Draymond Green’s 2025 Defensive Player of the Year campaign, moribund before the All-Star break, now is conspicuous and impressive, gliding across the NBA sky like a comet.
Now that Green is close enough to almost touch the award, he faces a threat that can interfere with his flight. Denver’s redoubtable Nikola Jokić, three-time MVP and perhaps the league’s most skilled offensive player, is coming to town Friday night.
This is the daunting welcome-home greeting that awaits Draymond and the Warriors after a stirring two-week road trip. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins with “Warriors Pregame Live” at 6 p.m., followed by tipoff from Chase Center shortly after 7.
The Green-Jokić matchup is the backdrop of a game with serious implications. Golden State (45-31) is fifth in the Western Conference standings, 1.5 games behind the third-place Nuggets (47-30). Both teams are eager to remain in the top six, thereby avoiding the play-in tournament.
Jokić simply presents more problems for a defense than any other player in the NBA. He’s third in scoring (29.7 points per game), second in rebounding (12.8), second in assists (10.2) and is shooting a career-high 41.6 percent beyond the arc.
“I feel very confident that most centers in the NBA, I can outthink – maybe not Joker,” Green, who gives away five inches and about 50 pounds, said a few weeks ago.
Jokić is the exception to most every rule. Nobody “stops” him, but Draymond approaches the task by trying to bother the 6-foot-11, 280-pound superstar enough to disrupt rhythm. He’s averaging 21.6 points per game over his last 10 matchups with Green.
Considering Jokić in his last game produced 61 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, Draymond – and the Warriors – would gladly take a 22-point night at Chase.
If the Nuggets prevail with Jokić dominating the action on Friday – he obviously has the capacity to do so – it could slow the momentum of Green’s DPOY campaign. One game, however, should not have a massive impact on voters.
But a Golden State victory, coupled with a defensively impactful game from Draymond, surely would impress voters still studying the work of other candidates, such as Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort.
This is a night on which the Warriors have a chance to accomplish two important goals. Winning would snap a nine-game losing streak against the Nuggets that dates to March 10, 2022. And Green has a chance to clinch the second DPOY award of his 13-year career.
The $1 million March Madness wager between a pro gambler and an artificial-intelligence site will be decided by the winner of the Duke-Houston game in the Final Four. The bottom line: both pro gambler Sean Perry and the 4C's AI program have done very well over the first 60 games of the tournament. Alan Levy, who runs the 4C site, says ChatGPT — who else?
Apr 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) moves to the basket agianst Los Angeles Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith (17) and guard Luka Doncic (77) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
We're only going to get so many more of these entertaining showdowns between Stephen Curry and LeBron James. We need to savor them.
Although we could get six or seven more in the first round of the West playoffs in a 4/5 matchup — and if Thursday night was any indication, it would be appointment viewing.
Stephen Curry dropped 37 points on the Lakers, outdueling LeBron James and his 33, giving the Warriors a 123-116 win on the road Thursday night.
STEPH & LEBRON PUT ON A SHOW IN LA
Curry: 37 PTS (25 in 2H), 4 3PM, 6 AST James: 33 PTS (10-15 FGM), 5 3PM, 9 AST@warriors pulled out the DUB making it 4 in a row! pic.twitter.com/0qTxx2mY5H
This win was huge for Golden State, as it moved the No. 5 seed Warriors within a game of the No. 4 seed Lakers in a tight Western Conference. The Grizzlies and Timberwolves are tied for the 6/7 spots, just half a game back of the Warriors (one back of Golden State in the loss column). The Lakers are just half a game back of the Nuggets for the No. 3 seed, putting the Warriors 1.5 games back, and those teams face off Friday night in the Bay Area.
As great as Curry was, the Warriors won this game by winning the non-Curry minutes — Golden State was +8 with Curry off the court. The Warriors' other players also stepped up: Brandin Podziemski hit a career-high eight 3-pointers on his way to 28 points, while Jonathan Kuminga came off the bench with 18 points and nine rebounds, plus played fantastic defense at times on Luka Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Austin Reaves. Draymond Green also strengthened his case for Defensive Player of the Year with this performance.
