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The two sides of Celtics' historically bad shooting in Game 1 vs. Knicks

The two sides of Celtics' historically bad shooting in Game 1 vs. Knicks originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Two things that are in the eye of the beholder: beauty, and the Boston Celtics’ 3-point shooting stats.

The Celtics set NBA playoff records for 3-point attempts (60) and 3-point misses (45) in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks at TD Garden, going 15 for 60 beyond the arc while blowing a 20-point lead in a stunning 108-105 overtime loss.

Even for a team that set a host of 3-point records during the regular season, the Celtics’ reliance on the 3-ball in the second half Monday night was astounding: 34 of their 41 field goal attempts in the second half were from 3-point range, including an astounding 19 of their 20 attempts in the third quarter.

That’s right: Boston attempted just one 2-point shot in 12 minutes of third-quarter action.

The Celtics’ late-game 3-point obsession was a complete 180 from the second quarter, when they made 12 of 15 2-point attempts while scoring 35 points to take a 16-point lead into halftime. But rather than continue to attack the paint, Joe Mazzulla’s club curiously started settling for 3s in the second half, as the shot charts below illustrate starkly.

“In those moments when the other team’s got momentum, we can’t just fire up threes,” Celtics wing Jaylen Brown lamented after the game. “We’ve got to get to the free throw line, get to the paint, get to the basket, and then maybe the next 3-pointer feels a little bit better.”

“We settled in the second half, a lot. It felt like they were daring us to shoot; they wanted us to shoot those shots. That’s an abnormal game in terms of us shooting the basketball.”

The Knicks deserve some credit for making a defensive adjustment to steer the Celtics away from the paint and goad them into “settling” for 3-point shots. But Brown’s final comment hints at the other side of this story.

Boston shot just 25 percent from 3-point range, tied for its fifth-worst shooting game of the season (regular-season or playoffs) and well below its season average of 36.8 percent. And according to the NBA’s tracking data, 56 of the Celtics’ 60 attempts Monday qualified as “open” looks.

As Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg illustrates below, the C’s made just 29.2 percent of their “wide open” 3-point attempts Monday after making them at a 40.7 percent clip during the regular season.

Are those stats a green light for the Celtics to keep chucking? Not necessarily. In the case of Monday’s game, they had success scoring inside early in the game — especially with Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson in foul trouble — and let the Knicks off the hook by settling for 3-pointers.

But it’s also true that Monday was an “abnormal” shooting game from Boston, to use Brown’s term. Case in point: There was just one instance this season where the Celtics shot 29 percent or worse from 3-point range in back-to-back games (Jan. 10 vs. Sacramento and Jan. 12 vs. New Orleans). In the 12 other instances, they shot 33.3 percent or better the following night.

So, history suggests Boston should make more of its 3-pointers in Game 2 on Wednesday. The question is whether this team can strike the right balance between using the deep ball as a weapon — which played a key role in raising Banner 18 last season — and finding other ways to score when the game dictates a different approach.

“I have to have better play-calling; (we) have to make shots,” Mazzulla said after the game. “We have to make some better reads. It’s a combination of all those things.

“We have to be better. You have to make the ones when you’re open. The process of our shot quality was good.”

Tip-off for Game 2 at TD Garden is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. NBC Sports Boston’s coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.

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Draymond cooks ‘sucka' Brooks for Warriors-Rockets postgame disrespect

Draymond cooks ‘sucka' Brooks for Warriors-Rockets postgame disrespect originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Draymond Green had one final parting message for Dillon Brooks.

After Green and the Warriors eliminated Brooks and the Houston Rockets in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, the Golden State forward took to his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show With Baron Davis,” where he criticized Brooks for immediately leaving the court after Game 7 on Sunday at Toyota Center without acknowledging any of his opponents.

“Dillon Brooks ran off the court. So when I say, ‘You see what guys are made of,’ he ran off the court,” Green said. “Like ain’t shake nobody up. You admitted you were trying to hurt Steph [Curry’s] hand. Again, fine by me, bro. I get it, we all get it when you hoop.

“So if you’re going to be on that type of time, wear shades in the press conference, you’re going to be talking, you going to be Mr. Big Bad Wolf, don’t lose and then not face the music. Don’t be that guy. Because, again, you lose a lot of respect for guys in that moment.”

Green and Brooks’ beef dates back three-plus years, when the two faced off against one another in a fiery series between the Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2022 Western Conference semifinals.

“I had a moment with Dillon Brooks when he was with Memphis and I said, ‘The dynasty starts after you,’ and the reason I said that is because of things like that,” Green added.

Green also shared that Rockets forward Tari Eason also left the court immediately after the game, but he eventually caught up with him later in the evening at the arena and gave him a pass for the snub due to his age.

“So then guess what, Tari Eason does it. He leaves the court,” Green shared. “I got love for Tari Eason. His mind was talking, my mom almost had to get at him for that one. He was chilling. I’ve got a lot of love for the way he plays.

