Category: Basketball

Basketball News

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No. 2 Arizona freshmen dominate Denver with career-high performances

Brayden Burries and Ivan Kharchenkov each scored a career-high 20 points and No. 2 Arizona got 72 points from freshmen in a 103-73 win over Denver on Monday night. Burries was 7 of 13 from the field, making 3 of 7 from 3-point range, and added seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Kharchenkov was 9 for 12 from the field as the Wildcats (6-0) won their 41st consecutive home game against an unranked opponent. Fellow freshman Dwayne Aristode had a career high with 17 points, making 4 of 8 from 3-point range, while Tobe Awaka and Koa Peat each had 12 points.

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Sharp, Uzan power No. 3 Houston past Syracuse in OT

MICHIGAN 94, SAN DIEGO STATE 54 LAS VEGAS (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg scored 15 points and Michigan routed San Diego State in the opening round of the Players Era tournament. Elliot Cadeau and Morez Johnson Jr. each had 13 points. Nimari Burnett and Rodd Gale Jr. scored 11 apiece and Will Tschetter added 10.

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Karl-Anthony Towns 'trusting the work' after carrying Knicks to win over Nets

It took a decent chunk of time --  perhaps 15 games, in an attempt to quantify the stretch -- for Karl-Anthony Towns to discover his purpose and play with confidence in a reworked Knicks offense under new head coach Mike Brown. 

But the veteran superstar finally found what he was looking for.

While the Knicks didn't need Towns to assert much dominance in order to clinch a 12th straight win over the city-rival Nets on Monday night, he immediately commanded the spotlight and delivered welcomed efficiency. Not only did he score a game-high 37 points with 12 rebounds in their 113-100 win at Barclays Center, he shot 14-of-20 from the floor.

Towns didn't rely on three-point attempts this time. Yes, he still took a few jumpers from beyond the arc, making three on four tries, but the big man's attack plan sparked a breakout effort. He attacked the rim instead, asserting his dominance in the paint as the Knicks' go-to weapon. He was an aggressor, not a settler.

"I've had slumps before, experience teaches me a lot. Keep shooting, keep trusting the work," Towns said after the win. "I know it's disappointing, especially for me who puts so much time in the gym and you're not seeing the results every day you'd like at the standard you anticipate. But never change the grind."

The Knicks fell just short of attempting 40 threes in Brooklyn -- they were five off from the number Brown hopes the team averages this season -- but high-octane offense can be displayed in different ways. And what the team received was Towns contributing in all spaces.

Of course, Towns exploited weaker competition. It shouldn't matter to the Knicks, though. They're allowed to be pleased this version of him showed up. They're allowed to believe this performance returns and lifts the offense to an even higher level.

"He was really good. Again, trying to move him around quite a bit," Brown said of Towns. "Tried to have him at the elbow, in the post, in the pick-and-roll game. You can see his comfort level is starting to get there... Great game by KAT, picking his sports to drive it, shoot it, spray it."

Towns is averaging 21.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.4 rebounds with nearly one-fifth of the regular-season in the books. He's still searching for that valuable groove from three, though -- his shot percentage of 31.4 is currently a career-low.

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Knicks use big second half to put away Nets, secure second road win of season

The Knicks picked up their 12th consecutive win over the Nets, 113-110, on Monday night at Barclays Center. 

Here are some takeaways...

- Mike Brown turned to a smaller lineup with Mitchell Robinson (illness) and OG Anunoby (hamstring) sidelined, as Josh Hart received his first start of the season alongside Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns. 

- That group got off to an extremely sloppy start on both ends of the floor. The Knicks shot 4-of-14 from the field over the opening few minutes and continued giving up open looks from downtown, allowing Brooklyn to hold a slim two-point advantage when the first quarter came to a close (26-24). 

Noah Clowney got off to a strong start for the Nets, leading the team with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting. 

- New York's second unit of Hart, Towns, Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson, and Ariel Hukporti got them going early in the second. Even with Brunson resting on the bench, they were able to put together a commanding 11-0 run to open their largest lead of the first half, at the time (eight). 

The Knicks looked like they were ready to put this one away as they pushed the advantage out to as many as a dozen, but Brooklyn answered back with a late first-half surge, and they were able to cut it all the way back down to a one-possession game heading into the break (51-48). 

