Category: Basketball

Christie lauds Kings' effort in crucial bounce-back win vs. Hornets  originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It’s not how one falls. It’s how one gets back up.

After a flustering loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, the Kings responded like a team yearning for NBA playoff basketball, cruising to a much-needed 125-102 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday at Spectrum Center.

In the midst of a six-game road trip and with a loose grip on the Western Conference’s No. 10 seed, interim coach Doug Christie praised the way in which his team bounced back.

“A total team effort,” Christie told reporters. “Love and respect the way that the guys came out after a really disappointing loss. 

“One that, in many ways, a team can go the other way. That’s what talking and being about your teammates and loving your teammates and respecting them is all about. A lot of love and respect for how the guys came out and approached this game.” 

Sacramento, who dropped the first three games of the team’s last road trip of the regular season, leveraged a balanced approach on offense against an ailing Hornets side. 

Despite shooting 0 of 9 from beyond the arc early on, the Kings finished draining 19 3-pointers on 36 attempts. 

Trey splashes his THIRD triple of the quarter ☔ pic.twitter.com/WFqpwrJBhB

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 5, 2025

On the other side of the ball, Sacramento did its part in containing the league’s lowest field-goal percentage team to under 40 percent from the floor. 

Guard Malik Monk credited the Kings’ mindset for a well-rounded performance.

“Yeah, definitely, that’s what we’ve been talking about: just coming in with the right mind, knowing we’re going to win it and knowing we’re going to play together and play hard and not in spurts,” Monk told NBC Sports California’s Morgan Ragan and Deuce Mason on “Kings Postgame Live.” 

“We played, I wouldn’t say a full game, but we played close to a full game today.” 

All-Stars Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine combined for 71 points, while Monk and Trey Lyles contributed a combined 29 points off the bench.

Domas hits the spin cycle AND the slam 😈 pic.twitter.com/GAY6nF697h

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 5, 2025

With the urgency and expectation to break out of a three-game rut and gain a frim grip on the West’s No. 10 seed, Sacramento delivered.

Now, with a difficult back-to-back coming up against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons, Christie has reasons to believe the Kings are up for challenge — regardless of what took place against the Wizards.

“We have some tough teams coming up on a back-to-back,” Christie concluded. “One that we’ve beat, so they’re going to be ready for us. And another one that beat us on a last-second shot.

“So, you bring it. That’s what you do. And that’s what I expect. Hopefully, these are the types of games that you find yourself, you love your teammates and now you take that and continue it on play by play.”

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Celtics break Warriors' 3-point NBA record, on track to set new milestones originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics broke one of the NBA’s 3-point records in Friday’s game versus the Phoenix Suns, and it probably won’t be the only one they set during their historic season from beyond the arc.

The Celtics have passed the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors for the most 3-pointers made by one team in a single season. The Warriors’ record was 1,363 and the Celtics currently stand at 1,364 and counting after Payton Pritchard’s second-quarter 3-pointer with five games left in the regular season.

The C’s came close to breaking the Warriors’ record last season but came up 13 short.

Back in 2016-17, Isaiah Thomas set the Celtics record for most 3-pointers made in a season with 245. Derrick White broke this record on Monday, and it’s likely Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard will surpass Thomas before the regular season concludes.

Barring a surprise downturn in the Celtics’ 3-point shooting, they are on track to break two more 3-point records.

The Utah Jazz set the record for most 3-point shots made per game with 16.74 during the 2020-21 season, and the Celtics are at 17.9 per game.

The Houston Rockets set the record for most 3-point attempts per game with 45.38 in the 2018-19 campaign, and the Celtics are at 48.5 per game.

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The Celtics have ranked first or second in both 3-pointers made and attempted per game every season since Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach in 2022. His 3-point-heavy strategy has produced fantastic results. Boston reached the NBA Finals in 2022 and 2024 (won the title) and Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.

It’s very difficult to beat the Celtics when they’re firing on all cylinders from beyond the arc. The C’s have made 15 or more 3-pointers in 62 of their 75 games so far this season, and they’ve won 48 of those matchups.

If the Celtics continue to hit 17.9 3-pointers per game throughout the 2025 NBA playoffs, it’s hard to imagine any team beating them four times in a seven-game series.

Celtics break Warriors' single-season NBA record for 3-pointers made originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Boston Celtics broke one of the NBA’s 3-point records in Friday’s win over the Phoenix Suns, and it probably won’t be the only one they set during their historic season from beyond the arc.

The Celtics have passed the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors for the most 3-pointers made by one team in a single season. The Warriors’ record was 1,363, and the Celtics currently stand at 1,370 after making 14 3-pointers against the Suns.

Payton Pritchard’s 3-pointer in the second quarter Friday night was the record-breaker for Boston, which still has five regular-season games remaining to extend the record.

Back in 2016-17, Isaiah Thomas set the Celtics record for most 3-pointers made in a season with 245. Derrick White broke this record on Monday, and it’s likely Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard will surpass Thomas before the regular season concludes.

Barring a surprise downturn in the Celtics’ 3-point shooting, they are on track to break two more 3-point records.

The Utah Jazz set the record for most 3-point shots made per game with 16.74 during the 2020-21 season, and the Celtics are at 17.9 per game.

The Houston Rockets set the record for most 3-point attempts per game with 45.38 in the 2018-19 campaign, and the Celtics are at 48.5 per game.

The Celtics have ranked first or second in both 3-pointers made and attempted per game every season since Joe Mazzulla took over as head coach in 2022. His 3-point-heavy strategy has produced fantastic results. Boston reached the NBA Finals in 2022 and 2024 (won the title) and Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.

It’s very difficult to beat the Celtics when they’re firing on all cylinders from beyond the arc. The C’s have made 15 or more 3-pointers in 62 of their 75 games so far this season, and they’ve won 48 of those matchups.

If the Celtics continue to hit 17.9 3-pointers per game throughout the 2025 NBA playoffs, it’s hard to imagine any team beating them four times in a seven-game series.