Legendary former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has "emerged as the focus of the University of Michigan's coaching search," according to a new report.
Michigan reportedly zeroing in coaching search on Utah’s Kyle Whittingham
Whittingham recently announced he was leaving Utah after 21 seasons.
‘That wicket is a shocker’: former Ashes players question state of MCG pitch
Both teams bowled out on day one in Melbourne
Cook: ‘It’s been too heavily weighted towards the bowlers’
Some of the biggest names in Ashes cricket have attacked the state of the MCG pitch after a record crowd saw 20 wickets fall on a Boxing Day blowout in Melbourne.
An official crowd of 94,199 broke the attendance record at the country’s biggest sporting venue, eclipsing the 2015 World Cup final and setting a new high watermark for this historic rivalry.
Continue reading...Adrian Kempe explains why he chose the Kings over a bigger payday in free agency
Untold riches awaited Adrian Kempe as one of the NHL’s top unrestricted free agents next summer.
Mitch Marner, among last summer’s top targets, got $12 million a season from Vegas in a sign-and-trade deal with Toronto hours before he would have hit the open market. With more goals than Marner over the last four full seasons, how much could Kempe — in his prime at 29 — have demanded?
We’ll never know. Because whatever amount it might have been, Kempe decided it wasn’t worth more than his happiness. So last month he signed an eight-year contract extension worth a reported $85 million with the Kings that figures to keep him with the only organization he’s ever known for the rest of his career.
“There’s probably some teams that would have given me offers. But I never really got to the part where that was something that I wanted,” he said. “I’m really happy here. Always have been. Family-wise, the same.
“So there was never anything else in my mind.”
Read more:Kings searching for answers after sixth loss in seven games: 'It’s a difficult time'
That’s a mind that is apparently at ease now that Kempe’s hockey future has been determined. With 13 goals and a team-high 17 assists, he leads the offensively challenged Kings with 30 points and seven of those goals have come in the 17 games since he signed his extension.
But that’s done little to lift the team, which has lost six of their last seven heading into Saturday’s game with the Ducks. The last time the Kings had a seven-game stretch this bad it cost coach Todd McLellan his job.
“I'm not happy, but I really believe in this group,” said winger Kevin Fiala, who shares the team goal-scoring lead with Kempe. “I really believe this is a great team, great players. We just have to kind of find the game. And not just for some minutes, not even for one game, 60 minutes.
“We have to go for a stretch here, get some wins in a row. Start feeling good, start playing good.”
That might be tough given how the Kings will finish 2025. After Saturday’s home game with the resurgent Ducks, the team travels to Colorado to face the Avalanche, who lead the NHL in points.
If the Kings are to turn things around, they will have to jump start an offense which is second-to-last in the NHL, averaging 2.52 goals a game, and a power play that has converted on less than 14% of its chances, also 31st in the 32-team league. And the responsibility for making that happen probably will fall to Kempe, who has scored as many goals over the past four full seasons as Sidney Crosby and has just six fewer assists than Alex Ovechkin, keeping the Swedish Olympian in heady company.
“Adrian is a bit of a streaky scorer,” coach Jim Hiller said. “A lot of his recent goals are goals that we’ve seen him score before, where he’s either beating someone with speed, a nice deke.
“So to me it’s the type of goals he’s scoring right now that’s got me encouraged.”
That’s not all that’s encouraging. Kempe, a quick and physical two-way forward, is averaging a career-high 19:18 of ice time per game and is on pace to score 30 goals and top 68 points for a second straight season.
With captain Anze Kopitar retiring at the end of the season and defenseman Drew Doughty in the penultimate year of his contract, re-signing Kempe, the team’s future leader on and off the ice, was at the top of Ken Holland’s to-do list when he took over as general manager last spring. And while the length of the contract he offered Kempe never wavered, the price did.
In the end, media reports said Kempe blinked first, telling agent J.P. Berry to lower his salary demands to get a deal done, eventually accepting an average annual value of $10.625 million beginning next season. That nearly doubles the $5.5 million he’ll earn this season and makes him the fifth-best-paid Swede in the NHL, according to the Sweden Herald. But it’s less than he would have gotten on the open market.
“I think it says two things,” Hiller said of the deal. “What it says about the franchise is that the player was known, was drafted here, was developed here.”