“And I ended up catching him right before he was about to walk around the arena … I waved him down and I went and dapped him up. That was kind of a little save, but don’t be that guy, man. But that’s who Dillon Brooks is, and we understand you a sucka, man. But Tari Eason, he’s not.

“I’ve got a lot of love for the young fella for the way he goes about his business, the way he plays the game. I’ve got a lot of love for.”

Green shared his parting advice for Eason, who he hopes does not follow down a similar path as Brooks.

“Don’t be like that, because when guys lose respect for you in this league, it don’t matter and it’s going to catch you in the end,” Green said. “Like Dillon Brooks couldn’t come through in this series, in large part, because nobody on the court respects you. So anything you do, the way it’s going to be looked at, the way it’s going to be received, it ain’t beneficial to your team when you’re trying to win championships. When you’re trying to compete at the highest level and you’re that type of guy, it ain’t beneficial to your team and it’ll catch you in the end.

“I gained a lot of respect for a lot of guys over there, not that I ever had much respect for dude, but it just shows why you don’t. Tari Eason, I still got love and respect for. He a young fella. But I’m going to tell a young fella, don’t be like that and don’t follow clowns, man.”

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Edwards now hunting Steph, Warriors in next playoff series statement

Edwards now hunting Steph, Warriors in next playoff series statement originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Like a wolf prowling the brush, Anthony Edwards is stalking the established NBA elite. Catching them, too. Toppled Kevin Durant and the Suns in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. Bagged LeBron James, along with his Lakers, in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.

And now Edwards is down to the last member of the league’s royal trio.

He’s coming for Stephen Curry and, by extension, the Warriors.

The hunt begins Tuesday night when Curry and the Warriors enter Target Center in downtown Minneapolis to confront Edwards and the Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Though the Curry and Edwards won’t be assigned to each other, their elevated status makes them the focus of the series. Whomever performs best puts his team in position to advance to the conference finals.

“Watched a little bit of their first round series,” Curry said. “(Edwards) is playing with supreme confidence. We know they had their run last year, and their new look with (Julius) Randle.

“But it’s the same Ant, who’s trying to take strides and with every opportunity he gets. And it’s going to be a tough challenge, we know. We’re going to have to send multiple bodies at him and figure out a game plan to go at him.”

Like Durant and James, Curry is a richly decorated superstar who entered the NBA when Edwards was in elementary school and become one of the three most recognized faces of the league. They have been where Edwards wants to go, and Edwards’ goal is to go through them.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who coached Edwards on Team USA’s gold-medal winning team in the 2024 Paris Olympics, is not surprised the youngster targets the veterans.

“No, not at all,” Kerr said Monday. “That’s the kind of confidence he has. The charisma. I watched him in Paris. Every day after practice, he and Kevin would go at it. LeBron and Steph. They’d have these shooting contests, and he’s right in the middle of it, talking all kinds of trash.”

That was the first Olympics for Edwards, and the banter was light but pointed. The past is worthy of respect, but the future comes closer each minute. James is 40, Curry 37, Durant 36. Edwards, in his fifth NBA season, is 23 and wants it now. He lets the vets know.

“It’s such a big part of who he is, his love for the game, his love for competition,” Kerr recalled. “But it’s all in a really good, spirited way. There’s never anything malicious about the trash talk. He loves what he does, he loves to compete and the guys around him really enjoyed that the banter too, because it’s always in a humorous fashion.”

They were teammates then, representing the United States in international competition. They’re opponents now, representing their respective NBA teams in the playoffs. Not much humor in that environment.

In dispatching the Lakers, Edwards averaged 26.8 points per game on 42 percent shooting from the field, including 33.3 percent from deep. The production was high, but the efficiency was lower than what he posted in the regular season. Yet it was enough to help the No. 6 seed Timberwolves win the series in five games.

“There’s a reason the Wolves are where they are now,” Kerr said. “They’ve done a great job as an organization, put together a really good roster. Chris (Finch) has done a fantastic job as coach. But they are where they are because Ant is a superstar. You have to have a guy like that to build a great team.

The Warriors have such a guy in Curry, in his 16th season, with no end in sight. The seventh-seeded Warriors needed seven games to shed the No. 2-seed Houston Rockets, with Curry having a series that was solid but unexceptional by his standard: 24.0 points per game, 41.7 percent shooting from the field., 39.2 percent from beyond the arc.

If Minnesota wins the series, no matter how Edwards plays, it will represent a changing of the guard. Today, closing the book of yesterday.

If the Warriors get the best of the Timberwolves, it will be a triumph for Curry, no matter his statistics. He will be that rare, targeted prey to escape the stalker. He will be able to hold high the flag that was taken from Durant and James.

After the Timberwolves ousted James and the Lakers last week, adidas posted a photo of their client, Edwards, with a caption directed at Nike-partner LeBron: “The King Slayer.”

At the end of the Warriors-Timberwolves series, Ant would like another: “The Steph Slayer.”

Let the hunt begin. 

