Category: Basketball

Basketball News

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Kerr ejected, Curry fouls out, Warriors still make push but Clippers hold them off for 103-102 win

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — It was a night when Stephen Curry was ice cold for much of the game (he started 2-of-13 from 3) and then watched the final minute from the bench after fouling out. Steve Kerr wasn't even on the bench at the end — he was ejected in the fourth quarter after going at an official after a missed call.

Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard was Kawhi Leonard, finishing with 24 points and 12 boards, just making plays when his team needed them.

Leonard plus a big night from No. 50 pick last June and two-way player Kobe Sanders — 20 points starting in place of James Harden, who was out with a shoulder issue — and the Clippers led comfortably much of the night, then hung on for a 103-102 win at home.

That's seven wins in its last eight for Los Angeles.

"It's our defense," is what Nicolas Batum said has been different with the Clippers recently, after a slow start to the season. "Like, besides the last game against the Celtics, been pretty good the last two weeks."

Kerr ejected

Postgame, the Warriors sent assistant coach Terry Sotts in to speak with the media, and he opened by saying, "I'm up here because I'm saving Steve some money."

Monday night was as hot as Kerr has been in a game in a long, long time. His ejection came after a couple of calls he did not like. The first was a Stephen Curry circus shot that was waived off as a foul on the floor.

However, what really set Kerr off came on the next Warriors possession, when the officials missed an obvious goaltending call on John Collins (the shot clearly had gone off the backboard first, and it wasn't close). Kerr was hot and had to be held back by Stotts and his other assistants, and the entire situation is much funnier if you have it narrated by Snoop Dogg (who was part of the Peacock broadcast crew for this game).

Warriors almost pull off a comeback

The Clippers were the better team and in control of this game through most of it. All night long, the Clippers would double Jimmy Butler or Stephen Curry, the Warriors moved the ball and found the open man… and then clanked the shot. Golden State was 5-of-27 (18.5%) from 3 through three quarters.

The Clippers were in control and up seven with 1:48 left when Curry finally got hot and hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it a one-point game.

That gave the Warriors a chance, even though Curry fouled out just after knocking those down. This is why the Warriors have Jimmy Butler and he has proven many times he comes up in the clutch — he got a decent look at the game-winner and just missed it.

"Jimmy ends up having the ball. I know he's been in this situation for a couple of times his career," said Batum, who was the primary defender on Butler at the end. "So, I knew I had to step up and try to make a stop. He had a good look... That was a good stop and a good win for us."

Curry finished with 27 points but on 9-of-23 shooting, while Butler had 24. The Warriors got good production from their bench, with Gary Payton II scoring 14, while Gus Santos didn't play until the start of the fourth quarter, then he played the entire frame, scored six and was a key part of the Warriors' comeback.

In addition to big nights from Leonard and Sanders, the Clippers got 18 points and three blocks from John Collins, plus 16 points from Kris Dunn.

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Nebraska basketball’s stunning rise: Huskers crack top 10 for first time since 1966

It seemed as though everybody in Nebraska was calling for Fred Hoiberg's job just a few years ago, when it also seemed as though the former Iowa State coach would be unable to replicate the success he had years earlier with the Cyclones. The Huskers won seven games his first season. Four more years down the road, Nebraska begins the week as one of six remaining unbeaten teams in Division I men's college basketball, and the Huskers barged into 10th in the AP Top 25 poll on Monday, the highest they've been since they were No. 9 on Feb. 28, 1966.

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James Dolan's NBA Finals expectations being tested after Knicks' fourth straight defeat

Owner James Dolan said on Monday evening that the Knicks – as constituted – can win an NBA championship.

You think he changed his opinion a few hours later?

The Knicks were blown out by the Pistons on Monday night in arguably their worst loss of the season.

Detroit – the current No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference – was down two starters and playing the second game of a back-to-back, but led the visiting Knicks by double-digits for most of the game.

