“I mean, the Flagrant call, I don’t know what to do,” Green told reporters after the game. “Go duck? Don’t go up for the layup?”
Green received his third Flagrant foul of the 2024-25 NBA season in the third quarter of Sunday’s game after he went up for a layup and made contact with Rockets center Alperen Şengün’s face. While it appeared the contact was justified and unintentional as part of Green’s shot process, officials ruled otherwise after a short review of the play.
Green also received a technical foul with one minute remaining in the second quarter for an incident once again involving Şengün. Green pushed up on Şengün and nudged him near the throat for his 13th tech of the season, but he defended that one as well after the game.
“The tech — I’m not going to stop because the referee says stop and give up position,” Green said. “I already gave up six inches and 50 pounds. So, it is what it is.”
Şengün credited the fiery interaction and Green’s subsequent tech as the catalyst for Houston’s win after the game.
“I think that was the moment we won the game,” Şengün told reporters (h/t The San Francisco Standard’s Danny Emerman). “Because [Green] got T’d up and we responded well. I think they were trying to scare us to play softer.”
Green didn’t divulge his motivation for the tech, but it could be assumed he was attempting to light a fire under the Warriors in a tie ballgame with huge NBA playoff implications.
It’s clear the Golden State veteran wouldn’t change anything about how he played Sunday, and Dub Nation certainly agreed the Flagrant 1 foul was unwarranted.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic looks to pass in front of Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein during the Lakers' 126-99 win Sunday. (Nate Billings / Associated Press)
The postseason road the Lakers want to take probably will roll through Oklahoma City at some point, the unquestioned best team in the Western Conference having played its way to the top with a level of all-around excellence rarely seen.
And the Lakers, heading into the final week of the regular season, have either the good fortune or the curse of having to test themselves against the team with the NBA's best record.
At the worst, the games against the Thunder could expose the Lakers' weaknesses. Oklahoma City is younger and hungrier with more size at the rim, capitalizing on advantages the Lakers will struggle to overcome.
But when the Lakers are at their best — and whoa, they were certainly at their best Sunday — they can prove to everyone, especially themselves, that their combination of otherworldly individual offensive talent and versatile, scrambling defense can hold down even the most talented of teams.
From early red-hot shooting to full-game focus, the Lakers stamped themselves as full-fledged contenders in the West by dominating the Thunder 126-99 in an all-caps, bold-lettered statement win.
“We know it's the final stretch into the full season, so we're just trying to rack up great habits,” LeBron James said.
That, plus great players, is a proven combination.
Luka Doncic, who knocked the Thunder out of the postseason last season on the way to the NBA Finals, went deep into his bag of skills, spinning around defenders, firing passes over his head and stepping back and splashing over the Thunder’s league-best defense.
He scored 30 points and had six assists, but more importantly, he helped puncture Oklahoma City’s smothering perimeter defense.
“Luka was spectacular,” James said.
Austin Reaves, who has cemented himself as one of the Lakers’ most important players alongside Doncic and LeBron James, opened another game scorching from three-point range while doing admirable work on MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Reaves scored 20 and Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 points, but rarely were any of his buckets easy.
And James, who has regained some of his defensive form coming off a groin injury, scored 19 points but more importantly helped organize the Lakers against the Thunder’s stellar supporting cast, including 7-foot-1 Chet Holmgren, who scored only 10 points.
The Lakers (48-30) answered the biggest questions in negating one of the Thunder’s biggest strengths. The Lakers fought for loose balls, they extended possessions on the offensive glass and they limited their mistakes.
And when the Thunder (64-14) pushed, and they did, Dorian Finney-Smith or Gabe Vincent helped extinguish the spark quickly.
Like they did in a blowout win in Denver earlier this season, the Lakers showed that when they play their best, other teams will need to be at the top of their game to stop them. Against the Thunder, the Lakers took control by scoring 42 points in the first quarter and led by at least 10 points the rest of the way.
“Very committed to what we were trying to do defensively and very committed to where we felt like we could generate good shots offensively against a terrific defense,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “And there wasn't any letup to that. There weren’t any overreactions.”
Since the Doncic trade, the Lakers have earned wins against the Nuggets, Rockets and Thunder, turning in strong defensive performances in each. And the Lakers shot the ball incredibly well Sunday — they made a season-high 22 three-pointers — as other parts of their game plan also fell into place.
“We know that they're very good when it comes to one, getting into the paint, attracting a lot,” James said. “They do a great job of getting [to] the free-throw line. They do a great job of getting offensive rebounds at second-chance points and those are some of the controllables that you control.”
The Lakers kept the Thunder off the glass, outrebounding them by nine. The Lakers scored 10 more second-chance points, and when they grabbed control of the game, they didn’t relinquish it. And Oklahoma City only shot 12 free throws, with Gilgeous-Alexander attempting none for the first time since Dec. 18, 2021.
The Lakers now have the opportunity to try and do it again Tuesday, though they’ve been a little cagey about their plans for handling the game considering they’ll play again Wednesday in Doncic’s first game back in Dallas.
“Nothing set in stone,” Redick said for the Lakers’ plans Tuesday. “Again, this is all day to day.”
As both teams made their way to their respective locker rooms at halftime, Udoka and the four-time NBA champion shared a few words.
In a joking manner, according to Curry, the motive behind the verbal exchange was a canceled reservation at his wife Ayesha Curry’s International Smoke restaurant.
“He made a reservation at International Smoke, and he canceled it,” Curry quipped to reporters after the game. “And so I was kind of upset with him. We went back and forth on that.”
Jokes aside, for Udoka, it was just in-game banter.
“He said something,” Udoka told reporters after Houston’s win. “I said something. A little friendly banter.”
The verbal exchange came after a fierce second quarter that saw Warriors forward Draymond Green and Rockets center Alperen Şengün clash. The physical altercation resulted in a technical foul for Green.
“I was talking to my team about the physicality,” Udoka added. “This is the type of game we like. This is who we are.”
In the third quarter, Green and Şengün picked up where they left off.
Green was given a Flagrant 1 foul for making contact with Şengün as he drove in for a layup, making the foul the forward’s third Flagrant of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz, basketball analyst Isis ‘Ice’ Young and former Big 12 player of the year Marcus Morris Sr. look ahead to Monday night's title game between two teams who have been ranked amongst the best in the nation all season long.
Luke Kornet showed again Sunday night why he is a fan favorite at TD Garden.
The Boston Celtics big man enjoyed another strong performance, logging 13 points and 14 rebounds (nine offensive) in a 124-90 rout of the Washington Wizards. After bringing down an offensive board and making a hustle play to give Boston possession, Kornet celebrated by barking like a dog:
The TD Garden crowd chanted “Luke!” after the sequence, but teammate Sam Hauser wants to hear more barking from Celtics fans next time Kornet makes a big play.
“If we can get the fans to join in with it and bark with him, I think it’s going to be something,” Hauser told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin after the victory.
Kornet led a C’s team that recorded a season-high 62 rebounds (25 offensive) in the lopsided win. Hauser accounted for eight of them to go along with his 18 points off the bench.
“It reminded me of a good charcuterie board back home in Wisconsin,” Hauser said of the Celtics’ rebounding. “Like, everything you need. Cheese, crackers, grapes, fig dip, a little bit of honey. It was good.”
Hauser accounted for four of the Celtics’ 24 makes (24-52) from 3-point range. Threes and rebounds were the difference as Washington shot just 12-45 (26.7 percent) from deep with only 32 boards.
We’ll have to wait a few days to hear more barking at TD Garden. The Celtics will hit the road for matchups against the New York Knicks on Tuesday and Orlando Magic on Wednesday. They will return home to wrap up their regular season with back-to-back games against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday and Sunday.
Alijah Martin never really liked talking too much about his first Final Four experience because of the heartbreaking way it ended with Florida Atlantic two years ago. Now in what will be the graduate transfer guard's only season with Florida, he will get to play in the national championship game.
Walter Clayton Jr. is running hot and playing with unshakeable belief, fueled by his Florida teammates' insistence that any shot he takes is a good one. "Sometimes you can't," Clayton said with a chuckle. Houston has been the defensive force of the tournament, either slowing or downright locking down some of the best offenses in the game.
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz, basketball analyst Isis ‘Ice’ Young and 13-year NBA veteran Marcus Morris Sr. discuss how the Duke star can move forward following his team’s devastating loss in the Final Four and prepare for the next stage of his career.
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz, basketball analyst Isis ‘Ice’ Young and former Big 12 player of the year Marcus Morris Sr. discuss the Cougars’ mindset after shocking Duke in the national semifinal and now quickly moving forward to Monday’s championship game against Florida.
The Kings’ 2024-25 NBA season has been littered with too many ups and downs to count, but there’s at least one constant to note after Sunday.
Powered by a hard-fought team performance, Sacramento’s 120-113 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena completed a two-game regular-season sweep of the Eastern Conference leaders.
Yes, with the Cavaliers looking to seal the East’s No. 1 seed after what has been a stellar campaign, the Kings, in the midst of a subpar six-game road trip, spoiled the party.
That’s partly thanks to notable production from Sacramento’s star power.
“Those are our guys, big-time players, and they step up in the big moments,” Christie told reporters after the Kings’ 38th win of the season.
NBA All-Stars Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine – for a second consecutive game – carried Sacramento’s offensive workload, combining for a total of 92 points. LaVine scored a game-high 37 points on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc.
The 30-year-old’s productivity was pivotal as Sacramento looked to decelerate Cleveland’s fourth-quarter resurgence.
Sabonis posted his league-leading 58th double-double of the season with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
With the Kings’ final road trip coming to an end in Detroit on Monday, Christie acknowledges his team’s mentality is where it needs to be ahead of a crucial juncture.
“It’s about the mentality of owning who you are,” Christie added. “That is who we are. Now. we’ve played some games and we didn’t play to who we are.
“We let the refs, we let the opponents, we complained to each other, we did the things that we can’t do.”