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Aaron Gordon 3-pointer caps 19-6 closing Denver run to steal Game 1 in Oklahoma City 121-119

In a span of less than five minutes Monday night, the "Oklahoma City isn't ready for this" crowd got all the ammunition it needed.

The Thunder led most of the night by double-digits, by 13 at one point in the fourth quarter and by 11 with 4:31 left after a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 3-pointer. All OKC needed was its league-best defense to do its job and it would have another home playoff win. Then Denver went on a 19-6 run to close the game, capped off by another Aaron Gordon clutch moment, this one a game-winning 3-pointer.

That combined with a 42-point, 22-rebound night from Nikola Jokic earned a resilient Denver Nuggets team a 121-119 road win and a 1-0 lead in this Western Conference Semi-Final series. Game 2 is Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.

This is a heartbreaking loss for the Thunder, who were up by double-digits most of the night but could not close it out.

"We're gonna find out what we're made of," Gilgeous-Alexander said after the loss. He finished the night with 33 points on 12-of-26 shooting.

If Oklahoma City wants to know why it lost, or if Denver wants to know why it won, there are two key things (in addition to Jokic being the best player on the court):

1) Offensive rebounds. Denver had 21 of them, leading to 27 second-chance points. Gordon had seven of those rebounds.

2) Missed free throws. Oklahoma City was 20-of-28 from the line, and no two misses were as critical as Chet Holmgren's two with 9.5 seconds left in the game and the Thunder up one.

Holmgren's teammates rightly pointed out this game was not lost in the last 15 seconds; this was a night of mistakes by the Thunder that left the door open just enough for Aaron Gordon to come barging through and get the win.

Gordon finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds for Denver, while Jamal Murray added 21 points and six assists. For the Thunder, after SGA's 33, there was 20 off the bench from Alex Caruso, who also had five steals and played a fantastic game. Jalen Williams has to be better, 16 points on 5-of-20 shooting is not good enough.

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New York steals (Mikal Bridges literally) Game 1 from Boston in overtime thriller

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, were you happy with your team's shot selection in Game 1?

“For the most part," he answered.

That explains a lot of this game. Boston followed Mazzulla's blueprint and launched 60 3-pointers in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semi-Final matchup with New York, missing 45 (an NBA record) and hitting just 15 of them, or 25%. Boston shooters missed a lot of open ones, but overall they also took a lot of difficult, contested ones, as well as tough shots in the paint.

"Some of them felt good, some of them felt like we maybe forced the issue," Jaylen Brown said. "Definitely our rhythm and our timing was a little bit off. We got a lot of great looks, but there may be some truth to that. We've got to look at the film and see what happened in that second half."

The Celtics had success early with matchup hunting — Jayson Tatum going after Karl-Anthony Towns, getting the big man in foul trouble — and led by as many as 20 in the third quarter. Then Boston's shooting dried up.

The Knicks were the definition of resilient and, with a 20-6 run in the second half of the third quarter, stormed back to make it a game. Jalen Brunson was doing his own matchup hunting, going at Al Horford, and it worked.

The game went to overtime, and what sealed it more than anything was Mikal Bridges' defense.

The result was a 108-105 New York win that has the Knicks up 1-0 on the road and left Celtics faithful stunned and confused.

Boston, as it had at points during the season, stuck with what wasn't working and didn't shift enough to getting buckets in the paint, or even good looks from the midrage (the Celtics were 2-6 on shots outside the paint but inside the arc). Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson just kept making plays on his way to 29 points, and OG Anunoby matched him bucket for bucket.

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Knicks come from 20 down, beat Celtics 108-105 in OT as Bridges' steal preserves Game 1 win

BOSTON — The Knicks grew accustomed to facing big deficits against the Celtics this season.

New York faced another one to open its Eastern Conference semifinal matchup against the defending NBA champions. This time, the Knicks found a way to overcome it.

Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby each scored 29 points before Mikal Bridges stole the ball from Jaylen Brown with a second left in overtime, and the Knicks stunned Boston 108-105 in Game 1 of their series on Monday night.

Karl-Anthony Towns added 14 points and 13 rebounds for New York, which lost all four games against its longtime rival during the regular season and trailed by 20 points in the second half of this game.

“We told each other just keep believing. Just keep fighting and sticking together, and keep chipping away. There wasn’t going to be a 20-point shot," Brunson said.

Jayson Tatum and Brown both had 23 points for the Celtics, who had an NBA playoff-record 45 missed 3-pointers to blow a game they appeared to have in control. Derrick White added 19 points and 11 rebounds.

“In those spots where they have momentum, we can’t just fire up 3s," Brown said. "I felt like we just settled in the second half a lot.”

Jrue Holiday returned to the starting lineup after a strained right hamstring caused him to miss the final three games of Boston’s first-round series against Orlando. He finished with 16 points in 39 minutes, but center Kristaps Porzingis played only 13 minutes and didn’t return after halftime because of an illness.

Game 2 is Wednesday night.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said missing Porzingis impacted the Celtics' approach.

