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I watched the first seven episodes of “Running Point” on Netflix. It’s a new basketball comedy whose main character is similar to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and played by Kate Hudson. So far, it’s extremely funny and not all that basketball-y. Plus, you’ve always wanted to see Chet Hanks as a professional basketball player, right?
Chef Curry Cooked Again
Sometimes, his shooting just isn’t fair
There are two different things that can happen when Steph Curry has an in-game scoring flurry. You can weather the storm, reset your defense and regroup to create a new outcome. Or you can be like Tea Leoni at the end of the movie “Deep Impact,” standing on the beach and just accepting that the tidal wave will get you. Last night, the Magic were hosting the Warriors, and Curry had one of those famous flurries in the second quarter.
Out of nowhere, he hit four 3-pointers along the way to scoring 16 points in the blink of an eye. That run gave him 21 points at halftime, and the Magic needed to find a way to regroup and find some way to break his rhythm. Instead, the tidal wave of Curry points came crashing ashore. He followed up his 21-point first half with a 22-point third quarter. The 36-year-old sharpshooter outscored the Magic (21) by himself in the third period.
By the end of the night, Curry and the Warriors had prevailed. He finished with 56 points after scoring 13 in the fourth quarter to close out the Magic (29-32) in the Warriors’ 121-115 victory. He went 16 of 25 from the field and made 12 of 19 from 3-point range. It was the 11th game in NBA history in which a player made at least 12 3-pointers. This was Curry’s third game of at least 12 threes, tying Klay Thompson for the most such games ever. No other player, except the Splash Brothers, has multiple.
It’s both expected and unsurprising with Curry, while at the same time being jaw-dropping. It was the first time Jimmy Butler got to experience it as a teammate, and the Warriors (32-27) endured an abysmal first half before Curry turned it to gold after halftime. It’s the fourth-highest scoring total in his career. It’s a reminder that, when he gets going, there is not much you can do. You can hope he tires himself out and that he loses the rhythm. You can pray the deluge will cease. But ultimately, you are at the mercy of the greatest shooter of all time.
The Last 24
KD didn’t like idea of a Warriors reunion
🏀 No do-overs. Kevin Durant spoke about why he didn’t want to return to Golden State. He costs too much.
🏀 Draft board. We all know about Cooper Flagg, but other 2025 NBA Draft prospects are rising. Meet 19-year-old V.J. Edgecombe.
🏀 It’s official. Legendary Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made an announcement yesterday. He won’t be back this season.
📺 Don’t miss this game tonight. Cavaliers (48-10) at Celtics (42-17), 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN or Fubo (try it free here). This regular-season series has been epic.
📺 League Pass gem. Nuggets (38-21) at Pistons (33-26), 7 p.m. ET on League Pass (get LP here). Denver gets a chance to end Detroit’s eight-game win streak.
Why Are We Here?
About Anthony Edwards’ disappointing ejection
I was in attendance for the Lakers’ 111-102 win over the Timberwolves. I wasn’t there as a member of the media. I simply went as a fan of the NBA and attended the game with some friends. During the early parts of the first half, we had Anthony Edwards and Jarred Vanderbilt get into a little skirmish during the start of a timeout break. They were both assessed double technical fouls for their little pushing episodes.
That was a good risk-reward scenario for the Lakers. If both players got into it again, the Lakers would understandably be willing to sacrifice Vanderbilt’s night if it meant an ejection for Edwards. The next-best thing happened, though. Edwards hit the deck in the third quarter, having been tangled up with a Lakers defender. After not getting the call, he held the ball on the ground and put his arms out to complain to the referee who refused to make the call. Eventually, Edwards’ complaints became enough for referee Brent Barnaky.
Edwards didn’t care about the previous technical foul. Or maybe he didn’t remember it. Regardless, Edwards was T’d up and ejected from the game. Crew chief James Williams said it was for directing profanity toward an official. Thoughts and prayers to that ref? Edwards also tossed the ball into the stands before exiting.
