Category: Basketball

Analyzing Butler's impact on Warriors across first 20 games originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• Programming Note: Watch “Warriors Now” with Dalton Johnson and Zena Keita at 1 p.m. PT today, streaming live on the NBC Sports app. Watch the show later on YouTube and Facebook.

The first question I asked Jimmy Butler III inside the Warriors’ locker room at Chase Center was almost as simple as his response.

“How do you manage to always stay cool no matter the chaos around you?”

“I’ve been doing this s—t a long time. Ain’t nothing gon’ faze me.”

It shows. Warriors coach Steve Kerr separates the season into four quarters, roughly 20 games each, believing it’s a sufficient sample to assess the quality of a team. Butler has been part of the team for 20 games, 16 of which ended in victory. His production has been satisfactory, but his composure has made an even greater impact, giving serenity to coaches, to decorated veterans like Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and to youngsters finding their way in the NBA.

“He’s a been very good for us,” says assistant coach Ron Adams, in his 32nd season coaching in the NBA. “He settles everybody down, and that’s something we needed, especially when closing games. He’s made Steph and Draymond better. He understands the game, and the other guys respect his presence.”

The Warriors were one game below .500 (25-26) when they took the court at United Center in Chicago for Butler’s debut after being acquired from the Miami Heat at the Feb. 6 trade deadline. They tended to squander leads, even against opponents with inferior rosters and records.

When general manager Mike Dunleavy and CEO Joe Lacob traded for Butler – parting with Andrew Wiggins, who was terrific in the 2022 NBA Finals victory – Golden State was trending not toward the playoffs but fighting for a berth in the play-in tournament.

Less than two weeks later, after winning three of four games with Butler on the roster, Green was predicting a championship. Considering the Warriors were 28-27 and in ninth place in the Western Conference, it was an outlandish proclamation.

The Warriors since have posted the second-best record (13-3) in the West, behind only the conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (15-2). Golden State takes a 41-30 record into Kaseya Center in Miami on Tuesday night when Butler will face his former team.

The bullet train to the postseason slowed a bit last week, however, as the Warriors posted a mediocre 2-2 record. Still, Butler played quality hoops. He was essential to their 117-114 victory over the Toronto Raptors last Thursday, posting a triple-double and making two crucial defensive plays in the fourth quarter, including a block with 20.9 seconds remaining.

“He just understands the situation, and he wants the ball, and he asks for it,” Kerr was saying after that game. “Different areas and attacks. He did a fantastic job. His shot wasn’t going but he was creating everything for us. Triple-double. The defensive play of the game with the blocked shot at the rim. It’s the beauty of guys like Jimmy and Draymond, that they can impact the game at such a high level regardless of what’s happening with their offensive games.”

Since coming to Golden State, Butler has played 19 games, with only two negative plus/minus totals. He’s averaging 17.3 points, 6.5 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals. He has attempted 151 free throws and made 84.8 percent of them. His frequent trips to the line, and conversions once there, have filtered through the roster. The Warriors were last in the league free-throw percentage before Butler and second since he arrived.

Turnovers are down, and efficiency is up. The offense that posted a 111.8 rating (18th in the NBA) before Butler is at 118.2 (ninth) with him. Curry’s efficiency, which was trending downward, has soared.

“He sees the whole floor,” Curry says of Butler’s impact on pick-and-roll actions. “He can take up space. They have to make a decision whether they’re going to switch or whether they’re going to go under or show and get back to me. There’s like four different ways you can guard it.

“But he’s very good at just staying under control, making the right play. You can tell he hadn’t really looked to score as much right now just because he’s reading the defense and taking what they’re giving him. But having the ball in his hands is usually a good thing.”

Kerr’s decision to have Butler on the floor whenever Curry gets a breather was a logical move that generally has been successful. Kerr tried to sneak in a few minutes with both on the bench, and the Warriors almost fumbled away the game. Never again.

The immediate response to Golden State’s acquisition of Butler was mixed. Some thought he prove beneficial, while others were skeptical – partly because of the contentious breakup with the Heat after five years, including two trips to the Finals. By all accounts, even beyond the 16-4 record, he has been exceedingly valuable as an individual and a teammate.