“Obviously it impacts the game with his ability on both ends of the floor,“ Mazzulla said. ”It's no excuse. We had plenty of opportunities. ... Hopefully he's ready for Game 2."

The Knicks struck first in OT, taking a 106-100 edge via a three-point play by Anunoby, followed by 3-pointer by Bridges.

Brown connected on a 3-pointer from the wing with just over a minute left - his only make in 10 attempts behind the arc - to cut it to 108-105.

It stayed that way when Josh Hart misfired on a deep 3. Tatum missed a jumper, but the Celtics were able to retrieve the rebound. After a foul on Towns, Boston called timeout with 3 seconds showing on the clock.

But Bridges ripped the inbounds pass away from Brown to preserve the win.

The Celtics finished 15 for 60 on 3-pointers. Of the 49 shots the Celtics took in the second half and OT, 37 were 3-pointers. They connected on only 10 of them.

Boston led 75-55 midway through the third quarter but New York cut it to 84-75 entering the final period, thanks to a 20-9 run.

The Knicks kept it going, scoring the first eight points of the fourth quarter. They eventually tied it at 86 on a steal and dunk by Anunoby.

Three ties and three lead changes later, New York led 97-95 when the Celtics pushed the ball ahead and swung it to White for a corner 3-pointer to put Boston back in front with 2:15 left. A 3 by Anunoby put New York in front by two, but it was answered on the other end by Holiday's layup to tie it again.

The Knicks had a great look to win it in regulation after Brunson got a give-and-go pass from Towns, but missed a short bank shot that was rebounded by Boston. The Celtics called timeout with 0.6 seconds remaining but Tatum missed a lunging jumper at the buzzer.

Brunson said Monday's win was a good start, but hardly a roadmap to win this series.

“I don’t think there is a blueprint per se," Brunson said. "But as long as we stick together, anything is possible.”

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Knicks find ways to 'keep fighting, sticking together' for resilient Game 1 win over Celtics

The Knicks had gone 0-4 against the Boston Celtics in the regular season and allowed star Jayson Tatum to average 33.5 points per game against them. Things appeared to be heading in the same direction on Monday night in the third quarter of Game 1 as the Celtics grew their lead to 20 points.

But this Knicks team wasn't going to give up and just let the defending NBA champs roll to victory -- they also knew it was going to take time.

"We told each other to just keep believing, keep fighting, sticking together, and keep chipping away,” Jalen Brunson said after the 108-105 Game 1 win. “Wasn’t just going to be a 20-point shot where we could come back, keep chipping away possession by possession. Find a way to keep getting stops and making plays offensively as well."

That's exactly what they did. New York outscored Boston 30-23 in the third quarter and 25-16 in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

Brunson, who finished with 29 points and five three-pointers, had a look to win the game in regulation but his floater was a bit too strong. While the outcome wasn't what he was looking for (that would've been a repeat of his Game 6 game-winner over the Detroit Pistons last Thursday), the point guard got support from his teammates and was able to lock in for OT.

"I feel like we still had momentum at that point,” Brunson said. “Obviously it wasn’t the result that we wanted. But we had another five minutes to compete, and we went out there as a team and did that. Just thankful I had my teammates. Yeah, overtime I wasn’t at my best and my teammates had my back and I’m thankful for that."

Brunson didn't score in overtime, but OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges stepped up to get the job done. The Knicks outscored the Celtics 8-5 in OT to pull off the upset. Anunoby also scored 29 points, including 12 in the third quarter, as the Knicks have now won five straight when he scores 25+ points.

“I felt like I had it going early,” Anunoby said. “Just trying to hunt for shots, get out in transition and run. Just be aggressive and make the right play, whether it’s passing it or shooting it.”

Head coach Tom Thibodeau credited the Knicks' mental toughness for pulling off the comeback win, but made it clear they have to flush it out before Game 2 on Wednesday night.

"The important thing for us is to understand what it is, its one win. And then understand we have to reset and get ready for Game 2," Thibodeau said.

“This team has fought all year, it’s been a pretty good road team,” Thibodeau added. “We’ve had to endure some things with guys out. I think over time that helps you. You build up your mental toughness and understanding how important that is. Like I said, it’s one game. There’s a lot of emotional highs and lows in a playoff, but no matter what happens you have to keep moving forward.”

Brunson reiterated that mindset, saying the team can't get ahead of themselves after the Game 1 win and need to approach Game 2 the same way.

“Tonight, we’ll all go back and eat dinner together,” Brunson said. “Wake up tomorrow and it’s a brand-new day. Game 2 is 0-0. Gotta go out there and do the same thing, that’s our mindset. We got to flush it as quick as possible."

The captain is confident the team can stay together and remain resilient with their 1-0 lead in the series.

“What’s most important is that we’re out there together and we’re going to fight for each other every possession," Brunson said. "No matter how the game starts or finishes, we’re going to be there together. I think that’s how we want it too. We just want to stick together through all the nonsense, through all the BS that goes on. Good and bad we’re going to be together.”

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Knicks complete 20-point comeback in Game 1 OT win over Celtics

The Knicks trailed by 20 points in the third quarter, but mounted a huge comeback to force OT and steal Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics, 108-105, on Monday night.

It's their first win against the Celtics all season.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Josh Hart got the Knicks going early, taking advantage of the matchup against Kristaps Porzingis and driving to the basket for two quick buckets. Foul trouble quickly became an issue for Tom Thibodeau's group, with Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns being forced to the bench just five minutes into the game. Jayson Tatum scored 13 straight points to swing the momentum back to Boston, while OG Anunoby hit back-to-back threes to keep things close.

Towns re-entered the game with about two minutes left in the first and scored right away. Just like the Detroit Pistons did in the first round, Boston targeted Mitchell Robinson and forced him to shoot free throws as he missed both and Payton Pritchard capitalized with a three-pointer. The Celtics held onto a 26-25 lead after the first quarter, despite shooting 29.2 percent (7-for-24) from the field vs. the Knicks' 47.4 percent (9-for-19). They held an 11-8 FTA advantage and outrebounded the Knicks 17-14. Miles McBride made two threes off of the bench to help New York stay in it.

-- Towns stayed hot and made two straight jumpers to open the second quarter, giving him 10 points already. Towns picked up his third foul and Boston began to take control of the game, going on a 15-5 run to build an eight-point lead. The "hack-a-Shaq" approach against Robinson continued, slowing down the Knicks' fastbreak offense.

Precious Achiuwa then replaced Robinson, playing for the first time all playoffs, and helped Hart grab an offensive rebound that lead to a much-needed Jalen Brunson three-pointer. That would be the last good possession of the half for New York, as Boston closed on a 13-3 run and took a commanding 61-45 lead at the half. The Celtics upped their shooting to 41.7 percent with Tatum (13 points), Jaylen Brown (14 points), and Pritchard (13 points) leading the way. Towns still had the 10 points at the break for the Knicks, while Brunson had just nine points on 3-for-9 shooting.

-- Things continued to go Boston's way in the third quarter as two Derrick White three-pointers and an Al Horford dunk gave them their biggest lead of the night, 72-52. Towns also picked up his fourth foul on an offensive charge, sending him back to the bench.

But the Knicks didn't give up, going on a 9-0 thanks to two Anunoby threes. A Brunson three with about a minute left in the third quarter cut the Celtics' lead to eight, but a Horford three before the buzzer made it a 84-75 game heading into the fourth. The Knicks won the third quarter 30-23 with Towns on the bench for half of it as Anunoby had 12 points and Brunson had nine.

-- McBride opened the fourth quarter with his third three-pointer and KAT grabbed an offensive board and scored to make it a four-point game. Anunoby stole it from Tatum and went the length of the court for a game-tying dunk. Jrue Holiday made his second three-pointer of the night to go up 89-86 and force a Thibodeau timeout with 6:24 remaining. Brunson tied the game for the ninth and tenth times of the game before giving them a 94-91 lead -- their first since early in the second quarter (33-31). He then hit another three while guarded by Horford, taking advantage of the mismatch on the perimeter.

White and Anunoby traded threes and Holiday tied the game at 100-100 with a layup. Anunoby and Tatum missed go-ahead buckets, giving the Knicks a chance with 5.1 seconds remaining. Brunson inbounded to Towns, who found the star guard on the backdoor cut, but he missed the game-winning floater. NY won the fourth 25-16 to force OT.

-- Mikal Bridges came up with a huge steal in OT, leading to an Anunoby and-one dunk and then hit a three of his own to go up 106-100. It was just his second three-pointer on a tough shooting night. Towns fouled Brown on the floor with three seconds left and Bridges wrestled for the ball with Brown as time expired to complete the comeback and steal Game 1 on the road.

-- The Celtics missed an NBA playoff record 45 three-pointers.

Who was the game MVP?

Anunoby, who took over in the second half and helped lead the comeback. He finished with 29 points on 10-for-20 shooting, including 6-for-11 from three, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks and Celtics will play Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Wednesday, May 7 at 7:00 p.m.

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James Harden still has the support of Clippers' front office despite dismal playoffs

Inglewood, CA. April 24, 2025 - LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) drives the ball.
Clippers star James Harden, right, tries to drive past Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic during Game 3 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs on April 24. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Clippers All-Star James Harden has been highly criticized for another dismal playoff performance against the Denver Nuggets, but he does have a supporter in the organization.

President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank views Harden as having done a “great job leading the way” while Kawhi Leonard sat out the first 34 games because of right-knee injury management and liked how the team responded to the 16-year veteran.

Frank spoke with reporters at a season-ending news conference Monday about how Harden played in 79 games this season, played the fifth-most total minutes in the NBA (2,789), was fifth in the league in assists (8.7), averaged 22.8 points per game and was the only player this season with 1,500 points, 500 assists, 100 steals and 50 blocks.

Read more:Clippers upset they failed to meet their expectations for season: 'I'm pissed off'

Frank did not mention how Harden was underwhelming in the postseason, averaging just 18.7 points per game in the series the Clippers lost to the Nuggets and how he scored just 33 points combined in Games 4, 5 and 7 losses, including seven points in Game 7.

