The Golden State Warriors appear to close out the regular season without Steph Curry. Curry will be out indefinitely after reportedly suffering a sprained ligament in his left foot, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Warriors star Stephen Curry has been diagnosed with a sprained ligament in left foot that will sideline him indefinitely, sources tell @TheAthletic@Stadium. X-rays on the foot returned negative Wednesday night – meaning no fracture or major damage, a sigh of relief.
Curry went down with a left foot injury late in the first half, and Golden State coach Steve Kerr didn’t like Marcus Smart’s lunging move at the reigning NBA scoring champ.
“I thought it was a dangerous play. I thought Marcus dove into Steph’s knee,” Kerr said. “That’s what I was upset about. Lot of respect for Marcus. He’s a hell of a player, gamer, competitor. I coached him in the World Cup a few summers ago. We talked after the game, we’re good. I thought it was a dangerous play; just let him know.”
Draymond Green defended the play by Smart and didn’t believe it was dirty.
Draymond on Marcus Smart’s dive into Steph while chasing a loose ball:
The Warriors are currently 3rd in the Western Conference with 47-23. The team will have to find a way to make up Curry’s production and close out the last 12 games of the season without him.
On Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers 117-110. That win makes coach Greg Popovich one win away from becoming the NBA’s all-time winningest head coach. Popovich is currently tied with Don Nelson at 1,335 victories.
On Wednesday, Popovich can break the record with a win against the Toronto Raptors. Nelson previously told reporters, “I can’t wait” for Popovich to break the record. “I want him to have it.”
The significant part about getting this record for Popovich is that all 1,335 victories came with the Spurs. In 1996, Popovich, then serving as San Antonio’s general manager, fired Bob Hill and inserted himself as his head coach. That proved to be a great move looking back. The Spurs have since become one of the winningest teams in NBA history under Popovich’s watchful eye. He’s won five championships during his time with the team, reaching the NBA Finals six times.
Popovich may go down as the greatest coach in NBA history. One more victory will all but lockdown that debate.
One night after LeBron James dropped 56 points against the Golden State Warriors in a Saturday Night Showcase classic, the NBA showed it’s truly a league of “you never know what’s next” with several stellar performances.
In an overtime thriller, reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic tallied 46 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 blocks, and 3 steals. Jokic scored 30 points of his 46 in the fourth quarter and overtime of the 138-130 win.
“That’s just not something that you see often,” Jokic’s teammate Aaron Gordon said to ESPN. “He took over, 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime; that’s just sick. That was just an amazing game. He’s an amazing ballplayer.”
Opening the action on Sunday was the Atlantic Division battle of the Boston Celtics and the visiting Brooklyn Nets. While the boo’s rained down on Kyrie Irving from the Boston crowd, the jumpers rained in from Celtics swingman Jayson Tatum as he lit up the rivals for 54 points. The Celtics would win 126-120 despite Kevin Durant’s 37 point effort. The Nets have now been knocked down to the ninth seed.
“As a competitor night in, night out, but especially games like this, those matchups when you’re on one of the better teams in the league with two of the best guys, just as a competitor, these are the kinds of moments that as a kid, you dreamed about and looked forward to,” Tatum said.
Tatum now has tied Larry Bird for the most 50 point games in Celtics history with four.
In an NBA Finals rematch, the Milwaukee Bucks outlasted the short-handed Phoenix Suns. The Suns, without Devin Booker and Chris Paul, led most of the way, showing they are ready to battle their Finals foes. Giannis Antentokounmpo fouled out with 19 points but the stage was set for sniper Kris Middleton who poured in 44 points.
“We’re just trying to lock in a little bit better,” Middleton said to ESPN. “We’ve spoken on it multiple times in the past where we’ve had these lapses and what not. We’re trying to be dialed in, trying to be your best self for 48 minutes out there.”
The action of the NBA’s final regular-season stretch continues on Monday as East contenders in the Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers face off, along with the Warriors visiting the Nuggets and the Lakers hoping to keep wins rolling against the San Antonio Spurs.
Ja Morant already been putting the league on notice, but after two straight career scoring games, it might be time to put him in the MVP race.
Morant put up a career-high 52 points in the Grizzlies 118-105 win over the San Antonio Spurs. That also set a franchise record for points scored in a single game, and marked his second straight game in which he put up a career-high.
The 52 point showcase wasn’t even the best part of game. With 0.4 seconds left in the second quarter, Steven Adams delivered a perfectly placed pass down the full length of the court to Morant, who caught it and shot it in one motion while fading back along the baseline.
Morant, along with everyone else in the arena, was left speechless.
Morant finished with seven rebounds and two assists to go with his 52 points, and shot 22-of-30 from the field. He was a perfect 4-of-4 from behind the three point line. The Memphis Grizzlies in one short year, have come from NBA play in tournament darlings, to currently third in the Western Conference.
As the season is winding down, nobody will want the smoke with Morant and the Grizzlies.
Former NBA player and New Orleans Pelicans JJ Redick called out Zion Williamson on ESPN First Take yesterday for being a bad teammate. The reason behind Redick’s call out was because Williamson reportedly hasn’t spoken to his newest teammate CJ McCollum.