“Phenomenal,” Kerr says. “I mean, just the way he looks after our young guys, playing 1-on-1 with them after practice, pulling them aside during games, talking. He’s been an amazing leader.”

Through 20 games, Butler looks like the most beneficial Golden State trade since January 2007, when the Warriors acquired Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington from Indiana in exchange for Troy Murphy and, ahem, Dunleavy.

After losing the first two games after the deal, with their record falling to 19-23, the Warriors pulled it together and finished the season with a five-game win streak – spawning the “We Believe” rally cry – that put them in the playoffs for the first time in 13 years.

These Warriors believe in the power of Jimmy.

“It’s been amazing,” Kerr told reporters in Miami on Monday. “He’s one of the best players in the league and he’s instantly transformed our team.”

How far can the post-Jimmy Warriors go? That is to be determined in the coming weeks. What’s certain is that they’ll go a lot farther than they would go without him.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Naji Marshall scored 22 points off the bench to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 120-101 rout of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.

P.J. Washington and Spencer Dinwiddie finished with 16 each, Brandon Williams scored 15 and Kai Jones added 13. Anthony Davis, in his first game back after missing six weeks with a groin injury, had 12 points in 27 minutes.

Brooklyn dropped to 23-49 with its fourth straight loss. Nic Claxton led the Nets with 19 points.

Takeaways

Mavericks: For a team that is in a neck-and-neck race with Phoenix for the final Western Conference play-in spot, Dallas believes that the reinsertion of Davis — among others — can provide a boost. “We understand what’s at stake here,” coach Jason Kidd said before the game. “We got to figure out how to win.”

Nets: With three weeks remaining, coach Jordi Fernandez wants his team to use the final 11 games of the season to work on in-game execution. “We have to control (in order) to (have) one more possession,” Fernandez said before the game. “I think winning teams take care of those possessions.”

Key moment

Dallas guard Spencer Dinwiddie knocked down a left corner three, and then assisted on buckets by Marshall and Jones in a 26-second span midway through the third quarter that allowed the Mavericks to extend their lead to 75-56.

Key stat

Brooklyn entered the game ninth in the NBA in three-pointers attempted per game (39.1) and 29th in three-pointers made per game (34.5). Against the Mavericks, the Nets made 11 of their 33 attempts from beyond the arc.

Up next

The Mavericks play the Knicks on Tuesday night.

Brooklyn hosts Toronto on Wednesday.

In a moment when the crowd was quiet and the in-arena music stopped blaring, you could hear the Orlando Magic bench screaming out instructions to teammates on the floor, frantically pointing to places the Lakers were trying to attack.

The yelling was clearly heard from the other side of the court, and the Orlando defense responded, talking their way through switches.

That LeBron James still found a seam and made a tough shot didn’t matter. The Magic were connected. They were communicating. They looked, really, like the Lakers used to look, an energy that carried over to Orlando's offense in a 118-106 win over the Lakers.

Read more:LeBron James returns from injury, but Lakers look lost in blowout loss to Bulls

“Used to” might be a little harsh since the Lakers have only had a completely healthy team available for two games since Feb. 28. During that time, the team had to play for stretches without James, Rui Hachimura or Jaxson Hayes. It also has needed to rest Luka Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent and hold out Austin Reaves.

But the Lakers (43-28), for the second straight game, looked like a team trying to recapture its defensive identity.

“We're going through it a little bit,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “We gotta get back into the flow and the rhythm.”

Like they did against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, the Lakers unquestionably spoke less than the Magic (34-38), their switching and scrambling defense just a little duller than it had been before injuries started to pile up.

“I think we just gotta look back at the way we played on that eight-game winning streak," Doncic said. "We're physical. We (have a) hell of a defense. I think we just got a little bit satisfied. We can't afford that right now."

The shots they have been willing to concede — the Magic are the worst three-point shooting team in the league — went in. And the edge they played with on the defensive side of the ball for nearly half the season simply hasn’t been as sharp this month.

