NBA

Curry passes Iverson on all-time points list, but Warriors fall below .500 in Toronto

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors celebrates a basket against the Toronto Raptors during first half of their NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on...

Stephen Curry’s 26-point outing saw him pass Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson for 28th on the NBA’s all-time scorers list, but besides a 20-point game from Andrew Wiggins, the undermanned Warriors were unable to maintain their lead down the stretch in Toronto and suffered a 104-101 defeat to drop below .500. Continue reading “Curry passes Iverson on all-time points list, but Warriors fall below .500 in Toronto”

NBA

Getting paid: Sengun and Suggs among lucrative rookie-scale contract extensions

Alperen Sengun of the Houston Rockets works to the basket against Harrison Barnes of the San Antonio Spurs during the first half of a preseason game...

Houston locked up the futures of two rising stars in Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green before the rookie-scale extension deadline elapsed, heading into the new campaign with cautious optimism they can improve upon last season’s encouraging strides taken under Ime Udoka should everyone be fortunate with injuries. Elsewhere, Jalen Suggs and Trey Murphy also inked deals elsewhere. Continue reading “Getting paid: Sengun and Suggs among lucrative rookie-scale contract extensions”

NBA

Steve Kerr extended to align with Curry in Golden State, the Kuminga issue settled

Head Coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors speaks with Stephen Curry against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on December 25, 2023 in Denver,...

Many were quick to criticise his blunt coaching methods earlier in the season, but Steve Kerr’s two-year, $35m extension now aligns him with franchise centrepiece Stephen Curry having overseen growth from a disgruntled Jonathan Kuminga and handling Draymond Green’s latest transgression well. Continue reading “Steve Kerr extended to align with Curry in Golden State, the Kuminga issue settled”

NBA

NBA news: Rubio retires, Payton II injury, Wemby’s minutes restriction plus more

Ricky Rubio of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during practice on April 13, 2023 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER:...

12-year veteran guard Ricky Rubio has today retired from NBA basketball after announcing a break last August for mental health reasons. Golden State were dealt another untimely blow as a key rotational piece is sidelined for a few weeks, while top draft pick Victor Wembanyama is unhappy with his minutes restriction in San Antonio as the struggling Spurs chug along. Read more below. Continue reading “NBA news: Rubio retires, Payton II injury, Wemby’s minutes restriction plus more”

NBA

Anthony Edwards stars as team USA go 5-0 in FIBA World Cup prep – it’s no surprise

Anthony Edwards of the Senior Men's National Team dribbles the ball during the 2023 FIBA World Cup against the German National Team at Etihad Arena...

Minnesota Timberwolves’ All-Star guard Anthony Edwards led the charge for team USA during their final warm-up game before the FIBA World Cup, scoring 34 points as they recovered from a 16-point deficit to beat Germany – a side stacked with NBA-level talent. Steve Kerr has declared the 22-year-old ‘the guy’, and it’s no surprise off the back of a successful third season in the league. Continue reading “Anthony Edwards stars as team USA go 5-0 in FIBA World Cup prep – it’s no surprise”

NBA

NBA trade deadline day – a week on: A look at moves, winners and losers plus new season projections

New Nets players Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson watch from the crowd after being traded for Kevin Durant during the game against the Chicago Bulls at...

February 9 is now in the rearview mirror, with All-Star weekend almost upon us. After the Kyrie Irving move to Dallas opened up a series of trades – both small and significant – I take a look at them in this piece, assessing where that leaves some ball clubs as well as specific players who’ll find themselves in differing situations over the coming months – like the pair above in Brooklyn. Continue reading “NBA trade deadline day – a week on: A look at moves, winners and losers plus new season projections”

NBA

Steve Kerr addresses Warriors’ winless road trip as defending champions are 3-7 to start season

Jordan Poole, Steve Kerr head coach, and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors react during the first half of the game against the Detroit...

There are a few caveats involved, but the big story surrounds Golden State and how they’ve lost all six of their opening road games – the first time since 1997-98. The first defending champions to start with such a stat in league history, their 3-7 record is particularly grim but head coach Steve Kerr believes they’ll weather this surprising early storm as they have done in the past. Continue reading “Steve Kerr addresses Warriors’ winless road trip as defending champions are 3-7 to start season”

NBA

NBA Q&A: New storylines, burning questions and bold predictions made as 22-23 season tips off

Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece in action against Nikola Jokic of Serbia during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifier game between Serbia and...

If you’ve seen this Q&A style before, you know the drill. If not, where have you been? With a new NBA season already kicking off Tuesday night, I spoke to LA Clippers fan and NBA expert Jack Brown about many topics including: 2022-23 award predictions, more compelling offseason storylines, the newly-formed duos and why he fancies the bullish New Orleans Pelicans – armed with a motivated, injury-free Zion Williamson – as a serious dark horse out West this year. Continue reading “NBA Q&A: New storylines, burning questions and bold predictions made as 22-23 season tips off”

NBA

Curry, Tatum-Brown tandem reinforce belief all is well during season-opening victories

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors checks out his ring on ring night prior to the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 18, 2022 at...

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both scored 35 points as the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics got off to a winning start at home to the Philadelphia 76ers, before reigning Finals MVP Stephen Curry crowned ring night for the Golden State Warriors with a 33-point outing – alongside seven assists, six rebounds and four steals – to beat the troubling LA Lakers.
Continue reading “Curry, Tatum-Brown tandem reinforce belief all is well during season-opening victories”

NBA

Ja Morant headlines hungry Memphis, still bullish and confident after sore West semi-finals defeat

Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies celebrates during a preseason game on October 3, 2022 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User...

All-Star guard Ja Morant will be tasked with proving last year was no fluke and this time around, staying injury-free year round to ensure there’s no hypothetical questions should his Memphis teammates find themselves embroiled in another testy Western Conference semi-final encounter – something they experienced against the eventual champions just five months ago.
Continue reading “Ja Morant headlines hungry Memphis, still bullish and confident after sore West semi-finals defeat”

NBA

Jayson Tatum wrist injury: Does Celtics star’s recent admission change the criticism on him?

Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics reacts against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter in Game Six of the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden...

Knives were out rather quickly as Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics fell in a winnable six-game series against the Golden State Warriors in last season’s NBA Finals. After the star forward revealed to B/R at the weekend he quietly played through a non-displaced left wrist fracture for three months, will that change the criticism or narrative weighted on his shoulders?
Continue reading “Jayson Tatum wrist injury: Does Celtics star’s recent admission change the criticism on him?”

NBA

Stephen Curry – who else – the catalyst as Warriors earn gritty Game 4 road win

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors celebrates during Game Four of the 2022 NBA Finals on June 10, 2022 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts....

With the lights brightest and others struggling, the 33-year-old recorded the second-most NBA Finals points of his career, and put his teammates on his back, en route to an invaluable 107-97 win over the Boston Celtics to tie the series at 2-2 with Game 5 next in the Bay Area on Monday. Given he played through a Game 3 foot injury here, are you surprised this was his next act? Continue reading “Stephen Curry – who else – the catalyst as Warriors earn gritty Game 4 road win”