO

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 30, 2025

Here’s what coach Steve Kerr will be happiest about: The Warriors won the turnover battle, outrebounded the Nets, went 28 of 34 on free throws and received contributions throughout the roster. 

The Warriors’ bench outscored the Nets 58-27, and all eight players who came off their bench had a positive plus/minus.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ win over the Nets (10-20):

Gotham City Duo 

As if playing 41 minutes and scoring 39 points the night prior wasn’t enough. There isn’t another road arena where Curry scores at a higher clip than Barclays Center. He came into Monday averaging 30.1 points per game against the Nets on the road, and was ready to do whatever it took to get the Warriors back in the win column.

Butler made sure Curry had his trusted sidekick beside him. That became most evident during the third quarter. Curry in the third quarter scored 10 straight points for the Warriors, and then watched Butler score the Dubs’ last 11 points without him.

Butler was a perfect 4 of 4 from the field and 5 of 6 on free throws for 13 points in the third quarter, and Curry’s 10 points came from making three of his four field goals and both of his free throws.

Jimmy has the Dubs' last 11 points 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NWlRcoh0S0

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 30, 2025

The two scored 23 of the Warriors’ 30 points in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors were able to lean into their strength in numbers.

On a night where the Warriors were cold from 3-point range, Curry’s five total threes were half of the team’s 10. Butler didn’t attempt one 3-pointer. His damage was done at the free-throw line, where he went 11 of 12.

Dipping Into Depth

Since Al Horford played 17 minutes Sunday in the first game of a back-to-back and De’Anthony Melton was inactive to preserve his health, their roles were flipped Monday. Melton was back in and it was time for Horford to take a seat. On the second night of a back-to-back, where the Warriors went to overtime and lost in Toronto the previous night.

Steve Kerr turned to his bench quickly, even bringing some surprises to his rotation. Gui Santos was a healthy DNP (Did Not Play) in each of the last two games, yet was Kerr’s first man off the bench Monday for his size against a bigger Brooklyn team. Kerr used 10 players in the first quarter and 13 by halftime, with Buddy Hield, Pat Spencer and Will Richard joining the party in the second quarter. 

The Warriors had 14 healthy players available Monday. Jonathan Kuminga was the only one who remained on the bench in his warmup gear. But Kerr’s decisions made a big difference. All eight bench players had a positive plus/minus in the first half, and their reserves had outscored the Nets 33-13.

Pat to Gary to Trayce 🤌 pic.twitter.com/3K44PazW0K

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 30, 2025

Brandin Podziemski, who played 10 minutes in the first half as a plus-9 with four points and two rebounds, then started the third quarter in place of Quinten Post.

The closing lineup featured the trio of Curry, Butler and Green, plus Melton and Richard. Nobody was better in the fourth quarter than Richard. The rookie played 11 minutes and was a plus-13, scoring 10 points and swiping two steals. Melton was a game-high plus-26, and Richard was second to him at plus-22.

Trade Season Auditions?

With the calendar year near a close, Jan. 15 being a few weeks away and the Feb. 5 trade deadline less than two months from now, scenarios are being created for how the Warriors can improve their roster. Perhaps two players from their opponent on Monday night can help. 

Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton have been connected to the Warriors, and both are being watched closely by the fan base. It didn’t take long to see why. By the time the Warriors had eight points, so did Porter. He scored the first three points of the game from a wide-open corner three and ended the first quarter with 10 points. Porter was the second or third option in Denver with the Nuggets. Against the Warriors, he continued to prove why he can be a top option during the best season of his career. 

Porter was up to 17 points at halftime, seven more than the Warriors’ leading scorer, who was Curry at 10 points. He still was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points through three quarters. Porter’s 27 points were tied for a game-high with Curry, scoring beyond the arc, in the midrange and at the rim.

While Claxton is averaging a career high in points per game, he impacts the game in a handful of other ways. Claxton would have been the Warriors’ third-leading scorer with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and he also would have led them in rebounds (nine), steals (three) and blocked shots (three).

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Maxey sits 2nd in East in 1st All-Star fan voting returns  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Tyrese Maxey sure seems on track for his second NBA All-Star selection.

The Sixers’ franchise guard ranked second among Eastern Conference players in the first batch of fan voting returns released Monday with 1,072,449 votes. Maxey trailed only Giannis Antetokounmpo in the East and was directly in front of fellow guards Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham and Donovan Mitchell. Teammate Joel Embiid was in 17th place.

Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their conferences in the first fan returns in NBA All-Star Voting 2026.

Fans (50% of the vote) join NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%) in selecting five players in each conference honored as starters.

Next fan update: 1/6. pic.twitter.com/pHykl9yhTE

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 29, 2025

“Being here last year, I was blown away with how good he was,” Paul George said on Dec. 10, “how mature he was, how instinctive of a leader he was. And just to watch him grow over this year with how much better he’s gotten, it’s kind of like the sky’s the limit.” 

