Category: Basketball

Joel Embiid to undergo arthroscopic surgery on knee, Sixers say originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Joel Embiid has decided on his next step.

The Sixers released the following statement Wednesday on their star center, who was ruled out for the season on Feb. 28 because of persistent left knee problems:

“Following consultations with medical experts, it has been determined that Joel Embiid will undergo arthroscopic surgery next week to address his left knee. Further updates will be provided following the procedure.”

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Embiid “will be re-evaluated in six weeks and is expected to make a full recovery.”

Embiid had been considering treatment options. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse recently said that the team’s vice president of athlete care, Simon Rice, was also a key part of those conversations with doctors.

Embiid publicly indicated multiple times this season that non-surgical approaches were not working and his knee continued to bother him. He ultimately played in just 19 games for the injury-riddled Sixers, who have fallen far out of playoff contention.

“I wish I could play every game,” Embiid said on Feb. 4. “My goal is to be available and play every game. Whatever God decides, from that point on, I can’t control it. I can only control what I can do every single day, what I should focus on, what keeps me on the floor. And whatever happens, happens.

“I don’t really worry about how many games I’m going to play, how much I’m going to be available. The goal is to be available every single night and if God wants it to happen, good. If he doesn’t, back to the drawing board.”

The Sixers went 8-11 in his appearances and Embiid averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists. For the most part, he did not come close to reaching the MVP contender level he’d grown accustomed to over the prior four seasons.

“The way I was playing a year ago is not the way I’m playing right now and it sucks,” Embiid said on Feb. 20. “But I believe I probably need to fix the problem and I’ll be back at that level. But it’s hard to have the trust when you’re not yourself.

“I’m not as dominant as I was a couple months ago, but that doesn’t mean I still can’t have a lot of impact on the game. … But my dominant self, I’ll get there. It’s just tough because you know you can do so much more. There’s no excuses; it’s just the way it is. Just got to keep finding ways to figure it out and get better.”

Last February, Embiid underwent surgery on his left lateral meniscus. He returned for the end of the regular season and the playoffs, then played in the Paris Olympics and earned a gold medal with Team USA. 

He missed the beginning of the 2024-25 regular season. The Sixers started horrendously and never truly recovered. They’ve used an NBA-record 52 different starting lineups and are 23-53 overall. 

Along with Embiid, Paul George (adductor and left knee injuries), Jared McCain (left lateral meniscus surgery) and Eric Gordon (right wrist surgery) have been ruled out for the remainder of the year. Tyrese Maxey hasn’t played since March 3 because of a right finger sprain. 

Kerr half-jokingly reveals Steph's secret to 52-point Warriors game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry appeared rejuvenated on the floor Tuesday night as he erupted for 52 points and 12 3-pointers in the Warriors’ 134-125 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.

But what sparked the star point guard’s scoring onslaught? Golden State coach Steve Kerr revealed after the game that it was Curry’s other favorite sport — along with a week off due to injury — that might have had him feeling refreshed before the pivotal Western Conference matchup.

“I think it helped,” Kerr told reporters of Curry’s recent break. “And I think two rounds of golf on this road trip helped. Yeah — I’m only half joking, you know. But yeah, the week off was helpful for him. I think he looks recharged, rejuvenated.”

Curry was relegated to the sidelines for the Warriors’ losses to the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat on March 22 and 25, respectively, after suffering a pelvic contusion in Golden State’s 117-114 win over the Toronto Raptors. The 37-year-old has worn protective tailbone padding since his return on March 28 against the New Orleans Pelicans, and it certainly didn’t hinder him in Tuesday’s win.

Some time on the golf course appears to have served Curry well, too, as the 2023 American Century Championship victor got some swings in when he rejoined the Warriors on their road trip last week.

In Tuesday’s game, Curry again came close to breaking former Warriors teammate Klay Thompson’s single-game 3-point record. And even though he didn’t eclipse his fellow Splash Bro’s mark of 14, his coach still was impressed.

“The guy is 37 years old,” Kerr said. “It’s incredible. Fifty-two points, with people draped all over him, all game long. The conditioning, the skill, the audacity, the belief. It’s just incredible to watch Steph at work. I can’t believe he’s still doing this at this age, but he’s put the work in, and he’s still got it.”

Another night, another Curry performance for the ages. But it’s clear Kerr wanted to credit Curry’s work — and relaxation — on the golf course in addition to his effort on the court.

