Category: Basketball

What we learned as Steph Curry ignites Warriors' incredible win over Nuggets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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SAN FRANCISCO – Following a two-week road trip and playing their second game within 24 hours, the Warriors shook off their early lethargy to summon enough energy to drop their own personal colossus Friday night.

With Stephen Curry leading the way, scoring 36 points, the Warriors came together for a 118-104 victory over Denver, snapping a nine-game regular-season losing streak against the Nuggets.

The Warriors (46-31) outscored Denver 84-60 over the final three quarters, delighting the sellout crowd (18,064) and moving within a half-game of the fourth-place Nuggets (47-31) in the Western Conference.

Golden State remains the Western Conference’s No. 5 seed with the win, one game up on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Brandin Podziemski finished with 26 points and Jimmy Butler added 19 to support Curry’s game-high total. The Warriors forced 26 Denver turnovers, off which they scored 23 points.

Here are three observations from Golden State’s third consecutive win in a four-game stretch against conference competitors:

Steph quickens sluggish pulses

The Warriors played in the first quarter in haze, with countless defensive lapses, more dribbling than passing and giving away eight points off turnovers. They looked like a team on the dark side of a back-to-back set after a two-week road trip.

After his teammates pulled it together enough to shave nine points off a 10-point lead while Jokic was on the bench early in the second quarter, Curry took it upon himself to restore his team’s lagging collective pulse.

Returning simultaneously with Jokic, Curry scored 12 of Golden State’s next 14 points – awakening the snoozing sellout crowd – to give the Warriors a 62-58 lead. After trailing by as much as 12 early, they went into intermission up 66-60.

Of Curry’s 19 first-half points, 12 came during his 5:33 stint in the quarter. His flurry, along with a revived defense (Denver scored 16 points in the quarter), put the Warriors in position to succeed.

Draymond vs. Joker

Given the monumental task of trying to keep Jokic from dominating the game, Draymond Green immediately tried to defend his way into the big man’s head.

It worked, initially. Frustrated with Green’s mongoose energy, Jokic aggressively shoved Draymond to the floor and was whistled for an offensive foul within the first three minutes of the game. Green lobbied for a flagrant, but crew chief Josh Tiven held firm.

It was clear Green, knowing the Nuggets follow the lead of the three-time NBA MVP, wanted to maximize his energy on defense. Jokic scored 15 points in the first quarter, 18 over the final three.

Multiple Warriors took turns defending Jokic, with Jonathan Kuminga the most prominent. Jokic totaled 33 points on 13-of-17 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. He added 12 rebounds and nine assists.

Butler’s quiet-storm excellence

This was Butler’s introduction to a Warriors-Nuggets clash, and he fit right in with the physicality and the psychological warfare.

While Curry and Podziemski were splashing pretty jump shots, Butler, who was listed as questionable on the injury report with left forearm strain, committed to the dirty buckets that come amid crowds in the paint or under late-shot-clock pressure.

He was the third scorer the Warriors needed, but he also brought more than points, adding five assists, five steals, three rebounds and his usual late-game composure as Golden State held on down the stretch.

Butler’s 19 points came on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, including 1-of-3 from distance, and 6-of-6 from the foul line. He played 34 minutes and finished a team-high plus-21.

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Christie lauds Kings' effort in crucial bounce-back win vs. Hornets  originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It’s not how one falls. It’s how one gets back up.

After a flustering loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, the Kings responded like a team yearning for NBA playoff basketball, cruising to a much-needed 125-102 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday at Spectrum Center.

In the midst of a six-game road trip and with a loose grip on the Western Conference’s No. 10 seed, interim coach Doug Christie praised the way in which his team bounced back.

“A total team effort,” Christie told reporters. “Love and respect the way that the guys came out after a really disappointing loss. 

“One that, in many ways, a team can go the other way. That’s what talking and being about your teammates and loving your teammates and respecting them is all about. A lot of love and respect for how the guys came out and approached this game.” 

Sacramento, who dropped the first three games of the team’s last road trip of the regular season, leveraged a balanced approach on offense against an ailing Hornets side. 

Despite shooting 0 of 9 from beyond the arc early on, the Kings finished draining 19 3-pointers on 36 attempts. 

Trey splashes his THIRD triple of the quarter ☔ pic.twitter.com/WFqpwrJBhB

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 5, 2025

On the other side of the ball, Sacramento did its part in containing the league’s lowest field-goal percentage team to under 40 percent from the floor. 

Guard Malik Monk credited the Kings’ mindset for a well-rounded performance.

