Curry outshines Wembanyama as Warriors edge Spurs

Stephen Curry celebrates
Stephen Curry has won four NBA Championships [Getty Images]

Stephen Curry scored 46 points as the Golden State Warriors inflicted a first home NBA defeat of the season on the San Antonio Spurs.

The two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) helped the Warriors end a six-game losing streak on the road with a 125-120 victory at Frost Bank Center in Texas.

Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle became the first Spurs players to record triple-doubles in the same game, but Curry scored 29 points in the second half as the Warriors outscored the Spurs 76-64.

"That third quarter is what we do - getting stops, pushing, creating easy offence. Thankfully I was able to knock a couple down," Curry said.

Jimmy Butler contributed 28 points and eight assists for the Warriors, while Moses Moody scored 19 points.

Thunder thrash Lakers

Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 30 points, five rebounds and nine assists as defending champions the Oklahoma City Thunder thrashed the Los Angeles Lakers 121-92.

The Thunder led by 37 points at one stage, allowing Gilgeous-Alexander and other starters to sit out the fourth quarter at Paycom Center.

Five-time All-Star pick Luka Doncic managed 19 points and seven assists for the Lakers, before being subbed when the result was all but confirmed by the final quarter.

Thunder are top of the Western Conference with a 12-1 record.

"We definitely got better the last two days and that's the main goal," said Gilgeous-Alexander.

Jokic downs Clippers

Nikola Jokic scored 55 points, including 25 in the first quarter, as the Denver Nuggets extended their winning run to six games with a 130-116 victory at the Los Angeles Clippers.

The three-time MVP also claimed 12 rebounds and six assists at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

It is the fourth time that Jokic has scored at least 50 points in a regular season game.

NBA results in full

Watch Nikola Jokic drop 55 on Clippers as Nuggets cruise to win

In a season where Nikola Jokic is arguably playing the best basketball of his career, Wednesday night was his best game of the season.

Jokic put up 25 points in the first quarter, took over in the third and finished with 55 points on the night — not to mention 12 rebounds and six assists — to help the Nuggets pull away in the second half and cruise to a 130-116 win over the Clippers on the road.

That tied Jokic with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the most points scored in a single game this season. Jokic did it while playing just 2:30 in the fourth quarter because Denver had the game in hand.

These are two teams going in opposite directions — this was the sixth straight win for the Nuggets and the sixth straight loss for the Clippers. Los Angeles learned earlier in the day that it will be without Bradley Beal for the rest of the season due to hip surgery, while Kawhi Lenord remains out with a sprained ankle.

Aaron Gordon had 18 points and Jamal Murray added 15 for the Nuggets. James Harden scored 23 points with eight rebounds and five assists to lead the Clippers, while Jordan Miller added a career-high 22 points and Ivica Zubac scored 18.

Knicks Notes: Impact of Jalen Brunson's injury; Mike Brown says there's no excuse for loss to Magic

Mike Brown thought the Knicks got their "a—es" kicked by the Magic on Wednesday. But that wasn’t the worst thing to happen to Brown’s team.  

Late Wednesday, Jalen Brunson was leaving the locker room in a protective boot and on crutches. A reporter from The Athletic saw Brunson leaving the locker room in the boot and crutches. A league source confirmed that Brunson did indeed leave The Garden on crutches with his right foot in a boot.  

Brunson rolled his ankle with 1:52 to go in the game. We don’t know the specific injury or the severity of the injury, but the Knicks left MSG knowing that Brunson had suffered a legitimate injury. 

Oftentimes, you don’t know the true severity of an injury until the player wakes up the next morning. Maybe Brunson wakes up on Thursday feeling great. But he left Wednesday’s game like a player who knew he was hurt. Shortly after Brunson turned his ankle, he intentionally fouled Jalen Suggs to stop the game. (The Knicks trailed Orlando by 15 at the time.) Rather than going back to the Knicks bench, Brunson went directly to the Knicks locker room. 

KNICKS WITHOUT BRUNSON

If Brunson is out – and it’s safe to assume that he’ll miss Friday’s game against Miami, at a minimum – what do the Knicks do?

I assume they’d go with Miles McBride at point guard. Brown has been creative with his lineups/rotations early in the season. So maybe he goes in a different direction. 

Regardless of who is in or out of the starting lineup, the Knicks have a lot to clean up ahead of their matchup with the Heat. 

TOO MUCH TALKING TO REFS

Orlando neutralized the Knicks on the boards. They were the aggressor for much of the night, shooting ten more free throws than the Knicks. Brown didn’t seem to have an issue with how the game was called. He was instead disappointed in how his team engaged with the refs. 

