Curry sets another record for 3s, Warriors hold off Nets

NEW YORK — Golden State appeared on its way to another easy victory when the game suddenly turned into a 3-point shootout.

Luckily for the Warriors, they have the perfect guy for that.


Stephen Curry set another NBA record by making seven 3-pointers and finished with 35 points as the Warriors held on to beat the Brooklyn Nets 120-114 on Sunday.

Kevin Durant added 34 for the Warriors, who were coasting before the Nets made it close with some sizzling shooting behind the arc.

Curry finally turned them back when his final 3-pointer made it 115-108 with 1:07 to play. He has made at least five 3s in all seven games, breaking George McCloud’s record of six games in a row during the 1995-96 season.

“They got hot in the fourth to try to make it interesting, but made enough plays down the stretch to obviously get the win,” Curry said.

Klay Thompson continued to struggle behind the arc, going 1 for 5 and falling to 5 for 36 this season. He finished with 18 points and still hasn’t had a 20-point outing this season.

D’Angelo Russell scored 25 points and Caris LeVert had 23 for the Nets, who made 20 3-pointers in 42 attempts and cut a 19-point deficit down to two.

“I think the 3-pointer got them back in the game and ended up we had to play a little bit and execute down the stretch, so it was a solid outing for us,” Durant said.

Golden State has won four in a row since its lone loss and the previous three were all by at least 20 points. The franchise record is four straight 20-point victories, set by the San Francisco Warriors in 1966-67, and it appeared the Warriors were going to equal that.

Curry scored 16 points in the first quarter. The Nets hung close until midway through the second, and another 3 by Curry pushed it to 63-44 with 1:55 remaining in the half.

“The way the first half went we easily could have kind of folded and that’s not what kind of guys we have in that locker room,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “They’re a resilient bunch and I thought they competed their tails off and it was good for the fans to see that we didn’t just succumb to their talent or their aura so to speak.”

Draymond Green had a season-high 13 assists.

TIP-INS

Warriors: G Shaun Livingston missed the game with a sore right foot. … Thompson met before the game with 14 young players from the Caribbean who are part of the NBA’s Jumpstart program. The players who got to visit NBA facilities and landmarks in New York were picked by Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry after they participated in an elite camp for Caribbean-based players age 17 and younger in Trinidad and Tobago.

Nets: Brooklyn has lost the last seven meetings. … Russell made five 3s, while LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie and Allen Crabbe all had four.

SORRY, COACH

Steve Kerr said DeMarcus Cousins apologized for his ejection Friday against the Knicks.

Cousins was sitting on the bench in street clothes when he argued with referee Scott Foster, who gave him a technical foul and then threw him out of the game. Kerr said they had a good talk since and the volatile center understands things are different with the Warriors than his previous teams.

“That kind of stuff is not going to help us win a championship, it’s not going to help his reputation and I think he understands that,” Kerr said.

SOMBER SPEAKING

A somber Kerr said the sad thing about the shooting that killed 11 in a Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday is that he’s not surprised when it happens because there is so much gun violence and division in the U.S.

“We’re broken right now and so nothing surprises us anymore, or nothing surprises me anymore,” Kerr said. “Shootings at schools and churches, synagogues, malls, movie theaters, and we need our leaders to step up and unite the country with the appropriate words and the appropriate actions and we’re not getting that right now. It’s frustrating and I don’t know what else to say.”

Kerr said he planned to vote for all candidates who back gun control and safety. His father, Malcolm Kerr, a professor who served as president of the American University of Beirut, was shot and killed outside his office in the war-torn Lebanese capital in 1984.

UP NEXT

Warriors: Visit Chicago on Monday.

Nets: Visit New York on Monday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Nets go abroad, grab Musa and Kurucs in NBA draft

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have been creative in their attempt to start from scratch after selling away the future of the franchise five years ago hunting for a championship that never came.

