Category: Basketball

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Another big Shai Gilgeous-Alexander game, another third-quarter run earns Thunder Game 2

Minnesota played better in Game 2.

Anthony Edwards was much more himself attacking downhill, he shot 8-of-12 in the paint on his way to 32 points for the night. In the first half, Minnesota's bench was 7-of-12 for 19 points, and as a team the Wolves hit nine 3-pointers before the break. Minnesota looked much improved, yet at the half the Timberwolves still had a 106.4 offensive rating (10 points below their season average) and trailed by 8.

Then in the third quarter the Thunder took control. Just like in Game 1. Their pressure defense forced five Timberwolves turnovers, OKC got 12 points off those and went on a 19-6 run, and by the end of three, Minnesota was down 22 and trying to play catch-up.

They couldn't. Minnesota got as close as 10, but the game was never in doubt, and the Timberwolves were more frustrated than anything.

" I just wanted to foul him for real. I wasn't even mad I just had fouls to use," Jade McDaniels said of the foul, which was ruled a Flagrant 1.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked every bit the MVP with 38 points and eight assists and Oklahoma City held on for the 118-103 win.

Oklahoma City now has a 2-0 series lead, with Game 3 Saturday night in Minnesota.

Gilgeous-Alexander's 38 points was his fifth straight game with 30+ points these playoffs, becoming the only Thunder player to accomplish that (which is impressive and maybe a little surprising considering the Thunder's history and who came through there).

From the opening tip, Minnesota's plan of attack was clear: Attack the rim to try and open things up, get 3-point attempts on kick outs (not settling for them as happened in Game 1). On those 3s the Timberwolves were 5-of-10 in the first quarter, keeping the game tight, despite shooting 3-of-14 inside the arc to open the game. The Timberwolves' ball movement was better. OKC starting the game 1-of-8 from 3 in the first quarter helped.

Things changed in the second half of the third quarter when Oklahoma City figured out the Minnesota zone, forced turnovers and went on the run that changed the game.

Jalen Williams finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Chet Holmgren added 22 points for OKC.

McDaniels finished with 22 points, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker had a strong game with 17 points off the bench.

Through two games, the Thunder have looked much the better team. Minnesota needs to find a way to flip that in 48 hours, or this series will be all but over.

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Andrew Brandt Aids Louisville Sports Contract Talks in New Role

The sweeping commercialization of major college sports hasn’t just created new earning opportunities for athletes—it’s also unlocked career paths for professionals who might never have envisioned working in the space. That includes Andrew Brandt, a prominent sports lawyer and former Green Bay Packers executive. For the past 12 years, Brandt has led the Jeffrey S. …

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North Florida head coach Matthew Driscoll resigns to become associate head coach at Kansas State

North Florida coach Matthew Driscoll resigned after 16 years with the Ospreys on Thursday and accepted a job as the associate head coach on Jerome Tang's staff at Kansas State. The 60-year-old Driscoll and Tang have known each other for more than two decades, spending six seasons together on Scott Drew's staff at Baylor. Driscoll left to become head coach at North Florida in 2009, and led the Ospreys to three Atlantic Sun regular-season titles, the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and the NIT the following year.

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Nuggets remove interim tag, hire David Adelman as next head coach

"He had three games to change something, and I think he changed the energy. I think the guys were woken up a little bit. The guys had more energy. He made us believe in something, and we played good, you know? We played a seven-game series with probably the best team in the NBA, and we had opportunity. We had chances. So I think he did a really good job."

That was Nikola Jokic praising the job David Adelman did as the interim coach of the Denver Nuggets, a sentiment echoed by other veterans such as Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray, with many of them saying they hoped he got the job full-time. You can guess what comes next.

"We're going to move forward with David Adelman as our head coach," Josh Kroenke, the Nuggets vice chairman and interim president of basketball operations (after Calvin Booth was fired), said to open his end-of-season press conference. The two sides have agreed to terms.

Kronke said he originally planned to start looking outside the organization for the next head coach, but as he watched how the team bonded and played through the postseason, he realized he had the guy he wanted already in house.

Adelman was thrust into a difficult position, becoming head coach with three games left in the season when Kroenke fired coach Michael Malone and Booth, a duo that had been feuding for years, casting a cloud over the organization. Kroenke hoped the firing would jolt the team out of its slump and it seemed to as they went 3-0 in the rest of the regular season, then in the playoffs beat the Clippers in seven tough games, then pushed the Thunder seven games before falling short.

