Behind all kinds of individual performances, the Flyers erased a pair of two-goal deficits to beat the Blues, 6-5, Friday night in a shootout at Enterprise Center.
Trevor Zegras continued his magic in the skills competition with the lone tally, improving to 16 for 24 lifetime.
Samuel Ersson picked up his 11th career shootout win in 14 opportunities.
Owen Tippett erupted for a four-point game, while Zegras and Christian Dvorak had two goals apiece.
Rallying from deficits of 3-1 and 5-3, the Flyers (9-5-3) extended their point streak to five games (3-0-2). They’ve earned at least a point in 10 of their last 13 games (8-3-2).
The Flyers lead the NHL with 10 shootout wins over the last two seasons and are 4-0 this season. Rick Tocchet’s club has gone to overtime eight times and is 5-3-3 in games decided by one goal.
The Flyers see the Blues (6-8-4) again in six days.
• A night like this one is why you don’t give up on Tippett just because he’s a streaky player.
He’s 26 years old and can have these kind of games.
“His tools are unreal,” Tocchet said Thursday. “So can we piece it together? … We have to just continue to grow this guy because there’s something. He has got a lot of tools, so it’s on us to hone those skills.”
Tippett snapped his 10-game goal-scoring slump when he tied the game at 5-5 about halfway through the third period. He also collected three assists.
• Ersson started the first game of the Flyers’ back-to-back set and wasn’t sharp in regulation.
He allowed the five goals on 17 shots for the night. But he delivered again in the shootout.
After the Flyers dug out of a 3-1 hole in the second period, St. Louis went back up two with consecutive goals not even five minutes into the final stanza.
For a second straight game, Ersson surrendered two goals in the first period. The Flyers didn’t help his cause by coughing up the puck. Zegras had a pass picked off in the neutral zone as the Blues grabbed a 1-0 lead. Travis Konecny committed a turnover in the offensive zone, which allowed St. Louis to regain its lead at 2-1.
Blues netminder Jordan Binnington couldn’t finish off the Flyers. He stopped 26 of their 31 shots.
• Danny Briere has to be really happy so far with his two offseason additions up front.
Zegras already has three two-goal games with the Flyers. He didn’t have any last season with the Ducks.
SAN ANTONIO – Anything and everything a basketball fan could ever want from two regular-season games in November was cinematic greatness, attuned to Oscar winners on IMAX between the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs in a three-day span.
The superstar highlights. The intensity. The record books being rewritten.
They had it all, including two comeback Warriors wins after beating the Spurs by five points Wednesday night and then outlasting them 109-108 off two Steph Curry free throws with six seconds left that gave him his 48th and 49th points of the game, one game after dropping 46.
While Curry walked to the free-throw line, Victor Wembanyama, who now has witnessed Steph rip his heart out in his home country of France in the Paris Summer Olympics and his NBA home of San Antonio, tried all he could to rile Spurs fans enough to distract him. It didn’t work.
Curry swished his first free throw, walked towards the Spurs crowd and mockingly did similar gestures back at them as he talked his talk.
“I’m aware of everything,” Curry said. “It’s pretty fun. You have to find something to take the nerves out, and for me that’s just embracing the moment, smiling and having a good time.”
A week before the Warriors’ win against the Spurs on Wednesday night, an illness kept Curry out for three straight games, in which his team went 1-2. He returned Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder but only scored 11 points in 20 minutes in an ugly blowout loss as the cold still lingered. He could have sat out the second night of a back-to-back in San Antonio, but that wasn’t an option after being embarrassed by the defending champions.
The showman showed out in historic fashion. Curry’s 46 points on Wednesday gave him 43 games of 40 or more points after turning 30 years old, putting him one behind Michael Jordan. The 37-year-old then one-upped himself, knowing exactly when he had tied MJ.
Dribbling the ball between his legs and pulling up from 29 feet away, Curry swished a three with six and a half minutes remaining to give him 41 points, cutting the Warriors’ deficit from 10 points to seven.
The player then became the performer. Curry made a ‘2’ and a ‘3’ with his hands across his chest to the crowd running back to the other side of the court. He knew the moment in the heat of the game, and still could be the entertainer everybody comes to see.
“Very aware,” Curry said. “I did it backwards, though. It’s the second time I’ve done that. But yeah, I was aware of it for sure.