New York has now lost four straight – its longest losing streak since Dec. 2022.

Are they a competent team in the middle of a rough stretch of the schedule? Oklahoma City lost to Charlotte by 27 points at home on Monday; the defending champs are 6-6 in their last 12 games.

Good teams hit rough patches in an 82-game schedule. That could be the case for the Knicks. Or they could be showing the fatal flaws – bad point of attack/perimeter defense – of a team that will fail to meet expectations. 

Dolan said earlier in the day in an interview on WFAN’s The Carton Show that anything less than an NBA Finals appearance will be a disappointment.

“We want to get to The Finals, and we should win The Finals,” Dolan told Craig Carton and his co-host, Chris McMonigle. “This is sports…anything can happen in sports. But getting to the Finals, we absolutely gotta do. Winning the Finals, we should win.”

The Knicks haven’t looked like a Finals team lately. They’ve trailed by at least 19 points in the third quarter of their last three losses. The poor stretch coincides with an injury to Josh Hart. The Knicks are 2-4 since Hart suffered an ankle injury. Fortunately, Hart is on the verge of returning from that injury. The Knicks could have both Hart and Landry Shamet back by the end of the week. Maybe both of those players can help stop the Knicks’ slide.

Dolan said in the WFAN interview that he doesn’t expect New York to make a significant trade at the deadline.

“We love our team right now. They have chemistry; they all like each other. I’ve never seen a locker room more copacetic. There’s a lot of energy in there,” Dolan said. “I don’t – (team president) Leon (Rose) could always overrule me – but I don’t see us making a big change. Because we don’t have – we’ve got to keep building up this group. This group can win a championship. I believe that.”

Dolan was answering a question from the hosts about the Knicks and Giannis Antetokounmpo. He said he wasn’t aware of any trade talks between the Knicks and Bucks in the offseason. Later in the interview, he reiterated that he didn’t see the Knicks making any big changes before the Feb. 5 trade deadline. 

“That’s what I think our plan is, yes … I talk to Leon every day and look, nothing is impossible; I won’t rule anything out, but who do you want to lose (in a trade)?” Dolan said. “You don’t get something without giving something. Who do you want to lose?”

Jan 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talks to guard Josh Hart (3) during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden.
Jan 12, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talks to guard Josh Hart (3) during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The owner was also asked about the decision to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau in the offseason and hire Mike Brown to replace him.

“The team is really built on the shoulders of Tom Thibodeau. He built that core," Dolan said. "We went as far as we did last year, so you really have to take your hat off to Tom and the job that he did. But we did come to the conclusion that we had an idea of how we wanted to organize the team – actually, it goes for both teams – and that meant we needed to evolve, actually, beyond the old traditional coaching formulas. 

"We tried to work that with Tom, it wasn’t really his thing." 

It was suggested to Dolan that Thibodeau didn’t use his bench players often enough.

“No, that’s some of it. But it’s much more about style of leadership, collaboration versus (working alone),” Dolan said. “… because of the way, particularly basketball, but also hockey too – the way the sport’s evolving, how much more complicated it is – we’re very, very big on development in both clubs.

“Because you can’t – it’s not like the old days where you can get Reggie Jackson and this guy and this guy and put together a team. It’s almost impossible to do that in the NBA. You have to home-grow some of your talent,” he added. “That also builds up trade currency, etcetera. But it’s a development thing. And that’s a team of people. There’s literally 20 people who are specifically dedicated to developing the players, to getting their skill level up, develop the strategy on the court.

“And that’s important for the development of a franchise. Tom liked development, but he didn’t really…”

Dolan didn’t finish his thought here, but he seemed to be saying Thibodeau’s approach with player development didn’t align with the organization.

At other times in the interview, Dolan was complimentary of Thibodeau, who led the Knicks to the playoffs in four of his five seasons and coached them to their first conference final in 25 years.