“When it was James this year with no Kawhi, with Norm [Powell] and [Ivica] Zubac and the rest of the group, we really asked James to do a lot,” Frank said via Zoom because he was away with his family at a New York hospital because of a family medical issue.

“And at his age to deliver what he did…[He played in] 79 games, and he does that time and time and time again. We have a deep appreciation for that sort of availability and to be able to deliver and do what he did…We have a great level of appreciation for what James did this year.”

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard dunks against the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 on May 1.
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard dunks against the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 on May 1. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Harden has a player option for next season that pays him $36 million, and he has to let the Clippers know his decision by June 29. He can decide to opt-in, which means he can’t get an extension, or he can opt-out and work with the Clippers on an extension.

Frank said Harden, who will be 36 in August, is the team’s “first priority.”

“Now, because James has a player option, it would be irresponsible for me not to have contingency plans with it,” Frank said. “But I’m going in with the intent that if he doesn’t pick up his option, that we’re going to be able to reach an agreement that works well for James and works well for the Clippers.”

Frank was happy that Leonard was healthy following the season and that his best player has two years left on his deal for $100 million.

Powell, 31, has one year left on his contract at $20.4 million and he also will be looking for an extension. Zubac begins his three-year extension for $58.6 million next season, Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn and Bogdan Bogdanovic are all under contract and are top role players. Nicolas Batum has a player option for $4.9 million, but is expected to return.

The Clippers will look to improve their team in the draft — they have a first-round pick (29th overall) and a second-round selection. They can use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $14.1 million per season and they have trade exceptions of $6.5 million, $4.2 million and $2.1 million.

“Make no mistake, we want to contend in the present,” Frank said.

Read more:James Harden disappoints again as Clippers are eliminated by Nuggets in Game 7 rout

“We also will plan for the future and we’ll take the necessary steps to implement it.”

Frank said what happened in Game 7 in which the Clippers trailed by 35 points was “extremely embarrassing and also uncharacteristic” for this team. But he offered some perspective on the entire season.

The Clippers finished the season with a 50-32 record, won 18 of their last 21 regular-season games and were the fifth seed in the West.

“So, I don’t want to diminish the fact that we lost in a seven-game series,” Frank said, “and also not share the fact that [I’m] very prideful about the inspired play we had for much of the year.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Cavaliers' Kenny Atkinson wins NBA Coach of the Year, beating out previous Cavs coach Bickerstaff

For the previous couple of years, with J.B. Bickerstaff as coach, the Cavaliers were a good team — they finished fourth in the conference both years. Last season they had 48 wins, had a +2.5 net rating, and advanced to the second round of the playoffs before falling to the eventual champion Celtics.

Cavaliers management wanted more, so it made a coaching change: Bickerstaff was out, Kenny Atkinson was in. With essentially the same roster in place, Atkinson's Cavaliers started 15-0, finished with 64 wins (the second most in franchise history), a +9.5 net rating and were the No. 1 seed in the East.

That earned Atkinson the Coach of the Year award, the NBA announced Monday.

Atkinson got 59 first-place votes from the international panel of 100 media members, with 33 second-place votes.

After being let go, Bicketstaff was hired by the Pistons, taking over a team that had the worst record in the NBA each of the past two seasons. He helped turn them around into a 44-win team that finished sixth in the East (and pushed the Knicks to six games in the first round). That earned Bickerstaff second in the Coach of the Year voting, with 31 first-place votes and 44 second-place votes.

The Rockets' Ime Udoka finished third. The Thunder's Mark Daigneault finished fourth in the voting (two first-place votes), and the Clippers' Tyronn Lue finished fifth (one first-place vote).

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Celtics' 3-point shooting slumps won't fly against Knicks

Celtics' 3-point shooting slumps won't fly against Knicks originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics aren’t in Orlando anymore.

They can’t afford to shoot 15-for-60 from 3-point range in the playoffs against competent offensive teams, but that’s exactly what they did in Monday’s Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks at TD Garden. Boston set new NBA playoff records with 45 misses and 60 attempts from deep.

That kind of performance only flies against teams like the Celtics’ first-round opponent, the Orlando Magic. The worst 3-point shooting team in the league maintained that reputation by shooting just 26.3 percent from 3 in the series, which Boston won in five games despite mostly being held in check from beyond the arc.

Orlando didn’t make more than 10 3-pointers in a game throughout the series. New York shot 17-for-37 (45.9 percent) from distance in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

In Monday’s matchup, the Celtics held a 20-point lead midway through the third quarter. The Knicks cut the deficit to nine by the end of the frame and pulled ahead late in the fourth before finishing off their 108-105 win in overtime.

After going up by 20, the C’s shot just 10-of-40 (25 percent) from the floor and 7-of-29 (24.1 percent) from deep. A whopping 34 of their 41 shot attempts in the second half were 3s.