“We just, we look tired,” Redick said. “And I don't know what contributes to that. That happens periodically throughout a season where the group gets tired. That's what it feels like right now. Again, we weren't able to sustain our level of intensity that we started the game with. And our guys, I thought started out really well.”

Since Hachimura’s injury knocked him out of the lineup for a dozen games, the Lakers’ identity has eroded, their rating sliding all the way down to 17th.

The team now has a losing record in March, dropping seven of 13 games.

Before the game, Redick said assistant coach Nate MacMillan summarized the situation best.

“You can't build trust on the court unless you're communicating,” he told the staff, “and we've gotta get back to communicating. We gotta get back to having a physical disposition with our opponent.”

The lack of talk has been a problem, no doubt. But the lack of individual stoppers has been problematic the last two games, the Lakers struggling to stop scorers when they get hot.

Read more:Bronny James credits focus on his game for career-best 17 points during loss to Bucks

Saturday, Coby White hurt the Lakers early and late, his rhythm never really disrupted. Against Orlando, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, players with a combination of size, strength and skill, attacked the weak points in the defense and combined for 62 points.

The Lakers found some intensity late in the second quarter, building a nine-point lead. But Orlando scored seven straight as the Lakers' offense went cold, and the Magic continued to pull away in the third.

The Magic made half of their 10 threes in the third quarter as the Lakers sputtered, their bad offense causing bad defense and their bad defense preventing them from getting easy baskets in transition.

After trailing by 17 in the fourth quarter, the Lakers did rediscover a sliver of their defensive identity and cut the Magic lead to seven, but Wagner easily got past Doncic for a layup with no help at the rim.

The game was never in doubt again.

Read more:Former Lakers player says Bob Knight knew of Indiana team physician abuse allegations

Doncic finished with 32 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. James had 24 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Reaves scored 18 points and Finney-Smith added 14 points.

The Lakers play Wednesday in Indiana against the Pacers, the first leg of a back to back. The team has three back to backs in its final 11 games.

“We need the adversity. Especially being a new team, know we get to learn a lot about each other during tough times. You usually don't see things when you winning,” Finney-Smith said. “So we got the chance to grow. We're going to use this opportunity to grow.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Celtics-Kings takeaways: Tatum stars in 113-95 win despite ankle injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics are lighting the beam.

Boston on Monday got its revenge on the Sacramento Kings, winning in a 113-95 road rout after its 114-97 home loss on January 10.

Sacramento led by as much as nine points midway through the first quarter, with Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis getting off to fast starts in the absence of Malik Monk (illness). But Jayson Tatum did Jayson Tatum things to pull it back, logging 11 points and five assists, including one that set up Payton Pritchard’s buzzer-beating triple that gave Boston a 30-29 lead after one.

After a heavy back-and-forth second 12 minutes, Boston eventually extended its lead to five at 56-51 thanks to a mini late push. Tatum still led the Celtics with 17 points and six assists on 4-for-7 3-point shooting, while Pritchard’s 14 points off the bench was more than any King at that point.

Boston then pushed its lead to 14 late in the third quarter following a Kristaps Porzingis 3-pointer, but maintained an 88-78 advantage going into the final 12 minutes. Tatum increased his point total to 25 despite suffering an ankle injury on a late closeout by Domantas Sabonis, while Porzingis got up to 14 points.

The Celtics simply saw out the game in the fourth, with Sacramento putting up little resistance with 17 points in the quarter. Baylor Scheierman got in on the action in a big game for the bench.

With the Phoenix Suns next on Wednesday, here are three takeaways from the Celtics’ win over the Kings:

Jayson Tatum stars prior to ankle injury

This game was all about Tatum for the majority of the first three quarters. Tatum posted a game-high 25 points to go with eight assists and seven rebounds on 8-for-15 shooting overall and 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. He uncharacteristically went just 4 of 8 from the foul line.

Tatum also showed off a unique one-legged pull-up three in the early stages, which set the tone for his nice output.

However, Tatum had to leave the game in the second half after suffering an ankle injury. Tatum stepped into a triple over Sabonis, but didn’t get any room to land and suffered the injury. He managed to attempt his free throws before being helped to the bench.

