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Draymond Green drops perfect two-word response to Steph Curry's impending return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry is expected to return Sunday, and no one is as thrilled as Draymond Green.

The Warriors forward, who has spent his entire 14-year NBA career playing as Curry’s partner-in-crime, shared the perfect two-word response to Curry’s impending return.

“Thank God,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show.”

Curry has been sidelined for more than two months with a nagging knee issue.

He made a major leap in his rehab this past week after returning to full practice for the first time and participating in 5-on-5 scrimmaging. Curry scrimmaged for the second time on Thursday, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr shared that “he looked good” and “looked like Steph Curry.”

“We’re excited,” Green continued. “No. 1, just to see him back on the floor, the NBA is a much better place when Steph Curry is on the floor. I think we all can agree with that from a team perspective. The most important thing for us the past couple of weeks has been staying competitive, making sure we’re building great habits, because realistically, I don’t believe we had enough. But continuing to build the right habits, continuing to stay competitive, continuing to keep spirits high, so that when Steph returns, when Al [Horford] returns, you’re not trying to break bad habits.

“You plug those guys in where they go and you try to build on the good habits that we’ve been working on. You try to build on some of the experiences that these guys have been getting due to the injuries. If you just let go of the rope while Steph is out, when Al’s out, when they do come back, it’s just going to be more of the same. And quite honestly, we didn’t win a ton of games, but what we did was build some good habits and guys have grown in different areas. And now, you get your reinforcements back and you try to give yourself a chance.”

Curry hasn’t played since Jan. 30. The Warriors have posted a 9-18 record without their best player.

Golden State currently holds a 36-41 record and sits in 10th place in the Western Conference standings, three games behind the ninth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers.

“Going into this play-in situation, you go in healthy and a little fresh, which is one upside of the injuries,” Green said. “And with a group of guys who have been there. I’ve been there. Steph’s been there. Al Horford’s been there. Porzingis has been there. mixed with guys who haven’t had many opportunities. And you roll the dice and you see what you get. So we’re excited as hell.”

With just five regular-season games remaining, Curry’s return comes at the perfect time.

And Green shared that despite speculation, the Warriors never actually considered shutting down Curry for the season.

“As I told you all, there was never really an idea of Steph shutting it down,” Green said. “He’s been working to get back and obviously had the frustrating days in between. But there was never really a talk of like, ‘Yo, let’s shut it down.’ It’s just not who he is. So we’re excited as hell. And honestly, you just want to give yourself a shot at the playoffs. You give yourself a chance.”

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1. Historic First Half Offense

After dropping a franchise record 53 points on the Miami Heat in the game before, the Celtics came into this matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks and dropped 43 more. Boston scoring 96 points in back-to-back first quarters is a new NBA record, beating the previous mark set by the Denver Nuggets of 92 points in 2008. Boston once again shot ridiculously well, going 15-25 (60%) from the field and 8-12 (67%) from three with 0 turnovers.

Boston also set a franchise record for the most points in consecutive first halves with a total of 155 points after scoring 80 points against Miami and 75 points against Milwaukee, breaking the previous record of 152 points. In the first half against the Bucks, the Celtics shot 28-53 (53%) from the field and 12-23 (52%) from three with only 2 turnovers.

2. Tatum Ethical Hoops

After recording his first triple-double of the season against the Heat, Jayson Tatum was about as close as you could get when it came to getting two in a row, finishing with 23 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals on 8-16 shooting from the field and 4-8 shooting from three. One of the craziest stats on Tatum in this game is that he finished as a +30 in 31 minutes, just ethical hoops.

When it came to his shot, Tatum looked like he was shooting in an open gym for most of his attempts. The Bucks did not have a guy who could guard him and his work navigating screens from Neemias Queta allowed him to get a ton of wide open shots.

