Category: Basketball

The Orlando Magic fought back to upset the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-103 and end the Cavs' 16-game winning streak.

Orlando recovered from a 13-point half-time deficit to win, with Paolo Banchero scoring 24 points and Franz Wagner adding 22.

Cleveland have already secured a spot in the end-of-season play-offs and remain well placed to clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers ended their four-game losing run with a 107-96 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

LeBron James missed the game with a groin injury, but Luka Doncic was fit enough to play and was the Lakers' leading scorer with 33 points.

Elsewhere, Quentin Grimes scored 28 points against his former team as the Philadelphia 76ers overcame the Dallas Mavericks 130-125.

Western Conference leaders the Oklahoma City Thunder recorded a 121-105 win over the Milwaukee Bucks to improve their record to 56 wins and just 12 losses, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 31 points and eight assists.

Anthony Edwards scored 41 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves extended their winning streak to eight matches by beating the Utah Jazz 128-102.

The Portland Trailblazers fought back from a 16-point deficit to end a five-match losing run in a 105-102 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

James Harden scored 31 points for the LA Clippers in a 123-88 win against the Charlotte Hornets, while Cameron Johnson's 28 points helped the Brooklyn Nets defeat the Atlanta Hawks 122-114.

Dorian Finney-Smith hobbled around, the ankle problems that kept him off the court in the Lakers’ losses to Brooklyn and Denver, obvious. Still, he fought with Kevin Durant and helped push the Phoenix star into missing eight of his first nine shots.

In the second half, Finney-Smith would hit two big threes and have a key offensive rebound.

Jordan Goodwin hadn’t started consecutive games this season, nevertheless consecutive games for a team with NBA title hopes, and here he was Sunday, harassing Devin Booker. He opened the game with a tip-in and finished it by extending a possession with another hustle play.

Read more:'They told me to go play, so I go play.' Austin Reaves can carry the Lakers when asked

“Never judge a player by his box score,” JJ Redick said of Goodwin, who had just two points and four fouls.

And Jaxson Hayes, a former lottery pick given up on by the team that drafted him and by most of the league, feasted at the rim and ran in and out of defensive switches, the Lakers quickly reestablishing their defensive intensity after a four-game road trip where they never totally made it off the plane.

“We knew we had to be better,” Luka Doncic said.

Even though they didn’t have LeBron James and Rui Hachimura in their starting lineup, Hayes’ return and Finney-Smith's and Goodwin’s defense made the Lakers look more like the team that had won eight straight and not the one that just dropped four in a row on the road.

Playing their first of five home games this week, the Lakers recaptured their identity largely thanks to their role players, the team clamping down on the Suns during a 107-96 win.

None of this is to say the Lakers’ healthy stars weren’t terrific — they were.

One game after he nearly willed the Lakers to a win in Denver, Austin Reaves scored 28 to go with six assists and four rebounds. He hit a three over rookie Oso Ighodaro and drew a foul, Durant slumping back into his seat on the Suns’ bench. He drove past Booker, absorbed the contact and scored, flexing at the Lakers’ bench.

And Doncic, who didn’t play in Denver on the second night of a back-to-back set, scored 33 points to go with 11 rebounds and eight assists — his fifth game in the past six where he scored at least 30.

“Getting there,” Doncic said, “but every day I’m feeling better.”

The Lakers play again Monday night against San Antonio.

James, who has missed the past four games, did an on-court workout Sunday but he’s still unlikely to return for a little bit despite being called “day to day.” The expectation is the Lakers will be conservative with his recovery from a strained groin while he ramps up to a return.

Without him, the Lakers have their formula — a formula that requires Hayes back on the court and the team playing with the right spirit.

Healthy or not, that’s who the Lakers need to be — even if the odds were stacked against them. They’d just been on a road trip, they’d just suffered a brutal loss in Denver on Friday and they needed to be at their home arena first thing Sunday to play the Suns.

And they were the team that played hard.

“That to me, that says everything about our group,” Redick said proudly.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Draymond blasts Stephen A. for ‘weak' LeBron, Bronny comments originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith made waves recently after a verbal encounter with NBA superstar LeBron James during the Los Angeles Lakers’ matchup with the New York Knicks on March 8.