“I didn’t know I was one away until last game and then obviously was asked about it, and then when I got over that number – that’s pretty cool, just from an individual accomplishment perspective. To be able to be in that company and longevity is something that I pride myself on. So that was pretty cool.”
Steph was "very aware" that he had tied Michael Jordan's record, though he accidentally threw up a backwards 23 🤣 pic.twitter.com/i5ZEKeSPQO
On the other side was Wembanyama doing out-of-this-world things at 7-foot-7, with a pitbull a foot shorter than him barking up his tree. Draymond Green doesn’t back down. Never has, never will.
“Draymond is always going to battle,” Steve Kerr said. “He’s one of the greatest competitors I’ve ever been around. Obviously, he was getting pretty emotional out there.”
When Wembanyama, on an out-of-bounds play, caught a pass with his left hand and hammered home a dunk on the heads of Green and Jimmy Butler, the Frenchman bumped Green and yelled right in his face. But this is Draymond. Saginaw’s own looked straight up with the top of his head meeting Wembanyama’s chin.
He frustrated him to no end on Wednesday, and the ball didn’t touch Wembanyama’s hands on the final play with Green guarding him.
The fire only grew from there. An irate Kerr poured more gasoline on it shortly after, letting the referees know his expletive-laden feelings for a technical foul.
“That tech right there probably got us going more than anything,” Gary Payton II said. “Steve fights for us. We’ll run through a wall for him. We love to see that fire from him.”
Kerr’s technical foul gave Wembanyama three free throws, including the two from a loose-ball foul on Butler that put him over the edge, giving the Spurs a 10-point lead at the 7:25 mark of the fourth quarter. The Warriors then outscored the Spurs 27-16 the rest of the game.
In a one-minute and eight-second stretch late in the fourth quarter, Payton and Brandin Podziemski made three 3-pointers on three straight Warriors offensive possessions. The Warriors went from trailing 100-95 to leading 101-100. Podziemski assisted Payton’s first three, then blocked a shot from De’Aaron Fox. It was Payton who assisted Podziemski’s three, and a Podziemski defensive rebound led to Payton’s triple that gave Golden State the lead.
Those two were the epitome of clutch after coming through in several ways Wednesday night, too. All small parts of the game that make Podziemski a critical piece shone, and Payton’s lockdown defense on Fox sealed the deal on the final shot of the game.
This baseball series of adjustments and deep intentions brought out the best of both teams, creating a playoff atmosphere just three and a half weeks into the season.
“It did feel like a playoff game, especially tonight,” Kerr said. “The other night, it was a little different. A little looser, a little freer. Tonight felt more like the physicality of the playoffs.”
Some might say the Warriors are the past. They’ll tell you they’re the present, showing the future what it takes to climb the NBA’s mountain. The climb itself can feel as exhausting as ever for the Warriors. The extra gear to get them to the top is still there.
The greatness. The drama. The passion. These games had it all, begging for more on an even bigger stage down the road.
Steve Kerr has seen a lot in his three-plus decades in the NBA, so the Warriors coach is no stranger to instilling the needed motivation when his team finds itself in a rut.
Sometimes it’s a pep talk; other times it’s a fiery display on the sideline, with the latter proving invaluable in the Warriors’ thrilling 109-108 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night at Frost Bank Center.
Kerr received a technical foul in the fourth quarter after vehemently disagreeing with a loose-ball foul called on Jimmy Butler with 7:25 remaining in the game. Kerr’s animated display sparked something within the Warriors, who went on a 27-19 run to snatch a one-point victory in the final seconds.
After the game, Warriors star Steph Curry — the star of the night with 49 points — explained how much of an impact Kerr’s energy has on him and his teammates.
“We love it, he has broken clipboards along the way, he has gotten technicals — he gets fiery,” Curry told reporters after Friday’s win. “This morning, he was in his bag in terms of his speech he gave in our pregame meeting this morning. You can tell he still has that fastball if he needs it. It’s important for us to have that energy over the course of 82. We’re all in this together. He talked about that this morning, he showed it out there, and whether you win or lose, you just want to have a unit and a team that’s together. Coaches included.”
So what exactly stood out about this morning’s motivational speech from Kerr? Drawing back to his days with the Chicago Bulls, where he won three NBA titles alongside Michael Jordan in the late 90s.
Kerr used a compelling comparison to fire up his players, likening their assignments to that of a big-time band on tour, emphasizing the importance of all the moving pieces needed to complete the puzzle.
