The Western Conference semifinals series between the Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves was set up to be a potentially legendary showdown between Steph Curry and Anthony Edwards.
But after suffering a hamstring strain early in Game 1, Curry mostly has been constrained to watch from the sidelines.
Nevertheless, Curry has made his voice heard all series — both by teammates and opponents — which continued in the Warriors’ 117-110 loss in Game 4 on Monday at Chase Center.
In his postgame presser following his 30-point performance, Edwards revealed some in-game trash talk with Curry after Edwards was asked about playing against Golden State without their two-time NBA MVP.
“Just from working out with him over the summer, that’s what I told him after I hit a three,” Edwards told reporters. “Because he told me — I had missed one — he was like, ‘You weren’t going to make that. You were too open.’
“And I was like, ‘I ain’t gonna never stop shooting them. I learned that from you this summer.'”
"I ain't gonna never stop shooting 'em. I learned that from you this summer."
It’s not often you see trash talk mixed with a compliment, but the two players clearly have a good relationship. Curry and Edwards spent plenty of time together last offseason when they helped Team USA win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In other words, one might argue Curry played a pivotal role in creating the juggernaut that could be responsible for his team’s playoff demise, now that the Timberwolves own a 3-1 lead with the series heading back to Minnesota.
Unfortunately for the Warriors — and potentially NBA fans as a whole — Curry might not have the chance for a rebuttal against Edwards in their friendly feud this season.
A tumultuous NBA season in Dallas took an upward swing Monday evening when the Mavericks, with just a 1.8% change of winning the NBA Draft Lottery, landed a shot at redemption.
San Antonio and Philadelphia round out the top three picks, with each having had a 6% and 10.5% chance at number one, respectively. They’ll likely have no shot at consensus number one, Cooper Flagg.
Unless the Mavericks defy expectations and pick someone else, Flagg will come to the team with a level of hype few players have ever matched, including his fellow Duke alum and 2019 top pick Zion Williamson – who was the New Orleans Pelicans’ representative for this year’s lottery – and French phenom Victor Wembanyama, who went to the San Antonio Spurs in 2023. Free agent Giannis Antetokounmpo looms on the market and San Antonio now has ample capital.
While his high school classmates may have relaxed in their last summer before college, Flagg was working out with the U.S. men’s basketball team in its preparation for the Paris Games, becoming the first college player (and first teenager) added to the Select Team since 2013.
Flagg also signed an NIL deal with New Balance, which has a factory 25 miles from his hometown of Newport, Maine. Flagg will presumably become the first top overall NBA Draft pick ever for the brand, which boasts established stars such as Kawhi Leonard, Jamal Murray and Tyrese Maxey as endorsers.
The 6’9” forward proceeded to have a stellar season at Duke, leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four before the team lost to Houston. Flagg averaged 19.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals over 37 games. He elevated his draft stock even higher during the NCAA Tournament, averaging 21 points, 7.6 rebounds, five assists and two blocks through five games.
Flagg was the just the fourth freshman to win the Wooden Award as the nation’s top player in men’s college basketball, alongside Williamson, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant. He also took home the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year honors, becoming the fourth player (and fourth Duke Blue Devil) to win both conference honors in the same season.
Prior to the stunning trade of Luka Doncic at the February trade deadline, the Mavs were set for 30 national TV appearances in the just completed regular season. The presumptive selection of Flagg may keep the team at the top of the pack when it comes to national TV games, especially as the NBA’s new media deal kicks in with ESPN/ABC, NBC, Peacock and Amazon’s Prime Video.
When the Spurs won the lottery and drafted Wembanyama in 2023, their national TV appearances leaped from a single game in 2022-23 to 11 games the following season.
The Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets each had the best odds of winning the top pick at 14.1%. Right outside of the top three teams were the New Orleans Pelicans at 12.5%, the Philadelphia 76ers at 10.5% and the Brooklyn Nets at 9%.
The chance that a team with lower odds than the top three favorites would land the top pick was not a small one. Last year, the Atlanta Hawks, who had the 10th-worst record in 2023-24, had just a 3% chance at the lottery when ping-pong balls bounced their way last spring.
Dallas’ win marks the sixth time since the lottery began in 1985 that a team with less than a 4% chance won the rights to the top pick.
