Category: Basketball

Basketball News

Posted on

Jalen Brunson opens up about return from injury as Knicks' regular season winds down

Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson has been out since early March with an ankle injury, but the two-time All-Star and team captain is working his way back.

"I'm doing rehab stuff," he said before Sunday's 110-93 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. "More days, as of recently, have been just cranking it up -- two-a-days, if I have to. But whatever I can do to improve myself, it's what I'm doing."

Brunson said that he is "feeling better" and "progressing every day" while cleared for basketball activities.

"Realistically, I'm hoping to play before the playoffs," Brunson said. "I think that's as good for me to get some game reps before we got into that type of stretch run. But most importantly, I want to make sure I'm 100 percent healthy."

Starting with Tuesday's 7:30 p.m. tipoff against the Philadelphia 76ers, New York has eight regular-season games left.

"That's probably a conversation to where we can have with the medical team," Brunson said of if his plan is to wait until he feels fully healthy. "Obviously, I want to feel 100 percent. But a lot of this is also mental, just making sure I can trust everything I do. It's just a conversation for us to have."

Since Brunson's injury March 6 in the Knicks' 113-109 overtime loss at the Los Angeles Lakers, New York has gone 7-5.

"They've responded," Brunson said. "And there were nights where, obviously, we don't play well as a team but then the next day they respond. But that's all we can focus on.

"And there will be times and games and days where things won't go our way, but it's how do we respond from those moments and how do we get better, and I feel like they've progressed that way and I can't wait to join 'em."

Posted on

How Kerr influenced Looney's first 3-pointer in four years vs. Spurs

How Kerr influenced Looney's first 3-pointer in four years vs. Spurs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Kevon Looney hadn’t hit a 3-pointer in over four years, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr saw an opportunity to end that drought during Golden State’s blowout 148-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at Frost Bank Center.

Following the game, Looney revealed Kerr specifically drew up a play with the intention of getting him open on the perimeter, an opportunity the Warriors big man couldn’t pass up.

“About time I got one up,” Looney jokingly told reporters after Sunday’s game. “Steve finally drew up a play for me, so I had to shoot it. He drew it up for me, he asked me, did I want one. I said, ‘Yeah.’

The Warriors’ bench’s reaction to Looney’s 3-pointer was as much of a spectacle as the play itself, with the Golden State big man’s teammates erupting after the triple splashed through the net.

However, Looney didn’t see his teammate’s jubilant reaction.

“I didn’t get to see it yet. I didn’t want to look, I wanted to act like I’ve been there before,” Looney said with a grin. “But it was fun, I worked hard enough on it all summer. I was planning on shooting more this year, but you know how the game goes. But I was able to get one up today and I made it, that’s all that matters.”

Looney wasn’t the only Warriors player finding success behind the arc, as Brandin Podziemski drilled a career-high seven triples on 7-of-9 shooting from deep.

Podziemski detailed why his Warriors teammates were so thrilled to see Looney’s triple go down.

“Amazing,” Podziemski said regarding Looney’s 3-pointer. We’ve been joking with him to shoot the three. To see him work on it when he plays 3-on-3 with the stay-ready group and for him to knock that down was pretty cool.”

The Warriors collectively shot 47.7 percent from deep in San Antonio, exactly the kind of lights-out shooting Golden State desperately needed heading into the final stretch of the 2024-25 NBA season.

With opposing defenses already having their hands full with Steph Curry, things could get spooky for the rest of the NBA if Looney continues raining 3-pointers at a 100-percent clip.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Posted on

5 players, 2 coaches ejected after Pistons-Timberwolves skirmish

5 players, 2 coaches ejected after Pistons-Timberwolves skirmish originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Five players and two coaches were ejected after a fight broke out in the second quarter in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ game against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

Detroit lost head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, center Isaiah Stewart, forward Ron Holland II and guard Marcus Sasser. Minnesota forward Naz Reid and guard Dante DiVincenzo also were tossed, along with assistant coach Pablo Prigioni.

The skirmish began with 8:36 left in the half with the Pistons up 39-30. Stewart had received a technical foul just moments earlier when he bumped DiVincenzo hard after the whistle. Then Holland was called for a foul as he slapped the ball out of Reid’s hands near the baseline.

The two exchanged words, DiVincenzo stepped between them and grabbed Holland’s jersey, and soon all 10 players on the court and multiple coaches and trainers were part of the scrum.

As the players were being separated, Bickerstaff and Prigioni were screaming at each other and had to be separated by team personnel.

The whole scene played out just 20 feet from new Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez, who walked over from his courtside seat in the aftermath and appeared to call for assistance for a fan who got caught in the middle of the melee.

Posted on

3 observations after Sixers drop 23rd game in last 26

3 observations after Sixers drop 23rd game in last 26  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ draft lottery odds have certainly gotten a bit better during their latest losing streak.

That skid grew to eight games Sunday night with a 127-109 defeat to the Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. 

As things stand, the Sixers would have the fifth-best odds in the May 12 lottery. The team will retain its first-round pick in this year’s draft if it falls within the top six. 

Lonnie Walker IV led the 23-52 Sixers with 23 points and seven assists.

Ricky Council IV recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds. Jalen Hood-Schifino scored 18 points.

RJ Barrett had 31 points for the Raptors, who now sit at 28-47.

Both teams had a slew of players either injured or resting. The Sixers had only nine available players. 

Next up for the Sixers is a Tuesday night matchup with the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Here are observations on their loss to the Raptors:

Add another lineup to the list

Another night, another Sixers starting lineup. The team played its 51st starting five this season on Sunday: Jared Butler, Walker Justin Edwards, Council and Adem Bona. 

Fouls and turnovers were problematic in the first quarter. Edwards and Butler each got whistled for two early fouls and the Sixers committed the night’s first six turnovers. They threw quite a few off-target passes and gave Toronto regular opportunities to score in transition. 

Barrett was aggressive in his opening stint, scoring 10 points in under five minutes. An Ochai Agbaji three-pointer put the Raptors up 21-12. 

The Sixers then turned to a makeshift four-man second unit of Hood-Schifino, Marcus Bagley, Alex Reese and Phillip Wheeler. Hood-Schifino ended the first quarter on a sweet note when he sunk a step-back triple. 

Edwards cools off

The Sixers took a lot of tired-looking jumpers on the second night of their back-to-back. As a team, they started 2 for 14 from three-point range.

Edwards (12 points, seven rebounds, four assists) went 0 for 4.

Prior to Sunday, Edwards had scored at least 17 points in seven consecutive games. He’d also made at least one three-pointer in every game during that stretch and shot 50 percent beyond the arc (23 for 46).

Outside shooting was certainly not the Sixers’ sole issue in the second quarter. 

They were called for an eight-second violation in the final minute of the second quarter when Butler simply didn’t get the ball across half court in time. Ja’Kobe Walter’s tip-in just before the second-quarter buzzer sent the Raptors into halftime with a 63-49 lead. 

Sixers winning race to bottom

The Sixers fell behind by as many as 21 points early in the third quarter, but they made a run back into the game, cutting their deficit as low as six. 

Walker had some sharp moments generating his own offense. He also tossed a few creative assists, spotting open teammates off of his drives.  

Bona played a nice third quarter and overall game, too.

The rookie big man was again highly efficient, posting 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting and eight rebounds. He also blocked five shots, giving him 11 over his last three games. 

Ultimately, even the rebuilding Raptors clearly had more talent available than the Sixers.

They finished off a win without any fourth-quarter drama and the Sixers extended their “lead” over Toronto in the race to the bottom.

Posted on

Podz joins Steph in Warriors history after 3-point flurry vs. Spurs

Podz joins Steph in Warriors history after 3-point flurry vs. Spurs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

In the Warriors’ 148-106 blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at Frost Bank Center, Golden State guard Brandin Podziemski channeled his inner Steph Curry. 

The 22-year-old rehearsed it so well that he wrote his name under Curry’s in the franchise’s record books. 

Podziemski became the second-youngest Warrior to record at least seven 3-pointers in a game.

Back in the 2009-10 NBA season, in what was his rookie year, Curry set the record at 21 years of age after scoring seven 3-pointers against the Los Angeles Clippers.

On Sunday night, Podziemski finished with 27 points to go with six rebounds and five assists, falling just two points shy of his career high. His seven threes set a new career high, however.

Outside of Podziemski and Curry, the only other Warrior under the age of 23 to have scored at least seven threes in a game is Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole, who did it on five occasions. 

Behind Podziemski’s impact from deep, the Warriors now have a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference with eight regular-season games remaining. 

With the stakes rising for the Warriors, perhaps there’s no better time for Golden State players to channel their inner Curry.

Podziemski sure did that.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Posted on

Podz who showed up vs. Spurs gives Warriors chance to thrive

Podz who showed up vs. Spurs gives Warriors chance to thrive originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Brandin Podziemski, often a popular target for Dub Nation’s displeased keyboard gangsters, replied Sunday with the kind of game he’ll need to bottle for the Warriors to make a deep run in the NBA playoffs.

The second-year guard took the right shots, at the right time, and finished with a game-high 27 points. When passing was the obvious option, he chose it rather than holding or pounding his dribble. He did his usual GI Joe stuff, drawing charges from bigger players and grabbing more rebounds than befits his physique.

Moreover, Podziemski played determined defense.

Golden State becomes a real threat if those habits continue in the coming weeks, with the stakes getting considerably higher and the competition getting appreciably tougher than the deficient Spurs, unwitting victims of a 148-106 Golden State runaway in San Antonio.

“You get a night when nobody plays more than 25 or 26 minutes, that’s very helpful,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters at Frost Bank Center. “Big game coming against Memphis [Tuesday night], so we’ll be well rested and in rhythm for that.

“Big stretch coming.”

The Warriors (43-31) go into Memphis in sixth place in the Western Conference, one-half game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, one game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers – and one game behind the Grizzlies. A win at Memphis would give the Warriors the head-to-head tiebreaker, effectively moving them into fifth place.

Sunday was, then, a TCB (Take Care of Business) game for the Warriors. They beat a team they were projected to beat and did it convincingly.  Stephen Curry played 26 minutes, Jimmy Butler III 24 and Draymond Green 21. None of the accomplished veterans played in the fourth quarter because, for the first time since Feb. 25 against the Charlott Hornets, there was no need.

The Warriors know what those three can do, but there remains uncertainty about how the rest of the roster, with the lone exception being Kevon Looney, will respond to the rugged obstacles ahead.

Perhaps none of the complementary players is more pivotal that Podziemski, who starts alongside Moses Moody, Butler, Curry and Green. Podziemski is a primary ballhandler on offense and is first in the team’s rotation of point-of-attack defenders.

He was terrific against the Spurs, playing at a fast tempo from the start and finishing with a game-high 27 points on efficient 9-of-14 shooting from the floor, including a career-high seven 3-pointers in nine attempts. He added six rebounds, five assists and was plus-22 over 27 minutes.

“To start the game, we did a good job of keeping our man in front,” Podziemski said. “That led to runouts, a couple easy ones for Jimmy early. We put both together.

“Coach put an emphasis on starting strong [Saturday] at practice. But he also told us we’re 10-0 [now 11-0] with this group that we’re starting right now. He challenged us to be better; it puts less pressure on that next wave of guys we bring in to have to fight back for us.”

With the Spurs building fortress around Curry and Butler, Podziemski took charge of the offense. Podziemski was plus-14 in nine first-quarter minutes, making both field-goal attempts. He added three rebounds and three assists, with one sloppy pass turning into a turnover.

“We’ve been talking about getting off to better starts, and we got off to a great start,” Kerr said. “The offense was crisp, and the guys did a good job defensively.”

The Warriors needed less than four minutes to build a double-digit lead (15-5, with 8:09 left in the first quarter) before pushing the advantage to 17 entering the second quarter. They led by as much as 29 points before halftime and coasted from there.

“We put it in our own hands,” Moody said. “We didn’t wait on the rhythm to come to us. We went and found it ourselves. We played faster. We started faster. Defense was the key to it.”

Podziemski was relatively ordinary over the first three games of the road trip, two of which ended in defeat. He was stellar in the fourth and afterward displayed his ability to listen to the pleas of the coaching staff.

“Just being really, really good in the first four [minutes] and the last four of each quarter,” Podziemski said of Kerr’s message. “Not letting team teams feel good going into the next quarter. That’s the biggest thing. Those eight minutes every quarter, that’s a big 32 minutes out of the 48.

“If we can control those minutes – obviously teams are going to go on runs; they’re great players for a reason – but if we can win the first and last four of each quarter, we’ll be alright.”

If Podziemski can elevate his game to his level against better competition, the Warriors at least have a chance to be all right.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Posted on

Kuminga offers hopeful ankle injury update after Warriors' win

Kuminga offers hopeful ankle injury update after Warriors' win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It appears Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga is in good spirits despite his early exit from Golden State’s 148-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at Frost Bank Center.

Kuminga was ruled out with right ankle soreness at halftime after a hard fall, aggravating the same ankle he injured earlier in the 2024-25 NBA season that caused him to miss 31 games.

The 22-year-old told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sam Gordon he’s “straight” after the win and is hopeful he won’t miss time after hurting the ankle again Sunday.

The injury came as Kuminga drove to the rim in the second quarter. As he jumped up with both feet, the two Spurs defenders on either side of him knocked him to the ground where he bounced off the hardwood. Kuminga initially mouthed he was “OK,” but ultimately hobbled to the Warriors’ locker room — and no foul was called on the play.

After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Kuminga will be evaluated Monday.

“Such a bummer,” Kerr told reporters. “[He was] just coming back, finding his rhythm, playing well. So, hopefully, it’s nothing too serious.”

Kuminga on Sunday was playing in his ninth contest back after his 31-game absence. The 22-year-old is averaging 16.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists during the 2024-25 NBA season, and 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in eight games since his March 13 return against the Sacramento Kings.

Before his early exit Sunday, Kuminga was a plus-9 in seven minutes with four points and one rebound.

As the Warriors cling to a one-game lead for the Western Conference’s No. 6 playoff seed, they’ll need all the on-court firepower they can get. And considering the athletic edge Kuminga brings every time he’s on the floor, Golden State certainly hopes his injury isn’t serious.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Posted on

What we learned as Podz, Moody torch Spurs in Warriors' blowout win

What we learned as Podz, Moody torch Spurs in Warriors' blowout win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

Can a statement win come against a team that’s the No. 13 seed in the Western Conference? It can when a gauntlet is on deck and dominance is displayed for all four quarters. 

The Warriors on Sunday dismantled the San Antonio Spurs, 148-106, at Frost Bank Center, putting together the kind of team-wide performance they’ve been searching for recently. The Warriors had two 40-point quarters, and their 148 points were a new season high.

Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green all enjoyed the show from the bench during the fourth quarter. All three had strong performances, but it was those around them who really stood out.

Brandin Podziemski fell two points shy of his career high, scoring 27 points to go with six rebounds and five assists. That gave Podziemski his first 20-point game since Feb. 21. 

Moses Moody gave Golden State two 20-point scorers, tallying 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, plus he also had three rebounds, three assists, three steals and one blocked shot.

The Warriors as a team shot 57.7 percent overall, had 44 rebounds and 42 assists, as well as 17 steals and 64 points in the paint.

Their win also had implications in the standings. The Warriors now have a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Clippers and a half-game lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 6 seed in the West. They’re one game back of the No. 5 seed, and two games behind the No. 4 seed.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ second consecutive win.

Strong Start

Starting games slow has been a frustrating staple for the Warriors all season long. They came into Sunday ranked 28th in the NBA in first-quarter points (26.7), and trailed through the first 12 minutes in each of their first three games of their current six-game road trip. Not in San Antonio, though. 

A new level of focus from the jump was on display. The Warriors played intense defense, hit outside shots and attacked the rim in the first quarter. The results were seen through the scoreboard. Their 44 points were the most the Warriors scored in the first quarter this season. 

And they did so with Curry taking one shot and scoring two points. 

Warriors coach Steve Kerr used nine players in the first quarter, and all nine scored. Butler scored 10 points, followed by nine from Green, five from Podziemski and Quinten Post, four from Moody and Jonathan Kuminga, three from Buddy Hield and two from Curry and Gui Santos. 

This wasn’t because of a 3-point barrage, too. The Warriors overall shot 70.8 percent from the field (17 of 24) in the first quarter, going 4 of 9 on threes (44.4 percent) and 13 of 15 on twos (86.7 percent). They scored 22 points in the paint, assisted on 12 of their 17 made shots and defensively swiped seven steals.

Down Goes Kuminga

The good vibes of the first quarter took a tough break with seven minutes remaining in the second quarter when Kuminga bounced off the hardwood.

Driving to the basket with two defenders guarding him, Kuminga jumped off two feet but crashed to the floor on his way down. Luckily for him, his heels hit the ground first, somewhat bracing Kuminga on the way down. But he still bounced and immediately appeared to be in pain. 

Kuminga seemed to mouth “I’m OK,” though he still walked gingerly down the tunnel and back to the locker room with Warriors director of medical services Drew Yoder. During halftime, Kuminga was ruled out for the rest of the game because of right ankle soreness. 

That has to be concerning for the Warriors with only two weeks remaining in the regular season. Kuminga from Jan. 5 through March 10 missed 31 games with a badly sprained right ankle. He had played in eight games since returning from injury, averaging 14.3 points per game. Kuminga was a plus-9 in seven minutes Sunday before his fall, scoring four points and grabbing one rebound.

3-Point Party

Golden State’s success always will come down to the new Big Three of Curry, Butler and Green. How those around them play can be what lifts the Warriors or brings them down. Role players like Podziemski, Kuminga, Moody and more are huge to the Warriors’ overall success. In a game where Kuminga went down to injury, two other youngsters stepped up.

Moody in the Warriors’ first 12 games out of the NBA All-Star break was a sharpshooter opposing defenses had to fear, shooting 45.8 percent from deep. But as his defensive responsibilities have ramped up, Moody had gone a lowly 6 of 32 (18.8 percent) on threes in the Warriors’ past six games. On Sunday night, Moody found his shot behind the 3-point line, going 3 of 6 while still being a menace defensively. 

Podziemski didn’t just have a strong game beyond the arc, but the best of his career. The second-year pro made a career-high seven threes after combining to go 3 of 13 in the Warriors’ previous two games. His seven threes set a new career-high. 

Every single starter made at least one 3-pointer. The Warriors shot 23.6 percent from three Friday night in New Orleans, only to then have a 15-point advantage from three two nights later, going 21 of 44 for a 47.7-percent clip. The cherry on top was Kevon Looney making a corner three in the fourth quarter, his first triple since March 19, 2021.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast