Programming Note: Tune into “Warriors Pregame Live” at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday on NBC Sports Bay Area before the Warriors and Grizzlies tip-off. Immediately after the final buzzer, tune back in for “Warriors Postgame Live.”
Though the Warriors would like to forget the events of May 21, 2021, they would be wise to remember every ugly minute when they take the floor Tuesday night.
They’re facing the same team, Memphis. At the same location, Chase Center. Under the similar circumstances, the NBA Play-In Tournament.
The previous such occasion was a disaster, the Warriors losing in overtime under a flood of turnovers and 35 points from Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant.
Morant will be back in Golden State’s face this time around, and containing him will be a priority. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 6 p.m. with “Warriors Pregame Live,” with “Warriors Postgame Live” immediately following the TNT telecast. Tipoff is scheduled for 7.
The Warriors dropped into the play-in tournament Sunday after a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, whose point guard, James Harden, exploited a rotation of defenders and finished with a game-high 39 points.
Morant isn’t the offensive conductor that Harden is, but he’s appreciably shiftier and more explosive. With Moses Moody (back spasms) listed as questionable, keeping Morant in check will require the best of Brandin Podziemski and Gary Payton II. That group was unsuccessful Sunday.
“He’s an All Star; he’s going to score points,” Podziemski told reporters Tuesday morning after shootaround. “But the things that help him get into a rhythm are the things you try to take away. That’s with any great player, but free throws and transition are where he scores a lot of his points. You try to take one or one or both of those away and it gives us good chance.”
If Morant is having his way against that tag-team duo or trio, it is conceivable that coach Steve Kerr would turn to uber-athletic wing Jonathan Kuminga, who was banished from Golden State’s rotation against the Clippers.
Neither Payton nor Kuminga was available two weeks ago in Memphis, where Morant dropped 36 points, on 14-of-22 shooting from the field, including 5-of-8 from distance. The Warriors pulled out a 134-125 victory behind 52 points from Stephen Curry.
An important development in that win was Golden State’s fourth-quarter defense. The Grizzlies scored 112 points through three quarters but managed only 22 in the fourth, as the Warriors forced Morant into four turnovers, with two steals by Jimmy Butler III and one steal each by Draymond Green and Buddy Hield.
There are other factors in play, most significant being rebounding. The Warriors, the league’s No. 3 rebounding team through the first four months, tumbled to 14th after the All-Star break – coinciding with Kerr’s mostly rewarding commitment to a small starting lineup. Memphis is a strong rebounding team, No. 2 this season and sixth since the break.
But the top goal for the Warriors is to avoid turnovers and prevent Morant from getting into a rhythm, much less taking over the game as he did four years ago.
We’d like to think our crystal ball has magical powers, but the truth is that the Boston Celtics have simply been so darn good over the past two seasons that it’s pretty easy to make bold predictions about the successes they’ve enjoyed.
You didn’t need to be any sort of seer to know Payton Pritchard was poised for a breakout season. Or that the Celtics would stack up a whole bunch of 3-pointers during the 2024-25 campaign.
Still, it’s comforting that our crystal ball rarely lead us astray. With the playoffs upon us, it feels like another good opportunity to take a gaze and see what it forecasts for Boston’s next championship quest.
Kornet shimmied up to third in the NBA, finishing with a team-best +14.9 net rating. (The next-closest regular on Boston’s roster: Al Horford at +11.5.)
The Oklahoma City Thunder accounted for six of the top seven spots in the league, with Kornet the only outlier. The Celtics were 8.6 points per 100 possessions better with Kornet on the court versus off this season, easily the best differential on the team (next-closest: Horford, +4.1).
Verdict: Hit
2. Drew Peterson gets final roster spot before end of season
Peterson gave the team an unexpected burst early in the season but logged only 77 minutes in 14 appearances over Boston’s final 47 games. The team ultimately elected to reward fellow two-way player JD Davison for his MVP season in Maine by adding him to the parent roster at the finish line of the season.
