Bobcats

The Oklahoma City Thunder has made NBA history this season, becoming the first team to open 7-0 with an average winning margin exceeding 10 points. This impressive start has been fueled by a groundbreaking defensive strategy: an innovative 5-guard lineup. This approach prioritizes speed, versatility, and relentless switching, allowing the team to disrupt opponents in ways that go against traditional defensive methods.
One key factor in OKC&rsquo;s early dominance has been their exceptional play in the fourth quarter. The Thunder are not just building leads; they&rsquo;re closing games in commanding fashion. Across their seven wins, they&rsquo;ve consistently outperformed their opponents in the final period. In several games, they&rsquo;ve maintained or extended leads in the fourth quarter with clutch defensive plays and quick scoring bursts. 
For instance, in a recent victory over the Atlanta Hawks, the Thunder outscored their opponents by 21 points in the final quarter, sealing a 128-104 win. This ability to finish games has allowed OKC to consistently earn their double-digit margins of victory.
The defensive intensity ramps up at times in game, as the Thunder bring their unique 5-guard defensive setup into high gear, forcing turnovers and pushing the pace, leaving little room for opponents to make a comeback.
The foundation of OKC's success lies in their creative defensive scheme, where size is replaced with speed and agility. The 5-guard defense allows the Thunder to switch on nearly every play, minimizing mismatches that often arise from pick-and-rolls. Without traditional big men occupying the paint, the Thunder focus on positioning, quick rotations, and high basketball IQ. Alex Caruso, known for his defensive prowess, plays a key role as a perimeter stopper, using his length and quick hands to disrupt opposing offenses.&nbsp;
Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams also thrive in this system, as they both possess long wingspans and the ability to guard multiple positions. Williams is particularly effective at disrupting passing lanes and using his quickness to stay in front of ball handlers. Aaron Wiggins, another versatile guard, rounds out the lineup, providing both perimeter defense and additional length. Together, these four guards, along with the defensive-minded Lu Dort and superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, create a defensive wall that is difficult to penetrate, especially in transition.
OKC&rsquo;s defense isn&rsquo;t just about stopping opponents&mdash;it&rsquo;s about creating offense from their defensive stops. The Thunder are among the league leaders in fast-break points, capitalizing on turnovers to get out on the break before defenses can set. With players like Gilgeous-Alexander, Caruso, and Wallace leading the charge, the Thunder can push the ball upcourt quickly and attack before opposing teams can recover. This high-speed transition game has been a critical factor in their 10+ point average margin of victory, as they use turnovers and missed shots to fuel easy scoring opportunities.
The ability to turn defense into offense has allowed OKC to put pressure on opposing teams throughout the game, not just when the score is close. Their quick strikes in transition often lead to open 3-pointers or alley-oops, and their ball movement creates wide-open looks on the perimeter.
Furthermore, the Thunder&rsquo;s guards play with an aggressive edge that allows them to make up for any potential rebounding shortcomings, often by crashing the boards as a unit and using their length to block or alter shots.
Of course, one of the biggest reasons for the Thunder&rsquo;s impressive defense to start the season is because of Chet Holmgren. The second-year player has provided rim protection, currently averaging 3 a game. His quickness and high defensive IQ allow OKC to disrupt offensive schemes, as well as his well-timed rotations to close out on shooters and contest shots in the paint.
The Thunder&rsquo;s defensive scheme is only going to get stronger with the eventual return of Isaiah Hartenstein. Although he has yet to play this season due to an injury, Hartenstein&rsquo;s presence in the paint will give the Thunder another body at center, which adds vital depth to the team&rsquo;s frontcourt. His size, rebounding ability, and shot-blocking will provide a crucial safety net for the Thunder&rsquo;s defense. 
Once he is cleared to play, Hartenstein will be able to contribute both in the post and in helping to protect the rim, giving OKC more flexibility in how they approach matchups with larger lineups. His return will bolster an already strong defense and add another dimension to their overall game plan, with two-big lineups with Holmgren already being schemed upon.

The Thunder has made NBA history this season with their defense and this has been fueled by an innovative 5-guard defensive lineup.

OKC Thunder’s defense powers historic 7-0 start

With the 2024-25 NBA season just days away, the Western Conference is locked, loaded, and ready for battle. The offseason drama has settled, rosters are finalized, and every team is gearing up for what promises to be a fierce and competitive race. From reigning contenders to rising underdogs, the West is stacked with talent and ambition. Let&rsquo;s break down the top 15 teams in the West as we head into this thrilling new season&mdash;no frills, just what you need to know.
<ol>
<li> Minnesota Timberwolves The Timberwolves are turning a new page after trading away longtime cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo and are now fully embracing Anthony Edwards as the franchise cornerstone. The T-Wolves&rsquo; mix of young talent and veteran leadership gives them a balanced roster around Edwards. Rudy Gobert remains a defensive anchor as a 4-time DPOY, Edwards is primed for a superstar leap, and if the supporting cast, including Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, steps up, the Wolves could be ready to take the top spot in the West.</li>
<li> Oklahoma City Thunder The Thunder&rsquo;s rebuild is no longer a long-term project; they&rsquo;re ready to compete now. However, due to Isaiah Hartenstein&rsquo;s injury to start the season, we&rsquo;re placing the Thunder at no.2 for now. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already an All-NBA guard and arguably a top 5 player in the league. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams figure out to be the dynamic inside-out duo around SGA. Add in Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, the two new acquisitions this offseason with their capable role players Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe, this young core is as versatile as it is exciting. OKC&rsquo;s depth and versatility on both ends of the floor could propel them into serious title contention.</li>
<li> Phoenix Suns The Suns have loaded up for a title run, and with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal leading the charge, Phoenix has one of the most dangerous offensive trios in the league. They have added their most significant hole which is the PG spot with a solid pick up in Tyus Jones, and they have one of the best offensive coaches in the league in Mike Budenholzer. The Suns&rsquo; questions lie in their depth and health, but if they can manage those concerns, they&rsquo;re built for a championship push. Their offensive firepower is unmatched, and if they click, the Suns will be a team no one wants to face.</li>
<li> Memphis Grizzlies Memphis has weathered their offseason storms and enters the season with a gritty identity intact. Ja Morant is back after his injury and suspension last year and he will now play with last season&rsquo;s addition Marcus Smart. Together with the continued growth of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, the Grizzlies are primed to be competitive and come back from their prime two seasons ago where they won 50+ games. Memphis&rsquo; defensive dominance paired with offensive firepower ensures they can be one of the top teams in the West with a deep bench with solid role players.</li>
<li> Denver Nuggets After falling short to Minnesota in 7 games last playoffs, the Nuggets will enter the season with their core mostly intact. Nikola Jokić remains the most dominant center and the best player in the game. With Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. healthy, the Nuggets are poised for another deep run. But perhaps their biggest loss this season was losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to free agency and that might be a hit so they&rsquo;re currently ranked at no.5 to start the year. It could be a lot to ask for young players like Christian Braun or Julian Strawther to fill the void left by KCP, so it will be interesting to see how Denver handles his loss this season.</li>
<li> Dallas Mavericks Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving experiment is back after a successful season last year, where Dallas entered the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011 &ndash; when they won the title. The two stars can mesh to create one of the league&rsquo;s most potent offenses and with the continued internal development of young players like Dereck Lively, the Mavs can build on that Finals appearance. With newcomer Klay Thompson set to provide historic spacing for their dynamic duo, Dallas has the talent to climb the standings and challenge the top teams in the West.</li>
<li> New Orleans Pelicans The Pelicans&rsquo; fate will always hinge on Zion Williamson&rsquo;s health. When Zion plays, New Orleans is a force to be reckoned with. Now paired with newly-acquired point guard Dejounte Murray, they have a balanced attack capable of competing with any team in the conference with Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum still on the fold. If Zion stays on the floor, the Pelicans could find themselves rising up the ranks, but his availability remains the biggest X-factor.</li>
<li> Golden State Warriors The Warriors are clinging to their championship window with Stephen Curry still playing at an elite level. The addition of capable veterans in Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, and DeAnthony Melton gives them depth and personnel that can play in their offense to surround the core of Curry and Draymond Green for their foundation. Health and age are concerns, but if their veterans stay intact, Golden State can&rsquo;t be counted out.</li>
<li> Sacramento Kings The Kings struggled a bit last season after making their long-awaited playoff return two seasons ago, and they&rsquo;re looking to build on that momentum. They have signed DeMar DeRozan and he should bring a new wrinkle to their motion and three-hunting offense. DeRozan&rsquo;s mid range ability should be a welcome addition to Sacramento&rsquo;s offense. De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis still lead an explosive offense, but defense remains a question mark. Sacramento&rsquo;s high-flying, fast-paced style makes them a regular-season juggernaut, but they&rsquo;ll need to tighten up defensively if they want to make a deep playoff run.</li>
<li> Los Angeles Lakers The Lakers are counting on LeBron James and Anthony Davis staying healthy for a full season. With the front office standing pat on making moves this offseason, the Lakers&rsquo; success will hinge on their superstar duo. If LeBron and AD can avoid injury, Los Angeles will be a formidable playoff team, but health is always a looming concern with this group.</li>
<li> Houston Rockets The Rockets added veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks to guide their young core last season and this season could be the time for them to step up. They finished strong last year behind defensive minded coach Ime Udoka and the result could be a team that surprises many. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun have star potential, and younger players Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson add even more excitement. The Rockets also drafted Reed Sheppard with the 3rd pick and Houston is hoping to lay the foundation for success and could push for a Play-In spot this season.</li>
<li> San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama enters his second season, and the Spurs are fully embracing their rebuild around the budding star. While Wembanyama showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie, San Antonio is still in the development phase. But with the addition of Chris Paul, the Spurs now have a capable PG to feed Wemby and the other guys, possibly unlocking a new level to their games. With their young core, the Spurs may not be a playoff team yet, but their future looks incredibly bright with Wembanyama leading the way.</li>
<li> Los Angeles Clippers The Clippers&rsquo; fortunes rest on the health of Kawhi Leonard&mdash;again. After losing Paul George for nothing, Leonard is left to fend LA off by himself in their new arena at Intuit Dome. Gone are the days when LA has the talent to compete with anyone as they&rsquo;re just but a shell of themselves. Leading the way for the injured Leonard will be a 34-year-old James Harden and that might be too much to ask of the aging superstar. However, if Kawhi can return healthy and he can avoid the injury bug, the Clippers will be in the playoff mix, but that&rsquo;s a big &ldquo;if&rdquo; for this squad.</li>
<li> Portland Trail Blazers With Damian Lillard long gone, the Blazers will fully commit another season to their rebuild. Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe form a promising young core, but Portland will likely spend this season focusing on player development. While they won&rsquo;t be in playoff contention, the Blazers are positioning themselves well for the future, with an eye on growth and improvement.</li>
<li> Utah Jazz The Jazz are continuing their rebuild, with Lauri Markkanen emerging as a cornerstone player. While they have some intriguing young pieces like Taylor Hendricks and Keyonte George, Utah isn&rsquo;t ready to compete just yet. This season will be about development and finding which young players can be part of their long-term plans. The Jazz may not win many games this year, but they&rsquo;re building toward a brighter future.</li>
</ol>

