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Kerr's historic Warriors coaching achievement silences critics

Kerr's historic Warriors coaching achievement silences critics originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Steve Kerr would be the 1,001st person to tell you he owes much of his glorious coaching career to the organizational structure that supports him and, moreover, the talented Warriors roster he inherited nearly 11 years ago.

The first 1,000 to tell you that would be those who have spent the past few seasons punching their keyboards to gripe about Golden State’s incompetent head coach.

In the words of Stephen Curry some 33 months ago after the Warriors closed out the Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals in Boston: “What they gonna say now?”

Already the most accomplished coach in Warriors history, Kerr on Saturday became the winningest. Golden State’s strenuous 97-94 victory over the New York Knicks was his 558th win, moving him past the late legend Alvin Attles and into first place in franchise history.

When asked immediately after the game about his journey to this moment in NBA history, Kerr couldn’t resist a moment of sarcasm.

“Well, it’s amazing to do this without any talent at all,” he told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke. “I had to coach up these guys who you know, and they …

“I mean are you kidding me to be able to coach Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala,” Kerr said, turning serious. “We have been blessed with such incredible rosters the entire 11 years. And more than anything, this was a reflection of organizational strength, stability and collaboration that we all share. The players, coaches, management, ownership. We have an incredible group of people, and the record is just a reflection of that.”

Since Kerr took over as coach in May 2014, the Warriors have won four NBA championships – one more than the franchise achieved in its first 68 seasons. Of the 384 playoff games the Warriors have appeared in beginning in 1947, 140 of them came under Kerr. His 70.7 postseason win percentage (99-41 record) sits atop the all-time list – ahead of such Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers as Red Auerbach, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Gregg Popovich.

This latest milestone, however, is about regular-season accomplishments. Kerr’s 558-302 record and 64.9 winning percentage rank behind Jackson and Auerbach but ahead of Riley and Popovich, and No. 1 among active coaches with more than three seasons’ experience.

It’s impressive stuff by any reasonable measure, and Kerr’s achievement was recognized by the Attles family, who presented him with the game ball.

“It was a great moment, being awarded the game ball by the Attles family was really beautiful, to sort of be honored by their presence,” Kerr said. “Obviously, Al Attles is Mr. Warrior forever. The record, it’s kind of surreal to even think that this could happen.”

The feat took more than 10 seasons, some marvelous, some forgettable. After losses, Kerr often was a popular target for armchair coaches, some even urging his firing. Once a regular on Twitter, now known as X, Kerr avoided the platform for three years and since has deactivated his account.

What they gonna say now?

Here, in chronological order, are five wins under Kerr in the regular season that are particularly notable on the road to 558:

March 31, 2015, at Los Angeles Clippers

Kerr’s first season, Game 74, against Golden State’s most detested rivals. He’s hired one week after the Warriors dismiss Mark Jackson after losing a searing seven-game playoff series against the Clippers. The new coach is on the spot.

The Warriors, who had won nine consecutive games, trail by as much as 17 points against a Clippers team that had won seven in a row. Golden State comes back to outscore LA by 10 in the fourth quarter for a 110-106 victory at Staples Center. The Warriors sweep LA 4-0 in each of the next two seasons. The rivalry is dead.

Feb. 27, 2016, at Oklahoma City Thunder

The defending champion Warriors were 52-5, the Thunder 41-17. Kerr and Green have a screaming match in the locker room at halftime. Curry limps off the court in the third quarter after spraining his left ankle. He returns – to the surprise of many – later in the quarter.

Iguodala, shooting 61.4 percent from the line that season, is fouled and awarded two free throws with Golden State down two and 0.7 seconds left. He makes both, sending the game into overtime.

Curry puts the Thunder to sleep with a 32-foot 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining for a 121-118 victory. It’s the last three of his 46 points in what is known is the “double bang” game, as described by play-by-play announcer Mike Breen.

