Category: Basketball

Facing the Miami Heat for the second time in the season’s first 12 games, Knicks head coach Mike Brown knew what he was going to get from Erik Spoelstra’s team Friday night at Madison Square Garden. And he knew what his team had to do to weather the storm in their first game without Jalen Brunson.

“We have to do a better job of guarding the basketball,” Brown said ahead of the NBA Cup matchup. “A lot of the quote-unquote top teams in the league, if you look at it, give up the most threes per game because they’re shifting and protecting the paint because it’s easier to score in the paint than outside the paint, so we’re no different. 

“When you play a team like Miami, they really put a premium on you guarding the ball first and then your shifts being in the right position and making sure you’re able to get out to shooters to be the second jumper. We’re getting better in that area, but tonight’s another test for us to see where we’re at because of the uniqueness of how they play in that regard.”

“And more importantly than that: Their transition is unbelievable. They just keep coming at ya, keep coming at ya, keep coming at ya, whether it’s a make or a miss. And so we have to do a fantastic job with our transition defense for 48 minutes because they’re capable of putting up 150 points in the blink of an eye.”

After 48 minutes on Friday, the Heat poured in 132 points, with 48 points coming in the paint, and Miami connecting on 19 of 44 (43.2 percent) of shots from behind the arc in a game with a blistering pace, with seemingly a majority of the Heat possessions resulting in a shot in under eight seconds. But it was Brown’s team that came out victorious, thanks to 39 points from Karl-Anthony Towns and 36 points from Landry Shamet off the bench, and on an off-shooting night, seven steals from Mikal Bridges.

“Fun game for the fans, probably,” Brown said after the 140-132 final. “It was almost like a glorified pick-up game with good spacing… on both ends of the floor, and both teams were just hooping.

“They’re so hard to guard, they just catch the ball, they snap drive, they put their head down, and as soon as they feel contact, they almost explode into you.”

Brown then took his glasses off to examine the stat sheet more closely, “This is the first time we won a game where a team shot 30+ free throws. It was extremely hard to keep them off the line.”

“Wasn’t great tonight defensively. None of us were,” Shamet said after his career-high scoring night. “We didn’t guard like we are accustomed to, but that’s a credit to them, too. They drive the ball at you every single possession; it’s hard to guard. Credit to them. We definitely gotta be better, I gotta be better on that front. 

“Taking pride on that end of the floor, shots aren’t always gonna go in, can’t control that all the time. So we gotta be a team that’s gonna win games defensively… so, that’s gotta be the constant.”

Josh Hart, who added a triple-double (his first of the season) with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, was the team's player of the game on defense, Brown said, in part because he went 4-for-4 on 50/50 balls.

"We won the possession game barely, and we needed every one of those 50-50 balls that he came up with," the head coach said. "So heckuva job by Josh, getting a triple-double tonight."

A new wrinkle on the night saw New York go to a zone defense, something they went to after losing defensive stopper OG Anunoby for the night to a hamstring injury midway through the first quarter. Brown said that was done without total preparation.

"We were having trouble guarding them off the dribble, and so we just wanted to try and junk up the game, give them a different look, see if we could get them out of rhythm a little bit," he said. "You think that it worked, but I don't know, it's a good team, and Spo is a great coach. They missed a few out of it. We gotta do a better job rebounding it.

"But the reality is, we worked on the zone one day, and it wasn't the zone that we used tonight. We kinda just threw that together, and our guys did, not a great job, a helluva job of responding and reacting to the zone that we called on the fly."

A quirk in the schedule means the Knicks won’t have to wait long for their next matchup: they play the Heat in their next game on Monday night in Miami. Brown’s plan will be similar. 

“We gotta keep trying to guard the ball better by showing our hands and hopefully they don’t get these calls the next time we play ‘em,” he said. 

The Knicks went into Friday's NBA Cup game against the Miami Heat short-handed after Jalen Brunson (ankle) was ruled out for the game. New York was down another starter when OG Anunoby left early with a hamstring injury, putting the bulk of the offensive pressure on Karl-Anthony Towns.

