Category: Basketball

On the eve of the NBA playoffs, the Lakers showed executive Rob Pelinka that they think he’s the right person to help lead their future, rewarding him with a contract extension and the title of president of basketball operations.

Pelinka, previously the vice president of basketball operations, retains the title of general manager. He last agreed to a four-year extension in 2022.

“For eight seasons, I have relied on Rob’s vision and leadership to do what’s best for the Lakers organization,” Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “I value his partnership and professionalism and believe in his ability to deliver championship-caliber basketball for Los Angeles and the Lakers fans everywhere.”

Pelinka re-established himself as the trusted and clear leader of the Lakers’ basketball operations department this season, first by hiring JJ Redick last summer. Then, Pelinka struck a pair of trades, first for Dorian Finney-Smith and second for Luka Doncic, that it made clear that his position within the organization was more than safe.

Friday’s finalized extension was viewed as mostly a formality in NBA circles following the Doncic trade. Terms of the extension weren’t announced.

Read more:Luka Doncic had an epic playoff moment last year. Here's why it could happen again

Pelinka, Kobe Bryant’s longtime agent, built a championship roster around the trade for Anthony Davis in 2020 only to receive criticism for how it was dismantled. Within two years, the team had added Russell Westbrook, fired Frank Vogel and hired Darvin Ham. After trading Westbrook, Ham and the Lakers reached the Western Conference finals.

But following a second straight playoff elimination by Denver, Pelinka again fired the coach and hired Redick. The front office drafted Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, signed Jordan Goodwin to a two-way contract and made the Finney-Smith and Doncic deals to put the Lakers in position to host Game 1 of a first-round series Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Banchero is Magic's only hope of giving Celtics a first-round scare originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Orlando Magic are heading into their first-round NBA playoff series against the Boston Celtics as heavy underdogs, and if they’re going to have any chance at pulling off a historic upset, Paolo Banchero needs to deliver an all-time performance.

Banchero, who was selected by the Magic with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, is a rising star. He averaged 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this season.

The 22-year-old forward has tremendous size, length and athleticism at 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds.

Banchero is a legit centerpiece for Orlando. They’ve had a few in the franchise’s 36-year history, including Penny Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and most recently Dwight Howard. Banchero is talented enough to join that group, but winning is the only way to do it.

One way for the Magic to have a chance at making this series versus the Celtics a long one is to slow the game down. Part of that is getting to the free throw line, and Banchero’s 8.4 attempts in the regular season ranked fourth-most in the league. And since the All-Star break he’s been averaging 9.2 free throw attempts per game. Banchero is great at using his quickness and strength to get to the rim, draw contact and finish.

The Magic are a great defensive team. They ranked No. 2 in defensive rating and play very physical on that end of the floor. But defense alone won’t give them a chance to win this series. They have to score at a much higher rate than they did in the regular season. Boston scored the eighth-most points at 116.3 per game. Orlando ranked 28th with 105.4 points per game.

If the Magic are going to close that 10-point gap, Banchero has to take his game to another level. And it’s possible he could get there. Just look at the Magic’s first-round series against the Cavaliers last season.

It was Banchero’s first time in the playoffs, and he didn’t look rattled at all. He averaged 27 points, 8.6 rebounds and four assists per game in the series. His best performance came in Game 7 at Cleveland, where he scored 38 points with 16 rebounds and three steals. Unfortunately for the Magic, their other four starters shot a combined 9-for-42 and they lost 106-94.

Banchero won’t just be asked to lead the offense for the Magic. He needs to be a stopper on defense, too.

The one head-to-head matchup where the Celtics played the Magic at full strength this season came on Jan. 17 at TD Garden. The C’s won by 27, but Banchero excelled defensively. He spent most of his time guarding Jayson Tatum and limited the Celtics superstar to four points on 1-for-4 shooting in that matchup. Tatum shot 11-for-17 against other Magic players in that game. Overall, Celtics players shot 1-for-9 that night when Banchero was the primary defender.