Both teams shot a combined 25 percent from behind the arc over the first two quarters (NY 3/14, BKN 7/26). 

- Things were back-and-forth coming out of the break before the Knicks took over and opened a comfortable double-digit advantage that they never looked back from. New York scored a game-high 38 points in the third quarter while shooting 64 percent from the field, including 5-of-9 from behind the arc. 

- Towns led the way in perhaps his best offensive showing of the season, finishing with 37 points on 14-of-20 shooting (just 3-of-4 from three) while reeling in 12 rebounds and dishing three assists. The big man did have a bit of a scare after falling hard on his hip on a drive to the basket early in the fourth, but he returned to the court after a timeout.

Brunson had 27 points, Bridges chipped in 16 points, and Hart did it all (seven points, 12 rebounds, seven assists). 

- Jordi Fernandez's young and hungry squad showed much more fight this time compared to the last meeting. Clowney finished with a career-high 31 points on the night including seven threes, Drake Powell pitched in 15 on 5-of-10 shooting, and big man Nic Claxton had eight points. 

New York picked up their second road win of the season in seven tries. 

Game MVP: Karl-Anthony Towns

The big man dominated the paint all night, finishing with a game-high 37 points. 

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks close their road trip with an NBA Cup matchup with the Hornets on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

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Sharp and Uzan shine in OT as No. 3 Houston outlasts Syracuse 78-74 at Players Era

Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan each scored 26 points, teaming for all 11 of No. 3 Houston's points in overtime, in the Cougars' 78-74 victory over Syracuse on Monday in the opening round of the Players Era. Uzan, playing in his hometown, scored six points in OT and Sharp had five to keep the Cougars (6-0) undefeated. Chris Cenac Jr. scored all eight of his points after halftime and had 12 rebounds.

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Wizards rookie Tre Johnson to miss weeks due to hip injury

Tre Johnson, the rookie guard who is one of the lone bright spots in Washington's ugly start to the season, will miss multiple weeks dealing with a hip flexor issue, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post reports.

Johnson was out for the Washington on Saturday, then on Monday the team confirmed the injury but did not provide an official return timeline.

This is the same injury that caused Johnson to miss time last season at Texas, and he had been playing through some pain there, according to Shankar at the Post.

Johnson is averaging 11.5 points a game and shooting 39.5% from 3-point range. Because of the injury, Johnson had seen his minutes drop, playing fewer than 20 in his last three before being ruled out. Look for Cam Whitmore and Corey Kispert to get more run with Johnson sidelined.

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How fiery Steve Kerr sparked Warriors' scorching second quarter in win over Jazz

How fiery Steve Kerr sparked Warriors' scorching second quarter in win over Jazz originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – With Draymond Green watching from the bench Monday night, the Warriors shook off an ugly first quarter, pressed the “power” button in the second quarter and became the team Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Steve Kerr keep insisting they are.

Hustle? Check. Grit? Check. Ball movement? Check. Rebounding? Check. Shooting. Check. Spirited defense, without Draymond? Double check. And two – two – turnovers, neither of which was costly.

Those 12 scorching minutes during which the Warriors outscored Utah by 21 launched them to a 134-117 victory that buried a three-game losing streak.

It all came together and a very visible tongue-lashing by Steve Kerr late in the first quarter.

“We just wanted some good vibes around here,” said Curry, who scored a game-high 31 points. “We had good practice yesterday. Utah was coming off a back-to-back (set). We wanted to get off to a better start than we did.

“But we responded after that quick timeout. Coach lit a fire underneath us, and I’m just glad the way we responded as a whole. We know we can play better, but it’s nice to have a little bit of offensive rhythm tonight and see the ball go in after a rough start.

Kerr, hopping off the bench to call a timeout, was livid about a defensive breakdown by Brandin Podziemski with 1:53 left in the first quarter that allowed Keyonte George to drain a wide-open 3-pointer, his fourth in the quarter without a miss.

“Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen were the two guys that we wanted to contain tonight and pay special attention to,” Kerr said. “And 10 minutes into the game, George is 4-for-4 from 3. Wide open shots. We just lost our focus, and I just wanted to gently remind them that we needed to focus more.”

The Warriors were being torched, as the Jazz shot 61.9 percent from the field, including 70 percent from beyond the arc, in the first quarter. Utah led by as much as 11 and took a 35-26 lead into the second quarter.