Two months after capping a third straight losing season, the Nets hope their latest acquisitions might be part of the solution.

Brooklyn continued its rebuild Thursday night, selecting Dzanan Musa with the 29th overall pick and Rodions Kurics at No. 40 in the NBA draft.



Musa was taken with the pick acquired from the Toronto Raptors in a trade last July, which also landed forward DeMarre Carroll.

The Nets have been trying to salvage something of the previous drafts after the last regime sent three unprotected first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018 to the Boston Celtics and the right to swap first round picks in the 2017 draft for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry.

The trade netted Brooklyn a disappointing second-round exit that season and sent the organization into a downward spiral with no draft assets to show for it.

So now, the Nets are looking abroad.

Brooklyn has invested heavily in its international scouting department since New Zealand-born general manager Marks took over in February 2016, and that group led them to Musa and Kurics.

Musa, 19-year-old from Bosnia and Herzegovina, spent the last three seasons with KK Cedevita, leading them to the Croatian League championship. At 6-foot-9, he averaged 13.3 points and shot 46.2 percent from the field in 30 league games.

Brooklyn was impressed with what they had seen at the international level from Musa, who has been playing professionally since the age of 16.

“I think from scouting perspective we’ve enjoyed watching him play. Very dynamic,” general manager Sean Marks said. “Obviously his offensive skills are pretty special. (A good) size for (his) position. He has been playing at a very, very high level. A very competitive young man.”


Kurocs, a 6-foot-9 prospect, was tabbed by draft experts in years’ past as a first-round selection but sat mostly on the bench for FC Barcelona in the Spanish ACB League and in Euroleague competition this past season. He averaged 1.4 points in 10 games.

“I am not sure why he was there when we picked, but he is a guy that we had been targeting for some time,” Marks said. “We’re thrilled to get our hands on Rodions.”

Marks said he expects both players to join the Nets roster for the upcoming season.

Musa has a $1 million buyout clause with KK Cedevita. Rodions’ contract calls for a $4 million fee to free him up from his Spanish club.

“There is a lot of development there with their bodies and so forth. Again, I think both (are) really great development pieces for our coaching staff, performance (and) so forth to get their hands on,” Marks said. “I am intrigued to what they can do for both player. Playing in an elite level in Europe for quite some time, I think that transition that we talked about before will hopefully won’t be seamless.”

Brooklyn also drafted at the 45th spot, taking Kentucky shooting guard Hamidou Diallo, and traded his rights to the Charlotte Hornets as part Wednesday’s deal for Dwight Howard, who is expected to be bought out by the Nets.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Howard explodes for 32 points, 30 rebounds in Hornets’ win over Nets

NEW YORK — One of Dwight Howard’s close friends wasn’t too enthused with the center’s effort at halftime. So, he sent him a text message to let him know.

It pushed the Charlotte Hornets star to one of the most dominant performances in NBA history.

Howard had 32 points and a franchise-record 30 rebounds, becoming just the eighth player in league history with a 30-30 game, and the Hornets stormed back to beat Brooklyn 111-105 on Wednesday night.

“I just thought that my energy and effort wasn’t where it needed to be for our team to be successful,” Howard said. “Got a text at halftime from somebody and it kind of got me motivated and gave me some extra energy.”

Howard is the first NBA player with a 30-point, 30-rebound game since Kevin Love did it for Minnesota on Nov. 12, 2010.

“Never been part of something like that,” Hornets teammate Kemba Walker said. “It was incredible. Yeah, it was incredible to see those kinds of numbers and be a part of it. Yeah, it was crazy.”

Howard also became the first player with a 30-30 game against the Nets since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it for the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 3, 1978, when he had 37 points and 30 rebounds.

“I mean that’s great to be named with someone like Kareem,” Howard said. “It’s one of the guys I looked up to growing up, him and Wilt Chamberlain.”