“I won’t say you can’t win a title with Tom Thibodeau. I don’t necessarily know that’s true. It’s just that, if you want to build a long-term, competitive (team)... you need somebody who is much more of a collaborator than Tom was," he said. "But still, Tom is still a great coach. He should coach again in the NBA. If I had a franchise that I was just starting with, etc., he would be a gold mine to get. And he was like that for us. 

"When we first started, and he first came in, he brought discipline, he brought strategy… he brought us all that way. But we really felt like we needed to make a change to go the rest of the way.”

New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown talks wth guard Jalen Brunson (11) in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden
New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown talks wth guard Jalen Brunson (11) in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden / © Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Did the Knicks make the right call with Thibodeau and Brown? The Knicks had a better record at this point in the season last year under Thibodeau. But Brown has played the bench more often, something Dolan thinks will pay dividends in the postseason.

“Look how far we got with our group last year, and then take a look at who was playing and who wasn’t playing and then we had injuries,” the owner said. “We’re going into this season, into the second half of the season, Josh is still out and Landry is coming back soon. We’ve got depth, and if we stay healthy, we’ll go into the playoffs in much better condition than we went into the playoffs last year.”

Dolan has owned the Knicks for nearly 30 years. Most years of the first two decades of his ownership were filled with disappointment and dysfunction. Rose and Thibodeau helped change all of that.

“As an owner, you have to be patient. When I get impatient, is when we veer off the plan, reach for the shiny thing. And think we can win a championship or build a championship team in one fell swoop,” he said. “I’ve been at this now for almost 30 years, and I can tell you that it does happen once in a while, but I don’t think that’s how we’re going to win.”

Dolan was also asked if he enjoys being an owner.

“Let me tell you something about ownership. Ownership is not an achievement. If you own something – you have a beautiful car – you own it, that’s not an achievement. If you built it, OK, then when you drive it around, you can feel like you have an achievement. I always want to try and achieve something,” he said.

If the owner and his top executives were right about Thibodeau, they will all be celebrating a great achievement this June. If not, the decision to jettison Thibodeau and hire Brown will be second-guessed by a fan base desperate for a championship.

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Easy money. Watch Kevin Durant knock down game-winning 3-pointer as Rockets beat Suns.

Sunday night, Devin Booker drained a game-winning 3-pointer with under a second left on the clock to upset the Thunder.

One night later, the tables were turned — Kevin Durant drained a game-winning 3-pointer to lift the Rockets past his former team, the Suns, 100-97.

Easy money.

The Suns were down seven with five minutes to go in the game, but went on a 10-0 run that gave them the lead with 2:12 left, and a chance. The game was tied, but Booker's shot with 5.1 on the clock missed, opening the door for Durant and the Rockets.

Booker had 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter.

Durant finished with 26 points, while Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. each scored 17. The Rockets have won 5-of-6.

It wasn't all good news for the Rockets, coach Ime Udoka said Alperen Sengun suffered a sprained right ankle and will be re-evaluated in 10-14 days.

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Carr and Kohler help No. 12 Michigan State rout USC, 80-51

Coen Carr scored 18 points and Jaxon Kohler added 16 on perfect shooting to lead No. 12 Michigan State to an 80-51 blowout against Southern California on Monday night. Jeremy Fears Jr. had 15 points and seven assists for the Spartans (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten), who took control with a 27-6 run early in the game and led by at least 20 for much of the second half. Kohler made all six of his field goal attempts, including a trio of 3-pointers, and sank his only free throw.

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Knicks flattened in 121-90 blowout loss to Pistons

The Knicks got their teeth kicked in throughout a 121-90 loss to the Detroit Pistons to extend their losing streak to four games.

Here are the takeaways...

-- New York's lack of defense as of late persisted out of the gate against the top seed in the East, who entered the contest averaging 118.8 points per game, 11th-best in the league. Sure, Cade Cunningham made some shots (14 points on 6-for-9 shooting in the first half), but it wasn't just Cunningham as the rest of the Pistons got involved early and often as well, shooting 63 percent from the field and 55 percent from deep as a team in the first 24 minutes.

