Category: Basketball

Kings' Dennis Schröder suspended by NBA for attempting to strike opposing player originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Kings will be without Dennis Schröder for at least their next three contests, after the veteran point guard was suspended without pay for three games by the NBA for confronting and attempting to strike an opposing player on Dec. 28, the league announced Saturday.

The incident occurred following Sacramento’s 125-101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, when Schröder sought the opposing player in a hallway to initiate the confrontation 40 minutes after the game’s conclusion.

Schröder will begin serving his three-game suspension on Sunday when the Kings host the Houston Rockets at Golden 1 Center.

NBA insider Chris Haynes reported, citing sources, that Lakers superstar Luka Dončić is the player Schröder initiated the confrontation with.

The 13-year NBA veteran is averaging 13 points, 5.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game across 31 contests for Sacramento this season.

Schröder has scored in double figures in 11 consecutive contests, and his suspension leaves a scoring void in the Kings’ already depleted lineup that is missing All-NBA big man Domantas Sabonis as Sacramento attempts to turn around what has been a rough start to the 2025-26 season.

For now, they will have to find a way to do so without Schröder, who isn’t eligible to return until the Kings host the Washington Wizards on Jan. 16.

In addition to Sacramento’s matchup with Houston on Sunday, Schröder also will miss games against the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, both being played at Golden 1 Center in the midst of a six-game home stand for the Kings.

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Kings' Dennis Schröder suspended by NBA for attempting to strike opposing player originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Kings will be without Dennis Schröder for at least their next three contests, after the veteran point guard was suspended without pay for three games by the NBA for confronting and attempting to strike an opposing player on Dec. 28, the league announced Saturday.

The incident occurred following Sacramento’s 125-101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.Com Arena, when Schröder sought the opposing player in a hallway to initiate the confrontation 40 minutes after the game’s conclusion.

Schröder will begin serving his three-game suspension on Sunday when the Kings host the Houston Rockets at Golden 1 Center.

NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that Lakers superstar Luka Dončić is the player Schröder initiated the confrontation with, citing sources.

The 13-year NBA veteran is averaging 13 points, 5.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game across 31 contests for Sacramento this season.

Schröder has scored in double figures in 11 consecutive contests, leaving a scoring void in the Kings’ already depleted lineup that is missing All-NBA big man Domantas Sabonis as Sacramento attempts to turn around what has been a rough start to the 2025-26 season.

For now, they’ll have to find a way to do so without Schröder, who isn’t eligible to return until the Kings host the Washington Wizards on Jan. 16.

On top of Sacramento’s matchup with Houston on Sunday, Schröder also will miss games against the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, both being played at Golden 1 Center in the midst of a six-game homestand for the Kings.

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Steph Curry, Gary Payton II share love for Draymond Green's 3-point ‘booms' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry is who most NBA fans think of when imagining a Warriors player making a 3-point shot.

But a classic Draymond Green splash never gets old.

Curry and Golden State teammate Gary Payton II hilariously shared their love for hearing Green yell his signature “boom” after his trio of triples in the Warriors’ blowout 137-103 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at Chase Center.

“I tell him all the time, ‘You get that shot, we live with it. You take it. We got confidence in it. Get your feet set. And all I want to hear you say is ‘Boom’ at the end of it,’” Curry told reporters, having assisted on all three of Green’s 3-pointers,” because it gets everybody going when he’s knocking down those shots and making defenses pay for how they’re guarding us.

“You know, three points, sometimes they’re not all created equal. Those are big shots.”

Most of the Warriors’ opponents consider Green an afterthought when it comes to perimeter shooting; it isn’t the worst tactic, as Green has made just 32.1 percent of triples over his illustrious 14-year NBA career.

However, Green has made 790 shots behind the arc, and every one of them has helped coach Steve Kerr’s offense keep defenses honest.

Plus, hearing Green yell “boom” always makes for some fun.

Green finished with 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting from deep against the Kings. While Golden State cruised to victory, Payton enjoyed seeing his teammate space the floor and create even more offense for the Warriors.

“Boom — that’s it,” Payton told reporters when asked about the impact of Green’s 3-point shooting. “[Defenses are] going to have to start inching out to him sooner or later. But if they’re not, you’re going to start hearing a lot of booms.”

Curry is the greatest sharpshooter in the history of basketball. But he might have emerging competition, as Green has made 13 of his 33 triples, or 39.4 percent, over his last seven games.

Boom.

