Category: Basketball

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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3 observations after Sixers wrap up long trip with loss in New Orleans  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ long road is finally due to wind back to Philadelphia.

They wrapped up a 1-5 trip and dropped their fifth consecutive game Monday night, falling to a 112-99 loss to the Pelicans. 

Justin Edwards and Jared Butler scored 19 points apiece for the 23-49 Sixers.

Rookie Pelicans center Yves Missi tallied 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting and nine rebounds. Karlo Matković scored 19 points off the bench and Elfrid Payton dished out 14 assists. Kelly Olynyk had 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

The Sixers had nine players sidelined by injuries. Quentin Grimes also rested on the second night of a back-to-back. 

Here are observations on the Sixers’ defeat in New Orleans:

Edwards trending up beyond the arc

The Pelicans regularly beat the Sixers early in transition and did tons of damage inside. New Orleans posted the night’s first 16 points in the paint. 

The Sixers’ offense also wasn’t sparkling. The team started 2 for 10 from the field, though Edwards kept on knocking down shots. He sunk three first-quarter three-pointers and scored 11 of the Sixers’ 23 points in the opening period. 

Edwards has let jumpers fly his rookie year, rarely turning down open, in-rhythm looks. His results have been impressive lately, too.

Over the last five games, the lefty wing has gone 18 of 36 (50 percent) from long range. For the season, Edwards is up to 37.1 percent.

New faces in the mix

The Sixers rolled out their 48th starting lineup of the season. Butler, Ricky Council IV, Edwards, Chuma Okeke and Guerschon Yabusele opened the game. 

The second unit included Adem Bona, who returned from a five-game absence with a left ankle sprain. 

While slamming in a dunk in the second quarter, Bona took a hand to the eye from Matković. He exited the game but was deemed good to go for the second half. In 19 minutes, Bona finished with six points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block.

New Sixers 10-day contract signing Marcus Bagley made his NBA debut in the second quarter and hit a short push shot on his first attempt. Bagley was largely peripheral Monday, recording two points, two rebounds and a steal in 18 minutes.

Former Sixers two-way contract player Lester Quinones debuted for New Orleans and drilled a second-quarter three. For injury-riddled teams near the bottom of the standings like the Sixers and Pelicans, there’s seemingly a new face or two every game this time of year.

Not much comeback juice

Council and Yabusele each had frigid shooting starts. The pair combined to miss their first 10 field goals.

All of a sudden, just about every Sixers jumper began to fall. Yabusele made two straight triples in the third quarter. Council got a wide-open jumper off of a nice two-man action with Yabusele and canned it. An Edwards three capped a 15-2 run and gave the Sixers a 67-65 lead.

Okeke didn’t have a brilliant shooting night (4 for 9 from the floor, 2 for 6 from three-point range), but he again played a decent overall game and did a little bit of everything with 12 points, nine rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. He recorded 20 offensive rebounds on the six-game trip. 

The Sixers’ lead was short-lived, which was not shocking given the context — few first-choice rotation players available, wrapping up both a back-to-back and an extended road trip. The Pelicans regained control and built their lead to 23 points early in the fourth quarter.

The Sixers will now rest a day and then kick off a three-game homestand Wednesday against another team in the NBA draft lottery picture, the 15-56 Wizards.

What we learned as Tatum, Celtics hand Kings third straight loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SACRAMENTO — The defending NBA champions were in town Monday night, and it was evident from before tip-off to the final second of regulation.

The Boston Celtics extended their win streak to six games with a 113-95 win over the Kings at Golden 1 Center. Sacramento has lost three consecutive games and dropped to 35-36 on the 2024-25 NBA season.

Kings star center Domantas Sabonis made his return to the court after missing the last three games with a moderate ankle sprain. But Sacramento was without Malik Monk (illness), Devin Carter (illness) and Doug McDermott (elbow).

Sabonis was back to his double-double ways, finishing with 16 points and 17 rebounds in 32 minutes. DeMar DeRozan also joined the double-double club Monday, finishing with a team-high 20 points and 10 assists.

DeMar DeMiddy 🙌 pic.twitter.com/FJW1wJLW9w

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

Keon Ellis, starting in place of Monk, added 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting with three rebounds, four assists and two steals in 37 minutes.

But the reigning champs put on a show — especially six-time NBA All-Star Jayson Tatum, who exited the game early with an ankle injury. Payton Pritchard added five 3-pointers and finished with 22 points off the bench.

The last time these two teams met, the Kings went into a hostile TD Garden and upset the Celtics in their own building amid a seven-game win streak in January. That was not the case Monday.

Here are the takeaways from the Kings’ loss:

Sabonis returns 

The Kings got their star big man back Monday night – and everything he brings to the hardwood.

Domas is BACK 💪 pic.twitter.com/ZvGKfZEWDa

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

Sabonis has had a rough patch of injury luck. Earlier this month, Sabonis returned from a hamstring injury that kept him off the court for six games. The Kings went 2-4 over that stretch before Sabonis returned on March 14 against the Phoenix Suns. He played Sacramento’s next game against the Memphis Grizzlies before exiting that game early with an ankle injury.

The Kings went 1-2 in the most recent three-game stretch without Sabonis.

It is evident they’re a better team with their All-Star center. And that continued to be the case in Monday’s game.

Sabonis finished the game with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting with 17 rebounds and one assist in 32 minutes.

It wasn’t enough to hold off the reigning NBA champions, but the Kings certainly are happy to have their star back.

Late-Night LaVine

Zach LaVine appears to be in a bit of a funk.

After missing last week’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers due to personal reasons, LaVine’s shot has gone cold again.

He was 9 of 27 from the field and 2 of 11 from 3-point range over the last two games entering Monday’s game, and he had just four points at the half against the Celtics.

LaVine added two points in the third quarter, but appeared to have caught a quick spark in the fourth and final frame. He scored eight straight points for the Kings that led to a Celtics timeout in the fourth.

Zach LaVine with the step-back triple ☔ pic.twitter.com/H5zsRpK69U

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

But it was too late for Sacramento, as Boston, even without Tatum, got the job done.

LaVine finished with 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting and 1 of 5 from downtown, with five rebounds, two assists and one steal in 37 minutes. While the Kings didn’t get the win, LaVine’s late surge hopes to be a good sign for Sacramento as the team prepares for the second night of a back-to-back against the Western Conference’s No. 1 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

Champs in town 

Golden 1 Center is home to some of the most passionate fans in the entire NBA. Even the greatest opposing players have discussed the challenge of playing in the building.

But it wasn’t an issue for the visiting Celtics on Monday, whose fans took over an arena 3,000 miles from Boston.

It looked like Mardi Gras inside the arena as Celtic green meshed with Kings purple by tip-off. “Let’s go, Celtics” chants broke out within the first two minutes of the game, and shortly after, “MVP” was belted aloud as Tatum shot free throws.

Jaylen Brown, who attended UC Berkeley about 75 miles away, received a warm welcome to Sacramento and greeted several fans in attendance pregame.

And the Celtics gave the hundreds of Boston fans at G1C something to cheer for.

Tatum, who exited the game early with an ankle injury, finished with 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 5 of 9 from 3-point range, with seven rebounds and eight assists in 26 minutes.

Payton Pritchard was 4 of 9 from downtown and finished with 17 points off the bench.

Brown added nine points, Kristaps Porzingis had 16, Jrue Holiday had five and Derrick White contributed 12.

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