As someone attending the game, I found the crowd reaction fascinating. There was a mixture of Wolves fans there, but it was an obviously pro-Lakers audience. Some immediately signaled for Edwards to go to the locker room. The majority of people in my section were dumbfounded and groaned with discontent. One Lakers fan in front of me joked that Dennis Rodman did far worse in his career without being ejected. I joked back that Rodman is still doing much worse.
I had asked some people around me during the moment and after the game what they thought of the ejection. One Lakers fan said he paid $1,000 for his ticket to watch LeBron James and Luka Dončić go against Edwards. Another fan said he did not pay to watch a Wolves team not have its best player. A few Wolves fans told me their night was ruined, as they complained about the refs. Sometimes, when watching this stuff on television, you can forget the in-arena entertainment aspect of it all. The technical foul seemed unnecessary, and it’s Edwards’ 16th of the season, which triggers a one-game suspension.
More from last night’s action
Bucks 121 (33-25), Nuggets 112 (38-21): Did you ever watch “Pacific Rim”? It’s about two massive kaijus fighting on modern-day planet Earth, and how regular people try to figure out how to take them down. It’s similar to what watching Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić going at it felt like. Big Honey finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for Denver. Antetokounmpo had 28 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists.
Mavericks 103 (32-28), Hornets 96 (14-44): Charlotte recently had the worst three-game stretch in NBA history, losing by a grand total of 131 points. That means losing to the Mavericks by seven is essentially the Hornets’ championship.
Pelicans 124 (16-43), Suns 116 (27-32): Phoenix is in a bad place right now. Devin Booker had 36 as Kevin Durant added 28, but it didn’t matter because Zion Williamson had his first career triple-double (27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds) to lead New Orleans.
Awards Watch
Why is Rookie of the Year search so difficult?
I’ll never forget the Dončić-Trae Young race for Rookie of the Year. While both players put up incredible rookie campaigns, it never actually came down to a close vote. Dončić wasn’t unanimous in the voting, but he might as well have been. He ended up garnering all but four of the first-place votes for ROY that season. He was the overwhelming selection by a panel of media voters. That’s not the part I focused on, though.
Before their sophomore seasons, Young was asked about the four first-place votes he received. His answer was essentially that he wanted to prove for the rest of his career that those few voters who picked him would end up being correct. That is just flat-out not how that award works. You aren’t voting for who will have the best career. You’re voting for who had the best rookie season. Sometimes, we can get too cute in trying to figure it out.
In the Awards Watch yesterday, I touched on the ROY race with this class that hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire. Check the betting favorites every few days and you’re liable to see an entirely different top three each time. I don’t think it’s because the landscape changes all that much. It feels like it’s people trying to decide who will be the best player from the class, rather than who is having the best rookie campaign. This is what I wrote about the ROY top-three candidates with a very obvious top choice to me.
3. Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat (Last week: 2)
He’s proven to be another gem the Heat have found in the middle of the first round, joining guys like Bam Adebayo, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyler Herro. Ware hasn’t had a complete season, but his play as of late shows you this is a key figure for the Heat moving forward.
2. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs (Last week: 1)
You can make the argument that Castle has shown flashes of being the best player in the future, but that’s not what this award is about. Castle has been a solid defender for a rookie, and a good playmaker for a non-point guard. But he still struggles to consistently make shots.
1. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies (Last week: Honorable mention)
Wells has simply been the best rookie this season, outside of Jared McCain and the start he was off to before he hurt his knee. That’s not to denigrate the other candidates, because they’ve had moments and stretches to make you take notice. Wells has been as consistent as anybody else, and he’s giving this rookie class the most complete season so far. He would be just the second rookie since the NBA/ABA merger to win the award as a second-round pick. Can you name the other without looking it up?
Wells has been the guy for most of this season. He wasn’t when the 76ers rookie was cruising. But once McCain was lost for the season with his knee injury, Wells was so clearly the most consistent from there. I don’t know if he will garner the most votes. The second-round pick isn’t the sexiest name on the board, but the Grizzlies’ rookie should take home the hardware. He’s maybe not the best player moving forward, but that’s also not the point of this award.
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(Top photo: Fernando Medina / Getty Images )
