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Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud facing ‘rite of passage' amid Kings' struggles originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — At least the rookies look good.

Doug Christie once again was unhappy with the Kings’ effort after a disheartening 131-90 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night at Intuit Dome. Still, Sacramento’s coach was proud of how guard Nique Clifford and center Maxime Raynaud continued to grow.

Clifford finished with a team-best 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting and three triples, while Raynaud poured in 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

“These players are good, man,” Christie said of the rookies. “They’re trying to do the right things. We’re here for them; we’re going to support them; we’re going to show them film; we’re going to develop; we keep working with them.”

It was the first time the Kings and Clippers met during the 2025-26 NBA season.

That also means that Tuesday night’s 41-point loss was the first time Clifford and Raynaud faced Los Angeles stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, who combined for 54 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, seemingly without breaking a sweat.

Christie discussed his rookies’ growing pains against the Clippers duo, emphasizing that Clifford and Raynaud only will improve as they stack professional experiences.

“You have to go through the league first,” Christie said of Clifford and Raynaud. “You know, that was the first time they have seen Kawhi, that’s the first time they have seen James Harden. Nique got some fouls against [Harden] that he’s like, ‘What did I do?’ And I’m just like, ‘Listen, man, you got to put yourself in the right position … You can’t wait for him to hit you; you have to hit him first.’ There are little things that [Clifford] has to learn; the same with Max. 

“We have to live with some of those mistakes from Max and Nique. But I will tell you that they’re not coming from a bad place. Those kids are just trying, they’re figuring it out, and that’s everything that we can ask for from them. And they continue to improve. The bumps and bruises they’re going to along the way [are] part of what you have to go through in this league to figure it out — and they will; I mean, I’m not worried about that.”

Clifford, whom Sacramento selected No. 24 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, now is up to six games of double-digit scoring. And Raynaud, who was drafted by Sacramento at No. 42, continues to settle into the starting center spot in place of the injured Domantas Sabonis and is up to six double-doubles.

The Kings aren’t where they want to be as a team, now with an 8-25 record entering the new year.

But Clifford and Raynaud are taking advantage of their respective opportunities, particularly the “bumps and bruises,” as Christie emphasized.

“It really is a rite of passage, man,” Christie said. “Like, you got to go through it. Because a lot of times, what you see in this league is, even with a team, they’ll have success for a year, and then they come back, and you’re like, ‘What happened?’ Because this league figures you out.

“If you don’t take advantage of this time, if you don’t go through and have all of those bumps and bruises, you know, that rookie year kind of drags on into next year. And before you know it, you kind of get labeled, and those are things that we don’t want for our players. Player development is big; they got to take this stuff seriously.”

Christie added that he advises his youngsters to journal their experiences after every game so that they have a “vast amount of knowledge” to reflect on in future matchups.

It seems that Clifford and Raynaud, despite their team’s struggles, have nowhere to go but up.

“The biggest part of all of that is that they are good kids, and they want to be good,” Christie said. “So they stay in the gym, they listen, they do the right things …”

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Observations after Edgecombe sinks game-winning 3-pointer, Sixers beat Grizzlies in OT  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

VJ Edgecombe’s clutch exploits came on the road with the Sixers.

The rookie buried the second game-winner of his career Tuesday night in Memphis. The Grizzlies hard hedged Tyrese Maxey on the perimeter and he dished to Edgecombe, who nailed a go-ahead three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in overtime. Cedric Coward’s miss at the final buzzer cemented a 139-136 Sixers win.

With their first victory of a five-game road trip, the Sixers moved to 17-14 and snapped a three-game losing streak. They’ll play the Mavs on Thursday night. 

Memphis dropped to 15-17. Ja Morant starred for the Grizzlies with 40 points and Coward posted 28 points and 16 rebounds.

The Sixers got 34 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high eight assists from Joel Embiid. 

Maxey had 34 points and 12 assists. Edgecombe added 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. 

The Sixers’ two injury absences were Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain).  According to a team official, both players are continuing to progress and started to be “reintegrated into team activities” at Monday’s practice. 

Here are observations on the Sixers’ dramatic OT win Tuesday:

Déjà vu at the start

Edgecombe swished a three-pointer for his team’s first basket. Outside of that, there was little to like early on for the Sixers. 

Memphis jumped in front and took a 17-7 lead on Coward’s corner three. The Thunder had opened 9 for 9 from the floor Sunday in their blowout win over the Sixers. Two days later, the Grizzlies started 7 for 8. 

