Category: Basketball

Did Jaylen Brown deserve a better whistle in Celtics' loss to Nuggets? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jaylen Brown, who’s been unafraid to speak his mind this season, vented about a lack of whistles Wednesday night after the Boston Celtics lost to the Nikola Jokic-less Denver Nuggets at TD Garden.

Did Brown have a legitimate gripe with the officiating?

Brown was credited Wednesday night with 31 drives, which was one of his highest totals this entire season and nearly 75 percent more than his season average. But he drew just one foul off those drives, a rate of 3.2 percent. For the season, Brown is drawing 1.6 fouls on 17.8 drives per game, a rate of 9.2 percent.

Here’s a look at his season numbers on drives compared to Wednesday night:

Brown shot just three free throws — he missed a pair amid “MVP!” chants at one point in the second half — on a night when the Celtics generated just 15 free throw attempts overall. 

“They were physical and they got away with a lot,” Brown said of the Nuggets’ defense. “The refs allowed them to get away with a lot. I would have loved to get to the free-throw line a little bit more.

“I was physical. I was aggressive. I went up strong. I didn’t flop. But I kind of let the officiating get to my head a little bit. I think their defense was good, but it wasn’t great.”

Brown ranks third in the NBA in drives per game, trailing only Portland’s Deni Avdija (20.4) and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (18.1). Brown is second in drive points per game, trailing only Gilgeous-Alexander (13.5).

Feeling like he wasn’t getting a good whistle earlier this season, Brown repeatedly expressed frustration with officials. His free throws slowly climbed from 6.0 per game in October, to 7.1 per game in November, to 8.7 per game in December.

Denver’s size and physicality clearly disrupted Boston’s offensive flow multiple times Wednesday night, most notably early in the fourth quarter, when the Nuggets went on a 16-3 run over a nearly five-minute span to tear open a game that had previously been tied at 90. 

Brown struggled with ball security, turning the ball over four times on drives and seven times overall. But given his high number of credited drives, it’s easy to understand his frustration after drawing only one whistle.

ESPN outlines potential trade package that sends Trey Murphy to Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

There is one name the Warriors — and certainly their fan base — could become enamored with in the coming weeks. If they haven’t already.

With the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline exactly four weeks away, New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III has been linked to the Warriors on numerous occasions, even dating back to the offseason when young forward Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency was in limbo.

However, the Pelicans reportedly have been reluctant to part with the 25-year-old wing and, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson, a potential trade for Murphy could cost the Warriors three first-round picks.

So, what would a potential trade package for Murphy look like? ESPN NBA insiders constructed a potential three-team trade that would send Murphy to Golden State:

Golden State Warriors get:

– Jordan Hawkins
– Trey Murphy III

New Orleans Pelicans get:

– Jonathan Kuminga
– Moses Moody
– 2026 first-round pick (via Warriors)
– 2028 first-round pick (via Warriors, top-10 protected)
– 2030 first-round pick (via Warriors, if No. 5 to 20)

Utah Jazz get:

– Kevon Looney
– 2031 second-round pick (via Raptors)
– 2032 second-round pick (via Pelicans)
– Cash considerations

The Warriors would part with Kuminga, who already seems all but certain to be traded in the coming weeks, young guard Moses Moody and three first-round picks (one top-10 protected, one if Golden State’s selection lands within pick Nos. 5 to 20 in 2030) for Murphy and Pelicans guard Jordan Hawkins.

“There is risk in this trade when considering the uncertain future of Golden State’s roster,” ESPN’s Bobby Marks wrote. “Besides the newly acquired Murphy, there would be no current Warriors under contract when the 2028 and 2030 first-round picks sent to New Orleans get made.

“But similar to Milwaukee’s approach with [Giannis] Antetokounmpo, there is an obligation to maximize the championship window with Curry and Jimmy Butler III on the roster. And three first-rounders is too much of an offer for New Orleans to refuse, even if they have to include Murphy in the trade.”

Murphy, in his fifth NBA season, is averaging a career-high 21.3 points, 6.1 points and 3.5 assists per game on 49.5-percent shooting from the field and 38.2 percent from 3-point range in 35 games this season.

Many believe that Murphy’s 3-and-D skill set is a perfect fit for Golden State, but with a potential high price tag, should the Warriors be willing to give up that much to acquire him?

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 46 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to an overtime win over the Utah Jazz.

The NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player hit the shot to force overtime before helping the defending champions clinch a 129-125 victory.

Chet Holmgren added a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds as the Thunder improved to a 31-7 record and sit top of the Western Conference.

The San Antonio Spurs (26-11) are second in the West having won 107-91 at home to the fourth-placed Los Angeles Lakers (23-12).

Keldon Johnson scored 27 points as a balanced San Antonio attack overcame the individual brilliance of Luka Doncic, with Victor Wembanyama adding 16 points off the bench.

Doncic finished with 38 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Lakers, who rested LeBron James after the veteran shone in Tuesday's win at New Orleans.

The Denver Nuggets (25-12) remain third in the West after claiming a 114-110 win at the Boston Celtics (23-13).

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic (knee) missed his fifth straight game for Denver, for whom Peyton Watson scored a team-high 30 points while Jamal Murray added 22 and a career-high 17 assists.

The Celtics (23-13) slipped to third in the Eastern Conference as the New York Knicks won 134-111 at home to the Los Angeles Clippers (24-13) to halt a four-game losing streak.

Eastern Conference leaders Detroit are 28-9 after Isaiah Stewart scored a career-high 31 points as the Pistons won 108-93 at home to the Chicago Bulls.