“Yeah, definitely, that’s what we’ve been talking about: just coming in with the right mind, knowing we’re going to win it and knowing we’re going to play together and play hard and not in spurts,” Monk told NBC Sports California’s Morgan Ragan and Deuce Mason on “Kings Postgame Live.” 

“We played, I wouldn’t say a full game, but we played close to a full game today.” 

All-Stars Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine combined for 71 points, while Monk and Trey Lyles contributed a combined 29 points off the bench.

Domas hits the spin cycle AND the slam 😈 pic.twitter.com/GAY6nF697h

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 5, 2025

With the urgency and expectation to break out of a three-game rut and gain a frim grip on the West’s No. 10 seed, Sacramento delivered.

Now, with a difficult back-to-back coming up against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, Christie has reasons to believe the Kings are up for challenge — regardless of what took place against the Wizards.

“We have some tough teams coming up on a back-to-back,” Christie concluded. “One that we’ve beat, so they’re going to be ready for us. And another one that beat us on a last-second shot.

“So, you bring it. That’s what you do. And that’s what I expect. Hopefully, these are the types of games that you find yourself, you love your teammates and now you take that and continue it on play by play.”

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Celtics break Warriors' 3-point NBA record, on track to set new milestones originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics broke one of the NBA’s 3-point records in Friday’s game versus the Phoenix Suns, and it probably won’t be the only one they set during their historic season from beyond the arc.

The Celtics have passed the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors for the most 3-pointers made by one team in a single season. The Warriors’ record was 1,363 and the Celtics currently stand at 1,364 and counting after Payton Pritchard’s second-quarter 3-pointer with five games left in the regular season.

The C’s came close to breaking the Warriors’ record last season but came up 13 short.

Back in 2016-17, Isaiah Thomas set the Celtics record for most 3-pointers made in a season with 245. Derrick White broke this record on Monday, and it’s likely Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard will surpass Thomas before the regular season concludes.

Barring a surprise downturn in the Celtics’ 3-point shooting, they are on track to break two more 3-point records.

The Utah Jazz set the record for most 3-point shots made per game with 16.74 during the 2020-21 season, and the Celtics are at 17.9 per game.

The Houston Rockets set the record for most 3-point attempts per game with 45.38 in the 2018-19 campaign, and the Celtics are at 48.5 per game.

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The Celtics have ranked first or second in both 3-pointers made and attempted per game every season since Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach in 2022. His 3-point-heavy strategy has produced fantastic results. Boston reached the NBA Finals in 2022 and 2024 (won the title) and Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.

It’s very difficult to beat the Celtics when they’re firing on all cylinders from beyond the arc. The C’s have made 15 or more 3-pointers in 62 of their 75 games so far this season, and they’ve won 48 of those matchups.

If the Celtics continue to hit 17.9 3-pointers per game throughout the 2025 NBA playoffs, it’s hard to imagine any team beating them four times in a seven-game series.

Celtics break Warriors' single-season NBA record for 3-pointers made originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Boston Celtics broke one of the NBA’s 3-point records in Friday’s win over the Phoenix Suns, and it probably won’t be the only one they set during their historic season from beyond the arc.

The Celtics have passed the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors for the most 3-pointers made by one team in a single season. The Warriors’ record was 1,363, and the Celtics currently stand at 1,370 after making 14 3-pointers against the Suns.

Payton Pritchard’s 3-pointer in the second quarter Friday night was the record-breaker for Boston, which still has five regular-season games remaining to extend the record.

Back in 2016-17, Isaiah Thomas set the Celtics record for most 3-pointers made in a season with 245. Derrick White broke this record on Monday, and it’s likely Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard will surpass Thomas before the regular season concludes.

Barring a surprise downturn in the Celtics’ 3-point shooting, they are on track to break two more 3-point records.

The Utah Jazz set the record for most 3-point shots made per game with 16.74 during the 2020-21 season, and the Celtics are at 17.9 per game.

The Houston Rockets set the record for most 3-point attempts per game with 45.38 in the 2018-19 campaign, and the Celtics are at 48.5 per game.

The Celtics have ranked first or second in both 3-pointers made and attempted per game every season since Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach in 2022. His 3-point-heavy strategy has produced fantastic results. Boston reached the NBA Finals in 2022 and 2024 (won the title) and Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.

It’s very difficult to beat the Celtics when they’re firing on all cylinders from beyond the arc. The C’s have made 15 or more 3-pointers in 62 of their 75 games so far this season, and they’ve won 48 of those matchups.

If the Celtics continue to hit 17.9 3-pointers per game throughout the 2025 NBA playoffs, it’s hard to imagine any team beating them four times in a seven-game series.