What it says about Kempe, he continued, is that he values that loyalty more than money.
“I think he probably appreciates the time and energy spent on his career, getting him to where he was,” Hiller said. “Now it’s his choice and he says, ‘You know what? I want to stay in place.'"
He’s not alone. A number of the Kings’ recent cornerstone players — among them Dustin Brown, Kopitar and Doughty — spent their entire NHL careers with the team. If he avoids serious injury and a major dropoff in play, Kempe will almost certainly rank among the top five in franchise history in games, goals and points when his contract runs out.
That’s the long-term return on investment Holland and the Kings are hoping for. For the time being, however, they’re counting on Kempe to save a season that seems in danger of spiraling.
Like Fiala, Kempe believes in the Kings.
“If I weren’t happy here, obviously I would consider not playing here,” Kempe said. “We have a good core. We have a good group of younger guys coming up. I think we’re in a good spot.
“Obviously you have to take that in consideration, too, when you sign a new deal. You want to play on a good team, you want to win cups.”
And it’s hard to put a price tag on that.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
'We don't have it right now.' Takeaways from the Lakers' third straight loss
JJ Redick repeats the same key words after every loss: effort and execution. The Lakers found none of either at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday in a 119-96 loss to the Houston Rockets that played out with a plot as familiar as a Hallmark holiday movie.
Getting outhustled by a team that simply played harder with more energy, the Lakers (19-10) dropped their third consecutive game. It’s their longest losing streak of the season and left the team questioning its identity.
“I don't know what has to change,” said guard Luka Doncic, who led the Lakers with 25 points and seven assists, but had six turnovers. “But definitely something needs to change.”
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
Vibes are bad
When the Lakers were climbing up the Western Conference standings, improbably winning games with LeBron James and Luka Doncic injured and celebrating Austin Reaves’ 51-point performance and ascent into stardom, the vibes were high. Players jumped off the bench to cheer for each other. They championed team bonding exercises such as slideshow presentations that introduced themselves to each other and a field trip to a Porsche driving experience. It all felt surprisingly easy, especially for a team that had several new additions.
“We had it,” Redick said wistfully Thursday. “We had it. I always say this about culture, I always say this about a good team being a functioning organism.”
Redick snapped his fingers.
“It can change like that,” he continued. “We don’t have it right now.”
Read more:Lakers lose Austin Reaves, then get called out by JJ Redick after loss to Rockets
All three of the Lakers’ most recent losses have been blowouts. With an average margin of defeat of 20.7 points, their total point differential has dropped to minus-15 on the season, which ranks 16th in the NBA.
Forward Jake LaRavia said in the locker room that there felt like a “disconnect” on the team, but couldn’t verbalize more about how things had turned so suddenly. The team’s seven-game winning streak at the end of November feels like a distant memory, although it should serve as a constant reminder of how a team shouldn’t let its guard down, especially when it was just collecting wins off teams with losing records.
“This [has] kind of been the trending thing even when we were winning,” forward Jarred Vanderbilt said. “Obviously wins kinda shadow a lot of stuff. But it's been the same pretty much all year of how we finished games, lose games: transition defense, rebounding and stuff like that. It's been a trend all year."
LeBron James, who played in his 13th game this season after missing the first 14 games because of sciatica, had 18 points and five assists and declined to speak with reporters after the game, along with Marcus Smart (six points, two rebounds) and Rui Hachimura (zero points, two assists).
To further exasperate the lingering injury bug, Reaves left the game after the first half because of left calf soreness. It was the same calf that sidelined him for three games last week.
Jarred Vanderbilt shooting for larger role
Vanderbilt was one of the few bright spots for the Lakers, finishing with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. His energy off the bench in the second quarter, especially when playing with Smart, who fought through a right shoulder injury, helped the Lakers force four turnovers in a five-minute stretch. Vanderbilt’s three-pointer with 4:16 remaining in the second that trimmed the lead to four was one of the few moments that made the mostly apathetic holiday crowd roar.
Vanderbilt’s offensive deficiencies were the primary reason he fell out of the rotation for 10 games, but since returning to the lineup regularly against Phoenix on Dec. 14, Vanderbilt has made seven of 13 three-pointers in five games, including three for four on Thursday. It was his first game as a Laker with three made threes.