-- Detroit's bench, led by players like Jaden Ivey and Daniss Jenkins, scored 22 points in the first half as they were helped out by Cunningham's excellent court vision and passing ability, which gave him seven assists at halftime. By contrast, the Knicks as a team had just nine assists at the break.

-- Regardless, New York shot the ball well in the first, going 54 percent from the field and 57 percent from downtown. A lot of that production came from Jalen Brunson, who had 17 points on 8-of-13 from the floor. The point guard actually scored eight of his team's first 11 points, though the Knicks were down for the majority of that run.

Still, possessing the ball so often led to three turnovers before the break by Brunson, and he was a minus-6 on the court entering the second half.

-- Like the Pistons, though, the Knicks got some key contributions off their bench, most notably from Miles McBride, who had eight points, two rebounds and two assists in the first half while going 2-for-2 from three. The sharpshooter made three more threes in the second half to go 5-for-6 and finished with 17 points. He's been on fire from beyond the arc lately, making 46 of his last 84 three-point attempts (55 percent).

-- Going up against the best shot-blocking team in the league (6.3 blocks per game entering play), New York was blocked six times in the first half and after keeping it close in the first quarter (down 30-29), the Knicks slipped further and further behind in the second quarter and entered halftime down 64-54. 

-- New York's shooting plummeted out of the break, putting up just 15 points in the third quarter. Eight of those points came from Brunson, while the rest of the starters contributed next to nothing. Most disappointing was Karl-Anthony Towns, who needs to step up on both ends of the floor with Josh Hart still out with a sprained ankle. 

Instead, KAT finished with six points, one rebound and six turnovers. He took four shots and just two from inside the arc despite being the tallest player on the court. In fact, Detroit completely overmatched the Knicks on the glass, outrebounding them 44 to 30, even though no Piston had more than nine. Only Mitchell Robinson finished with double-digit rebounds, securing 10 boards in 25 minutes.

-- After such a disheartening third quarter by New York and no change in the fourth, head coach Mike Brown had seen enough and waved the white flag by emptying his bench with half a quarter left to play.

-- The Knicks led only once in this game, the first lead of the night after OG Anunoby made one of two free throws to give them a 1-0 lead. 13 seconds later, Duncan Robinson hit a three (and the free throw after getting fouled) and Detroit was off and running.

-- The Pistons finished with 11 blocks and 12 steals, turning over New York 20 times.

Game MVP: Cade Cunningham

Cunningham was clearly the best player on the court and finished with a double-double (game-high 29 points, 13 assists).

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks host the Los Angeles Clippers at MSG on Wednesday night with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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Tariq Francis scores 30, Rutgers beats Oregon 88-85 in overtime

Tariq Francis made 10 of 16 from the field, hit 10 of 11 from the free-throw line, and scored 30 points to help Rutgers beat Oregon 88-85 in overtime on Monday night. Darren Buchanan Jr. hit a corner 3-pointer and threw down a two-hand dunk before Francis made a jumper that capped a 7-1 spurt and gave Rutgers (8-7, 1-3 Big Ten) an 87-82 lead with 1:09 to play. Buchanan, Jamichael Davis and Lino Mark each scored 13 points for the Scarlet Knights.

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NBA Trade Rumors 2025-26: Trae Young's agents working with Hawks to find trade for point guard

Here are some of the latest trade rumors from around the league, with most of the buzz being about an All-Star point guard in Atlanta.

Trae Young

The writing was on the wall when Atlanta didn't reach a contract extension with Trae Young last summer, but his exit from the ATL looks like it will come sooner rather than later.

Young's agents — Aaron Mintz, Drew Morrison and Austin Brown — are working with the Hawks to find a trade for the four-time All-Star before the Feb. 5 deadline, a deal that works for everyone, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

Young has missed the last four games with a quad contusion and, while nothing is set in stone (it usually takes time to put a trade together), it is possible we have seen the last of Young in a Hawks uniform.