Sabonis was issued a Flagrant 1 foul after a review.

Payton Pritchard leads strong bench effort

The Celtics received a significant lift from its bench that helped Tatum and Co. build a cushion against Sacramento. Pritchard was the catalyst as he continued his hot end to the month of March, finishing with 22 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal on 8 of 18 shooting overall, including a 5 of 13 clip from distance.

Luke Kornet put in a robust shift, too, ending with 13 points on 6 of 7 shooting overall to go with eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and a block in 26 minutes, which included heavy playing time in the fourth.

Even Scheierman did his part with nine points on 3-for-6 shooting from deep, adding seven rebounds, two steals, one assist and a block in 28 minutes.

Sacramento’s bench could not keep pace, with Markelle Fultz’s eight points in 11 minutes leading the way. Jonas Valanciunas was held to just four points in 13 minutes, while Jake LaRavia mustered only two in 17.

Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday stay quiet

Despite the score advantage, the Celtics didn’t get much production from two of their stars. Brown had just nine points in 26 minutes, though he went 4 of 5 from the floor. He also added two rebounds and a steal, but the former Finals MVP could’ve offered more in what’s been a slow back half of March from a statistical perspective.

Holiday tried to deal damage offensively, but fared much better on the other end. He shot 2 of 11 from the field for just five points, while adding three assists, one rebound and a block in 31 minutes.

LaVine claims Kings' vibes ‘not good' after third straight loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – Sixty-four days after Keon Ellis described the vibes around the Kings as “immaculate,” the atmosphere in Sacramento has hit a full 180.

“The vibe is not good,” Kings guard Zach LaVine said Monday night after Sacramento’s 113-95 loss to the Boston Celtics put the team back under .500 for the first time since Feb. 7.

“It shouldn’t be. We’re not happy with the way we’ve been performing. Individually and as a group. The games aren’t going to stop. It’s nut-crunching time. You figure out how to get a win. We’re playing good in spurts, but that doesn’t win you a game.”

LaVine, visibly frustrated while speaking to reporters postgame, likely was projecting some of his annoyance from his recent performances. 

It took a few games for LaVine to get his feet wet in Sacramento’s system since being shipped to the Kings at last month’s NBA trade deadline, but he was playing some of his best basketball over an 11-game stretch before missing last week’s contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to personal reasons. 

He returned the following game, but his hot streak didn’t. Over the last three games, LaVine is averaging just 12.7 points on 15-of-42 shooting (35.7 percent) from the field and 3 of 15 (20 percent) from 3-point range.

There was a slight glimmer of hope for LaVine in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game, though, when he scored eight consecutive points for the Kings after finishing the first half with four. While it wasn’t enough to get the Kings past the defending champs, it’s certainly a promising sign that LaVine can overcome whatever it is he might be going through.

The competitor in him always will keep it real, but he also doesn’t want the team to get too ahead of itself after falling in a tight Western Conference playoff race.

“We understand the standings, but we just got to take it one game at a time and figure out how to get one,” LaVine said. “We can’t look too far ahead in that because if you do that, you start snowballing.”

While there’s still time to stay afloat, Monday’s slate of games didn’t help Sacramento’s chances with the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns right on their tail. Just last week, the Kings were 35-33 and two games above .500 while Dallas (33-37) and Phoenix (33-37) were four games below .500.

Six days later, the Mavericks, who beat the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, and the Suns, who defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, sit a half-game back of the Kings for the No. 9 seed.

“We’re aware,” Kings center Domantas Sabonis said postgame of the tight race in the West. “It’s a very tough position and every game matters. We just got to play our best basketball and win the most games we can.”

Things won’t get any easier for the Kings as they face the Oklahoma City Thunder, who sit way atop the West standings with a 59-12 record, Tuesday night on the second night of a back-to-back.

They then wrap up their seven-game homestead against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday before embarking on a six-game road trip with visits to the Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons.

While it undoubtedly has been a rough few days for the Kings during a crucial stretch of the season, Ellis countered LaVine’s comments about the vibes in the locker room.