“He rarely talks about his Chicago days, and he gave some references to how they approached their team and their identity by comparisons to how a band comes together and everyone is playing a role,” Curry said. “You got your lead singers, you got your bass, your acoustic, your electric whatever. You got your stage hands, you got the guy who’s plugging in the speakers. He said he was just above plugging in the speakers guy.
“It speaks to it all matters, there’s value in all of that when a band is going on tour. I think Phil Jackson instilled that in him, and he used that as a reference for how we need to play and how we need to approach our identity. It’s going to take a long time to get through this year in terms of doing that, but it’s great to have a reference.”
While Curry’s historic scoring outburst led the way, it took a collective effort to get across the finish line against a tough Spurs team. Plays like Gary Payton II’s go-ahead three in the final minutes of the fourth quarter proved to be the difference on a night when Golden State needed every contribution possible for its thrilling victory.
It remains to be seen which band the Warriors most closely resemble, but it’s clear this group is capable of making sweet music together when the rhythm is right. And Friday night’s win is the kind of performance that will leave Dub Nation calling for an encore.
“I’m trying to win the game,” Brown said ahead of Friday night’s matchup with the Miami Heat. “A couple minutes left, stop and two threes, and it's a two-possession game. And that’s all I was trying to do, is win the game.
On the night, the Knicks, struggling all night, entered the fourth quarter down 18 and cut the lead to nine with six minutes to play. At the 4:18 mark, Brown took a timeout after the Magic hit a three-pointer to push the lead back to 15. In the flow of the game, pulling the starters at that point would have seemed like a premature waving of the white flag. While his side was having an off night and playing on the back-end of a back-to-back, sneaking up and overtaking Orlando in the closing moments wasn’t out of the question.
Out of the timeout, with his starters still in the game, Brunson hit a layup and then the Knicks got a pair of stops. However, Karl-Anthony Towns and then Brunson both missed floaters with a chance to cut the deficit closer and turn up the heat on Orlando. But they got no closer.
And in Brown's defense, there wasn't another stoppage of play to send in the reserves between his timeout and Brunson's injury, which was sustained when the guard stepped on a defender’s foot driving to he basket with 1:54 to play.
“If I feel like our guys are still being competitive and still trying to play the right way and win the game, and I feel like there’s a chance, then I’m gonna try and win the game,” the head coach said.
But Brown said there is no set strategy for making this determination.
“It could change,” he said. “Sometimes it may be four minutes left in the game, depending on the flow of the game. Sometimes it may be right down to the second.”
Additional testing on Brunson’s ankle revealed he sustained a Grade 1 ankle sprain, league sources tell SNY's Ian Begley, meaning he would miss Friday's game and the guard would be evaluated daily.
Christian Braun exited the game last in the first half on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers after rolling his ankle following a collision with James Harden near midcourt, and did not return to the game.
Braun is out much longer than that, he will be re-evaluated in six weeks due to a left ankle sprain, the Nuggets have announced.
Braun started all 11 games for the Nuggets, averaging 11.4 points a night, plus taking on key defensive assignments on the perimeter. The Nuggets have been 10.7 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor compared to when he is on the bench. With him out, expect to see a lot more Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. for Denver.
Braun signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension with the Nuggets this offseason, a deal that does not kick in until next season.
Granted, he didn’t know until Wednesday that he was one game away from tying Michael Jordan for most games with 40-plus points after turning 30. But once he was informed of the stat, he wasted no time, matching Jordan’s mark with a 49-point outburst during the Warriors’ 109-108 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night at Frost Bank Center.
After the game, Curry made it clear he knew exactly what he’d done once he reached 40 points in the fourth quarter.
“Very aware. I threw up the [23],” Curry told reporters. “I did it backwards, though. It’s the second time I’ve done that. But, yeah, I was aware of it, for sure. I didn’t know I was one away until last game, and then obviously I was asked about it.
“Then, when I got over that number — that’s pretty cool, just from an individual accomplishment perspective, just to be able to be in that type of company. The longevity is something I pride myself on, so that was pretty cool.”
Steph was "very aware" that he had tied Michael Jordan's record, though he accidentally threw up a backwards 23 🤣 pic.twitter.com/i5ZEKeSPQO
It’s not the first time Curry has joined the same company as Jordan, and it probably won’t be the last time, either. After all, they are two of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, and Curry clearly has a lot of respect for Jordan as well.