Let’s break down the top 15 teams in the West as we head into this thrilling new season.

2024-2025 NBA Western Conference Power Rankings: A race at the top to start the year

The 2024 NBA Free Agency underway. Here's everything you need to know about the makings and the moves around the NBA.

2024 NBA Free Agency Tracker: All the signings and deals in the offseason

As Klay Thompson comes off a flare screen from Kevon Looney, rookie Brandin Podziemski delivers a bounce pass at the block to Jonathan Kuminga to run their patented split-action. Podziemski sets another screen at the wing and Kuminga delivers a pass right on the money to a curling Thompson. He sets his feet, lets one defender chasing him fly by and shoots a three right over the help defender.
Splash. Nothing but the bottom of the net, just like the old days. The Warriors are comfortably up after the third quarter against the Utah Jazz after Thompson hits his third-straight three and score his 35th point as he came off the bench for the first time since 2012. Although the Jazz had a big fourth quarter to keep the game close, the Warriors eked out with a win to continue playing their best basketball of the season.
The Warriors are fun again, so it seems.
After a tumultuous season filled with ups and downs, the Dubs are 8-2 over their last 10 games right before the All-Star break and preparing for another playoff push with their aging dynastic core.
What makes their run so special is the fact that they rediscovered a winning formula despite making zero moves at the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 8. Rumors were swirling, but they decided to stick with this group for the rest of the season &ndash; and possibly for seasons to come.
&ldquo;We did win a championship, in case people forgot, a year and a half ago,&rdquo; said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr when asked if he believes this isn't the last dance for the Warriors' Big Three. &ldquo;I believe in my guys, I love those guys, and we're going to keep fighting."&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"We did win a championship, in case people forgot, a year and a half ago...I believe in my guys, I love those guys, and we're going to keep fighting." - Steve Kerr when asked if he still believes this season is not a "Last Dance" for the Warriors' Big 3 (via <a href="https://twitter.com/WillardAndDibs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WillardAndDibs</a>). <a href="https://t.co/0x1cmOmyqf">pic.twitter.com/0x1cmOmyqf</a>
&mdash; 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) <a href="https://twitter.com/957thegame/status/1747438806557712848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
Despite a seemingly lost season, the Warriors took a gamble by choosing to stand pat and stick with the core that won them a title two seasons ago, while trusting this new set of role players to fill in the gaps.&nbsp;
The championship core from two years ago is still intact. Steph Curry is still an all-world talent and offensive force even at 35 years old. Draymond Green is back to his usual self. Since returning from his suspension, Green&rsquo;s aggressiveness on offense and ever-reliant ability on defense have energized the team.&nbsp;
Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney started the season with bad slumps, but are slowly getting back into their groove, while Gary Payton II continues to work his way back to being 100% healthy. Thompson has struggled as of late, but he can still be lethal scoring in spurts with just his mere shooting prowess.
The young guys are coming into their own as contributors and finding their identity within the team. Podziemski has been a revelation, serving as a connector on offense and earning Steve Kerr&rsquo;s trust to start games and play with the closing lineup over Thompson. Kuminga is developing into a capable scoring option, which gives the Warriors another dimension.
Lately, the Warriors look like themselves again. Their in-game swagger is back and the vibes are immaculate. These are the Warriors of old, winning while having fun.
Given their recent success, they are confident that they still have at least one more run in them.
&ldquo;This is a story that&rsquo;s still kind of unfolding, and it&rsquo;s important that we see it all the way through until it&rsquo;s proven that we can&rsquo;t win,&rdquo; Curry said in <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/2/12/24070258/golden-state-warriors-steph-curry-steve-kerr-draymond-green-klay-thompson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an interview with The Ringer&rsquo;s Logan Murdock.</a>
The Warriors are determined to win, and they want to do it their way. And perhaps that&rsquo;s the point.
This team was built from the ground up, with a collective effort from a group of players who were drafted and developed by the franchise. After all, it was the &ldquo;Strength in Numbers&rdquo; mantra that started it all, and it's only fitting to end their journey the same way they started: with a team that was built the right way.
The Warriors have won four championships in the last decade by using this formula, and they believe this same approach will lead them to another Larry O'Brien trophy. After doing it all these years, Thompson believes that they have what it takes to succeed once again by trusting their process.
&ldquo;You see Steph Curry, you see Draymond Green, you see our playoff record when we are together,&rdquo; Thompson proclaimed. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll always believe.&rdquo;

The Warriors are 8-2 over their last 10 games and preparing for another playoff push with their aging dynastic core.

Strength in numbers: The Golden State Warriors' way

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is entering Year 21 in the NBA, becoming just the sixth player in league history to play 21 seasons &ndash; joining Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Willis and Robert Parish. Carter currently holds the record for most seasons played with 22. 
With James still performing at an unprecedented level for someone his age, coupled with recent reports of his desire to still play several more years and his public goal of playing with his McDonald's All-American son, Bronny James, he certainly seems like a lock to tie, if not break, Carter&rsquo;s record.&nbsp;
James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s all-time scoring record earlier this year in February, adding a major accolade to his G.O.A.T. argument. With the seasons-played record in sight, let&rsquo;s take a look at how &ldquo;The King&rdquo; has accumulated arguably the greatest legacy in NBA history over the last two decades.
The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted the kid from Akron with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. James was the talk of the country at the time, being dubbed "The Chosen One&rdquo; and dawning the cover of Sports Illustrated at just 18 years old. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, basketball fans waited in anticipation to see if James could possibly live up to the expectations.
The young phenom did not waste any time. Debuting against the Sacramento Kings, James would go on to score 25 points while adding 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. The King would not slow down, averaging 20.9 points, 5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds in his first NBA season.
LeBron would spend the next six seasons in Cleveland, winning back-to-back MVP awards in his last two seasons with the team, while reaching the playoffs five times and the NBA Finals once in 2007. With no championship after seven seasons with the Cavs, the two-time MVP became a free agent in the summer of 2010 and infamously decided to &ldquo;take his talents to South Beach,&rdquo; joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form the &ldquo;Big Three&rdquo; on the Miami Heat.&nbsp;
The decision by James, which happened to be made on live television on an ESPN special dubbed &ldquo;The Decision," sparked outrage amongst Cavaliers fans. Videos spread online of fans burning the once-hometown-hero&rsquo;s jersey, rooting for his failure in Miami. While James was used to feeling pressure, this was different; James was receiving backlash from a fanbase that once loved him, and a growing population of people were actively rooting against him. This brewing tension had fans waiting in anticipation, this time to see if LeBron could overcome the weight of the world once again.&nbsp;
In LeBron&rsquo;s quest to do the impossible again, a trip to Cleveland brought The King back to the scene of his crime in a game against the Cavaliers in December of 2010. The fans in then-named Quicken Loans Arena brought their all that night, booing LeBron from the moment he was introduced and whenever he touched the ball on offense. However, this just seemed to add more fuel to the fire for James, as he went on to score 38 points en route to a 118-90 blowout of his former team.&nbsp;
This marked a new era for James, and he would embrace his role as the &ldquo;villain&rdquo; of the NBA. Fan perception was one thing, but with James&rsquo; new team came a new energy. Now, he was a proven veteran and he was coming into his own as a player, adapting this almost meticulous style and pace of play alongside his new All-Star-caliber teammates in Wade and Bosh. James would go on to win back-to-back MVP awards again in 2012 and 2013, and the trio would prove to be a problem for the league, with the Heat even going on a 27-game win streak in 2013. During his time in Miami, James would evolve as a player, bulking up and playing more minutes down low at power forward and even center.
The bonafide &ldquo;super-team&rdquo; would spend four seasons together, reaching the NBA Finals in all four. Winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013, with LeBron winning Finals MVP of both, the stars' decision to team-up was a success and ushered in a new era of player movement and empowerment.
The kid from Akron would then shock the world in the summer of 2014, with James departing the Heat and returning home to rejoin the Cavaliers. The two-time champion had some unfinished business and was determined to bring a championship to his city.&nbsp;
LeBron brought his adapted and seasoned style to his former team. His impact extended into the front office, as he now had significantly more say in roster decisions. He wasted little time and used his newfound influence to encourage the Cavs to trade their No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Andrew Wiggins, for a proven star: Kevin Love. Suddenly, James was part of another Big Three, this time with rising star Kyrie Irving and Love.
In Year 1 of LeBron&rsquo;s return home, he led the Cavs back to the NBA Finals, where they faced off against the Golden State Warriors, led by league MVP Stephen Curry. While LeBron led Cleveland to a 2-1 series lead over Golden State, Irving and Love both went down with injuries. This proved to be too much for LeBron to handle, and the Warriors would defeat the Cavaliers in six games. James failed in his mission, but the wait would prove to be worthwhile the following season.
The 2016 season would see a rematch of the Cavaliers and Warriors in the NBA Finals. Curry was coming off of his second-straight MVP award &ndash; becoming the first unanimous MVP in history &ndash; and the Warriors achieved an NBA-record 73 wins that season. The odds were stacked against LeBron and the Cavs, and it only got worse when the Warriors took a 3-1 series lead. Teams in the NBA Finals were 0-32 when facing a 3-1 series deficit. Once again, LeBron was trying to do the impossible.&nbsp;
Once again, The King responded.&nbsp;
Dropping 41 points in both Game 5 and Game 6, James led the way in tying the series at 3-3. In Game 7, the Cavaliers would go on the road and defeat the Warriors, becoming the first team in NBA history to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy after falling behind 3-1. This was a storybook ending, and James became emotional during his postgame interview, shouting, &ldquo;Cleveland! This is for you!&rdquo;&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"CLEVELAND, THIS IS FOR YOU!" That line still sends chills down our spine as LeBron James and the Cavs overcame a 3-1 deficit to claim their first ever NBA championship on this day in 2016 👑🏆<a href="https://t.co/WzMtg5kj5Z">pic.twitter.com/WzMtg5kj5Z</a>
&mdash; ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1670774843518664705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