Walker scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter for the Hornets, who trailed by as many 23 points in the second half but rallied to win in front of an announced crowd of 10,231 at Barclay Center while a heavy snowfall outside blanketed the New York City area.

Trailing 105-102 after a pair of free throws from D’Angelo Russell with 2:14 left in regulation, the Hornets tightened up on defense and went on a 9-0 run to pull off the impressive comeback.

Jeremy Lamb, who had 17 points to help end Charlotte’s two-game losing streak, made a layup to cut the deficit to 105-104. The Hornets then called a timeout after a miss by Caris LeVert with 23 seconds left.

Brooklyn missed its last five shots of the game.

Despite having made just five of his first 24 shots on the night, on the ensuing possession, Walker got the green light from Hornets coach Steve Clifford. The Bronx native, who starred at Rice High School in Harlem, spun around Quincy Acy and capped a three-point play to put Charlotte up 107-105, the Hornets’ first lead of the night since a 16-15 advantage with 5:46 in the opening quarter.

“I’d been struggling the whole night, but guys are confident in me and that’s all that matters,” Walker said. “Coach still wanted me to be the one to take the shot.”

LeVert then missed a chance to tie it when he was met by Howard under the basket. Howard then hit a pair of free throws to make it 109-105.

Russell scored 19 points and LeVert added 11 for the Nets, whose two-game winning streak was snapped. They have yet to have won three consecutive this season.

“We’ve done a great job the last two games locking down in the fourth quarter and tonight we didn’t,” Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said.

Brooklyn used a stellar defensive effort to take a 62-43 lead into halftime before everything fell apart in the last 18 minutes of the game. The Hornets were limited to 16-for-44 shooting from the field and committed 10 turnovers.

The Nets led 82-59 after Carroll’s layup with 6:13 left in the third quarter before the Hornets started to chip away as Howard had nine points to pace a 16-5 run to head into the fourth quarter trailing 87-75.

Charlotte then outscored the Nets 36-18 the rest of the way.

A LOT OF CATCHING UP TO DO

Chamberlain leads the career list with 124 games of at least 30 points and 30 rebounds, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. It has been done 32 times by a select list of players that includes Love, Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone and Robert Parish.

TIP-INS

Hornets: Cody Zeller remained out due to left knee soreness. He has missed his last six games. … Nicolas Batum missed his second straight game because of tendinitis in his left Achilles. Lamb again started in his place.

Nets: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 13 points.

UP NEXT

Hornets: Host Memphis on Thursday night.

Nets: Visit Toronto on Friday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Antetokounmpo scores 41 points as Bucks torch Nets

MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 41 points and 13 rebounds to help the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets 116-91 on Friday night.

Antetokounmpo returned after sitting out two games to manage chronic pain in his right knee. He sealed it late, dribbling between his legs before hitting a jumper over Quincy Acy and drawing a foul. Antetokounmpo made the free throw, and hit a 3-pointer on the next possession.

Khris Middleton added 21 points for the Bucks in their second game since coach Jason Kidd was fired Monday. They also beat the Nets for the ninth consecutive time.

DeMarre Carroll and D’Angelo Russell had 14 points apiece for Brooklyn.

Milwaukee built a 26-point first-half lead. Brooklyn, which had just 35 points at the half, scored 37 in the third quarter and got within seven points late in the period.

The Nets, coming off a one-point loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday night, struggled offensively throughout the first half, connecting on just 26 percent of their shots, including 4 of 20 from 3-point range. Milwaukee led 58-35 at the half.

The Bucks opened on a 16-2 run and led 33-15 after the quarter, led by Antetokounmpo with 11 points.

TROUBLE FOR BROWN

Police officers used a stun gun on Bucks rookie guard Sterling Brown and arrested the 22-year-old Friday after a confrontation at a pharmacy parking lot. “It’s a personal issue I’m dealing with right now,” Brown said before the game. Brown had what appeared to be a bruise and scratches on the right side of his face. Officers contacted a man believed to be Brown after seeing a vehicle parked across two handicapped parking spots while doing a business check at about 2 a.m. Asked if there could be any discipline for Brown, coach Joe Prunty said: “We believe it will be resolved quickly.” Brown entered the game midway through the first quarter.