Perhaps when Curry scores 40 points again to eclipse Jordan’s record, he will throw up a 23 as intended, instead of an unintentional 32.
Adrian Kempe and his status as a pending UFA without a contract extension have been the talk of the town for the Los Angeles Kings. Further, after visiting the giant hockey markets Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs, you can expect some extra media coverage and reports on the matter.
Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened.
Also, it so happens that Kempe’s agent, J.P. Barry, is located in Toronto, leaving an opportunity for Kings GM Ken Holland to have another conversation with him regarding negotiations for signing Kempe to a contract extension.
On the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman reported that the two sides aren’t necessarily there yet.
“I do believe, as I said many times, that the player wants to stay and the team wants to keep him,” Friedman said. “But, I still think there’s a gap.”
He noted that on another Sportsnet radio show, hosted by Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne, Kings president Luc Robitaille was brought on as a guest and was asked about current negotiations with Kempe’s camp.
Friedman thought it was interesting because, while he believes there is still work to do, in terms of finalizing a deal for Kempe, Robitaille sounded relatively optimistic regarding the process.
The Sportsnet insider and reporter pointed out that Barry has been an in-season negotiator before. Other clients, such as Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak and Vancouver Canucks’ Filip Chytil, were signed to contract extensions in March 2023.
“It’s not weighing on me,” Kempe told The Athletic. “My focus right now is just playing. Like I said before, I’m not trying to think about it too much. I’m just focused on the game and let them do the job. My intention is to stay. I love it (here).”
Holland was also asked about getting a deal done with Kempe soon. The veteran GM doesn’t seem to be fazed or worried about the intentions of both parties.
“Certainly we want to keep him,” Holland told LeBrun. “I certainly believe he wants to be a King. I don’t think it’s been acrimonious or there’s been any ill-will.”
This is Kempe’s final year under his four-year, $5.5-million contract. LeBrun noted that Martin Necas’ recent contract extension, which saw him ink an eight-year deal at $11.5 million per season, is a key comparable in these extension talks.
“My sense is that the range being discussed for Kempe is $9.5 million to $11.5 million per year on a long-term deal,” LeBrun wrote.
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Nov 14, 2025; Stockholm, SWEDEN; Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos (91) in action in front of Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs (37) in a Global Series ice hockey game at Avicii Arena. Per Haljestam-Imagn Images
After getting a few days of rest and taking in the sights of Stockholm, the Nashville Predators got back to work against the Pittsburgh Penguins Friday afternoon at Avicii Arena for the 2025 NHL Global Series.
Nashville came into Friday owning a 3-1-0 record in games hosted in Europe or Asia. That magic was present on Friday, as Filip Forsberg tied the score 1-1 at 18:50 of regulation and Steven Stamkos netted the game-winner in overtime for a 2-1 triumph.
The victory snapped a five-game losing skid for the Preds. The game was scoreless until Evgeni Malkin scored for Pittsburgh at 13:49 of the second period for a 1-0 Pittsburgh lead.
After Juuse Saros went to the bench for the extra attacker, Filip Forsberg finally lit the lamp for the Preds at 18:50 of regulation, in his home country, no less.
Just 44 seconds into overtime, Steven Stamkos potted the golden goal, giving Nashville something to celebrate for the first time in six games.
“There was a lot of excitement,” Forsberg told reporters after the game. “I’m not going to lie, it's been a big day."
Saros was once again solid in goal, stopping 16 of 17 shots for the win. Arturs Silovs was tested often, saving 28 of 30 in the loss.
There were few penalties in the game; the Preds went 0-for-1 on the power play, while the Penguins failed to convert its two chances with the man advantage.
Stamkos was named player of the game and was gifted with a watch, presented to him following the game by former NHLer Mark Streit.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
A solid effort finally pays off.
The Preds tried the alignment of 11 forwards and seven defensemen for their opener in Stockholm. For most of the game, it didn't appear to matter who was on the ice; the net remained closed and the bounces went against Nashville.
The Penguins' lone goal came on such a bounce. Malkin’s tally, his fourth of the year, was set up by Matt Dumba, and the 39-year-old Russian center banked a shot from behind the net that ricocheted off Michael McCarron’s stick and then off Juuse Saros to put the Penguins on the scoreboard first.