While Flagg is the unquestioned prize of the upcoming draft, the 2025 draft class does not lack for tantalizing prospects. Rutgers guard Dylan Harper has often come up in mock drafts as the consensus second-overall pick, and his teammate Ace Bailey and Baylor’s V.J. Edgecombe have garnered plenty of attention themselves.
Although NIL has changed the draft pools for the NBA for a few years, this may be the first draft class where those changes are truly evident. Outside of the expected one-and-done freshman prospects and upperclassmen who took advantage of the NCAA’s expanded eligibility since the COVID-19 pandemic, there are few sophomore and junior players on the radar of scouts and executives.
The league recently announced that there were 106 early entry candidates for the June draft, the lowest number since 91 players declared early in 2015. Since 2021 when the NCAA allowed players to make money from NIL deals, the early entry pool has dropped each year from an all-time high of 353 players to less than one-third of that total in 2025.
After the Warriors dropped Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, Draymond Green still had his mind on his actions from Saturday.
Golden State’s veteran forward fouled out of his team’s Game 3 loss and apologized to reporters Monday for failing to speak to them in the aftermath.
“Before I start, I want to apologize to y’all,” Green told the media before starting his press conference after the Warriors’ 117-110 loss in Game 4 at Chase Center. “I didn’t talk the other day. I was quite a bit frustrated and very careful of — didn’t want to get myself fined, but more so say something and make it sound like an excuse.
“We struggle and lose, and I didn’t come up here and talk, and I felt like a coward when I got home. So I wanted to apologize to y’all for that.”
Draymond Green opens his postgame presser with an apology for not talking at the podium after Game 3 pic.twitter.com/wQ8BNpwcbH
With four minutes and 38 seconds left in the Warriors’ eventual 102-97 loss on Saturday, Green collected his sixth and final personal foul with Golden State trailing by two points.
The 2024-25 NBA Defensive Player of the Year finalist had tallied just two points, two rebounds and four assists up to that point, and his foul trouble kept him from making much of an impact as the Timberwolves attacked the rim.
While some of the calls on Green were questionable according to his Warriors teammates and coach Steve Kerr, it’s evident the 35-year-old didn’t want to blame the referees for his struggles in Game 3.
Green’s less-than-stellar night on Saturday came one game after he faced racially charged comments from Timberwolves fans in Minnesota — an incident that caused the team to open up an investigation when one fan was ejected from Target Center for violating the NBA Fan Code of Conduct, per the Timberwolves, and another left the arena on his own accord.
After that game, during which Green received a technical foul for hitting Wolves big man Naz Reid in the face, the Warriors star gave a passionate statement declaring he’s “not an angry Black man” and that there is an “agenda” trying to paint him as such.
When asked about his post-Game 2 comments after Monday’s loss, where Green improved to score 14 points with seven rebounds and two assists, he made it clear he has turned the page.
“I’ve moved on,” Green told reporters.
Green never has been one to shy away from accountability after all the ups and downs he has experienced throughout his career. His apology on Monday was just another example of that, even if it came a couple of days later.
Steph Curry has missed the Warriors’ last three Western Conference semifinals games against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and if he misses another, Golden State’s season might end Wednesday.
Which is why everyone is wondering if Curry might push to play at Target Center.
Asked after the Warriors’ Game 4 loss if Curry would be allowed to play Wednesday if he told the medical staff he’s good to go, coach Steve Kerr danced around the hypothetical question.
“When are we giving the update?” Kerr asked, looking at Warriors PR personnel. “Wednesday, we’ll have an update.”
Steve Kerr avoids a hypothetical question about Steph Curry playing Game 5 on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/jTU6T83WLb
Curry sustained a Grade 1 left hamstring strain in the first half of the Warriors’ Game 1 win over the Timberwolves. When his MRI results were announced, Golden State said the 37-year-old would be re-evaluated on May 14, the same day as Game 5.
Typically, re-evaluations lead to more time missed, so it’s unlikely Curry is ready to go Wednesday.
But longtime running mate Draymond Green shed light on the work Curry is doing to get back on the court before it’s too late.
“When you’re competing for championships, or trying to, the most important thing you can have on your side is health,” Green told reporters after Monday’s 117-110 loss. “You start getting a month, two and a half months longer into this already long season, and injuries are more likely to happen, so you try to do all that you can to prevent that. I send my love to [Jayson Tatum]. Never wish any injury on anybody; hoping that it’s not what everyone thinks it is. Such a great young talent in this league. Does everything the right way. So, hate to see him go down.