But while KAT did his thing -- scoring a game-high 39 points -- it was the bench, especially Landry Shamet, that stepped up to help the Knicks beat Miami, 140-132.

"It’s about the next man up. Who that next man is going to be, I don’t know," head coach Mike Brown said after the win. "There’s no way I could have told you these guys were going to score the ball the way they did, or Josh [Hart]get a triple-double. A lot of things I couldn’t tell you. We have a standard that we all bought into and all embraced and a way we play offensively and defensively, and if we stay within that, good things will happen most times."

New York's bench outscored Miami, 75-39, led by Shamet's 36 points, a new career high for the guard. 

The 28-year-old guard credited Brown's system for the team's success on offense on Friday -- and, really, all season -- saying it brings out a connectivity between the players that makes scoring easier.

"It could be any one of us any night, we were just playing within our system," Shamet said of his performance. "Sometimes shots find you, we all play aggressive and benefits everyone. It helps when KAT has a massive quarter like he does, and that makes a lot more opportunities when so much attention in the second half is on him. Just playing off one another, and it found me."

Shamet's previous career-high was 31 points, which he's done twice, but on Friday, he showed his full arsenal of offensive tools.  He was incredibly efficient, shooting 12-for-19 from the field, including 6 of 12 from deep. He made all six of his free-throw attempts, grabbed two rebounds and had three assists. He cut to the basket and even posterized one of Miami's big men to get the MSG crowd on their feet, and chanting his name.

"These fans know I love them," Shamet said of the crowd and the chanting. "I’ll say that till I’m blue in the face, love it. Love the energy every night. Cup game on a Friday, it’s as good as it gets. It was very fun."

Interestingly enough, Brown admitted that it was his coaching staff that pushed him to keep Shamet on the floor in the second half. When the Heat clamped down on Towns, who scored just eight points in the second half, Shamet and the others took advantage. Shamet scored 30 of his points in the final two quarters to help put the Heat away.

But Brown wasn't surprised by Shamet's performance on Friday. He saw Shamet's tape from last year and was impressed with his shooting, defense and ability to cut to the basket. 

"People can sleep on him if they want, but if you think of him at Wichita State, he was a point guard then and was extremely athletic," Brown said of Shamet. "He will dunk on you in a heartbeat. It’s not just about his shooting, and he’s making great decisions." 

It was a magical night for Shamet, who has provided Brown with much-needed depth off the bench so far this season. And now with the availability of Brunson and Anunoby up in the air, Shamet and the rest of the bench's contributions will matter more than ever. 

But Shamet stays prepared. Knowing he may potentially get more minutes with Brunson out didn't change his approach and, in fact, he didn't even know he was having a 30-point half while it was happening. It's a part of the mentality that Shamet says this Knicks locker room instills and will continue to have as the year goes on.

"That’s what makes this group special, have a lot of guys that care about winning. Whatever it takes," he said. "We had Jalen out, lose OG early there and we got contributions from across the board from everyone. It’s the mentality we have to have and will continue to have. It’s next man up. A lot of teams talk about this, but this group really embodies it and will continue to."

LeBron James is making progress in his return from injury and trending toward a return to the lineup, and that's a good sign for a Lakers team in search of something positive while on a five-game trip that has had mixed results.

James has been working all week back in L.A. trying to get healthy from sciatica on his right side that has sidelined him all season.

Before the Lakers' 118-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Lakers coach JJ Redick said James took part in an individual workout on Friday following consecutive days of five-on-five practice with the South Bay Lakers.

The Lakers finish their trip against Milwaukee on Saturday night. James will then practice with the Lakers on Monday. If all goes well, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer could make his season debut and start his league-record 23rd season Tuesday against Utah at Crypto.com Arena.

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

When he does return, how will James, who turns 41 next month, adjust to the chemistry the Lakers have established with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves at the center of the offense?

