Category: Basketball

3 observations after Sixers set NBA starting lineups record in defeat to Knicks  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

NEW YORK — The Sixers tied their season-high losing streak and dipped to 30 games under .500 Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Their ninth consecutive loss was a 105-91 decision to the Knicks.

Quentin Grimes had 26 points, five assists and three steals for the 23-53 Sixers.

The 48-27 Knicks’ top scorer was OG Anunoby with 27 points.

Eight Sixers were out with injuries. Tyrese Maxey (right finger sprain) hasn’t played since March 3.

“He did practice (Friday). It went just medium,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame of Maxey. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, that was great’ … but he’s still working out today. He’ll work out tomorrow. And again, we’re hoping he feels a little bit better.

“He got a splint put on there and kind of liked it, but then it was bothering him post-practice a little bit. But again, we’re working him out and trying to get him back on the court.” 

Tyrese Maxey pregame at MSG. Hasn’t seemed super comfortable with his injured right hand. pic.twitter.com/RRPioVMr1n

— Noah Levick (@NoahLevick) April 1, 2025

The Knicks’ sidelined players included Jalen Brunson (right ankle sprain) and Karl-Anthony Towns (left knee soreness). 

The Sixers will return home and face the Bucks on Thursday night. Here are observations on their loss to the Knicks: 

Record-breaking night

The Sixers set a new NBA record before the game even tipped off. 

Through 76 games, the injury-cursed Sixers have used an unprecedented 52 starting lineups. Tuesday’s first unit was Grimes, Lonnie Walker IV, Justin Edwards, Ricky Council IV and Adem Bona. 

History has been made: with their 52nd unique starting lineup of the season, the 2024-25 Sixers have set the NBA record for most starting fives in an NBA season, breaking the record held by the 2023-24 Memphis Grizzlies.

Here is a look at each of the Sixers' 52 starting fives: pic.twitter.com/I0IN7MYCid

— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) April 1, 2025

Lineup No. 52 was certainly not the Sixers’ best. Grimes turned the ball over on the game’s first possession and Mitchell Robinson threw down a put-back dunk on the other end. An Anunoby three-pointer gave the Knicks a 9-1 edge. 

There’s many, many factors that have contributed to the Sixers’ woefully disappointing season. The simplest one is perhaps most important: Their team health has been historically poor. 

Lowry back at it 

Kyle Lowry got his first action since Feb. 9, checking in with Jared Butler at the 5:19 mark of the first quarter.

The 39-year-old guard has struggled with a right hip injury this year, but he didn’t plan to end it on the bench. 

“He’s been dealing with this hip issue for most of the season,” Nurse said. “He’s been working hard to try to get back and it took some time. Recently, he’s been feeling better, and he wants to play.”

The Sixers made a 7-0 run late in the first quarter and Lowry had a solid stretch. He tossed a high-low assist to Bona and nabbed a steal when he ripped the ball out of Anunoby’s hands. Nurse had forecast short stints for Lowry, but he played nearly nine minutes before subbing out.

Lowry ended up logging 16 total minutes Tuesday. He had zero points on 0-for-1 shooting, two assists, two steals, a block and a rebound.

Lottery odds outlook

The Sixers only mustered 16 points in the second quarter.

They started 3 for 18 as a team from three-point range and committed 13 first-half turnovers. Giveaways by Edwards and Marcus Bagley late in the second quarter led to two straight New York fast-break dunks. The Sixers trailed by 17 points at halftime.

To the Sixers’ credit, they played a strong third quarter. Two Walker layups cut the Sixers’ deficit down to 67-62.

The Knicks restored a comfortable lead by early in the fourth quarter. Former Sixer Landry Shamet sunk wide-open jumpers, Anunoby slammed in a big and-one dunk on Walker, and New York cruised to victory.

For the Sixers, it’s yet another positive step in terms of NBA draft lottery odds. After Tuesday, here’s how things stand:

• Fourth-best odds: Pelicans (21-54)
• Fifth-best: Sixers (23-53)
• Sixth-best: Nets (25-51)

Steph admits thinking about Klay's 3-point record before reality check originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Warriors star Steph Curry was a man on a mission in Golden State’s 134-125 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night at FedExForum.

The goal? Win the game — though he couldn’t help but think about former teammate Klay Thompson’s single-game 3-point record as he erupted for 52 points and 12 triples against Ja Morant and Co.

“That was the first two threes [attempts] of the fourth quarter; I definitely was thinking about Klay [setting the record] in Chicago,” Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kelenna Azubuike and Bob Fitzgerald on “Warriors Postgame Live” after the win. “This is as close as I’ve been with that amount of time left. But then after that, reality check. We got to win the game, so you don’t want to sabotage anything.”

"… The first two 3s of the fourth quarter, I definitely was thinking about Klay."

Steph was hunting his fellow Splash Brother's 3-point record 💦 pic.twitter.com/OMEmZGozvV

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

Curry came out firing against the Grizzlies with five 3-pointers in the first quarter. By halftime he had eight, but he only sank four more in the game’s final two quarters. But that certainly didn’t matter to the point guard as Golden State grabbed the victory and hurdled Memphis for the Western Conference’s No. 5 seed.

Thompson set a new single-game record with 14 3-pointers in Golden State’s game against the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 29, 2018 — an accolade that previously had belonged to Curry, who made 13 triples on Nov. 7, 2016, against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Curry has come close to taking back his crown multiple times since 2018. Before Tuesday’s flurry, he also made 12 3-pointers during a 56-point outburst in the Warriors’ 121-115 comeback win over the Magic on Feb. 27 in Orlando. After that game, Curry admitted he still had his sights set on Thompson’s record.

“Still chasing the 14, though,” Curry told reporters after that game. “So [Thompson] still got me on that.”

It remains to be seen when the 3-point king will be back on top in that category. But for now, his former Splash Bro still has bragging rights over him.

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What we learned as Steph erupts for 52 in Warriors' pivotal win over Grizzlies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Welcome to the fifth seed, Warriors.

Opening their most important week of the season as they stared down a gauntlet on the schedule, a scorching hot Steph Curry and the Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 134-125 at FedExForum on Tuesday night. The win gave Golden State the season tiebreaker over Memphis, pushing the Warriors to the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.

Once again, a tone was set early. 

After dropping 44 points in the first quarter Sunday in a 42-point win over the San Antonio Spurs, the Warriors scored 45 first-quarter points Tuesday night against the Grizzlies. That hot start proved to be extremely important. 

For the umpteenth time this season and in his storied 16-year NBA career, Curry proved to be appointment viewing in the Warriors’ win. Get your popcorn ready. It’s playoff push time, and the four-time champion is ready to roar.

Curry scored 52 points and made 12 3-pointers, giving him his second game with at least 50 points and 12 threes this season. He also fell just two assists shy of a triple-double, grabbing 10 rebounds. Adding to a historic night, Curry also had five steals.

Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green also rose to the occasion. Butler did it all with 27 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Green stuffed the stat sheet as always, finishing with a 13-point, 10-rebound, 12-assist triple-double.

Here are three takeaways from Curry’s sizzling night in Memphis.

Can’t Stop Steph

While the Warriors beat the Grizzlies in their previous matchup, they did so without Curry. The last time Curry played against the Grizzlies, he had perhaps the worst game of his career, being held to two points and didn’t make a single shot. Yes, the greatest shooter of all time went 0 of 7 from the field, missed all six of his 3-point attempts and was a minus-41 in 24 minutes on Dec. 19, 2024. 

More than three months later, Curry and the Warriors exacted their revenge. 

Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells, along with anybody else who tried to guard Curry, found themselves in a nightmare from the opening tip. Curry made his first five shots, including his first four 3-point attempts. He finished the first quarter scoring 19 points in 11 minutes, going 7 of 8 from the field and 5 of 6 on threes, also adding five rebounds, four assists and two steals. 

His encore was 13 more points and three more 3-pointers in the second quarter, giving Curry 32 points and eight threes at halftime. Curry’s 32 points were his most going into halftime this season, and his eight threes tied his career high for a half.

He reached 40 points with six and a half minutes left in the third quarter. Curry entered the fourth quarter with eight minutes to go and the Warriors ahead 109-107. Over the final eight minutes of the game, Curry scored seven points and made his 12th and final three.

Big Three

This wasn’t a complete one-man show where Curry had to carry the Warriors on his back. It was, for the most part, surely. Butler and Green had their fingerprints on the win, too.

Green got the scoring going by hitting a three to start the game. Butler made his first five shots and went into halftime having 15 points, four rebounds and four assists. Though Green’s shot went cold after his opening three, he had seven points, four rebounds and six assists through the first two quarters.

On a night when Curry scored 52 points, anything from Butler and Green was a welcome addition for the Warriors. Butler scored 10 points in the fourth quarter alone, and Green only added to his Defensive Player of the Year case as he battled Jaren Jackson Jr.

As Butler and Green combined to score 40 points, fellow starters Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody combined to score 18.

Free Throws Fix 3-Point Issues 

Zach Edey was taken with the No. 9 pick in last June’s NBA draft. Quinten Post didn’t have his name called until the 52nd pick. Yet both rookie centers have been huge to their team’s success.

Their skill sets are about as different as one can imagine, despite both being 7-footers. Edey, while trying to expand his outside shot, is an old-school center whose size was tough for the Warriors to handle. The former Purdue star was a team-high plus-15, tallying 10 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks.

Post is a new-age stretch-five who has been the Warriors’ most reliable 3-point shooter behind Curry. He also didn’t play in any of the Warriors’ three previous games against the Grizzlies this season. In his first matchup with Edey and the Grizzlies, Post made his mark, hitting three 3-pointers, giving him the Warriors’ second-most threes behind Curry’s 12.

The only Warriors to make multiple threes were Curry (12), Post (three) and Buddy Hield (two). Curry’s teammates went 10 of 36 from 3-point range (27.7 percent). Meanwhile, four Grizzlies made multiple threes, including four players who made at least four. The Grizzlies as a team made 18 threes and shot 40.9 percent behind the 3-point line.

Luckily for the Warriors, the free-throw line was their best friend. The Warriors were a perfect 28 of 28 at the charity stripe. Butler went 12 of 12, Curry was 8 of 8, Green was 4 of 4, and Hield and Gui Santos each went 2 of 2 on free throws. That’s their most made free throws in a game without a miss in 34 years, last doing so in April of 1991.

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