Category: Basketball

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.

Read more:Stephen Curry passes Lakers' Jerry West on NBA scoring list: 'That’s The Logo, so very special'

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.

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.

Read more:Rebuilding from ruins: Lakers coach JJ Redick aims to fix Palisades rec center

“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.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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.

Nets: Host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

What we learned as Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski fuel Warriors' win vs. Lakers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

LOS ANGELES — Moses Moody sent the perfect response late Thursday morning when reminded later that night would be the first time the Warriors play a Los Angeles Lakers team with Luka Dončić. 

“First time the Lakers are playing us with Jimmy [Butler],” Moody said. 

Battling for playoff position with 10 days remaining in the regular season, the Warriors beat the Lakers 123-116, earning their first win over their Southern California foes this season.

Steph Curry scored a game-high 37 points, went 13 of 14 on free throws and received MVP chants late in the fourth quarter. Butler only totaled 11 points. LeBron James scored 33 points and fell one assist shy of a double-double, and Dončić dropped an inefficient 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting and missed all six tries behind the 3-point line.

With the win, the Warriors still are the Western Conference’s No. 5 seed, half a game ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies. Golden State now is one game behind Los Angeles for the No. 4 seed.

DRAY COMES UP WITH A CLUTCH STOP 🚫pic.twitter.com/ie1a5p9dEE

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 4, 2025

Much of the Warriors’ win was about secondary players like Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga shining under pressure.

The Warriors outrebounded the Lakers, dished more assists than them and also beat their bigger opponent down low in the paint.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ win in what was nothing short of a playoff atmosphere.

Podz Steals The Show

The hype was real, the headlines wrote themself and the spotlight was obvious. This was going to be all about Steph vs. LeBron and Jimmy vs. Luka. Podziemski had other plans. 

Responding to Austin Reaves’ 3-pointer to open the game, Podziemski immediately buried a triple of his own. His 3-point shot was falling early, going a perfect 3 of 3 from deep in the first quarter. Podziemski kept it up in the second quarter, too. 

Giving the Warriors a 13-point halftime lead, Podziemski made three more 3-pointers in the second quarter, including a runner from halfcourt at the buzzer. Podziemski in the first half scored 22 points – a new career high for a half – on 8-of-11 shooting, was 6 of 7 on threes and added six rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Podziemski didn’t make another shot until a little over two minutes into the fourth quarter, hitting a three from the left corner to give him 25 points. His career-high eighth three with a minute-plus left gave the Warriors a 10-point lead. The second-year pro certainly wasn’t scared of the big stage.

Trade Deadline Debate

It took until the 7:36 mark of the second quarter for Butler to record a single stat. His first quarter box score was all zeroes: No points, no shots, no assists, no rebounds – nothing. By then, Dončić had already taken seven shots. 

But a little under halfway through the second quarter, Butler beat his man for back-to-back layups. Still, Butler had a quiet first half (four points, two rebounds and one steal) while Dončić struggled to find his shot.

Butler left the game and went to the Warriors’ locker room for a long stretch in the third quarter. Earlier in the game, he was seen wincing as he opened and closed his left hand. Butler returned to begin the fourth quarter, where he scored seven points and attempted his first free throws with one minute and seven seconds still on the clock.

Neither player put on a show, especially to their standards. Everyone wants to argue which trade deadline move, Butler to the Warriors or Dončić to the Lakers, was the bigger deal. The coming weeks will reveal the real answer.

Kuminga’s Impact

After exiting Sunday’s win against the Spurs in San Antonio early from a hard fall that first was deemed right ankle soreness and then was changed to a right pelvic contusion, Jonathan Kuminga returned from a one-game absence, missing Golden State’s road win over the Grizzlies. Health didn’t appear to be a concern for the 22-year-old to conclude a two-week road trip. 

Kuminga, along with Gui Santos, was the Warriors’ first player off the bench with seven minutes left in the first quarter. In the first quarter alone, Kuminga was a plus-9 while playing the rest of the quarter. He scored six efficient points, was active on the glass with four rebounds and took on the challenge of guarding Dončić. 

By halftime, Kuminga was up to 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. He was a plus-11 in 12 minutes, all while Dončić was a minus-11 as he was 3 of 11 from the field and missed all four of his 3-point attempts.