“I've certainly thought about it,” Redick said about how James' return will affect the team. “The reality is, next week will be a great week for all of us to assess where we're at and figure out what we want to work on. It's rare that you have one game over the course of a week, so probably will think about it more then. But typically when you're playing every other day, you're using your time until 3 a.m. to review the game that you just played and then using the time the next day until 3 a.m. to get ready for the next game.”

Last season, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists last season, while shooting 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from three-point range.

Lakers players don't think James' return will cause any issues.

Jarred Vanderbilt said James “can bring an element that we need, essentially, knowing that he can provide that.”

“I know it’s probably tough,” Vanderbilt said. “But even just the integration, trying to integrate himself as a player, as a team midseason is kind of tough. But we’re excited for his return, whenever he comes back, and I know he can provide exactly what we need for this team.”

Reaves (31 points, seven assists) gave the Lakers what they needed to improve to 2-2 on this trip.

“I think we just played harder (and with) a little more attention to detail,” Reaves said. “We executed our game plan a lot better.”

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

Doncic (24 points, 12 assists, six rebounds) gave the Lakers what they needed in a game that gave them a 2-0 record in NBA Cup games. He had 20 points and nine assists at the half. It was the second time Doncic has recorded at least those two stats in a half this season, making him and Reaves (once) the first Lakers to accomplish that feat since the 1996-97 season.

Deandre Ayton was a force for the Lakers inside with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans (2-10) with 35 points and six rebounds.

His teammates lauded his play, but Ayton was more concerned about the Lakers getting a win in Milwaukee to finish the five-game trip with a winning record and to take the sting out of the loss at Atlanta to open the trip and the blowout loss at Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

“This has been a hell of a road trip,” Ayton said. “The best way to do it is to finish off these two road games strong as hell and get back to L.A. and regroup. But we have unfinished business and, yeah, we’re trying to wash away those two Ls, man, with a good win tomorrow.”

Etc.

Lakers rookie Adou Thiero, who has been out all season recovering from left knee surgery, was activated but did not play against Pelicans. Redick said he hopes to give Thiero some playing time against the Bucks.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Franz Wagner scored 25 points, Tristan da Silva added 22 points and nine rebounds and the Orlando Magic held Brooklyn scoreless over the final two-and-a-half minutes for a 105-98 victory over the Nets on Friday night.

The win was Orlando’s second in NBA Cup Group play and dropped Brooklyn to 0-2.

Michael Porter Jr. had 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets, who led 98-94 after a basket by Nic Claxton with 2:37 remaining. But, Wagner hit two three-pointers, da Silva made one and Brooklyn never scored again.

Desmond Bane scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter for Orlando and Jalen Suggs finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Ziaire Williams had 15 points and a steal late in the fourth quarter — off Orlando’s 19th turnover — that put the Nets up 96-92. Noah Clowney had 12 points before fouling out with 1:58 remaining.

Da Silva got his first start of the season in place of Paolo Banchero, who is out with a strained left groin.

The Nets had a 53-37 lead midway through the second quarter, helped by 3-pointers, 59 percent overall shooting and 10 Magic turnovers. Three-pointers by da Silva and Bane, and Goga Bitadze’s block of an attempted dunk by Terrance Mann, turned the game around quickly. Orlando outscored the Nets 25-5 over the next eight minutes and led by as many as seven in the third quarter.

After making six of their first 11 3-point shots, the Nets made only four of 29 and lost for the 11th time in 12 games.

Up next

Nets: At Washington on Sunday.

Magic: At Houston on Sunday.

Karl-Anthony Towns poured in 39 points and the Knicks’ bench added 75 to beat the Miami Heat 140-132, in NBA Cup action on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

The pace, as expected, was blistering, and the shooting was pure as Towns set the tone early with 31 in the first half as he connected on 13 of 26 attempts from the floor (6-for-14 from deep) and added 11 rebounds, four assists, and a block, and was a plus-13 in 38 minutes on the night.