Offseason roster changes could open pathways to Peterson being a roster player for the Celtics next season.
Verdict: Miss
3. Jayson Tatum finishes 3rd in MVP voting …
4. … And is the Finals MVP
ESPN’s final straw poll of the season had Tatum fourth in balloting. We suspect he’ll leapfrog Giannis Antetokounmpo when voters submit their final ballots, which will feature Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic at the top.
And with Jaylen Brown hindered by a knee injury entering the postseason, we’re further emboldened to suggest Tatum will be the Finals MVP if the Celtics raise Banner 19.
Verdict: TBD
5. Celtics defeat Magic, Knicks, Cavaliers to win East …
6. … Then outlast the Thunder in the NBA Finals
If higher seeds win out, then we’ll nail the path. Still, we’re intrigued to see if Orlando’s offense can hang with Atlanta in a one-game showdown during Tuesday night’s play-in game.
The Knicks should have their hands full with Detroit in Round 1 but we suspect they’ll still advance. Cleveland and Oklahoma City appear poised to build off their strong regular seasons.
Verdict: TBD
7. Jaylen Brown lands on All-NBA, All-Defense teams
The late-season knee woes left him short of the 65-game threshold to qualify for award eligibility. Even if he had hit the mark, that balky knee ultimately might have prevented Brown from making a strong final case for those spots.
9. Celtics set an NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a season
Boston obliterated this record, connecting on 1,457 3-pointers to leave the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors (1,363) deep in the rearview mirror.
Verdict: Hit
10. Payton Pritchard wins Sixth Man of the Year
Just send the award to the Auerbach Center.
Verdict: TBD (likely hit)
11. Joe Mazzulla wins Coach of the Year
Too many teams overachieved (Cleveland and Detroit chief among them) for voters to right their wrong after ignoring Mazzulla last season.
Verdict: TBD (likely miss)
12. Celtics don’t lose more than two games in a row … for second straight season
It’s absurd that the 2024-25 Celtics had only two losing streaks, both of only two games: December 23 to 25 (Orlando, Philly) and February 26 to 28 (Detroit, Cleveland).
That’s two straight seasons without losing more than two games in a row, and they only did that six total times over the course of 164 games.
Verdict: Hit
13. Celtics win 62 games and repeat as NBA champions
OK, we missed by one win. We don’t think we’ll whiff on on the second half of that prediction.
Verdict: Near miss/TBD
In fact, here are six more bold postseason predictions to bring us to a tidy 19 season predictions before Banner 19:
1. The Kornet Game is coming
Every playoff run has at least one instance where a bench presence leaves an indelible mark on a postseason win. Think Leon Powe in Game 2 of the 2008 Finals, or the “Shrek and Donkey” game that Glen Davis and Nate Robinson tag-teamed during the 2010 Finals.
Kornet is going to play an even bigger role than he did last postseason (10.2 minutes per game in 13 playoff appearances) and his energy is going to tilt at least one game.
2. Tatum is East Finals MVP, too
If we suspect that we’re steamrolling towards a Celtics-Cavaliers showdown, then Tatum is key to Boston’s chances of getting to the Finals. His averages in four regular-season meetings with Cleveland: 33.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals while shooting 45 percent from the floor and 40.5 percent beyond the 3-point arc.
If we had to pick a sneaky dark horse to snag any MVP other than Tatum, keep an eye on Porzingis.
3. Jrue Holiday finds his 3-point powers
In 15 games after returning initially from his mallet finger ailment, Holiday shot 39.1 percent (27 of 69) beyond the 3-point arc. He seemed to regain his corner superpowers, routinely busting out his new Dr. Evil pinky finger celebration.
4. Brown’s defense is key for a second straight year
All eyes are on Brown’s knee, and the Celtics absolutely need him to leave a mark on the postseason journey the way he did last year.