After the loss, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was asked whether he was satisfied with his team’s shot selection.

“For the most part,” he said. “Obviously, over the course of the game, you always can find five to 10 shots you want to be better at.”

While the 60 3-point attempts jump off the page, the Celtics shouldn’t shy away from that game plan going forward. They lived and died by the 3 during their 2024 NBA championship run, and they remained an elite 3-point shooting team during the 2024-25 campaign.

Twenty-five of Boston’s 60 3-point attempts were unguarded catch-and-shoot 3s, according to The Volume Sports’ Jason Timpf. Only seven of them went in.

That trend is unlikely to continue, and Knicks guard Josh Hart knows it.

“I don’t think you want to force them into 3s. We don’t want them to shoot more 3s,” Hart said. “They got great shooters, man. We were just trying to make it tough for them, play physical. … We were trying to take away 3s, and they still got up 60.”

Celtics star Jaylen Brown finished with a team-high 23 points, but shot just 1-for-10 from 3-point range. He was asked whether Boston attempted a “knockout punch” with the number of 3s they took in the second half.

“Some of them felt good, some of them felt like we maybe forced the issue,” Brown said. “Definitely our rhythm and our timing was a little bit off. We got a lot of great looks, but there may be some truth to that. We’ve got to look at the film and see what happened in that second half.”

His co-star Jayson Tatum (23 points, 4-15 3-PT) agreed with his assessment.

“Probably some times where we settled,” he said. “I could’ve put more pressure on the rim. But a lot of times, we felt like we got really, really good looks and just couldn’t convert.”

Tatum scored just two points in the fourth quarter, both from the free-throw line. He was 0-for-7 with six misses from deep in the frame.

That won’t cut it against the Knicks, who matched the C’s with a 36.9 3-point shooting percentage during the regular season. Boston will look to bounce back in Game 2 at TD Garden, which is set for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

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Latest on Porzingis' illness after Celtics star exits Game 1 vs. Knicks

Latest on Porzingis' illness after Celtics star exits Game 1 vs. Knicks originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics’ clean bill of health lasted less than a half.

Big man Kristaps Porzingis exited Game 1 of the Celtics’ second-round playoff series against the New York Knicks on Monday with 7:34 remaining in the second quarter and did not return.

The C’s listed Porzingis as questionable to return with an illness but provided no further in-game updates, and Porzingis remained sidelined for the rest of the contest as Boston fell 108-105 in overtime.

Porzingis struggled before his departure, going scoreless in 12:58 of playing time on 0 for 4 shooting with four rebounds, one assist and a turnover. The 29-year-old big man was spotted talking to the Celtics’ trainers during a first-half timeout and departed to the locker room late in the second quarter. While he was back on the bench to begin the third quarter, Al Horford took the floor in his place.

The nature of Porzingis’ illness is unclear, but it’s worth noting he missed eight straight games from Feb. 28 to March 14 due to a viral illness that the team described as an upper respiratory illness.

Porzingis has torched the Knicks since coming to Boston — he’s averaged 22.4 points per game against his former team in a Celtics uniform while making 26 of 52 3-pointers — so his status is definitely worth monitoring ahead of Game 2.

“I haven’t seen him yet,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the game when asked about Porzingis. “We’ll check on him. But obviously it impacts the game with his ability on both ends of the floor. It obviously changes sub patterns, it changes what we’re able to do matchup-wise.

“… Hopefully he’s ready for Game 2.”

Tip-off for Game 2 at TD Garden is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. NBC Sports Boston’s coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live.

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Lacob acknowledges Warriors took initial ‘risk' with Butler trade

Lacob acknowledges Warriors took initial ‘risk' with Butler trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Joe Lacob recently acknowledged that the Warriors’ trade for six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler initially was risky – but undoubtedly worth it.

In an exclusive interview with The Athletic’s Sam Amick published on Monday, Golden State’s owner assessed how his franchise’s blockbuster deadline deal has paid off.

“Yeah, there were [concerns about Butler],” Lacob told Amick. “But you do your analysis, you make your choices, and, yeah, it was a little bit of a risk. But we’ve got to take risks in this life. And he’s worth every freaking penny. That’s all I can say. He’s fantastic.”

Butler was moved from Miami to San Francisco — as part of a multi-team trade which sent Warriors fan favorite Andrew Wiggins to South Beach — after publicly asking out of the Heat organization and serving team-issued suspensions. 

Known for his love-me-or-hate-me personality, many were skeptical of the 35-year-old forward’s Warriors arrival, especially when Butler reportedly didn’t want to be dealt to Golden State and was reluctant to sign a contract extension there.

But that’s all old news. Butler has flourished in the Bay, and the Warriors find themselves in the Western Conference semifinals against his old team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, after defeating the Houston Rockets in a testy seven-game, first-round series.

“Sometimes you get them right,” Lacob told Amick with a laugh. “That’s all I can say.”

Including the NBA playoffs, the Warriors have won 27 of the 37 games Butler has played in. And he is coming off a seven-game series in which he averaged 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists, which is magnified considering the low-scoring, defensive-oriented nature of the postseason.