“In the first half, everything that happened on the court we blamed on the officials. And that was disappointing to see because we were the culprits of a lot of stuff that happened out on the floor,” Brown said. “Six of their first eight points came from the free throw line and we fouled them. I couldn’t even use a challenge because we were fouling. If one of our keys is to play physical without fouling, but our first six points, first three or four possessions that they had, start at the free throw line, then we’re not giving ourselves a chance and we’re letting them get comfortable with the way that they play.”

The Magic took 33 free throws; the Knicks had 23 attempts from the line. Brown felt the Knicks didn’t crash the offensive glass as well as they should have. Usually, if you don’t crash the offensive glass, you can get back and defend well in transition. That wasn’t the case for the Knicks on Wednesday. 

“Shot went up and everybody just watched and then jogged back,” Brown said. “…. The way we chart it, they still scored 33 fast break points against us for the game.”

Brown obviously didn’t like his team’s approach on the board. But he was more bothered by the Knicks’ reaction to the refs. 

“I personally think that it doesn’t matter how the game is being called. If we’re locked in and we’re playing like we’re capable of, we don’t need to rely not eh officials making this call or that call,” Brown said. “Our focus in that area was not where it should have been.”

Mikal Bridges agreed with Brown’s assessment. 

“Got to leave the refs alone. Even if there’s fouls or something, everybody makes mistakes,” Bridges said. “Just got to, let it go and bring energy to the other end.”

BIG MINUTES FOR LANDRY

Landry Shamet was the first sub off the bench on Wednesday. He was also on the floor to close the game. In all, Shamet played 27 minutes – the most of any Knick reserve. Josh Hart played 18 minutes.

Brown went with Mitchell Robinson in the starting lineup on Wednesday and had Miles McBride in over Bridges to close the game.

“Yeah, I was just trying to spark something defensively, offensively. Deuce hit a couple threes. I thought he was pretty good defensively. Same with Landry; I thought he was pretty good defensively; he hit a couple of shots,” Brown said. “So I was just trying to go with, find the combination that I thought could possibly get it done on both ends. Just searching.”

Brown clearly isn’t afraid to try different combinations of players as he feels things out with his team.

NO EXCUSES

Brown was asked after the game if the Knicks were tired on Wednesday because it was the second game of a back-to-back.

“Nah, we're a no-excuse team and if we're a no-excuse team, we've gotta go play the right way as best we can and not lay the blame any place else except square on us,” the coach said. “So it doesn't matter if we play three games in a row, we've gotta go figure it out, and if we can't, maybe I need to go deeper into the bench and play guys lesser minutes. Maybe that's where I can help them, but we can't sit here and say. ‘We played last night and they did this.’ No, go win the game, play the right way, leave it on the floor, and if you leave it on the floor the right way, you're not gonna win them all, then you'll take an L and move onto the next one. I just didn't think we did a great job doing what we're supposed to do to set the tone, especially at the beginning of the game.”

The coach also felt the Knicks didn’t handle the Magic’s attempts to get a bigger player matched up with a Knicks guard on their offensive possessions.

“When that happened, our smaller guys did not do their work early. What I mean by that is that they let the bigger guy walk them – or run them – all the way down to the charge line (near the basket) and then we tried to start fighting,” Brown said. “And one of our main rules is if you’re guarding a bigger guy, you’ve gotta stand him up; at least at the top of the key. We didn’t do that.”

The coach also felt the Knicks didn’t do enough to combat the mismatches when guarding Orlando’s pick-and-roll.

“We were getting cracked on the pick and roll – or the DHO (dribble hand off) because we weren’t up into the ball,” the coach said. “So our big ended up taking the ball and they ended up rolling us to the post and we didn’t do a good job recognizing it and trying to switch as they rolled a small down to the post.”

BRUNSON OFF THE BALL 

Before the game, Brown was asked if he uses Steph Curry as a model in any way for how Brunson plays off the ball.

Brown, who coached Curry as an assistant in Golden State, said that he has used Curry as a template for his own point guards.

“I always felt that if I every had a team, I don’t care what my point guard is like, I’m going to try to get him off the ball so that he’s comfortable with it during the regular season and then come playoff time, teams can’t sit on it and say, he’s dominant in the pick-and-roll so let’s keeping it out of his hands,” the coach said. “Now you got to defend him in a lot of different ways. Not only that, it’ll be hard to just get up and deny him,  bully him, because he’s not just going back to get the ball every time. If the defense wants to play you this way, go to the corner. The ball will find you if we’re moving and spacing the right way. That’s what I did with (De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento). He’s a pick-and-roll dominant guy, ball in his hands. And that’s what I’m trying to do with Jalen.”