The fourth-year forward badly wants to prove he should have a big role in the playoffs, showing why against the Lakers. Kuminga won with power and smarts, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes off the bench. Kuminga was a game-high plus-9.

He moved the ball and consistently made the right play. Not once did Kuminga drop his head or look like he was floating on the floor, instead having purpose behind every decision and making Steve Kerr close with him.

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3 observations after Sixers lose to Bucks despite Bona's 28-point night  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The best performance of Adem Bona’s rookie season wasn’t enough to lead the Sixers to an improbable victory Thursday night.

The Bucks came back to earn a 126-113 win at Wells Fargo Center and improved to 42-34.

The Sixers fell to 23-54 despite Bona posting 28 points on 13-for-15 shooting, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Quentin Grimes tallied 24 points and 10 assists. Guerschon Yabusele added 22 points. 

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo had a huge night with 35 points, 20 assists and 17 rebounds.

The Sixers remained highly shorthanded. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday that Tyrese Maxey (right finger sprain) is expected to miss the rest of the season. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that the team’s medical team had only told him Maxey was out vs. Milwaukee. 

The Sixers will host the Timberwolves on Saturday night. Here are observations on their loss to the Bucks:

Bright Bona start 

With a Bona dunk and a pair of Jared Butler corner three-pointers, the Sixers jumped out to an 8-0 lead.

Bona guarded Antetokounmpo and played a stellar first quarter on both ends. Defensively, he was solid across the board — in isolation on Antetokounmpo’s powerful, long-striding drives; on post-ups; as a rim protector. 

Offensively, Bona scored efficiently and with impressive variety. He finished a lefty layup out of the pick-and-roll; sunk a short jump hook; faked a dribble handoff and then drove in for an and-one bucket; drop stepped into a simple lay-in over Kevin Porter Jr. 

All told, Bona racked up 12 points in the first quarter on 6-for-7 shooting. The Sixers went up 39-22 late in the first on a Lonnie Walker IV mid-range jumper. 

Bona obviously enjoyed matching up against Antetokounmpo and did excellent work with the opportunity. Back on Jan. 9, he was asked whether he’d had a favorite NBA moment involving an opposing star. 

“There’s a couple guys that I really looked up to coming into the league,” Bona said. “Playing against Giannis. I didn’t have the opportunity to do anything against him (on opening night). He got subbed out right away, but I shared the court with him, so I can say that.”

He did much more than technically share the floor with Antetokounmpo on Thursday. 

Antetokounmpo takes control 

The Bucks eventually woke up, storming in front with an 18-0 run that began in the final minutes of the first quarter.

As soon as new Sixers 10-day contract signing Colin Castleton checked in, Antetokounmpo capped Milwaukee’s run by exploding past him and throwing down a dunk. 

The Sixers recovered before the Bucks could build a sizable lead, but Antetokounmpo had a dominant second quarter. His driving layup on Bona with 5.3 seconds left in the second gave Milwaukee a 61-59 edge and put Antetokounmpo at 20 points. 

The Bucks need Antetokounmpo to run the show even more than usual with Damian Lillard out indefinitely because of deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. As the nine-time All-Star showed against the Sixers, he’s comfortable doing it all. 

Nurse tossed as Sixers’ skid hits 10 games

Bona walked back to the locker room with Sixers head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson at the 10:10 mark of the third quarter. 

Whatever the issue, he came back a few minutes later and played fantastic basketball as soon as he re-entered. Bona helped the Sixers quickly wipe out a 10-point deficit. He flexed and shouted in celebration after a put-back, and-one layup. 

Another Sixer headed down the tunnel late in the third quarter. Walker walked off very gingerly after appearing to grab in pain at the area around his right ankle and asking to be subbed out. He did not return, although Nurse told reporters postgame Walker was diagnosed with a heel contusion and cleared to play.

The Bucks restored a double-digit lead on an AJ Green three early in the fourth quarter. Shortly after, Nurse got ejected.

He seemed to pick up a technical foul for voicing his disagreement about a goaltending call on Bona. Nurse’s second tech came just 18 seconds later.

Assistant coach Bryan Gates took charge for the rest of the game, the Bucks maintained their lead, and the Sixers ultimately set a new season high with 10 straight losses.

