(Basketball news) Rudy Gobert gets traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as the Utah Jazz agreed to trade center in what was a blockbuster deal that will pair him with fellow All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns. According to  Adrian Wojnarowski, the Timberwolves sent Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro and their No. 22 pick Walker Kessler along with four first-round picks to the Jazz. Utah will now acquire the unprotected picks in 2023, 2025 and 2027 and a top-five-protected pick in 2029, in what was Danny Ainge's first franchise-altering move since taking over as the Jazz's CEO this midseason.The Jazz have now gathered a total of six first-round picks in a span of 24hrs as they plan to retool the roster around their 25-year-old All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell. .

Gobert at the age of 30 has spent his entire nine-year NBA career in Utah, developing from a lanky boy who was drafted with the No. 27 pick in 2013 into a perennial All-Star who has become a franchise cornerstone for a team that has made six consecutive playoff appearances. The 7-foot Frenchman is one of the most decorated players in Utah Jazz history, he went on to win three Defensive Player of the Year awards, along with three All-Star appearances, four All-NBA selections and six first-team All-Defensive selections.

Gobert is subsequently entering the second season of a massive five-year contract of $205 million. This free agency Karl Anthony Towns also agreed to a four-year, $224 million supermax extension on Friday. The moment he was eligible he had a total commitment of $295 million over six years. Now with Gobert by his side, especially someone who averaged 15.6 points, a league-leading 14.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in 2021-22 will certainly form a towering line up. When a tumultuous Jazz season ended with a first-round exit at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, Danny Ainge went into full rebuild mode.

Gobert wrote in a tweet, saying he "felt embraced and supported since day one. I've grown as a man and as a player before your very eyes and I'm thankful [for] every single moment. Utah and its community will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you! The journey continues..."

In another massive trade, San Antonio Spurs pushed their rebuild into full swing as they traded for All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks for forward Danilo Gallinari and a trio of first-round picks. The full deal was announced by the teams as Hawks received Dejounte Murray, Jock Landale whereas the Spurs received Danilo Gallinari, 2023 first-round pick (via Charlotte from New York, protected), 2025 first-round pick, 2026 pick swap, 2027 first-round pick. According to Wojnarowski, Spurs are expected to waive Gallinari who has since go onto sign with the Boston Celtics in free agency

For Atlanta, the goal of strengthening a backcourt already led by All-NBA guard Trae Young, who last season finished sixth in the league in scoring charts when he averaged 28.4 points per game, have now added a dynamic young point guard who is coming off his best season as a pro. The 29th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, Murray, earned his first All-Star appearance in 2021-22, when went on to average a career-high 21.1 points to go with 9.2 assists, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals. The six-year veteran instantly upgrades Atlanta’s backcourt on the defensive end as the rangy point guard earned a place in the NBA All-Defensive 2nd Team honors in just his second season (2017-18).

Also read: Nikola Jokic has signed the biggest contract in NBA history
 

(Basketball news) Miami Heat progressed to the next round of the playoffs after they beat the Atlanta Hawks 97-94. For the Heats, Victor Oladipo scored 23 points, Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 11 rebounds as Tyler Herro scored 16, Max Strus scored 15 and Caleb Martin added 10 points. For the Hawks, Young went 2 for 12 from the floor, scoring just 11 points. De'Andre Hunter scored 35 points, while  Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari got 12 apiece. With this result the Heat’s win the series 4-1 to become the second team to reach the 2nd round of playoffs.

''The biggest thing about this game was our defense,'' Adebayo said.

''They're a good defensive team,'' Young said. ''Their team is more of a system than who they have on their team. No matter who they have out there, they can play. ... And when they've got a guy that they're targeting and trying to take away, they do a really good job of doing that.''

''They are a hell of a team,'' Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. ''Those guys compete every second that they're out on the floor and I have a great deal of respect for how they play.'

''We're all committed to the same goal,'' Strus said.

''I thought it was fitting that we had to get this game with a stop at the end,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

The Phoenix Suns took the lead in the 7 game series against the New Orleans Pelicans as they beat them 112-97 in game number 5. For the Suns, Bridges scored 31 points and blocked four shots in arguably the best game of this pro career as Chris Paul added 22 points and 11 assists, bouncing back from a subpar performance in Game 4. Deandre Ayton added 19 points and nine rebounds. For the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram scored 22 points and CJ McCollum added 21 for New Orleans, which was hurt by a slow start and 15 turnovers. With this result the Suns are just a win away from securing this series and progressing into the next round of playoffs as they are 3-2 up currently in the series.

''I'm ready to play tomorrow,'' Bridges said with a big grin at the postgame news conference. ''I'm energized, my teammates keep me going. I'm itching my knee right now, talking about it. I'm ready, I love being out there with my teammates. They're my best friends, it makes it way easier.''

''I just thought that we made some timely mistakes, starting with the turnovers,'' Pelicans coach Willie Green said. ''Fifteen turnovers for 23 points, that fuels their team and that fuels their transition opportunities. That is an area where we know we have to be better.''

''He doesn't miss games, he guards the best players every night and then he has 31,'' Paul said

''We have to change the way we start a game and come out with energy,'' Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas said. ''If we didn't have that struggle in the first half, it would have been a different game.

The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-110 to take the lead in the series 3-2. For the Grizzlies, Morant scored the last 13 points for Memphis, and his layup with a second left capped the Grizzlies' big rally from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to edge the Minnesota Timberwolves as Morant finished with 30 and had 13 rebounds and nine assists. Desmond Bane added 25 points, and Brandon Clarke had 21 off the bench for Memphis, and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 12 before fouling out. For the Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Anthony Edwards had 22, and D'Angelo Russell added 12 and Taurean Prince 10.

''Go get a bucket. Ja,'' Morant said of the game-winning play’

''Obviously, he had a brilliant fourth quarter,'' Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.

''It's a tough pill to swallow,'' Towns said. ''You feel like you got it after all the mistakes made and everything like that. We hit a big 3 to tie the game up with 4 seconds (left). You feel good. You feel good about going into overtime and having a chance to win the game. Just a learning experience.''

''Thank God that you're as good as you are because we had just fought so hard,'' Clarke said. ''And hit a really tough 3. And I was just like, it's fine, though, because we got 12 and we got a player that can make a really, really big-time finish. And I was like, `Yeah, thank God that we got you, man.'''

Also read: NBA: Celtics eliminate the Nets as Raptors make a comeback
 

(Basketball news) The Golden State Warriors took a 3-0 lead in the playoff series after getting 118-113 victory over the Denver Nuggets. For the Warriors, Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole scored 27 points each, Klay Thompson made six 3-pointers on his way to 26 points as the trio have been too hot to handle for the Denver defence during the course of the entire playoff series. For the Nuggets, Aaron Gordon added 18 points for the Nuggets and Nikola had 37 points but this was their seventh straight loss in the postseason as the other six losses were by an average of 16 points. With this result the Warriors have the chance to wrap up the series on Sunday.

''We played great down the stretch on both'' ends of the court, Thompson said.

''For Draymond to battle him all night and to make that play in the end was just a huge part of the win,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

''I love how we fought tonight,'' said Malone, who challenged his team to replicate that effort Sunday: ''Are we going to roll over? Are we going to fight like hell and send this back to Golden State?''

''I've been a fighter my whole life. I know how I'm approaching it,'' Cousins said. ''And I expect everyone else in that locker room to do the same. ... I'm a fighter, I'll go out swinging.''

''It was a lovely environment,'' Curry said. ''I love the way we responded.''

The Dallas Mavericks took the series lead by winning 126-118 against the Utah Jazz. For the Mavericks, Brunson scored 31 points playing with a bruised back as they were without their talisman Luka Doncic as Spencer Dinwiddie scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter for them, Maxi Kleber had 17 points and Dorian Finney-Smith added 14 points. For the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell scored 28 of his 32 points in the second half as Bojan Bogdanovic added 24 and Mike Conley had 21. With this result the Mavericks have taken a 2-1 lead in the playoff series as they play the fourth game on Saturday.

''I saw how hard the team was playing when I was laying back there,'' Brunson said. ''It gave me a little mojo to come back out there and do my thing.''

''We're all on the same page,'' Brunson said. ''We're all clicking. We're all talking and communicating.''

''I just told the guys we haven't done anything,'' Kidd said. ''They won at our place and now we won here. We need to put this game behind us and figure out what we need to do better.''

''His shot-creating and shot-making has been amazing all season, but the determination he has coming down the stretch to hit those big shots and the confidence he has is just fun to watch,'' Kleber said.

''He's unique in his physical strength and his ability to kind of keep his dribble alive in the lane where he really uses his body. He's able to play with his feet on the floor, so if you do try to come over and help, he has the ability to find people and spray the ball out,'' Utah coach Quin Snyder said.

The Memphis Grizzlies made a 26 point comeback to win 105-96 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and also taking the lead in the playoff series. For the Grizzlies, Desmond Bane made seven 3-pointers and had 26 points as Brandon Clarke scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half for Memphis, which closed the game on a staggering 50-16 run over the final 15:10 and Ja Morant recorded his first triple double in the postseason with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. For the Timberwolves, D'Angelo Russell had 22 points and eight assists as last year’s number 1 pick Anthony Edwards finished with 19 points. With this result the Grizzlies take 2-1 series lead as the 4th game will be on Friday at Minnesota.

''We found a way to get some stops. Our offence started clicking a little bit more,'' Bane said, ''and the rest is history.''

''That's why we're really the deepest team in the league,'' said Ja Morant,

“No one said it was going to be easy. We don't want it to be easy. We want it to be extremely hard, and it was,'' said Patrick Beverley, 

''When we get too high, it comes back and it haunts us,'' said D'Angelo Russell,

“It's really tough. We've got to regroup,'' said Towns

Also read: NBA: Celtics win again while Bulls make a comeback against the Bucks
 

(Basketball news) The New Orlean Pelicans made a comeback against the Phoenix Suns by winning 125-114 to level the series 1-1. For the Pelicans, Ingram had a fantastic all-around game with 37 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists as McCollum finished with 23 points. For the Suns, Paul finished with 17 points and 14 assists but shot just 5 of 16 from the field as Devin Booker top-scored with 31 points but it wasn’t enough. With this result the Pelicans caused a major upset and leveled the series as they now go to New Orleans to play the third and fourth match of the series.

“Good win, let's go,'' Nance said. ''Let's go home.''

''We've got guys that are more than capable of stepping up,'' Paul said. ''Book was killing. He was having a big-time game, but it is what it is.''