April 10, 2016, at San Antonio Spurs

The Warriors took a 71-9 record into one of the NBA’s toughest environments against a mighty team; the Spurs were 39-0 at home. The Warriors needed to win Game No. 81 to keep alive a chance to reach a league-record 73 wins. Game 82 was at Oracle Arena, where they were invincible.

Golden State, however, had lost 33 consecutive games at San Antonio, the last win coming in 1997, when Kerr still was an active player with the Chicago Bulls.

Curry scores 37 points, 20 in the second half, as the Warriors slip out of town with their 72nd win. Three days later, they snag No. 73 against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Dec. 25, 2017, at Oracle vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Still sore about losing the 2016 NBA Finals to Cleveland on a late shot in Game 7 by Kyrie Irving, the Warriors seek a modest form or revenge in a national TV game on Christmas Day against LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Kevin Love.

Curry is sidelined, with Patrick McCaw starting in his place. Zaza Pachulia is out, too, with rookie Jordan Bell starting at center. How would this makeshift lineup fare against the champs?

Maybe it helps to have Kevin Durant. He has 25 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. Thompson scores 24. Green posts a triple-double. Final: Warriors 99, Cavs 92.

April 2022

The dynastic Warriors are a thing of the past. The rebuilt Warriors are trying to close with a surge to finish among the top four teams in the Western Conference. They are 48-29, with five games remaining.

Curry misses all five games. Thompson is sidelined for two of the five. Kerr picks starting lineups from a hat, inserting Gary Payton II for one game, Damion Lee for another and rookie Moses Moody in a third.

The Warriors win all five games. By an average of 13.2 points. Two months later, they win their fourth championship under Kerr.

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Dodgers fall to Hanshin Tigers in final tuneup before start of season

Tokyo, Japan, Sunday, March 16, 2025 - Shohei Ohtani strikes out in the first inning.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani strikes out during a 3-0 exhibition loss to the Hanshin Tigers at the Tokyo Dome on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Maybe the Hanshin Tigers are baseball’s real evil empire.

One day after the Japanese team, which plays in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, shut out the Chicago Cubs in an exhibition contest at the Tokyo Dome, they did the same Sunday with a 3-0 win over the defending World Series champion Dodgers — and their nearly $400-million roster — in what was the Dodgers’ final tuneup before their season-opening series here against the Cubs.

The Tigers were led by a superb start from right-hander Hiroto Saiki, a six-year NPB veteran with a career 2.41 ERA in the Japanese league. Over five scoreless innings, he struck out seven batters, starting with the first at-bat of the game against Shohei Ohtani. He didn’t give up a hit until the fifth inning, when Max Muncy led off with a single.

Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell delivers against the Hanshin Tigers at the Tokyo Dome on Sunday.
Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell delivers against the Hanshin Tigers at the Tokyo Dome on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

By that point, the Tigers had also surged out a 3-0 lead, courtesy of a fourth-inning blast from Teruaki Sato off of Dodgers starter Blake Snell — setting off a raucous celebration from the heavy contingent of Tigers fans that made the 2½-hour train ride from Osaka.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was complimentary of both Saiki and Sato, saying they both looked like MLB-caliber players.

“They've clearly showed they can play at the top level,” he said.

Snell, who was making his final spring outing before a likely start in the Dodgers’ domestic home-opener back at Dodger Stadium on March 27, started his day with three flawless innings, retiring his first nine batters while striking out five.

But in the fifth, he issued a leadoff walk, surrendered a single, then threw an elevated two-strike fastball that Sato deposited into the right-field seats.

Tyler Glasnow finished the game with three scoreless innings, giving up just one hit while striking out six.

For the Dodgers, however, the real focus came before the game, when shortstop Mookie Betts, who is questionable for the team’s season-opening contests Tuesday and Wednesday because of an illness, went through pregame hitting and fielding drills.

Read more:Hernández: Shohei Ohtani home run at Tokyo Dome is another moment delivered on command

On several occasions, Betts looked fatigued taking ground balls. After the game, Roberts acknowledged Betts “really showed some fatigue, understandably so” as he continues to recover from an illness that has kept him out of spring action since March 9.