TIP-INS

Nets: Brooklyn shot just 22 percent in the first quarter, including 2 of 13 from 3-point range. … Rondae Hollis-Jefferson limped off the court midway the second quarter with a strained right groin and didn’t return. … Brooklyn made buzzer-beating 3-pointers at the end of the first and second quarters.

Bucks: G Malcolm Brogdon missed the game due to right calf soreness. … Former Milwaukee player Vin Baker has been hired as an assistant coach. Baker most recently served as a pre- and postgame analyst for Bucks telecasts and served as a volunteer coaching assistant. … Milwaukee Brewers players Josh Hader, Brett Phillips and Jacob Barnes sat courtside.

UP NEXT

Nets: At Minnesota on Saturday night.

Bucks: At Chicago on Sunday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Masked man: Irving returns as Celtics win 13th straight

NEW YORK—Kyrie Irving really dislikes having to play in a mask.

On the other hand, he loves what comes next: Boston putting its 13-game winning streak on the line against the NBA champions.

“It’s definitely an incredible streak we’re on, and now comes the whole media frenzy of will the streak end, and what’s going to happen on Thursday and the Golden State Warriors coming to Boston,” Irving said. “So I’m looking forward to all that hoopla.”

Irving returned to the lineup and scored 25 points while wearing the mask, and the Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 109-102 on Tuesday night to remain unbeaten since an 0-2 start.

Marcus Morris added 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Jayson Tatum scored 19 points for the Celtics, who have the NBA’s best record. Golden State is next at 11-3, and Boston got good preparation for the game against a persistent Brooklyn team.

“The way that they converted on us in transition after our mistakes tonight, you can’t have that against Golden State. You just get blown out of the gym,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “We just have to play really solid on both ends and do what we do as well as we can and see where we stand.”

Irving missed one game with a minor facial fracture after he was hit by teammate Aron Baynes on Friday. He fiddled with the mask frequently, but it didn’t seem to affect his play much. He made a jumper with 3:40 left after the Nets had closed within four points and drove for another basket about 35 seconds later.

“Today, just finding his way and doing what he does, making big plays for us, coming through and sealing the game,” said Celtics center Al Horford, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Boston then finally put it away with Jaylen Brown’s alley-oop feed to Tatum before Irving hit two free throws to make it 106-96.

Joe Harris scored 19 points and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Nets, who are without leading scorer D’Angelo Russell because of a bruised left knee. Allen Crabbe and Caris LeVert added 15 points apiece.

Irving has had to play in a mask before, and he’s done it well. He scored a then career-high 41 points in a loss at New York on Dec. 15, 2012, while with Cleveland. But he described it like having foggy blinders, restricting his peripheral vision.

The Celtics started 7 of 9 from the field to lead 17-4, but the Nets jumped ahead in the second quarter and countered every time Boston threated to pull away until the final minutes.

“I thought guys competed,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We just have to do it in long stretches.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Irving, Love return as James, Cavs beat Nets 116-108

NEW YORK, New York—Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were rusty and Kyle Korver is still not a Cavalier, so LeBron James needed to play a heavy role Friday.

As usual, he was up to the task.

James scored 36 points, carrying Cleveland while Irving and Love had slow starts in their return to the lineup in a 116-108 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Irving added 32 points and Love had 17 points and 13 rebounds, but both shot poorly early as the Nets kept it competitive for 1 1/2 quarters. James helped the Cavs open a comfortable lead by halftime they enjoyed most of the rest of the way in the opener of a six-game trip.

“Ky was a little rusty coming off a couple of games out and obviously Kev as well,” James said, “so I was just trying to see if I could push the tempo, get us into a good flow, get some early buckets in the second quarter and I was able to push the lead to a double-digit lead by halftime. So it worked well for us.”