“As far as Steph, he’s working his tail off every day. You know, he’s in here eight, nine hours a day, working, doing what he can to try to get back. So, you know, his morale is great. Obviously, nobody’s excited right now, but he’s working to get back. That’s all you can do it at this point.”
Curry hasn’t spoken to the assembled media since May 8, but he talked to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears after Monday’s loss and tempered expectations that he might play Wednesday.
“Even if I wanted to be Superman, I couldn’t,” injured Warriors guard Stephen Curry told @andscape in response to Green’s words about Game 5. Curry added he doesn’t expect to be available in 5 and won’t know anything more about his hamstring until his next medical evaluation. https://t.co/1HTwpiHppn
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported last week and reiterated Monday that a possible Game 6, scheduled for Sunday, May 18, is the earliest Curry could return.
Curry is itching to return, knowing that the Warriors’ season is hanging in the balance. But all signs point to the four-time NBA champion sitting out another game.
The Nets have been awarded the eighth pick in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.
This was their first time participating in the lottery since they landed the third overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft -- which they ultimately used on big man Derrick Favors out of Georgia Tech.
Brooklyn entered the night with just a 9.0 percent chance of winning this year's lottery and the opportunity to select Duke star Cooper Flagg after finishing with the sixth-worst record in the league.
Instead, the eighth selection will headline their four first-rounders this year. As part of the Mikal Bridges deal with the Knicks they also have the 19th, 26th and 27th picks as well as the 36th pick coming in the second round.
It'll be interesting to see if GM Sean Marks keeps all of these picks for the rebuilding club or looks to package some of them in a deal for a superstar such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is said to be "open-minded" about leaving Milwaukee.
Some of the players in recent mock drafts around Brooklyn's pick include Duke's Kon Knueppel, Oklahoma's Jeremiah Fears, and Texas' Tre Johnson.
This year's draft takes place on June 25 and 26 at Barclays Center.
The Boston Celtics lost a pivotal Game 4 to the New York Knicks on Monday night to fall into a 3-1 series hole. Even worse, they may have lost their superstar for an extended period.
Jayson Tatum went down with an apparent lower right leg injury during the fourth quarter of Game 4 at Madison Square Garden. He stayed on the floor writhing in pain before Celtics trainers helped him into the locker room. He did not put any weight on his right leg and was helped into a wheelchair.
While Tatum’s status remains unclear, the outlook doesn’t look ideal. As the NBA world speculates about the injury’s severity, players on both teams, other athletes, and fans are sharing their stunned, empathetic reactions to one of the game’s biggest stars going down.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson immediately addressed Tatum’s injury during his postgame press conference.
“Prayers out to JT, man,” he said. “I just wanted to say that, first and foremost. Thoughts and prayers with him. Just praying for the best.”
Jalen Brunson gives an opening statement wishing the best for Jayson Tatum:
“Hate that it happened. The NBA is a brotherhood, praying for him,” he said.
Karl-Anthony Towns joined his Knicks teammates in sending well-wishes to Tatum.
“I’ve been in a situation like that with my calf,” Towns said, per CLNS’ Bobby Manning. “If you saw, I just walked up, obviously respectful of his space. I just put my head down and prayed to my mother, prayed to God to put protection over him and comfort, whatever the injury may be. I hope it’s minor.”
Celtics veteran big man Al Horford has his longtime teammate on his mind after the defeat.
“The loss is the loss. More importantly it’s just Tatum that I’m worried about,” he said. “Just making sure I’m here for him. That’s my priority.”
Tatum’s co-star Jaylen Brown was at a loss for words.
Tatum will get an MRI on Tuesday, according to Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. The C’s will almost certainly be without him with their backs against the wall in Wednesday’s do-or-die Game 5.
Here’s how other noteworthy personalities reacted to Tatum’s injury:
Jalen Brunson had 39 points and 12 assists, and the New York Knicks moved a win away from their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 25 years and pushed the defending champion Boston Celtics to the brink of elimination with a 121-113 victory Monday night in Game 4.
The Celtics will have to make the NBA’s 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit to extend their title reign and may have to do it without All-Star Jayson Tatum, who was carried off the court with a right leg injury with 2:58 left.
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each added 23 points and OG Anunoby bounced back from two poor performances by scoring 20 for the Knicks, who can win the series Wednesday night at Boston. If not, they would come back to Madison Square Garden to try to do it Friday night.