Asked the likelihood that Betts is in the opening day lineup, Roberts didn’t sound optimistic.

“We're really trying to be mindful of not just Opening Day but not putting him in harm's way,” Roberts said. “Not to put him in a position where he potentially could get hurt."

Betts is expected to participate in the Dodgers’ off-day workout Monday. But, Roberts noted, if he continues showing signs of fatigue, “I just don't think the training staff would feel good about that.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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2024-25 Fantasy Basketball Week 20 Schedule Breakdown

For fantasy managers competing in Yahoo! public leagues or with Yahoo! default settings, Week 20 means that the playoffs are underway. Most teams will play four games during the week, including some who have already begun their "silly season" shenanigans. Let's look at the Week 20 schedule breakdown.

Week 20 Games Played

4 Games: CHA, CHI, CLE, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, LAL, MIA, NOR, NYK, PHI, SAC, SAS, UTA, WAS

3 Games: ATL, BKN, BOS, LAC, MEM, MIL, MIN, OKC, PHO, TOR

2 Games: DAL, ORL

Week 20 Storylines

- Avoid Dallas and Orlando until Wednesday.

The Mavericks and Magic have the worst Week 20 schedules, as the teams are scheduled only to play two games. Making matters worse is that they're both on Wednesday/Friday setups, meaning low-rostered players who may have been streamed during Week 19 will be of little value to begin Week 20. One player who immediately jumps to mind is Naji Marshall, who is rostered in 54 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Given how banged-up Dallas is, a case can be made that he's worth holding onto despite the poor schedule. However, the rest of the fantasy managers' rosters will also dictate that decision.

If the production from other players allows for Marshall to be stashed until Wednesday, that is an approach worth considering. As for Orlando, they've been at less than full strength at point guard. Jalen Suggs (knee) is out for the season, and Cole Anthony has missed time with a toe injury. While the Week 20 schedule may work in Anthony's favor, he hasn't performed where he would qualify as a "must-stash" player.

- Philadelphia, San Antonio, Utah and Washington are among the teams worth targeting

The 76ers, Spurs, Jazz and Wizards are among the teams that will play four games during Week 20. And with this quartet all headed for the draft lottery, there's a good chance that low-rostered standouts will continue to emerge. Adem Bona (Philadelphia), Stephon Castle (San Antonio), Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski (Utah), and Kyshawn George (Washington) are a few of the names fantasy managers will need to be mindful of as they craft their lineups for Week 20. Castle will be the most difficult to find on waiver wires, but the others are all available in at least 70 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

- Brooklyn and Milwaukee are active on all three "light days."

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are the light game days of Week 20, and the Nets are Bucks will be playing on all three. While there hasn't been much value to find among low-rostered players in Milwaukee, that can't be said for Brooklyn. With Cam Thomas done for the season, Ziaire Williams and Keon Johnson are two perimeter players who should continue to play starters' minutes. While field goal percentage can be an issue for both, the circumstances make Williams and Johnson worth the risk. Day'Ron Sharpe will also be worth a look, especially if the Nets look to limit Nic Claxton's playing time for the rest of the season.

- Will the Lakers get back to full strength during Week 20?

Before Friday's loss to the Nuggets, Lakers coach JJ Redick said LeBron James (groin), Rui Hachimura (knee) and Jaxson Hayes (knee) were all "very close" to returning to action. Will that happen during Week 20? The Lakers play four home games next week, beginning with the Spurs on Monday, and they'll also have a Wednesday/Thursday back-to-back against the Nuggets and Bucks. James' status will be most impactful on fantasy basketball, with Gabe Vincent and Dalton Knecht being the players to watch. Hachimura's absence opened up a place in the starting lineup for Dorian Finney-Smith, one of many players held out of Friday's loss to Denver. As for Hayes, the Lakers have tried various options at the center position with him out, including Alex Len, Trey Jemison and Christian Koloko, but none have impacted fantasy basketball.

- Orlando and Minnesota have the worst playoff schedules for leagues that begin their postseasons during Week 20.

The Magic and Timberwolves only play nine games during weeks 20 through 22. As noted above, Orlando plays two games during Week 20 but will have four games during Week 22. As for Minnesota, they're on a 3-3-3 schedule for weeks 20 through 22. Orlando has not seen any low-rostered players emerge, especially with Cole Anthony currently dealing with an injury. As for the Timberwolves, Jaden McDaniels (68 percent rostered) and Mike Conley (38 percent) may be the closest a manager can get to finding someone worthwhile who may be available in standard leagues. Ten teams are scheduled to play 10 games during weeks 20 through 22, including the Mavericks (four games in weeks 21 and 22), Nets and Pelicans.

Light Game Days

Tuesday: 4 Games

ATL vs. CHA

BKN vs. BOS

MIL vs. GSW

CLE vs. LAC

Thursday: 5 Games

NYK vs. CHA

BKN vs. IND

TOR vs. GSW

CHI vs. SAC

MIL vs. LAL

Saturday: 5 Games

BKN vs. IND

GSW vs. ATL

WAS vs. NYK

MIL vs. SAC

CHI vs. LAL

Week 20 Back-to-backs

Sunday (Week 19)-Monday: LAL, MIN, ORL, PHI, PHO, TOR, UTA

Monday-Tuesday: GSW

Tuesday-Wednesday: CLE

Wednesday-Thursday: CHI, IND, LAL, NYK, SAC

Thursday-Friday: CHA

Friday-Saturday: WAS

Saturday-Sunday: ATL

Sunday-Monday (Week 21): BOS, DEN, NOR, PHI, TOR

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Panthers challenging road trip continues with stop on Long Island

Oct 26, 2024; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson (8) blocks the shot by Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) during the third period at UBS Arena. (Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images)

The Florida Panthers did not get off to a good start on Saturday night in Montreal, and it cost them.

If the Cats want to bounce back on Sunday and avoid a pair of losses in consecutive days, they’ll need to show up from the start.

Just as hungry as the Canadiens were in their home barn, you better believe the New York Islanders are just as desperate for every point in the standings they can get.

Entering play Sunday, the Isles find themselves six points back of the New York Rangers for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, and with four teams to climb over just to reach their crosstown rivals.

Florida, meanwhile, remains atop the Atlantic Division, currently holding a four point lead on the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning, who each have 81 points.

Only four points back of the Bolts and Leafs and turning some heads as they climbed up the standings are the Ottawa Senators, another team the Cats will need to keep an eye on as the postseason draws closer.

In terms of recent play, both the Panthers and Islanders have left something to be desired.

Florida has dropped two of three on their current six-game road trip while the Islanders have lost three straight and are in danger of falling too far behind in the Wild Card race.

The Panthers will likely turn to Vitek Vanecek in goal on the back end of the back-to-back after Sergei Bobrovsky played on Saturday night in Montreal. 

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Sunday’s tilt on Long Island:

Carter Verhaeghe – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart

Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Evan Rodrigues

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist

A.J. Greer – Nico Sturm – Tomas Nosek

Gus Forsling – Seth Jones

Niko Mikkola – Dmitry Kulikov

Nate Schmidt – Uvis Balinskis

Scratches: Jonah Gadjovich, Brad Marchand

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Three takeaways: Panthers struggle again with Montreal, Maurice quite unhappy with result

Mar 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault (35) reacts after the win against the Florida Panthers after the third period at Bell Centre. (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)

The hometown fans left their arena happy on Saturday night following the battle between the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, and their fans, the Cats were not the home team.

Montreal came out swinging, jumping out to an early multi-goal lead that proved to be enough to take down their division rivals and keep pace in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race.

As for the Cats, they have now dropped two of three to open their extended road trip and will need to figure things out quickly before things start to get out of hand.

After Sunday’s game on Long Island against a desperate Islanders team, Florida will battle Columbus and Washington to finish their roadie.

So yeah, there is nowhere for the Cats to hide.

Let’s get to Saturday’s takeaways:

NOT PANTHERS HOCKEY

It was pretty clear after the game that the Panthers did not think much of their collective result in Montreal.

The effort is never lacking with this squad, but on this night, the Canadiens found a way to get Florida off their game.

Perhaps falling behind early played a part, though the Panthers generally don’t come out of their style when needing to come from behind.

For whatever reason, the Cats didn’t look very much like the Cats on Saturday night.

“Well, I don’t want to tell you how I thought we played because I want to be respectful Montreal’s effort, they played hard and fast,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “I can't really give you an assessment of how good that was, because I’m not sure that relates to how we played, but I think we own that one. Our play, that was on us. We would have to play considerably better before I could assess what the other team did to us.”

STRUGGLES AGAINST MONTREAL

Florida is now 0-2-0 against the Canadiens this season.

The Cats have been outscored 7-1 against Montreal and frankly they did not look good in either loss.

While the Panthers were a much different team in many ways back in late December, it is still worth wondering if Montreal has some kind of edge over the Panthers.

It isn’t out of the realm of possibility for the Cats and Habs to meet in the first round (though Ottawa’s hot streak may have something to say about that).

For his part, Maurice made clear that he felt Saturday’s loss had more to do with what Florida didn’t do well than anything Montreal did to them, and he did it without showing any disrespect to what their opponents did.

“Listen, they beat us,” Maurice said. “They're in the fight for their lives, and they play the butts off tonight, and that should be the story here.”

DEEP BREATHS

It’s been a funky week with a couple of frustrating, unorthodox losses for the Panthers.

Now it’s probably no coincidence that both have come after Florida added Aaron Ekblad to the list of key players who are currently unavailable, as few on the team play as key a role as Ekblad does.

In similar situations, the Panthers have found ways to persevere.

Their depth and style of play allow the team-first mentality to shine through, but if that’s going to happen again this time, they have a bit of a gauntlet to get through on this road trip.

“We've gone from December 28th to today, and I've been pretty happy with our game most nights,” Maurice said. “There’s a couple we didn’t love, but…we'll leave this one here.”

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Artyom Levshunov Earns First NHL Point; Blackhawks Lose 6-2

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The vibes were high after the Chicago Blackhawks' big overtime win over the Utah Hockey Club on March 7th. They looked to take that momentum on the road for four games but they did no such thing. 

After going 0-2-1 in the first three, they had a chance to get a little something out of the trip when they paid a visit to the Vancouver Canucks. Connor Bedard's homecoming is always exciting but it didn't go his team's way. 

Vancouver was winning 2-0 at first intermission thanks to goals from Quinn Hughes and Tyler Myers. Despite playing a solid opening period on the road, the Canucks were opportunistic and took the multi-goal lead.  

In the second period, Vancouver extended their lead to three with a Connor Garland goal at 8:08. This was a beautiful passing play that Garland completed with Nils Hoglander and Pius Suter. 

Alex Vlasic scored one to get Chicago on the board at 18:51. That 3-1 score went to the second intermission. At that point, it felt like the Blackhawks were back in the game. 

At 4:01 of the third, something happened that you don't see every day. Elias Pettersson took a shot that appeared to hit the post. That left the Blackhawks scrambling in the defensive zone before Nils Hoglander found it and rifled it into the net. 

After further review, however, it was determined that Pettersson's initial shot didn't hit the post. It went in the net. It was going to be 4-1 anyway but Pettersson got his rightful credit for the goal. 

Just over a minute later, Wyatt Kaiser responded with a beautiful wrist-shot goal to make it 4-2. On the play, Artyom Levshunov earned his first career NHL point with an assist. He sent Kaiser in for the good chance that led to a goal. 

In his three NHL games so far, Levshunov has had some learning moments but it has mostly been great for him. He has a ton of confidence when the puck is on his stick and he's been defending well. 

Next up for Levshunov is his first career NHL goal which is coming soon. He loves to shoot the puck and he's quite good at finding the net through traffic. Eventually, one will sneak through. He's also going to collect a lot of points from deflection goals in the coming years with that talent. 