Sure, Butler was a risky acquisition on the surface, but Lacob evidently was right to trust his second-year general manager, Mike Dunleavy. The Warriors were an aging lottery team during the 2024-25 NBA season before Butler’s arrival; now, they’re an aging contender.

“It’s nice,” Lacob told Amick of beating the Rockets. “But we have 12 more [wins] to go. That’s all I can say. Four down, 12 to go.”

The Warriors’ trade for Butler might go down as one of the greatest deadline moves in NBA history if Golden State ends up winning its fifth championship in 11 seasons. And that feat surely is in Lacob’s plans.

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Hield shares how wholesome relationship with Butler evolved

Hield shares how wholesome relationship with Butler evolved originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Jimmy Butler has been a revelation for the Warriors since he arrived in the Bay at the NBA trade deadline, but his hilarious interactions with teammate Buddy Hield have been a welcome addition as well.

From taking joking shots at each other in postgame press conferences to trolling one another on social media, Butler and Hield are the iconic duo Dub Nation never knew it needed.

“I knew of him, but I was a big fan of Jimmy [before he came to the Warriors],” Hield told Bonta Hill and Joe Shasky on 95.7 The Game’s “The Morning Roast” the day after his epic Game 7 performance against the Houston Rockets on Sunday. “I’ve always loved Jimmy. My mom loves Jimmy. I just loved the way he competes and he carries himself, man. That was big.

“And I just knew that when he came here, it was going to be easy to get along with him. That’s what I love about him. He’s a great connector, he’s a great team guy. And off the court, he’s a great guy that I hang out with. He invited me to his house. We go to dinner. He takes care of me, man.”

The pair’s comical chemistry was on display after Sunday’s big win, when Hield introduced Butler to the media for his press conference in a funny back-and-forth.

It seems to be a match made in heaven. And the humorous banter appears to be a direct reflection of the good vibes in the Warriors’ locker room — a good sign as Golden State looks to make a deep NBA playoff run.

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Skechers $9.4B Sale Boosts Valuation to Warriors Level

Skechers made a splash when it signed Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid last year to a multiyear endorsement deal that made him the face of its burgeoning basketball division. A year later, the footwear company has been sold for roughly double the value of his team.

Skechers (NYSE: SKX) announced on Monday that it has been acquired by investment firm 3G Capital in a $9.4 billion transaction. The company’s shares were up nearly 25% when the market closed. 3G Capital, which is paying $63/share for all outstanding shares, is leading one of the retail industry’s largest privatization deals in years. It signals a vote of confidence in the long-term profitability of the footwear sector despite ongoing tariff concerns raised by the Donald Trump administration.

“We live in a sneaker world today,” BCE Consulting senior advisor Matt Powell said in a phone interview. “If there’s going to be any casualties in this short-term tariff problem, it’s going to be small brands like mom-and-pops that you don’t even know exist. The big brands will get bigger, and a lot of smaller brands will go away.”

The valuation of the Skechers takeover is comparable to the NBA’s most valuable franchise, the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors, who are aiming for their eighth NBA title in team history this postseason, were valued at $9.1 billion in Sportico’slatest NBA valuations. 3G Capital’s $9.4 billion acquisition also extends past all NFL teams not named the Dallas Cowboys ($10.3 billion).

The 3G Capital portfolio includes prominent sponsors of pro sports teams and leagues such as beer giant Anheuser-Busch; Tim Hortons, a longtime Toronto Raptors sponsor; and Kraft Heinz, the former stadium naming rights holder for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While the recent deal with 3G has a higher valuation than most pro sports teams, Wall Street regularly values clubs at a steep discount compared to the private valuations done by media outlets. Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.(NYSE: MSGS), which owns the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, has an enterprise value of $4.5 billion, far lower than the combined value of the franchises.

Other sports apparel giants remain more valuable than any pro sports team. Nike currently has a market cap of $85 billion, while Adidas has a cap of $41 billion despite both companies facing challenges from increased tariffs. Skechers, an often-overlooked footwear company with a market cap of $9 billion, has turned to its basketball division in the last couple years to boost awareness and drive sales across its performance category.

Atlanta Hawks guard Terance Mann and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle were the first basketball players to sign with the brand in 2023. Skechers has since added a slew of new talent to its roster, including Los Angeles Sparks star Rickea Jackson and Washington Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen. Embiid, though, is the most notable star on the roster, and the 2022-23 NBA MVP will continue to be the face of the sneaker brand as the new private equity parent company takes over.

It’s unclear if 3G Capital will scale back or make the performance side of the business more competitive. For example, the category got a boost with Bayern Munich star Harry Kane winning Bundesliga in Skechers boots over the weekend. Powell believes that not only will prices be raised but also that the influence of chairman Robert Greenberg and president Michael Greenberg will slowly decline despite them remaining in their roles.

“There will be changes,” he said. “Anytime private equity gets involved, there’s changes coming and quickly.”

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