Atlanta started testing the trade waters last summer but ramped up efforts when Young was injured this season and the team went 13-9 without him. They then dropped the next four games when he returned (they are 2-8 in the games Young has played this season). The team's play while he was out showed a road map to the next evolution of this team, one without Young dominating the ball.

The challenge is that there is not much of a market for the 27-year-old former All-Star, league sources told NBC Sports. Ask yourself this: What serious playoff team would be better making a big trade for Young? Good luck finding one.

While Young an offense unto himself — a season ago, when largely healthy (he played in 76 games), he averaged 24.2 points and 11.6 assists a game — his lack of defense, size (listed as 6'2" but that feels generous), injury concerns, the fact he's not popular with other players in general, and that he has a $49 million player option for next season all combine to give teams pause. Fair or not, Young's reputation is that he's good, but not someone a franchise can build a contender around, which means teams don't want to pay him big dollars.

What team is interested?

Wizards eyeing Trae Young

The Washington Wizards might be his landing spot, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

Why would Washington do this? It's a short-term play for a franchise that is seeking some level of relevance (and, in CJ McCollum, they don't give up a player who is part of their future). Young paired with a young core of Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly and whoever they draft in June is at least interesting, should have a lot of firepower, and would give fans in Washington an entertaining product to watch. That kind of "let's prioritize making the postseason soon" thinking has long been rumored to come from Washington's ownership.

This doesn't have to be a long-term play by the Wizards, although you can be sure Young's agents are looking to get him to a team willing extend and pay him big money. We'll see if that's Washington or somewhere else.

In other trade news...

Lakers looking for two-way wing

That the Lakers are trying to reshape their roster to better fit around Luka Doncic, and that they need 3&D wings to do that, are not exactly state secrets.

Which is why the Lakers have been linked to every wing available at the trade deadline. As Marc Stein put it at The Stein Line: "The Lakers continue to scour the trade market in hopes of acquiring a two-way wing with size."

The problem is that 29 other teams are looking for players like that as well, and the supply of those players is limited. Ideally, the Lakers would like to get Herb Jones out of New Orleans (reportedly not available), Andrew Wiggins out of Miami, or even Dillon Brooks out of Phoenix (no way that last one is happening, Suns owner Matt Ishbia already shot it down).

Even if those players become available, the Lakers may not have enough to get a deal done. That means Los Angeles may end up trying to land Keon Ellis from Sacramento or Ayo Dosunmu from Chicago, good young players with potential to fill that role.

The Lakers know what they need to do, but actually doing it is not so easy.

Mavericks not liking return for Davis

If you've been a regular reader of our trade rumors updates, this is not news to you, but here is another source echoing the same idea:

The market for Anthony Davis is limited and teams are not willing to give up much — especially the picks and young players the Mavericks are seeking — in any trade. Here is what Mavericks writer Christian Clark wrote at The Athletic.

Dallas' predicament is that dealing Davis isn't likely to bring back a combination of expiring money, young talent and draft capital needed to reorient around No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. Davis' age (he turns 33 in March), injury history and desire for a lucrative contract extension this summer have teams wary about surrendering too much to get him, based on conversations The Athletic had with three different NBA executives.

Chatter about an Anthony Davis trade continues to focus on the Atlanta Hawks, which has the big salaries to match Davis' deal as well as picks that would entice the Mavs. However, if Atlanta is going to move on from Trae Young, is Davis a good fit (the Mavericks have made it clear they don't want Young)? Also, league sources told NBC Sports they doubted Atlanta would give up the kind of pick package that Dallas would seek.

For his part, Anthony Davis would like to remain in Dallas and sign an extension with the Mavericks, reports ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. Of course, Davis would also have preferred to stay in Los Angeles playing next to LeBron James, but that's not the world we live in.