''Everything was flowing,'' Ingram said. ''Everybody was effective on the floor, all five. All five made something happen, whether it was offensively or defensively. We were really connected today.''

''This is one of his best and it was on a big stage,'' Pelicans coach Willie Green said. ''I'm proud of that young man. He works his tail off, he's a great teammate, high character, high IQ and he put it on display tonight.''

''That was probably, for us, the worst we have ever looked in transition since I have been here,'' Suns coach Monty Williams said. ''For that to happen in a playoff game was a bit unsettling for everybody.

The Miami Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks 115-105 to take a 2-0 series lead. For the Heat, Butler scored a playoff career-high 45 points, he was 15 of 25 from the floor, 11 for 12 from the line and 4 of 7 from 3-point range as Tyler Herro scored 15 for Miami, while Max Strus scored 14 and Vincent added 11 for the top-seeded team. For the Hawks, Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 19 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter for Atlanta as Trae Young got his scoring touch back but he had 25 points as De'Andre Hunter had 16 and John Collins finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. With this result the Hawks return to Atlanta on 22nd as they hope they can utilize the home advantage and get back into the series.

''We go as he goes,'' Heat guard Gabe Vincent said.

''If the refs are going to let them be as physical as they are and not call fouls, it's going to be hard to really do anything anyways,'' Young said.

“Big-time basketball from a big-time basketball player, one of the best two-way players in the game,'' Heat guard Kyle Lowry said.

''Just staying aggressive,'' Butler said. ''Taking what the defense gives me.''

''I think the difference in the game tonight was turnovers,'' Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. ''You can't have 19 turnovers in a playoff game and expect to win games. They scored 21 points off of our turnovers. A lot of those came in transition ... and I thought that was the difference.''

The Memphis Grizzlies made a comeback in the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves as they won 124-96. For the Grizzlies, All-Star point guard Ja Morant scored 23 points, handed out 10 assists and grabbed nine rebounds as Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. each added 16 with Jackson hitting 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Seven Grizzlies finished in double figures with Brandon Clarke, Xavier Tillman Sr. and Ziaire Williams each having 13. Tyus Jones added 10. For the Wolves,  Karl-Anthony Towns had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Naz Reid and Taurean Prince had 12 each off the bench, and D'Angelo Russell added 11. With this result the Timberwolves will take home advantage and face them on the 21st in game three.

''It was good to get that win,'' Morant said. ''Obviously, you know, if you get a triple-double, it's hard to do it in this league, so that's special as well. But the win is the important thing, and we got that.''

''It shows just how physical and locked in you've got to be every single night regardless of the opponent,'' Towns said. ''A small lapse, mental, and you see what the game comes out to be in the playoffs.''

“Then our offense just dried up. Our shot selection in the second quarter basically started the avalanche,'' said Minnesota coach Chris Finch, who added that the Grizzlies also started controlling the glass. ''That's really where the game was won.''

Also read: 76ers beat the Raptors again, Steph runs the show against the Nuggets
 

(Basketball news) The Brooklyn Nets qualified for the playoffs after they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the play-in tournament 115-108. For the Nets, Kyrie Irving had 34 points and 12 assists, Kevin Durant added 25 points and 11 assists, and the Nets took the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. For the Cavs, Darius Garland scored 34 points as Rookie Evan Mobley scored 19 points and Love had 14 points and 13 rebounds.The Cavaliers remained without All-Star center Jarrett Allen because of a broken finger. After this victory the Nets face a monumental task against in form Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Cavs get one more chance to secure a playoff position when they face the winners of Hawks vs Hornets on 15th April.

''I know that team very well and they know us very well and it'll be a back and forth,'' said Irving, a former Celtics guard, ''and once you throw that ball in the air, you're going to really see some spectacular basketball.''

“You can't give a team like Brooklyn that has championship aspirations and players who have won championships a 22-point lead,'' Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. ''Again, give our guys credit for getting back in it. But that's damn near impossible to overcome.''

''I always say about Kyrie in a March Madness, one-game type of situation, he's a tough guy to bet against,'' former Cavs teammate Kevin Love said. ''Again, seen this movie before but still - I think that there's just times where he comes out and plays out of his mind and that's why he's a future Hall of Famer. So you just kind of have to tip your hat to him. He hit some really tough, contested shots today.''

The Minnesota Timberwolves also secured the 7th spot in the Western conference and qualified for the playoffs after beating the La Clippers 109-104. For the Timberwolves, Edwards and Russell combined for 59 points as both came through with a steady stream of clutch plays. Edwards scored 30 points with five 3-pointers and Russell had 29 points and six assists to send the Wolves to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and a first-round matchup with Memphis. For the Clippers, Paul George finished with 34 points after shooting 2 for 10 in the first half as Reggie Jackson scored 17 points and Norman Powell finished with 16 points. The Clippers have a second chance to make the playoffs with a home game on Friday for the No. 8 seed against either New Orleans or San Antonio. 

''The game had to go in a different direction,'' coach Chris Finch said. ''That's why you have a team, because a lot of other people step up.''

''Just utilizing what we have,'' Russell said. ''We've got a lot of pieces that complement each other.''