The three-time champion would spend two more seasons in Cleveland, reaching the NBA Finals both seasons, where the Cavs would ultimately lose to the Kevin-Durant-led Warriors. When James decided to leave Cleveland in 2018, his second departure was well-received, with fans thanking him for bringing a championship to their city. The next chapter of James' career would take place in Los Angeles with arguably the most storied franchise in the NBA, the Lakers.
James&rsquo; first year under the bright lights of Los Angeles was less than ideal, as injuries plagued the roster and the Lakers' young core didn't seem ready to compete at a high level. That would quickly be forgotten, as the Lakers would trade three of those core players (Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart) and the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for superstar Anthony Davis, whom LeBron asked the organization to acquire.&nbsp;
That trade would kick off the LeBron-AD era in Los Angeles. The duo would win a championship in their first year together in 2020, with James adding a fourth championship and Finals MVP to his resume. The team has had some misfortune since, as they haven't been back to the Finals and they even missed the play-in tournament in 2022. While injuries have bothered LeBron in recent years, the four-time MVP has yet to slow down, leading the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals last season. While the Lakers were ultimately swept by the eventual-champion Denver Nuggets, their postseason run was impressive.
Now, we arrive at the present day. As James enters his 21st NBA season, he has 19 All-NBA selections, 19 All-Star selections, 10 NBA Finals appearances, four championships, four Finals MVPs and four regular-season MVPs. After surpassing expectation after expectation throughout his career, LeBron will be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer when he walks away from the game. However, he's not done playing just yet, as he hopes to play with his son and win at least one more championship before he retires.
LeBron&rsquo;s current contract has a player option for next season, so this could potentially be his final year with the Lakers (if he decides to opt out next summer). With LeBron still performing at a superstar level and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/which-nba-teams-are-under-the-most-pressure-entering-202324-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">facing pressure to lead his team to a title</a>, all eyes will be on The King yet again this season.

As LeBron James becomes just the sixth player in NBA history to play 21 seasons, Jack Maguire looks back on his legendary career.

Revisiting LeBron James' legendary NBA career as he enters Year 21

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; LeBron James had 30 points, nine rebounds and nine assists and the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors with a 122-101 victory Friday night in Game 6 of the second-round series.
The seventh-seeded Lakers will face Nikola Jokic and the top-seeded Nuggets in the Western Conference finals starting Tuesday night in Denver.
Anthony Davis had 17 points and 20 rebounds for the Lakers, who never trailed in a closeout victory that punctuated their increasingly incredible late-season surge.
Austin Reaves scored 23 points, highlighted by a 54-footer from midcourt at the halftime buzzer for the Lakers. They improved to 7-0 at home since the regular season ended with three wins in seven days over the Warriors. Los Angeles also snapped Golden State&rsquo;s streak of 28 playoff series with at least one road victory &ndash; an NBA-record run encompassing Stephen Curry&rsquo;s entire career.
Davis said he attributes the Lakers&rsquo; late-season roll to &ldquo;togetherness. We want to shock the world.&rdquo;
James, Davis and the Lakers are the first team since 2014 to eliminate Curry&rsquo;s Warriors from the playoffs before the NBA Finals. Golden State has played in six of the last eight NBA Finals, missing the playoffs entirely in the other two seasons.
Curry scored 32 points while missing 10 of his 14 3-point attempts for the sixth-seeded Warriors, whose pursuit of their fifth championship in nine seasons ended with three straight road losses and an inept offensive performance by Curry&rsquo;s teammates in Game 6, including a 3-of-19 effort by Klay Thompson, who missed 10 of his 12 3-point attempts.
The Splash Brothers were far too dry when it mattered against the Lakers: Thompson went 10 for 36 on 3-pointers in the series&rsquo; final four games, while Curry was 14 for 49.
Donte DiVincenzo had a playoff-high 16 points for the Warriors, but Curry was their only starter in double figures, with the other four shooting 11 for 38.
The Lakers immediately took charge in the first quarter, survived the Warriors&rsquo; few rallies and blew it open in the fourth quarter with a balanced effort led by the 38-year-old James, a four-time NBA champion. The 20-year veteran can still assert his will as forcefully as almost any elite player, and he quarterbacked the Lakers&rsquo; offensive effort while Davis played another standout defensive game.
D&rsquo;Angelo Russell scored 19 points as the Lakers capably survived the third-quarter ejection of Dennis Schr&ouml;der, the sparkplug guard and primary defender on Curry. Schr&ouml;der was tossed after receiving his second technical foul of the night from an exchange with Draymond Green, but his absence scarcely seemed to help the Warriors, who couldn&rsquo;t make their open shots far too often.
The Lakers haven&rsquo;t lost back-to-back games since March 17, and they&rsquo;ve lost just once at home since March 26. On a 27-12 roll since bolstering their supporting cast around James and Davis at the trade deadline, Los Angeles is headed to the conference finals for the second time in the superstars&rsquo; four-year partnership.
After knocking off the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in six games in the first round, the Lakers followed that series&rsquo; exact win-loss pattern against the champs: Steal Game 1 on the road, and then coolly capitalize on their homecourt advantage to seal the series with three straight wins in front of their frenzied, celebrity-studded crowds.
Schr&ouml;der had five assists and defended doggedly in his first start of the postseason for the Lakers, but the German points guard was ejected on a curious call after Green pushed the ball into Schr&ouml;der&rsquo;s face.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Golden State went a dismal 13-35 on the road this year, including the postseason. ... Curry moved into 11th place on the NBA&rsquo;s career playoff scoring list, passing Dwyane Wade. ... Andrew Wiggins scored six points while playing with fractured rib cartilage, apparently resulting from a tussle with James in the fourth quarter of Game 5.
Lakers: Schr&ouml;der took the starting spot of Jarred Vanderbilt, the defensive specialist who hadn&rsquo;t made a field goal in three straight games. ... James passed Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal for fourth place on the NBA&rsquo;s career playoff rebounds list. James has played in a league-record 278 postseason games. ... Jack Nicholson was courtside for the third time in the Lakers&rsquo; last four playoff games, joined by his son, Ray. Others in attendance: Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, Bad Bunny, Elon Musk, Kim Kardashian, Michael B. Jordan, Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar, Jack Harlow, Dr. Dre, Woody Harrelson, Tyler the Creator and Trae Young.

LeBron James had 30 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, eliminating the Warriors and leading the Lakers to the Conference Finals.