Don’t expect Adebayo trade

We live in a world where what was once thought impossible now happens with impunity. Combine that with the pressures of the NBA trade deadline and wild rumors start. In that vein…

No, the Miami Heat are not going to trade Bam Adebayo.

Don't even start, because Miami isn't. It would take something extraordinary for them to even consider it, and then they still likely would say no. Don't just take my word for it, here is what Zach Lowe of The Ringer said on his podcast.

"He is the standard-bearer, he is the culture-bearer. I don't think there's one part of them that wants to do it... Other teams I know have for sure asked about Bam and have been told 'Hell no' and the wild card you also have to consider as they sniff around at Giannis and other star players, all of those star players want to play with Bam."

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Observations after Sixers fall back to earth with OT loss to Nuggets

Observations after Sixers fall back to earth with OT loss to Nuggets originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers fell back to earth Monday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

They had their three-game winning streak snapped with a 125-124 overtime loss to the Nuggets.

Joel Embiid goaltended a Bruce Brown layup with 5.3 seconds left in overtime. Tyrese Maxey missed a game-winning floater attempt just before the final buzzer. 

Embiid had 32 points and 10 rebounds. Maxey posted 28 points‚ 6 rebounds and 6 assists. 

The Nuggets were heavily shorthanded. Nikola Jokic‚ Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon were among the many players out for Denver.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said he expects Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Trendon Watford (left knee adductor strain) to be cleared to return “any day now.” The two did full-court 3-on-3 scrimmaging after the Sixers’ morning shootaround.

The 19-15 Sixers will host the Wizards on Wednesday. Here are observations on their loss to the Nuggets:

Slow start in return to Philly 

The Sixers were not sharp out of the gates in their first game back home after a five-game road trip.

With three-pointers from Jalen Pickett and Spencer Jones‚ Denver went up 11-2. The Sixers’ offense was sloppy and the team missed its first six threes.

Embiid’s size was still a serious challenge for the Nuggets without their usual top centers. The Sixers had little trouble feeding him against Denver’s zone and he scored 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the first quarter. 

A Maxey three late in the first gave the Sixers a 26-24 edge. The Maxey-Embiid pair had 19 of the Sixers’ 26 first-quarter points.

Edgecombe comes up empty in first half

Unlike Saturday in their win over the Knicks‚ the Sixers did not have a great start to the second quarter with Embiid and Maxey on the bench. 

Much of that stemmed from a steep drop-off scoring-wise for VJ Edgecombe‚ who began 0 for 5 from the floor and was scoreless until he knocked down a jumper with 6:52 left in the third quarter. Edgecombe missed a couple of driving layups through contact and was off on open three-point tries. 

On the other end‚ the Nuggets’ offense was three-point-centric. Pickett sunk four in the first half (7 in the game) on his way to a career-high 29 points. Denver continued to pose real problems for the Sixers despite its major manpower disadvantage. Quentin Grimes’ corner jumper with 0.9 seconds left in the second quarter tied the game at 58-all.

Talent not everything

Even with his scoreless first half‚ Edgecombe still contributed in a bunch of areas‚ as he typically does. The rookie ended up with 17 points‚ 9 assists and 8 rebounds.

He helped the Sixers take a lead as large as nine points late in the third quarter. Maxey also had his foot on the gas and the talent disparity between the teams grew clearer. 

However‚ talent isn’t everything.

The Sixers had a poor start to the fourth quarter with Embiid out. Grimes fouled Hunter Tyson on a four-point play that put the Nuggets up 104-100.

The Sixers’ situation looked bleak when Adem Bona fouled Brown on a corner three attempt and Brown made it 120-115 at the foul line. They weren’t out of it yet‚ though. Edgecombe canned a clutch three and Maxey hit a game-tying layup.

OT was chaotic. Ultimately‚ the Sixers  couldn’t execute quite well enough and paid for their rough start.