Smith confirmed LeBron approached him about comments made about his son, Bronny James, by the ESPN talking head.

Stephen A. Smith begins First Take confirming that LeBron James confronted him at last night's Lakers game over comments about Bronny James.

"That wasn't a basketball player confronting me, that was a parent, that was a father." pic.twitter.com/QTWmScRIGF

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 7, 2025

Shortly after Smith made an appearance on “Gil’s Arena,” saying he thought James’ decision to approach him in that manner was “weak” and “bulls—t.”

"I thought it was weak. I thought it was bullsh*t."@stephenasmith gives @GilsArenaShow the full story of what happened during his confrontation with LeBron 😳 pic.twitter.com/K6rtZsbYvf

— Underdog (@UnderdogFantasy) March 11, 2025

Warriors forward Draymond Green took exception to Smith’s comments, citing his disapproval of the ESPN analyst’s choice of words on the matter during a recent episode of “The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis.“

“I think a lot of problems that guys have with media is … to call something that that man did bulls–t and weak. Like those are words when we grew up, like you’d get hands put on you when we grew up in those types of words,” Green said.

“So the problem that people have with media is, you go on there, you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s weak.’ Weak? Like calling another man weak? That’s not basketball, which is actually what Bron was saying in the first place, ‘Lets keep it basketball.’ Because calling a man weak, that’s not basketball, and you’re paid to talk about basketball.

“You call Bron weak for for stepping to you, but you’re taking shots at him as a father on TV, behind a camera. Most would say that’s weak. And then he will say, ‘I’m paid to do that.’ No, you’re paid to analyze, you’re paid to debate on the show.”

Green then mentioned a run-in with former Warriors general manager and current colleague of Smith’s Bob Myers.

“As soon as I saw him [Smith] say it, Bob was up here that day,” Green explained. “And Bob was like ‘I work with Stephen A tomorrow, got ya’ll game tonight, I’m in the studio tomorrow so I’m with Stephen A.’ I was like, ‘Oh, you make sure you tell Stephen A that I have no respect for what he said yesterday.’

Green further detailed that Smith’s initial comments irritated him as well.

“You go on TV, national TV calling out this African American, this black father who has raised another successful black, young man,” Green said. “You go on TV calling him out as a father because his son plays in the NBA? That’s ass backward … how does that even make sense?”

While Smith has never shied away from speaking what’s on his mind, Green certainly doesn’t either. Smith’s comments clearly have struck a nerve with not only James, but others around the NBA as well.

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Why Draymond believes Butler makes Warriors ‘real ball club' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It’s hard to adequately quantify momentum, but it’s something that can’t be ignored when a team is rolling like the Warriors are right now.

Golden State is 14-2 since acquiring All-NBA wing Jimmy Butler via trade, with confidence levels through the roof as the Warriors continue to rack up wins.

Following Saturday’s 97-94 victory over the New York Knicks, Draymond Green offered a very blunt assessment of Butler’s impact on the Warriors.

“It’s a real ball club now,” Green told ABC’s Lisa Salters. “With [Butler] on this team, whether he has 11 points or 30, it makes us a real ball club. And when we’re a real ball club, we usually win championships.”

Golden State’s gritty triumph over New York is the 12th consecutive game the Warriors have won with Butler in the lineup, improving the Dubs’ record to 14-1 overall when the six-time NBA All-Star takes the court for them.

The Warriors long have been synonymous with NBA greatness, and Butler’s presence now allows Green to enter games with a similar confidence Golden State exuded when it spent the better part of a decade at the pinnacle of the sport.

“Feels great. After getting beat up on a little bit the last few years, it feels amazing to just walk in and know that you have a chance to win,” Green told Salters. “That’s what we play for, you put a lot of work in, you want to play on the biggest stage. To put these wins together, it feels amazing.”

The Warriors (39-28) valiantly are hanging on to the Western Conference’s No. 6 playoff seed, with Butler’s presence sparking a crucial newfound energy that has allowed Golden State to keep pace in a frenetic postseason race.

While the days of Golden State’s dynastic dominance might be gone, the belief that they are capable of reaching basketball’s most prestigious mountaintop remain strong as ever.

Whether or not that comes to fruition remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain — the journey to get there will be must-see television.