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse called timeout. Though the Sixers certainly did not snap into lockdown defense mode, they at least stabilized the situation overall.

Maxey had a second straight outstanding start highlighted by near-perfect shooting. The 25-year-old scored a dozen points in both the first and second quarters. His only first-half miss was a tightly guarded three on the Sixers’ final possession of the first quarter. 

Maxey-Embiid duo flowing 

Embiid committed two fouls in under seven minutes. Edgecombe picked up his third peronal at the 9:26 mark of the second quarter and sat out the rest of the first half. 

The Sixers still earned their first lead with Maxey sitting early in the second quarter. Embiid drilled a top-of-the-key three and had success on multiple occasions when he popped off of double drag actions. A Jared McCain fast-break layup put the Sixers up 47-46. 

The Maxey-Embiid two-man game was brilliant once the Sixers’ superstar guard checked back in. The duo diced up Memphis’ defense with pick-and-pops, dribble handoffs and heaps of individual talent. The Embiid-Maxey pair posted 43 points in the first half on just 23 field goal attempts and eight assists. 

Nurse played a big frontcourt of Embiid and Adem Bona late in the second quarter. Largely thanks to Embiid’s defense, the Sixers fared well. The Sixers forced a flurry of turnovers and Embiid had a bright, energetic defensive stretch with two blocks and a steal. Bona did all the dirty work and chipped in four points, six rebounds, two blocks and two assists. He was deservedly the Sixers’ lone backup center and Andre Drummond stayed on the bench.

On top of the production, Embiid’s mobility and minutes were encouraging. He logged a season-high 38 minutes in Memphis.

Maxey capped the first half with a fantastic play when he somehow hit a leaning, double-pump three with 1.1 seconds left in the second quarter. He looked amazed by his own work. 

Maxey made his 800th career three-pointer Tuesday (he’s currently at 802). Allen Iverson is first in Sixers history with 885.

Edgecombe saves the day

The Grizzlies scored the first six points of the second half and the Sixers appeared on their way to more third-quarter misery. Coward and Jaylen Wells drained threes against the Sixers’ zone defense to give Memphis a 90-81 lead.

The Sixers replied with a much-needed run.

Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes each turned steals into fast-break baskets. The Sixers had a major turnovers advantage (20-9) on Tuesday night.

They took a slim lead into the fourth quarter, but Morant had a hot start to the final frame. After making a mid-range jumper on McCain, he got Bona on a switch and then drove in for a tough one-one layup with his left hand.

While Edgecombe did not shoot especially well for much of the night, he came through with tons of timely plays in the fourth quarter and OT. Paul George converted a cutting layup and Edgecombe sunk two threes in a row. The Sixers led by seven points with a little over four minutes on the clock. Edgecombe had a 13-point fourth period.

The Sixers struggled to stamp a win, failing to find a decisive basket. Embiid committed his fifth foul on an illegal screen, Maxey missed a mid-range jumper, and Morant made a game-tying floater.

Memphis had a chance to win on the final play of regulation but couldn’t capitalize. Grimes and Embiid swarmed Morant. Wells and Santi Aldama both missed go-ahead three-point attempts.

Eventually, the Sixers’ stars saw a few shots drop again in OT. Maxey made a driving lay-in through contact and Embiid hit two mid-range hoops.

Morant jetted past Edgecombe and laid the ball in with 18.3 seconds to go in overtime, tying the game up once more.

As has become his habit in the NBA, Edgecombe shook the play off and saved the day.

Observations after Edgecombe sinks game-winning 3-pointer, Sixers beat Grizzlies ih OT  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

VJ Edgecombe’s clutch exploits came on the road with the Sixers.

The rookie buried the second game-winner of his career Tuesday night in Memphis. The Grizzlies hard hedged Tyrese Maxey on the perimeter and he dished to Edgecombe, who nailed a go-ahead three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in overtime. Cedric Coward’s miss at the final buzzer cemented a 139-136 Sixers win.

With their first victory of a five-game road trip, the Sixers moved to 17-14 and snapped a three-game losing streak. They’ll play the Mavs on Thursday night. 

Memphis dropped to 15-17. Ja Morant starred for the Grizzlies with 40 points and Coward posted 28 points and 16 rebounds.

The Sixers got 34 points, 10 rebounds and a season-high eight assists from Joel Embiid. 

Maxey had 34 points and 12 assists. Edgecombe added 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. 