Maxey’s one previous All-Star appearance came in the 2023-24 season. He won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award that year, too. 

Starters will be determined by a combination of fan voting (weighted at 50 percent), player voting (25 percent) and media panel voting (25 percent). Head coaches will choose seven reserves from each conference.

The 2026 All-Star Game is set for Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles and will feature a new USA vs. World format.

JJ Redick called his players out. The Lakers answered.

The Lakers responded to three blowout losses and a spirited team meeting by playing one of their most complete games of the season Sunday to earn a 125-101 win over the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena. For the first time this year, the Lakers (20-10) outscored their opponent in every quarter with Luka Doncic (34 points) and LeBron James (24 points) leading the way despite Austin Reaves’ absence.

“Hopefully,” forward Jake LaRavia said, “this is the first of a mini win streak.”

Here are three takeaways from the win:

Read more:After talking through problems, Lakers find unexpected third scorer to end losing streak

Nick Smith Jr. is ready for his moment

Nick Smith Jr. placed his newest souvenir nonchalantly underneath the news conference table. This game ball will likely go to his mother.

Smith earned it Sunday with a starring performance off the bench while filling in for the injured Reaves. The 21-year-old guard on a two-way contract scored 21 points on eight-for-14 shooting with three rebounds and one assist. He made five three-pointers, including his first four from beyond the arc while starting seven for seven from the field.

With Reaves sidelined for at least a month with a grade two strain in his left calf, Smith will be in line for more consistent minutes, Redick said before the game. Especially with fellow guard Gabe Vincent missing his fourth game because of a back injury Sunday, the Lakers need Smith’s ballhandling and shiftiness alongside James and Doncic.

But to offset the loss of their second-leading scorer, the Lakers are most desperate for Smith’s scoring.

“It's why we wanted him on the Lakers and part of our program, because we knew he could score,” Redick said. “I like when he's aggressive. … If he could just do him within our structure, a lot of times, good things happen.”

Smith has already flashed his scoring potential in big moments. The former first-round draft pick who signed with the Lakers a day before training camp started rescued the team with 25 points in Portland in a game without James, Doncic or Reaves. He had 12 points in 14 minutes off the bench against Toronto when the Lakers survived thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Rui Hachimura.

“We trust him,” Redick said before the game.

After getting waived by the Charlotte Hornets, Smith recognized that he hasn’t had this level of trust from a coaching staff “in a long time.” To have it “means everything,” he added.

“It's a different stage, you know, where I came from, and I understand that,” Smith said. “So I just want to make sure I'm ready. … I'm just blessed to be here, just have the opportunity just to even play with the Lakers and stuff like that, even be in the league. A lot of guys where I'm from would, like, love to be in this situation.”

JJ Redick switches rotation with Austin Reaves sidelined

It’s not just Reaves’ absence that is shaking up the Lakers rotation. Redick experimented with a new substitution pattern that could allow Doncic and James to individually lead the offense more often.

Doncic, who typically plays the entire first quarter, subbed out with 2:31 remaining in the first quarter Sunday. James kept his typical first-quarter pattern of playing roughly the first six minutes, sitting for three, then returning for the final three. Doncic would typically sit for the first five to six minutes of the second quarter, but returned Sunday at the 9:12 mark of the second.

“It just gives more time for those guys to sort of be the quarterback without the other one,” Redick said. “Having said that, we ran a lot of stuff for them to be in two-man action, for them to be part of the play together tonight. So it's not like we're trying to, like, keep them apart. It's just kind of the nature of what we're trying to do, and we're going to do this for the foreseeable future, and just see how it goes.”

Read more:Lakers 'recalibrate' after Austin Reaves injury, three-game losing streak

Pressed by Redick to set the tone for a better start after the Lakers struggled in first quarters of their three blowout losses, Doncic and James combined for 19 points in the first quarter. Doncic leads the league in scoring and first-quarter scoring, but instead wanted to focus on distributing the ball early. All of the Lakers starters had at least one shot in the first three minutes of the game.

“Just trying to get everybody involved more than I used to,” Doncic said. “Everybody got some shots up today. Just shows when we share the ball, when we move the ball, it’s great for us.”

The Lakers had 25 assists on 47 made shots Sunday. They are 19-4 when they have 23 or more assists and 1-6 with 22 or fewer.

Detroit matchup gives Lakers a chance at a Houston do-over

The Lakers’ win over the struggling Kings (8-24) matters. It prevented the season from inching closer to disaster with a fourth consecutive loss. The defensive energy and effort, especially during a 13-2 run to start the third quarter, showed the team’s character in response to a deflating three-game skid.