Lakers can't keep up with Oklahoma City and are routed

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves, left, looks to shoot over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Austin Reaves looks to shoot over Oklahoma City guard Ajay Mitchell in the second half. (Nate Billings / Associated Press)

Dalton Knecht soared through the air for an emphatic two-handed dunk. Luka Doncic, who fired the full-court assist on the basket, looked at the Lakers bench and clapped twice in encouragement. But nothing was going to help the Lakers crawl out of this.

Unlike the blowout loss in Atlanta last Saturday, it appeared the Lakers were at least mentally prepared to compete against the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. The problem in the 121-92 loss was that they simply could not keep up.

Reigning most valuable player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points on 10 for 18 shooting with nine assists. The Lakers’ own MVP hopeful Doncic had 19 points, making just seven of 20 shots with seven assists and four turnovers.

“We got our ass kicked,” said guard Marcus Smart, who was held to nine points with two turnovers. “And we got to bounce back.” 

Crossing into the homestretch of their first extended road trip of the season, the Lakers (8-4) have two games remaining, playing in New Orleans and Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The five-game stretch, which started with a rout by Atlanta and a win in Charlotte, has provided mixed results. The team celebrated its connection and chemistry off the court, but is still trying to find solid footing after major offseason changes and early season injuries. 

“I don't think it's been a great road trip for us, just in terms of how we played,” coach JJ Redick said. “Second half against Charlotte, I liked everything that I saw. But the Atlanta game [and] tonight, I don't think are reflective of who the group is going to be, but it clearly is who the group is right now."

Read more:How one aspect of Rui Hachimura's game reminds JJ Redick of Michael Jordan

The group could change again soon after LeBron James practiced with the G League South Bay Lakers on Wednesday. The 40-year-old working his way back from right sciatica participated in five-on-five in the halfcourt. Redick estimated that James got from 12 to 15 possessions of live contact during the workout.

“I think it was also an incredible opportunity for Zach [Guthrie, South Bay Lakers head coach] and his staff and all the guys that are with South Bay right now to have that experience,” Redick said before the game. “But the reports are that he looked good and was moving well.”

When Austin Reaves heard James would be assigned to South Bay, the guard joked the NBA’s all-time leading scorer should play in a game with the G League team.

Next week, when the Lakers have just one game against the Utah Jazz at home on Tuesday, could provide a window of opportunity for James to return at least to the practice court. But when asked if James would practice with the Lakers on Monday when the team returned to L.A., Redick deflected.

“That’s four days away,” Redick said. “So I have no idea on that.”

Read more:How the Lakers use Japanese slideshow presentations to build chemistry

Even shorthanded themselves and playing their second game in as many nights, the Thunder (12-1) showed the desperation and intensity fitting of a champion. 

Without top defender Luguentz Dort (right upper trap strain) and All-NBA guard Jalen Williams (right wrist), Oklahoma City still held the Lakers to just 37.5% from the field through three quarters while extending the lead to 36 points. The Lakers entered the game with the NBA’s highest shooting percentage at 51.2%.

The Thunder held the Lakers without a made field goal for almost eight minutes to start the second quarter. The lead ballooned to 32 as Oklahoma City doubled up the Lakers 64-32 with a three-pointer from Isaiah Joe with 2:10 remaining in the first half. The Lakers scored just 38 points in the first half.

“They're champions for a reason,” Doncic said. “So they showed that today."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Jalen Brunson turns right ankle in Knicks loss to Magic, leaves MSG in walking boot

Jalen Brunson appeared to sustain a right ankle injury in Wednesday night's loss to the Orlando Magic and was later seen leaving Madison Square Garden in a walking boot.

Brunson, who turned his right ankle driving the lane late in the fourth quarter, was seen by SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley leaving the arena with a boot and using crutches.

After the 124-107 loss to Orlando, head coach MikeBrown said that the guard "turned his right ankle, but that's all I know."

Brunson, who led the Knicks with 31 points on 10-for-23 shooting, sustained the injury when he stepped on Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr.'s foot as he was driving the lane with 1:54 to play in the game.

He hobbled to the free-throw line and made one of two attempts, but then gingerly walked up to an Orlando player for an intentional foul to get himself out of the game. Brunson then immediately turned and walked to the Knicks locker room, having fouled out moments after Brown emptied the bench.

There was no further word on the possible severity of the injury.

Houston routs Oakland 78-45 behind Flemings and Sharp

Kingston Flemings had 19 points and nine assists, Emanuel Sharp scored 19 points and top-ranked Houston routed Oakland 78-45 on Wednesday night. Flemings was 8 of 12 from the floor, and Sharp shot 7 of 13, including 5 of 9 on 3-pointers, for Houston (3-0). The Cougars shot 45% and were 9 of 31 on 3-pointers.

