They’re saying 2025 Final Four repeats the history of 2008, and, by seed, they’re right. In many other ways, this Final Four is so much different.
Sporticast 436: Breaking Down the NBA’s Europe Expansion Plans
On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams are joined by Richard Gillis, host of the Unofficial Partner podcast, to talk about big news in both the NBA and European sports. The NBA is looking into launching its own league in Europe, one that would blend aspects of major American leagues and also incorporate parts of the European sports culture.
The NBA has been exploring a more comprehensive European strategy for more than a year, including options that included working with the establish EuroLeague, or working in competition with it. The current plan is a hybrid of sorts–one with a set number of permanent new franchises, and slots for EuroLeague teams to qualify into on a yearly basis. Owners discussed the plans at owners meeting in New York City last week, and commissioner Adam Silver spoke publicly about the discussions on Thursday.
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The plan would be for the NBA to own about half of the league, with franchise owners holding the rest of the equity. Silver made it clear last week that NBA owners would not own the European clubs themselves, they would be sold to outside groups.
The hosts talk about the cultural differences between U.S. sports and European sports. They include salary caps, regional history and profit motives. Will European fans support this? Who might want to own clubs? And what are the potential hurdles?
They also talk about the various successes and struggles that U.S. leagues have had in their overseas pursuits. The NBA is at an advantage relative to many of its peers because of the sheer popularity of its sport across Europe, both for fans and for participants. Compare that with the NFL, which has neither, and failed to sustain its own European league launched in the 1990s.
They close by pondering the “Why Now?” for the NBA. The league is also considering domestic expansion, but its labor peace and new TV deals have launched a few year stretch of relative stability, a time when leagues typically look toward their longer-term projects.
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Warriors begin most important week of season with four-game gauntlet
Warriors begin most important week of season with four-game gauntlet originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Drama until the very last day.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is getting his wish. As a handful of teams are packing their bags with four-leaf clovers in hopes of losing enough to win the NBA draft lottery, a number of spots remain up for grabs in the standings. The Warriors’ regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center could decide which of the two teams are in the playoffs as opposed to the play-in tournament.
April 13 also can’t be top of mind for the Warriors. At least not yet.
The week ahead can see the Warriors, currently the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, rise or fall with four games against teams ahead of them in the standings. It already began Monday for teams like the Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets. For the Warriors, the first stop on this litmus test is FedExForum in Memphis on Tuesday night.
“Big game coming against Memphis. We’ll be well-rested and in rhythm for that,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Sunday night to reporters in San Antonio after their 42-point win against the Spurs. “Big stretch coming.”
The Grizzlies now have lost three straight games. They’re 0-2 under interim coach Tuomas Iiasalo after Taylor Jenkins’ shocking exit, losing Monday night to the Boston Celtics 117-103. If the Warriors (43-31) beat the Grizzlies (44-31), playing on the second night of a back-to-back, they’ll be a half-game ahead of them as the No. 5 seed in the West.
A win also would make the Warriors 3-1 against the Grizzlies this season, giving them the tiebreaker between the two teams.
“If we can beat Memphis, we get the tiebreaker over them, that’s huge” Kerr acknowledged. “We’re right there with the Clippers. The Lakers are only a couple ahead. We got them after, so it’s quite a race going down the stretch.
“We have a difficult schedule. Our last eight games are pretty tough. We’re going to have to continue to play well.”
The No. 5 through No. 8 seed in the West, with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season, are separated by one game.
- 5) Grizzlies 44-31
- 6) Warriors 43-31
- 7) Timberwolves 43-32
- 8) Clippers 43-32
Ahead of the Grizzlies by two games are the Lakers at 46-29. But their final seven games aren’t going to be the easiest.
The Lakers have the second-hardest strength of schedule left in the West, playing the Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans at home, Oklahoma City Thunder two consecutive games on the road, the ninth-seeded Dallas Mavericks on the road, and then the Rockets back at home before ending the regular season on the road in Portland against the Trail Blazers.
Following their game in Memphis, the Warriors will end their six-game road trip in LA against the Lakers, just to come home the next day to play the third-seeded Denver Nuggets (47-28) after being on the road for 14 straight days. They’ll get one day off and then host Houston – the No. 2 seed at 49-27 – to round out this challenge of a four-game stretch that can determine their playoff fate.
Playing the Suns in Phoenix should have made it a five-game gauntlet but no team has been more underwhelming, and a sprained left ankle might keep Kevin Durant sidelined.
“Every game we’ve been playing has been important probably for the last 20 games,” Kevon Looney said. “These last seven, eight are going to be just as important. We know the opportunity that we have in front of us. We have to make sure that we can capitalize.
“Each game is going to be difficult, definitely playing on the road. Those teams know it’s going to be a big game as well. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s a chance for us to grow, it’s a chance for us to gain some ground.”
These are the meaningful games Steph Curry and Draymond Green have begged for. Jimmy Butler will have to get into a phone booth and turn into Playoff Jimmy before the postseason even begins. Kerr and the Warriors know they can count on Looney under the bright lights of the playoffs.
He has been there and done that in the biggest games. Young players like Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody in a starting lineup that now is 11-0 have not, yet. Their performances in a get-right blowout win over the Spurs might have created the kind of momentum they’ll need for the most important week of the Warriors’ season.
Podziemski and Moody, two 22-year-olds, were the Warriors’ leading scorers. While Podziemski scored 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting and made a career-high seven 3-pointers, Moody was 3 of 6 from 3-point range and finished 7 of 11 overall for 20 points.
“The good thing about our schedule is that we play everybody that’s above us, except OKC,” Podziemski said.
“It’s a sprint to the finish,” Moody said. “That’s what it is right now. It’s hard for me to pay attention to what the other teams are doing. If somebody wins, if somebody loses – whatever – I just know that if we win then stuff is going to go how we want it to.
“Focusing on that. Winning the next game. Winning the game after that. Just sprinting to the finish.”
Will it be a clear path for the Warriors, or an obstacle course too hard to handle? The playoffs still are to come. The intensity has arrived.
DePaul takes on Cincinnati following Blocker’s 25-point game
Cincinnati averages 70.5 points and has outscored opponents by 4.8 points per game. DePaul ranks sixth in the Big East shooting 34.6% from 3-point range. Cincinnati's average of 7.3 made 3-pointers per game this season is just 0.1 fewer made shots on average than the 7.4 per game DePaul gives up.
Villanova plays Colorado following Poplar’s 25-point outing
Villanova averages 73.4 points and has outscored opponents by 5.9 points per game. Colorado allows 71.5 points to opponents and has been outscored by 1.6 points per game. Villanova scores 73.4 points per game, 1.9 more points than the 71.5 Colorado gives up.
Williams leads Nebraska against Georgetown
Nebraska scores 75.7 points while outscoring opponents by 2.7 points per game. Georgetown averages 72.1 points per game, 0.9 fewer points than the 73.0 Nebraska gives up. Nebraska averages 6.5 more points per game (75.7) than Georgetown allows (69.2).
Butler takes on Boise State following Brooks’ 22-point performance
Boise State averages 75.3 points and has outscored opponents by 9.4 points per game. Butler is 3-4 in games decided by 3 points or fewer. Boise State makes 46.1% of its shots from the field this season, which is 2.3 percentage points higher than Butler has allowed to its opponents (43.8%).
Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: Pelle Larsson heating up as starter
Two weeks. That’s all that remains in the 2024-25 regular season. If you’re still playing, that means you’re either in your championship week or one of the brave souls that will play through the end of the regular season. Perhaps you’re in a roto league and looking for a few extra games to close out the season. Regardless of your situation, streaming continues to get more important every week due to the lineup shenanigans that continue to happen. These seven players are worth considering for the rest of this week.
SG Pelle Larsson (1%), Miami Heat
Head coach Erik Spoelstra wasn’t able to provide a timeline for Andrew Wiggins’ return as he missed his second-straight game with a hamstring injury on Monday. Larsson started in his place once again and should remain in that role moving forward. Through two starts, Larsson has averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals, 1.0 block and 1.0 triple while playing 30 minutes per game. Miami has three more games this week.
PF/C Kyle Filipowski (36%), Utah Jazz
Filipowski is probably rostered in the leagues that are still active, but if he remains available, he should be picked up everywhere. He has started Utah’s last five games and scored in double figures in each of them. He recorded his second-straight double-double during Monday’s loss, and there are likely more on the way.
SF/PF Brice Sensabaugh (7%), Utah Jazz
Sensabaugh has been a consistent scoring option off the bench for Utah recently, but he slid into the starting unit in place of Cody Williams (illness) on Monday. He ended up contributing 19 points, five assists, three steals and five triples in 26 minutes. Especially if Sensabaugh continues to start on Wednesday, he is worth streaming, mostly for points and triples.
PG/SG/SF KeonEllis (25%), Sacramento Kings
Ellis has been quiet over Sacramento’s last two games, but the fact that he is starting makes him worth rostering. He is more than capable of racking up the defensive stats in a hurry, and the Kings have three more games this week for him to do just that. Malik Monk has also struggled, so there shouldn’t be any fear of Ellis losing his job at this point.
PG/SG Gabe Vincent (1%), Los Angeles Lakers
Vincent had one of his best games of the season on Monday with 20 points and six triples in 24 minutes, which comes two days after he had 15 points and four triples in 23 minutes. Finding players with a consistent workload is sometimes hard to find on the waiver wire, and Vincent is on a hot streak. They have three more games this week, including a back-to-back on Thursday and Friday, which could mean a rest night for some of the stars.
SF/PF/C Dorian Finney-Smith (7%), Los Angeles Lakers
Much like Vincent, DFS had one of his best games of the season with 20 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, three blocks and six triples in 32 minutes. He has played at least 30 minutes in five straight games, and while managers shouldn’t expect production to this level often, the upside is clearly there.
PG/SG Keon Johnson (20%), Brooklyn Nets
Johnson has played a large role consistently for the Nets, and he had one of his best games of the season on Monday with 24 points. The only knock of Johnson as a streaming option is that Brooklyn only plays two more games this week. However, he is guaranteed to play a significant role in each game.
Lakers hold off Rockets to score important home win amid playoff seeding race
The Lakers have “recognized the magnitude” of every game they have to play as the season winds down, their coach JJ Redick saying they have to play each of them with an urgency to determine their own playoff seeding fate in the super-competitive Western Conference.
It really is simple for the Lakers: Keep winning and that will improve their seeding in the unforgiving West.
And win the Lakers did on Monday night, pulling out a gritty 104-98 win over the Rockets at Crypto.com Arena. It was an especially significant win because the fourth place Lakers are chasing second-place Houston in the Western Conference standings.
LeBron James sealed the game with two free throws with 11.1 seconds left and an emphatic block of Alperen Sengun with eight seconds remaining, keeping the Lakers ahead by four.
James finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
But two role players helped swing critical momentum in the Lakers' favor.
Dorian Finney-Smith came off the bench to score a season high 20 points, making a season-best six of 11 three-pointers. He rebounded the ball well (six), passed to open teammates (three assists), played his usual stellar defense (three blocks) and didn’t back down while while guarding Houston 6-foot-11 center Steve Adams. They pushed and shoved each other, getting technical fouls midway through the third quarter.
Finney-Smith completed his night making two free throws with 3.2 seconds left to seal the final score.
Gabe Vincent came off the bench to contribute 20 points, hitting six of 13 three-pointers to go along with four rebounds.
The Lakers and Rockets have split the first two games of the season and play once more at Crypto.com Arena on April 11. It will be another important game that will determine the seeding tiebreaker if the two teams end the season with identical records.
Read more:Rebuilding from ruins: Lakers coach JJ Redick aims to fix Palisades rec center
After the win, the Lakers are 2 ½-games behind the second-seeded Rockets and one game behind the third-seeded Denver Nuggets.
With seven regular-season games remaining, the Lakers still are in the mix for a good seed and home-court advantage.
“I think it’s intensified with the entire group — coaches and players,” Redick said of the seeding battle. “That’s not to say that we need to talk about it every day. I know the players have talked about it with each other. We’ve talked about it as a group, we talked about it as a staff and I still think one of the hardest things in life is navigating control versus non-control. And in some ways, we can control what seed we get. We can control if we make the playoffs. We have to go out and play well. Even at this stage of the season where we’ve had a couple of bad stretches, we still can kind of control where we’re seeded and if we make the playoffs.”
By the half, the Lakers and Rockets were tied at 48-48, with Luka Doncic (20 points) making one of two free throws with 1.3 seconds left in the second quarter.
Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 20 points, while Dillon Brooks chipped in 16.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
5 things to know about Houston
Before Jon Scheyer coached his first game as Duke’s head coach, he coached a game against Houston as Duke’s head coach. Duke and Houston, for teams that haven’t played very often, are creating a bit of history. The Blue Devils and Cougars have only played once — last year’s Sweet 16, a win by Duke.
College coaches see a game shifting beneath piles of NIL cash as March Madness arrives
More than the deep runs in March Madness, the 660 victories over 37 years or even the 20 or so players he coached who ended up making millions in the NBA, Leonard Hamilton is proud of a number he can count on one hand. It is, he says, the number of players he coached at Miami, and then for the past 23 seasons at Florida State, who failed to graduate. Hamilton, now 76 and stepping away from a business he barely recognizes anymore, says he is at peace with leaving coaching behind.
Maryland’s Derik Queen says he’s unsure about his future; 4 others enter transfer portal
Maryland’s outstanding starting unit — nicknamed the “Crab Five” — is splintering in the wake of Willard’s exit.
Rutgers star freshman Dylan Harper declares for NBA draft
Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper announced Monday he’s leaving college and entering the NBA draft.
Keon Johnson's 24 points powers Nets' comeback win over Mavericks, 113-109
DALLAS (AP) — Keon Johnson scored 24 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Dallas Mavericks 113-109 on Monday night to win consecutive games for the first time since the All-Star break.
D’Angelo Russell added 18 points and 11 assists for the Nets (25-51), who last won two in a row during a three-game winning streak from Feb. 7-12. Playing without leading scorer Cam Johnson, who has a back injury, Brooklyn rallied from a 10-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter with a 12-0 run.
Daniel Gafford scored 17 points in his first game since Feb. 10 for the Mavericks (37-39), who were trying to reach .500 for the first time since March 10.
Anthony Davis had 12 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes in his first home game since being injured Feb. 8 in his initial Mavericks appearance following the trade that sent superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Davis returned last week and played three road games.
The Mavericks are ninth in the West, a half-game ahead of 10th-place Sacramento.
Takeaways
Nets: They finished 8-7 in road games against the West and overall are better on the road (14-26) than at home (11-25). Jalen Wilson and Drew Timme played before hometown fans. Wilson, from Denton, Texas, scored 12 points. Timme, from Richardson, had nine points in his third game after signing with Brooklyn last Friday.
Mavericks: Dereck Lively II, out since Jan. 14 with an ankle stress fracture, could return this week.
Key moment
Nic Claxton scored on a reverse layup with 47 seconds left and was fouled, the 51.7% free-throw shooter completing the three-point play for a 111-107 lead.
Key stat
The Nets hit 20 of 51 3-pointers to the Mavericks’ 10 of 30.
Up next
The Mavericks will host Atlanta on Wednesday. The Nets will begin a four-game homestand Thursday against Minnesota.
Miles Bridges scores 26 as Hornets beat Jazz 110-106 to snap 5-game losing streak
Miles Bridges had 26 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Utah Jazz 110-106 on Monday night to snap a five-game losing streak. Mark Williams added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Hornets, who held the Jazz to 41% shooting. Keyonte George had 20 points and Brice Sensabaugh added 19 points on five 3-pointers for the Jazz.