We suspect Brown’s biggest impact will be on the defensive side, with a willingness to grind through the knee pain to defend the likes of Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, and Gilgeous-Alexander on the biggest stages.
That trio accounted for three of Brown’s top nine most frequent matchups during the regular season and represented some of his toughest covers.
5. Tatum averages 7.5 assists per game in postseason
Tatum averaged 4.9 assists per game during the 2023-24 regular season, and that mark spiked to 6.3 in the postseason. In 2024-25, his regular-season assist average spiked to 6.0 helpers per game, and we suspect that number will pop again in the postseason.
Whether it’s just more opportunity with bigger minutes, or all the attention he’ll draw generating quality looks for others, the triple-double watch is going to be a nightly event with Tatum.
6. The path will be bumpier … but the Celtics will not be denied
The Celtics made Banner 18 look easy while posting a 16-3 mark in the postseason. We all know it wasn’t as breezy as they made it look, particularly the four-game sweep of the Pacers in the East finals. But the East is undeniably better, and Boston is going to be challenged if opponents are healthier than they were a year ago.
Still, it’s hard to see any team taking four games out of seven against this team. Health will be key but the Celtics are poised and hungry for another title.
Programming Note: Tune into “Warriors Pregame Live” at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday on NBC Sports Bay Area before the Warriors and Grizzlies tip-off. Immediately after the final buzzer, tune back in for “Warriors Postgame Live.”
How Draymond Green stacks up against his fellow NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidates on the court is up for debate, but there is no question he has one advantage over the competition off the court.
The Warriors forward, along with Cleveland forward Evan Mobley, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Lu Dort and Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels likely will be the finalists for the award, and Cavaliers star point guard Darius Garland explained on Friday’s episode of FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” why his teammate is most deserving of the honor.
"Draymond Green has a cheat code with his podcast."
“Evan really deserves it,” Garland said of Mobley. “A young guy in the league that’s really starting to come into his own. And defense, that’s his mindset, trying to stop the best defenders, try to protect the paint, trying to protect the rim as much as he can. If you guys watch the games, you see what his abilities are, you see how he affects shots and other defenders …
“We really have to advocate for him a lot since he’s so quiet. There was no shots are Draymond, that’s my bro. But Evan Mobley definitely deserves Defensive Player of the Year.”
The off-the-court advantage that Green has, is his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show With Baron Davis,” where he continuously has campaigned for the award. And, as Garland believes, rather successfully.
“I think we’re just going to go the media route, have the media just do what they do,” Garland said about campaigning for Mobley. “We’ve been tweeting it a little bit, we’ve been putting it out there just on our end. I mean, Draymond really has a cheat code with his podcast, he can really go on there every day, which is super cool and it’s really working.”
Green currently is the betting favorite to win his second career award on a number of gambling sites, and only has strengthened his DPOY case in recent months since the Warriors’ blockbuster trade for star forward Jimmy Butler on Feb. 5.
However, Garland and the Cavs’ campaign for Mobley might just be heating up …
Luka Doncic spent almost seven seasons with the Mavericks before his surprise move [Getty Images]
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has become the first non-American player to top the list of the NBA's most popular jerseys.
The 26-year-old Slovenian, who joined the Lakers in February from the Dallas Mavericks in a huge three-way trade deal, is the first player other than Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry or LeBron James of the Lakers to top the list since the 2012-13 regular season.
The five-time All Star was described as a "one-of-a-kind, young global superstar" by the Lakers when he made his move.
Curry is second on the list, and James third, with Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks rounding out the top five.
The Lakers lead the most popular team merchandise list ahead of the Celtics, Warriors, Knicks and Chicago Bulls with results for both categories based on sales from the NBA store's official site during the regular season.
Since the sport's trade deadline on 6 February, jersey sales via the site are up 21% compared to the same period last year, primarily driven by Doncic's trade.