''I took what the game gave me. That's what they gave me. They were scared to guard me, and I took advantage of that,'' Edwards said.
''I'm one of the best defensive guys on earth, and no one can guard him,'' said Beverley, who was in tears during the spirited celebration afterward as Edwards hopped up on the scorer's table.’’

''They played a lot better without KAT on the floor,'' Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. ''They got into us defensively. They switched on a lot more stuff. I just didn't think we made the right plays.''

Also read: The regular season is over as Bulls secured the last playoff berth

The other matches in the play-in tournament are:

• Hawks vs Hornets
• Spurs vs Pelicans
   

(Basketball news) The Chicago Bulls clinched the last playoff position as they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-120. For the Bulls, Troy Brown Jr. added 17 points and 11 rebounds as Patrick Williams scored a career-high 35 points and Ayo Dosunmu had 26 points in a season-high 45 minutes. For the Wolves, Nathan Knight had 17 points and eight rebounds and Jaylen Nowell added 15 points. With this result the Bulls secured 6th place in the Eastern Conference standings as they will face the No. 3 seed Milwaukee in the first round. Chicago, which has returned to the playoffs after a four-year absence, shared the East's best record with Miami at the All-Star break they fell off the pace and too many inconsistencies in their performances dropped them to 6th in the standings.

''We have to maintain a high level of competitive fight. They're champions for a reason,'' coach Billy Donovan said. ''They're battle-tested.''

''It's a good first step. This needs to be the foundation of what we're trying to build, and regardless of what happens from here, we've got a lot of things that we've learned,'' coach Chris Finch said.

''I was running a lot of things at him tonight to try to get him to be like that,'' Donovan said. ''He took it upon himself to do the things that he did, even randomly.'

The Lakers finished off their season with a consolation victory over the Denver Nuggets 146-141 after overtime. For the Lakers, Malik Monk had a career-best 41 points and Austin Reaves set career highs with 31 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists as Wenyen Gabriel had 14 points and 10 rebounds. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook did not play the last match as this was also Frank Vogel’s last game in charge, he leaves the golden and purple after 3 seasons and won an NBA championship in 2020. For the Nuggets, Markus Howard had a career-high 25 points and Bryn Forbes scored 24 . With this result the Nuggets face the Golden State warriors in the first round of playoff matches.

''My reaction is I haven't been told (anything) and I'm going to enjoy tonight's game,'' Vogel said when asked about the report. ''Celebrate what these young guys did in terms of scratching and clawing and getting back in this game. We'll deal with tomorrow tomorrow.''

''He gave me a chance,'' Monk said. ''This was the only team that called me in the offseason. I have nothing bad to say about him. All praise goes to him. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have a chance to play basketball. I probably wouldn't be here, so kudos to Frank.''

''This is real basketball,'' Denver's DeMarcus Cousins said. ''This is when talent has to come out. The regular season is one thing, you kind of go through the motions to get through it and be successful.''

Season's over, no one got hurt tonight,'' Malone said. ''We'll focus on moving forward and preparing for Golden State.''

The other results were:

• Cavs 133 - 115 Bucks
• Rockets 114 - 130 Hawks
• Nets 134 - 126 Pacers
• Hornets 124 - 108 Wizards
• 76ers 118 - 106 Pistons
• Magic 125 - 111 Heat
• Knicks 105 - Raptors
• Grizzlies 110 - 139 Celtics
• Timberwolves 120 - 124 Bulls
• Pelicans 107 - 128 Warriors
• Suns 109 - 116 Kings
• Trail Blazers 80 - 111 Jazz
• Clippers 138 - 88 Thunder
• Mavericks 130 - 120 Spurs

Also read: LA Lakers sack head coach Frank Vogel after missing out on play-offs
 

(Basketball news) The Dallas Mavericks produced a clinical performance to beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-111. For the Mavericks, Doncic finished with 37 points, nine rebounds and nine assists as Dinwiddie scored 22 points, 15 in the fourth quarter, made a 3-pointer at the buzzer against his former team, to lead their eighth win in nine games. For the Nets, Durant had 23 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, but Brooklyn had its four-game winning streak snapped. Goran Dragic scored a season-high 21 points and Bruce Brown had 17. Andre Drummond had 14 points and 17 rebounds.With this result the Mavericks improved their record to  43-26 as they are currently 5th in the Western Conference standings.

''It's like sticking it to your cousin versus, like, being vengeful for an enemy,'' Dinwiddie said

''When you watch that last play, just regret, wondering what the game would have been like if I didn't go jump Luka right there, you know what I'm saying?'' Durant said. ''So in hindsight I wish I would have made a different decision, but it is what it is.''

The Lakers continued their struggles as they lost to the in-form Minnesota Timberwolves 124-104. For the Wolves, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and Anthony Edwards had 20 of his 27 points in the second quarter to lead the early surge for them. For the Lakers, LeBron James, playing through knee soreness, had just 19 points on 8-for-21 shooting as Carmelo Anthony had 16 points. The Lakers fell a season-worst 11 games under the .500 mark at 29-40. James has not played on a team that far below even since his rookie year, when Cleveland finished the 2003-04 season at 35-47. With this result the Timberwolves improved their record to 41-30 as they are just a win away from overtaking the Nuggets in 6th in the Western Conference table. 

''We need that right now, a check underneath the hood, if you will,'' coach Chris Finch said

''We made the game competitive. We can't do that. We can't play with our food out there,'' said Towns, who had 13 of Minnesota's 51 rebounds.