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Why Draymond was disappointed with Jackson Jr. in Warriors' win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Draymond Green never will shy away from offering his NBA mentees advice. Even after he helps hand them a brutal loss.

The veteran forward spoke to reporters after the Warriors’ 134-125 win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday at FedExForum and shared why he was “disappointed” in Memphis center Jaren Jackson Jr., who fouled out after colliding with Golden State forward Jimmy Butler with 1:55 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Draymond waving at Jaren Jackson after he fouled out 😅 pic.twitter.com/b2huLwt6Vj

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 2, 2025

“I’m disappointed in Jaren,” Green said. “I’ve got a lot of love for him, that’s my Spartan dog. He’s too good to still be getting in foul trouble. A couple of them fouls he picked up, he can stay away from those. It’s time for him to take that next step in that department, because it was huge for us for him to get out of the game. And I’m happy he did, but I am a Jaren fan. I’m always rooting for him.

“To see him still getting some of those fouls he’s picking up, he can’t do that. His team needs him out there … Jaren’s got to figure that out, he’s gotten too much better offensively and too hard to stop to be taking himself out of the game on the defensive side of the ball. That was disappointing, from the big brother in me. That was a little disappointing.”

Jackson Jr. himself seems to agree.

Jaren Jackson Jr., who's avoided foul trouble most of the season, has been in major foul trouble in two of the last three games, including fouling out tonight:

"You just can't do it, I'm too important. I have to be out there. That's on me, I definitely let everybody down." pic.twitter.com/kRD9NOWc5B

— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) April 2, 2025

“You just can’t do it, I’m too important,” Jackson Jr. said postgame. “I have to be out there, and that’s on me. I definitely let everybody down in terms of that and I’ll own that.

Green and Jackson Jr. developed a friendship after the Warriors forward took the young big man under his wing when he was selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 4 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

And even through the Warriors benefited from Jackson Jr.’s absence in the final minutes of Tuesday’s game, Green wishes the former Defensive Player of the Year had stayed out of foul trouble.

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Report: NBA looking into Morant's finger gun motions at Warriors bench originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Ja Morant might be in trouble with the NBA … again.

The league is “looking into” the Memphis Grizzlies star point guard’s use of finger gun motions toward the Golden State Warriors‘ bench in the final seconds of Tuesday’s matchup between the rivals, ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon reported Wednesday, citing sources.

The NBA is looking into Memphis' Ja Morant using finger gun motions toward the Golden State Warriors bench last night, sources tell me and @espn_macmahon.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 2, 2025

Ja Morant appeared to make a gun gesture at the Warriors' bench late in the game 🤨 pic.twitter.com/fTvFA0wpit

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 2, 2025

Things got chippy with 20 seconds remaining and the Warriors up by five as double-technical fouls were assessed to both Morant and Warriors guard Buddy Hield, who also appeared to make a gun gesture toward Morant. Several other Warriors players stepped in and notified the officials of Morant’s gesture.

Charania added that the NBA also will look into Hield’s actions, and league officials will talk to involved parties as soon as Wednesday.

Morant was suspended twice for flashing a gun on Instagram live videos in 2023, with the first being an eight-game suspension for having a gun at a Denver nightclub. The second video happened over the summer, when he flashed what appeared to be a gun in a car and had to serve a 25-game suspension.

Despite all the extracurriculars, Steph Curry willed his team to a needed 134-125 victory over the Grizzlies to leapfrog them in the Western Conference standings.

Where Tatum stands in final ESPN NBA MVP straw poll of season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jayson Tatum is playing the best basketball of his career right now. He’s a two-way superstar leading the defending champion Boston Celtics to what should be a second consecutive season with 60-plus wins.

And yet, he is not a factor in the NBA MVP conversation.

ESPN NBA writer Tim Bontemps released Wednesday the results of his third and final league MVP straw poll this season. It includes 100 voters, many of whom actually have a real MVP ballot this season. Therefore, it’s a pretty good representation of how the final vote tally will play out.

Based on this poll, it looks like Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will win his first MVP, edging out Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who has won three of the last four MVPs.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is in a distant third place, with Tatum right behind him. No other player had more than 100 voting points in Bontemps’ poll.

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC: 931 voting points (77 first-place votes)
2. Nikola Jokic, DEN: 760 points (23 first-place votes)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL: 381 points
4. Jayson Tatum, BOS: 363 points
5. Donovan Mitchell, CLE: 93 points

Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league in scoring at 32.8 points per game and the Thunder own the league’s best record at 63-12. Jokic is averaging a triple-double with 29.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game. He posted the highest-scoring triple-double in league history (61 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

If Jokic hadn’t won three MVPs in the last four years and there was no voter fatigue, he’d probably win the award almost unanimously this year. The fact that he’s averaging almost a 30-point triple-double while shooting 57.5 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from 3-point range and might not win MVP is truly crazy.