On the other side, as J.J. Redick put it about Luka Doncic, "Wasn’t his night." Doncic finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and 7 assists but was 0-of-6 on 3-pointers and just did not control the game the way he has of late in Los Angeles. Austin Reaves had another strong offensive outing with 31 points.
The Warriors with Jimmy Butler in the lineup continue to look like a genuine threat to Oklahoma City in the playoffs. The Lakers do as well at points, but as Redick said, Los Angeles is still building its playoff mentality: "We're not there."
The Lakers will need to get there in a couple of weeks when the playoffs start, and they could see Curry and these Warriors in the first round.
Curry’s stellar shooting from the free-throw line helped Golden State get a much-needed victory against Los Angeles. This followed his incredible 52-point performance in the previous game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
These two crucial wins have placed the Warriors in contention for a high playoff seed in the Western Conference.
Since trading for Jimmy Butler, the 37-year-old has experienced a scoring renaissance, averaging 29.2 points per game and ripping long-range shots like the good old days.
With six games left in the regular season, the Warriors are one game back of the Lakers for the fourth seed in the West.
Given Curry’s resurgent play and the continued development of the rest of Golden State’s lineup, the franchise heads into the postseason with plenty of positive momentum.
Still, the road to a favorable playoff seed won’t get any easier with two of the best teams in the Western Conference up next. Curry will need to channel more of his magical shot-making in the next two games if the Warriors want to beat the Denver Nuggets (47-30) and the Houston Rockets (50-27).
From acquiring Derrick White in 2022 to swinging trades for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in 2023, Brad Stevens made a number of masterful moves that helped the Boston Celtics win their 18th championship.
But the Celtics wouldn’t have raised Banner 18 last June without Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Tatum and Brown have blossomed into superstars in Boston. The former is a six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA First Team selection who’s one of the top five players in basketball, while the latter is a four-time All-Star who earned MVP honors in both the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals.
While the Jays have shown steady improvement since entering the league, they both took significant leaps last season — particularly in the playmaking department, where their assists per game shot up from 4.9 to 5.9 for Tatum and 3.6 to 4.6 for Brown.
In an exclusive interview with Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg, Stevens detailed how he’s seen Tatum and Brown evolve, especially over the last few seasons.
“Jayson’s been special from Day 1,” Stevens said. “I think the strength that he’s put on in the last few years has been really beneficial, not only in finishing or holding his spot — he doesn’t get knocked off his spot like he did maybe in his early years — and then also defensively in his ability to play anyone from the point guard to the center.
“A lot of times in this day and age, you’re not getting posted by centers, so you can be a little bit more creative defensively, but you still have to block them out and you still have to engage physically down in the paint, and he does a great job of that.”
That physicality has helped Tatum average 8.7 rebounds per game this season, his fourth consecutive season averaging at least eight rebounds per game after he averaged 5.0 boards per game as a rookie. Stevens also is impressed by how Tatum’s court vision has evolved.
“The experience that you go through being double-teamed, seeing different coverages — you get to the point where you’re 27 years old and you’ve pretty much seen it all,” Stevens said.
“You can see that he plays the game — we always like to say that he plays the game unconsciously competent. He doesn’t need to think about it. He sees it, he makes the right read, and he’s just gotten better and better and better.”
“He’s had great growth all the way through,” Stevens said of Brown. “Again, I go back to, if you would have told me his first year that he would have been guarding the point guard in the Finals and picking up full (court) and being able to navigate and handle all those screens and everything else, I’d say that he’s capable of doing that, but there’s a lot that goes into that. And those are things that you gain from experience, too.”
Tatum and Brown are both very gifted scorers, but earlier in their careers, they’d occasionally struggle to set up their teammates and make the right passes out of defensive pressure. They’ve both made huge strides in that department over the last two seasons, however — aided in part by an excellent supporting cast built by Stevens.
“Offensively, you just continue to see the growth and the ability to, again, when those guys draw two, just make the right play,” Stevens said. “It’s such a critical part of the game, and it’s not as easy as everybody makes it out to be.”