“I think the last few days, our group had a lot of time together, enjoyed each other, and re-energized a little bit,” Preds head coach Andrew Brunette said during media availability following the game. “I thought our last two games were a little bit leaky, because we kind of got back to our identity a little bit. Tonight, I'm really happy that it worked out."
Meanwhile, Nashville had its share of chances. After serving a high-sticking penalty in the second period, Justin Barron went on a breakaway. He had Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs dead to rights, but couldn’t get the shot to go in.
Spencer Stastney had a great look, as did Erik Haula during a penalty kill. Early in the third period, Luke Evangelista appeared to have scored, but the goal was immediately waved off without a review after failing to cross the line.
Finally, Forsberg tied things up after some deft passing by Ryan O'Reilly and Stamkos, who took just 44 seconds to get the game-winner.
"We were on the verge, made it a little more interesting than we wanted to, but we played a solid game and kind of talked about, in the past, maybe letting it slip away and not sticking to it," Stamkos said. "Tonight, obviously we did it right down the wire and filled a huge hole, and then to get one in overtime was big."
If ever there was a time when the Predators needed a break, they finally got one in Sweden, with a little Forsberg magic thrown in.
Saros outduels Silovs.
Both netminders kept their respective teams in the game, although Arturs Silovs had the bigger test through the first 40 minutes. The Preds had a 20-10 shots advantage during that span.
The third period was more even, with the Preds holding an 8-7 advantage. Nashville got off the only two shots in overtime, including the one that counted most.
The Preds' defense, which had been guilty of some major lapses in recent games, played solid Friday, giving Saros the type of support he's been lacking even when he is at his best.
Filip Forsberg reaches a milestone in his home country.
What a treat that Filip Forsberg scored his 700th career NHL point in his homeland, and it was a game-tying tally to boot. The script couldn't have been written better.
Forsberg's goal makes him the 12th Swedish player to score a goal in an NHL regular-season game in his
home country; only two have scored multiple: KristianHuselius (2-1—3
in 2 GP) and LucasRaymond (2-0—2 in 2 GP).
Forsberg was named the game's second star. When asked by reporters about the potential of scoring the game-winner in overtime in a movie-script scenario, he quipped, "I think that would have been too much."
The 31-year-old Swede isn't done with personal marks. He will skate in his 800th career NHL game Sunday morning when the Preds and Penguins wrap up the Global Series in Stockholm.
The best part of Friday's milestone is that it came with a Preds win. Another win Sunday would be the perfect way to end the story in Sweden.
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With NBA owners seemingly more focused on European expansion than on adding teams domestically, speculation has bubbled up about the potential sale of the New Orleans Pelicans and the team being moved to Seattle (or possibly Las Vegas).
"Let me be clear about this: The teams are not for sale. That's in capital letters. I want everybody to know the teams are not for sale. I get tired of people asking me [if they're for sale]. I'm going to turn 79 in January, but I'm pretty healthy. I hear that people want to talk to me about buying the team. I'm like, well, that's a waste of my time. That's not going to happen. And people need to calm down about the team moving."
"It remains that when I die, both teams will be sold to the highest bidder and those proceeds will be used 100 percent to improve this community."
Benson was also asked about the job status of coach Willie Green. The Pelicans hired a new head of basketball operations last summer in Joe Dumars, and the Pelicans are off to a dreadful 2-9 start, both of which usually land a coach on the hot seat.
"I really like Willie Green, but I hired Joe Dumars to assess our basketball operation. And that's what he is doing. He is assessing Willie and all the players. He and I spent the entire halftime (of the Portland Trail Blazers game on Wednesday night) talking. When he makes a decision, that's up to him. That's why I hired him. I trust Joe, because I feel like he knows people. He's known Willie since he was a child, so they know each other. And if he can fix that problem, then he'll fix it. If he can't, then that'll be his decision, not mine. I've left that in his hands."
The Pelicans have missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons and have made the postseason just twice in the previous eight seasons, losing in the first round both times. Beyond that, the Pelicans just have a poor reputation among players and agents. Check out what former Pelican player Kendrick Perkins (now of ESPN) said on the RJ Defends podcast:
"Here's the problem with New Orleans. Great city — one of my favorite cities to live in ... They're always going to be second to the New Orleans Saints. That city is all about the Saints — from the ownership down to Mickey Loomis. They don't give a damn about the Pelicans. It's so bad that if you want to eat — you know how all NBA organizations now have first-class facilities with breakfast, chefs, post-practice meals? In New Orleans, you leave the Pelicans facility, and you gotta walk across the street to the Saints' facility just to eat. And all your food is in boxes in the cafeteria."