It’s probably a little too early for the Magic to make a statement in the playoffs. This is a really young team, and the Celtics have a distinct advantage in playoff experience, talent, depth and coaching. This should be a short series.

But the Magic play hard. They don’t quit. Banchero is going to be a superstar in the very near future. He has the potential to make this a five- or six-game series if he dominates at both ends of the floor.

Why Warriors' aren't worried about Rockets' physical Steph tactics originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – All the talk after the Warriors’ most recent game against the Houston Rockets is the same noise following them going into the first round of the NBA playoffs. 

The Rockets’ bully-ball defense held Steph Curry to three points on 10 shots in a 106-96 Golden State loss two weeks to the date of Game 1 in Houston. Curry made just one shot on the night at his home court, hitting a deep three on the run in the final seconds of the first half. He took eight shots behind the 3-point line, and that was the only one the shooting cyborg connected on. 

Houston followed the lead of its head coach Ime Udoka, someone who wants to assert himself as an alpha anywhere he goes. The Rockets threw their physicality in the face of Curry. They held, grabbed, pushed and used every tactic to slow him down. 

It was a dare to the referees to blow their whistles with Curry running through their terrain. And it worked. 

Curry and Udoka exchanged words walking to their respective tunnels at halftime. Udoka even called Curry out for crying to refs about foul calls after the game. Jimmy Butler intentionally stood up for his teammate in the Warriors’ locker room, saying he has never seen someone get fouled more, and that “it really angers me that he’s on my team and he gets hacked like that.” 

“There’s a reason teams have to be physical against Steph,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Friday after practice before the team’s flight to Houston. “I mean, he’s the greatest shooter and mover of all time in this game. We would try to guard him the exact same way.” 

Every team is going to put their best athletes on Curry. The game plan is to wear him down physically. For the Rockets, that means heavy doses of Amen Thompson (6-foot-7, 209 pounds), Dillon Brooks (6-foot-6, 225 pounds) and Fred VanVleet, who is smaller at 6-foot and 197 pounds, but has tons of experience defending Curry under the bright lights. Udoka’s strategy to slow down a great scorer isn’t new. 

He took it right out of the books of coaching greats like Chuck Daley and Pat Riley. But Kerr made it a point to send the same message he’s telling his team. 

“By the way, we’re a very physical team too,” Kerr said. “We’ve been very good in the playoffs by playing a physical game. I welcome all of that. The series will unfold, and teams will complain about officiating. We will, they will – it’s all a part of it.”

Rookie center Quinten Post followed his coach’s lead in responding to a question about the Rockets’ physicality. 

“I think we’re a pretty physical team ourselves,” Post said. “Maybe we’ve been a little undersized throughout this year, but we have the experience and I think we play hard. I don’t think it’s anything we haven’t seen before.” 

While the Warriors already have faced the Rockets five times this season, Curry only played in three of them. Curry averaged 16.3 points per game against the Rockets, which is more than eight points below his season average of 24.5. The only team he played multiple times and averaged fewer points against was the Eastern Conference’s No. 1-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. Curry averaged only 11.3 points in two games against the Cavs. 

His 36.4 field goal percentage (16 of 44) and 30.0 3-point percentage (9 of 30) against the Rockets’ defense would erase confidence in most cases. Curry isn’t most cases. 

He’s a four-time champion. A NBA Finals MVP. The greatest shooter of all time, as well as one of the game’s most brilliant minds. 

Everything about a game can be flipped on its head the second Steph starts to get going.

“He’s been through this millions of times,” Brandin Podziemski said. “He’s always going to make the adjustment that’s right for us to win.”

The adjustment for the Warriors still revolves around their principles of spacing, cutting and getting out in transition. The Rockets are an extremely tough wall to take down after scoring and being able to set up their defense and apply pressure. The solution might be more pick-and-roll. The Warriors have been more of an isolation team since Butler’s arrival. 