Playing without Jalen Brunson after he sustained a Grade 1 ankle sprain in Wednesday’s loss, New York lost OG Anunoby midway through the first quarter with a left hamstring injury. The bench erased that disadvantage, with their best game of the season, including going 24-for-41 from the floor and 11-for-20 from beyond the arc.

Landry Shamet scored 15 points in the third and 15 more in the fourth to give him 36 in the game. Jordan Clarkson had 13 of his 24 in the first half, and Josh Hart had a vintage game with his first triple-double of the year: 12 points (5-for-8 shooting) with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Heat went cold in the fourth and couldn’t keep the Knicks off the offensive glass (nine in the period), allowing them to keep possessions alive and turn a six-point lead into a 14-point edge with 4:20 to play. Miami cut the game to eight with a minute left, but New York kept them at an arm's length as both teams played out the final Cup minutes harder than normal.  

Norman Powell had 38 points on 12-for-22 shooting (8-for-15 from deep) as all five Heat starters had double-digits and Jaime Jaquez added 23 off the bench. But the Knicks had just enough against one of the league's highest-scoring offenses, making 21 threes on 53 attempts (39.6 percent) and coralling 51 rebounds (20 offensive).

“Fun game for the fans, probably,” head coach Mike Brown said after the win. “It was almost like a glorified pick-up game with good spacing. 

“... Both teams were just hooping.”

Here are the takeaways...

- With Brunson out due to his right ankle sprain, it was expected that Towns was going to have to carry the load. After the Knicks missed their first eight shots, with a turnover, Towns knocked down back-to-back threes to finally get the offense going. A Towns old-fashioned three-point lead put the home side ahead by one, erasing the early 7-0 deficit thanks in part to six early offensive rebounds, four from Robinson and two from Anunoby. Later in the first, an 8-0 run by the Knicks' big man put New York back up by one again, giving him 18 in the quarter on 7-for-10 shooting (3-for-6 from deep). 

After five early points in the second, Towns was quiet before exploding again for back-to-back threes before adding two more at the line to give him 31 for the game with his individual 8-0 run for a 69-62 lead with two minutes left in the half. The pace didn't slow a bit in the second with the Knicks going for 46 points (15-for-23 from the floor), grabbing a 78-68 halftime lead, holding the Heat to 11-for-23 from the floor in the period.

Miami changed its strategy after the half, sending more doubles the big man's way, and after a quiet third (four points on 2-for-7 from the floor), Towns entered with New York up a dozen in the fourth and had an equally quiet quarter with just four more points, all from the line, as he went 0-for-3 from the floor.

- Already down Brunson, the bench was going to be asked to pick up the load. And losing Anunoby after a few minutes didn’t help matters. At the half, the bench had 31 points, with Clarkson stepping up for 13 (2-for-3 from deep and 5-for-7 from the line), Hart adding 9 (4-for-5 from floor) with five rebounds and four assists, Shamet had six (2-for-5 shooting) but with three fouls, and Guerschon Yabusele three on his lone shot in four minutes of first-half action as he continues to see little time in the rotation.

As the Knicks looked to weather a storm that saw the 10-point halftime lead shrink to two, Shamet had 15 points in the third on 6-for-9 from the floor, including two threes and a dunk over the seven-foot-tall Kel'el Ware. He kept it up in the fourth, too, with 15 more, always popping up when the Knicks needed him, getting his name chanted by the MSG faithful.

Clarkson finished 6-for-13 from the floor (3-for-6 from deep and 9-for-11 from the free-throw line), he had five rebounds (four offensive) and three assists, and was a plus-4 in 33 minutes.

- It wasn’t all gravy early: Mitchell Robinson picked up a pair of illegal screen fouls and then, 13 seconds after the second bad pick, was whistled on the defensive end, sending him to the bench with 3:29 left in the first quarter. And Anunoby was seen on the bench holding the back of his left leg and went back to the locker room a few moments later. (He was then ruled out after the period.) Combined with a blistering pace and Miami shooting 55 percent (11-for-20) compared to New York's 43.3 percent (13-30) and the visitors had a 35-32 edge after 12 minutes.