Outside of LaRavia, who stayed on the court after both teams had otherwise emptied the bench, Vanderbilt was the only Laker who had a positive plus-minus. The Lakers outscored the Rockets by five in Vanderbilt’s 26 minutes and 23 seconds on the floor.
“I feel like I try to come in the game and bring that energy and hoping guys could feed off it,” Vanderbilt said. “But we need to play [like] that for 48 minutes. … We just got to dig deep and want to do it.”
Lakers get buried on the boards
The Rockets (18-10) are not just the NBA’s best rebounding team, but they could be the best in a generation. The team’s 55.6% rebounding rate is the best in the NBA on record since at least the 1996-97 season.
Houston’s dominance on the boards was at the top of Redick’s mind before the game when he estimated the Rockets were the best rebounding team since the 1994-95 Mavericks. He emphasized the importance of gang rebounding against a team known for its physically imposing double-big lineup and athletic wings.
Read more:Amid injury 'chaos' for Lakers, LeBron James is starting to look like his old self
Then the Rockets grabbed two offensive rebounds in their first two possessions. The Rockets outrebounded the Lakers 48-25, the Lakers’ largest rebounding deficit since Nov. 8, 2023, which was also against Houston. Houston had 17 offensive rebounds, only one fewer than the Lakers’ defensive rebounding total, and with 12 rebounds, center Alpren Sengun matched the Lakers’ entire starting lineup on the boards.
“Everybody gotta give better effort,” Doncic said, “starting with me.”
Doncic had five rebounds, tied with Vanderbilt for the team lead. Center Deandre Ayton had just two boards and 10 points in 36 minutes and 17 seconds. It was the 7-footer’s lowet rebounding total of the season.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Bowl game schedule today: Previewing the three college football bowls on Dec. 26
Three bowl matchups comprise the college football schedule for the final Friday of the year. We break down each of the contests on Dec. 26.
What college football bowl games are on today? Full schedule, TV, kickoff times for December 26
It's a tripleheader of Central Michigan vs. Northwestern, New Mexico vs. Minnesota and FIU vs. UTSA.
CMU vs Northwestern preview and prediction for GameAbove Sports Bowl
Central Michigan looks to finish its season with a bowl win over Northwestern at Ford Field.
Steph Curry heaps praise on ‘true hooper' Cooper Flagg after Warriors-Mavs
Steph Curry heaps praise on ‘true hooper' Cooper Flagg after Warriors-Mavs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Steph Curry already is familiar with Cooper Flagg, as the former No. 1 overall draft pick attended Curry’s camp as a top high school prospect.
But Thursday night was the first time the Warriors superstar played against Flagg in an NBA game during Golden State’s 126-116 win over Flagg’s Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day at Chase Center.
And it’s safe to say Curry was impressed.
“Just a true hooper,” Curry said of Flagg in a postgame interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “Competitor. You forget how young he is. Just his presence out there on the court. The future is bright. I’m glad he got this experience, his first year to understand what the bright lights feel like.
“The league is in good hands.”
Wow. That’s certainly high praise for a rookie from one of the best to ever play the game.
Flagg finished Thursday’s contest with a game-high 27 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field and 1 of 3 from 3-point range, with six rebounds, five assists and one block in 36 minutes.
In 31 games so far this season, Flagg is averaging 19.4 points on nearly 50 percent shooting, with 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
There certainly still is plenty to learn for the 19-year-old rookie, but playing against some of the best to ever do it will only help him maneuver the highs and lows of a rookie season.
Klay Thompson drops funny quip about Steph wearing his shoes in Warriors-Mavs
Klay Thompson drops funny quip about Steph wearing his shoes in Warriors-Mavs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Sneaker free agent Steph Curry had fun with his choice of shoes for Thursday’s game against his former Splash Bro and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Warriors superstar rocked Klay Thompson’s KT11 shoes during Golden State’s 126-116 win over Dallas on Christmas Day at Chase Center.
After the game, Thompson expressed his gratitude to Curry for showing him some love through his kicks.
“It was great,” he said (h/t The Dallas Morning News’ Mike Curtis). “Really cool. Wish he didn’t get a win in them, but it was awesome. Respect.”
Thompson is as intense a competitor as anyone, so it’s no surprise that while he appreciated Curry’s gesture, the loss was all that was on his mind postgame.
Curry and Thompson were Warriors teammates for 13 seasons, and together, alongside Draymond Green, they helped bring a new era of winning basketball back to the Bay with four NBA championships during a dynastic run.
Thompson departed Golden State in the 2024 offseason for a fresh start in Dallas.
In Thursday’s game, Thompson finished with just seven points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field and 1 of 4 from 3-point range in his return to the Bay.
Meanwhile, Curry, in Thompson’s kicks, had 23 points on 6-of-18 shooting from the field and just 2 of 10 from distance.
While the Splash Bros now are on different paths in their respective NBA careers, nothing will ever erase the success and memories they made side by side.
Jokic breaks Curry record in historic triple-double
Nikola Jokic recorded a 56-point triple-double and broke a record set by Steph Curry as the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 142-138 on Christmas Day.
The Serb hit 56 points, recorded 16 rebounds and 15 assists - becoming the first player in NBA history to hit at least 55 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a triple-double.
Three-time MVP Jokic hit 18 of his 56 points in overtime, breaking Curry's record of 17 overtime points from 2016.
The Timberwolves took the game in Denver to overtime after clawing back a 15-point deficit in the final five minutes of the game.
Anthony Edwards top-scored for the Timberwolves with 44 points, including the game-tying three that took the game to overtime.
But the 24-year-old was ejected in the extra period for arguing over foul calls as the Nuggets clamed the win.
The Nuggets are third in the Western Conference, with the Timberwolves in fifth.
Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: Week 11 Streaming Targets
By Adam King, RotoWire
Special to Yahoo Sports
The early-fantasy-basketball-season shenanigans are now behind us, and our focus shifts to solidifying rosters and narrowing our categorical needs. Injuries continue to be a narrative that no one likes to see, yet one that presents players with unexpected opportunities. As always, the waiver wire is the place to be, providing managers with bargain players who could be about to ascend in the fantasy basketball rankings. And remember, never assume a player is rostered. It always pays to double-check, just in case they have been overlooked.
Identifying players who are benefiting from expanded roles — whether it's an offensive threat delivering points and 3s or a defensive-minded player boosting your blocks and steals — is vital as you navigate the season.
Let's dive into nine key NBA sleepers whose current stats suggest they are poised for significant value and are currently rostered in fewer than 40% of Yahoo leagues.
Yahoo High Score Leagues
Collin Gillespie, Phoenix Suns (33% rostered)
For whatever reason, Gillespie continues to be under-rostered across all formats, including High Score leagues. He typically provides adequate production on both ends of the floor, while also playing starter-level minutes. In three games over the past week, Gillespie has averaged 41.3 fantasy points per game, on the back of 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.7 steals.
While the eventual return of Jalen Green will have some sort of an impact, that time doesn't appear to be coming any time soon. If Gillespie has been dropped or is simply floating around in your league, now is the time to rectify that.
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Toronto Raptors (16% rostered)
With Jakob Poeltl continuing to deal with back issues, Mamukelashvili has been able to make the most of his opportunities thus far. Despite questionable defensive contributions, steady offensive production has seen Mamukelashvili pop up on the points-league radar, scoring at least 32 fantasy points in three of his past four games.
During that span, he has averaged 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 combined steals and blocks, good enough for 28.7 fantasy points per game. While his overall ceiling is somewhat limited, he is worth picking up, at least until we get some clarity regarding Poeltl's availability.
Sam Merrill, Cleveland Cavaliers (15% rostered)
Having just returned from a multi-game absence, Merrill has already moved into the starting lineup, supplanting Jaylon Tyson. While it has been a very small sample size, it appears as though Merrill is going to play a sizeable role for the Cavaliers, at least for the foreseeable future. Over his past two games, Merrill has averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals, totaling 34.5 fantasy points per game. Assuming he can hover around the 28-minute mark, Merrill makes for a low-upside, yet relatively safe option, even in High Score leagues.
Standard 9-Category Leagues
Egor Demin, Brooklyn Nets (9% rostered)
Trusting anyone on the Brooklyn roster can be a risky decision. However, perhaps now is the time to have some faith when it comes to Demin's role going forward. He has scored at least 14 points in four straight games, averaging 16.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.5 3-pointers in 29.5 minutes per game.