3 observations after Sixers lose to Bucks despite Bona's 28-point night  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The best performance of Adem Bona’s rookie season wasn’t enough to lead the Sixers to an improbable victory Thursday night.

The Bucks came back to earn a 126-113 win at Wells Fargo Center and improved to 42-34.

The Sixers fell to 23-54 despite Bona posting 28 points on 13-for-15 shooting, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Quentin Grimes tallied 24 points and 10 assists. Guerschon Yabusele added 22 points. 

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo had a huge night with 35 points, 20 assists and 17 rebounds.

The Sixers remained highly shorthanded. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday that Tyrese Maxey (right finger sprain) is expected to miss the rest of the season. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that the team’s medical team had only told him Maxey was out vs. Milwaukee. 

The Sixers will host the Timberwolves on Saturday night. Here are observations on their loss to the Bucks:

Bright Bona start 

With a Bona dunk and a pair of Jared Butler corner three-pointers, the Sixers jumped out to an 8-0 lead.

Bona guarded Antetokounmpo and played a stellar first quarter on both ends. Defensively, he was solid across the board — in isolation on Antetokounmpo’s powerful, long-striding drives; on post-ups; as a rim protector. 

Offensively, Bona scored efficiently and with impressive variety. He finished a lefty layup out of the pick-and-roll; sunk a short jump hook; faked a dribble handoff and then drove in for an and-one bucket; drop stepped into a simple lay-in over Kevin Porter Jr. 

All told, Bona racked up 12 points in the first quarter on 6-for-7 shooting. The Sixers went up 39-22 late in the first on a Lonnie Walker IV mid-range jumper. 

Bona obviously enjoyed matching up against Antetokounmpo and did excellent work with the opportunity. Back on Jan. 9, he was asked whether he’d had a favorite NBA moment involving an opposing star. 

“There’s a couple guys that I really looked up to coming into the league,” Bona said. “Playing against Giannis. I didn’t have the opportunity to do anything against him (on opening night). He got subbed out right away, but I shared the court with him, so I can say that.”

He did much more than technically share the floor with Antetokounmpo on Thursday. 

Antetokounmpo takes control 

The Bucks eventually woke up, storming in front with an 18-0 run that began in the final minutes of the first quarter.

As soon as new Sixers 10-day contract signing Colin Castleton checked in, Antetokounmpo capped Milwaukee’s run by exploding past him and throwing down a dunk. 

The Sixers recovered before the Bucks could build a sizable lead, but Antetokounmpo had a dominant second quarter. His driving layup on Bona with 5.3 seconds left in the second gave Milwaukee a 61-59 edge and put Antetokounmpo at 20 points. 

The Bucks need Antetokounmpo to run the show even more than usual with Damian Lillard out indefinitely because of deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. As the nine-time All-Star showed against the Sixers, he’s comfortable doing it all. 

Nurse tossed as Sixers’ skid hits 10 games

Bona walked back to the locker room with Sixers head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson at the 10:10 mark of the third quarter. 

Whatever the issue, he came back a few minutes later and played fantastic basketball as soon as he re-entered. Bona helped the Sixers quickly wipe out a 10-point deficit. He flexed and shouted in celebration after a put-back, and-one layup. 

Another Sixer headed down the tunnel late in the third quarter. Walker walked off very gingerly after appearing to grab in pain at the area around his right ankle and asking to be subbed out. He did not return, although Nurse told reporters postgame Walker was diagnosed with a heel contusion and cleared to play.

The Bucks restored a double-digit lead on an AJ Green three early in the fourth quarter. Shortly after, Nurse got ejected when he was called for two technical fouls in a span of 18 seconds.

“Bona blocked a shot,” Nurse told reporters. “They called a goaltend. I looked up at the screen and then right after I saw it, I did a wave. And the ref at the other end, JB (DeRosa), I guess saw me do the wave. That was the first one. And then when (crew chief Mitchell Ervin) walked by me for the second time, I said, ‘Open your eyes.’ … I kind of mumbled it. I didn’t really say it very loud. I didn’t raise my voice all night, actually. Kind of quick.”

Ervin said in a postgame pool report that Nurse’s first technical was for “profanity directed at the game official” and the second was for “derogatory comments directed at the game official.”

Assistant coach Bryan Gates took charge for the rest of the game, the Bucks maintained their lead, and the Sixers ultimately set a new season high with 10 straight losses.