Next season, if they get a healthy DeAaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama back on the court — with some new players and growth from others — the San Antonio Spurs are poised to make a leap.
Wembanyama said he is ready to do his part. Speaking to the media for the first time since having to end his season due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, Wemby said he planned to be back. Via Mike Malone at The Athletic:
“I’m not going to expand on that too much, because it all remains to do for me,” Wembanyama said. “But I’m hungry, and I will be ready.”
Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points and 11 rebounds a game this season and was on the way to winning Defensive Player of the Year and being named to an All-NBA team when he had to shut things down. This is how dominant he was: Wembanyama played in 46 games but still finished with 176 total blocked shots, the most in the league this season by a lot (28 more than the Bucks’ Brook Lopez, who was second).
Wembanyama was asked if this injury, which can linger, meant he needed to adjust his career expectations. A thoughtful man, Wembanyama talked about the big picture.
“I think it’s all about perspective,” Wembanyama said. “All the attention I got from the incredible people here, incredible at their jobs. From my visits to the hospital and such, I think I got as good (of) care as you can get as a patient. So, looking back, I’m really lucky … But, all of us in that (locker) room, all of us in the league, we do with what we get, we do with what we are blessed with. And I’m still in the 1 percent luckiest people, so I’ve got nothing to complain about, and it is a really slight setback.”
Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, left, controls the ball in front of Clippers guard Norman Powell during the Clippers' 126-103 loss on Jan. 8. (David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
For the Clippers to become the fifth seed in the competitive Western Conference and avoid the NBA’s play-in tournament, they had to win their last two games of the regular-season, at Sacramento and Golden State, respectively, and both games came down to the wire.
The Clippers escaped with a victory over the Kings by one point after James Harden turned the ball over late in the game that led to DeMar DeRozan missing a potential game-winning shot as time expired. The Clippers got by the Warriors in overtime behind Harden scoring 12 of their 13 points in the extra five-minute period en route to 39 points.
The Clippers are on a roll, having won eight straight games and 17 of their last 20.
Kawhi Leonard finished the season strong, showing no signs of slowing down because of a right knee injury that kept him out much of the season. Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell have both starred in their roles, giving the Clippers two more weapons.
So when the Clippers and the Denver Nuggets open their best-of-seven playoff series Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Ball Arena, it has the makings of a very intense and close series.
Let’s take a quick look at how the matchup:
KEY TEAM STATS
Clippers
Record: 50-32
Offensive rating (OFF RTG): 114.3 (15th)
Defensive rating (DEF RTG): 109.4 (3rd)
Net rating (NET RTG): 4.9 (5th) (*Net rating subtracts defensive rating from offensive rating for a projected margin of victory.)
Nuggets
Record: 50-32
Offensive rating (OFF RTG): 118.9 (4th)
Defensive rating (DEF RTG): 115.1 (21th)
Net rating (NET RTG): 3.8 (9th)
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Clippers guard James Harden led the team in scoring during the regular season. (Frank Franklin II / Associated Press)
This was the beginning of Powell’s breakout season, a sign that he was ready to step into a big void with Leonard out recovering from a right knee injury and Paul George having taken his talents to the 76ers. Powell exploded for a career-high 37 points on 14-for-21 shooting and seven-for-11 from three-point range.
Nikola Jokic was a force with 41 points, but with Harden producing 23 points and 16 assists, the Clippers pulled off the win.
It took Harden playing 38 minutes, 25 seconds and producing 39 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds and it took Powell adding 28 points for the Clippers to overcome the brilliance of Jokic’s 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.
This time, it was Nuggets guard Jamal Murray who did the Clippers in. He had 20 points on a night when Jokic had just 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Harden struggled taking care of the ball during this game, turning it over nine times. He had just 15 points, while Powell had 16.