Tatum’s rebounding in this game was big on the defensive glass but it was his assists that were the most impressive thing to watch. Tatum was seeing the floor like Neo in the Matrix. He knew what play was coming and made the pass to a teammate before even they knew what they were about to do. Just pinpoint accuracy that not every player in the NBA can master.

I was also really impresses with Tatum’s defense in this game. The 3 steals that he ended with were in result of Tatum using his heightened sense of awareness for the situation to pick off passes and create offensive opportunities. Maybe he really is Neo.

3. Queta for Most Improved Player

For the 16th time this season and the second game in a row, Neemias Queta finished with a double-double of 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks on 8-11 shooting. This game is a perfect example of why Queta needs to win Most Improved Player.

Queta has improved so much when it comes to setting the best screens in the NBA and making quick decisions once he has the ball in his hands. This play where he caught it at the free throw line and passed it to Derrick White show’s his improvements in his decision making.

When it comes to scoring, Queta’s connection with Jayson Tatum is really starting to blossom into an unstoppable force. Out of his 8 made shots, 4 of them were assisted by Tatum. Queta’s job was just to finish the play and he did a great job of putting himself in the right position to receive the passes.

On the defensive end, we have seen Queta transform into an incredible shot blocker. He had 4 blocks in this game that he was able to time up perfectly. Going from the fourth string center last season to the starter this year has been an incredible testament to his development and that should put him as the favorite for Most Improved Player.

4. Brown Makes Scoring Look Easy

It must be so awesome to be able to have an offensive bag like Jaylen Brown. He finished with 26 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals on 7-17 shooting and 2-4 from three but when you watched him play in this game it looks like its just a regular game of pickup.

We saw Brown take and make a ton of pull-up jump shots against Milwaukee mostly due to the fact that they just couldn’t guard him. Similar to Tatum, Brown was able to get wherever he wanted to on the court with relatively no pushback from the defense and just rise up over people. Brown finished his night on fire, scoring 13 points in the third quarter before sitting for the rest of the game.

That’s why I think it has to be so cool to have Jaylen Brown’s offensive ability because he knows how to make the game of basketball look so easy.

5. Hauser-Matic

Coming off a first quarter where Sam Hauser shot 6-6 from the field and 5-5 from three in the first quarter against the Heat, he followed it up with a 3-3 shooting first quarter against the Bucks with all of his shots coming from beyond the arc. Hauser finished this game with 13 points on 5-6 shooting from the field and 3-4 shooting from three.

Hauser’s ability to get hot early is huge for the Celtics offense. When he is hitting his threes, Boston can build up a lead quick and in a hurry. This reminds me of how the 2024 Celtics would use Jrue Holiday on offense when he shot 43% from three that year. Boston was able to close out games by the end of the third quarter up by 50 points all because Holiday was hitting wide open corner threes.

Hauser has that same ability to just make wide open shots to demoralize a defense and that makes Boston’s offense so much scarier to any team that runs into them.

6. Pritchard Paint Precision

Payton Pritchard continued his streak of good performances in this game, finishing with 16 points and 6 assists on 7-12 shooting from the field and 2-6 shooting from three. The thing that impresses me most with Pritchard’s offense is how is able to navigate himself when he is in the paint at his size.

Pritchard loves when a big gets switched on to him so he can completely embarrass them by taking them off the dribble and shooting a fadeaway jumper that doesn’t even touch rim. The defends the jump shot? Pritchard is just going to use an array of up-and-under moves to continue to embarrass them. If he’s not doing that, Pritchard might just use his speed to blow by you and finish through contact for a layup.

No matter what happens, in the end the big man on the other team ends up feel sad and embarrassed while Payton Pritchard just continues his asention into the Gen Z version of Steve Nash.

7. White Three-Point Slump Busted?

Ever since Jayson Tatum has come back on March 6th, Derrick White has been in a shooting slump from three, shooting 26% from three on 78 attempts in his last 12 games. Although he was able to buck that trend in this game against Milwaukee, finishing with 17 points 5-9 shooting from three.