Anything to give Curry a sliver of space to work with. 

Whatever the answer is for the Warriors, it’s never a one-man job for the opposition. Thompson, a former Curry Camp attendee, is being anointed as the next “Steph Stopper.” History isn’t on his side. 

Matthew Dellavedova is still asking for oxygen somewhere in Australia. Davion Mitchell. Pat Bev. Marcus Smart. Jrue Holiday. Even rookie Jaylen Wells earlier this season. 

There were spurts of success for them. Maybe even a game or two. Those little wins typically have a quick expiration date. 

“There’s a fluidity and emotion and a beauty to Steph’s game that comes from understanding the movement and the spacing on the court – coordinating that space with his teammates,” Kerr said. “If he does that well in concert with his teammates, he’s going to get some openings. 

“And with Steph, all it takes is one to get him going.” 

The veteran-led Warriors aren’t about to puff their chests and make guarantees for the series. Post, before his first taste of the playoffs, isn’t afraid to make one on behalf of Curry. 

“What I do know is that they’re not going to be able to hold Steph to three points again,” he said. “I know that for a fact. It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before, and he’ll be up for the challenge.”

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Post vows Steph won't be limited to three points vs. Rockets again originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Warriors superstar Steph Curry had one of his worst games of the 2024-25 NBA season against the Houston Rockets, Golden State’s opponent in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. 

The four-time NBA champion mustered just three points on 1-for-10 shooting in the Warriors’ 106-96 loss to the Rockets at Chase Center on April 6.

The outing obviously was an anomaly, and Curry’s teammate and rookie Golden State center Quinten Post vowed that the sharpshooter won’t have that rough of a performance against Houston again when talking to reporters on Friday.

“I’ve played with Steph now throughout the season and I think I’ve never seen a guy being guarded like that by everybody,” Post said. “But what I do think they have is the size and athleticism to back up that aggressive play. But what I do know is that they’re not going to hold Steph to three points again. I know that for a fact. It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before and he’ll be up for the challenge.”

Post is right.

Anyone who has followed Curry’s renowned 16-year Warriors career knows “for a fact” that the 11-time NBA All-Star is more likely to score 60 points than three points on any given night, and the Rockets shouldn’t expect Curry to struggle that badly ever again.

And on the contrary, Houston should be concerned about Curry upping his level of play.

Since their first meeting in 2015, Curry has averaged 25.2 points, 5.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds over 20 playoff games against the Rockets and has won all four series with a 13-7 record. Houston’s famed James Harden era ended ringless largely because of Curry and the Warriors’ dominant reign over them.

Sure, the Rockets held Curry to three points a few weeks ago. But as Post said, that won’t happen again, as all parties know what the greatest shooter of all time is capable of when the lights are brightest.

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Stephen A warns Draymond to ‘watch himself' vs. Brooks, Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Stephen A. Smith believes Draymond Green needs to be careful as he and the Warriors face forward Dillon Brooks and the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The ESPN analyst explained what makes Green such a great player and how Brooks’ contentious comments play into the looming matchup.  

“The greatest element of Draymond Green is his mind,” Smith told Danny Green and Molly Qerim on Friday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “And Dillion Brooks basically challenged him when he said what he said. ‘I’m not going to get ejected, I’m going to leave that to someone else,’ we know who he is talking about. So, Draymond Green hears that kind of statement, and his mentality in all likelihood is going to be, ‘We’re going to play these mind games…and I’m going to one-up you mentally.’ ”

"Draymond [Green] needs to watch himself." 😯 @stephenasmith and @DGreen_14 on Draymond Green vs. Dillon Brooks in Warriors-Rockets 👀 pic.twitter.com/GAiERIC6ei

— First Take (@FirstTake) April 18, 2025

Brooks and Green are not exactly friendly, having had plenty of fiery interactions on the court when the former was a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. Now a key contributor to an up-and-coming Rockets team focused on avenging years of playoff futility against the Warriors, Brooks is expected to be a thorn in the side of Golden State.

