Category: Basketball

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 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.

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.

Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski hits wild half-court buzzer-beater vs. Lakers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski had the half of his life against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.

The second-year guard dropped in 22 points — the most he has scored in a half in his brief NBA career — and capped it in epic fashion, with a running half-court buzzer-beater.

PODZ FROM THE LOGO TO BEAT THE BUZZER 🚨 🚨🚨

pic.twitter.com/hvC61QT4UC

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

Podziemski’s sixth 3-pointers of the first half gave the Warriors a 60-47 halftime lead.

In 17 first-half minutes, Podziemski finished 8 of 11 from the field and 6 of 8 from 3-point range. He was a plus-8.

Podziemski’s career high is 29 points against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 5, so the Santa Clara product has a good shot to eclipse that against the Lakers.

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Moses Moody's vicious dunk of the year candidate vs. Lakers overturned by refs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Warriors guard Moses Moody put Lakers wing Austin Reaves on a poster Thursday night, but the referees didn’t play along.

Moody threw down a dunk of the year candidate in the first quarter of the Warriors’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Upon replay review, the officials determined that the fourth-year guard committed an offensive foul.

MOSES MOODY POSTER … but it got overturned. 😔

Did the refs get this right?!?!pic.twitter.com/lkBqRj4LuD

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

Reaves had his feet set outside the restricted area, leading to the overturned call.

Moody, starting his 28th game of the season, has played an instrumental part in the Warriors’ midseason turnaround and he almost had his moment of the season.

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The focus rightly was on the immediate.

Stephen Curry scored 52 points Tuesday in a 134-125 win over the Memphis Grizzlies that vaulted the surging Golden State Warriors into fifth place in the Western Conference standings. He made 12 three-point shots, two shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s single-game NBA record.

Curry's performance was so otherworldly that Gilbert Arenas stopped watching his son, USC commit Alijah, play in the McDonald's All-American Game to follow the scoring barrage from the 37-year-old 10-time All-Star guard.

Yet given a moment to reflect, Curry became emotional because along the way he passed the late Jerry West for 25th on the NBA career scoring list. West, of course, played his entire 14-year career with the Lakers and is best known globally for being the inspiration behind the NBA logo.

Read more:How Jerry West became the NBA logo — and why David Stern never admitted to it

But he also served as a Warriors' special consultant from 2011-2017, during which time Curry led the team to two NBA championships. West's son, Jonnie, is the Warriors senior director of pro personnel.

“That’s special, obviously in our memory and what he meant to the league, to the world of basketball, to our organization when he worked here,” Curry said of West, who died in June. “And my relationship with Jonnie. I got to talk to him after the game, just to share a moment of what it meant for me, my family, the entire West family.

"So that is special. Just understanding what his career was, that’s The Logo, so very special. I’ll keep that ball and put it in a good place.”

Cracking the top 25 in career scoring — Curry has 25,205 points — is a feat Curry cherished because he eclipsed West. Otherwise, it's just another rung in a ladder he'll continue climbing at warp speed.

In his 16th season, Curry's play has diminished only a tick. After the 52-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist and six-steal performance, he's averaging 24.4 points, 6.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game this season.

Read more:Jerry West, Lakers legend and architect of 'Showtime' era, dies at 86

Career averages? 24.7 points, 6.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds.

Projecting that he'll produce close to those numbers for three more seasons — when he turns 40 — Curry would approach 30,000 points, a number attained by only eight players: From the top, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain and Kevin Durant.

The Clippers' James Harden, currently 11th with 27,527 points, likely will beat Curry to 30,000, and DeMar DeRozan is on Curry's heels at 25,159.

Curry, though, was reminded in the fourth quarter Tuesday not to chase records when he missed consecutive three-point attempts with Thompson's mark on his mind. He tapped his chest and apologized to teammates after the second errant shot.

"The first two shots I took in the fourth quarter were a reflection of that,” Curry said. “First touch, shot it in transition. Then went iso left wing. Missed both of those and then I kinda came to reality. Those were the ultimate heat checks even though I just got back in the game.”

Read more:LeBron James is first NBA player to score 50,000 points. What's next? Luka Doncic says '70K'

Warriors coach Steve Kerr excused his star guard for the momentary lapse.

“The guy is 37 years old,” he said. “Incredible. Fifty-two points with people draped all over him all game long. The conditioning. The skill. The audacity. The belief. It’s just incredible to watch Steph at work.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.