LeBron James, Lakers eliminate Warriors with 122-101 victory

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Draymond Green loved Golden State&rsquo;s defensive energy against LeBron James and knows the Warriors must bring that same urgency back to Los Angeles with another chance to save this topsy-turvy season and defend their title.
They need the same focus again whether or not Lakers star Anthony Davis is clogging up the middle after he suffered a head injury in the fourth quarter.
Stephen Curry had 27 points and eight assists, Andrew Wiggins added 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and the reigning champion Warriors staved off elimination by beating the Lakers 121-106 in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night.
The Warriors have rallied before with this core group on the big postseason stage, becoming the first defending champion to come back from 2-0 down to beat Sacramento in the first round.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re champions, so there&rsquo;s pressure every time you step on the floor,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;You go out there, you don&rsquo;t win people are ready to crush you. People forget about the things that you&rsquo;ve done in the past.&rdquo;
James had 25 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles. Davis added 23 points and nine rebounds but went to the locker room late after getting hit in the head by Kevon Looney as they fought for position in the paint on D&rsquo;Angelo Russell&rsquo;s layup with 7:43 remaining.
Davis grabbed at his head grimacing before going to the locker room. His status for Game 6 on Friday night back in Los Angeles is unclear but coach Darivn Ham was encouraged afterward without providing details on what evaluation &mdash; such as concussion testing &mdash; the big man went through once in the locker room. TNT reported Davis required a wheelchair to go to the locker room.
&ldquo;Obviously, everyone saw he took a shot to the head, but we just checked in on him, he seems to be doing really good already,&rdquo; Ham said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s just where he&rsquo;s at. That&rsquo;s the status of it right now.&rdquo;
Austin Reaves made a 3-pointer with 5:25 to play that cut the Warriors&rsquo; lead to single digits at 104-95 only for Curry to answer with five straight points, then he hit another big shot after Russell connected from deep.
Green contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds as Golden State played tough defense that led to better chances on the offensive end &mdash; just as coach Steve Kerr has challenged his team to to.
&ldquo;Our defensive mindfulness was there,&rdquo; Curry said.
Now, it&rsquo;s back to LA where the Lakers 5-0 at home this postseason, having won eight consecutive games on their own floor since losing to the Bulls on March 26.
Golden State is trying rally from a 3-1 series deficit for only the second time in franchise history and will try to win one more to bring Game 7 back to Chase Center on Sunday. The Warriors rallied from 3-1 down in the 2016 Western Conference finals against Oklahoma City.
Curry beat the halftime buzzer with a 3-pointer over Lonnie Walker IV as the Warriors took a 70-59 lead. The 70 first-half points were the most Golden State in the playoffs since scoring 72 in a Game 6 first-round win over the Clippers in 2019. The last team to score 70 or more in a first half of a playoff game versus the Lakers was Phoenix with 71 in Game 4 of the 2000 second round.
Green and Wiggins took turns on James and Golden State tried to take Davis out of rhythm after he had 23 points, 15 rebounds, three steals and two assists in Game 4.
Curry shot 12 for 24 but just 3 of 11 from long range coming off his third career playoff triple-double in a 104-101 Game 4 loss.
&ldquo;I have a lot of confidence we can come back in this series,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;And until otherwise, we stay in that kind of mindset.&rdquo;
LINEUP LOOK
The Warriors, who had used five lineup combinations in their initial 11 postseason games, stuck with Gary Payton II for the second straight game &mdash; and it paid off.
He scored 13 points and converted a timely three-point play with 7:34 remaining to go with six rebounds.
Jordan Poole came off the bench and hit his first 3 since Game 1 late in the second quarter after going 0 for 8 the previous three games.
Klay Thompson struggled again. He went 3 for 11 in Monday&rsquo;s loss to mark just the eighth time in his 150 postseason games that he scored in single digits &mdash; and three of the previous seven came before Kerr became coach in 2014.
On Thursday, he missed his initial four shots and 6 of his first seven to finish with 10 &mdash; but has a history of spectacular Game 6 performances and goes back to LA with a chance to shine.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Los Angeles was outrebounded 18-17 in the first half and 48-38 overall. ... The Lakers scored 20 points off the Warriors&rsquo; 14 turnovers but committed 16 leading to 20 Warriors points. ... James has never squandered a 3-1 playoff series lead. ... The Lakers lost for only the six time since March 19 (17-6).
Warriors: Six Warriors accounted for seven first-quarter 3s after Golden State made only 12 total in Game 4 (12 of 41). ... Golden State is 16-4 in Game 5s and 8-2 when facing elimination dating to its 2015 title run, including 4-2 at home. In addition, the Warriors are 34-12 in postseason games following a loss.

The reigning champion Warriors staved off elimination by beating the Lakers 121-106 in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Curry, Warriors stave off elimination, beat Lakers 121-106 in Game 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash;&nbsp;Lonnie Walker scored all of his 15 points in a phenomenal fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers rallied late to take a 3-1 series lead with a 104-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 on Monday night.
LeBron James scored 27 points and Anthony Davis had 23 points and 15 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who moved to the brink of an improbable trip to the Western Conference finals with their eighth consecutive home victory since March.
Los Angeles overcame Stephen Curry's third career postseason triple-double down the stretch largely because of Walker, who has made a seismic impact in returning to the Lakers' rotation in this series after the former starter was stuck on the bench in recent weeks.
Walker went 6 for 9 in the fourth quarter and hit the go-ahead jumper with 1:53 to play. Curry&rsquo;s layup with 1:05 left trimmed the Lakers&rsquo; lead to one point, but Curry missed a long jumper and a 3-point attempt on Golden State&rsquo;s next possession before Walker made two free throws with 15 seconds to play.
Davis then forced a jump ball in the waning seconds, and it went out of bounds off Curry with 1.3 seconds to play.
&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t win this game tonight without Lonnie Walker, that&rsquo;s for sure," James said. "As hard as this game was, it&rsquo;s going to be even harder. We understand that. We know that.&rdquo;
Curry had 31 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in his 13th career triple-double for the defending champion Warriors, who will have to overcome a 3-1 series deficit for only the second time in franchise history to continue their NBA title defense. Golden State also did it in the 2016 Western Conference finals.
Game 5 is Wednesday night in San Francisco.
Gary Payton II scored a season-high 15 points in his first start of the season for Golden State, but Klay Thompson had his second straight quiet game in Los Angeles, scoring nine points in 41 minutes. Andrew Wiggins added 17 points for the Warriors, who made just 25 combined 3-pointers in their two games in Los Angeles after making 21 apiece in the first two games in San Francisco.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr switched to a three-guard starting lineup to affect the Los Angeles defense that held the Warriors to 97 points in Game 3, and the changes largely worked: Davis, who blocked 11 shots in the first three games, wasn&rsquo;t able to protect the rim with the same ferocity when his defensive matchups required him to go out to the perimeter, and the Warriors capitalized with 52 points in the paint.
The Lakers compensated: They made all 20 of their free throws, and Austin Reaves added 21 points.
But they won with a gritty, timely effort by Walker, who picked up the Lakers&rsquo; slack when D&rsquo;Angelo Russell scored just four points on 1-for-10 shooting after a strong performance in Game 3.
Curry secured the 13th triple-double of his career early in the fourth quarter, adding it to his postseason triple-doubles in the 2017 NBA Finals and again in 2019. But he missed nine of 10 3-point attempts spanning three quarters, and the most prolific 3-point shooter in NBA history finished 3 for 14 from distance.
The rivals split the series&rsquo; first two games last week in the Bay Area, and the Lakers followed up their 27-point loss in Game 2 with a 30-point thrashing of the Warriors in Game 3. Both teams shot poorly to begin Game 4, but Curry&rsquo;s 17 points put Golden State ahead at the half.
The Warriors minimized Davis&rsquo; impact on defense after he dominated long stretches of the Lakers&rsquo; first nine playoff games this spring. After blocking 19 combined shots &mdash; 11 by Davis &mdash; in the first three games of this series, Los Angeles blocked just one shot in Game 4 &mdash; a majestic, swooping swat by James on a layup attempt by Curry in the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Payton&rsquo;s only previous NBA start this season was for Portland on Feb. 8. He started two playoff games for Golden State last year before signing a three-year deal in the summer with the Trail Blazers, who traded him back to the Warriors in February. Payton&rsquo;s return was slowed by a core muscle injury. ... Kevon Looney started Game 1 against Los Angeles, while JaMychal Green started Game 2 and Game 3. Lakers: In the first quarter, James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar &mdash; who was courtside &mdash; for the most two-point baskets in NBA playoff history. Game 4 was James&rsquo; 276th career postseason game, while Abdul-Jabbar played in 237. James passed Abdul-Jabbar to become the top scorer in NBA history in February. ... Jack Nicholson returned to his courtside seats for the second time in their last three home games. The Lakers&rsquo; 86-year-old superfan headlined another celebrity-studded crowd including Chris Pratt, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, Dave Chappelle, Dustin Hoffman, Kim Kardashian, Colin Jost and Flea.

LeBron James and the Lakers rallied late to take a 3-1 series lead with a 104-101 victory over the Warriors in Game 4 on Monday night.