The Sixers’ two injury absences were Kelly Oubre Jr. (left knee LCL sprain) and Trendon Watford (left adductor strain).  According to a team official, both players are continuing to progress and started to be “reintegrated into team activities” at Monday’s practice. 

Here are observations on the Sixers’ dramatic OT win Tuesday:

Déjà vu at the start

Edgecombe swished a three-pointer for his team’s first basket. Outside of that, there was little to like early on for the Sixers. 

Memphis jumped in front and took a 17-7 lead on Coward’s corner three. The Thunder had opened 9 for 9 from the floor Sunday in their blowout win over the Sixers. Two days later, the Grizzlies started 7 for 8. 

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse called timeout. Though the Sixers certainly did not snap into lockdown defense mode, they at least stabilized the situation overall.

Maxey had a second straight outstanding start highlighted by near-perfect shooting. The 25-year-old scored a dozen points in both the first and second quarters. His only first-half miss was a tightly guarded three on the Sixers’ final possession of the first quarter. 

Maxey-Embiid duo flowing 

Embiid committed two fouls in under seven minutes. Edgecombe picked up his third peronal at the 9:26 mark of the second quarter and sat out the rest of the first half. 

The Sixers still earned their first lead with Maxey sitting early in the second quarter. Embiid drilled a top-of-the-key three and had success on multiple occasions when he popped off of double drag actions. A Jared McCain fast-break layup put the Sixers up 47-46. 

The Maxey-Embiid two-man game was brilliant once the Sixers’ superstar guard checked back in. The duo diced up Memphis’ defense with pick-and-pops, dribble handoffs and heaps of individual talent. The Embiid-Maxey pair posted 43 points in the first half on just 23 field goal attempts and eight assists. 

Nurse played a big frontcourt of Embiid and Adem Bona late in the second half. Largely thanks to Embiid’s defense, the Sixers fared well. The Sixers forced a flurry of turnovers and Embiid had a bright, energetic defensive stretch with two blocks and a steal. Bona did all the dirty work and chipped in four points, six rebounds, two blocks and two assists. He was deservedly the Sixers’ lone backup center and Andre Drummond stayed on the bench.

On top of the production, Embiid’s mobility and minutes were encouraging. He logged a season-high 38 minutes in Memphis.

Maxey capped the first half with a fantastic play when he somehow hit a leaning, double-pump three with 1.1 seconds left in the second quarter. He looked amazed by his own work. 

Maxey made his 800th career three-pointer Tuesday (he’s currently at 802). Allen Iverson is first in Sixers history with 885.

Edgecombe saves the day

The Grizzlies scored the first six points of the second half and the Sixers appeared on their way to more third-quarter misery. Coward and Wells drained threes against the Sixers’ zone defense to give Memphis a 90-81 lead.

The Sixers replied with a much-needed run.

Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes each turned steals into fast-break baskets. The Sixers had a major turnovers advantage (20-9) in Memphis.

They took a slim lead into the fourth quarter, but Morant had a hot start to the final frame. After making a mid-range jumper on McCain, he got Bona on a switch and then drove in for a tough one-one layup with his left hand.

While Edgecombe did not shoot especially well for much of the night, he came through with tons of timely plays in the fourth quarter and OT. George converted a cutting layup and Edgecombe sunk two threes in a row. The Sixers led by seven points with a little over four minutes on the clock. Edgecombe had a 13-point fourth period.

The Sixers struggled to stamp a win, failing to find a decisive basket. Embiid committed his fifth foul on an illegal screen, Maxey missed a mid-range jumper, and Morant made a game-tying floater.

Memphis had a chance to win on the final play of regulation but couldn’t capitalize. Grimes and Embiid swarmed Morant. Jalen Wells and Santi Aldama both missed go-ahead three attempts.

Eventually, the Sixers’ stars saw a few shots drop again in OT. Maxey made a driving lay-in through contact and Embiid hit two mid-range hoops.

Morant jetted past Edgecombe and laid the ball in with 18.3 seconds to go in OT, tying the game up again.

As has become his habit in the NBA, Edgecombe shook the play off and saved the day.

What we learned as Nique Clifford lone bright spot in Kings' loss to Clippers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Kings seemingly had a chance to earn their ninth win of the 2025-26 NBA season on Tuesday night against a Los Angeles Clippers team that entered with 10.

That was not the case — at all.

Two days after losing 125-101 to LeBron James and the Lakers on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena, the Kings were thrashed 131-90 by Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers just 20 minutes away at Intuit Dome.