White is currently having the second worst three-point shooting season of his career at 32% but this game feels encouraging. He looked a lot more comfortable taking them in this game verses last game against Miami where he only attempted 1 three. Hopefully White can get hot for the playoffs, but his shooting as a whole is the least bit concerning considering all of the other ways he can impact the game on offense and defense.

8. Buck Hunting vs Zone

In the Miami game, it was pretty obvious the Celtics plan was to attack Tyler Herro any chance they got and tonight Boston did the same thing with Milwaukee’s AJ Green. In the second quarter we saw Brown and Tatum attack Green on back-to-back plays with similar results.

Tatum started it out by getting the ball at the three point line. With Green only being listed at 6’4”, this was a free basket Jayson, backing down the Bucks sharpshooter and splashing a step back jumper in his face.

On the next offensive possession the Celtics had, Brown got the ball at the three point line and just bullied his way to the free throw area where he hit Green with a fadeaway jumper that looked like shooting practice.

These were a couple examples of the way the Celtics were able to exploit mismatches on the undermanned Bucks all night long. After years of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum having to play against the Miami Heat’s zone defense in the conference finals, it feels funny that teams even try to run it when the Jays are on the floor and they don’t have the personnel to hold up.

9. Board Man Gets Paid

Boston dominated Milwaukee in pretty much every aspect of this game but one area that stands out was their ability to dominate the glass, out-rebounding the Bucks 48-30 on the night. Craziest part about the Celtics rebounding number is the fact that Tatum and Queta combined for 21 of the 48 rebounds for Boston.

When it came to the points in the paint battle, the Celtics blew them out 56-22. With Myles Turner being the only person that has even the slightest ability to defend the paint against Boston, it was pretty much an all you can buffet down there. Boston shot 22-26 (85%) directly underneath the basket in this one, finished off by a Jordan Walsh alley-oop dunk.

10. The Celtics Defense Makes No Sense

It’s hard to find negatives when the Celtics have blown out their opponents the last two games by an average of 25 points while scoring an average of 140 points, but there is one thing that just doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense and that is Boston’s three point defense.

This game made it back-to-back games where the Celtics allowed 20+ threes to their opponent and still won. This has only happened one other time in NBA history from the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. Although the Celtics are winning is there any cause for concern with the three point defense?

I’m going to say no when it comes to being concerned given the fact that Boston averages 14.1 threes given up a game so this could just be an outlier. The Celtics were blowing out their opponents by so much, in some meaningless regular season games and they were just a little lackadaisical on defense. Even in their last loss to the Atlanta Hawks on March 30th, Boston only allowed 15 made threes.

My final verdict is that there is nothing to really be concerned about as of now but it really is just a strange statistical anomaly. Leave it to the Celtics to break both brains and stat sheets.

Mere hours after a straw poll of NBA media members said Charlotte Hornets forward Kon Knueppel was firmly in the lead for the NBA Rookie of the Year award as the 2025-26 season winds down, Cooper Flagg made a closing argument that would put Perry Mason to shame.

Flagg poured in 38 of his game-high 51 points in the second half on Friday in a 138-127 loss to the Orlando Magic at American Airlines Center. It was jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring stuff. He had the same determined look on his face after starting the game with a pedestrian five points in the first quarter that he featured in that dazzling 49-point display on Jan. 29 against Knueppel and the Hornets. Flagg set a new record for single-game scoring by a teenager in an NBA that night, then broke it on Friday to hammer home

Flagg made 6-of-9 from 3-point range, five of which came in the second half, against the Magic. He recorded three steals on the defensive end. But most of all, his performance proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that a straw poll with six regular-season games still left on the schedule is an imperfect endeavor. He left no shadow of a doubt on Friday who should be named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year.

It has to be Flagg.