Smith understands the heated nature of the Rockets-Warriors rivalry and Green’s penchant for playing hard and drawing fouls and ejections, which has cost Golden State in the past.

“It’s worth repeating this: Draymond needs to watch himself,” Smith said. “There is a title that Draymond himself will admit he cost Golden State years ago because he got himself suspended [for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals].”

The upstart Rockets have been one of the biggest surprises this season, surging up the standings to capture the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The Warriors have been rejuvenated since trading for Jimmy Butler, but a few late-season missteps cost them a shot at a top-six seed. After surviving a slugfest in the NBA play-in tournament against Memphis, Golden State arrives with a full head of steam as the No. 7 seed.

The Warriors must bring their best against a dynamic and physical Rockets team, particularly a calm, focused Green.

Expect plenty of mind games and colorful language from the 35-year-old as he and Golden State look to ground Brooks and the Rockets for good.

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Post clarifies TJD giving up Warriors bench seat during play-in game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Warriors rookie center Quinten Post clarified the moment second-year center Trayce Jackson-Davis gave up his seat on the bench for him during Golden State’s 121-116 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA play-in tournament on Tuesday.

“Me and Trayce are obviously really close, honestly,” Post told reporters after practice Friday. “We play the center position together. But he’s been very supportive of me as I’ve been with him at the start of the year. It wasn’t [anything]. I think I was just gassed. I think I played the longest stint of basketball I’ve played here. I think I played 10 minutes straight, and I just asked Trayce if I could sit there. I also had to ask something to Draymond and he was sitting next to him, so I just asked if I could sit there.

“I didn’t mean for [Jackson-Davis] to get up and stand. I thought there was another seat available maybe but that wasn’t the case. I don’t think it was anything crazy but we’re a very united team, I feel like, and we kind of do those things for each other sometimes.”

The two 25-year-old Warriors centers clearly have each other’s backs.

Nonetheless, it was Golden State star forward Draymond Green who illuminated Jackson-Davis’ honorable gesture. Green told reporters about Jackson-Davis’ selfless act following the Warriors’ win over the Grizzlies.

“I want to mention something that I saw today that no one will give a s–t about,” Green prefaced. “Trayce Jackson-Davis did something on the bench today. He didn’t play in the game. There were no seats on the bench, Quinten Post said, ‘Trayce, can I get that seat?’ and Trayce just got up. And a part of me was baffled that he got up for the rookie. Because the rookie – if there’s no seat, you sit on the floor. [Jackson-Davis] just got up and gave him the seat. 

“And I walked over to [Jackson-Davis] and said that’s one of the more selfless things I’ve ever seen. Ninety-nine percent of the time, you’re going to be like, ‘You going to go sit on the floor, rook. Go find a seat somewhere else.’ But [Jackson-Davis] knew he wasn’t part of the rotation, and yet the rookie was. They’re playing the same position, and [Jackson-Davis] got up and went and stood in the tunnel because there were no seats.”

The seventh-seeded Warriors have tons of momentum in the West entering their first-round playoff series against the second-seeded Houston Rockets. 

And the chemistry, as demonstrated by Jackson-Davis, Green and Post, is exactly what Golden State’s locker room needs moving forward – especially with the franchise aiming for a fifth NBA championship in 11 seasons.

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Can Magic score enough to make playoff series vs. Celtics competitive? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Orlando Magic are a great defensive team. They finished the NBA regular season ranked No. 2 in defensive rating. This team has size, length and athleticism all over the floor.

The real question entering the Magic’s first-round playoff series against the Celtics is whether they can score enough points to keep up with Boston’s potent attack. The C’s set league records for the most 3-point shots made and attempted in a single season, and they had the No. 2 offensive rating in the regular season.

