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.
The Tigers are 16-4 against SEC opponents and 16-1 in non-conference play. Auburn is fifth in the SEC in rebounding averaging 34.5 rebounds. Johni Broome leads the Tigers with 10.9 boards.
Auburn's season began with some real turbulence on its first trip. While it is unclear exactly what happened in the air on Nov. 8, other than there was some kind of in-flight disturbance between players, the plane carrying the Tigers returned home and left two players there. The rest of the team then went on to win at Houston the next day in their first road game.
Golden State star Stephen Curry scores over Lakers star LeBron James, left, and forward Dorian Finney-Smith in the first half of the Warriors' 123-116 win Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers couldn’t miss. And then they couldn’t make anything.
Eleven times in a row they got a mismatch they liked and found themselves in spots on the court they wanted, only to see their shots fail.
For the first four minutes, the Lakers’ offense was perfect. For the next eight, it was problematic.
For the first time in a long time since the Lakers traded for Luka Doncic, his magic disappeared, the team’s offensive engine frustrated by a combination of Golden State’s defense, wasted offensive opportunities and whistles that didn’t come.
The tone had been set, the Lakers playing a big game against Golden State without the necessary rhythm, without the necessary toughness, without the necessary smarts.
The first-quarter famine meant the Lakers had to play from behind, only briefly getting within striking distance of the lead before losing 123-116 on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Things got better in the second half, but the hole was too big and the momentum too fleeting.
It wasn’t for lack of fight — the Lakers have had plenty all season. They got within five points in the final five minutes and within five in the final 60 seconds, but never within a single possession.
Lakers star LeBron James, left, steals the ball from Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler in the closing seconds Thursday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
A wild scramble after a Golden State turnover could’ve cut it to one possession, but the Lakers turned over the ball.
It was the story all night. Whenever the Lakers briefly flurried, disaster was there to strike.
Brandin Podziemski, who scored 19 points in the first half, stole the briefest sliver of momentum by making a running half-court shot to end the second quarter.
With the Lakers (46-30) putting some positive possessions together at the end of the third, Austin Reaves got caught reaching in on Stephen Curry and sent him to the line for three free throws.
“I thought we still did a good job trying to fight out of those situations,” Reaves said. “It’s just, we didn't have enough time to get it all back.”
In between all of it, the Lakers spent plenty of energy directed at the officials, some with good cause. The team used and won a pair of challenges but had none left by the third quarter, leaving it helpless when a replay showed Curry, not the Lakers, kicked the ball out of bounds. Instead of a turnover, Curry scored on a layup on the next possession.
The Lakers often overreacted to missed calls, missed shots and missed chances.
The game also offered an interesting look at where the teams stand with just six games left in the regular season, the Lakers unable to solve Golden State (45-31) and its defense in the first meeting since both rosters were overhauled.
Curry finished with 37 points on 10-for-21 shooting and Podziemski had 28 points and eight rebounds. Jimmy Butler had 11 points.
In the tightly contested West playoff picture, the teams could end up meeting in the first round. If the season ended Thursday, the Lakers and the Warriors would be the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds, respectively.
“That's part of the process of becoming a really good team. You gotta go through those up-and-down battles of going through situations where you have to figure it out,” Reaves said. “If everything is always smooth sailing, if at any point in the future it doesn't get there, if it's a little rocky, then you don't know what to turn to. Once you go through things like this, you have to adapt and adjust. And that's what we'll do."
LeBron James scored 33 points and Reaves had 31, but Doncic made just six of 17 from the field for 19 points. It was Doncic’s worst-scoring game since Feb. 25 and his first without a three-pointer since the 2022-23 season.
"That performance from me is unacceptable," Doncic said.
Doncic banged his left elbow late in the Lakers’ win Monday against Houston but said it wasn’t a factor in his play.
"It's fine. That's my left so it's fine,” Doncic said. “I shoot them with the right."
The Lakers host New Orleans on Friday night before playing their next three games on the road, including two against the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder.
Collin Mulholland scored 19 points and made five-pointers, Garrison Keeslar sank a go-ahead jumper from the free-throw line with 11 seconds left in overtime and Chattanooga became the first team from the Southern Conference to win the NIT championship after beating UC Irvine 85-84 on Thursday night. Chattanooga (29-9) tied a program record for victories in a season after winning 17 of its last 18 to capture the program’s first postseason title. UC Irvine 7-foot-1 center Bent Leuchten went to the free-throw line with 31 seconds left in overtime for a chance at a three-point lead, but he missed both free throws.
NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Edwards shook off an injury scare and finished with 28 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Brooklyn Nets 105-90 on Thursday night for their fourth straight win.
Edwards, who also added five rebounds, appeared to avoid serious injury when he briefly left the game after he stepped backward onto the foot of Nets coach Jordi Fernandez while making a 3-pointer late in the second quarter. Edwards was helped off the court, but returned for the start of the second half.
Rudy Gobert added 21 points for Minnesota while shooting 9 of 10 from the field and adding 18 rebounds.
Nic Claxton had 18 points for Brooklyn and Dariq Whitehead scored 17.
Key moment
The Timberwolves took the lead with 8:26 left in the second quarter and never looked back. Edwards led his team in scoring with 15 points in the first half to help put them up 49-37 at the break.
Key stat
The Timberwolves shot 31.0% — 13 of 42 — from 3-point range, led by Edwards’ 5 of 10.
Up next
Timberwolves: Take on the 76ers in Philadelphia on Saturday night.