Robinson saw some time in the second and grabbed two more offensive rebounds, but picked up his fourth foul under two minutes into the third quarter and was back on the bench. He picked up his fifth as the Heat cut the deficit to two with 2:06 left in the third. After two more offensive rebounds in the fourth, Robinson's final line was no points (0-for-2) with 10 rebounds (eight offensive), two assists, two turnovers, and was a minus-5 in 14 minutes.

Anunoby finished with two points (1-for-4 shooting), three rebounds, and a foul in 5 minutes; he was a plus-1.

- Mikal Bridges got off to a slow start, including blowing a breakaway dunk after a steal, and he had four points on 2-for-6 shooting early but walked into a three after grabbing his fourth steal of the first half to give him nine points in the half. After Bridges hit a three to open the third, he missed his next three from deep in the quarter to go 1-for-5 in the frame, but added two more steals, two rebounds, two blocks, and a turnover.

Bridges got a three to go (after a Hart steal and an extra pass by Shamet) to give the Knicks a 14-point edge, their largest of the game, and force a Heat timeout 2.5 minutes into the fourth in the hopes of stalling the 10-0 New York run.

He finished with 15 points on 6-for-21 shooting (3-for-12 from three) with seven steals, five rebounds, five assists, and was a plus-7 in 42 minutes.

- Miles McBride, getting the start for Brunson, started slow, 2-for-6 from the floor (1-for-4 from deep), for five points with two rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes. He finished with nine on 4-for-10 shooting (1-for-6 from deep) with four assists, three rebounds, and was a plus-1 in 30 minutes.

Game MVP: Landry Shamet

It will be known as the Landry Shamet game as he went 12-for-19 from the floor (6-for-12 from deep) with three assists and two rebounds and was a plus-11 in 38 minutes off the bench. 

Highlights

KAT 👌👌 pic.twitter.com/imtE0FkX9e

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 15, 2025

18 in Q1 for KAT! pic.twitter.com/1weEuiLVCJ

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 15, 2025

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS IS ON FIRE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SO3NRM8WyA

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 15, 2025

LANDRY SHAMET. pic.twitter.com/cID6vn9Zg7

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 15, 2025

Josh Hart. Stop. Drop. 💧 pic.twitter.com/Jg94a6S8wT

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 15, 2025

Swinging it around for the Mikal triple! pic.twitter.com/f1uM1ntwyz

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 15, 2025

What's next

The Knicks hit the road after the productive 6-1 home stand hit the road for five games, starting off Monday night in South Beach against the Miami Heat. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Knicks are already short-handed with the loss of Jalen Brunson, but they will also be without OG Anunoby for their NBA Cup game against the Heat on Friday.

New York's forward injured his left hamstring on a fastbreak when he missed a layup and grabbed at his left leg. He was in visible discomfort on the Knicks bench during a timeout and went into the locker room with a few minutes remaining in the first quarter. The team ruled him out after the first quarter was completed.

Anunoby played just five minutes, scoring two points on 1 of 4 shooting (0-for-1 from three) to go along with three rebounds. 

While not having Anunoby for Friday's game is a blow to the Knicks, losing him for an extended period of time would, obviously, be worse, especially the way he's played this season. The 28-year-old is averaging 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game through the first 11 games of the season. 

Those numbers and his play have caused first-year coach Mike Brown to declare that his forward is playing like an All-Star and that he deserves to be in consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. 

This story is still developing....

Steph Curry, Warriors show Spurs, NBA they still can climb the tallest mountains originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN ANTONIO – Anything and everything a basketball fan could ever want from two regular-season games in November was cinematic greatness, attuned to Oscar winners on IMAX between the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs in a three-day span. 

The superstar highlights. The intensity. The record books being rewritten. 

They had it all, including two comeback Warriors wins after beating the Spurs by five points Wednesday night and then outlasting them 109-108 off two Steph Curry free throws with six seconds left that gave him his 48th and 49th points of the game, one game after dropping 46. 