Magic overcome Paolo Banchero injury, hand Knicks their first home loss of the season, 124-107

This early in the NBA season, matchups can often be misleading on paper. Coming into Wednesday night, the New York Knicks were 7-3 on the season and 7-0 at home in Madison Square Garden. Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic were sitting at a disappointing 5-6 after being a playoff team for the last two seasons. Yet, that didn’t stop the Magic from coming into the Garden and controlling the game from start to finish, leading 62-42 at the half and withstanding a Knicks run to begin the fourth quarter that invigorated the crowd before ultimately pulling out a 124-107 victory.

“Obviously, them being undefeated at home is great for them,” said Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley before the game. “Our ability just to focus on what we need to do, to come out and just get the win. Not necessarily where it is, but just how we can come together and get that done.”

The Magic certainly got it done on Wednesday. At the center of their success was Franz Wagner. The 24-year-old, who was sporting a mask as he played through a broken nose, was all over the court from the tip, leading the Magic with 28 points on 10-22 from the field, while adding nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block. Five additional Magic players scored in double figures, including 17 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals off the bench for Anthony Black, who was thrust into a larger role on offense after Paolo Banchero had to leave the game after just 12 minutes with a groin injury.

On the other side, Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points on 10-23 from the field, while chipping in six assists and three rebounds before fouling out and limping off the court and into the locker room with just two minutes left in the game. Karl Anthony Towns also posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not a strong offensive night for the Knicks, who failed to get into any kind of rhythm against an aggressive Magic defense.

While some may be surprised by the emphatic nature of the Magic victory, their performance wouldn’t have caught Knicks’ head coach Mike Brown totally off guard. Perhaps the nature of it would have, but Brown knew before the game even started that the Magic’s early-season record was not indicative of their true talent.

“They're a lot better than what their record says,” he stated almost two hours before tip-off. “They're a big team. They're athletic, they're long, well-coached. Jahmal Mosley has done a fantastic job down there. I think their starting five might be top five in net rating in the NBA, so they can hurt you in a lot of different ways.”

That certainly proved to be true on Wednesday night.

"It's not a statement," said Coach Mosley after the game. "It's our process...We've got to continue to focus on our process, and it starts with the defensive end of the floor."

The Passing That Had Fueled the Knicks’ Offensive Success Vanished vs the Magic

The Knicks had been experiencing a bit of an offensive renaissance under Mike Brown. The new head coach had stressed pace and ball movement on offense, which had led to the Knicks being third in the NBA in offensive rating and sixth in points per game.

A big part of that was how often and effectively the Knicks were moving the ball. Coming into Wednesday's game, the Knicks were making 310.9 passes per game, good for 5th in the NBA. That had led to 28 assists per game (8th-best in the league) and also 75.8 assist-created points (6th in the league). That's a huge improvement from last year, where they made 281.2 passes per game (18th in the league) for 27.5 assists per game (11th) and 68.2 assists created points (15th).

Those passing opportunities were created by the Knicks aggressively attacking the paint and then looking for kickouts.

They had ranked 3rd in the NBA in pass rate off of paint touches at 34.5% and were 5th in the NBA in assist rate on paint touches at 6.6%. Last year, they were 22nd in the NBA in pass rate on paint touches at 26%, but were 4th in the league in assist rate on paint touches (6.3%) so it was a skill they always possessed but weren't using as much as they were capable.

Mike Brown stressed the need to unlock that.

“Are we touching the paint?" he said when asked about the keys to the Knicks' success. "That doesn't just mean on a dribble drive. Are we touching the paint the right way? Are the cuts timely? Not only are we cutting or driving the ball and touching the paint, but are we re-spacing after those cuts in the right timeframe? If we're doing that offensively while sharing the basketball, I'm feeling pretty good.”

However, few of those positive steps in development seemed to show up on Wednesday, and it was evident right from the start. The Knicks had two assists versus eight turnovers at the 9:37 mark of the second quarter. They would finish the half with nine turnovers to just five assists and finish the game with 14 turnovers and 20 assists, a far cry from their 28 a game.

It's most likely just an off night for a tired team, but it also serves as a reminder that this Knicks team is still only 11 games into Mike Brown's tenure, and learning a scheme is not a linear process. There will be setbacks and games where the new habits fail them. Tonight was one of those nights. The key is not to let it bleed into the next game on Friday against the Heat.

The Magic’s Defense is Beginning to Find Its Footing

Some of the Knicks’ struggles on offense could be attributed to them playing the second game of a back-to-back, but the Orlando Magic also need to be credited for playing the type of defense that was a big part of their success in 2024-25.