“Talents like that, they’re going to score,” Curry said. “But we gave him four wide-open 3s. And anybody knows that shouldn’t happen in this league if you’re keying on two of their best players, two of their best scorers.”

Kerr’s reminder prompted the Warriors to grow fangs and use them in the second quarter. They opened with a 21-0 run and outscored Utah 41-20. They limited the Jazz to 8-of-27 shooting from the field, including 2-of-11 from distance.

Meanwhile, Golden State was shooting 58.6 percent from the field, including 53.8 percent from deep, with Moses Moody (10 points) and Buddy Hield (nine) accounting for almost half the 41 points, while Pat Spencer and rookie Will Richard came off the bench, bringing energy.

The game had flipped. The Warriors, despite a few lapses, looked like a different team over the final three quarters, posting a 108-82 advantage.

“We took care of the ball, and that’s priority No. 1 for us,” Kerr said, referring to eight turnovers after the first quarter. “When we take care of it, we generally win. We’re 9-1 now, when we win a turnover battle, and like 1-8 when we don’t. It’s obvious what our measuring stick is, and that helps our defense. I like that. I like the way the ball moved. And once we got a Pat and Will out there, I really liked the ball movement, the flow, the energy, it just it felt right.”

One clue of the team’s energy is that of the 11 Warriors who played, all but one grabbed at least two rebounds. The persistence on the glass allowed them to post a 50-47 rebounding edge over a much bigger Utah squad.
Hield, slumping most of the season, delivered his most productively efficient game thus far, finishing with a season-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, including 4-of-8 from distance. He added five rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes.

From big things to the little things – the kind of things neglected all too often – it was 36 minutes of high-quality hoops that allowed the Warriors to roll to a rare feel-good win.

Now, it’s about staying on point, finding consistency and gathering momentum.

“That’s the biggest thing, understanding how they’re trying to score who’s going to have the ball,” Curry said. “But you have to just go step-by-step in terms of us putting together 48 minutes of solid sound defense, where we’re truly proud of the way we play, start to finish.

“We know we haven’t done that yet.”

With 63 games remaining, there will be plenty of opportunities to change that.

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Keegan Murray shines thanks to new mindset in Kings' OT win vs. Timberwolves

Keegan Murray shines thanks to new mindset in Kings' OT win vs. Timberwolves  originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The difference a two-way wing like Keegan Murray can make. 

Behind Murray’s 26 points and a career-best 14 rebounds, the Kings, 18 games later, picked up consecutive wins for the first time in the 2025-26 NBA season, edging past the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-112 in overtime on Monday night at Golden 1 Center. 

In October, Murray tore the UCL in his left thumb during a preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers and underwent surgery, forcing him to miss the first 15 games of the season.

In that span, the Kings racked up a poor 3-12 record, including an eight–game losing skid. It appeared as if there were no possible remedies to Sacramento’s ailment. 

Insert, Murray, who early on in his third season, is proving why the Kings shelled out a five-year, $140 million extension for his services. 

“It makes a big difference having Keegan Murray back,” veteran DeMar DeRozan told NBC Sports California’s Kyle Draper, Morgan Ragan and Deuce Mason on “Kings Postgame Live.” 

“One of our best players. A guy that could go out and do everything. He changed the dynamic of the floor, so having him out there definitely helps.” 

Sacramento now has won two of the three games that have featured Murray. The 25-year-old is back. The Kings are back. 

But perhaps more importantly, Murray’s long-awaited two-way aggressiveness and fierce mentality are here.

“I think I just had a really good offseason,” Murray told reporters. “I got away from Sacramento a little bit. I feel like I just unlocked a different mindset going into this year. 

“Obviously, I couldn’t start this season. Obviously, I missed a month to start. For me, it’s just finding my rhythm back and each game I’m feeling more comfortable on the court. So, aggression is not really an issue for me this year.”

Murray drilled a wide-open 3-pointer to give the Kings a 110-107 lead with two minutes left in overtime, helping Sacramento overcome a once 10-point deficit with 3:04 minutes left in the fourth quarter. 

DeRozan, who surpassed Alex English in the league’s all-time scoring list, posted a team-high 33 points. 

Malik Monk added 22 points off the bench for the Kings, while Precious Achiuwa registered 10 points and seven rebounds for Sacramento.

With a menacing Murray on the floor, purple beams await the Kings.

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