Leonard flew back to Los Angeles before the game to help his family deal with the wildfires. Powell had 30 points. Murray led the Nuggets with 21 points and nine assists and Russell Westbrook had 19 points and eight assists.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (April 14, 2025) – West Virginia University men’s basketball coach Ross Hodge has announced the signing of Honor Huff to a grant-in-aid for the 2025-26 season.Huff, a 5-foot-10, 168-pound senior guard from Brooklyn, New York, comes to West Virginia from Chattanooga, where he played the last two seasons.
Episode 7 of Max’s Celtics City docuseries, titled “Not Again,” spotlighted a dark era in the franchise’s storied history.
Only seven years after Len Bias’ tragic death, the Celtics experienced another devastating loss. In July 1993, Reggie Lewis suffered sudden cardiac death at age 27 while working out in preparation for the 1993-94 NBA season.
Lewis, an NBA All-Star in 1992, collapsed on the court three months before his death during Game 1 of the Celtics’ playoff series against the Charlotte Hornets. He briefly returned to the game but was eventually pulled again after experiencing dizziness and shortness of breath.
The next day, Lewis was diagnosed with “focal cardiomyopathy,” a disease of the heart muscle that can cause irregular heartbeat and heart failure. Lewis was told his condition was likely career-ending, but after seeking a second opinion, he was told he had a less serious and non-fatal condition called neurocardiogenic syncope.
Longtime NBA reporter Jackie MacMullan knew Lewis personally and was in attendance when he collapsed on the court. She recalled Lewis’ tragic death during NBC Sports Boston’s Keys to the City show recapping Episode 7, as seen in the video player above.
“I saw it in real time, but I don’t think I understood. Did he trip on something?” MacMullan said. “I was so relieved when he came back into the game, I really was. Then I saw him go with the team doctor and I thought, ‘Well this isn’t good.’
“What went on from then on was the worst story in the history of my life and everybody else around it. There was nobody I loved more than Reggie Lewis, that’s just the truth. He was a wonderful person, he was a great teammate, never had a technical foul in his entire life, and was an MVP in the community in Roxbury and Dorchester much the way no one since Bill Russell had invested in the community. … His story deserved a better ending.”
Celtics City Episode 7 delved into how the team went downhill following Larry Bird’s retirement, spiraling into crisis and irrelevance upon Rick Pitino’s arrival in 1997. One month before the 2000-01 season, promising forward Paul Pierce was left clinging for his life after being stabbed in a Boston nightclub. Those 15 years dating back to Bias’ untimely death marked a horrific time in franchise history, to say the least.
Learn more about the life and legacy of Reggie Lewis with NBC Sports Boston’s exclusive interviews and footage below:
Reggie Lewis’ family and friends discuss his life and the impact he made on and off the court with the Celtics andthe city. Included are moments from Lewis’ number being retired by Red Auerbach and the Celtics, interviews with Dee Brown, Tommy Heinsohn, Jackie MacMullan, Muggsy Bogues, David Wingate, Kendall Gill, Jim Calhoun, and his mother, Inez Ritch.
SportsChannel and Mike Gorman, longtime voice of the Celtics, look back at the life of Reggie Lewis.
Programming Note: Tune into “Warriors Pregame Live” at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday on NBC Sports Bay Area before the Warriors and Grizzlies tip-off. Immediately after the final buzzer, tune back in for “Warriors Postgame Live.”
The stats say star Warriors guard Steph Curry remains the NBA’s best shooter.
Yes, even at 37 years of age, there is no one that can outshoot the Chef from the floor.
Curry ended the 2024-25 NBA regular season with a shooting score of 178.8, putting him 26.4 points clear of Kings star Zach LaVine, who finished second on the list.
Additionally, Curry finished first in points per 75 possessions at 2.8 while proving a balanced efficiency through other categories such as pull-up 3-pointers, catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, free throws and long two-pointers.
Curry, who became the first player in NBA history to record 4,000 made 3-pointers in March, is the only Golden State player on the Top 30 list.