Tatum scored 42 points, his high in these playoffs, before he was hurt when the Celtics turned the ball over and his leg gave out as he tried to lunge forward toward the loose ball.
The Knicks had taken control just before that in front of a delirious crowd of fans who haven’t seen them play in the conference finals since they lost to Indiana in 2000.
Nobody has come from 3-1 down since Denver did it twice in 2020 at the Walt Disney World resort. It hasn’t happened when a team had to win a true road game since Cleveland rallied past Golden State in the 2016 NBA Finals.
After leading by at least 20 points in the first three games — but blowing the first two of them in Boston — the Celtics had another double-digit lead less than five minutes into this game.
They led 62-51 at halftime, but the Knicks played their starters the entire way in a desperate third quarter in which they outscored the Celtics 37-23 to set up a thrilling final period.
Tatum’s three-point play tied it for the final time at 102-all before Anunoby hit a 3-pointer and the Knicks later put it away for good with an 11-0 burst that made it 116-104.
Derrick White made six 3-pointers and scored 23 points for the Celtics. Jaylen Brown had 20.
“We have to turn that page quickly and do our first job, which is win on Wednesday. That’s the mindset,” Celtics veteran Al Horford said. “As a group, we just have to rally together because obviously we’ve lost our leader, the guy that gets us going.”
This is a 52-win Rockets team that took a big step forward this season behind an entertaining and athletic young core led by Alperen Sengun, Amem Thompson and Jalen Green. Houston had the fourth-ranked defense in the league, but the playoffs highlighted how much this team needs an elite bucket getter to spark their half-court offense. Houston has the picks and young players available to assemble a blockbuster trade to get that player.
Just don't expect it to be the Suns' Kevin Durant or Devin Booker, and the same is true of the Pelicans' Zion Williamson, reports Kelly Iko and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
While Durant is widely seen as the most attainable of that group, and he is known to be very interested in playing in Houston, team sources said the Rockets still have significant reservations about that possible partnership, in large part, because Durant's age (36) would be so out of sync with their younger timeline. It's worth noting that previous talks between the teams about Durant, team sources said, were initiated by the Suns.
The Rockets have previously held serious interest in the Suns' Devin Booker, but team sources said that is no longer the case. Not only do team officials still have faith in Jalen Green, who is five years younger than Booker and $66 million cheaper over the next three seasons, but also Booker's struggles last season shifted the thinking on this front. As for Williamson, who has spent the majority of his first six seasons falling short of expectations while experiencing health issues along the way, team sources said the Rockets see him as too risky.
Durant to Houston is not completely off the table, but it's only happening if the trade is a complete steal for the Rockets, league sources told NBC Sports. As for Booker, the Rockets may have soured on him slightly, but the Suns have also made it clear from the highest levels of the organization that he is not available. That may have something to do with the Rockets' stance.
Which leaves Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will sit down with the Milwaukee Bucks front office in the coming weeks and discuss his and the team's future. He reportedly is open to considering a trade, the first time he has been truly serious about that in his 12-year NBA career.
The Rockets are certainly interested, according to the report, but know the price to land the 30-year-old two-time MVP would be high in terms of players and picks (and one of those players likely would be Sengun, who is not a natural fit next to Antetokounmpo). That said, if Antetokounmpo hits the market, the Rockets will jump into the mix and could put together an offer that would be hard for Milwaukee to turn down.
With all those moving parts, the Rockets and Fred VanVleet agreed to push back the date Houston has to decide on his $44.9 million team option to June 29 — after the draft and close enough to the start of free agency that Houston will have a much better read on the Antetokounmpo situation, as well as other free agents. VanVleet has said he wants to return to the Rockets, and they want him back, but at the right price, and he could be the veteran ball handler not brought back (or sent somewhere else) in a massive trade.
While the Rockets will be at the heart of the offseason trade rumors, GM Raphael Stone has made it clear he would be perfectly happy to run it back with the 52-win team from this season and see how big a step forward they take after this year's experiences. Don't be shocked if that is the ultimate outcome.
Dallas basketball has the potential to be set up for the foreseeable future.
The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery delivered a twist, predictable or not, that saw the three worst teams in the league — the Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards — not rewarded for their failures.
Instead, the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks surpassed them to form the top three. In the end, Dallas landed the first pick and the chance to take Duke star prospect Cooper Flagg, a versatile forward who can change any team for the better.