Lakers rally past Warriors 104-101, take 3-1 series lead

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Anthony Davis had 25 points and 13 rebounds, a slow-starting LeBron James finished with 21 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers took a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series with a 127-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 on Saturday night.
D&rsquo;Angelo Russell hit five 3-pointers while scoring 21 points for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who remained unbeaten at home in the postseason with a strong defensive effort against the reigning NBA champions.
James didn&rsquo;t take a shot in the first quarter for the first time in his NBA-record 275 playoff appearances, but he warmed up in time to lead several runs in the second and third quarters while Los Angeles pulled away.
Stephen Curry scored 23 points and Andrew Wiggins had 16 in a collective stinker for the Warriors, who committed 19 turnovers and never mounted a response to the Lakers on either end in the second half. Golden State went 13 for 44 on 3-pointers &mdash; making just 10 while the game was still competitive &mdash; after hitting 21 in each of the series&rsquo; first two games in San Francisco.
Game 4 is Monday night in Los Angeles.
Davis had an impressive bounce-back game under both baskets after contributing minimally in Game 2, blocking four shots and leading the Lakers&rsquo; latest strong defensive effort. Los Angeles has built its 16-5 run since March 17 on defense, and the Warriors couldn&rsquo;t hit enough shots from the perimeter to counteract their disadvantages in size and athleticism.
Klay Thompson had 15 points and seven rebounds for the Warriors, but the rest of the roster beyond their top three scorers struggled mightily, combining for just 18 points before coach Steve Kerr pulled his starters with 9:11 to play. Draymond Green had two points in 23 minutes while playing with foul trouble.
The Warriors were held under 100 points for only the fifth time in 92 games this season.
The rivals split two games in San Francisco to open the series, with the Warriors earning a 27-point blowout victory in Game 2 after dropping the opener.
But this much-anticipated playoff rematch between generational superstars James and Curry has featured more garbage time than memorable thrills in the past two games. After Lakers coach Darvin Ham sat down his stars before the fourth quarter of Game 2, Kerr pulled the plug while facing a 26-point deficit early in the fourth quarter of Game 3.
James began Game 3 making a clear effort to be a playmaker, but he didn&rsquo;t even take his first shot until 8:02 remained in the first half. He hit a free throw for his first point with 6:32 left, and he subsequently led a rally that pushed the Lakers in front to stay.
JaMychal Green stayed in the Warriors&rsquo; starting lineup even with Kevon Looney available to play in Game 3. Looney missed Game 2 with an illness.
FIGHT ON
James&rsquo; son, Bronny, announced his decision&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/bronny-james-lebron-usc-cad1708433f0af166e241e2001426363">to play at the University of Southern California</a>&nbsp;about two hours before tipoff. The 18-year-old was among the top uncommitted recruits in the nation, and he chose to stay close to home with a loaded Trojans team coming off its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Bronny James, USC hoops coach Andy Enfield and Trojans football coach Lincoln Riley all attended Game 3.
TIP-INS
Warriors: The Los Angeles-born Thompson grew up a Lakers fan in Orange County, and this series is his first chance to play against the 17-time NBA champion franchise in the postseason. His father, Mychal, is the Lakers&rsquo; radio color commentator, and his brother, Trayce, plays for the Dodgers. ... Andre Iguodala has increased his workload and should return to practice next week, Kerr said. The veteran has been out since March 13 after having surgery on his left wrist. He isn&rsquo;t likely to play in this series, but could return later in the postseason. ... Moses Moody got a flagrant foul in the second quarter for tripping Davis while lying on the ground after Davis blocked his shot.
Lakers: James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for fifth place on the NBA&rsquo;s career playoff rebounding list. ... Backup center Mo Bamba missed his third straight game with a left ankle injury. ... Another celebrity-laden sellout crowd gathered for the Lakers&rsquo; longest playoff run in their home arena since 2012. Fans near courtside included Michael B. Jordan, Kim Kardashian, Woody Harrelson, Don Cheadle, Dustin Hoffman, Nia Long, Adele, Andy Garcia, Kevin Hart and quarterback Bryce Young, the Pasadena native and No. 1 overall pick by Carolina in last month&rsquo;s NFL draft.

The Lakers took a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series with a 127-97 victory over the Warriors in Game 3 on Saturday night.

LeBron James, Lakers rout Warriors 127-97, take 2-1 series lead

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; After yet another big basket, Klay Thompson scurried toward the fans sitting courtside opposite the Warriors bench and raised his arms in the air to ignite an entire arena behind him. It didn&rsquo;t take much the way his shots were falling.
He has been waiting his entire life to shine against his father&rsquo;s Los Angeles Lakers on the big stage.
Thompson scored 30 points with eight 3-pointers, Golden State limited Anthony Davis while allowing LeBron James 23 points, and the defending champion Warriors evened their Western Conference semifinal with the Lakers at one game apiece with a 127-100 win Thursday night.
&ldquo;I was just trying to get the crowd going,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always fun when you shoot the ball well, it&rsquo;s even better when you couple that win a win.&rdquo;
Stephen Curry added 20 points and 12 assists as Splash Brother Thompson got hot to help Golden State make 21 more 3-pointers &mdash; giving the Warriors an NBA record for most in the first two games of a playoff series at 42. James&rsquo; Cavaliers hit 40 against Atlanta in the 2016 second round.
&ldquo;They made their adjustments. We knew they were going to do that, that&rsquo;s what a championship team does,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;They held serve on their home court tonight.&rdquo;
Coach Steve Kerr switched things up and inserted JaMychal Green into the starting lineup for Kevon Looney, who had a career-high 23 rebounds in Game 1 but has been dealing with an illness. Kerr aimed to give a different look with scoring options and more free-throw chances by going hard with a physical presence against Davis in the paint &mdash; where Golden State got thoroughly outplayed in a 117-112 loss in the opener.
Thompson&rsquo;s basket with 7:48 left in the third gave Golden State its biggest lead at 82-64 and the Warriors rolled from there.
&ldquo;Klay got it going and our defense was kind of fueling our offense,&rdquo; Kerr said.
The Warriors had more fast-break points and points in the paint. JaMychal Green matched his playoff career high with 15 points, while Draymond Green contributed 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists after insisting he had to get more aggressive.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been waiting on this moment, just wanted to show that I could help,&rdquo; JaMychal Green said. &ldquo;They always tell me to stay ready, my time will come.&rdquo;
The best-of-seven series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Saturday. Back home in Southern California, Thompson said he would play in the memory of &ldquo;my biggest inspiration&rdquo; Kobe Bryant and daughter, Gigi.
&ldquo;I have so much respect for just the opportunity ahead for me,&rdquo; Thompson said.
James shot 6 for 8 in the first with a pair of 3s for 14 points as the Lakers led 33-26. He retrieved a loose ball and let it fly for a pretty 3 with 7:47 before halftime but the Warriors were too much.
Davis followed up his brilliant Game 1 performance &mdash; 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots and 11-for-19 shooting &mdash; with 11 points while shooting 5 for 11, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
&ldquo;We played with more force,&rdquo; Draymond Green said.
Golden State outscored the Lakers 84-47 over the second and third quarters &mdash; recording two 40-point quarters in the same playoff game for the first time in franchise history.
&ldquo;It was hard for us to guard four shooters,&rdquo; Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said. &ldquo;Defensively they were more aggressive I feel like. They had all the loose balls and the rebounds and everything.&rdquo;
Looney received huge roars as he came off the bench for his first action with 3:41 left in the first. He grabbed eight rebounds and scored six points playing just less than 12 minutes &mdash; and the Warriors still outboarded the Lakers 55-40 without its best rebounder.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re capable of playing a lot of different ways, I&rsquo;m capable of playing a lot of different ways,&rdquo; Curry said.
Kerr was hardly worried ahead of Game 2, pointing to how Golden State lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals at home to Boston last year before winning it all.
The Warriors also rallied from a 2-0 deficit in their first-round series to beat Sacramento, the first defending champion to do so.
&ldquo;You could tell, they came out just ready to try to secure a game,&rdquo; Lakers coach Darvin Ham said, &ldquo;and again not go back to our place down 0-2.&rdquo;
KLAY&rsquo;S DAY
Thompson shot 11 for 18 and 8 of 11 from deep. His 19 points in the first half were his most in a postseason contest since he scored 21 in Game 6 against the Rockets in 2019.
KEY SEQUENCE
The Warriors challenged an offensive foul call on Andrew Wiggins with James defending at the 2:50 mark of the second quarter. The call was overturned and a block assessed to James, and a Lakers assistant received a technical during the review process &mdash; and the Warriors converted all three free throws to lead 60-50 before Thompson&rsquo;s 3 the next time down.
TIP-INS
Lakers: James was -27 through three quarters. The only time he had a worse plus-minus through three in a playoff game was Game 1 of a second-round series against the Pistons in 2006. ... In a big change from Game 1, the Lakers didn&rsquo;t take their first free throws until 1:03 before halftime and their four attempts matched their second-fewest in a first half this season.
Warriors: Moses Moody added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench and Gary Payton II seven points and five boards as Golden State controlled the glass all game. ... JaMychal Green earned his first playoff start since April 26, 2019, for the Clippers against the Warriors in Game 6 of the first round. &ldquo;Two hours before game time Loon came down pretty ill,&rdquo; Kerr said. ... Golden State improved to 20-6 in Game 2s dating to the 2014-15 title run.

Klay Thompson scored 30 points, and the Warriors evened their series with the Lakers at 1-1 with a 127-100 win on Thursday night.