In his 16th regular season, Curry averaged 24.5 points, shooting 44.7 percent from the floor and 39.7 percent from beyond the arc.
The years keep passing by, but Curry, the game’s greatest shooter, continues to secure his throne.
Bronny James had four points, three rebounds, six assists and four steals in his first start for the Lakers on Sunday against the Trail Blazers in Portland, Ore. (Howard Lao / Associated Press)
Bronny James saw his share of highs and lows during his rookie season with the Lakers organization.
Before the team's regular-season finale Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers, coach JJ Redick was asked how he'd assess James' first season.
From his answer, it's clear that Redick saw only highs out of Lakers superstar LeBron James' oldest son.
"I give him an A+," Redick said. "How he has personally handled a lot of attention, good and bad, he doesn’t even break character. He’s the same guy every day. He doesn’t allow the good attention to get to him, and he doesn’t allow the bad attention to get to him. He just continues to work."
James struggled overall during his 38 minutes in the Lakers' 109-81 loss on the road. He finished with four points on two-of-10 shooting (zero for two from three-point range), three rebounds, six assists, four steals, three turnovers and a plus/minus of -23.
The 6-foot-2 guard James did produce a couple of highlights. He had a two-handed dunk and found a wide-open Christian Koloko under the basket.
Afterward, James was asked to assess his rookie season so far.
“Thought I got better, I thought I grew as a player and a person," he told Spectrum SportsNet. "There’s just more work to be done. Feel like my progression has been slow, but getting better every day.”
"I felt like I grew as a player and person… there's more work to be done."
Bronny James (4 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast, 4 stl) reflects on his rookie season, as the Lakers fall in Portland, losing 109-81. #LakeShowpic.twitter.com/ghX7K4FUBj
Bronny James would end up splitting his time between the NBA and its G League. With the South Bay Lakers, James showed marked improvement between his seven games in the tournament portion of the schedule early on (13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists a game) and his 11 regular-season games (21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists a game).
During his final G League game, James scored a career-high 39 points in a 122-118 win over the Santa Cruz Warriors on March 25 at UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo.
"I thought [coach] Zach [Guthrie] and his staff did a phenomenal job with him when he was down with the South Bay Lakers," Redick said. "He’s improved and we saw this particularly — you know, I went to some early games and seeing his confidence grow from October, November, to really that second part of the G League season, post Showcase [tournament], was phenomenal."
With the Lakers, James has played in 27 games, averaging 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 6.7 minutes. His breakthrough game was March 20 at Crypto.com Arena, where he scored 17 points during a 118-89 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in which most of the Lakers top players did not play.
"I think every time he’s been on the court for us in the second half of the season, you can see that level of confidence and level of comfort," Redick said. "He’s a guy you can tell things to and they don’t let it affect their work or their attitude. I told him I’m very high on him long-term being a part of our rotation."
Time will tell if James fits into the Lakers' postseason plans. They open the first round of the playoffs Saturday at home against the No. 6-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.
Lillard admitted he chased Curry – and his success as a four-time NBA champion – in discussing his 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers to retired NBA veteran Austin Rivers on his “Eye for the Game” podcast last week.
“I would say Steph,” Lillard told Rivers when asked about who his biggest competitor is (h/t Athlon Sports’ Dibyendu Mondal). “I’ve played more playoff series against Steph, and obviously being in the West, we played against each other all of those times. We played them in the preseason.”
The Warriors legend has the rings, stats, accolades and virtually everything else that other star guards over the years – like Lillard, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook – simply have never been able to match, no matter their own respective successes.
“With Steph, it’s always like Steph was … He took off, and I was like, I’m chasing … I want what he has,” Lillard told Rivers. “He’s winning the championship. Everybody’s talking about what he’s doing, so like I was very competitive with Steph, especially in those years where I’m like, ‘No, I can do that too.’”