On Wednesday, the Magic had 10 steals and forced the Knicks into 14 turnovers. That type of performance hasn’t been the norm for Orlando this season. Coming into tonight, the Magic were 15th in the NBA in defensive rating, but they had been 2nd at the end of last season.

Part of that is due to Orlando being less active and effective in the passing lanes. This year, they’re 23rd in the NBA in steals with 7.8 per game, but they were 6th in the league last year with 8.9 steals per game. Last year, the Magic were also 6th in the league in deflections with 17.7 per game. This year, they’re 24th at 15.9 per game.

According to Coach Mosley, some of that was just due to preparation and execution: “We gotta do a better job of knowing personnel and then being able to keep them out of the lane, but also being able to get out to shooters at the same time.”

They certainly did that against the Knicks, holding New York to 11-36 from beyond the arc, good for 30.6%. The Knicks came into tonight tied with the Cavaliers for first in the NBA with 17 made three-pointers per night, and also ranked 6th in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage at 38.5%.

"This is a team that is averaging close to 130 a game," said Coach Mosley after the game. "The way our guys defended. We took that as the first priority. That's who we are, a defensive team that can get out and run and create opportunities because of our defense and just being physical without fouling."

The Magic executed last year’s defensive strategy of bringing a physical mentality to the defensive side of the ball. A few early fouls set the tone for a tough game with plenty of contact, and the referees wound up swallowing their whistles on some calls they may have otherwise made.

“I think we've got to be smart about [fouling],” said Coach Mosley before the game. “The difference in being physical before that ball breaks the three-point line. If we can be as physical there, out on the perimeter, versus when that ball gets in the lane - the swipe downs, the and-ones, the cheap fouls, if you want to say - we’ve got to be smarter there. I think that's a big portion of how we can continue to improve.”

Shooting Continues to be a Weakness for the Magic

The Knicks had been trending in the right direction defensively, but one area where opponents seemingly always have an advantage is from behind the three-point line. Coming into tonight's game, the Knicks are allowing opponents to shoot 37% shooting from three, which was the 2nd-worst mark in the league. That's exacerbated by the fact that they also allow the 2nd-highest three-point frequency in the league. To put it plainly, opponents shoot and make tons of three against the Knicks.

The Magic were obviously well aware of that since they launched 33 shots from beyond the arc on Wednesday. They came into the night 28th in the NBA with just 31.4 three-point attempts per game.

Of course, their infrequent shooting from three is partially by design.

The Magic have a physical team that loves to attack the basket. They came into the night 5th in the NBA in field goals made on drives with 11.5 per game. They were also 8th in the NBA in drives per game at 52.3 and 10th in the NBA in the percentage of points that come on drives at 61.7%. In fact, 72.7% of all Orlando's points come in the paint, which is 7th in the NBA.

A lot of that is a consequence of maximizing the skillset of the players on their roster, but another component of it is that the Magic are simply not a good shooting team.

Heading into their game against the Knicks, the Magic were 20th in the league in effective field goal rate. They were hitting just 33.3% of their three-point shots, which was 25th in the NBA. They take just 22.1 catch-and-shoot threes per game, which puts them 28th in the league, and they make 34.2% of those shots, which is 23rd in the league. In fact, if you include shots from inside the arc, the Magic shoot just 36.2% on all catch-and-shoot opportunities, which is 21st in the NBA.

That was a big reason why the Magic went out and traded for Desmond Bane this offseason. The 27-year-old is a career 40.7% shooter from beyond the arc and a 47.1% shooter overall. He was meant to provide the floor spacing and knockdown shooting that the Magic so desperately needed. Yet, so far this season, he is shooting just 27.7% from three and putting up just 4.3 three-point shots per game, well below his career mark of 6.3

Some of those struggles could simply be that Bane is adjusting to his new teammates, but it also seems like Orlando's offensive scheme is not one that leads to many three-point opportunities. On the season, the Magic are 26th in the NBA in percentage of threes that are deemed open (when the defender is within 4-6 feet). They attempt only 11.1 open threes a game, which is also 26th in raw amount too.

So the Magic aren't getting many open threes, and they're not knocking down many of the threes that they are getting. That sounds an awful lot like the offense we had seen from them in recent years, but this year was meant to be different. Perhaps it still can be.

Sluggish Knicks can't survive ugly start, fall to Magic 124-107 to end home win streak

The Knicks, playing on the second night of a home back-to-back, looked like a team playing on a quick turnaround as they struggled out of the gate and had a horrendous second quarter that put them in a hole they couldn’t climb out of in a 124-107 loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points on 10-for-23 shooting, but left the game hobbling after turning his ankle while being fouled with two minutes to play. He was a minus-20 in 37 minutes, adding three rebounds, six assists, three turnovers, and six fouls. Karl-Anthony Towns really struggled for offense, as did the rest of the team. He had just 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting with 12 rebounds, four assists, and was a minus-2 in 35 minutes. The three other starters for he home team – OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and MitchellRobinson – combined for 16 points on 6-for-15 shooting. 

The loss snapped New York's five-game winning streak and seven-game home win streak to start the campaign.

The Magic, who lost All-Star Paolo Banchero after the first quarter, got 28 points from Franz Wagner (10-for-22 from the floor) with nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals for a plus-21 in 37 minutes. And 22 points from Desmond Bane (7-for-15) with eight assists and six rebounds and was a plus-13 in 34 minutes. Anthony Black, coming off the bench, helped withstand a little fourth-quarter surge by the Knicks, scoring 17 on 7-for-11 shooting in 24 minutes.

Here are the takeaways...

- Brunson was the Knicks’ offense in the game’s early goings with all four points, but he also had a turnover and a shot blocked that led to Orlando runouts for a Magic lead and an early Mike Brown timeout at the 9:44 mark in the first.

And transition defense was something Brown didn’t like from the Knicks’ second-half performance the night before against the Grizzlies: “We watched [the film], we talked about it, we didn’t do a good job of following our rules. And then we got a little lazy on the things we do in the half-court, too, defensively,” the head coach said pregame. The poor second half the night before had clearly carried over.

A Brunson three gave him 11 in the first, but New York sputtered thanks to six turnovers, including three from Josh Hart off the bench and two from Anunoby. However, Orlando, despite getting plenty of open looks from behind the arc early, but entered as just about the least proficient outside shooting team in the league, and missed seven of 10 in the opening quarter, and New York was down 30-23 after 12 minutes. The Magic were 10-for-24 (41.7 percent) from the floor, besting the Knicks' 7-for-19 (36.8 percent).

Brunson led the Knicks with 16 points, but was 4-for-10 shooting and was a minus-17 in 19 first-half minutes.

- Towns, who entered the night shooting 43.2 percent from the floor (a career low) and 33.3 percent from three (also a career low), got very frustrated with the referees early in the second after he thought he was fouled on a shot attempt and didn't get the call. In a rough first half he had six points on 3-for-7 from the floor (missing two three-point attempts) with seven rebounds, an assist, a steal, a turnover, and two fouls, one of which came out of his frustration over the no-call, and was a minus-16.

In the fourth, Towns finally hit double-digits and put in five quick ones to force a Magic timeout, cutting the lead to 12 with just under 10 to play. And he made it 11 straight games to start the season with 10+ rebounds, but the lead was still 11 with 6:28 to play when he picked up his fifth personal with two fouls in under 15 seconds, the first on a silly reach-in 30 feet from the basket and a loose ball foul fighting for a defensive rebound.

Brunson cut the lead to nine, but after Jalen Suggs drained a deep three and the Knicks guard grabbed his fifth foul on Wagner, who knocked down a pair at the line, with 5:21 to go. But he stayed in the game and hit two shots, but both were answered by Black, scoring five of his nine fourth-quarterpoints to force a timeout with the lead back at 15 at the 4:23 mark.

Brunson drew a pair of offensive fouls, sticking his nose in there, but after Bane knocked down a spot-up three to make it 16 with two to play, Brown emptied the bench as Brunson appeared to roll his ankle in his final act of the night.

- The second quarter was ugly at the start with the home side connecting on just 3 of their first nine (1-for-5 from deep), and an 11-2 Magic run pushed it to a 13-point deficit. A Hart old-fashioned three-point play put a stop to the bleeding, but his next attempt missed, and that sandwiched two more Orlando buckets, and it was 46-31 to the visitors. The Magic lead topped out at 21 before the game hit the half with Orlando ahead 62-42.

The Knicks scored just 19 points in the second, shooting 6-for-20 (30 percent) from the floor in the quarter (1-for-10 from three). And the 42 points and six assists in the first 24 minutes were both season lows for a first half.

- Robinson opened the third quarter by flushing an alley-oop from Brunson (his first bucket), and that began a 9-2 run, but the Knicks’ big man picked up two quick ones to give him four in the game. And he would hit the bench, a tough one to see sit as he had eight boards (five offensive) to that point.

Anunoby knocked down his first field goal of the game (a three at the 7:26 mark of the third), and the Knicks had clearly picked up the intensity on both ends, knocking down 10 of their first 15 and forcing a few turnovers, but five quick points by the Magic pushed their lead back to 16 with four minutes left in the period. And after all that good workgetting the lead down to 11, the Knicks missed their next seven field goal attempts, and the deficit was 18 at the end of the third.

Robinson finished with two points, eight rebounds, and four fouls and was a minus-11 in 17 minutes. Anunoby finished with eight points (2-for-4 shooting) with four rebounds, two blocks, an assist, a steal, and was a plus-1 in 34 minutes. Bridges had a very quiet six points (3-for-9 shooting) with two rebounds, two assists, two steals, and was a minus-19 in 28 minutes.

- Off the bench, Landry Shamet was the first man in for Robinson, who didn’t play Tuesday, just four minutes into the game and knocked down his first attempt (a corner three) a few moments later. He finished with 11 points and was a minus-3 in 27 minutes. 

Guerschon Yabusele knocked down a much-needed three in his first moments on the court to start the second as the Knicks' bench was looking to provide some kind of spark amid a rather listless first half. But didn’t spark anything as the bench had just 14 points in the first half (4-for-15 from the floor and 3-for-12 from deep) with five turnovers and four fouls. He finished with six points and was a minus-4 in just 5 minutes, seeing action again only in garbage time.

Miles McBride had nine points (3-for-8) and was a minus-9 in 21 minutes. Hart finished with 10 points (4-for-10), three rebounds, two assists, and was a minus-16 in 18 minutes.

Game MVP: Franz Wagner

The fifth-year player was the clear bright spot for an Orlando team that appears to have some pieces, but not a complete squad. He stood in stark contrast to a Knicks team that has shown they are a complete squad, but had no pieces on Wednesday night.

What's next

The Knicks conclude the seven-game homestand on Friday night when the Miami Heat come to town. Tip is set for 7:00 p.m.

Impassioned Doug Christie sends stern warning to Kings stars as skid continues

Impassioned Doug Christie sends stern warning to Kings stars as skid continues originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – In a 30-hour span, Doug Christie has spoken to the media with more fire and passion than the Kings have played with all season.

One night after calling out haters and critics during his pregame media availability before Tuesday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Christie approached the podium Wednesday after another blowout loss, his team’s fourth in a row.

Before a reporter could even get a question off, the coach muttered three words as he took a seat.

“Shameful compete level,” he said after Sacramento’s 133-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

A ticked-off and emotional Christie went on to address the media in a fiery 13-minute dialogue that included a couple of F-bombs and the word “unacceptable” a handful of times.

“I’ve taken butt whoopings, that’s part of the game,” Christie said. “But you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to come back. You are not going to represent the Sacramento Kings — it just ain’t happening, man. Put on a jersey – represent it properly. 

“These people need to come into the turnstiles, and they need to be proud when they leave here about the product that they see, not f–king embarrassed. It’s unacceptable. Period.”

The Kings got off to a sluggish start, scoring just 10 points in nearly the first seven minutes of the game. But a couple of substitutions and a spark off the bench helped Sacramento pull within three to close out the quarter.

Then Sacramento turned the ball over eight times in the second frame and scored just 12 points in the entire quarter. Twelve points.

The Kings shot 4 of 22 (18.2 percent) from the field and 2 of 14 (14.2 percent) from 3-point range in the second quarter.

Atlanta outscored Sacramento 39-22 in the third quarter, and Christie had had enough at that point. He benched his veteran starters and thrust Precious Achiuwa, who joined the team last week, Daeqwon Plowden, who played his first game of the season and first with Sacramento, and rookies Maxime Raynaud and Nique Clifford onto the floor. They replaced DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis, Dennis Schroder and Russell Westbrook. Keon Ellis, who already was on the floor, remained in the game.

Christie admitted postgame that the substitution was intended to send a message to the team – particularly its leaders.

“I was embarrassed,” Christie said. “I wish I could have put on the Jersey at 55 [years old], I would have showed you better than that. At least I’m going to use all six fouls. I can’t move, but I’m going to foul the s–t out of somebody.”

DeRozan finished with four points in 19 minutes. It was just the third time he’s scored four points or less since joining the Kings during the 2024 offseason.

Schroder appeared to have been on the right track toward snapping out of a shooting slump, but finished with just nine points. Sabonis had 12 points and four turnovers. Westbrook and Achiuwa each had 10.

Two Hawks bench players outscored every Kings starter on Wednesday.

The leading scorer for Sacramento? Keon Ellis, who during this homestand, has been in and out of Christie’s rotation and experienced back-to-back games where he didn’t see the floor until the fourth quarter.

Ellis finished with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and 6 of 11 from downtown, with six rebounds, three assists and one steal in 30 minutes off the bench.

Sacramento’s bench outscored Sacramento’s starters 55-45.

Christie kept it straightforward when he was asked if the bench’s production could lead him to shake up some things with his lineups moving forward.

“You got to,” he said. “Those guys [the starters] are minus-31, minus-38, minus-34, minus-20. I mean, you got to.”