“There’s different ways that they have to get used to reading all this when you’re ‘the guy.’ The amount of coverages that they see and the reads they have to make are different than everyone else sees, because they’re not guarded that way.”
Check out the video above for more from Stevens on Tatum and Brown’s growth.
The Warriors have skyrocketed up the Western Conference standings after acquiring star forward Jimmy Butler in a blockbuster trade on Feb. 5.
With six games remaining in the 2024-25 NBA regular season, Golden State (45-31) currently is the West’s No. 5 playoff seed, with a handful of teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies (45-32), Minnesota Timberwolves (45-32) and Los Angeles Clippers (44-32) chasing them in the rearview mirror.
With matchups against Western Conference foes like the Denver Nuggets (47-30), Houston Rockets (50-27), Phoenix Suns (35-41) and the Clippers still remaining on the schedule, the Warriors’ playoff positioning could change drastically in the next nine days, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes Golden State truly is one of the best teams in the West, regardless of where it finishes the regular season.
“The Warriors come out with, I think, their biggest win of the season,” Windhorst said Thursday night on “SportsCenter” after Golden State’s 123-116 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
“… They are sort of the secret No. 2 seed here, because when Draymond Green, Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler play together, they’re now 19-2. The lineup that started tonight, which included Brandin Podziemski, who had one of the games of his career, they’re now 12-0. So when this team gets together, they are an absolute beast.”
It’s no secret who the West’s true No. 1 seed is, as the Oklahoma City Thunder (64-12) have held down the top spot for the entire season and will have home-court advantage throughout the postseason.
And regardless of where the Warriors finish in the conference standings, Windhorst believes they are capable of beating just about any team.
SACRAMENTO – Before he was in the NBA with the Kings, Isaac Jones worked at Puget Sound Pipe & Supply in Kent, Wash., where he packaged and sold bathroom and water pipes.
Jones had no college offers after graduating from high school and figured he’d use his free time to help his mom with the bills. So, Monday through Friday – and sometimes Saturdays – his life became routine.
“I had nothing better to do, so I said I might as well go get money to help my mom out,” Jones told NBC Sports California. “Nine to 5 every day, sometimes weekends for extra money.
“You never know where your story is going. I think it made me grow up a little fast. I was paying the bills at that age while a lot of kids were just in college doing whatever.”
Another key component of his weekly routine consisted of spending Friday nights at the YMCA, where he played pick-up basketball. That’s where Jones met Joseph Lowe, a Seattle native who hooped at West Coast Baptist College in Southern California but was looking for a new school to play at.
Lowe was interested in Wenatchee Valley College, a public community college about 150 miles east of Seattle, but joining the Knights basketball program came with a catch. WVC coach Jeramy Harden told Lowe he could join the team as a walk-on if he knew someone 6-foot-7 or taller and brought them with him.
So Lowe called Jones, who stands 6-foot-9.
The two became Knights together, and Jones spent three seasons at Wenatchee Valley College. In his final year at WVC, Jones was named the Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year after averaging 25.3 points and 13.2 rebounds per game.
Despite all the success he would find over his next two collegiate stops with big-name schools, Jones forever will be grateful for his time at Wenatchee Valley College.
“JuCo really tested how tough you are as a person,” Jones said. “A lot of nights we didn’t have money, no food. We used to split sandwiches on the road. It was tough. I fell in love with the game there. It taught me that I actually did love basketball.
“I always had said I liked basketball growing up, but I didn’t find love for it until I got there.”
Jones then transferred to the University of Idaho, where in one season with the Vandals, he posted averages of 19.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, leading to him being named the Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year and second-team All-Big Sky. He then entered the NCAA transfer portal and returned close to home at Washington State.
He averaged 15.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game with the Cougars and was named first-team All-Pac-12 Conference.
Even after standing out at Washington State, Jones went unselected in the 2024 NBA Draft. He signed a two-way contract with the Kings in July and bounced back and forth from the G League in Stockton to the NBA with Sacramento.