Lillard has averaged 25.1 points on 37.1-percent 3-point shooting with 6.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds throughout his career – with no rings. Curry, meanwhile, has averaged 24.7 points on 42.3-percent 3-point shooting with 6.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds and is a four-time champion.
To each their own when it comes to believing who is better between Curry and Lillard. However, Lillard didn’t shy away from the fact that he has spent years chasing Curry’s prowess to no avail.
Consider it part of the fallout of the shocking trade that sent him to Los Angeles.
Luka Doncic has the highest-selling jersey in the NBA during the second half of this season. Doncic is the first international player to top the most popular jerseys list and the first player other than Stephen Curry or LeBron James to top the list since the 2012-13 regular season (when it was Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony with the Knicks). It shouldn't be a surprise that there was a run on Doncic jerseys, or that Curry and LeBron finished second and third (based on sales at NBA.com the second half of the season).
Considering Victor Wembanyama didn't play much in the second half of the season due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, the fact that he was sixth in jersey sales speaks to his popularity.
As expected, Doncic's Lakers also topped the team merchandise sale list.
If you're a Knicks fan looking to purchase tickets to any games during New York's first-round playoff matchup against the Pistons that are taking place in Detroit, you're going to need a credit card billing address in the Michigan area -- or help from someone who has one.
The Pistons have restricted purchases for all possible home games of the matchup (Games 3, 4, and 6) to those who have a credit card billing address located in "Michigan and in certain parts of Ohio, Indiana and Ontario, Canada."
Knicks fans are notorious for traveling well, and have recently made some road arenas sound like Madison Square Garden, including during last season's first-round games against the 76ers in Philadelphia.
As far as the Knicks and Pistons, this is their first playoff matchup since the 1991-92 season, when the Knicks prevailed in five games in what was then a best-of-five first-round series.
While certain fans will be restricted from purchasing directly from the team/Ticketmaster, there's seemingly nothing preventing them from scooping up ducats on the secondary market.
Game 1 of the Knicks-Pistons series tips off at Madison Square Garden on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Programming Note: Tune into “Warriors Pregame Live” at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday on NBC Sports Bay Area before the Warriors and Grizzlies tip-off. Immediately after the final buzzer, tune back in for “Warriors Postgame Live.”
SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors ended the 2024-25 NBA regular season not only with a tough 124-119 overtime loss Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers, dropping them to the play-in tournament game as the No. 7 seed, but also injury worries to their three veteran stars, Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.
Monday’s injury report ahead of Tuesday’s play-in game, in which the Warriors will host the Memphis Grizzlies, brought good news. None of Curry, Green or Butler are listed on the injury report, nor are any other Warriors players.
Curry in the Warriors’ previous game, a blowout road win over the Portland Trail Blazers, jammed his right thumb early and showed clear discomfort. He even received X-rays during the win before returning to the game. Imaging came back negative, and Curry ended with 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting and was 2 of 8 from 3-point range in 27 minutes on Friday.
His thumb was taped and padded when Curry returned Friday. He was questionable going into Sunday’s regular-season finale, but played and again tried to protect his right hand as much as possible while playing through a problem that first popped up as far back as December. Though he scored a team-high 36 points, 21 of them came in the fourth quarter and overtime, plus Curry committed a season-high eight turnovers.
When asked about his right thumb after the loss, Curry was short and coy in his answer.
“It was fine,” Curry said. “I try not to think about it too much … yeah, just keep playing.”
A few minutes into the first quarter Sunday, Green tried to save a poorly placed pass from Curry but paid the price. Green was clobbered in the back of the head by Norman Powell’s left hip and immediately began grabbing at his neck.
Draymond went to the locker room after colliding with Norman Powell on this play pic.twitter.com/GseBoJ7aRF
Green returned from the Warriors’ locker room with a little under two minutes left in the first quarter. He played 38 minutes and was a minus-5 with 14 points, three rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocked shots. So much happened in the Warriors’ loss that Green wasn’t even asked about any concerns to his head and neck area afterward.