But the win also doesn’t make a major statement. The Lakers improved to 13-3 against teams with losing records. They are just 7-7 against teams .500 or better. Those losses were by an average of 19.6 points.

Read more:Lakers guard Austin Reaves out for at least a month because of calf injury

Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons could be the statement game the Lakers are looking for.

The Pistons, who lead the Eastern Conference with a 24-7 record, are the NBA’s second-best rebounding team behind only Houston. The Rockets just dominated the Lakers, outrebounding L.A. by 23 last Thursday.

“They play a good brand of basketball,” James said of the Pistons. “It’s that Detroit feeling again. So we got to be ready for that, and I think we should be.”

Center Jalen Duren is averaging a career high 18.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Former first-overall pick Cade Cunningham is also having a career season with 26.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 9.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Kawhi Leonard equalled the Los Angeles Clippers record for most points in a game to help his side beat the Detroit Pistons 112-99.

His 55-point haul is also a career-high total for the 34-year-old, who matched the Clippers record set last month by team-mate James Harden.

Harden added 28 points against the Pistons while Nicolas Batum scored 12 to secure a fourth consecutive win for the Clippers - their best run of the season.

Elsewhere, Luka Doncic and LeBron James helped the Los Angeles Lakers end their three-game losing run with a 125-101 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Doncic hit five three-pointers on his way to 34 points while James added 24 points before exiting the game midway through the fourth quarter with a back injury.

The 40-year-old collided with Kings guard DeMar DeRozan and was forced to leave the court with 5:43 remaining.

There were also wins on Sunday for the Toronto Raptors, the Washington Wizards and the Portland Trailblazers.

Oklahoma continue to lead the way in the Western Conference as City Thunder saw off the Philadelphia 76ers 129-104.

The Lakers underwent some soul-searching at practice Saturday, with coach JJ Redick starting the conversation before allowing players to speak freely about the team's issues.

It was an attempt by Redick and the team to prevent things from spiraling out of control after three consecutive losses.

When the Lakers faced the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena, Redick wanted to see players executing on defense and playing harder.

The Lakers did exactly that, with Luka Doncic and LeBron James combining for 58 points and 12 assists in a 125-101 win.

Read more:Lakers 'recalibrate' after Austin Reaves injury, three-game losing streak

“I think it definitely starts with us,” said Doncic, who had 34 points, seven assists and five rebounds. “And when AR (Austin Reaves) is back, it’s going to be all three of us. ... We need to show what we can do and if we are going to do it, we both are going to do it. The group is going to follow. ... I think today just shows that everybody was locked in.”

For the Lakers, it was more than Doncic finishing with 34 points, seven assists and five rebounds. It was Doncic playing defense, illustrated best when he blocked a shot by DeMar DeRozan. It was Doncic hustling, such as when he dove to the floor for a loose ball.

Asked how the Lakers responded to Redick’s message, Doncic responded, “very well.”

“I think our effort was very high starting the game like that, getting deflections, getting steals, being physical,” Doncic said.

The win was more than James scoring 24 points and handing out five assists. It was James throwing down a reverse dunk and offering words of wisdom to teammates while also shooting 11 for 13 from the field.

Like Doncic, James was pleased with how things turned out.

“I thought it was a good response,” James said. “I think no matter who is coming into your building, no matter the record of whoever, you have to go out and play the game. The game is won between the four lines. So, I thought we executed that and it was one of the better games we had this year.”

And it also was reserve Nick Smith Jr. finding a role in the rotation and producing, one of the six Lakers scoring in double figures. Smith had 21 points on eight-for-14 shooting, making five of 10 threes.

Rui Hachimura had 12 points, Deandre Ayton had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Jake LaRavia had 11 points.

“We played together. We played for each other,” Redick said. “We had probably one of our most consistent games, in terms of 48 minutes of just competitive spirit. A couple possessions there towards the end of the third that we tried to be the Harlem Globetrotters.

"But this is the first game ... we've had all year that we've won all four quarters. So I think that just says a lot about the approach and the consistent mentality that we played with tonight.”

The Lakers (20-10) took control from the start of the third quarter, going on a 13-2 run to give them a 26-point lead that reached as high as 30 in the fourth quarter.

Granted, the Kings (8-24) have the second-worst record in the West and were missing injured stars Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Bradley, three of their top four scorers.

But the Lakers lost three straight games because of poor defense and an overall effort that Redick described as "terrible."

And with Austin Reaves out for at least a month because of a calf strain, getting the chance to talk through their issues might end up changing the team's fortunes.

“It's the very first thing that we all sat down yesterday and graded ourselves on — was our habits, our communication and our shape,” Redick said. “And the guys all echoed the same thoughts that we haven't been good.

"For whatever reason, we lost our way a little bit. ... But I thought the communication tonight was excellent, particularly on the defensive end.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.