Klay Thompson scores 30, Warriors adjust to beat Lakers 127-100

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry scored 31 points, Draymond Green had his highest-scoring game in more than five years and the Golden State Warriors won the first road game of their series against Sacramento, beating the Kings 123-116 Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead.
Green had 21 points and seven assists in his first game back in Sacramento since getting ejected and later suspended for stepping on Domantas Sabonis&rsquo; chest in a Game 2 loss.
Golden State now can try to wrap up the series with a fourth straight win at home on Friday night.
The defending champion Warriors withstood another raucous crowd in Sacramento and showed off their road mettle that had been missing so often this season.
Golden State won only 11 games away from home in the regular season and lost the first two games in Sacramento before making the key plays in the second half to beat the Kings and extend their record to 28 straight playoff series with at least one road win.
The Kings trailed by 12 early in the fourth quarter after a layup by Curry but wouldn&rsquo;t go away. They chipped away at the deficit behind 11 points in the next five minutes from Monk &mdash; who went down briefly with what looked like a left knee injury &mdash; to make it a one-point game with just over four minutes left.
But the Warriors pulled away late after Monk missed a potential game-tying 3 with 1:04 to play.
Andrew Wiggins made a turnaround jumper to make it a five-point game and Curry put it away with a three-point play with 22.1 seconds left that made it 122-114.
Klay Thompson added 25 points, Wiggins had 20 and Kevon Looney matched his career-high with 22 rebounds.
De&rsquo;Aaron Fox scored 24 despite a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-fox-injury-kings-warriors-7217265572c8f19edc5fa8642f5ae6dc">broken index finger</a>&nbsp;on his shooting hand, and Monk and Sabonis added 21 points apiece for Sacramento.
Fox got the start despite breaking the tip of the index finger on his shooting hand late in Game 4. He played with a splint on the finger and showed no ill effects from the injury, making all three of his attempts from long range in the first quarter to help Sacramento build a 10-point lead.
The Warriors got going in the second quarter with Thompson making three 3-pointers during a 12-0 run that helped Golden State take a 60-56 lead at the half.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Curry moved past Magic Johnson (3,701) into fifth-place all-time in playoff scoring with 3,727 points. ... Looney became the first Warriors player with two games with at least 20 rebounds in the same playoff series since Nate Thurmond did it against Milwaukee in 1972. ... Golden State got called for two transition take fouls in the fourth quarter.
Kings: Sacramento went from shooting 8 for 12 from 3-point range in the first quarter to 0 for 9 in the second quarter &mdash; the Kings&rsquo; most misses without a make in any quarter this season.
UP NEXT
With a win on Friday night, the Warriors would improve to 19-0 in playoff series against Western Conference teams since coach Steve Kerr took over in 2014-15.

The Warriors won the first road game of their series against the Kings 123-116 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead.

Curry leads Warriors past Kings 123-116 for 3-2 series lead

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; De&rsquo;Aaron Fox scored 24 points and made a backbreaking 3-pointer that led the playoff newcomer Sacramento Kings to a second straight victory over the defending champion Golden State Warriors, 114-106 on Monday night.
The Kings closed the game strong after Golden State&rsquo;s Draymond Green was ejected for a flagrant foul and became the first team to take a 2-0 series lead over the Warriors in the Stephen Curry era.
The Warriors will try to get back into the series when it shifts less than 90 miles southwest to San Francisco for Game 3 on Thursday night.
The game got heated in the fourth quarter when Green stomped on Domantas Sabonis&rsquo; chest with 7:03 to play, leading to an ejection for a flagrant foul.
During the review, the fans in Sacramento yelled derogatory chants toward Green, who egged them on by waving his hands, holding a hand to his ear calling for louder cheers and standing on a chair.
The Warriors fought back to tie the game before the Kings went on a 17-8 run to run away with it to the delight of the towel-waving crowd.
Fox&rsquo;s 3-pointer made it 107-101 with 2:17 to play and the Kings were in control from there. Davion Mitchell put it away with another 3 that made it 112-103 with 1:18 left.
Sabonis added 24 points for Sacramento and Malik Monk scored 18 off the bench.
Curry led the Warriors with 28 points but made just 3 of 13 from 3-point range as Golden State struggled to get going offensively. The Warriors committed 22 turnovers.
The crowd in success-starved Sacramento didn&rsquo;t quite hit the fever pitch of the opener when the fans celebrated the franchise&rsquo;s first playoff game following a record drought of 16 seasons.
The fans started to get into it in the second quarter thanks to another spark off the bench from Monk, who scored 32 points in the opener. Monk hit three 3-pointers in the first 2:04 of the period to help fuel a 23-8 run that turned a six-point deficit into a nine-point lead.
Golden State fought back and tied it on a 3 by Curry before allowing the final six points of the quarter to trail 58-52 at the half.
The Kings built the lead to 14 points in the third quarter before the Warriors scored eight in a row. Sacramento led 83-75 headed to the fourth.
SLOPPY START
The teams got off to a sloppy start with each committing nine turnovers in the first quarter. The 18 combined turnovers in the first quarter were the most in any game in more than six seasons and the most in a playoff game since at least the 2001-02 season.
The Kings also missed their first 11 3-pointers before Fox made one late in the first.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Andrew Wiggins was back in the starting lineup in his second back following an absence of more than two months to deal with an undisclosed family matter. Wiggins scored 22 points. ... Golden State committed five fouls in the first 1:42 of the third quarter.
Kings: Sacramento&rsquo;s 41 points in the second quarter marked the eighth time a team scored at least 40 in a quarter of a playoff game against Golden State in coach Steve Kerr&rsquo;s tenure.
UP NEXT
Game 3 is Thursday night in San Francisco.

De'Aaron Fox led the Kings to a second straight victory over the defending champion Warriors, 114-106 on Monday night.

Kings beat Warriors 114-106 for 2-0 lead; Draymond Green ejected

After monitoring the NBA awards races all season, Nekias Duncan shares his final selections for DPOY, ROY, MIP, 6MOY and more.

Nekias Duncan's 2022-23 NBA award selections: DPOY, 6MOY, MIP, more

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) &mdash; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder strengthened their hopes of reaching the play-in tournament with a 114-98 victory over the short-handed Utah Jazz on Thursday night.
Josh Giddey had 17 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, while Aaron Wiggins scored 15 for the Thunder, who snapped a three-game losing streak. They are 10th in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of Dallas with one game remaining.
Kris Dunn had 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for the Jazz, who were eliminated from postseason contention.
The Jazz played a 1-3-1 zone that flustered Oklahoma City in the first half, but the Thunder attacked it with patience later on and got plenty of open looks.
With most of their shooters on the bench with injuries, the Jazz made a season-low five 3-pointers on 31 attempts.
When the Jazz trimmed the lead to 75-74, Gilgeous-Alexander scored the first seven of a 19-2 run bridging the third and fourth quarters to take command of the game.
Kelly Olynyk, who had 16 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, and Dunn were the only Utah players available averaging 10 or more points. Jordan Clarkson (finger), Rudy Gay (back), Talen Horton-Tucker (ankle), Walker Kessler (concussion) and Lauri Markkanen (hand) were all injured.&nbsp;
Even Collin Sexton, who returned after missing 18 games with a strained hamstring Tuesday against the Lakers, sat out.
Both teams had modest expectations this season but have chalked up surprising wins along the way and stayed competitive in most games.
The Thunder are still very young but further down the rebuilding road than the Jazz and have 2022 No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren returning next season. The Jazz have a bevy of draft picks in the coming years to similarly build back toward contention.
The Thunder led by as many as 16 in the first half before the Jazz closed the second quarter on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 55-52 after the second of Olynyk&rsquo;s two three-point plays in the surge.
TIP-INS
Thunder: Despite playing without anyone over 6-foot-8 for much of the game, the Thunder gathered 17 offensive rebounds. &hellip; OKC shot 26 free throws to Utah&rsquo;s 16. &hellip; Dario Saric had a season-high two blocks, his first rejections since coming from Phoenix in a Feb. 9 trade.
Jazz: Juan Toscano-Anderson fell hard just before the end of the third quarter and left the court holding his right elbow, but came back to play in the fourth. &hellip; Utah outscored Oklahoma City 36-16 in the paint in the first half. &hellip; The inexperienced Jazz had 19 turnovers.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Finish the regular season at home Sunday against Memphis.
Jazz: Host Denver on Saturday.&nbsp;

Oklahoma City is 10th in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of Dallas with one game remaining.