Instead, he assured everyone that fatigue won’t be a factor for the 37-year-old Curry, as well as himself and Butler – both 35 – having to play so many minutes in a loss that still led to the play-in tournament for a quick turnaround.
“We’ll be fine,” Green said. “… We’re not senior citizens. We’re high-level basketball players.”
If Green’s injury scare was somewhat lost in the shuffle, Butler’s wasn’t.
Playing a game-high 48 minutes, Butler rose to the occasion. Butler battled Kawhi Leonard all day and had his first 30-point game since joining the Warriors at the NBA trade deadline a little more than two months ago. Butler’s 30 points came on 12-of-20 shooting, but he was visibly limping near the end of the game.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Butler told him he’d be good to go for Tuesday, and the same message was relayed by Butler in the locker room.
“I’ll be all right,” Butler said. “Go home and play some dominoes, drink some coffee. That’ll help me feel better.”
Butler said he took a knee from Leonard to his thigh under the basket. Was he worried in the moment?
“No,” Butler responded. “I mean, it hurt. But I’m not too worried. I know I’m going to be good to go. [Longtime personal trainer Armando Rivas] is going to take great care of me.”
The health of the Warriors’ three stars is what can lift them into the NBA playoffs and propel them for a deep run, or bring their season to a crashing end if something goes wrong.
Going into Tuesday’s play-in tournament game against the Grizzlies, with a chance to move on and face the Houston Rockets in the first round, the injury report is on the Warriors’ side – in spite of nursing obvious bumps and bruises.
Programming Note: Tune into “Kings Pregame Live” at 6:30 p.m. PT on Wednesday on NBC Sports California before the Kings and Mavericks tip-off. Immediately after the final buzzer, tune back in for “Kings Postgame Live.”
Two former NBA players are convinced the Kings will walk away victorious on Wednesday night – and potentially could be one of the playoffs’ surprises.
Ahead of Sacramento’s 2025 Western Conference play-in game against the No. 10-seeded Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center, Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams each signaled why interim coach Doug Christie and Co. could cause havoc if they get past their first must-win bout.
“And by the way, the Kings are sneaky,” Parsons said to host Michelle Beadle and Williams on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” on Monday.
“The Kings win this game, and they can go and win the next game and get the [No. 8] seed. The Kings are rolling.”
"Kings are sneaky. Kings win this game, they can go win the next game and get the 8-seed, too. They're rolling." –
After all, the Kings won all three regular-season matchups against Dallas, who on roster and injury fronts, experienced a lot of turbulence throughout the 2024-25 NBA season.
“I think they beat them one more time,” Parsons added. “I think Dallas without Kyrie Irving, they have a huge hole to get out of.
“Anthony Davis, we don’t know if he’s completely healthy. They just went through so much this year, and the Kings, right now, are playing so good.”
Like Dallas, Sacramento underwent a rollercoaster season of its own, characterized by the dismissal of 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown after 31 games and the departure of star guard De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs shortly after.
Parsons, however, points to the Kings’ offensive force and their roster depth as to why Sacramento will move on to play the winner between the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors and No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies in hopes of a first-round showdown against the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder.
“[DeMar] DeRozan is rolling. Zach LaVine is rolling. Sabonis. They’re just a better team,” Parsons concluded. “They’re just a deeper team. I think they get this game.”
Williams echoes the former Mavericks forward’s perspective.
“I’d agree. One thousand percent. Like, I won’t even make it difficult,” Williams said. “I just think they have the healthier team. They’re poised to win this basketball game.”
“They’re at home. And the Mavs have just been banged up all year. I don’t think they have enough manpower to get over that hill.”
Surely, Sacramento will take any support ahead of the season-defining clash — especially if it’s coming from a pair of proven former players.