While Curry walked to the free-throw line, Victor Wembanyama, who now has witnessed Steph rip his heart out in his home country of France in the Paris Summer Olympics and his NBA home of San Antonio, tried all he could to rile Spurs fans enough to distract him. It didn’t work. 

Curry swished his first free throw, walked towards the Spurs crowd and mockingly did similar gestures back at them as he talked his talk. 

“I’m aware of everything,” Curry said. “It’s pretty fun. You have to find something to take the nerves out, and for me that’s just embracing the moment, smiling and having a good time.” 

A week before the Warriors’ win against the Spurs on Wednesday night, an illness kept Curry out for three straight games, in which his team went 1-2. He returned Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder but only scored 11 points in 20 minutes in an ugly blowout loss as the cold still lingered. He could have sat out the second night of a back-to-back in San Antonio, but that wasn’t an option after being embarrassed by the defending champions. 

The showman showed out in historic fashion. Curry’s 46 points on Wednesday gave him 43 games of 40 or more points after turning 30 years old, putting him one behind Michael Jordan. The 37-year-old then one-upped himself, knowing exactly when he had tied MJ. 

Dribbling the ball between his legs and pulling up from 29 feet away, Curry swished a three with six and a half minutes remaining to give him 41 points, cutting the Warriors’ deficit from 10 points to seven. 

The player then became the performer. Curry made a ‘2’ and a ‘3’ with his hands across his chest to the crowd running back to the other side of the court. He knew the moment in the heat of the game, and still could be the entertainer everybody comes to see. 

“Very aware,” Curry said. “I did it backwards, though. It’s the second time I’ve done that. But yeah, I was aware of it for sure. 

“I didn’t know I was one away until last game and then obviously was asked about it, and then when I got over that number – that’s pretty cool, just from an individual accomplishment perspective. To be able to be in that company and longevity is something that I pride myself on. So that was pretty cool.”

Steph was "very aware" that he had tied Michael Jordan's record, though he accidentally threw up a backwards 23 🤣 pic.twitter.com/i5ZEKeSPQO

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 15, 2025

He also joined Jordan and LeBron James as the only players aged 37 years or older with back-to-back 40-point games. 

And he’s now the oldest player in NBA history to have back-to-back games of at least 46 points. 

Curry in a two-game span scored 95 points, made 29 shots, including 14 threes, and went 23 of 24 at the free-throw line.

Steph is ON ONE right now 😱pic.twitter.com/lbhUe16oR4

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 15, 2025

On the other side was Wembanyama doing out-of-this-world things at 7-foot-7, with a pitbull a foot shorter than him barking up his tree. Draymond Green doesn’t back down. Never has, never will.

“Draymond is always going to battle,” Steve Kerr said. “He’s one of the greatest competitors I’ve ever been around. Obviously, he was getting pretty emotional out there.” 

When Wembanyama, on an out-of-bounds play, caught a pass with his left hand and hammered home a dunk on the heads of Green and Jimmy Butler, the Frenchman bumped Green and yelled right in his face. But this is Draymond. Saginaw’s own looked straight up with the top of his head meeting Wembanyama’s chin. 

He frustrated him to no end on Wednesday, and the ball didn’t touch Wembanyama’s hands on the final play with Green guarding him.

The fire only grew from there. An irate Kerr poured more gasoline on it shortly after, letting the referees know his expletive-laden feelings for a technical foul. 

“That tech right there probably got us going more than anything,” Gary Payton II said. “Steve fights for us. We’ll run through a wall for him. We love to see that fire from him.” 

Kerr’s technical foul gave Wembanyama three free throws, including the two from a loose-ball foul on Butler that put him over the edge, giving the Spurs a 10-point lead at the 7:25 mark of the fourth quarter. The Warriors then outscored the Spurs 27-16 the rest of the game. 