Thunder beat Jazz 114-98, strengthen play-in hopes

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry scored 34 points, Jordan Poole dazzled down the stretch to score 30 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 136-125 on Tuesday night in their final regular-season home game to move into fifth place in the Western Conference standings.
For a day, that is. The winner of the Clippers-Lakers game Wednesday jumps to fifth and will drop Golden State to sixth.
On a night Klay Thompson was a late scratch with low back tightness, Poole and his backcourt mates came through. Poole raised his hands to make a 3 sign while celebrating his big make from deep with 3:17 to play that put the Warriors up 131-120. He added a 360-degree layup the next time down off Draymond Green&rsquo;s steal.
Green contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists with a pair of blocked shots and steals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points, 21 in the first half, for the Thunder. Jalen Williams added 19 points but the Thunder lost their third in a row and fourth of five.
Moses Moody&rsquo;s dunk with 4:57 left in the third pulled the Warriors within 92-91 after they trailed by 10 at halftime. He finished with 13 points and five rebounds in his first game scoring in double figures since Jan. 13.
Donte DiVincenzo added 16 points and Kevon Looney grabbed 11 rebounds as the Warriors held a 54-38 advantage on the boards.
The defending champions got a nice lift before the game seeing Andrew Wiggins back with the team after he had been away since mid-February dealing with a family matter, though he won&rsquo;t be ready to play immediately as he works to get his conditioning back. Wiggins received a warm ovation when announced during the first quarter and he grinned ear to ear.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Warriors won their final three at home and finished the regular season 33-8 at Chase Center and with their 471st consecutive sellout.
WIGGINS RETURNS
Wiggins has rejoined the team after being away for six weeks dealing with a family matter and is working his way back to being able to play again. That won&rsquo;t be in the next few days, coach Steve Kerr said.
&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re in a certain situation and your family needs you, it requires your attention and your love, that&rsquo;s my first priority,&rdquo; Wiggins said. &ldquo;My career, everything, family&rsquo;s always first for me. It will always be that way. I felt like I was in a safe space to come back. We&rsquo;ve got everything settled, not fully settled, but in a safe place where I can come back.&rdquo;
Wiggins missed his 23rd straight game and hasn&rsquo;t played since Feb. 13 versus Washington. He has missed 43 games in all &mdash; three more with left foot soreness, 10 because of a strained adductor in his right thigh, and seven games with a non-COVID illness.
TIP-INS
Thunder: Oklahoma City shot 15 for 26 in the opening quarter and 59.6% in the first half. ... The Thunder lost the season series 3-0 last year and 3-1 this season.
Warriors: Golden State has won five straight against the Thunder at home and hasn&rsquo;t lost on its home floor in the series since a 100-97 defeat on Nov. 25, 2019, in Chase Center&rsquo;s initial season.
UP NEXT
Thunder: At Utah on Thursday night looking to snap a four-game skid on the Jazz&rsquo;s home floor and win the season series.
Warriors: At Sacramento on Friday night looking to win the season series against the playoff-bound Kings and former top assistant Mike Brown.

Golden State moved into fifth place in the Western Conference standings with the victory.

Curry, Poole combine for 64 as Warriors beat Thunder 136-125

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Jamal Murray scored 26 points and blocked Klay Thompson&rsquo;s 3-point attempt in the final seconds, and the Denver Nuggets held on for a 112-110 win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.
Michael Porter Jr. had 29 points and 11 rebounds and Aaron Gordon added 13 points and 10 rebounds for short-handed Denver.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic missed his third straight game with calf tightness that first cropped up against Milwaukee on March 25 and lingered against Philadelphia on Monday, coach Michael Malone said.
Thompson led Golden State with 25 points and Stephen Curry scored 21, but struggled from the field. Curry missed his first five shots from behind the arc and finished 2 of 14 from deep.
Denver (52-26) moved within a game of securing home-court advantage in the Western Conference. A victory in the final four games or one loss by Memphis will give the Nuggets the No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history.
The Warriors (41-38) are tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for the fifth seed and are just a half-game ahead of the surging Lakers, who have won three straight.
Golden State led by 15 in the second quarter, but the Nuggets closed within three at halftime. They led by two after three and opened the fourth quarter on an 8-3 run to lead 97-90. Peyton Watson had a thunderous dunk with 3:58 that put Denver ahead 109-98.
Donte DiVincenzo, who had 18 points, sparked a late rally that got the Warriors within five in the final minute. Thompson hit a 3-pointer to cut it to two points with 20.7 seconds left, Golden State won a jump ball with 10 seconds left but Thompson misfired on two 3-pointers to end it.
TIP-INS 
Warriors: F Andrew Wiggins (personal) missed his 22nd straight game. He has not played since Feb. 13. ... Golden State has lost six of its last seven against Denver.
Nuggets: C Zeke Nnjai (knee) joined Jokic in street clothes. ... Kentavioius Caldwell-Pope played despite dealing with a non-COVID illness. He went to the locker room early in the first quarter, but returned a few minutes later.
UP NEXT 
Warriors: Host Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.
Nuggets: At Houston on Tuesday night.

Jamal Murray scored 26 points and the Denver Nuggets held on for a 112-110 win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.

Jamal Murray scores 26, Nuggets hold off Warriors 112-110

HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry scored 30 points and Klay Thompson added 29 as the Golden State Warriors snapped an 11-game road skid with a 121-108 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday night.
The game was close most of the way before the Warriors used a 12-2 spurt early in the fourth quarter to pull away and hold on for their first win away from home since Jan. 30 at Oklahoma City.
The Rockets used an 11-2 run, led by six points from Kevin Porter Jr., later in the fourth to get within seven with about two minutes to go. But Thompson made a 3-pointer to start a 5-0 run that made it 118-106 with a minute remaining.
The Warriors, who entered the game seventh in the Western Conference, have been great at home this season (29-7) but have struggled on the road, where Monday&rsquo;s win improved them to just 8-29.
Monday was the fourth game of a season-high-tying five-game road trip that started with losses against the Clippers, Hawks and Grizzlies.
The Western Conference-worst Rockets got 21 points and 12 rebounds from Tari Eason and Jalen Green added 20 on a night when they dropped their second in a row following a season-long three-game winning streak.
A 3-pointer by Daishen Nix got the Rockets within three early in the fourth quarter before the Warriors scored the next eight points, with 3s from Curry and Anthony Lamb, to make it 98-87 with about nine minutes to go.&nbsp;
Josh Christopher made a layup for Houston, but the Warriors took advantage of turnovers on consecutive possessions to score four quick points and push the lead to 102-89 with 7 1/2 minutes to go.
Eason added a basket for the Rockets after a timeout. But Golden State used a 6-2 run, with 3-pointers from Thompson and Lamb, to make it 108-93 midway through the quarter.
Houston led by one after a 3-pointer by Usman Garuba with about 2 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors ended the quarter with a 7-2 run, with five points from Jonathan Kuminga, to take an 84-80 lead into the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Andrew Wiggins remained out because of a family matter, the team said. &hellip; Kuminga had 17 points off the bench. &hellip; Kevon Looney had 11 points and 10 rebounds despite dealing with back soreness. &hellip; Golden State made 17 of 48 3-pointers.
Rockets: Alperen Sengun missed the game with an illness. &hellip; Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate sat out for ankle injury management. &hellip; Jabari Smith Jr. had 17 points and 11 rebounds. ... Porter scored 17 points with five rebounds and five assists.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Visit Dallas on Wednesday night.
Rockets: Play consecutive games at Memphis on Wednesday and Friday night.&nbsp;

Stephen Curry scored 30 points and Klay Thompson added 29 as the Warriors snapped an 11-game road skid in Houston.

Warriors down Rockets 121-108 to snap 11-game road skid

Let&rsquo;s go ahead and put Denver and Sacramento into the Western Conference playoffs. It&rsquo;s hard to imagine Memphis and Phoenix falling out of the mix, even with&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ja-morant-checks-into-counseling-program-no-timetable-to-rejoin-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ja Morant away from the Grizzlies</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-kevin-durant-expected-to-miss-23-weeks-with-sprained-ankle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin Durant still not able to make his home debut for the Suns</a>&nbsp;because of ankle trouble. Put them on the bracket as well.
And from there, it&rsquo;s anyone&rsquo;s guess.
The West is an absolute mess, and the middle of the pack &mdash; the race for the last two guaranteed playoff spots and the four berths into the play-in tournament &mdash; is as muddled and murky as possible.
&ldquo;Hope,&rdquo; Utah coach Will Hardy said, &ldquo;is a good motivator.&rdquo;
True. There&rsquo;s plenty of hope still out there, too.
The West has, more often than not in recent years, been the power-broker side of the NBA. Not this year. The shinier records are at the top of the Eastern Conference, which is on pace to finish with three of the best four records this season &mdash; something that hasn&rsquo;t happened since 2008-09.
The West has become a logjam this year, and the standings change almost nightly. A single win or loss can change everything: Utah was ninth in the West entering Monday, and a&nbsp;four-point loss at Miami left the Jazz tumbling three spots to 12th. The Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, went from 11th to ninth &mdash; from out of the play-in to back in &mdash; without even playing.
Defending champion&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/suns-warriors-thompson-curry-booker-9cd92497df68da54f0225b275cb4c264">Golden State beat Phoenix</a>&nbsp;and went from sixth to fifth. After the Warriors, it&rsquo;s the Los Angeles Clippers in sixth, Minnesota seventh, Dallas eighth, the Lakers ninth, New Orleans 10th, Oklahoma City 11th and the Jazz 12th.
Put another way, 2.5 games separated the fifth-place Warriors from the 11th-place Thunder. Only 4.5 games separated the Warriors from the 13th-place Portland Trail Blazers. It&rsquo;s hard to envision a scenario, given how tight the standings are right now, where at least some West races for seeding don&rsquo;t go down to the final day.
&ldquo;No one&rsquo;s really out of it right now, at this point in the Western Conference,&rdquo; Hardy said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a couple teams that have fallen, I guess, out of the race, but 5 through 13 are so tight that every team is competing each night with that hope of like, &lsquo;Hey, if you string a few together, you can really vault in the standings.&rsquo; We&rsquo;d all be lying if we say we don&rsquo;t check the standings. We definitely do, but it can be a little distracting.&rdquo;
This is exactly what the NBA wanted when it added the play-in tournament &mdash; intrigue all the way to the end of the season. Only the top six teams in each conference are guaranteed playoff spots when the regular season ends on April 9; the next four from the East and West go to a play-in tournament to decide the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds on the respective brackets.
Only three teams &mdash; Houston, San Antonio and Detroit &mdash; have been eliminated. Charlotte isn&rsquo;t too far away from joining that trio. Everyone else still has a legitimate chance, at least at the play-in.
&ldquo;You do have to embrace the competition,&rdquo; Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re dreaming about things in the middle of the summer, this is what you want. You want games with incredible pressure and context. You don&rsquo;t want games to have no meaning, to play for lottery balls. You want to have this kind of context. And you want to see what this competition can bring out of you.&rdquo;
Teams will find out, whether they want to know or not.
There are no fewer than 24 matchups the rest of the way that will pit those teams vying for spots 5 through 8 on the West bracket against one another, meaning those nights could lead to a big swing in the standings.
It also might come down to which teams get somebody back in time to help the cause.
The Lakers may get LeBron James back at some point. The Warriors aren&rsquo;t sure when Andrew Wiggins &mdash; out for personal reasons &mdash; could return, or if he will. The Mavericks are dealing with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both having injuries. The Timberwolves hope Karl-Anthony Towns is close to a return from a calf injury. The Pelicans have remained in the race despite not having Zion Williamson, which they&rsquo;re probably used to by now.
Buckle up. Denver might not get caught atop the West. The trio of Milwaukee, Boston and Philadelphia will finish 1-2-3 in the East in some order. But everything else is pretty much up for grabs, especially in the super-cluttered West.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s funny what a couple of wins can do right now,&rdquo; Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.