Adelman held his own in tactical adjustments with two of the better Xs and Os coaches in the league in Tyronn Lue and Mark Daigneault. He also won over the players, as they told Bennett Durando at the Denver Post.

"I love DA," Aaron Gordon said. "I hope he's here next year. I hope he's our coach. I hope he gets an entire training camp and a whole offseason."

"I'm hoping he gets that job," added Michael Porter Jr. "I think he's a great, personable coach."

Adelman, the son of coaching legend Rick Adelman, got his first NBA job as a player development specialist in Minnesota under his father. After his father retired, the younger Adelman was an assistant coach in Orlando before being hired by Denver and working his way up to being a top assistant under Malone. Adelman had interviewed for multiple NBA head coaching jobs before this one fell in his lap, but he took full advantage of it and gets to keep the gig.

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Purdy teases NBA playoff game appearance to support Haliburton

Purdy teases NBA playoff game appearance to support Haliburton originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton’s public support of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is well documented, and now the NFL star is returning the favor for his former Iowa State classmate.

During an interview on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” on Thursday, Purdy excitedly voiced his support for Haliburton after the star point guard’s epic heroics helped spark Indiana’s thrilling comeback win over the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

“We knew that was going in from the moment it left his hands, lets be real,” Purdy said regarding Haliburton’s game-tying shot at the end of regulation on Wednesday. “I’m so excited for him and what he’s done this playoff run so far. Just the competitive nature that Tyrese has, the energy that he brings to this team.

“I’m pulling for him and I hope they can pull off the whole thing, man. That would be awesome and I’m pulling for him.”

Now flush with $181 million in guarantees after signing a lucrative contract extension, could Purdy take his support to Madison Square Garden and join the row of celebrities sitting courtside in New York City?

“We’re going to have to find out,” Purdy teased. “There’s no promises right now, but this would be an amazing opportunity to go and support my guy, that’s right.”

Haliburton famously rocked Purdy’s jersey as a pregame fit the day after the 49ers clinched a berth in Super Bowl LVIII.

Might we see Purdy be the one sporting his former classmate’s jersey as they battle on the big stage in the playoffs? Stay tuned.

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Was Derrick White snubbed from NBA's All-Defense teams?

Was Derrick White snubbed from NBA's All-Defense teams? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics boasted one of the NBA’s best defenses this season, allowing just 107.2 points per game (second in the league) and posting a 110.1 defensive rating (fourth in the league).

But when the NBA unveiled its 2024-25 All-Defensive Teams on Thursday, the C’s were nowhere to be found.

Below is a look at the First and Second Teams; Derrick White was the only Boston player who received votes with 15 total points (two First-Team votes and 11 Second-Team Votes).

It’s worth noting that Jaylen Brown (63 games played) and Jrue Holiday (62 games) both didn’t meet the 65-game minimum threshold to be eligible for an All-Defense team, which is why neither player received votes.

But should White have received more consideration for at least a Second-Team nod?

White faced an uphill climb to make All-Defense thanks to a rule passed prior to the 2023-24 season that removed position restrictions from voting. Many defensive metrics favor big men while undervaluing guards, which is why this year’s teams are loaded with big men: Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, who led the league with a whopping 229 steals, is the only non-forward or center among the 10 players on this year’s list.

That said, White had made Second-Team All-Defense in each of the previous two seasons — both before and after the eligibility change. His defensive counting stats were relatively comparable year-over-year, as well; White amassed 80 blocks and 72 steals this season after tallying 87 blocks and 74 steals in 2023-24.

His defensive rating actually improved slightly from 109.9 in 2023-24 to 109.5, and he held opponents to two percent below their expected field goal percentage.

White faced stiffer All-Defense competition this year, as Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams and Portland’s Toumani Camara are both excellent young defenders. But you could probably make the case for White on the second team over players like Jaren Jackson Jr or Rudy Gobert, who have strong reputations thanks to their recent Defensive Player of the Year awards but regressed in several defensive stat categories this season. (Jackson’s Grizzlies ranked 24th in the NBA in team defense, for the record.)

White’s omission means the Celtics won’t have any representatives on the All-Defense teams for the first time since 2021, and only the second time in the last eight years.