In a one-minute and eight-second stretch late in the fourth quarter, Payton and Brandin Podziemski made three 3-pointers on three straight Warriors offensive possessions. The Warriors went from trailing 100-95 to leading 101-100. Podziemski assisted Payton’s first three, then blocked a shot from De’Aaron Fox. It was Payton who assisted Podziemski’s three, and a Podziemski defensive rebound led to Payton’s triple that gave Golden State the lead.

GP2 for the LEAD 🤑pic.twitter.com/adFXa5af47

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 15, 2025

Those two were the epitome of clutch after coming through in several ways Wednesday night, too. All small parts of the game that make Podziemski a critical piece shone, and Payton’s lockdown defense on Fox sealed the deal on the final shot of the game.

This baseball series of adjustments and deep intentions brought out the best of both teams, creating a playoff atmosphere just three and a half weeks into the season. 

“It did feel like a playoff game, especially tonight,” Kerr said. “The other night, it was a little different. A little looser, a little freer. Tonight felt more like the physicality of the playoffs.” 

Some might say the Warriors are the past. They’ll tell you they’re the present, showing the future what it takes to climb the NBA’s mountain. The climb itself can feel as exhausting as ever for the Warriors. The extra gear to get them to the top is still there.

The greatness. The drama. The passion. These games had it all, begging for more on an even bigger stage down the road.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

How Steve Kerr's passionate pregame speech fueled Warriors' wild win over Spurs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steve Kerr has seen a lot in his three-plus decades in the NBA, so the Warriors coach is no stranger to instilling the needed motivation when his team finds itself in a rut.

Sometimes it’s a pep talk; other times it’s a fiery display on the sideline, with the latter proving invaluable in the Warriors’ thrilling 109-108 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night at Frost Bank Center.

Kerr received a technical foul in the fourth quarter after vehemently disagreeing with a loose-ball foul called on Jimmy Butler with 7:25 remaining in the game. Kerr’s animated display sparked something within the Warriors, who went on a 27-19 run to snatch a one-point victory in the final seconds.

After the game, Warriors star Steph Curry — the star of the night with 49 points — explained how much of an impact Kerr’s energy has on him and his teammates.

“We love it, he has broken clipboards along the way, he has gotten technicals — he gets fiery,” Curry told reporters after Friday’s win. “This morning, he was in his bag in terms of his speech he gave in our pregame meeting this morning. You can tell he still has that fastball if he needs it. It’s important for us to have that energy over the course of 82. We’re all in this together. He talked about that this morning, he showed it out there, and whether you win or lose, you just want to have a unit and a team that’s together. Coaches included.”

So what exactly stood out about this morning’s motivational speech from Kerr? Drawing back to his days with the Chicago Bulls, where he won three NBA titles alongside Michael Jordan in the late 90s.

Kerr used a compelling comparison to fire up his players, likening their assignments to that of a big-time band on tour, emphasizing the importance of all the moving pieces needed to complete the puzzle.

“He rarely talks about his Chicago days, and he gave some references to how they approached their team and their identity by comparisons to how a band comes together and everyone is playing a role,” Curry said. “You got your lead singers, you got your bass, your acoustic, your electric whatever. You got your stage hands, you got the guy who’s plugging in the speakers. He said he was just above plugging in the speakers guy.

“It speaks to it all matters, there’s value in all of that when a band is going on tour. I think Phil Jackson instilled that in him, and he used that as a reference for how we need to play and how we need to approach our identity. It’s going to take a long time to get through this year in terms of doing that, but it’s great to have a reference.”

While Curry’s historic scoring outburst led the way, it took a collective effort to get across the finish line against a tough Spurs team. Plays like Gary Payton II’s go-ahead three in the final minutes of the fourth quarter proved to be the difference on a night when Golden State needed every contribution possible for its thrilling victory.

GP2 for the LEAD 🤑pic.twitter.com/adFXa5af47

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 15, 2025

It remains to be seen which band the Warriors most closely resemble, but it’s clear this group is capable of making sweet music together when the rhythm is right. And Friday night’s win is the kind of performance that will leave Dub Nation calling for an encore.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast