Worldwide Sports News

Milwaukee Bucks (31-47, 11th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Brooklyn Nets (19-59, 13th in the Eastern Conference)

New York; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Milwaukee visits Brooklyn looking to stop its three-game road losing streak.

The Nets are 13-34 in Eastern Conference games. Brooklyn is 2-4 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Bucks are 20-28 against Eastern Conference opponents. Milwaukee is 18-31 in games decided by 10 points or more.

The Nets score 106.2 points per game, 10.6 fewer points than the 116.8 the Bucks give up. The Bucks are shooting 47.8% from the field, 1.8% lower than the 49.6% the Nets' opponents have shot this season.

The teams square off for the third time this season. The Nets won 127-82 in the last matchup on Dec. 14. Egor Demin led the Nets with 17 points, and Gary Trent Jr. led the Bucks with 20 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Nic Claxton is averaging 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Nets. Nolan Traore is averaging 11.3 points over the last 10 games.

Myles Turner is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 5.3 rebounds for the Bucks. Ryan Rollins is averaging 15.0 points and 3.3 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Nets: 2-8, averaging 104.0 points, 34.2 rebounds, 24.2 assists, 10.0 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.1 points per game.

Bucks: 3-7, averaging 107.5 points, 39.1 rebounds, 23.9 assists, 8.1 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.2 points.

INJURIES: Nets: Ziaire Williams: day to day (foot), Noah Clowney: day to day (ankle), Nic Claxton: day to day (hand), Danny Wolf: out for season (ankle), Egor Demin: out for season (foot), Day'Ron Sharpe: out for season (thumb), Michael Porter Jr.: out for season (hamstring), Terance Mann: day to day (achilles), Ben Saraf: day to day (back).

Bucks: Kevin Porter Jr.: out for season (knee), Giannis Antetokounmpo: day to day (ankle), Bobby Portis: day to day (wrist), Gary Trent Jr.: day to day (hip).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Houston Rockets (49-29, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. Phoenix Suns (43-35, seventh in the Western Conference)

Phoenix; Tuesday, 11 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Rockets -2; over/under is 220.5

BOTTOM LINE: Houston will look for its 50th victory of the season when the Rockets visit the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns are 27-21 in Western Conference games. Phoenix has an 18-27 record against teams over .500.

The Rockets are 27-22 against Western Conference opponents. Houston is 21-16 against opponents with a winning record.

The Suns are shooting 45.5% from the field this season, 0.5 percentage points lower than the 46.0% the Rockets allow to opponents. The Rockets average 11.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.6 fewer makes per game than the Suns allow.

The teams meet for the fourth time this season. In the last matchup on Jan. 6 the Rockets won 100-97 led by 26 points from Kevin Durant, while Devin Booker scored 27 points for the Suns.

TOP PERFORMERS: Collin Gillespie is averaging 12.9 points and 4.8 assists for the Suns. Booker is averaging 26.5 points over the last 10 games.

Durant is averaging 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Rockets. Alperen Sengun is averaging 22.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Suns: 4-6, averaging 115.5 points, 42.9 rebounds, 26.3 assists, 9.1 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 45.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.4 points per game.

Rockets: 8-2, averaging 121.2 points, 47.0 rebounds, 30.7 assists, 7.3 steals and 6.2 blocks per game while shooting 50.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.9 points.

INJURIES: Suns: Haywood Highsmith: day to day (knee).

Rockets: Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Steven Adams: out for season (ankle).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Good news awaited the Golden State Warriors on Sunday: at long last, the return of Steph Curry, who finally rejoined the team after 27 games on the sidelines. And it almost propelled the team to a stunning comeback victory against the Houston Rockets.

Almost.

Instead, the Warriors lost their fourth consecutive game, falling 117-116 after a Curry game-winning three-point attempt was off line at the buzzer.

It was clear from the opening tip that something was different with the Warriors, in a good way. They were clearly energized by Curry’s return, even though he wasn’t in the starting lineup (Steve Kerr opted for a starting five of Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, Gui Santos, Draymond Green, and Kristaps Porziņģis because of Curry’s minutes restriction).

That energy and life led the Dubs to a 7-0 lead in the blink of an eye, and they maintained that lead to take a 13-6 advantage even when Houston settled down and started executing well. When that happened, the Rockets were able to start scoring at ease, with some exceptional ball movement and pick and roll action. Finally, with 4:54 left in the quarter, Curry made his return.

It took a few minutes for Curry to get into rhythm, which is understandable. Charles Bassey, who was just signed, made his Warriors debut at the same moment and Curry’s return, and it was Bassey who was making the bigger impact, as he was everywhere on the court and protected the rime.

Finally, Curry made his first bucket, bailing the team out with a desperation three to beat the shot clock buzzer to kick off a two-for-one, helping the Warriors take a 31-26 lead into the second quarter.

Ime Udoka’s defense was unreal to start the second quarter, though, and it took its toll on the Dubs. Spanning the final possession of the first quarter and the opening few minutes of the second, the Rockets scored 13 straight points to turn a seven-point deficit into a six-point lead, prompting Kerr to call a timeout before the Warriors had even scored in the quarter.

But near the halfway mark of the quarter, the Warriors came roaring back, as their defense — which featured spirited efforts by Green and Gary Payton II, among others — started putting on the clamps, and creating opportunities for their offense. It was around then that we also got a special moment: Steph and Seth Curry sharing a court together for the first time.

That seemed to spark Steph, as he began finding a rhythm in his second stint on the court, as the Warriors were going toe to toe with the Rockets. But Houston surged ahead late in the quarter, regaining control thanks to some outrageous displays of individual offense from Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson, and some exceptional passing. The Warriors were able to end the half with a lot of momentum, though, after Green stripped Durant and found Podziemski for a transition dunk in the closing seconds, and then the Warriors forced another Rockets turnover. With Curry scoring 10 points, the Dubs trailed just 55-53 at the half.

Things did not go well to start in the third quarter. The Warriors were struggling, as their offense couldn’t find rhythm or buckets, and the Rockets were starting to figure things out. Curry’s first stint of the half came much earlier than it did in the first, perhaps due to Kerr sensing a sinking ship. Either way, the Dubs were down 11 points after just four minutes, and the deficit would grow to 15. It felt like they were in danger of completely falling apart, but, thanks to some utterly absurd buckets by Curry — who started to take over in the frame — they found what they needed, and got right back in the game. But they couldn’t maintain it through the finish line of the quarter, as the Rockets ended on a surge to take a 92-82 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Golden State, however, was unfazed. They started the fourth quarter with the same energy they brought to the first, and rattled off a 5-0 run. But the Rockets, who are fighting with the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets in the standings, with a chance to move into the fourth or third seed, punched right back, with seven straight points of their own.

As we got to the halfway mark of the final quarter, it began to feel like the Warriors were out of it.

And then came a final, heroic run. Down 14, the Warriors blitzed the Rockets to score seven straight points. It turned into a 12-3 run, and they pulled within five points, with four minutes remaining. Then Melton sank a three to bring the house to their feet, capping a 15-3 run that made it a two-point game at the 2:30 mark.

After the teams exchanged buckets, Curry cut to the rim off ball, grabbed a slick Green pass, and laid it in with 1:27 remaining. Suddenly the Warriors were down just a single point.

Houston fired back, with a three-point play from Alperen Şengün, who was huge down the stretch. But Curry, playing the heroic role the Warriors have so desperately needed for months, responded with a three. The Warriors were back within one point with just under a minute remaining.

After holding Durant to a miss, the Warriors had a chance to take the lead, and take the lead they did. With Curry acting as a decoy to pull Houston’s defense away from the rim, Payton cut through the paint, and Green whipped a pass to him. GPII’s layup was destined for the bottom of the net before it was goaltended.

With 20 seconds left, the Warriors had their first lead since the second quarter.

But the Rockets executed a perfect play on the other end, with Durant finding a cutting Şengün for a go-ahead layup with 11 seconds left. The Warriors opted not to call timeout, choosing instead to try to score against a defense that wasn’t set.

Curry danced on multiple defenders, and was able to hoist a deep three from straightaway, but it just didn’t fall.

In his return, Curry finished with a team-high 29 points, while shooting 11-for-21 from the field and 5-for-10 on threes. The Warriors outscored the Rockets by 12 points in the 26 minutes he played, and were outscored by 13 points in the 22 minutes when he was on the bench.

Podziemski (18), Santos (15), and Payton (14) also finished with double figures, while Green dished out 12 assists, with the team having 34 on the night. Durant led the Rockets with 31 points and nearly had a triple-double, while Şengün had 24 and Jabari Smith Jr. 23.

With the loss, the Warriors fell to 36-42 and clinched a losing regular season. They have just four games left before the play-in tournament, starting on Tuesday when they host the Sacramento Kings at 7:00 p.m. PT.

Jalen Brunson is, for the most part, a known quantity.

A good way to view the Knicks offense is that Brunson is the floor, and his supporting cast is the ceiling. A big part of that is OG Anunoby. When he is aggressive and involved offensively, it is usually a good sign for overall success.

When Anunoby scores 20 or more points this year, the Knicks are 22-4. In their past two wins, over the Grizzlies and Bulls, he scored 25 and then 31 points.

That’s the version of Anunoby the Knicks will need in the playoffs.

“I think he’s starting to fully understand his areas where he can be aggressive within the offense, within the flow of the game,” Josh Hart said after practice Sunday. “That’s one thing about Mike [Brown], Mike never tells us not to do something. He always wants us to be aggressive, he wants us to shoot shots. … He doesn’t really put limits on us, and I think OG is really starting to really understand ‘where can I be aggressive? Where can I find my spots to go score?’ He’s an efficient scorer, physical, athletic, so he’s starting to understand that.”

Anunoby’s primary role in Brown’s offense is to stay in the corners and wait for drive-and-kick 3-pointers. At times, it can limit his contributions. And Brown has vocally set the hierarchy as Brunson first, Karl-Anthony Towns second, and everyone else after that.

But having four strong scoring threats in Brunson, Towns, Anunoby and Mikal Bridges is what is supposed to make the Knicks offense dynamic. Finding a balance between accepting his role as a catch-and-shooter and actively looking to drive and get to the rim is something Anunoby and the Knicks are still, this late into the year, working on.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

“When OG is aggressive, he’s hard to deal with,” Landry Shamet said Sunday. “The beauty of our team is that we have so many different options. Sometimes the ball’s just finding you. There’s a certain rhythm about things. Right now, OG is the recipient of a lot of that. When he’s in that situation and when it’s finding him, he’s being really aggressive, really decisive. He’s hard to contain when he puts his head down and drives.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo confirmed, as part of his larger comments going at Bucks management, to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Milwaukee and the Knicks engaged in talks before the season.

The Post’s Stefan Bondy reported before the season that the two teams talked about an Antetokounmpo trade, but that discussions did not go far because the Knicks believed the Bucks lacked motivation to make a deal.

The Knicks have a clean injury report for Monday’s game against the Hawks in Atlanta. Towns, after missing Friday’s game due to a right elbow impingement, is not listed.

So unless something changes, he should be good to go. 

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic was ruled out for the final five games of the NBA regular season on April 3.

Despite the news, Doncic and the Lakers are hopeful that he can be ready in time for a postseason run.

Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in the Lakers' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2.

The point guard has since consulted with Lakers doctors and his own medical team about seeking specialized treatment in Europe for his hamstring, Doncic's agent Bill Duffy told ESPN.

MORE: Luka Doncic injury could cost him MVP shot. His agent plans to fight.

Landry Shamet finds himself in a place that most wouldn’t have expected to start the season.

Healthy again after missing a few games with a knee issue, he is pretty much a lock to be in the Knicks playoff rotation.

“I don’t take these moments for granted, man,” Shamet said after practice Sunday. “This thing’s delicate, I know that. It’s a special team, special market, special opportunity and just to wear the jersey even. I’m grateful and happy to be a part of this group and have Mike’s [Brown] trust and my teammates’ trust. I trust in them as well. Super grateful for it.”

He hardly had a role under Tom Thibodeau last year.

And before the year, having signed just a nonguaranteed, veteran minimum contract, he was one of the last players to make Brown’s roster — and likely only did so due to Malcolm Brogdon’s sudden retirement.

Then after 15 promising games to start the year, he dislocated his shoulder — the same one he dislocated last year. The Knicks, given Shamet’s deal wasn’t guaranteed, could have cut him and looked to get help elsewhere.

But they afforded Shamet time to rehab. And it’s paid tremendous dividends. He has emerged as a key shooter off the bench, averaging 9.6 points per game — which would be a career high for a full season — and shooting 39.4 percent from 3-point range. He has also been one of the team’s best point-of-attack defenders.

There is certainly a case to be made that the Knicks have gotten more out of Shamet than any player on a minimum deal in the league.

One area in which he’s contributed, though, has gone under the radar — his ability to be a backup point guard. Brown has praised Shamet’s ability to handle that role, despite him being much more of a shooting guard most of his NBA career. Though neither are naturals at the position, Brown feels comfortable with both Shamet and Miles McBride there.

And now with both healthy, that doesn’t leave much room for Jose Alvarado in the rotation.

“He’s a good enough ball handler, he has a good enough feel/IQ to initiate the offense,” Brown said of Shamet on Sunday. “And then conceptually, because of his feel and the other guys’ feel, we’re able to generate some things offensively. We’re not relying on him to be a traditional point guard. He and Deuce [McBride] are more than capable of doing the things that we’re asking in terms of initiating the offense. And then at the end of the day, can they play pick-and-roll, can they play the [dribble handoff] game, get downhill and spray the ball or throw the lob to a guy like Mitch [Robinson]? I think he can.”

Shamet fills multiple vital roles for the Knicks. There was a time it didn’t seem like he’d even have any.

SAN FRANCISCO — Steph Curry was triumphant in his long-awaited return to the court and, against all odds, nearly were the Warriors.

There was a renewed energy inside Chase Center on Sunday night, a buzz that had mostly been absent since Curry went out more than two months ago, that reached an apex in the final minute of 117-116 loss to Kevin Durant and the Rockets.

The defeat could have dealt a cold dose of reality on Curry’s big day, but instead it only emphasized what hadn’t been possible in the Warriors’ 27 games without him since Jan. 30.

Golden State trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half and was still behind by double digits with as little as 4:51 remaining. Curry scored eight of his team-best 29 points from then on.

Curry converted a driving layup to cut the Rockets’ lead to a 112-111 with 87 seconds to play, then one-upped himself by pulling up from 32 feet and draining an answer to Houston’s 3-point play on the other end. With 11 seconds left, Curry had the ball in his hands, down one.

He crossed over and pulled up from the top of the key. It wasn’t to be.

But the performance was an encouraging sign for the Warriors’ prospects, given that Curry’s scoring total in 26 minutes off the bench trailed only Durant’s 31 that required 37 minutes.

The supporting cast that had gone 9-18 without Curry over the past two months didn’t do enough to pull out their first game with their north star back on the floor.

Kristaps Porzingis fouled out with more than 10 minutes left in the game, Brandin Podziemski scored only three of his 18 points in the second half, and the Warriors’ next-leading scorer, Gui Santos, was completely shut out after putting up 15 in the first half.

What it means

Curry looked like himself and finished the game in good health. For a Warriors team locked into the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, that’s all that really mattered.

Turning point

It was a two-point game at halftime, but Durant completed a four-point play on the Rockets’ first possession of the third quarter, and the Warriors spent the rest of the second half trying to get it back to that margin.

The foul on Durant came courtesy of Kristaps Porzingis, who went on to pick up three more within the first four minutes of the second half and fouled out for good with 10:13 to play.

Not only did Porzingis’ foul trouble keep the Warriors’ second-best player off the floor for most of the second half, it robbed coach Steve Kerr of valuable time to assess his pairing with Curry.

The duo’s limited action Sunday was their first time ever sharing the court, including in practice.

MVP: Kevin Durant

Durant finished with eight rebounds and eight assists to go with a game-high 31 points. He drained his third 3-pointer of the night immediately after De’Anthony Melton sank a 3 that cut the Rockets’ lead to 109-107.

Stat of the game: 55/44.8/84.2

The return of Curry wasn’t enough to overcome the Warriors’ defensive deficiencies.

Golden State provided little resistance to the Rockets, who were only prevented from a vaunted 50/40/90 shooting split by missing one too many of their 19 free-throw attempts.

Up next

With four games left on the Warriors’ schedule, all that’s left to be determined is how much Curry will play leading into their No. 9/10 play-in matchup. Golden State hosts the Kings on Tuesday before LeBron James and the Lakers pay a visit Thursday for its final home contest of the regular season.

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The Nets have a staggering seven rookies — a record five of them first-round picks — and must develop every one they can to spur their rebuild.

For injured Danny Wolf, the work doesn’t end just because he’s been shut down for the season. If anything it gets more intense.

“Obviously losing sucks, and every time you ask anyone, they’re going to give you the same answer that losing is no fun.” Wolf said. “Everyone in the locker room from top to bottom thinks we could’ve had a much better season. But within that, you have to find things you can learn from, that you can gain from.”

After suffering a season-ending left ankle sprain March 22, Wolf will end his debut campaign averaging 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds.

And from the moment the tanking Nets started leaning into their rookies on Feb. 5, the big man bumped those figures up to 10.8 points, 5.6 boards and 2.7 assists.

Wolf fell to 27th in the draft due to questions about his defense and shooting. He played defense at an NBA level, but his shooting is still very much in question, at a streaky 32.2 percent from deep.

What’s beyond question is that Wolf must learn to finish better at the rim.

“Defensively, there were definitely a lot of people questioning who I’d be able to guard. I took that as a chip on my shoulder to more than prove, but be a good defender,” said Wolf.