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Why Kerr compares relationship with Steph to Popovich-Duncan

Why Kerr compares relationship with Steph to Popovich-Duncan originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

If the relationship between Warriors superstar Steph Curry and Golden State coach Steve Kerr reminds you of another famous NBA duo, you aren’t alone.

During a recent interview on “The TK Show,” Kerr explained why his bond with Curry is eerily similar to the close relationship between longtime San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and highly decorated big man Tim Duncan.

“Very similar, very similar,” Kerr told Tim Kawakami about his relationship with Curry having a strikinh resemblance to Popovich’s and Duncan’s. “I think Pop and I are a lot alike in many ways, and I think Steph and Tim are a lot alike. I would say that Tim and Steph, if you had to put down names who every coach who ever coached in the NBA, if you asked them to name a couple guys they would want to partner with, Steph and Tim would maybe be the first two guys.

“So, there’s no coincidence why this has lasted 11 years. Steph Curry is an incredible partner and an amazing guy to collaborate with. He sets the tone, culturewise for everything that we do, We have a great bond, I think we share a lot of the same values as human beings, share a similar vision for how the game should be played, and we look forward to seeing each other every day. So why wouldn’t we keep this thing going and why wouldn’t we still enjoy this.”

Kerr, who not only is close friends with Popovich, also played alongside Duncan in San Antonio from 1998 to 2003, giving Golden State’s coach a unique perspective about the similarities between the Spurs and Warriors respective dynasties and the foundational pieces that drove them.

“And I think that’s the dynamic I saw with Pop and Timmy when I played for four seasons with the Spurs. It was very similar, it was collaborative, it was genuine love and friendship. A lot of humor a lot of joy, it’s hard to find that. But Steph and Tim are very similar in that regard. They’re probably the two most collaborative superstars. the most easy to work with that I can imagine.”

Duncan, like Curry, is a two-time NBA MVP while also sharing the rare-but-distinguished honor of playing his entire professional career for one franchise, something every Warriors fan hopes the greatest shooter of all time adds to his resume as well.

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Caitlin Clark, NBA and sports world react to Tyrese Haliburton's shot, Pacers comeback win

In my house, as Tyrese Haliburton's game-tying shot hit the back of the rim, bounced 10 feet in the air, then fell softly through the net, I yelled "Are you kidding me" so loudly my family rushed into the room to make sure I was okay.

My reaction to the Pacers’ wild comeback Game 1 win is typical, and I don't have a dog in this fight. The reaction around the NBA and sports world to Haliburton and the comeback win by the Indiana Pacers was the same, starting with Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.

Check out the reaction to the shot from the Inside the NBA crew, and the 76ers' Jared McCain, who was doing a live stream for Bleacher Report.

There were more reactions from around the sports world

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Kerr admits Warriors were ‘dead in the water' before the Butler trade

Kerr admits Warriors were ‘dead in the water' before the Butler trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors, sitting at 25-26 and 10th in the Western Conference on Feb. 6 were, to put it mildly, in trouble.

Golden State, after a red-hot start to the 2024-25 NBA season, cooled off significantly and struggled throughout the middle part of the campaign. That is, until one move changed everything.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr joined Tom Tolbert on the latest episode of “The Tom Tolbert Show,” where he discussed Golden State’s blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler on Feb. 5 and how it came together after its failed trade pursuit of Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant.

“I was all for it, just because we had nothing going. We were at the point in the season where you could just feel it, we were dead in the water. We were below .500 and it had been a long enough stretch where it was like ‘alright, this isn’t working.’

“So I think it was well-documented that we were trying to get Kevin Durant, that didn’t happen. Mike [Dunleavy] calls me and he goes ‘I think we’re just going to trade for Jimmy Butler, I’m going to vouch for him, I played with him for three years in Chicago. Guy is a gamer, hell of a player. I think it’s going to work.’ I said, ‘great, let’s do it.’ But more than anything, we needed a change.

Some within the Warriors organization had initial concerns about Butler’s fit with Golden State before the trade, and while everyone knew how good of a player he was, Kerr admits that it initially was hard for him to picture Butler playing in the Warriors’ system.

“I didn’t know his game that well, obviously we only played Miami a couple times a year. I’ve watched him and have been impressed, but he doesn’t have the game that jumps off the screen to you skill-wise,” Kerr added. “You watch him and once you see him every other every day you realize why he’s so good.

“But if you’re watching him from a far, he’s not a great shooter, he’s not super athletic, so I didn’t really know what kind of impact he would have. But literally within a game or two I was like ‘this guy is really good.'”