Jones constantly shares posts on social media about him going undrafted or reminders of how his journey began. The disrespect fuels him, but he’s grateful for how things turned out.
“Yeah, I definitely feel like I should have been [drafted],” Jones said, “but there’s a lot of people who say the same. It all worked out in God’s plan.”
Most of that love came from Jones’ coach at WVC, Jeremy Harden, who also coached him at Idaho and Washington State. Harden pushed Jones harder than anyone while instilling a new level of confidence in him that he didn’t always have.
It wasn’t until Harden told Jones he belonged in the NBA that he truly began to believe it.
“That’s where I just bought all in,” Jones said.
Harden now is an assistant coach at Stanford, about 120 miles southwest of Sacramento, and comes to as many Kings games as possible. The two talk every day.
Jones had several big games down in Stockton, including eye-popping plays that had people questioning why this large, athletic man wasn’t in the NBA full-time. In January, he had a hot stretch where he averaged 36 points on 66.2-percent shooting with 8.3 rebounds over three games.
His chemistry with players such as Kings rookie Devin Carter also was on display in the G League and gave Kings fans something to look forward to in the future, with Jones stating he’s excited to showcase that double-threat in the NBA with more reps.
After averaging 20.9 points on 55.5 percent shooting, with 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 blocks in 32.2 minutes through 11 games with Stockton, Sacramento converted his two-way contract to a standard NBA deal.
Everything – from Puget Sound Pipe & Supply to three different colleges to the G League – finally paid off for Jones.
“It was a lot of fun,” Jones said of his G League tenure. “I learned that a lot of people were really good and don’t have the opportunity. And I was blessed to have my opportunity, so I didn’t want to take it for granted.
“I feel like I grew a lot. My skillset changed up a little bit, and I knew I could compete at this level.”
So did his teammates.
Kings guard Keon Ellis, who had a similar NBA rise last season, was the perfect motivation for Jones. Ellis advised Jones to stay patient and eventually his time would come.
He was right.
“He’s definitely my best friend on the team,” Jones said. “We play games, we do whatever together, go to the mall. But I definitely try to follow in his footsteps, because he did it the right way. So I wanted to do it like him.”
Now Jones has the opportunity to do what he’s long wanted: prove he belongs in the NBA.
Jones said he realized he could have an impact on an NBA team during his first or second year at WVC, again, after Harden injected that belief in him. But he knew he could fit in specifically with the Kings as soon as he arrived in the organization last summer.
During training camp, he realized he was better than he had thought and understood he could compete with the best guys on the team.
“I thought I was, like, a normal athlete,” Jones said. “But then they’re telling me I’m one of the more athletic guys. I had that one put-back against the [San Antonio] Spurs and I was like, ‘Man, maybe they’re right.’
“And I just realized, I think I’m pretty good at using my athleticism, and a lot of people don’t do that.”
Off the hardwood last summer, Jones married his longtime girlfriend, Melia Jones, who has been his rock through an adverse road to the top.
When NBC Sports California asked what Melia’s support means to him, Jones shared a heartfelt response as he tried to find the right words.
“Everything,” Jones said. “As I said, when we were struggling for meals and stuff, she would help me out.”
Jones paused for a moment, fighting back his emotions, before he continued.
“She would take care of me a lot,” he said. “Her grandparents would help, too. She just made my time easier. So I’m glad I can repay and just take care of her for the rest of her life.”
Malia has eased Jones’ transition to professional basketball. So have Kings fans. Even 700 miles away from where he grew up in Washington, Kings fans have helped Jones make Sacramento feel like home.
He described the passionate fanbase as “amazing” and shared that he feels the love wherever he goes in Sacramento, a city he quickly has grown to love.
As far as what’s next for Jones?
“Just keep building,” Jones said. “I’m keeping the mindset that I haven’t done nothing yet. I got more to prove so I’m just going to keep you my head down and act like I don’t got it and keep going.”
The calendar the Warriors posted last summer to chart Jonathan Kuminga’s future has dwindled to a timer that could hit zeroes in as little as two weeks. He wants to delay it through April and May and deep into June.