“I think the vibes in the locker room are great, actually,” Ellis said, “but I just think on the court, we have to figure out how to come together a little bit more. But I think at times where you’re seeing those quarters where we’re not really scoring a lot, I think you just have to look at that as we’re not really as connected as we would like to be in a sense of playing a certain way consistently, and just trying to execute what we’re really trying to do. 

“So I think that’s where those moments of the vibe not being there together can kind of show. But we definitely all pull for each other, and we’re all wanting the best for each other. So I think off the court, without a doubt, the vibe is great. I think on the court is what we’re just trying to get better at.”

Some of the connectivity issues might stem from instability the team has endured in recent weeks and, really, over the past couple of months. From a head-coaching change to trading their franchise player while incorporating a bunch of new pieces, it has been a challenge for the Kings to find a consistent groove with so many missing parts.

And when it seemed like they came close to some sort of stability, injuries and absences wiped that all away.

Ellis believes that could be a contributing factor to the team’s connectivity conundrum. 

“For sure,” he said. “When your main guys go out, it’s kind of tough when you’re already adding in new pieces. So it definitely adds a little bit of a curveball to try to figure those things out as you’re moving forward. 

“But it’s just something that we have to do. Other teams aren’t really going to feel bad for us, so just have to figure out a way.”

As far as LaVine’s comments, Ellis isn’t too worried about it. Instead, he hopes the team collectively can do a better job of making his new teammate, and everyone else, feel in-tune.

“I don’t really put too much thought into it,” Ellis said of LaVine’s observation. “I mean, when we’re out there, we just have to try to pick each other up and try to eliminate that feeling. But I personally don’t worry about it too much. 

“I think we can do a better job at making sure that everyone feels like that we’re on the same page.”

With 11 regular-season games remaining, the Kings have one final shot to bring back the “immaculate” vibes. Things change fast in the West, so they’ll need to find a way to get back into the win column before it’s too late.

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Domas feels ‘horrible' for play that injured Tatum's ankle originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Domantas Sabonis is no stranger to injuries over the course of his NBA career — and especially the 2024-25 season.

So when the Kings center was charged with a Flagrant 1 foul after stepping on the ankle of Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum on Monday, he was filled with remorse.

“I feel horrible, you know,” Sabonis told reporters after Sacramento’s 113-95 loss to Boston at Golden 1 Center. “I’ve had a crazy month myself personally, you know, and you never want that to happen …

“So I apologize.”

Domantas Sabonis feels "horrible" for the play that injured Jayson Tatum in tonight's game pic.twitter.com/nXyQYYpjt0

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 25, 2025

The incident occurred with 3:35 remaining in the third quarter. Tatum drained a 3-point jumper, then fell to the floor in immediate pain after Sabonis landed on his foot while coming down from trying to block the shot.

Jayson Tatum leaves game with ankle injury 🙏 pic.twitter.com/XPjsdrmHsR

— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) March 25, 2025

The Celtics forward shot both of his free throws, making one, then was helped off the court as “MVP” chants from Boston fans in Sacramento rained down around him.

It’s amazing how much Celtics fans travel all over the world Jayson Tatum MVP chants when he left with ankle injury pic.twitter.com/XSLHl8anMd

— CELTICS ☘️ BANNER 19 (@BiggLynch) March 25, 2025

The Celtics listed Tatum as doubtful to return after the injury with a left ankle sprain, and he didn’t re-enter the game. After the contest, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla offered an update on Tatum but didn’t disclose if the Celtics star would miss any more time.

“He seems to be doing OK,” Mazzula told reporters. “He’s icing it right now. I didn’t see the play. They made the right call — it was a flagrant foul. Fortunate that he was able to shoot the free throws. [He’s] taking care of it right now.”

Sabonis on Monday was playing in his first game back after sustaining an ankle injury of his own in the Kings’ 132-122 win over the Memphis Grizzles one week prior. And when he was injured last Monday, he was playing in just his second game after missing six contests with a Grade 1 hamstring strain.

The Kings star knows how devastating injuries can be, and it’s clear Sabonis is sending well wishes to Tatum after the unfortunate play.

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