• What is the NBA's controversial '65-game rule' and how is it impacting players?

Draymond Green praises Jonathan Kuminga's professionalism amid trade rumors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga continues to miss game action as trade rumors involving the 23-year-old persist. 

It reasonably would be expected that a player would become visibly disgruntled in response to such a situation. But Kuminga’s veteran teammate, Draymond Green, says that it has not been the case with the young forward. 

“What I will say about JK is — I applaud JK and how he’s handled this,” Green said in the latest episode of “The Draymond Green Show.” “Such a standup young man and great person and [he] will be a great player.” 

As a result of Kuminga’s offseason contract extension, he is not available to be traded until Jan. 15.  

Even with the nearing date of a probable departure, Green says Kuminga remains engaged on the bench. He shared a moment involving Kuminga and Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski, in which the latter was frustrated about being pulled from the court after a short stint. 

“[Podziemski says], ‘Ah, dang. I just can’t believe they just took me,’ And JK goes, ‘You know, just adjust to it. [You’re] going to go back in. Just adjust to it. Stay ready. You’ll be good,’…” Green recounted. “…No one’s going to highlight that story, but I just wanted to talk about the person Jonathan Kuminga is.”  

“So, a guy who’s not playing, who just signed [a $48.5 million deal]… is sitting at the end of the bench telling another young guy like, ‘No, it’s fine. And here’s why, and here’s why you should move on.’” 

As Green points out, it’s a remarkable moment of poise and professionalism to stay invested in the well-being of a teammate while being in the awkward situation that Kuminga is in himself. 

“I just wanted to tell that story because oftentimes when situations aren’t going right, we start pointing fingers,” Green continued. “And it hasn’t worked as well as anyone would have liked for JK here — for himself or for the organization. It hasn’t worked on both sides. And that happens sometimes in the business that we’re in. But I wanted to point out who that guy is and his professionalism and how he’s dealing with it.” 

Green’s story helps clarify any questions about Kuminga’s morale and character. 

“So, whatever happens at the trade deadline. If Jonathan Kuminga’s moved, whoever gets Jonathan Kuminga, that’s the guy you’re getting,” Green stated. 

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Just 48 hours ago, the Knicks were demolished by the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, extending their season-long losing streak to four games.

While most of the Knicks players simply didn't show up to play in Detroit, a spotlight was focused on Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Knicks' big man scored just six points on 1 of 4 shooting with one rebound and one assist. He turned the ball over six times and was a minus-27 on the floor in Monday's loss. It was a dreadful showing and he looked lost. So much so that he told the NY Post afterward that the reason for his poor performance was adjusting to head coach Mike Brown's new system.

Well, what a difference two days make.

The Knicks snapped their losing streak with an impressive 123-111 win over the red-hot Clippers on Wednesday night, and Towns was a huge part of the victory.

With the game still close in the fourth quarter, Towns took over offensively, scoring 10 of his 20 points in the final frame. He also came down with four rebounds to help the Knicks separate themselves from Los Angeles. 

"We needed it," Jalen Brunson said of Towns' performance after the game. "Helped us increase our lead and it was big-time play from him. We all have to have each other’s backs. The way he played tonight, it’s what we needed."

Towns' comments after Detroit about his performance garnered questions about what was different for him and why he found success against the Clippers.

The big man said that he's just trying to impact the game in a winning way, and that's what his goal is.

"I said it last year, I say it this year, any time I touch the ball, I’m trying to be aggressive, whether that’s making a play for myself or my teammates," Towns said. "I want to impact winning every single day."

For Towns in the fourth quarter, he pointed to his increased aggressiveness as the catalyst for his performance.

"I made some shots, didn’t make a lot of them, but I think tonight shows aggression wins," Towns explained. "Not letting go because some shots aren’t going in, stay very aggressive in any opportunity that I got. At the end of the day, it worked out for our team. Those plays, miss or make, I'm glad they impacted winning and put us in a better spot."

"He’s an explosive scorer. Starting with me, I got to continue to find ways to help him, like I have to help the rest of the team," Brown said of Towns. "What I like about tonight is, he’s an All-Star, great level player and those types of players impact the game. 

"He can score with the best, so we know eventually he’s going to get going in that area, but what I like about it, he was impactful defensively -- 11 rebounds, seven assists, the nine points definitely helped and he helped us create that separation by doing that. But I don’t want to belittle the fact that he did what All-Stars do, what great players do. He found other ways throughout the course of the ballgame to continue to help our team win. That’s fantastic to see because he’s more than capable with as good as he is."

Entering Wednesday, Towns is averaging 21.5 points, on 47 percent shooting and 11.5 rebounds. All three categories are down from last season when he was voted All-NBA Third Team and to his fifth All-Star Game. However, the second-year Knick is more worried about winning and getting New York to the NBA Finals for the first time in almost three decades. 

And while there's still a lot of season left, Towns and the Knicks hope Wednesday's win leads to more as they head West for a four-game road trip.

"We weren’t at our best today, but we did enough to win," he said. "At points in the game, we did a good job of getting a run and we didn’t let them stop the bleeding. We got to better than we were tonight. I have to be better. This is a good start before heading on the road trip to stop the bleeding of four losses in a row...now we have to build off of it. 

"Teams understand now that we are coming in with a little momentum, and they are going to try and stop that. We have to do a better job of out-executing them and out-hustling them. It's up to us."

The Knicks head to Phoenix to start their West Coast trip against the Suns on Friday.