Los Angeles continued its midseason resurgence and four-game winning streak to cap off Sacramento’s demoralizing stay in the City of Angels.

The Kings battled early, but trailed 34-20 after the first quarter and 73-40 at halftime. Sacramento, which shot an uncompetitive 34 of 83 to Los Angeles’ 46 of 90, never held a lead.

Rookie guard Nique Clifford led the Kings with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting with a trio of 3-pointers, two assists and one rebound. Fellow rookie Maxime Raynaud and Russell Westbrook followed with 12 points apiece.

Here are three takeaways from the Kings’ 41-point, blowout loss.

Keegan Murray’s Return

Keegan Murray looked healthy after missing the Kings’ last two games with a calf injury suffered in Sacramento’s 136-127 loss to the Detroit Pistons seven days ago at Golden 1 Center.

Despite posting 11 points on a subpar 4-of-13 shooting, Murray more importantly played a team-high 20 first-half minutes and 30 total minutes without visible limitations mobility-wise.

He got up for one dunk, one block and two rebounds. Notably, he often — and relatively comfortably — guarded Leonard, Los Angeles’ top offensive threat.

Kings coach Doug Christie surely wasn’t satisfied with Sacramento’s two-game stretch in Hollywood. But returning home for New Year’s Day with a healthy Murray must be somewhat pleasing.

Hometown Woes

It always is special when DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook, a pair of Los Angeles natives, have the opportunity to play back home in front of family and friends.

Tuesday night, however, did not feature either of the NBA icons’ best performances.

Westbrook, a former Clipper, quietly finished with 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting with four assists and three rebounds. 

And DeRozan, the Kings’ current leading scorer with Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis sidelined with injuries, posted a quiet eight points on 2-of-8 shooting with seven boards and three assists.

The Kings needed more out of everybody against the Clippers. Though they could’ve used a boost from their hometown heroes — especially against other big-time local products such as James Harden and Leonard.

Kawhi Keeps Cookin’

Leonard recently has been on a mission, and unfortunately for the Kings, dominating Sacramento was the 6-foot-7 forward’s latest task.

The reigning Western Conference Player of the Week sleepwalked his way into an efficient 33 points in 33 minutes with five assists and five rebounds.

Leonard, of course, was coming off a career-high 55-point game in Los Angeles’ 112-99 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

“He’s been playing at an incredible level,” Christie said of Leonard pregame. “I had watched some games earlier, and he hadn’t been playing at that level. And I’m looking, it was like 40 [points], then 55, and I was like, ‘Right before you play us.’ ”

There aren’t any superstars that any team wants to face. But at the moment, Leonard is one of the league’s scariest scorers, and the schedule aligned in a way that did the Kings zero favors.

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Warriors star Steph Curry returns to his alma mater Davidson for unique honor originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The list of ideas for Davidson College to honor Warriors star Steph Curry has to be running low.

But his alma mater found another way Tuesday afternoon, when they welcomed their assistant general manager of the university’s basketball programs back on campus for the official renaming of I-77 Exit 30 to Stephen Curry Interchange.

“This is my forever home,” Curry said after the new signage was unveiled, via The Charlotte Observer.

“For me to be able to represent so many people that made this possible, I hope that that’s what they feel. A diploma is one thing. An elite achievement is another thing. This [sign] is another. I might be stealing the sign to take it home.”

Curry’s wife Ayesha and his Golden State teammates Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody were in attendance for the momentous affair, which took place during halftime of the Davidson Wildcats’ 89-83 overtime loss to the Duquesne Dukes.

Curry played three seasons at Davidson from 2006 to 2009, where he was named a two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year, consensus All-American and NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player before he was selected by the Warriors with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

In the summer of 2022, shortly after the Warriors’ fourth NBA championship, Curry had his No. 30 jersey retired by the school, was inducted into its Hall of Fame and officially earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. In March 2025, Davidson named Curry assistant GM of the college’s basketball programs, making him the first active player in U.S. pro sports to take an administrative job with an NCAA team.

“You’ve represented our values of leadership and service,” Davidson College president Douglas Hicks said Tuesday during the ceremony. “You’ve lifted up youth from Ada Jenkins Center here in Davidson to schools across Oakland.

“Everybody knows that the entrance to Davidson is Exit 30, and we hope that your heart will always lead you back to [the town of] Davidson and Davidson College.”

With a fitting ceremony on Dec. 30 for No. 30 officially done, the Warriors now look ahead to facing Curry’s hometown Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday at Spectrum Center.

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