''It's easy to be comfortable when you're winning. I've never been that guy. It's all about, `How comfortable can you be when things become uncomfortable?' I'm OK with that, too,'' James said. ''It's just testing my patience more than any season in the last few years, just because of the way we're playing.''

''When you're up, everything's going great. When you're down, they'll kick you,'' Lakers guard Wayne Ellington said. ''So right now, we're being kicked.'

'Nobody over there has done anything in this league that makes me put my eyes up like, `Oh, they're talking to me. Let me respond,''' Westbrook said. ''No, that's fine. They're good. They won a game. Happy for them. Move on to the next one.''

Also read: Kyrie drops 60 against the Magic while Suns continue their winning run

The other game results were:

• Cavs 114 - 118 76ers
• Wizards 109 - 127 Nuggets
• Hornets 116 - 106 Hawks
• Knicks 128 - 98 Trail Blazers
• Rockets 112 - 129 Suns
• Spurs 122 - 120 Thunder
• Jazz 125 - 110 Bulls
• Kings 126 - 135 Bucks
• Warriors 88 - 110 Celtics
• Clippers 100 - 103 Raptors
   

(Basketball news) The Lakers suffered their 25th loss of the season after they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 105-87. For the 76ers, Embiid had 26 points and nine rebounds as his teammates Tobias Harris scored 23 points and Ty Maxey had 14 points and 10 assists. For the Lakers, Anthony Davis scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Davis went off 10 of 13 in the first half - the Lakers made 20 buckets - for 23 points. The 37-year-old James is day to day with a sore left knee. James is second in the league in scoring at 29.1 points per game, on pace for his highest average since the 2009-10 season, and has scored at least 25 points in 18 straight games. With this result the Lakers fell below .500 as they have a record of 24-25 and currently lie 9th in the Western Conference standings.

''I was not very good tonight, so I was happy my teammates were able to pick me up,'' Embiid said.

''I like to score the ball,'' Embiid said. ''I have a score-first mentality. If they're double- or triple-teaming, I'm going to make the right play.''

''He's a big part of what we're trying to do,'' Davis said. ''It sucks not having him but it gives us a chance to see what we have without him. We definitely want to take advantage of these moments.

''It's always fun playing against another great big,'' Davis said. ''He's been on a tear. Putting the team on his back. We knew it was going to be a tough matchup going in.''

“His conditioning, last year, when I came in, we challenged him and he took it,'' Rivers said. ''This year, we challenged him even more and he's taking it up.''

The Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124 -115. For the Warriors, Stephen Curry found his sweet shooting stroke again after a rough stretch as Curry scored 29 points, Thompson added 23 points as Wiggins added 19 points, five rebounds, four assists. Curry shot 6 for 10 from long range - 10 of 20 overall - after going 3 for 23 on 3s his previous two games. He also contributed eight rebounds and six assists. For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards had 27 points as Karl Anthony Towns had 31 points in the match. With this result the Warriors improved their record to 36-13 as they occupy the 2nd place in the Western Conference table.  

''With Klay, it's easy to play with him because he's obviously an amazing scorer, amazing shooter, commands a lot of attention out there,'' Curry said. ''The hardest part is just trying to keep things simple because you can always try to do something special on every possession and there's where you get in trouble and we have a tendency to do that from time to time.''

''It's special. The NBA's never seen shooters like them,'' Wiggins said of the Splash Brothers. ''Playing alongside them, it's fun. You never know what's going to happen, you don't know what crazy shots they're going to make. We know the energy they bring to the team and the energy they bring to the building, the arena, everyone just feeds off them and from there we get going.''

''Klay, he was great against Dallas the other night and tonight he was even better, so he's adapting quickly and I loved his drive and kicks, he made some excellent passes,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ''It's fun to see Klay and Steph back together and it's really fun to see Wiggs with them, I think he complements them really well.'

Also read: NBA: The Nets lose their third match in a row and Suns make it 8 straight victories

Tomorrow’s matches are:

• Magic vs Pistons
• Hornets vs Lakers
• Hawks vs Celtics
• Heat vs Clippers
• Thunder vs Pacers
• Rockets vs Trail Blazers
• Grizzlies vs Jazz
• Spurs vs Bulls
• Suns vs Timberwolves
• Bucks vs Knicks
   

(Basketball news) Los Angeles lost against the Miami Heat 113-107 as they moved up to the summit of the Eastern Conference table. For the Heat, Duncan Robinson scored 25 points as Butler finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists for Miami, his 10th regular-season triple-double for the Heat which is one more than James had in his four Miami seasons. Along with Butler’s performance, Caleb Martin scored 15, Bam Adebayo scored 14 and Gabe Vincent had 11 for Miami. For the Lakers, James carried the Lakers yet again, finishing with 33 points - his 17th consecutive game with at least 26 - and 11 rebounds. Russell Westbrook scored 24 for the Lakers, former Heat guard Avery Bradley added 15 and Carmelo Anthony scored 11. With this result the Miami Heat improved their record to 30-17 as the Lakers moved below .500 with a record of 23-24 which has moved them down to 8th in the Western Conference.

''I think those are important experiences to go through together,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

''To have those kinds of pivotal moments down the stretch, you can never have enough of those,'' Robinson said. ''They're invaluable.