The Cavs were still working to finalize a trade with Atlanta to acquire Korver, which will add a premier perimeter shooter to their second unit.

“Every shooter that comes here we tell them LeBron’s statement: If a guy’s not in your numbers, then you’re open,” Irving said. “So I know he’ll pretty much enjoy that.”

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 23 points for the Nets, who have lost five straight.

“We just tried to compete the whole game. We dug ourselves a hole,” rookie Caris LeVert said after scoring a season-high 19 points.

Love missed a loss to Chicago on Wednesday and was limited in the previous game after suffering from food poisoning on New Year’s Day. Irving had sat out the last three with right hamstring tightness.

Irving started 1 for 8 and Love was 1 for 7 as the Nets, who trailed by 46 during their loss at Cleveland on Dec. 23, led with under five minutes remaining in the second quarter. But James had 10 points in the final 3:09 as Cleveland took a 50-39 lead.

Love then had 10 points in the Cavs’ 36-point third quarter and Irving heated up late as Cleveland broke it open again after the Nets trimmed a 24-point deficit to six in the fourth quarter.

“I thought they were rusty but we did a good job of working them back in and they were able to finish the game,” Lue said.

Irving finished 10 for 26 from the field with three 3-pointers. Love was 5 for 16.

Tristan Thompson was 0 for 9 from the free throw line in the first half before finally making a pair with 4:27 left in the third quarter after the Nets fouled him intentionally. He finished 4 for 13.

Though the trade with Atlanta wasn’t done yet, the Cavaliers did complete one with Portland. The Cavs re-acquired the 2018 first-round pick they had sent the Trail Blazers along with Anderson Varejao last February, in exchange for their 2017 first-rounder.

Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, who was an assistant in Atlanta, said the Cavaliers are making a great move to get Korver.

“I think we all make a mistake if we just think Kyle’s a shooter,” Atkinson said. “I think he’s a better all-around player than people think. I think he’s a better defender than people think. Better passer. He’s just really great IQ and he’s going to help them in so many ways.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Nets working out openly gay free agent center Jason Collins - ESPN

NEW YORK - Jason Collins, who revealed his homosexuality last April, could become the first openly gay player in the NBA by signing a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets, ESPN reported Thursday (Friday, PHL time).

Citing unnamed sources, the sport television network's website reported that the Nets worked out the free agent center this week in Los Angeles.

The Nets did not make a deal for a big man Tuesday at the NBA trade deadline, leaving open the possibility they might add the 35-year-old American to their front court in a short-term trial deal after watching him in a private workout.

Collins was praised for his courage in coming out as gay by US President Barack Obama, former president Bill Clinton and many players in the NBA.

If he takes the court in an NBA game, Collins would be the first openly gay man to play in one of the four major North American pro sports leagues.

Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Robbie Rogers became the first openly gay male athlete to play in a US league when he took the field for a Major League Soccer match last May, three months after revealing he was gay.

In addition, University of Missouri defensive end Michael Sam, a US college star in American football who is likely to be selected in the NFL Draft later this year, announced earlier this month that he is gay but his first chance to play in the NFL could not come until an exhibition game in August at the earliest.

Collins called Sam "a great young man who has shown tremendous courage and leadership" in a tweet after Sam's announcement.

Collins played for the Nets in his first six seasons in the league, helping take the team to the 2002 and 2003 NBA Finals when it was based in nearby New Jersey.

At Brooklyn, Collins would be united with former Nets teammate Jason Kidd, now the Nets' coach.

Brooklyn officials wanted to see how fit Collins was since he had not played in the NBA since his revelation just after last season, when he had played out his contract with the Washington Wizards.

The Nets, 25-27 and fighting to hold onto a playoff position in the Eastern Conference, are on a five-game western road trip and could add Collins during the swing. - AFP

source: gmanetwork.com