Sacramento’s locker room is filled with established veterans, multi-All-NBA and All-Star players and likely future Hall of Famers.

They’ve each experienced their fair share of ebbs and flows that come throughout an NBA season, and one would think, should know how to respond when adversity hits like it has for Sacramento.

Christie hopes — and encourages — his leaders will be leaders.

“I would like them to lead,” Christie said. “You said veterans, so they need to lead, because we got young players in there watching this, and I’m going to text every one of them young players [saying] that’s not acceptable. Do not even think about even trying to equate that that is OK. Do not do it. I will not let you do that, because that s–t, it ain’t cool, no. So they need to lead.

“What do you want for your team? What do you want for this city? If you want something more than what that was — because that was trash — then lead them. Talk to them. Demonstrate for them. Go out there and show them. … Play the game. The game is to be respected. There’s a way to play this game and that ain’t it.”

While Christie didn’t seem to take a breath during his press conference, there was one lengthy pause that was noteworthy.

Christie, a former Kings player and now lead coach for the organization he loves and admires with every fiber in his being, was asked how he gets his players to care as much as he does.

A 44-second pause ensued. Silence.

Alas, a well-thought-out response.

“You know this one has passed me. This is about you. I know what I feel. I know what time I get up. I know what time I put into this. I know how serious I am about my job. I know what I want for them. And I even take it a step further and say, I know what the organization wants. But you got to want that as an individual — individually — when you look in the mirror. Then after that, you go collective. And right now, that’s where we run into the problem is the individual and the collective. Individually, you got to bring it, and then collectively, you got to love on each other. You got to love your brother enough to help him, to talk, to be there, to have extra efforts.

“I’m here to tell you it’s hard. Defense is not for the faint of heart. That’s why everybody don’t do it. But if it’s the last thing that I do, we will put a product out there that they’re like, ‘Damn. He did that. They doing that.’ It just is how it’s going to be. We’re not going to accept none of this. I don’t want our fans to accept. Nah, don’t. You don’t have to. It’s people that actually will do things the right way. [They] might not be as talented, but guess what? That’s when the hockey shift came in. We got some young kids, but you know what they’re going to try to do? They’re going to try to compete. Now, Max is not as talented as [Kristaps] Porzingis yet, and he got into trouble. And Nique gets back cut and OK, but it ain’t from a lack of effort. It ain’t from a lack of want.”

While Kings players have said, at least publicly, that Christie’s stern messaging has resonated well with them thus far, Christie isn’t so convinced by his players’ words.

“They’re saying they want to compete. One thing that I know is you could talk about it all you want, but we not going to be verbally competing,” Christie said. “This ain’t a debate show. This is physical. This is basketball. So you can tell me all day, and you can tell yourself all day, and you can tell your teammates all day, but one thing that I do know is the ball is thrown up, that’s when you need to step up and show that. Period. Every night, 48 minutes, 24 f–king seconds at a time.”

If words won basketball games, Christie’s Kings might be the top seed in the West right now.

But as the coach passionately explained, words don’t get you anywhere.

And now it’s on his team to respond with action.

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Mavericks' governor Patrick Dumont wants medical data before approving return of Anthony Davis

Only good things happen when owners take a hands-on approach to roster decisions. Just ask Knicks and Kings fans.

Anthony Davis will miss his seventh straight game Wednesday night when Dallas hosts Phoenix, and his return date is up in the air as Dallas Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont has requested medical information that Davis is not at risk of aggravating the calf strain that has had him out, reports Tim MacMahon at ESPN.

[Davis] originally targeted his return for Saturday's road game against the Washington Wizards, but there was a disagreement between Mavs director of health and performance Johann Bilsborough and Davis' personal medical staff on whether that was prudent, sources said. Davis was held out after Dumont sided with Bilsborough, preferring to err on the side of caution, sources said.

One can understand Dumont's caution here. Players are often the worst judges of how fast they can return (especially from soft tissue injuries) — they are in the NBA in part because they believe they can overcome anything. While Davis has a personal medical staff, he pays them. The team is likely to be more cautious with players it has invested tens of millions of dollars in.

As noted by MacMahon, Dumont's decision against Washington likely was in part tied to his growing lack of trust in now-fired general manager Nico Harrison. Also in Dumont's mind is the fact that last season, when the Mavericks acquired Davis in the Luka Doncic trade, he was sidelined with an abdominal injury. Davis rushed back from that injury in the wake of all the criticism of the trade, only to aggravate it in his first game back, which kept him out for another six weeks.

That said, the idea of an owner becoming more hands-on in basketball decisions or medical decisions is concerning. Dumont needs to do a serious search, eventually hire a new GM with a long-term plan, then get out of his way.