''I'm in one of the best zones offensively I've been in in my career,'' James said.

''In the fourth quarter we played the type of basketball we want to play, but we dug ourselves too much of a hole early in the game,'' James said.

The Warriors grinded out a tough 95-92 victory over the Utah Jazz.  For the Warriors, Curry scored 13 points, struggling again with his 3-point stroke as he went 1 for 13 from deep and 5 of 20 overall, Jordan Poole scored 20 points as Curry's brother-in-law Damion Lee did his part, coming off the bench to hit four clutch 3-pointers and score 12 points. For the Jazz,  Bogdanovic, who recently came back from an injured left ring finger, scored 21 points while Rudy Gobert grabbed 18 rebounds to go with 12 points for the Jazz, who lost their fourth straight to the Warriors. It was a total team effort from the Warriors as six players were in double digit scoring. With this result the Warriors improved their record to 34 -13 as they stayed 2nd in the Western Conference standings.

''They're still attached to my body and I'm still getting plenty of attempts,'' the two-time MVP said following another off-night, 

''I'm trying to have fun with this. It's a big-picture perspective on how you approach the game, the work that you put in. It's obviously frustrating. I want to shoot the ball, it's frustrating. I kicked the chair the other day for that reason,'' he said. ''It's not like I don't care and not trying to figure it out but I don't get preoccupied with it.''

''Steph looks great physically. The last few games he's playing some of his basketball in terms of handling the point guard duties,'' Kerr said. ''He's taking care of the basketball, he's playing great defense, shots just aren't going. ... He's seemed inhuman for so long. I think everybody just expects him to be in a groove all season long and it's just not the way it works.''

''That's how you've got to win when you're scuffling a little bit,'' Kerr said. ''Really proud of the team.''

The Brooklyn Nets suffered a shock defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves 136-125. For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards scored 25 points, D'Angelo Russell had 23 points and 10 assists as Karl-Anthony Towns overcame a poor shooting night, scoring 15 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to rally his team to victory, along with that Jaylen Nowell scored 16 points, Taurean Prince had 15, and Jaden McDaniels added 14. The three went 18 for 26 from the floor, including a perfect 6-for-6 night from Prince. For the Nets, Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 30 points while Patty Mills hit five 3-pointers on the way to 21 points. Kessler Edwards added 15 points, and James Harden had 13 points and 13 assists for Brooklyn, which is 2-2 since losing leading scorer Kevin Durant to a sprained ligament in his left knee. With this result the Nets dropped down to second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 29-17.

''It doesn't have to be me every night,'' said Towns, Minnesota's leading scorer and rebounder. ''That's why we have great talents like D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards. You've got to be able to lean on them. They can carry the load just as well as myself.''

''Those guys are coming in, bringing their own energy and spice to the game,'' Russell said. ''That takes the pressure off everybody.'

''I don't know that we gave enough resistance, weren't into the body enough,'' Nets coach Steve Nash said. ''Didn't feel like our will, our force, was felt defensively. Whatever it was, we didn't have the juice down there tonight. ... We tried to find a way to hang in and see if we could get on a run defensively. We just never did.''

Also read: NBA: Lakers snap out of their losing streak and Bucks overcome top seed Bulls

The other results were:

• Wizards 86 - 116 Celtics
• Magic 114 - 95 Bulls
• Raptors 105 - 114 Trail Blazers
• Hornets 91 - 113 Hawks
• Spurs 109 - 115 76ers
• Nuggets 117 - 111 Pistons

Tomorrow’s fixtures are:

• Cavaliers vs Knicks
• Pelicans vs Pacers
• Thunder vs Bulls
• Suns vs Jazz
   

(Basketball news) The Los Angeles Lakers suffered their successive loss as they lost 133-96 to the Denver Nuggets. For the Nuggets Hyland followed up a 17-point game against Portland with career highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds as Nikola Jokic had 17 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds for his eighth triple-double of the season, while Jeff Green scored a season-high 26 points in Denver's second straight blowout victory. All five Nuggets starters scored in double figures. For the Lakers LeBron James had 24 points and nine rebounds, but made just 9 of 23 field goals. Russell Westbrook, who was just 15 for 59 in the previous four games, had 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting.With this result the Lakers fell below 500 with their record currently at 21-22, on the other hand the Nuggets leapfrogged into 6th in the standings as their stands at 22-20.

''It meant a lot to me. It took some stress off my shoulders and made me relax more and it also made me more comfortable knowing me and Coach have that connection,'' Hyland said

''We've just got to make a decision we're going to play hard,'' Westbrook said. ''Sometimes, the schemes and how you play, it doesn't really matter. You've just got to play hard sometimes. Teams are playing harder than us, so it's as simple as that.''

'Nikola gets a triple-double in 28 minutes, Bones gets his first career double-double, the bench was great, the starters were great,'' Malone said

''We've got to get back to the drawing board and get our defense right,'' Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. ''We haven't performed well enough in the last two games on that side of the ball.''

The Golden State Warriors lost their second game in a row as they lost 119-99 to the Minnesota Timberwolves. For the Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 11 rebounds, Jaylen Nowell scored 17 points and Malik Beasley added in 16 with five second-half 3-pointers on an especially productive night for the reserves for the Timberwolves. Jordan Poole scored 20 points and Jonathan Kuminga had 19 points for the Warriors, who lost for the fifth time in seven games. They missed 16 straight shots over one stretch in the second half as they played without Steph Curry and Draymond Green on Sunday night. With this result the Timberwolves improved their record to 21-22 and jumped into 7th in the Western Conference standings

''We're really close. We like to see each other succeed. That right there is one of the hardest things to find in teams, I feel like,'' Nowell said. ''None of us on the team are selfish.''

''We don't just want be in the play-in game. We want to be set in the playoffs. We're trying to figure out how to get a nice little win streak to get us above the hump,'' Beasley said.

'Got some and-ones, got some layups, utilized my finishing ability. For this team to grow, I have to grow as well,'' Towns said
''You can't trust what I say, because I say I can play 40 minutes, but I'm not a sports scientist,'' Thompson said. ''That's what our training staff is for. I trust them, and I don't want to get over eager in just my fourth game in. I want to peak come playoff time”

Also read: NBA: The MVP race is hotting up as the season heads towards its midpoint

The other results were:

• Bucks 96 - 103 Raptors
• Wizards 110 - 115 Trail Blazers
• Nets 120 - 105 Pelicans
• Hawks 108 - 117 Knicks
• Thunder 102 - 107 Cavaliers
• Heat 98 - 109 76ers
• Celtics 114 - 112 Bulls
• Spurs 101 - 94 Clippers
• Mavericks 108 - 92 Magic
• Pistons 108 - 135 Suns
• Kings 112 - 118 Rockets

Tomorrow's fixtures are:

• Wizards vs 76ers
• Cavaliers vs Nets
• Grizzlies vs Bulls
• Clippers vs Pacers
• Hawks vs Bucks
• Magic vs Trail Blazers
• Heat vs Raptors
• Spurs vs Suns
• Mavericks vs Thunder
• Lakers vs Jazz

(Basketball news) The Milwaukee Bucks made a statement as they won 118-99 against the in form Golden State Warriors. For the Bucks, Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to help Milwaukee rout the Golden State Warriors as Khris Middleton added 23 points, Bobby Portis 20 and Grayson Allen 15 for the Bucks. For the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins led the team with 16 points. Jonathan Kuminga had 15, Curry 12 and Thompson 11 as no one could really get the grips of the game. Antetokounmpo had his third triple-double of the season and 28th of his career as head coach Budenholzer's return from the NBA's COVID-19 protocols. With this result the Bucks improved their record to 27-17 as they moved to 4th in the Eastern Conference standings.

''I think Coach Darvin did a great job stepping up, leading the team, coaching the team and keeping us accountable,'' Antetokounmpo said. ''But, obviously, it's great to have Coach Bud back healthy, happy and getting us ready to go.''

'I think there was a good focus from us tonight,'' Budenholzer said. ''I think when it starts on the defensive end, usually that's when we're at our best. A team like the Warriors, a player like (Stephen) Curry and (Klay) Thompson, they bring out the best in you. They bring out the highest focus.''

'We just got off to a terrible start where everything went wrong on both ends of the floor,'' Curry said.

''I know we just got our butts kicked, but we're just in a rough patch in our season,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ''It happens to every team, every year pretty much with very few exceptions. We're in a little bit of a rut and we were playing a team that was ready and played a great, great first half. We're a little out of sorts. We've just got to get back on track, and we will.'

The Memphis Grizzlies made it 11 straight victories as they won 116-108 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. For the Grizzlies, Ja Morant had 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and John Konchar added 15 points and a career-best 17 rebounds as Desmond Bane scored 21 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 20 to create history for their franchise.  For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 30 points. D'Angelo Russell had 29 points and six assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 points and nine rebounds. With this result the Grizzlies improved their record to 30-12 and moved up to 3rd in the Western Conference standings. 

''It's all about attention to details,'' Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. ''It's all about the small things. It's all about the winning plays. . You're going to be in close games, and that's going to win you games, and that, right now, is not what we're doing.''

''He just does a lot on the floor for us,'' Morant said, adding of Konchar's shooting ''You really can't leave him open. He's just a spark plug for us off the bench.''

''We don't have time to take the Ls that we should have won. Tonight, I definitely feel we should have won this game, and, especially New Orleans,'' Edwards said, adding: ''These games hurt when you don't have everything right and you come down to the very end and you can't get a rebound to finish a possession.''

Also read: NBA: Lakers slump to their second loss in a row as Nets thump the Chicago Bulls

The other results were:

• Pelicans 113 - 89 Clippers
• Nets 109 - 130 Thunder
• Nuggets 140 - 108 Trail Blazers

Tomorrow’s fixtures are:

• Pacers vs Suns
• Hornets vs Magic
• Pistons vs Raptors
• 76ers vs Celtics
• Bulls vs Warriors
• Heat vs Hawks
• Spurs vs Cavaliers
• Kings vs Rockets 
• Grizzlies vs Mavericks

(Basketball news) Los Angeles Lakers won two back to back matches after a long time as they won 108-103 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. LeBron James scored 26 points, Malik Monk added 22 and the Lakers hung on to beat them for the first time this season. Westbrook finished with 20 points, three rebounds, five assists and nine of the Lakers' 28 turnovers, the Lakers (19-19) climbed back to .500, with their veterans carrying them in the fourth quarter. Carmelo Anthony scored five in a row to help erase a four-point deficit. Anthony hit a 3-pointer, got fouled and made the free throw. He finished with 14 points. For the Timberwolves, Naz Reid led the Wolves with season highs of 23 points, Jaylen Nowell added 17 points off the bench. With this result the Lakers moved to 7th in the Western Conference standings.

“We did a good job of holding our own, gutting it out,'' said Westbrook, who had just one turnover in the second half.

''He's done a great job for us all year,'' Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. ''He's brought a great deal of basketball integrity to our team, making sure guys are playing the right way offensively.

''We're playing good basketball of late,'' James said. ''Even with some of the losses we've had, we're still trending in the right direction.''

''We're not here solely just to develop talent,'' Wolves coach Chris Finch said. ''We're trying to win these games.''

The Phoenix Suns continued their golden run as they routed past the Charlotte Hornets 133-99.  Devin Booker scored 24 points, Jalen Smith tied a career high with 19 points and 12 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns hammered the Hornets. For the Suns, Shamet added 17 points, Mikal Bridges had 15, and Cam Johnson and Cam Payne 14 each. Seven Suns players scored in double figures to blow out the Hornets. For the Hornets LaMelo Ball had 17 points and Kelly Oubre Jr had 15 points. With this victory the Suns improved their record to 28-8 as they are currently second in the Western Conference standings.

''It's so great to see,'' Paul said. ''We have been waiting for that emotion from him for a year. You just never know when you are going to get your opportunity and to see him play with that emotion. ... You can get down in this league especially when you are on a team as good as ours and you find yourself out of the rotation. But he's been working and has stayed ready.''

''This was all you can ask for, especially after you just took it on the chin against Boston,'' Young said. ''Sometimes as a coach in your heart you feel like you are doing the right thing and you think it's going to resonate, and when it does come to fruition it's rewarding.''

''The whole time I have been picking his brain and he's been able to tell me how to get on the court and how to keep him improving,'' Smith said.

Also read: Lakers slump to their fourth successive defeat as Warriors continued winning

The other scores were:

• Raptors 120 - 105 Knicks
• Cavaliers 108 - 104 Pacers
• Celtics 116 - 111 Magic
• Kings 115 - 113 Heat
• Thunder 86 - 95 Mavericks

Tomorrow's fixtures are:

• Wizards vs Hornets
• 76ers vs Rockets
• Nets vs Grizzlies
• Pelicans vs Jazz
• Bucks vs Pistons
• Bulls vs Magic
• Mavericks vs Nuggets
• Warriors vs Heat
• Trail Blazers vs Hawks
• Clippers vs Timberwolves
   

(Basketball news) Lakers suffered an embarrassing loss to Timberwolves as they lost 110-92. For the Wolves, Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and 10 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Lakers for a second time this season as Malik Beasley and D'Angelo Russell each had 17 points and Jarred Vanderbilt grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds to help them win their third straight game. They played without star Anthony Edwards, who was under NBA's health and safety protocols. For the Lakers, their squad was depleted with Covid protocols as LeBron James had a quiet 18 points and 10 rebounds, Isaiah Thomas made his season debut with 19 points, Russell Westbrook had 14 points and Kent Bazemore had a season high with 11 points. With this result the Lakers stayed 6th in the Western Conference with a record of 16-14.

''I'm going to let people make their assumptions and make their judgment. I just know that every day when I come here I play the game with a tremendous amount of confidence .I wanted to set the standard. I wanted to try to impose myself into the game real quick, understanding Ant's not here,'' Towns said.

“They definitely played a more physical brand of basketball tonight, and we've got to be better,'' Lakers coach Frank Vogel said.

The Golden State Warriors extended their winning run as they won 111-107 against the Boston Celtics. Andrew Wiggins scored 27 and Kevon Looney had 10 rebounds for the Warriors as Steph Curry top scored with 30 points, who won their third straight game on an East Coast road trip. It was Kerr's 400th victory as a coach in 576 games over eight seasons. He is third on the franchise win list, behind Al Attles (557) and Don Nelson (422). For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, and Jaylen Brown had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics. With this win the Warriors reclaimed their top spot in the Western conference with a record of 24-5. 

''We're coming off the emotional roller coaster ... a lot going on around the league,'' Curry said after scoring 30 points in a 111-107 victory over the Celtics on Friday night. ''You try not to get distracted by all the things that are outside the locker room.''

''On a five-game trip, guaranteeing us at least three wins makes this a good trip,'' coach Steve Kerr said. ''Now tomorrow is more of a free swing.''

''It means I'm incredibly lucky to coach a bunch of talented guys,'' said Kerr, who won the NBA championship in his first season and two more in the next three years. ''From my first game coaching in the NBA until now, I've had nothing but talented teams.''

Also read: Suns go joint top as the Nets extended their lead in the Eastern Conference

The results of the other matches were:

• Magic 105 - 115 Heat
• Hawks 115 - 133 Nuggets
• Pelicans 116 - 112 Bucks
• Jazz 126 - 128 Spurs
• Kings 105 - 124 Grizzlies
• Trail Blazers 125 - 116 Hornets

The matches for tomorrow are:

• Celtics vs Knicks
• Nets vs Magic
• Raptors vs Warriors
• Thunder vs Clippers
• Bucks vs Cavaliers
• Jazz vs Wizards