The Mavericks’ luck — conspiracy theories and all — timed well with its WNBA counterpart. The Dallas Wings had also won the draft lottery earlier in the year, putting them in pole position to take UConn star Paige Bueckers, which they did.
Following the NBA and WNBA lotteries, Dallas is set to be the second city to draft first overall in the same year. Of course, the Mavericks could still trade the pick, but that won’t be known until late June when the draft is held.
In 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Rockers became the first. The Cavs infamously took LeBron James, while the Rockers selected LaToya Thomas before folding operations the season after due to ownership issues.
The Mavericks endured a turbulent year full of injuries, but the main story involved Luka Doncic. Before the February trade deadline, Doncic was stunningly dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.
Dallas fans understandably had all sorts of feelings — sadness, anger, anguish and insert any other emotion here. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison held multiple press conferences — publicly and privately — to attempt to justify his decision.
Mavericks fans rightfully didn’t want to hear it after losing a drafted star they fell in love with, off the heels of an NBA Finals run, among other memories.
But Harrison now has the opportunity to take Flagg and form an intriguing trio with Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and more if the rest of the roster is filled out properly and health isn’t as unfavorable.
Whether Harrison is ever vindicated for the trade is unknown. Perhaps it could be if he’s still in the front office and Flagg helps deliver a championship.
Bueckers has the same opportunity on the women’s side, as the Wings are seeking a fourth championship having been on a drought since 2008. Their other two wins include 2003 and 2006.
Not many cities have the luxury of a young men’s and women’s basketball star embarking on parallel journeys. But after the seasons both the Wings and Mavericks had, at least the future is bright.
Dallas basketball has the potential to be set up for the foreseeable future.
The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery delivered a twist, predictable or not, that saw the three worst teams in the league — the Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards — not rewarded for their failures.
Instead, the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks surpassed them to form the top three. In the end, Dallas landed the first pick and the chance to take Duke star prospect Cooper Flagg, a versatile forward who can change any team for the better.
The Mavericks’ luck — conspiracy theories and all — timed well with its WNBA counterpart. The Dallas Wings had also won the draft lottery earlier in the year, putting them in pole position to take UConn star Paige Bueckers, which they did.
Following the NBA and WNBA lotteries, Dallas is set to be the second city to draft first overall in the same year. Of course, the Mavericks could still trade the pick, but that won’t be known until late June when the draft is held.
In 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Rockers became the first. The Cavs infamously took LeBron James, while the Rockers selected LaToya Thomas before folding operations the season after due to ownership issues.
The Mavericks endured a turbulent year full of injuries, but the main story involved Luka Doncic. Before the February trade deadline, Doncic was stunningly dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.
Dallas fans understandably had all sorts of feelings — sadness, anger, anguish and insert any other emotion here. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison held multiple press conferences — publicly and privately — to attempt to justify his decision.
Mavericks fans rightfully didn’t want to hear it after losing a drafted star they fell in love with, off the heels of an NBA Finals run, among other memories.
But Harrison now has the opportunity to take Flagg and form an intriguing trio with Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and more if the rest of the roster is filled out properly and health isn’t as unfavorable.
Whether Harrison is ever vindicated for the trade is unknown. Perhaps it could be if he’s still in the front office and Flagg helps deliver a championship.
Bueckers has the same opportunity on the women’s side, as the Wings are seeking a fourth championship having been on a drought since 2008. Their other two wins include 2003 and 2006.
Not many cities have the luxury of a young men’s and women’s basketball star embarking on parallel journeys. But after the seasons both the Wings and Mavericks had, at least the future is bright.
SAN FRANCISCO – With an injured Steph Curry watching from the sidelines, the Warriors now are one loss away from their season coming to a close after a 117-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals on Monday night at Chase Center.
The Warriors now are in a three-games-to-one series deficit, and have lost three straight playoff games for the second time under Steve Kerr, and the first since blowing a 3-1 series lead in the 2016 NBA Finals
The score didn’t tell the real story, especially with how bad the third quarter was for the Warriors, who had a two-point lead at halftime, and then trailed by 20 points at the end of the third quarter.
Timberwolves stars Anthony Edwards (30 points) and Julius Randle (31 points) were too much to handle. The duo combined to score 61 points on 22-of-42 shooting and were 10 of 19 on 3-pointers. Pure dominance.
It was unfair to expect Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga to repeat their performances from Game 3 when they combined to score 63 points, which amounted to 65 percent of the Warriors’ overall points. Kuminga scored a team-high 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting in Game 4, but Butler only had 14 points and was a game-worst minus-30.
The two didn’t receive much help from their teammates elsewhere.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ Game 4
Butler Goes Quiet
The 33 points Butler scored in Game 3 were his most in a playoff game since dropping 35 on the Boston Celtics to open the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. He played 43 minutes, and Butler looked gassed down the stretch. The Warriors’ offense crumbled, and Butler was just 1 of 7 in the fourth quarter.
Jaden McDaniels made sure Butler didn’t get comfortable early, and the Warriors’ star never got going. Butler took one shot in the first quarter and had one point. At halftime, he had seven points on five shots. Yet the Warriors still led by two points, 60-58.
Then the third quarter happened. Butler couldn’t find any extra juice, and McDaniels only made his life worse. The long and rangy but still twitchy all-world defender stuck to Butler’s every move. He manipulated screens and made the game as difficult as possible for Butler.
As the Warriors were outscored 39-17 in the third quarter, Butler played all but eight seconds. Somehow, he was their leading scorer for the quarter with eight points. It was that bad.
Butler only took nine shots all game, 17 fewer than Game 3.
Can’t Stop Kuminga
Even with several top defenders, the Timberwolves don’t have an answer for Kuminga. He isn’t aimlessly putting his head down and attacking the basket. Kuminga is assessing, and in a blink, he finds another gear that the Timberwolves can’t match.
Kuminga shook the Timberwolves’ defense in each of his two first-half stints. Through 13 minutes, Kuminga already was up to 16 points off the bench on 4-of-6 shooting and made all eight of his free throws. The only player on his level going into halftime was Julius Randle, who already had 19 points and five rebounds for the Timberwolves.
His eight free throws in the first half were Kuminga’s most for an entire game since Dec. 30, 2024, when he made 10.
Kuminga got to 20 points entering the fourth quarter, but the Warriors were trailing by 20 points. The 11 free throws he made, missing just once, tied a career high.
Trouble From Downtown
The 3-point line always looks a little different when Curry isn’t on the court. Once again, it became a major problem for the Warriors.
A game after going 0 of 5 in the first half but finishing 10 of 23 on threes, the Warriors looked like the three-ball could be a strength. Draymond Green made his first two attempts, and the Warriors in these playoffs were 3-1 when he made multiple threes. They’re now 3-2, as Green missed his final four threes.
Buddy Hield, who scored just 13 points in 35 minutes, was the only other Warrior to make multiple threes. He was 2 of 6 from 3-point range and 4-of-11 shooting overall.
Brandin Podziemski took four threes and missed all four. He’s now 3 of 17 on threes this series. Butler missed his lone attempt, and Kuminga missed both of his two tries. At least Moses Moody and Quinten Post, two players now out of the rotation, made threes in garbage time.
The Warriors as a team were outscored by 24 points behind the 3-point line. The Timberwolves had four players make multiple threes and went 16 of 34 (47.1 percent), a stark contrast to the Warriors’ 8 of 27 (29.6 percent). While the Warriors couldn’t make shots, they often didn’t seem to want to take shots either.
Jayson Tatum’s brilliant performance at Madison Square Garden on Monday had a nightmare ending for the Boston Celtics.
Tatum suffered a painful right lower leg injury with 2:58 remaining in the fourth quarter of Boston’s Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks. The injury was non-contact, as Tatum went down on his own while diving for a loose ball.
The Celtics star appeared to be in significant pain and couldn’t put any weight on his right leg as he was helped off the floor. ESPN’s cameras showed Tatum being transported through the MSG tunnel in a wheelchair.
Jayson Tatum was emotional while leaving the game in a wheelchair from a non-contact injury. pic.twitter.com/ZtUGRedUzg
“Obviously you’re always worried about someone’s health, so the fact that he had to be carried off — he’s the type of guy that gets right up,” Mazzulla told reporters. “He didn’t, and we’ll know tomorrow exactly what it is, but it’s tough to watch a guy like him get carried off like that.”
The injury put a damper on a terrific night for Tatum, who contributed 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks in nearly 40 minutes of play.
In the short term, the Celtics face a 3-1 series deficit and will have to win Game 5 at TD Garden on Wednesday without their best player to keep their season alive. But Tatum’s injury, if it’s as severe as it looked, could have significant long-term ramifications for a Celtics team that’s already deep in the luxury tax.
Wednesday’s Game 5 is set for 7 p.m. ET, and in the meantime, all eyes will be on Tatum as the team awaits the results of his MRI on Tuesday.
Jayson Tatum’s brilliant performance at Madison Square Garden on Monday had a nightmare ending for the Boston Celtics.
Tatum suffered a painful right lower leg injury with 2:58 remaining in the fourth quarter of Boston’s Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks. The injury was non-contact, as Tatum went down on his own while diving for a loose ball.
The Celtics star appeared to be in significant pain and couldn’t put any weight on his right leg as he was helped off the floor. ESPN’s cameras showed Tatum being transported through the MSG tunnel in a wheelchair.
Jayson Tatum was emotional while leaving the game in a wheelchair from a non-contact injury. pic.twitter.com/ZtUGRedUzg
“Obviously you’re always worried about someone’s health, so the fact that he had to be carried off — he’s the type of guy that gets right up,” Mazzulla told reporters. “He didn’t, and we’ll know tomorrow exactly what it is, but it’s tough to watch a guy like him get carried off like that.”
The injury put a damper on a terrific night for Tatum, who contributed 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks in nearly 40 minutes of play.
In the short term, the Celtics face a 3-1 series deficit and will have to win Game 5 at TD Garden on Wednesday without their best player to keep their season alive. But Tatum’s injury, if it’s as severe as it looked, could have significant long-term ramifications for a Celtics team that’s already deep in the luxury tax.
Wednesday’s Game 5 is set for 7 p.m. ET, and in the meantime, all eyes will be on Tatum as the team awaits the results of his MRI on Tuesday.
In a stunning moment, the Mavericks won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery Monday despite having just a 1.8% chance at doing so…the fourth-worst odds. Dallas now has first dibs at Duke star Cooper Flagg, the best prospect in the class.
The Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets all had the best odds for having the worst records in the campaign, but none of them got within the top three. Charlotte at No. 4 was the closest.
Jumping was the Philadelphia 76ers to No. 3, but Flagg will not form a triumvirate with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The San Antonio Spurs also rose once again to No. 2, but Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox and Co. will also not have Flagg.
Instead, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison gets an instant shot at redemption by pairing Flagg with Anthony Davis and potentially Kyrie Irving.
Here are some of the best reactions on social media following the reveal:
Mavericks CEO Rick Welts from draft lottery: "I'm the only person who was in this room and the room 40 years ago. I was in charge of the NBA draft lottery 40 years ago when Patrick Ewing won. I've been doing conspiracy theory stories ever since. This is very surreal, personally."
I'm not a big conspiracy theorist but it seems awfully convenient that the Mavericks traded Luka to the NBA's biggest market and then got Cooper Flagg in return months later, despite having just a 1.8% chance to land the number one pick.
on the real, i have no idea how to feel or how to process this lol. i feel taken advantage of. adam silver was having whole press conferences about the trade.. like we shoulda been more bullish on the collusion angle. they let folks sit in pain knowing they been plotting lmao
In a stunning moment, the Mavericks won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery Monday despite having just a 1.8% chance at doing so…the fourth-worst odds. Dallas now has first dibs at Duke star Cooper Flagg, the best prospect in the class.
The Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets all had the best odds for having the worst records in the campaign, but none of them got within the top three. Charlotte at No. 4 was the closest.
Jumping was the Philadelphia 76ers to No. 3, but Flagg will not form a triumvirate with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The San Antonio Spurs also rose once again to No. 2, but Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox and Co. will also not have Flagg.
Instead, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison gets an instant shot at redemption by pairing Flagg with Anthony Davis and potentially Kyrie Irving.
Here are some of the best reactions on social media following the reveal:
Mavericks CEO Rick Welts from draft lottery: "I'm the only person who was in this room and the room 40 years ago. I was in charge of the NBA draft lottery 40 years ago when Patrick Ewing won. I've been doing conspiracy theory stories ever since. This is very surreal, personally."
I'm not a big conspiracy theorist but it seems awfully convenient that the Mavericks traded Luka to the NBA's biggest market and then got Cooper Flagg in return months later, despite having just a 1.8% chance to land the number one pick.
on the real, i have no idea how to feel or how to process this lol. i feel taken advantage of. adam silver was having whole press conferences about the trade.. like we shoulda been more bullish on the collusion angle. they let folks sit in pain knowing they been plotting lmao