Any chance of Chicago coming back was shut down by Vancouver later in the third as they scored two more goals in eight seconds about midway through the final frame. The 6-2 score was the final. 

Things looked good for Chicago in terms of how they were playing in the first half of the game. Things fell off hard in the third period though which made the final score look even worse. 

With under three minutes left in the game, there were some skirmishes at the whistle. The referees started handing out ten-minute misconducts and Connor Bedard was one of the players to get one.

This is the second game in a row where Bedard was handed this penalty. Frank Nazar, Filip Hronek, and Conor Garland were also given ten-minute misconduct penalties. 

Chicago only gave up 15 shots on goal in this one which is their lowest total allowed this season. Arvid Soderblom didn't have his best night in the net which was obvious. The Hawks didn't allow a ton of shots in the game but they weren't as good in the second half. Vancouver was able to make good plays and capitalized when given the chance. 

Now, the Hawks will return home for seven of their next eight games. They must learn from this 0-3-1 road trip ahead of their match against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night if they want to keep the good play at home going. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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Watch Jordan Poole's deep game-winner lift Wizards past Nuggets

Washington Wizards v Denver Nuggets

DENVER, COLORADO - MARCH 15: Jordan Poole #13 of the Washington Wizards reacts after shooting the game-winning basket late in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on March 15, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

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Denver had lost three of its last seven games, but those losses came against quality teams: Boston, Oklahoma City, and a red-hot Minnesota squad.

Saturday night the Nuggets lost at home to the tanking Wizards. Then again, how were they going to stop this ridiculous Jordan Poole game-winner from deep with 1.8 seconds left?

Washington, which has played relatively better of late, was boosted by a big night from rookie Alex Sarr, who dropped 34 points on Denver and hit five 3-pointers himself.

This game was the second night of a back-to-back for Denver, but that didn't slow Nikola Jokic, who finished with 40 points and 13 rebounds. Jamal Murray added 24 and Russell Westbrook 22.

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Gray hits six 3s as UC San Diego beats UC Irvine 75-61 for Big West title and NCAA Tourney berth

Hayden Gray knocked down six of his seven 3-point attempts and UC San Diego pulled away late to beat UC Irvine, 75-61 to earn its first Big West Conference Tournament championship and its first NCAA Tournament berth on Saturday night. The Tritons moved up from Division II to join the conference in 2020 and won the regular season championship with 18 wins in 20 conference games. UC Irvine took a 33-31 lead at intermission, but the Tritons took the lead in the third minute of the second half on a jumper by Tyler McGhie to start an 8-0 run for a seven-point advantage, 43-36.

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Knicks' Jalen Brunson could be out until April with ankle injury: report

While the initial reports on Jalen Brunson's sprained right ankle projected a recovery period of roughly two weeks, it appears that the Knicks might be playing without their superstar captain for a much longer stretch of time.

Prior to the Knicks' hard-fought loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night, ESPN's Shams Charania provided a televsion update on Brunson's injury, revealing that the two-time All-Star could be sidelined through March or early April. Charania placed the timeline in the three-to-four week range, at a minimum, during the pregame broadcast.

Brunson injured his ankle in overtime against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6, after landing on Austin Reaves' foot during a layup attempt. At that time, SNY's Ian Begley reported that the specific sprain grade was unknown and the diagnosis was much better than what the Knicks feared.

But the latest information from Charania is far more discouraging. Brunson has missed the Knicks' last four games, and the team still has nine games remaining this month. Once the calendar turns, they'll play eight more regular-season contests before the playoffs arrive on April 19.

It's no secret that the Knicks will only go as far as Brunson takes them. He's the undisputed catalyst, who's averaged a team-high 26.3 points and 7.4 assists in 61 games. Entering the All-Star break, he ranked first in points, assists, and minutes among all 28-year-olds in the NBA this season, and he recently became the fastest player in franchise history to score 5,000 points.