All but two West teams are fighting for a playoff spot. Only 2.5 games separate the 5th-place Warriors from the 11th-place Thunder.

Earning a Play-In spot in the Western Conference won't be easy

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Klay Thompson scored 27 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer, helping the Golden State Warriors wrap up a perfect homestand with a 108-99 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
The Warriors went 5-0 on the homestand despite missing injured star Stephen Curry to strengthen their playoff positioning in the ultra-tight Western Conference.
&ldquo;I think just a lot of grit,&rdquo; coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;Every one of these wins was marked by our team kind of getting over the hump. Overcoming a lot of deficits, turning up the defense and grinding out games down the stretch. It&rsquo;s been exciting to see our team turn a corner, but we still need to go out and win on the road.&rdquo;
Jonathan Kuminga added 19 points off the bench to help the Warriors overcome a 17-point deficit in the first half. Golden State rallied from double-digit deficits to win the last four games &mdash; the first time they have done that since at least the 1997-98 season.
CJ McCollum scored 25 points and Brandon Ingram added 17 for New Orleans. The Pelicans have lost five of six games as they were outscored 19-6 in the final 4:30.
&ldquo;They just made plays,&rdquo; New Orleans coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s an area that we have to continue to grow and mature. ... Those are learning experiences for us. That&rsquo;s a good team, a championship level team. Those guys know how to win. Our margin for error is small, especially down the stretch like that.&rdquo;
New Orleans led by four points in the fourth quarter before Anthony Lamb and Thompson hit back-to-back 3-pointers with Thompson&rsquo;s giving Golden State a 95-93 lead with less than four minutes to play.
Donte DiVincenzo hit another 3 for his first basket of the game and then got an offensive rebound and assist on a dunk by Kuminga to make it 100-96 and Golden State held on from there.
&ldquo;He loves the big moments and it doesn&rsquo;t matter if he&rsquo;s been hot or hasn&rsquo;t made a shot like tonight,&rdquo; Kerr said about DiVincenzo. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s ready for the big one. Between that shot and the offensive board with the pass to JK. He just continues to make huge plays.&rdquo;
The Warriors once again found themselves in an early hole, falling behind 17-6 in the opening minutes and then by 17 points late in the first quarter.
This marked the fourth straight game they trailed by double-digits in the first half and just like the previous three games they flipped the script.
Golden State rallied back to take a 50-49 lead on a basket by Kuminga late in the half and trailed 57-54 at the break.
CURRY&rsquo;S RETURN
The Warriors are hoping to get Curry back on the upcoming trip, possibly as soon as Sunday in Los Angeles against the Lakers.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a chance he&rsquo;ll play and we&rsquo;re not going to make an decisions until he gets through tomorrow,&rdquo; Kerr said.
Curry has missed 11th games with a left leg injury after getting hurt against Dallas on Feb. 4. Golden State is 7-4 in this current stretch and 14-12 on the season without Curry in the lineup.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: C Jonas Valanciunas (left calf) was sidelined for a second straight game. ... Swingman Josh Richardson (personal reasons) sat out the game.
Warriors: F Andrew Wiggins sat out a seventh consecutive game while dealing with a family matter and Kerr didn&rsquo;t know if he would return during the upcoming road trip. ... F Andre Iguodala (hip) has been taking part of scrimmages but there is no timeline for his return.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Visit Sacramento on Monday night to finish three-game trip.
Warriors: Visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday to start a three-game trip.

Klay Thompson scored 27 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer, helping the Warriors get a 108-99 victory over the Pelicans on Friday.

Klay Thompson scores 27 points, Warriors beat Pelicans 108-99

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; So close to a playoff spot in the clogged-up Western Conference standings, this win meant so much for coach Steve Kerr&rsquo;s undermanned Golden State Warriors &mdash; for many reasons.
The defending NBA champions were down three starters once again, and old stand-by Klay Thompson and newcomer Donte DiVincenzo delivered on both ends when it mattered most.
Thompson scored 32 points, including a key 3-pointer with 2:05 to play, and the Warriors held off the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-104 on Sunday in a matchup of teams fighting neck-and-neck for postseason positioning.
&ldquo;This is a huge win not only for the standings but for the confidence of the guys,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;That was a team win. Everybody came in there and competed and played well.&rdquo;
DiVincenzo put Golden State ahead for good on a 3 with 3:02 left and finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He also won a jump ball in the final minute.
Naz Reid scored a career-high 30 points and added nine rebounds for Minnesota, but the Timberwolves have lost three straight and four of five.
Kevon Looney grabbed 17 rebounds and has 13 or more in six consecutive games. He finished with 12 points, and his career-best sixth game in a row with double-digit boards was much-needed for a depleted Warriors team.
&ldquo;I think it has a huge impact,&rdquo; Looney said. &ldquo;I think last year that was one of our biggest strengths, especially in the playoffs, our rebounding.&rdquo;
Nickeil Alexander-Walker&rsquo;s 3-pointer just before the third-quarter buzzer put Minnesota ahead 87-78 going into the final 12 minutes before the Warriors rallied behind Thompson. He overcame a slow start to shine late, following up his 42-point gem Friday night in which he matched a season high with 12 3-pointers.
Thompson missed five of his first six from deep Sunday. But with injured Splash Brother Stephen Curry cheering from the bench, Thompson&rsquo;s 3 with 6:11 left got Golden State within 96-92 and then he followed it with a baseline jumper under pressure.
The Warriors were missing Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins again.
DiVincenzo said the team found &ldquo;heart&rdquo; down the stretch.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s huge for your confidence,&rdquo; DiVincenzo said. &ldquo;So when those big dogs come back we&rsquo;re clicking in the second unit.&rdquo;
Green had a setback with his troublesome right knee and is scheduled for additional tests.
&ldquo;It flared up today, so he will be more thoroughly checked out today by our medical staff,&rdquo; Kerr said before the game. &ldquo;So it was sort of unexpected the way he came through treatment yesterday and everything was looking good, and he had to step back today.&rdquo;
Golden State has won 12 straight in the series at home but shot 9 for 24 in the first quarter, 1 of 6 by Jordan Poole. The Warriors were 6 of 20 from deep in the first half but grabbed a 59-57 advantage at the break.
BIG HITTERS
Retired baseball sluggers&nbsp;Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez&nbsp;&mdash; a T-Wolves owner &mdash; sat together courtside opposite Minnesota&rsquo;s bench.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Colleague <a href="https://twitter.com/jchiuAP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jchiuAP</a> got this nice shot of Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds courtside: <a href="https://t.co/FjeizOaSsY">pic.twitter.com/FjeizOaSsY</a>
&mdash; Janie McCauley (@JanieMcCAP) <a href="https://twitter.com/JanieMcCAP/status/1630013020398309376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

LOONEY ON THE GLASS
Looney has 24 games with double-digit rebounds, most for Golden State since Green had 37 in 2015-16. The last Warriors player with 13 or more rebounds in six straight games was Andris Biedrins from Dec. 28, 2008, to Jan. 7, 2009.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just come to expect it now. He&rsquo;s an elite rebounder,&rdquo; Kerr said.
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Reid shot 12 for 22 overall and had 18 points in the first quarter on 7-for-9 shooting. ... Minnesota C Rudy Gobert is sick. F Taurean Prince is out for personal reasons and G Jaylen Nowell is nursing a left knee injury. ... Minnesota had won two straight on the road.
Warriors: Curry, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, missed his eighth straight game with a left leg injury after getting hurt against Dallas on Feb. 4. ... Wiggins sat out a fourth consecutive game while dealing with a family matter and Kerr isn&rsquo;t sure when he might return.
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night to continue a four-game California trip.
Warriors: Host the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.

Klay Thompson scored 32 points, including a key 3-pointer with 2:05 to play, and the Warriors held off the Wolves 109-104 on Sunday.

JJ