Tatum is having a great season, too, averaging 27.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and a career-high 5.9 assists per game. He leads the Celtics in all three categories. Tatum won’t win league MVP, but there’s a more important trophy he’s chasing that gets handed out in June — the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award.

Why Celtics teammates will ‘run through a wall' for Al Horford originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

In the immediate afterglow of helping the Boston Celtics secure their 18th title, with champagne-soaked goggles still perched atop his head, Jrue Holiday tried to put into words what it meant to help Al Horford secure that elusive NBA crown.

“[Getting Horford a title] was one of the ultimate goals of [the 2023-24] season,” said Holiday. “I’d run through a brick wall for him.”

Now, as Horford continues to stiff-arm Father Time, and the Celtics prepare to chase another championship, we wondered what it is about the 38-year-old big man that particularly inspires fellow NBA veteran Holiday. 

“I think sometimes you just have those people that bring that out of you,” said Holiday. “They’re great humans, they want the best, not only for you, but everybody around them. They’re selfless. They think about other people before themselves. And they do everything for everybody else and then don’t expect credit. I feel like people like that, you want everything great for them.

“And then you also see his career, what he’s done and how he’s been the best player on his team, and then how he handles a situation like this, where there’s so much talent. He’s for sure a Hall of Famer, and I’m pretty sure Al could really be like strutting his stuff and he doesn’t. He’s so respectful, he’s so humble. 

“Guys like that, you just want to run through a brick wall for.”

Some wondered if Horford might ride off into the sunset after raising the Larry O’Brien Trophy in Year 17 of his NBA career. The way he’s playing, the more appropriate question now may be whether he can play until the same age as his jersey number (42) — or beyond. 

Horford scored a season-high 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting while knocking down six 3-pointers in Boston’s 117-103 triumph over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, capping the first 6-0 road trip in team history. It was Horford’s biggest regular-season scoring output since February 2021. 

Horford’s uptick in scoring output helped the Celtics go 14-1 in March, and the team is playing some of its best basketball right before the playoffs arrive. No one seems to highlight this team’s ability to shift to another gear in big moments quite like Horford, who routinely saves his best basketball for when the lights are the brightest.

In typical Horford fashion, he is appreciative of Holiday’s run-through-a-wall remarks, but the big man is certain he’d do the same for any of his teammates.

“It’s a great compliment. But more than anything, I think that we’re all in this together and we understand the opportunity we have in front of us,” said Horford. “So, it’s nice that they say that about me, but we know that we’re playing for — something bigger, and what being a Celtic is all about. I feel like that’s my mindset, that’s our focus.”

Horford seems particularly invigorated to have his son, Ean, around the team this season. Horford’s father, Tito, was a consistent presence during the team’s title run last season, and now a third generation has a front-row seat for the quest to repeat (literally; Ean has sat on the bench during road games and delivered an emphatic chest bump to Derrick White during a recent stop). 

Horford, who agreed to shuffle to a reserve role last season in order to maximize Boston’s glut of talent after adding Holiday before the start of the season, has quietly started 40 of the 57 games he’s appeared in this season.

Horford held down the fort with Boston’s starting group while Kristaps Porzingis recovered from offseason surgery at the start of the season, and Boston has rarely been at full health since. For the season, Horford is averaging 8.9 points and 6.1 rebounds over 27.7 minutes per game.

Ironically, Horford’s season-best performance against Memphis on Monday came in a reserve role, with Horford selflessly coming off the bench to allow rarely-utilized backup big man Xavier Tillman to start against his former team.

Sacrifice is a perpetual theme with Horford, who never puts his personal desires ahead of what can help the team.

“You have to sacrifice at different points in order to to get something that you want,” said Horford. “I feel like, as a player and for me personally, I feel like I’ve done that throughout my career.

“Last year was probably even more of a step, in that sense. But, for me, ultimately I understood the opportunity that was in front of us and what we have here with the group that we have. And it was something that, it was tough, but it was the right thing. So that’s what it’s all about.”

Positioned with a chance to chase another title, and knowing just how rare it is to even be in that position, Horford seems insanely motivated by the opportunity in front of this team now.

“We understand it,” said Horford. “But, more than that, I’m really driven. I really want this for our group and for the Celtics organization. So it’s one of those things that I’m more excited, I feel, this year than last year. So just very determined for us to get this done.”

Holiday knows a little too well about how a championship can motivate Horford. Holiday laughs recalling how Horford’s Florida squad defeated the UCLA team that Holiday would soon commit to during the 2006 national title game, and then again in the national semifinals in 2007.

“I watched Al beat UCLA so — that was rough,” said Holiday. “So I’ve watched Al for a while. But even through his career, just him always being, for one, true to himself — I think that’s probably the most important part.

“Especially in the type of business that we’re in, sometimes you can get a little carried away. But Al’s always been himself. He’s believed in himself and had his faith and that’s obviously something that I stand on and think is very respectable.”

Holiday, too, has sacrificed his individual stats to help his teams succeed throughout his career. But even after arriving in Boston last season, watching Horford do the same made it that much easier to embrace. 

“I like to win,” said Holiday. “I like to win and I feel like, when it comes to winning, you have to do whatever is necessary. Sometimes if you want to and sometimes if you don’t. But I think a lot of the times you get a certain gratification if you are the handyman or doing the dirty work.  

“Or even just seeing your teammates succeed. Like, that’s a big smile put on my face when you see Derrick [White] and Payton [Pritchard] scoring 10 3s in one game, and the next game Sam [Hauser] has almost 40 points. Like, that’s a great thing.”

Jay Williams believes Steph is embracing new NBA villain role originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Warriors megastar Steph Curry has torched the NBA for nearly two decades … gracefully.

But one former player-turned-ESPN analyst believes that’s all about to change.

“He’s no longer the underdog, babyface assassin,” Jay Williams said Wednesday morning on “Get Up.” “He is the villain now. I think he is embracing being the villain. The beautiful thing about this is he’s the petty king. This is the scariest thing we’ve ever seen Steph Curry be at level-wise. He’s entering a similar phase to when Kobe was Black Mamba. I think you’re entering a dark Steph phase, where little things like this, look how he just runs up in the face of Desmond Bane.

“If it’s ‘night night,’ if it’s the trash talking that he does, if it’s with Jimmy Butler, if it’s with Draymond Green — this is the next iteration of Steph Curry that’s trying to win a [championship] in the next two years.”

"He's no longer the underdog baby-faced assassin. He is the villain now. … This is the next iteration of Steph Curry that's trying to win a chip in the next two years."

—@RealJayWilliams on Steph Curry pic.twitter.com/LrpdX2uPwX

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 2, 2025

This comes a few hours removed from Curry’s 52-point explosion in Golden State’s massive 134-125 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.

Curry finished the game with 52 points on 16-of-31 (51.6 percent) shooting from the field and 12 of 20 (60 percent) from 3-point range, adding 10 rebounds, eight assists, five steals and one block in 36 minutes.

Williams added that Curry’s 52-10-8 stat line is “one of the scariest things” he’s ever seen.

But even scarier: An angry Steph Curry.

The Warriors and Grizzlies haven’t been too fond of each other in recent years, and as much as some players might try to downplay it, it’s a rivalry. Tuesday was proof of that.

While Green or Butler are the vocal leaders who typically chirp at opponents on the court, Curry expressed his frustrations during a heated encounter with Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane.

Steph getting into it with Desmond Bane during a dead ball 😳 pic.twitter.com/S2DNpNmqw1

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 2, 2025

We have seen time and time again what a ticked-off Curry can do on the hardwood. We saw it Tuesday night. And Williams believes we’ll see a lot more of it as the four-time NBA champion enters his villain era.

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Report: NBA looking into Morant's finger gun motions at Warriors bench originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Ja Morant might be in trouble with the NBA … again.

The league is “looking into” the Memphis Grizzlies star point guard’s use of finger gun motions toward the Golden State Warriors‘ bench in the final seconds of Tuesday’s matchup between the rivals, ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon reported Wednesday, citing sources.

The NBA is looking into Memphis' Ja Morant using finger gun motions toward the Golden State Warriors bench last night, sources tell me and @espn_macmahon.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 2, 2025

Ja Morant appeared to make a gun gesture at the Warriors' bench late in the game 🤨 pic.twitter.com/fTvFA0wpit

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 2, 2025

Things got chippy with 20 seconds remaining and the Warriors up by five as double-technical fouls were assessed to both Morant and Warriors guard Buddy Hield, who also appeared to make a gun gesture toward Morant. Several other Warriors players stepped in and notified the officials of Morant’s gesture.