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Kevin Durant moved past the great Wilt Chamberlain on the NBA all-time scoring list but his 30 points could not guide the Houston Rockets to a win against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Durant, 37, has 31,435 points in his career and is now seventh on the all-time list. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers leads the way with 42,601.

The Trail Blazers triumphed 111-105 at Moda Center in Portland.

Chamberlain, who died in 1999, is the only player to score 100 points in an NBA game and was a two-time champion with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Lakers.

In 1962 he averaged a record 50.4 points a game, and was the leading NBA scorer when he retired in 1973.

"You see the numbers. You just can't comprehend somebody putting up 50 a game with 25 rebounds," Durant said before Friday's game.

"You want to compete with that and try to match that as much as you can.

"It's amazing just being in the top 10 with him, but to have the opportunity to pass him up, it's pretty sweet."

Giannis Antetokounmpo blocked a shot by James and stole the ball from him on consecutive possessions in the final minute as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Lakers 105-101 in LA to claim a fifth win in seven games.

Stephen Curry finished with 27 points and a season-high 10 assists as the Golden State Warriors triumphed 137-103 at home against the Sacramento Kings.

The Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a 21-point deficit in the second half to win 117-116 at the Memphis Grizzlies.

Top 10 NBA points scorers

1. LeBron James* - 42,601
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 38,387
3. Karl Malone - 36,928
4. Kobe Bryant - 33,643
5. Michael Jordan - 32,292
6. Dirk Nowitzki - 31,560
7. Kevin Durant* - 31,435
8. Wilt Chamberlain - 31,419
9. Shaquille O'Neal - 28,596
10. James Harden* - 28, 563

*Current player

The Lakers have two of the best clutch players in the NBA in LeBron James and Luka Doncic. They have been the best clutch team in the NBA this season because of them and because they have led the way for the Lakers. They have won an NBA-best 13 games in the clutch this season.

But when the game hung in the balance Friday night, when the Lakers needed James and Doncic to be clutch, neither was able to deliver, their inability to do so a direct result in L.A. dropping a 105-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Crypto.com Arena.

For as much as James did in keeping the Lakers in the game by scoring 13 of his 26 points in the final quarter and by nearly collecting a triple-double with 10 assists and nine rebounds, it was his last-second turnover that doomed them.

For as much as Doncic did in producing a near triple-double with 24 points, nine assists and nine rebounds, his poor shooting and foul trouble was not helpful in the end.

“I’d love to go undefeated in clutch games for a season, but you know, you can’t get too high, can’t get too low on stats like that,” James said. “You just play the game. And they made some plays. Big three by [Myles] Turner by our bench; obviously the free throws down the stretch by KP [Kevin Porter Jr.]. So, we had our chances.”

The score was tied at 101-101 after Jake LaRavia (13 points) drilled a three-pointer off a pass from Doncic.

The Lakers never scored again. James missed a driving layup for the lead that was blocked by Giannis Antetokounmpo. Then Doncic fouled Porter on a three-pointer with 16.2 seconds left. It was Doncic’s sixth foul.

“I think we missed a couple of good shots down the stretch. Then I fouled (out). I had six fouls. First time in a long time,” Doncic said. “So, that’s on me. I can’t foul at that point.”

Porter made two of the three free throws for a 103-101 Bucks lead.

Doncic was asked about the foul.

“Yeah, I don’t think he shoots like that,” Doncic said of Porter's three-pointer. “The referee said it was a foul. So, I guess it’s a foul.”

Still, the Lakers were down only two points and they still had James on the court.

Read more:Luka Doncic has a triple-double, but LeBron-less Lakers lose to Spurs

But on his drive to the basket, James lost control of the ball for a turnover with 1.5 seconds left.

“For me? … I turned the ball over. You definitely can’t do that at that point and time,” James said. “So, Giannis, he made a great play by getting his arm and tipping it from behind, but can’t turn the ball over — obviously.”

Doncic lamented his shooting during the game.

He made his first two three-pointers to start the game, but it was all downhill from there. He was eight-for-25 shooting the field and had a rating of minus-14.

“Obviously my shot didn’t go well today,” Doncic said. “You know, could get better shots. So, wish I could have executed better than that.”

The Lakers played their fourth game this week, at times looking sluggish because of the workload.

It was the kind of night that saw Doncic pick up his fifth foul with 2.1 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Lakers trailed by as much as 12 in the second quarter, looking a bit slow.

So much — if not all — of the Lakers’ game plan was on trying to deal with the nearly unstoppable force that is Antetokounmpo.