“I would hope it helps,” Flagg said when asked how his 51-point explosion should factor into his chances at winning the Rookie of the Year award. “But I’m not going to worry about that. I’m just going to worry about getting better every single night.”

At 19 years and 105 days, Flagg became the youngest player in NBA history to record a 50-point game and just the third rookie to do it since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976. Brandon Jennings scored 55 for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 14, 2009, and Allen Iverson scored 50 for the Philadelphia 76ers on April 12, 1997 at the Cleveland Cavaliers. If his current season averages hold through the final five regular-season games of the year, Flagg will become just the fourth rookie to average more than 20 points, more than six rebounds and more than four assists per game, after Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Luka Dončic all did it in their first years. He joined Jordan as just the second rookie to have multiple 45-point games since the merger as well.

He dwarfed his 14-point effort in the third quarter on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor with an astronomical fourth quarter against the Magic. He was an absolute maniac getting to the rim, but also made 2-of-3 from distance in the frame. He nuked Orlando for 24 points in the fourth on 11-of-18 shooting overall, then got a bottled water shower in the locker room after an 11-point loss, which felt a little weird.

We’ll excuse the awkwardness because, honestly, what’s the appropriate response to a night like Friday, when every Maverick not named Cooper Flagg combined to shoot 25-of-65 (38.5%) from the floor? At least it shows that the kid owns that locker room, as he damn well should.

Flagg scored 10 straight points for the Mavs in a span of less than two minutes early in the third, including a step-back 3-pointer with just over nine minutes left in the frame to put him at 23 points on the night. Two free throws and a pull-up jumper late in the third put him at 27 points entering the fourth and gave Flagg his 18th game of 25 or more points in his rookie year and before turning 20, passing Dončić, who had 17 games of 25 or more points as a teen. But that was just an appetizer.

Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was ejected early in the fourth quarter after arguing a non-call that should have been whistled for a foul on Desmond Bane, who tugged on Flagg’s elbow following a shot attempt. Flagg scored all 24 of his fourth-quarter points after the ejection in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Flagg’s stop-and-pop 3-pointer from the right wing with 9:45 left to play put him at the 30-point mark, and that’s when he detonated. The next time down, he dropped the hammer on a high-flying dunk over Paolo Banchero. Two possessions after that, Flagg nailed his fourth 3-ball of the game, this time from the left wing to force a Magic timeout with the Mavericks trailing 123-102.

The one hole in Flagg’s game across his rookie season has been his jumpshot. His six 3-pointers on Friday are the latest evidence that he has what it takes to plug that hole in short order. And when he does, the NBA is on notice. He’s going to be the best player in the league.

Scoff at the fact that his final 21 points came in “junk time” against an Orlando team that had lost eight of its last 10 coming into Friday’s game at your own peril. Flagg is the realest of real deals, but we’ve known that for quite some time. He spun for a hoop and the harm inside over Jamal Cain with 2:05 left to play, then flopped to the ground with his arms extended overhead, in relief after reaching the 50-point peak. The ensuing free throw put Flagg at 51 points for the game, elevating Flagg to even more rarified air than he already occupied.

The kid is a monster, and he should be the NBA’s Rookie of the Year. He now owns the three top-scoring single games (51, 49, 42) by a rookie this year and five of the top eight.

“Well he’s a rookie, he should be Rookie of the Year,” Kidd said in his postgame press conference. “It’s unbelievable, the country is not watching the same thing that we get to watch on a daily basis. The things that he’s done, he’s in rare air, he’s with the GOAT when you talk about MJ and what he did in his rookie year, and as a teenager. And so to see what Cooper’s doing, just the excitement, the joy of playing the game. Win or lose, his spirit is about winning, and right now we’re not, but as he just said in the locker room, we’re just gonna be that much better come next season.”

I’d say case closed, but he’s still got five chances left to do something special again.

The NBA playoff picture continues to take shape entering the weekend.