The Magic have a couple good offensive players, most notably Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. But other guys have to step up. The good news for the Magic is they actually showed improvement offensively after the All-Star break.

🔊 Celtics Talk: Behind Enemy Lines: Which rival will push the Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoffs? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

“They’ve struggled to shoot the ball,” Magic broadcaster Dante Marchitelli told Chris Forsberg on NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics Talk Podcast. “They had an almost historically poor 3-point percentage this year, and that’s a problem in today’s NBA, and especially against the Celtics, which is what they do at 17.8 makes per game. You’re not going to have a chance to stay in this game if you’re making five to eight 3-pointers, right?

“They’ve got to knock down shots. So that’s been a big thing. But they’ve moved from 30th in offensive rating to 20th since the All-Star break. It doesn’t seem like much, but that was a big jump where they have started to make shots.

“I think they’ve kind of got their rotation going down. Cory Joseph might be a household name for real avid basketball fans, but not casual fans. He has steadied the ship. He kind of gets the ball to Paolo and Franz and lets them do their things. They’re 11-5 with Joseph as a starter. So that’s kind of been steadying the ship for them.

“Cole Anthony is a wild card. If he’s got it going, you just stay out of the way. You get him the basketball. The Celtics have several guys like that. Cole Anthony is one of those guys that if he’s got it going, you just continue to ride him. And then maybe Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can get hot. He’s won two championships.

“And then Paolo and Franz. They’re built for this. They love this moment and the spotlight. … This series will do one of two things. It’ll either wake up Boston real early in the first round because Orlando’s defense will be so tough or it could surprise them. I think it’s going to be a much more competitive series than people think.”

The Magic beat the Celtics in two of their three matchups during the regular season, although Jayson Tatum didn’t play in both of those Boston losses.

In the one game that both Tatum and Jaylen Brown did play versus the Magic, the Celtics won by 27 points on Jan. 17. at TD Garden.

Nevertheless, the Magic are coming to Boston with plenty of confidence. It’ll be interesting to see just how long it lasts.

“They’re not just happy to be there in Boston,” Marchitelli said. “They’re not along for the ride. They’re going into Boston feeling they can win. If you’re going to go play the games, you might as well win them. They won two out of three (vs. Boston in the regular season). They’ve got one of the best winning percentages against Boston since 2022.

“But they know it’s monumental. They know it’s going to be a monumental task to do it. And literally everything has to break their way to pull off an upset or to stay competitive in this series. But that’s how they view it. They don’t know what they don’t know yet, which I think is huge. They’re going to go in there feeling confident because all the things that are Orlando’s strengths — they kind of were able to utilize that in two victories and limit Boston’s 3-point attempts, field goal attempts per game, slow things down for them.

“It was hard for Boston to score. They averaged right around 100 points per game against Orlando this year, the fewest in the NBA. So Orlando’s strengths will hopefully help them in this series.”

NBC Sports Boston has complete coverage of Game 1 starting at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday with Celtics Pregame Live.

Also in this episode:

• Ian Begley on state of the Knicks and possible matchup with C’s
• Kayla Burton and Chris discuss upcoming postseason scenarios for C’s

Pierce: LeBron's NBA status could change if Steph wins another title originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

As the NBA playoffs begin Sunday, both Steph Curry and LeBron James seek their fifth NBA championship with their respective teams.

But if Curry and his Warriors get the edge over James and the Los Angeles Lakers, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame forward Paul Pierce anticipates that could lead to some “uncomfortable” discussions around the basketball world.

“If Steph Curry wins the championship or one more championship, gets the Finals MVP, we are going to have some very, very, very uncomfortable conversations,” Pierce said Thursday on FS1’s “Speak.” “You know why? That’s going to mean in the LeBron era, he would’ve won his fifth title with pretty much three different squads. The pre-[Kevin Durant], the KD and the after KD. Three of those championships he would’ve won without a top 75 player. In my eyes, he would’ve won this era with LeBron. So then that tells me, is he greater than LeBron?