And much of that job went to Lakers center Deandre Ayton, whom the LA felt was best equipped to handle the assignment because of his size (7-foot), length and strength.

But it also was going to take the Lakers as a group to slow down Antetokounmpo, who finished with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Jarred Vanderbilt gave the Lakers a big effort with nine points and nine rebounds off the bench, and his usual tough defense.

Hachimura update

Lakers forward Rui Hachimura missed his sixth consecutive game because of right calf soreness. Hachimura has been working out and there is some hope that he can play Monday night in Sacramento.

“He's made a lot of progress just in terms of regaining strength and mobility in his calf and had a good workout today,” coach JJ Redick said. “There's a lot of optimism that he'll be available Monday, but we'll see how the next few days go.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Knicks went down to the wire with the Phoenix Suns on Friday night but lost, 112-107.

Here are the takeaways...

-- Back in the starting lineup for the second straight game, Miles McBride got things started for New York with a three-pointer to kick things off and then got the assist on Jalen Brunson's first bucket of the night, another three-ball that gave the Knicks a 6-2 lead. Dillon Brooks responded right away with one from way downtown, though, which started a 10-0 run by the Suns that gave them a six-point edge. Brooks hit two more threes in the quarter and led all scorers with 11 points after 12 minutes.

-- Besides McBride and Brunson, New York didn't get much help offensively with OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Mitchell Robinson only combining for six points in the first quarter as the Knicks were outscored 28-23 entering the second.

-- The offense opened up for New York in the second quarter with help from the bench, especially Jordan Clarkson, who scored seven straight points early in the quarter to tie the game at 32. He had 12 in the quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns scored his first points of the game with a triple midway through the second quarter that gave the Knicks their first lead since early in the first. 

-- After that, both teams traded baskets with neither team able to get out to more than a three-point lead. In fact, during the first half, there were nine ties and 11 lead changes, with most of that coming during the final six minutes of the second quarter. At the break, the Suns were up 62-60.

-- Following a quiet half, Towns took it up a notch out of the break. After making one of two free throws out of the gates, KAT drained a deep three to counter a similarly long three-pointer from Royce O'Neal, although Brooks got the crowd back into it with his fourth three of the game. 

-- Nevertheless, it was the Brunson and Towns show for the Knicks in the third quarter, with both players combining for 20 points in the first six minutes and keeping New York in the game. During that stretch, no other Knick got on the board and with nobody helping Brunson and Towns, Phoenix would go on a 14-0 run to take their biggest lead of the night and keeping New York scoreless for five minutes. 

-- McBride finally broke the spell with just under a minute to play in the quarter by hitting a three and KAT ended the quarter by completing a three-point play to get the Knicks to within eight with one quarter remaining.

-- In the fourth, Anunoby's three with 7:47 left got his team to within four points, but Devin Booker's three-point play cancelled that out. A minute later, Anunoby hit another three. 

-- The final frame was a defensive slog with every basket difficult to come by. Still, New York was able to overcome that 14-0 run earlier in the game by chipping away and tied the game at 101 after Anunoby's two made free throws with 3:04 left. That would be the closest the Knicks would come, though, from pulling out a win as the Suns ended the game on an 11-6 run and went 6-for-6 on free throws in the final minutes.

-- With a chance to cut his team's deficit to one after getting fouled on a three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left, Anunoby instead missed two of three from the line to keep New York down three. Brooks ended his fantastic night by hitting both free throws at the end to seal the game. He finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

-- Noticeably absent in crunch time was Brunson, who made just one basket in the fourth quarter, which came with nine minutes left. He also had a crucial turnover late in the game -- one of four on the night for the point guard. The Knicks as a team had 17 turnovers compared to eight by Phoenix. Brunson finished with 27 points on 9-for-19 shooting (5-for-10 from deep).

Game MVP: Dillon Brooks

Although Booker led all scorers with 31 points, Brooks had his hand in everything from beginning to end and gave the Knicks fits all night.

Highlights

Deuce 👌 pic.twitter.com/7x8GrFcJQb

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 10, 2026

OG drives in for the jam pic.twitter.com/n6vhFK2GOV

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 10, 2026

Mitch throws down the reverse oop! pic.twitter.com/tCs75iP1WJ

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 10, 2026

Jalen 👌 pic.twitter.com/9ROWvDeNSd

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 10, 2026

What's next

The Knicks' West Coast road trip continues with a battle against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at 6 p.m.