“The shooting and the offense, it was nowhere near what I know I’m capable of doing and that upsets me. I was able to shoot well at times, and there’d be times where I felt I couldn’t make a shot. That’s a rookie season; there’s going to be ups and downs.”

Nowhere near enough ups at the rim, figuratively and literally.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND NETS STATS

While Wolf is sizable at 6-foot-11, 255 pounds, his lack of vertical explosion has limited him. His 24-inch standing vertical was tied for third worst at the NBA Draft Combine, and has led to poor finishing against more athletic foes.

“Everyone’s bigger, faster, stronger, more athletic [at this level],” said Wolf. “What is it that you need to do to be able to match that, but also be better than that?”

Where Wolf has to be better is at the rim, where he shot just 54 percent. That’s just 12th percentile among forwards, per Cleaning The Glass. It’s an Achilles’ heel he needs to fix, offseason work that’s already begun.

“Obviously the numbers speak for themselves; I was nowhere near where I wanted to be or could have been. And finishing, I did an OK job at times getting in my spots,” Wolf said. “A lot of it is getting stronger. And the positive outlook of an injury [is] I’ve been able to really hone in on the weight room more than I would’ve been able to if I was playing.

“I have a good four or five months of weight room ahead of me and just being able to fill out my frame better. That’ll really help me, just getting stronger; and with that, more explosive. And I know my rim finishing next year, I’ll be able to look back on this year and see that it was something that really, really helped me.”

While Wolf is focused on his body, coach Jordi Fernández is counting on growth through reps and technique.

“It’s a combination of a lot of things,” said Fernández. “One is experience, right? The reps, the game slowing down. A lot of times you just rush. We tell guys, ‘Hey, just play off two feet and don’t leave your feet.’

“But he’s done a great job and he’s been able to implement a lot of stuff, power through, because you have better balance, finding a body first. This all comes with a lot of work, watching film and through the summer and then the real reps. So the process [has] already started. He’s already gotten better. We’re not concerned about his finishing. We know it has to get better, but we also know it will get better.”

DALLAS — Lakers star Luka Doncic will seek special medical treatment in Europe for his left hamstring strain with the hopes he’ll be able to return to the court quicker, his agency shared on Sunday night.

Bill Duffy of WME Basketball, who’s Doncic’s agent, first told ESPN the news after the Lakers’ 134-128 loss to the Mavericks, which was the Lakers’ first game since Doncic and fellow star guard Austin Reaves suffered their regular season-ending injuries during the team’s blowout loss to the Thunder on Thursday. 

Doncic suffered the hamstring injury during the third quarter of the loss, with an MRI on Friday revealing a Grade 2 strain,  which typically comes with a recovery timeline of 3-6 weeks. 

InStreetClothes, which is an NBA injury database run by certified athletic trainer Jeff Stotts, stated that the average time lost for the type of injury Doncic suffered is about 35 days. 

The Lakers didn’t provide a timeline for Doncic’s expected return to the court. 

Three weeks from when Doncic suffered the hamstring injury was April 23, which would be around Games 3 or 4 of the Lakers’ first-round playoff matchup.

A timeline closer to 35 days, let alone six weeks, would likely take Doncic out of the Lakers’ entire first-round playoff series, even if it lasted seven games.

“I just know that he’s gonna do everything he can to try to be back,” coach JJ Redick said. “I talked to him Friday, I talked to him again [on Saturday], I talked to him again [Sunday] morning. He’s going to go through all the necessary things to be back at some point, and it’s our job again to extend the season so both those guys can get back.”

Redick said internal medical data didn’t show any signs of overuse for Doncic or Reaves, who’s sidelined with a Grade 2 left oblique strain, before their injuries. 

Both grabbed at their respective injured areas during the first quarter of Thursday’s game but played through the third quarter before Doncic left the matchup with his hamstring injury and Reaves was subbed out. 

“As a coach, you go on the information you have,” Redick said.

“[Reaves] was medically cleared. When Austin came back, I asked directly, I thought he was hurt. [I was told], ‘No, he’s medically cleared.’ The group wanted to go for it in the second half. Talked about it at halftime. And I think for both those guys, the nature of playing heavy minutes, that’s certainly a part of any equation when you’re trying to manage workloads.

“We also rely on the tracking data, and we’re looking at that after every game. And there have been a few times this year where it’s gone away from the standard deviation of whatever their baseline is, and we make the proper adjustments. There was nothing leading into that game that would suggest either those guys were ‘running hot’ as we call it.”

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