Charania added that the NBA also will look into Hield’s actions, and league officials will talk to involved parties as soon as Wednesday.

Morant was suspended twice for flashing a gun on Instagram live videos in 2023, with the first being an eight-game suspension for having a gun at a Denver nightclub. The second video happened over the summer, when he flashed what appeared to be a gun in a car and had to serve a 25-game suspension.

Despite all the extracurriculars, Steph Curry willed his team to a needed 134-125 victory over the Grizzlies to leapfrog them in the Western Conference standings.

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Steph had emotional reaction to passing West on NBA scoring list originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry’s latest move up the NBA’s all-time scoring list was an extra special milestone.

The Warriors guard scored a whopping 52 points in Golden State’s 134-125 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday at FedExForum, and in doing so, passed Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West (25,192) for 25th all-time.

Making moves ⚡️

Stephen Curry has passed Jerry West for 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list pic.twitter.com/1D311naCbI

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 2, 2025

Curry was asked after the game how special it was for him to move ahead of West, who passed away last June at 86.

“I got a little emotional about that, that’s special, obviously in our memory and what he meant to the league, to the world of basketball, to our organization when he worked here,” Curry said. “And my relationship with [Warriors Senior Director, Pro Personnel Jonnie West]. I got to talk to him after the game, just to share a moment of what it meant for me, my family, the entire West family. So that is special. Just understanding what his career was, that’s The Logo, so very special. I’ll keep that ball and put it in a good place.”

Decades after his 14-year NBA career ended, West served as an executive board member and consultant for the Warriors front office from 2011 to 2017 and played a key role in constructing Golden State’s dynastic trio of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

One of whom eventually would supplant him on the all-time scoring list.

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Sixers' elder statesman Lowry finds joy in late-season return  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

As he began to describe why he returned to the court at the tail end of a dreadful, injury-stuffed Sixers season, Kyle Lowry could’ve been any age.

“It’s always fun to play basketball,” he said.

That’s still true at 39 years old with a team piling up late-season losses (and boosting its NBA draft lottery outlook). So Lowry, who’d been sidelined since Feb. 9 with a nagging right hip injury, played Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

“Listen, we’re privileged and we’re honored to play the game of basketball,” he said in the visiting locker room after the Sixers’ 105-91 defeat to the Knicks. “I love this game at the highest level. It’s provided for me and my family, my friends with everything that I could ask for. 

“I wanted to try to go out there and play, and just have fun. You don’t know how long this game is going to last for each individual, so just go out there and enjoy the process. Just enjoy being out there and in the game.”

Lowry logged 16 minutes and only attempted one shot. His corner three-point attempt early in the fourth quarter popped in the hoop and then spun out. 

The night did feature a few Lowry staples, though. He shared his two cents with teammates at every stoppage; grabbed a sneaky steal from OG Anunoby; craftily drew a whistle against Josh Hart and then immediately wondered why it wasn’t a shooting foul. 

“You could see him directing a lot of traffic out on the floor,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said.

Of course, Lowry was also vocal during his months on the bench as a quasi-assistant coach. 

“Kyle’s one of those guys where if you’re going to go out there, play hard and play the right way, he’s probably going to try to help you,” Nurse said. “But if you’re not, he’s probably not. That is leadership, right? That’s part of who he is and how to lead people.”

The generational gap between Lowry and the nine other available Sixers was striking. 

Rookie wing Justin Edwards was 2 years old when Lowry made his NBA debut. Lonnie Walker IV, 26, was the second-oldest active Sixer. 

“It was great,” Walker said. “I took a tough layup and he told me just about being aware — passing the rock, making the right decisions. He’s a leader, he’s a vet and I think for the most part, even if you don’t want to hear it, it’s best to listen because he knows the game. He’s been playing for 19 years. The respect, it wasn’t given, it was earned. He’s been a hell of a player, an All-Star player. You name it, he’s done it all. 

“To have a player like that on this team and to be able to listen to him and grow, see what you can get better at, it’s a very grateful moment.”

On Lowry’s end, he was glad to dish out on-court feedback again.

“My job is to help these guys get a little bit better, get some more experience,” he said. “But it’s just fun to play basketball. It’s just fun to have some new faces and new thoughts. It makes my brain work a little harder to try to figure out what these guys have to do and what I can help them get better at.”

There’s six games left for the 23-53 Sixers. It’s clear Lowry hopes his hip stays healthy enough to play them.

And after that?  

“We’ll get there when it gets there,” he said with a smile.