“Shows a complete lack of investment in your team, in the organization, in the city,” Redick said. “I get that [Williamson’s] hurt and away from the team, but you just traded for one of the 50 best players in the league. A guy that’s supposed to be paired with you. Reach out and say hello. This is a pattern of behavior with Zion that we are seeing again and again. And look, I was his teammate. I can describe him as a detached teammate. That is an accurate statement. This is basic level of humanity being a teammate. Send a text to a guy when he gets traded to your team. That is just normal behavior. That is bare minimum that you have to do.”
Redick didn’t hold much back in his rant, including how Williamson is a detached teammate. Williamson hasn’t played any NBA games this season and it looks like he wants no parts of the Pelicans. McCollum shouldn’t take the ghosting like move personal. Williamson been ghosting the organization for sometime now.
Former NBA baller Royce White is running for Congress, he announced Tuesday. White is running for Minnesota’s fifth congressional U.S. representative seat, currently held by Democrat Ilhan Omar. The former Iowa State player is running as a Republican, one of three vying to square off against her.
Today I’m officially announcing that I will be running for Congress in MN-CD5 against Ilhan Omar. It’s time to clean house. God Bless America! The Fight Continues… #Godspeedpic.twitter.com/Wx3GLZ8AcY
“Ten years ago, I took on the NBA and the establishment,” he said in his video monologue. “I said that mental health was one of the greatest issues we face. And I was willing to give up my dream to fight for people I have never met. I took the lead when others wouldn’t.
White gained national notoriety for his stances on mental health and those stances ultimately prevented him from having a real shot at an NBA career despite being selected No. 16 overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2012 NBA Draft. He played in only three NBA games for the Sacramento Kings during the 2013-14 season.
In the years since, White has played professional basketball in several different leagues, including being the No. 1 overall pick in Ice Cube’s Big 3’s 2019 draft. He has also spent the past several years training for a mixed martial arts career.
The NBA is celebrating its 16th annual Noches Éne•Bé•A (eh-nay-bay-ah) Latin Nights program with celebratory warmup shirts and merchandise, as well as team community activities and in-arena elements at select games throughout the month of March to honor NBA fans and players from Latin America and the United States.
All 30 NBA teams will wear specially designed Fanatics-branded Noches Éne•Bé•A warmup shirts during the first two weeks of March as part of Noches Éne•Bé•A 2022.
Lunay, a Puerto Rican reggaeton singer, will perform during the Brooklyn Nets’ game on March 3 during halftime. The Los Angeles Clippers will host Festival Los Clippers on March 5 with local influencers in order to engage their new community group Somos Clipper Nation ahead of their March 6 game.
The Charlotte Hornets will feature a variety of in-arena entertainment on March 9 when they debut the Somos Los Hornets brand for the first time this season, including a Salsa Dance Cam and Spanish music fan contests. On March 26, the Orlando Magic will celebrate Noche Latina presented by FAIRWINDS Credit Union, which will kick off with a “Fiesta” outside the Amway Center, complete with food and music.
In honor of Noches Éne•Bé•A, Modelo will sponsor the Golden State Warriors’ Latino Heritage Night on March 30, which will include digital, social, and in-arena activations.
Six amazing players, four exceptional coaches, and one world-class referee have been named finalists by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s North American and Women’s committees to be considered for election in 2022 at NBA All-Star 2022.
Two first-time finalists are Manu Ginobili, a two-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA champion, and Lindsay Whalen, a five-time WNBA All-Star, three-time WNBA Champion, and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist.
Longtime NBA referee Hugh Evans, five-time NBA champion and five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection Michael Cooper, five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, consensus National Collegiate Player of the Year Marques Johnson, two-time NCAA National Coach of the Year Bob Huggins, the NBA’s sixth-winningest coach of all-time George Karl, the all-time winningest high school coach, Leta Andrews, four-time WNBA champion Leta Andrews, four-
“It is a tremendous honor to be named a Finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame and we’re elated to recognize the achievements by these outstanding men and women who have left a lasting impact on the game of basketball,” said Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “A heart-felt congratulations goes out to the finalists and their families and we very much look forward to revealing the Class of 2022 at the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans this April.”
The full Class of 2022 will be announced at the NCAA Men’s Final Four on April 2 at 12:00 p.m. ET as part of the Hall of Fame Class Announcement in New Orleans. Early African-American Pioneers, International, Contributors, Veterans, and the new Women Veterans are among the Direct Elect Committee enshrinees honored during the NCAA Men’s Final Four.
2022 NBA All-Star Weekend got underway on Friday night with the Rising Stars Challenge. With a new format and a series of games, were four seven -man rosters coached by Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas, Rick Barry, James Worthy and Gary Payton.
When it was all said and done, Team Barry outlasted Team Thomas to win the 2022 Clorox Rising Stars Challenge with Detroit Pistons Cade Cunningham being named MVP.
“It was a lot of fun,” Cunningham said after claiming the event’s MVP award. “Great teammates, great coaches, great atmosphere … I had a good time, for sure.”
With Cunningham leading the way, Team Barry came out and played a much more organized form of basketball then the other three teams. They actually was calling real plays and didn’t have the look of a pick up team.
“I tried to get some diversification, get some size, get some guys who can shoot the ball and just play good basketball,” Barry said. “I’m proud of these guys, cause every one of them did a good job. It was so great to see them playing basketball. They really went out and played the way the game should be played.”