Common sense tells us that the Nets should be prioritizing Demin as the point guard of the future, a fact that could very well translate into immediate fantasy value. While there will almost certainly be some ups and downs, fantasy managers could get ahead of the situation by snapping him up now, then re-evaluating in the near future.
Hugo González, Boston Celtics (5% rostered)
González has been somewhat of an unlikely hero of late, having carved out a sizeable role in the Boston rotation over the past three games. During that time, he has averaged 8.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks in 31.4 minutes per game, seemingly moving ahead of players like Jordan Walsh and Josh Minott. There are no guarantees when it comes to the Celtics' frontcourt rotation, although González certainly brings it on both ends of the floor, endearing himself to the Boston faithful. This run could come to an end at any point, but for now, González is worth picking up, just to see if his production is sustainable.
Tari Eason, Houston Rockets (30% rostered)
Since returning from a 14-game absence, it's been challenging to get a read on what Eason's role might look like moving forward. In three appearances over the past week, Eason has averaged 12.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.7 3-pointers in 20.0 minutes per game. Perhaps even more encouraging is the fact that he started during Thursday's win over the Lakers, playing at least 26 minutes for just the fourth time all season. Eason has proven that he can contribute on both ends of the floor in limited minutes, making him a viable asset across most formats. If he can consistently chalk up at least 25 minutes per game, top-70 upside could be back on the table.
Standard Points Leagues
Bruce Brown, Denver Nuggets (12% rostered)
In what is simply a case of last man standing, Brown has to at least be considered, given that Denver is currently without three regular starters. With Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun and Cam Johnson all sidelined, Brown's versatility is going to be crucial for the Nuggets. Although his production during Thursday's overtime win over the Timberwolves was somewhat underwhelming, he has now played at least 27 minutes in six straight games. His ability to chip in across multiple categories lends itself to most fantasy formats, including points leagues.
Tyler Kolek, New York Knicks (6% rostered)
With New York now at least open to the idea of dipping into its depth, Kolek has been able to carve out a meaningful role in recent times. He has played at least 22 minutes in four of the past five games, scoring at least 16 points in three.
Although some of his value has come as a result of injuries to other players, Kolek may have done enough to remain in the rotation on a regular basis. An ankle injury Josh Hart suffered during Thursday's win over the Cavaliers could provide Kolek with yet another window of opportunity, adding to his potential fantasy value.
Noah Clowney, Brooklyn Nets (27% rostered)
As a player who should have been rostered across most formats for at least the past month, Clowney remains available in far too many leagues. He continues to provide adequate production on both ends of the floor, averaging 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 combined steals and blocks in three games over the past week. He has been consistently logging starter-level minutes, at least when the game is moderately competitive. Nightly production has been an issue for Clowney in the past, perhaps giving managers cause for concern when attempting to evaluate his rest-of-season value. However, based on what we have seen thus far, it looks as though he could be here to stay.
I was there: Carlos Alcaraz’s comeback in French Open final is still hard to comprehend
Jannik Sinner dominated for three hours and 43 minutes, but the Spaniard somehow prevailed in an adrenaline-filled fifth set and all-time classic
It was not until what appeared to be the dying moments of the French Open final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz that I realised it could be worth taking a photo of such a monumental occasion. This was, after all, the first grand slam final between the two players who seemed set to lead men’s tennis for many years to come.
For three hours and 43 minutes Sinner had dominated Alcaraz and he earned three championship points while leading 5-3 in set four. Just before the Italian’s second championship point, I thrust up my phone and took a quick photo before my hand returned to my laptop, ready to file immediately an article that hailed his third consecutive major title and first triumph in Paris.
Continue reading...Healthy Al Horford immediately unlocks new element for Warriors in return
Healthy Al Horford immediately unlocks new element for Warriors in return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Everything the Warriors imagined when they pinpointed Al Horford as a main offseason target in NBA free agency came together in a Christmas culmination for the 39-year-old who missed the previous seven games over the last three weeks.
The ability to stretch the floor as a center who’s a legitimate 3-point threat came back to life immediately upon Horford’s return in a 126-116 win against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center. So did his basketball smarts in Year 19, his rebounding, being a difference maker defensively and imprinting his impact in multiple ways. This was what made the Warriors sink even further into trusting experience instead of Father Time’s worries.
Horford, in only 11 minutes off the bench, scored a season-high 14 points and had four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
His coaches and teammates after the win spoke to what a healthy Horford does for them.
“It’s the vision of what he would add to our team from the jump,” Steph Curry said. “I know that he’s battled a lot of injuries and absences and he’s trying to, personally, I’m sure, find a rhythm. That availability is huge.
“But it’s why he is who he is. Why he’s had the career that he’s had and why he’s such a coveted big man, because what he can do.”
The Warriors took off shortly after Horford entered his first game since Dec. 4. They were ahead 18-15 when he came in with five and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter. He played the rest of the quarter and the Warriors were then up by 12 points going into the second. Golden State scored 22 points the rest of the first quarter with Horford, and he scored 12 of them.
All from behind the 3-point line, fitting right into the Warriors’ plans from months ago.
Horford’s first two threes pushed the Warriors’ lead from two to five on catch-and-shoot opportunities. The third he made gave the Warriors a nine-point lead off a perfect pick-and-pop with Jimmy Butler. And the fourth came with some old-school flair in the final seconds.
Each of Horford’s last three 3-pointers was assisted by Butler.
“Got Al (Horford) back, big gator,” Butler said.
“Definitely spreads the floor, challenges shots at the rim, high-IQ type player,” he continued. “Then he’s just really, really fun to play with. As long as you’re out there having fun, being joyful, ball’s moving, you’re guarding, you’re competing, that’s who he is, that’s who he’s always been.”
Butler and Horford’s games really click. They go together and make sense whenever they share the floor. For seven-plus minutes, Butler and Horford were part of a lineup alongside De’Anthony Melton, Brandin Podziemski and Will Richard that outscored the Mavs 26-17.
There was a sequence in that span where Horford pivoted from guarding a driving Caleb Martin to picking his pass off in the paint and taking it down the court before dishing a bounce pass for Butler to take off two feet for a two-handed jam.
In a 10-point win, Curry believes Horford’s stretch of making four threes in three minutes and 43 seconds changed the game.
“That run that they had basically won us the game at the end of the first quarter, start of the second,” Curry said. “That was the difference in giving us a little bit of separation where we could also have that cushion the rest of the game.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr indicated during his pregame press conference that he wasn’t sure if Horford was even going to play despite finally being medically cleared and having gone through practices and scrimmages. Kerr wants to keep building continuity after landing on a starting lineup that includes 7-foot center Quinten Post. Trayce Jackson-Davis also has come on strong and re-entered the center rotation.
Kerr even admitted after the win that he couldn’t have predicted Horford would look as good as he did. He and Horford talked before the game and Kerr told him he really didn’t know when he’d go in the game because of wanting to keep Jackson-Davis’ rotation.
Well, he was able to accomplish both. Kerr went to Horford at the 5:27 mark of the first quarter, replacing Moses Moody and keeping Jackson-Davis in the game. Always the smaller team, the Warriors all of a sudden had two 6-foot-9 centers on the floor, one who can get busy from downtown and another who throws down dunks.
“That’s a big lineup. Two-big lineup today,” Melton noted.
Jackson-Davis’ first dunk was off a screen for Curry at the top of the arc one possession before Horford made his first three. The two played with each other for a little more than two minutes on a night where they combined for 24 points, with Horford hitting four threes and Jackson-Davis being a threat at the rim, where he had three dunks, a cutting finger roll and a tip-in.
“We can be more active on defense, honestly,” Melton also said. “Having those bigs out there, and with Al, especially the way he came back and was ready to shoot – we love it. We’ve been missing it. [Shooting from 3-point range] 4-for-6 is definitely something that we need. And also defensively, it allows us to sometimes grab rebounds and let Trayce run the floor and get all our wins out in transition, too. Al being out there and having more size allows us to finish possessions off.”
It’s not just that Horford missed the Warriors’ last seven games. It’s that he had only played in two since playing four straight games in six days five and a half weeks ago from Nov. 12 through the 18th. It’s that he isn’t playing both games of a back-to-back and the start of the schedule was full of them, which has been one of many factors why Horford has found trouble in getting his rhythm.
Really, it’s that Horford in his first 13 games couldn’t buy a bucket if he won the Powerball and was shooting 32.1 percent from the floor and 29.8 percent on threes while looking his age more often than not.
As celebrated and displayed on Christmas, the story now can be a reminder of who Horford still can be when healthy. If he can maintain that health and build some rhythm, a new element of the Warriors is unlocked. The sizable one they dreamt of this past summer.
“We have a rotation, we’re healthy,” Kerr said. “Getting Al back today was huge. The way he shot it the first half, just creating that separation. Our centers are all playing well. I think QP, it’s funny because QP has not shot the ball well but he’s played really, really well defensively. To have Trayce Jackson-Davis out there doing the same, defending, blocking shots, and then to have Al … suddenly we have a pretty solid front line, should we choose to go big.”
Does Tyler Kolek's expanding role impact Knicks' possible trade plans?
At halftime in Minnesota on Tuesday night, Knicks head coach Mike Brown lit into Tyler Kolek. The coach watched Kolek miss seven of his 10 shots in the first half and he wasn’t happy about it.
“You’ve taken 10 shots, the second most on the team, only made three; three or four of those shots were airballs,” the coach said. “If you want to take that many f------ shots, you gotta make (them).”
Kolek didn’t wilt from the criticism. He embraced it, going 6-for-12 in the second half of the Knicks’ loss.
At one point in the second half, he knocked down a three-pointer that led to a Timberwolves timeout. Walking over to the bench, Kolek looked Brown in the eye and delivered a message.
“I’m gonna knock that m---------er down,” he said to his coach.
Kolek carried that confidence with him back to New York. He entered the fourth quarter of a nationally televised game with the Knicks down 12 and 7:42 to play.
Five minutes and three Kolek three-pointers later, the Garden crowd was engaged in long, loud ‘Ty-ler Kol-ek’ chants.
Every fan in the building seemed to be stunned watching the Kolek show.
His teammates weren’t surprised though.
“It’s a testament to his mental strength, his mental fortitude and the work that he puts in,” Karl-Anthony Towns said.
Kolek’s 11 points in the fourth quarter were pivotal in the Knicks coming back from 17 down with 10:26 to play.
What you saw on Christmas Day was consistent with how Kolek has been playing of late.
He entered Christmas Day averaging nine points, five rebounds and five assists in his previous five regular season games. Those numbers don’t include Kolek’s 14-point, five-rebound, five-assist night in the NBA Cup title game against San Antonio.
You wonder how this run from Kolek will impact the Knicks’ approach at the trade deadline. Based on his recent playing time, logic tells you that Guerschon Yabusele is a candidate to be moved. The Knicks have also had interest in backup guards like New Orleans’ Jose Alvarado – an NYC native.
But does Kolek’s recent surge change how they view the backup point guard position? Does it make the team less inclined to spend assets on a backup guard? We’ll find out answers to those questions over the next six weeks or so. Right now, sit back and enjoy the Tyler Kolek show.
TOUGH TEAM
Kolek and the Knicks showed remarkable resilience and fortitude against Cleveland on Christmas Day. They trailed by 15 points with six minutes to go in the first quarter. They were down 17 with 10:26 to play.
The Christmas comeback featured strong play from all rotation players, but it doesn’t happen at all without Jordan Clarkson.
The veteran had 25 points off the bench, hitting five three-pointers on 10 attempts. Kolek (16 points, nine assists) and Mitchell Robinson had four huge offensive rebounds in a three minute span of the fourth quarter. He assisted on two threes off of offensive rebounds in that stretch, which saw the Knicks cut Cleveland’s lead from 13 to three.
Josh Hart had challenged the bench after the Minnesota game to play aggressively. They obviously responded well on Thursday.
“Our group is extremely, extremely connected,” Brown said after the Christmas Day comeback. “Everybody believes in each other no matter who is out on the floor. When you feel that type of belief from your teammates, from your peers, the sky’s the limit.”
HART CONCERN
Hart exited the game in the fourth quarter with a leg injury. It’s rare to see Hart leave a game due to injury. The Knicks had no update on Hart after Thursday’s game. Losing Hart for any period of time would be difficult for New York. The club is already playing without Miles McBride (ankle) and Landry Shamet (shoulder).