The Warriors ultimately made the right move, and went on to win 24 of their final 32 regular-season games before escaping the NBA Play-In Tournament and taking down the young Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.

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Warriors' Moody underwent surgery on torn UCL in right thumb

Warriors' Moody underwent surgery on torn UCL in right thumb originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Warriors guard Moses Moody underwent successful surgery to repair a torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) in his right thumb, the team announced Thursday.

Moody underwent the procedure Wednesday in Los Angeles, and he is expected to make a full recovery in time for the start of training camp.

The 22-year-old is coming off a career-best season with Golden State, averaging 9.8 points on 43.3 percent shooting, with 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 22.3 minutes through 74 games (34 starts).

Moody’s role with the Warriors has fluctuated since being selected No. 14 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.

But after signing a three-year contract extension with Golden State worth $39 million, per his agent, the Warriors’ commitment to the young guard was evident. And Moody’s patience paid off, with him becoming an established starter in mid-February and helping the Warriors along their arduous journey to the postseason.

It’s unclear exactly when he sustained the injury in his right shooting thumb, but he did struggle quite a bit during the Warriors’ playoff run, losing his spot in the starting lineup after two playoff games.

Through 12 playoff games, Moody shot just 35 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range with 7.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 16.1 minutes.

The good news is he won’t appear to be missing any time as the Warriors prepare for the 2025-26 NBA season.

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49ers QB Purdy inspired by Haliburton's NBA playoffs success

49ers QB Purdy inspired by Haliburton's NBA playoffs success originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Perhaps nobody in the professional sports world has had a better 48 hours than 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton.

The former signed a whopping five-year, $265 million contract with San Francisco, while the latter continued his iconic NBA playoffs run with another buzzer-beating shot that sent Indiana to overtime in its eventual 138-135 win over the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

The two star players, both former Iowa State Cyclones, developed a friendship in college and continue to root for each other to this day. Haliburton has posted about Purdy numerous times on social media, and he has been seen wearing both Purdy’s college and NFL jerseys.

The Pacers guard even reacted to the news of Purdy’s 49ers extension on May 16.

Purdy joined KNBR 680’s “Murph & Markus” on Thursday, one day after Haliburton and the Pacers’ Game 1 win over the Knicks, and was asked if he had congratulated his longtime friend on his epic playoff run.

“Not yet. I said this last year, but I’m just letting him do his thing throughout the series and then after I’ll shoot him a text,” Purdy said. “But man, is he a baller and he and I are always texting and keeping in touch and I want nothing but the best for my guy.”

Purdy, who led the 49ers to a near-Super Bowl LVIII victory roughly 15 months ago, is no stranger to the spotlight himself, and has been inspired by what he’s seen from Haliburton and the Pacers, the team he’s rooting for in the NBA playoffs.

“He’s had an incredible playoff run so far and some really iconic moments, hitting shots and just being exciting, especially for the Indiana fan base and everything. And obviously, going back to Iowa State, I’ve seen him do those things in Ames, so for him to be able to do this on this level, I couldn’t be happier for him.”

While both star players likely dreamt of reaching this point in their respective careers during college at Iowa State, they never discussed it together. They had more pressing matters to focus on.

“We didn’t have those conversations,” Purdy said when asked if he and Haliburton ever talked about reaching this point in their careers. “We were just trying to get through accounting and stats together. But outside of that we were always talking and joking around from class to class and we got pretty close there, so it’s cool.”

The classmates-turned-star-professional-athletes both have come close to reaching the mountaintops in their respective sports, and with Haliburton three wins away from punching his ticket to the NBA Finals, Purdy will continue to root for his longtime friend from afar.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

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SEE IT: NYC back pages react to Knicks' Game 1 collapse, OT loss to Pacers in Eastern Conference Finals

The Knicks appeared to be cruising their way to a Game 1 victory on Wednesday night.

In front of a rocking MSG crowd, they led the Pacers by as many as 17 points with just under four minutes remaining in regulation.

Clutch bucket after clutch bucket down the stretch cut into the deficit and kept Indiana within striking distance, before Tyrese Haliburton delivered the game-tying jumper as time expired.

The Pacers would go on to silence the MSG crowd, stealing the victory in overtime, capping it off with Obi Toppin's slam and a defensive stand in the closing seconds.

As expected, the NYC back pages had a field day with this one...