All of the postseason berths have been clinched, but teams continue to battle for position in the final days of the regular season. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets became the latest teams to clinch full playoff spots on Thursday.

The Rockets were dominant with a 140-106 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are not only the defending champions but also made another statement to the rest of the league with a convincing 139-96 win against the Lakers on Thursday. The Thunder remain the No. 1 seed in the West, followed by the San Antonio Spurs and the Lakers — suddenly without Luka Doncic — rounding out the top three.

The Eastern Conference standings remain tight, with 4.5 games deciding the seedings between teams No. 5 through No. 10. The Detroit Pistons have held their ground as the top team in the East, with the Boston Celtics trailing by 4 games. The Celtics outscored the Milwaukee Bucks 43-26 in the first quarter before winning 133-101 on Friday.

Here are the current brackets for the playoffs and the Play-In Tournament, the NBA standings and the schedule for Saturday, April 4:

NBA schedule for Saturday, April 4

• Washington Wizards at Miami Heat, 3 p.m. ET
• San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets, 3 p.m. ET
• Detroit Pistons at Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m. ET

NBA standings

All 20 teams – 10 in each conference – that will participate in the postseason have been determined. Here are their records and what each of those teams has clinched so far (x-clinched playoff berth; d-clinched division):

Eastern Conference

• (1) d-Detroit Pistons: 56-21
• (2) x-Boston Celtics: 52-25 (4 GB)
• (3) x-New York Knicks: 50-28 (6.5 GB)
• (4) x-Cleveland Cavaliers: 48-29 (8 GB)
• (5) Atlanta Hawks: 45-33 (11.5 GB)
• (6) Philadelphia 76ers: 43-34 (13 GB)
• (7) Toronto Raptors: 43-34 (13 GB)
• (8) Charlotte Hornets: 42-36 (14.5 GB)
• (9) Orlando Magic: 41-36 (15 GB)
• (10) Miami Heat: 40-37 (16 GB)

Western Conference

• (1) d-Oklahoma City Thunder: 61-16
• (2) d-San Antonio Spurs: 59-18 (2 GB)
• (3) d-Los Angeles Lakers: 50-27 (11 GB)
• (4) x-Denver Nuggets: 49-28 (12 GB)
• (5) x-Houston Rockets: 48-29 (13 GB)
• (6) Minnesota Timberwolves: 46-31 (15 GB)
• (7) Phoenix Suns: 42-35 (19 GB)
• (8) Portland Trail Blazers: 40-38 (21.5 GB)
• (9) Los Angeles Clippers: 39-38 (22)
• (10) Golden State Warriors: 36-41 (25 GB)

NBA playoffs bracket

(As of Friday, April 3)

Eastern Conference

• (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Play-In Winner
• (4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
• (3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers
• (2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Play-In Winner

Western Conference

• (1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Play-In Winner
• (4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) Houston Rockets
• (3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
• (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Play-In Winner

NBA Play-In Tournament

(As of Friday, April 3)

Eastern Conference

• (7) Toronto Raptors vs. (8) Charlotte Hornets
• (9) Orlando Magic vs. (10) Miami Heat

Western Conference

• (7) Phoenix Suns vs. (8) Portland Trail Blazers
• (9) LA Clippers vs. (10) Golden State Warriors

When do the NBA playoffs begin?

• The NBA Play-In Tournament begins on Tuesday, April 14 and runs through Friday, April 17.
• The NBA playoffs start Saturday, April 18 and feature eight teams in each conference after teams are eliminated in the Play-In Tournament.
• Game 1 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3.

Which NBA teams have been eliminated from the playoffs?

Eastern Conference

• Brooklyn Nets
• Chicago Bulls
• Indiana Pacers
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Washington Wizards

Western Conference

• Dallas Mavericks
• Memphis Grizzlies
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Sacramento Kings
• Utah Jazz

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA playoffs bracket, standings, schedule if postseason started today

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