Benson seems unlikely to make a new significant financial investment in the Pelicans or their arena, the Smoothie King Center, which could use it. She has now also made it clear she is not selling the team, and while things change (and all team owners' public comments should be taken with a grain of salt), it appears the Pelicans are going nowhere. At least for the foreseeable future.
All of which means Pelicans fans have to hope that Dumars can figure everything out.
Riding a three-game win streak to start their seven-game road trip, the New York Islanders will take on the Utah Mammoth for the first time since the franchise adopted its new name.
Utah head coach André Tourigny -- who has been with this group of players since he was appointed head coach of the Arizona Coyotes ahead of the 2021-22 season -- joked about his friendship with Islanders head coach Patrick Roy:
Tourigny, who is from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, grew up during Patrick Roy’s reign as hockey’s greatest goaltender, and his childhood team, the Quebec Nordiques, were the biggest rivals of Roy’s Montreal Canadiens.
As coaches, the two went head-to-head throughout the 2000s in the QMJHL before joining forces for two years on the Colorado Avalanche's bench for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons when Roy was head coach.
While Tourigny later joined the Ottawa 67's for four seasons before returning to the NHL, he still has great respect for Roy:
#UtahHC Andre Tourigny, who was on Patrick Roy's staff with #GoAvsGo, spoke about going up against his friend tonight:
"He's a great coach. He's a very good competitor. He's always intense. Patty and I connect on a regular basis and we always kept a good relationship."#Isles
Roy has faced Tourigny just twice as New York's head coach, first falling 5-4 in overtime in the Islanders 2024-25 season opener on October 10, 2024, before defeating Utah 2-1 on January 11, 2025 in the team's first ever trip to Utah.
Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
Kelly Oubre Jr. was ruled out in the third quarter because of a left knee hyperextension.
Detroit was down six players, including Cade Cunningham (left hip contusion), Jalen Duren (right ankle sprain) and Tobias Harris (right ankle sprain).
The Sixers will return to Philadelphia and play the Clippers on Monday night. Here are observations on their loss to the Pistons:
Edgecombe refreshed, knocking down shots
Paul Reed made a layup to kick off the scoring against former Sixers teammate Andre Drummond. A few minutes later, Reed beat Drummond for a long offensive rebound and eventually slammed in an emphatic dunk. Reed (10 points, eight rebounds) and Drummond (12 points, 11 boards) exchanged some trash talk throughout the night.
Maxey was forceful as a scorer in the first quarter, even posting up on a couple of occasions. He recorded 10 of the Sixers’ first 19 points.
VJ Edgecombe drained long-range jumpers on his first two shots and clearly benefited from getting a little rest before the Sixers’ trip to Detroit.
During a physically taxing stretch of the schedule the past five games, Edgecombe’s scoring high was 12 points. The rookie had 13 in the first half and made at least three three-pointers for the first time in November.
Barlow back and on the boards
Dominick Barlow returned after missing the Sixers’ last nine games because of a right elbow laceration. He checked in to begin the second quarter with a sleeve on his right arm.
Barlow sunk a corner three on his first attempt. After a Sixers stop, Justin Edwards did the same to put the team up 38-31. Fresh off of a 22-point performance in the Sixers’ win over the Celtics, Edwards had 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting.
Though Barlow made a mistake on the perimeter when Ron Holland II picked off his pass, he recovered in impressive fashion. Barlow hustled after Holland and soared for a chase-down block. The initial foul call was overturned following a challenge by Sixers head coach Nick Nurse.
As a rebounder, Barlow picked up right where he left off. He snagged six boards (three offensive, three defensive) in his first stint.
Conditioning did not appear to be an issue for Barlow The fourth-year forward played 29 minutes on the night and tallied 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks. High-effort, productive work after weeks on the sidelines.
Sixers waste new lineup’s hot start to 2nd half
Maxey and the Sixers hit a cold patch in the second quarter and the Pistons went on an extended run.
Reed blocked Maxey’s lefty layup try on the Sixers’ final possession of the first half. Maxey had just two points in the second quarter and Detroit held a 63-54 halftime lead.