“He won the era. In the LeBron era, five chips. In the LeBron era, a unanimous MVP. That got to hold some type of weight. It’s never been done. If we’re talking about LeBron as the greatest player, and a player in your era in any year you were in your prime won unanimously without you getting a vote. It’s going to shake something up. We going to start putting Steph up there with Michael Jordan. Seriously. If he wins one more. Think about that. He wins the era.

“Whose era is it? LeBron, KD and Curry. This is that era, right? He gets five championships, and Bron stays with four, and a unanimous MVP, it’s going to get real uncomfortable, I promise you.”

Curry has made six NBA Finals appearances and won four championships, all with the Warriors, but has his eye on a fifth. He won his first title in 2015 and then back-to-back chips in 2017 and 2018 once Durant joined the organization. He then defied all odds and won a fourth title in 2022 without Durant.

James has made 10 Finals appearances and also won four, two with the Miami Heat, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers and one with the Lakers.

Curry is an 11-time NBA All-Star, 10-time All-NBA member, two-time scoring champ, two-time league MVP, and two-time All-Star MVP. Meanwhile, James is a 21-time All-Star, 20-time All-NBA member, four-time Finals MVP, three-time All-Star MVP, one-time scoring champ and four-time league MVP.

In his 16th season, Curry is averaging 24.5 points on 44.8-percent shooting from the field and 39.7 percent from 3-point range, with 4.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 70 games.

James, in Year 22, is averaging 24.4 points on 51.3-percent shooting from the field and 37.6 percent from distance, with 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 70 games.

Both players shine even more under bright lights, but who will, if anyone at all, get ring No. 5 first?

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NBA Finals predictions: Many experts picking one team to dethrone Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics are trying to become the first team to repeat as NBA champions since the Golden State Warriors accomplished the feat during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

The league has had five straight different champions, and the last time that happened was 1977 through 1981. Repeating is harder than it’s ever been, but the Celtics are well-equipped to end that streak, and their journey begins Sunday with Game 1 of their first-round series against the Orlando Magic.

For starters, the Celtics brought back nearly their entire team from last season’s championship. The C’s are mostly healthy, too. You could even argue Boston is a deeper team than last season given the improvements that Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet have made.

The Celtics are elite at both ends of the floor and finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in offensive rating and No. 4 in defensive rating.

Despite all of these factors, a lot of people are not picking the Celtics to repeat. Many people think they will get back to the NBA Finals only to lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder are a fascinating team. They won 67 games and superstar point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander likely will win league MVP. Like the C’s, the Thunder ranked top-five in both offensive and defensive rating, and they have a deep and super talented roster.

However, the Thunder lack experience. This group has never played beyond the second round of the playoffs. This team also has never dealt with the enormous expectations that come from being the title favorite. The Western Conference has many more title-worthy challengers than the Eastern Conference, as well. OKC might have to go through the Grizzlies, Nuggets and Lakers/Warriors just to reach the Finals. That would be a very tough road.

What do the experts think?

Here’s a roundup of their NBA Finals predictions:

Kurt Helin, NBC Sports: Thunder over Celtics in seven

Kevin Pelton, ESPN: Thunder over Celtics in seven

Howard Beck, The Ringer: Thunder over Celtics

Rob Mahoney, The Ringer: Thunder over Celtics

Logan Murdock, The Ringer: Celtics over Lakers in six

Michael Pina, The Ringer: Celtics over Nuggets in seven

John Hollinger, The Athletic: Thunder over Celtics in six

Dan Devine, Yahoo! Sports: Thunder over Celtics

Dan Titus, Yahoo! Sports: Celtics over Thunder

Vince Goodwill, Yahoo! Sports: Celtics over “whomever”

Brad Botkin, CBS Sports: Thunder over Celtics

Sam Quinn, CBS Sports: Thunder over Celtics

Ricky O’Donnell, SB Nation: Thunder over Celtics

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