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3 observations after Grimes leads Sixers to win over his former team  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers kicked off a six-game road trip by securing a Sunday afternoon win in Dallas.

They earned a 130-125 victory over the Mavs at American Airlines Center.

Quentin Grimes tallied 28 points and six assists for the Sixers, who improved to 23-44.

Jalen Hood-Schifino scored a career-high 19 points.

P.J. Washington had a 29-point, 12-rebound day for the 33-36 Mavs. Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall recorded 21 points apiece.

Both teams were injury-ravaged. The Sixers were down 10 players: 

• Tyrese Maxey (lower back sprain and right finger sprain)  
• Paul George (left groin soreness) 
• Andre Drummond (left toe sprain) 
• Adem Bona (left ankle sprain) 
• Kelly Oubre Jr. (right knee sprain) 
• Lonnie Walker IV (concussion) 
• Kyle Lowry (right hip injury) 
• Joel Embiid (season-ending left knee injury) 
• Jared McCain (season-ending left lateral meniscus surgery) 
• Eric Gordon (season-ending right wrist surgery) 

The Sixers will face the Rockets on Monday night. Here are observations on their victory over the Mavs:

Dallas dominates 1st half in transition 

Facing his former team, Grimes predictably scored the Sixers’ first bucket with a driving layup. He also drained a mid-range jumper a couple of minutes later. For Dallas, Washington was the early go-to-guy. He scored the Mavs’ first six points and posted 14 in his opening stint. 

Dallas started 0 for 7 from three-point range, but the Mavs crushed the Sixers in transition. After Washington cruised in for a layup, Dallas held a 12-1 edge in fast-break points. The Mavs’ first-half advantage in that category was 23-4.

While the Mavs did sharp work running off of both turnovers and misses, the Sixers’ resistance was minimal in transition. Ball handlers often steamed forward and got all the way to the rim. That’s been the case in many games this season. 

According to Cleaning the Glass, the Sixers entered the day ranked 28th in transition defense (opponents adding 3.6 points per 100 possessions through transition play).

Sixers make do without centers 

Hood-Schifino was a bright spot in his second game as a Sixer. He swished a three-pointer on his first shot, made two more triples in the first quarter, and reached his NBA career high before halftime. 

Oshae Brissett and Chuma Okeke also played for the second time with the Sixers. 

Okeke, who signed a 10-day contract Sunday, first inked a 10-day Sixers deal last month. He ended up playing just two garbage-time minutes in the team’s Feb. 7 blowout loss to the Pistons. Okeke logged 16 minutes Sunday, threw down a put-back dunk in the first quarter, and finished with five points and four rebounds.

Brissett had 13 points, five rebounds and two steals. He played some as a small-ball center. Though Brissett has previously filled that role in the NBA, neither he nor Guerschon Yabusele are sterling rim protectors or great deterrents to opposing drivers. Alex Reese, who Sixers head coach Nick Nurse described Friday as a “stretch four,” played at center late in the second quarter. The Sixers shifted to zone defense for the final few minutes of the first half.

The team’s defensive effort was not stellar in a half where Dallas poured in 68 points, but it’s very challenging to hold up without any truly natural centers. 

Grimes stars in 2nd half

The Sixers made a surge late in the second quarter and kept rolling in the third.

Grimes was in the middle of the action. He stole the ball from Brandon Williams, pushed ahead on a fast break and dished to Ricky Council IV for a lay-in that put the Sixers up 70-68. 

Grimes did it all the third quarter — run the offense; drive hard; make tough shots through contact; defend well on the ball. His and-one layup late in the third extended the Sixers’ lead to 10 points.

As a team, the Sixers followed Grimes’ lead on both ends. They pressured the rim ruthlessly, played much better defense, and capitalized on the Mavs’ extreme lack of healthy players. The Sixers’ five-man bench scored 57 points and Dallas’ three-man second unit recorded 38.

With Grimes resting early in the fourth quarter, Hood-Schifino knocked down a key three. Okeke and Jeff Dowtin Jr. drilled timely jumpers, too.

The last minute was tense, but the Sixers never squandered their lead. Grimes, Jared Butler and Hood-Schifino all sunk clutch free throws to ensure the Sixers exited Dallas with a victory.