The more meaningful games the Warriors play, the closer they and other NBA teams will inspect Kuminga, who is in the waiting room for restricted free agency this summer.
Kuminga’s desire to show his virtues was evident Thursday night against the Lakers in Los Angeles. Listed on the injury report as “questionable” with a pelvic contusion, Kuminga completed a pregame workout and was cleared to play about 40 minutes before tipoff at Crypto.com Arena.
In an intraconference game with significant consequences, against an opponent chasing the same goal, Kuminga submitted perhaps the most nuanced performance of his career as the Warriors carved out a 123-116 victory.
“He played the role that we really needed from him,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters in Los Angeles. “His defense was good. He had nine rebounds, took care of the ball, no turnovers, four assists.
“It was a switching game. We switched a lot, and he was great defensively, staying in front (of ballhandlers) and just played a really solid game. He did exactly what we needed to help us win the game.”
Kuminga scored an efficient 18 points, grabbed nine rebounds, recorded four assists – without a turnover – and blocked a shot. He was plus-9 over 25 minutes off the bench. To put a finer point on it, Kuminga had 11 more points, three more assists and only two fewer rebounds than LA’s entire four-man bench crew.
The fourth-year forward showed higher degrees of wisdom, and generally was more alert to his surroundings. His offensive judgment was impeccable, his effort commendable. He flipped dimes that he could not summon a year ago. Maybe even three months ago.
This is the “JK” that will earn a lot of money in the NBA.
Kuminga’s performance was a response to pleas from teammates, specifically regarding his defense against a team featuring LeBron James, Luka Doncić and Austin Reaves. Kuminga took turns on James and Reeves but did his best work against Doncić, who had a forgettable evening: 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field, including 0-of-6 from distance.
“He was asking for those mashups,” Draymond Green said. “That says a lot. We challenged him in private, we challenged him publicly to step up on the defensive end. And he did that. He was great offensively, but he was even better defensively.”
Golden State’s defense was exceptional in the first half, at one point holding LA to one field goal over a 10-minute span from late in the first quarter to midway through the second. That was the source of leads as high as 16 points. The Lakers threatened late, but did not have enough to complete a comeback.
The Warriors got their usual brilliance from Stephen Curry, who finished with a game-high 37 points and added six assists. They got tremendous production from Brandin Podziemski, who scored 22 first-half points and finished with 28, with six assists. On a night when Moses Moody (13 points) and Jimmy Butler III (11) were relatively quiet on offense, a third scorer/playmaker was needed.
Kuminga raised his hand.
“I just think that with his talent, his ability to get us some easy baskets, and if you can rebound like he did tonight it’s huge for us,” Kerr said.
Kuminga, 22, is the wild card in Golden State’s increasingly imposing deck. His downhill forays crack defenses. His speed dazzles. His athleticism sets him apart from his teammates. The Warriors know all of this, and really like Kuminga, yet they declined to offer a big-money contract extension to Kuminga last summer.
Kuminga watched four players in his NBA draft class (2021) – Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Cleveland’s Evan Mobley, Toronto’s Scottie Barnes and Orlando’s Franz Wagner – receive maximum extensions worth $224 million over five years. Five others – Houston’s Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, Orlando’s Jalen Suggs, New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III and Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson – received nine-figure extensions.
The only player selected in the top 12 picks that failed to get an extension and remains with his original team is Kuminga. The Warriors chose to wait. To give him another season to prove worthy of a deal that could soar beyond $35 million annually.
Kuminga showed signs of being such a player Thursday night.
“It’s just good to see that nice level of growth from him,” Green said. “We need him to continue playing the way he played tonight.”
The timer on Kuminga’s NBA future is ticking loudly. Golden State’s front office is observing his season with a powerful microscope that is stronger now than it was in November. And about to get even stronger.
UCF Knights (19-16, 9-14 Big 12) vs. Villanova Wildcats (21-14, 12-10 Big East) Las Vegas; Saturday, 4 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Villanova faces UCF in the College Basketball Crown. The Wildcats are 12-10 against Big East opponents and 9-4 in non-conference play.