Nurse on Tuesday had mentioned the idea of switching up lineups to start the second half as one potential way to address the Sixers’ third-quarter woes. He turned to that option against the Pistons, inserting Barlow for Trendon Watford and Quentin Grimes for Oubre. Maxey, Edgecombe and Drummond were the three Sixers who started both halves.
Oubre appeared to pick up his left knee injury late in the second quarter. He asked out of the game and never returned. This story will be updated with any further information on his status.
The Sixers’ new second-half lineup provided the desired results right away.
The team’s defensive pressure elevated and offense suddenly started to look much easier. The Pistons didn’t score until the 7:38 mark of the third quarter and the Sixers stormed back with a 14-0 run. Grimes and Barlow each chipped in threes. Drummond knocked down two triples in the third quarter.
Nurse didn’t make any substitutions until almost seven minutes into the third. That sub was Edwards, who drilled a top-of-the-key three that gave the Sixers an 83-71 lead.
Their double-digit advantage did not last for long. Jenkins banked in a half-court shot at the third-quarter buzzer and Wendell Moore Jr.’s driving layup to begin the fourth tied the game. Nurse called timeout after a Reed lay-in that lifted the Pistons to a 94-92 edge.
Maxey’s tough shotmaking kept the Sixers in it. However, Detroit often had answers late in the fourth, including a tightly contested Caris LeVert three with the shot clock winding down.
Once the weekend’s over, the Sixers will aim to put together a more complete game and bounce back at home.
This has been a very good formula for more than a decade, and it served them well once again Friday night.
Stephen Curry poured in a game-high 49 points, willing and dragging and pulling the Warriors to a 109-108 victory over the Spurs at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
Trailing by 10 with 6:51 remaining, Golden State’s search for the momentum that would come with successive wins over a high-quality team was in doubt. The Warriors outscored San Antonio 24-13 over the final 6:42 to close out the triumph.
Here are three observations from a second consecutive feel-good road win, this one in an Emirates Cup game, for the Warriors, who improve to 8-6 overall and 1-1 in group play:
Chef cooks again
The Warriors basically left it up to Curry to carry them to a two-game sweep of the Spurs. Darned if he didn’t come through.
Curry scored 31 points in the second half – exactly half of the 62 points Golden State managed after intermission. His 49 points came on 16-of-26 shooting from the field, including 9-of-17 from beyond the arc and 8-of-8 from the line, including a pair of clinching free throws with 6.4 seconds remaining.
Curry scored 14 consecutive points for the Warriors to close the third quarter, which ended with them trailing 79-77. He scored 10 in a row in less than two minutes midway through the fourth quarter.
This was Curry’s 44th game with at least 40 points since his 30th birthday. That ties him with Michael Jordan for most in NBA history after that birthday. Coming off a 46-point outburst on Tuesday, this marks the first time since Nov. 11, 2022 that Curry posted back-to-back games with at least 40 points.
Bench shows signs of life
Coming into San Antonio this week, Golden State’s bench had been among the most productive in the league, averaging 40.2 points per game.
That group managed only 23 points in a 125-120 victory Wednesday night and further declined on Friday, finishing with only 19 points while San Antonio’s reserves put in 27.
After scoring only seven points in the first half, Golden State’s bench came alive in the second half, putting in 12 points – six each by Gary Payton II and Brandin Podziemski.
Podziemski entered the game shooting 12-of-34 from the field, including 6-of-17 from deep over his last five games. After missing five of his first six shots, he drained a pair of triples in the fourth quarter.
Payton, who was struggled with his shot all season, drilled two 3-pointers inside the final five minutes.
The question now is whether the Warriors’ bench can make up for the loss of Moses Moody, the team’s top bench scorer, moving into the starting lineup. Any recovery begins with Buddy Hield, who was scoreless for the first time this season and is averaging 5.4 points last 11 games) points over his last 12 games.
Steph could’ve used a little more help
The Warriors shot 28 percent from the field, including 16.7 percent from beyond the arc, in the first quarter. It got better, but not by much.
While Curry, Butler and Richard went into halftime with a combined 38 points on 14-of-20 shooting from the field, including 6-of-12 from beyond the arc, their teammates combined for nine points on 3-of-26 shooting, including 2-of-13 from deep.
It got better in the second half, with the Warriors scoring 62 points after a 47-point first half. But Curry’s teammates accounted for only 31 of those points, on 11-of-27 shooting from the field, including 4-of-10 from deep.