On Sunday, Sacramento, industriously, did what they had to do, earning a much-needed win and adding a hint of consistency to a season riddled with unpredictability.
Draymond Green has been known to get into trouble on the court, but the Warriors forward might have been a victim of his reputation in the third quarter of Golden State’s game against the Houston Rockets on Sunday at Chase Center.
After review, Green was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for making contact with Rockets center Alperen Şengün as he went up for a layup. Green’s elbow appeared to strike Şengün in the face as he attempted to make the basket, and officials deemed the action unnecessary.
The foul was Green’s third Flagrant of the 2024-25 NBA season, and his fifth personal foul of the game because it wasn’t the first time things got spicy between himself and Şengün.
With just over a minute left in the first half of a 47-47 tie game, Green received a technical foul after pushing up on Şengün and nudging him near the throat — Green’s 13th tech of the season.
Green clapped in officiating crew chief Ben Taylor’s face after he called the foul, and after Rockets guard Jalen Green missed the technical free throw, Green walked up to Şengün and let out a visceral yell in his direction.
Earlier in the week, Brunson said he was cleared for basketball activities, the only question on his return was timing. With the Knicks on a back-to-back this weekend — they beat Atlanta Saturday — the real question was which one of the games he would play, because it was never going to be both.
Brunson would be a lock to make an All-NBA team this season except he has played in 61 games and needs to play at least 20 minutes in four more to reach the league's 65-game threshold to be eligible for postseason awards. The Knicks have five games remaining, including Sunday. Brunson is averaging 26.3 points a game this season with a 60.6% true shooting percentage, plus he's dishing out 7.4 assists a game.
Barring a highly unlikely total collapse in the season's final week, the Knicks will be the No. 3 seed in the East and host either Detroit or Milwaukee in the first round.
It’s Sunday, April 6, and the Phoenix Suns (35-42) and New York Knicks (49-28) are all set to square off from Madison Square Garden in New York.
The Suns are currently 12-27 on the road with a point differential of -2, while the Knicks have an 8-2 record in their last ten games at home.
New York won the only meeting of the season, 138-122 in Phoenix back on November 20. Over the last five games, Phoenix has lost all five, while New York is 4-1 in that stretch.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Suns vs. Knicks live today
Date: Sunday, April 6, 2025
Time: 7:00PM EST
Site: Madison Square Garden
City: New York, NY
Network/Streaming:
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Suns vs. Knicks
The latest odds as of Sunday:
Odds: Suns (+268), Knicks (-334)
Spread: Knicks -7.5
Over/Under: 228 points
That gives the Suns an implied team point total of 112.98, and the Knicks 116.89.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Sunday’s Suns vs. Knicks game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans the Knicks to cover:
"The Suns have lost five straight games by double-digits, but this isn't the worst spot to back them as the Knicks have struggled since Jalen Brunson went down with an injury. New York is 4-1 over the last five games, but three of the four wins came against non-playoff teams. Phoenix needs to find its stride and with five straight losses, desperation will set in. I lean toward the Suns at +7.5 or better."
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Suns & Knicks game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the New York Knicks on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Phoenix Suns at +7.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 228.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Suns vs. Knicks on Sunday
The Knicks have won 8 of their last 10 home games, while the Suns have lost 14 in 16 on the road
The Under has cashed in the Knicks' last 4 games
The Knicks have covered in their last 5 games as a home favorite
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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It’s Sunday, April 6, and the Washington Wizards (17-60) and Boston Celtics (57-20) are all set to square off from TD Garden in Boston.
The Wizards are currently 9-28 on the road with a point differential of -12, while the Celtics have a 7-3 record in their last ten games at home. Boston is 3-0 against Washington this season with victories of 12, 14, and 20 points.
Boston has won 10 of the past 11 games, while Washington is 1-4 in the last five contests and 2-9 over the previous 11.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.
Game details & how to watch Wizards vs. Celtics live today
Date: Sunday, April 6, 2025
Time: 6:00PM EST
Site: TD Garden
City: Boston, MA
Network/Streaming:
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Wizards vs. Celtics
The latest odds as of Sunday:
Odds: Wizards (+1450), Celtics (-3846)
Spread: Celtics -20.5
Over/Under: 226 points
That gives the Wizards an implied team point total of 112.34, and the Celtics 122.99.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Sunday’s Wizards vs. Celtics game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) leans a live bet angle between Boston and Washington:
"With three double-digit victories against Washington this season, there's no reason to think it won't happen again but laying -20.5 points in an NBA game is tough to do. I'd look at a live bet on the Celtics or a better number on the Wizards if this is truly a blowout."
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Wizards & Celtics game:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Washington Wizards at +20.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the under on the Game Total of 226.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Wizards vs. Celtics on Sunday
The Celtics have won 7 straight games against the Wizards
The Celtics' last 3 versus the Wizards have stayed under the Total
The Wizards are 3-7 against the spread in their last 10 games
The Celtics' last 3 versus the Wizards have stayed under the Total
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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