Following a sluggish begin within side the first quarter, the Warriors’ 3-protect lineup sparked a livid run to gasoline a blowout win in Game 2, 126-106. The Nuggets had no solution for the aggregate of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole.
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Each member of Golden State’s backcourt tallied 20 or greater factors. Curry led the manner regardless of coming off the bench with 34 factors on 12-of-17 taking pictures from the field. Curry buried 5 3s on 10 tries from past the arc in his 2nd look off the bench. The -time Most Valuable Player delivered 4 assists, 3 forums, a block and a thieve in 23 mins on Monday.
After losing 30 factors in Game 1, Poole picked up in which he left off with 29 factors on 10-of-sixteen taking pictures from the field. Again, Poole confirmed off his whole bag of tricks, hitting 5 3s, meting out 8 dimes and grabbing 5 forums in 34 mins towards the Nuggets.
Thompson rounded out the institution with 21 factors on 9-of-19 taking pictures from the ground with 3 jumpers from lengthy distance. For the ones counting at home, the trio of sharpshooters mixed for eighty four of Golden State’s 126 factors on Monday night.
After an explosive overall performance helped the Warriors take a 2-zero lead withinside the collection, individuals of the NBA network on Twitter chimed in with unique reactions. Here’s a have a take a observe what enthusiasts and analysts had been announcing on Twitter.
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Showing posts with label Trending News. Show all posts
Monday, April 25, 2022
Steph Curry to start Game 5? Warriors should consider it
DENVER — The Warriors have been putting off the inevitable over the last week as Stephen Curry worked his way back from a foot injury that sidelined him for a month.
Curry, who came off the bench for the fourth consecutive game Sunday, previously said it was his decision to not start — one that he came to after watching Klay Thompson return earlier this season from injuries — so he didn’t have to sit for long periods of time between playing.
But as Curry put together another outstanding off-the-bench performance in Game 4 on Sunday, it’s clear that the eight-time All-Star is more than ready to be re-inserted back into the starting lineup.
And the Warriors, who lead the best-of-seven series 3-1, should seriously consider it, beginning with Game 5 on Wednesday.
After a slow start where he missed his first five shots, perhaps in part due to the fact he was put in earlier than expected with Klay Thompson running into early foul trouble, Curry scored a team-high 33 points, his second highest scoring performance of the postseason, while shooting 43.5% from the field in 37 minutes, the most he’s played in the postseason yet.
Curry was especially clutch down the stretch, tallying 15 of the Warriors’ 32 fourth-quarter points. That includes a stepback jump shot that gave the Warriors a two-point lead with 1:21 remaining in the game.
“Everything I’ve been doing has been progressing in the right direction,” said Curry, who finished the third quarter and played the entire fourth without getting fatigued. “My wind was solid. So I’m excited about where I’m at and looking forward to the next game.”
Coach Steve Kerr said Curry was “very close” to being cleared to play without restrictions before Sunday’s game. His 37 minutes — which Kerr said he was “perfectly comfortable” with — makes it clear that Curry has enough stamina to return to the starting five, which could happen as soon as Wednesday.
Before that happens, however, Kerr will have to make a very difficult decision: Who will Curry replace in the starting lineup?
The two likely options are breakout star Jordan Poole or iron man Kevon Looney.
Poole has made a convincing argument to remain in the starting lineup as he’s been one of the Warriors’ most reliable scorers over the last seven weeks. He set a high standard in his first three playoff games, scoring a combined 86 points on an efficient 66.7% shooting over that span. But Poole struggled in Game 4 with the Nuggets’ stifling defense. He scored just 11 points — his lowest output since Feb. 27 — on a shaky 3-of-10 shooting.
Moving Poole to the bench could impact the third-year guard’s confidence and rhythm, though he’d never admit that. After starting in place of the injured Thompson at the beginning of the season, Poole struggled when his role changed with the three-time champions’ return.
Ben Simmons injury update: Nets star ruled out for Game 4 vs. Celtics with Brooklyn facing elimination
After all signs appeared to be leading to Ben Simmons making his season and Brooklyn Nets debut in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics, the Nets are now listing Simmons as out for Monday's potential elimination game.
Simmons played 4-on-4 on Monday for the first time since the Nets acquired him at the trade deadline, and head coach Steve Nash indicated that Simmons had continued to take contact without any issues.
But apparently Simmons woke up with back soreness Sunday morning after going through a workout prior to Game 3 on Saturday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, who added this:
After approximately 10 days of pain-free ramp up following recovery from a herniated disc, Simmons' admission at the team practice facility was met with surprise and disappointment. On the brink of a sweep to the Celtics, the Nets had hoped Simmons would be in uniform and active with the hope of coach Steve Nash using him in limited minutes, sources said.
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There's obviously an elephant in the room here. How hurt is Simmons at this point, and how much of this is still about his not being mentally ready to play, as he said was the case prior to his exit from Philadelphia? I'm not going to speculate on that, but you can bet these are questions being asked behind closed doors.
I'll also tell you this: The Nets did not do Simmons any favors here from a PR standpoint. Delivering this news as another surprise injury report after a week of saying he was progressing to play puts the target right back on Simmons. Just say it's because it doesn't make sense to throw Simmons back on the court after 10 months off in a potential elimination game of a series that is all but over.
Because that's the truth. There might be more than that going on, but that's at least one element of this decision, so take the heat off Simmons and report it that way rather than saying the team was "surprised" the hear Simmons' back was hurting. People are already questioning the validity of Simmons' claims. Why stoke that fire?
Simmons' desire to actually play basketball again, when weighed in conjunction with his mental health, is going to be a major story over the offseason, but for right now, whatever the reason, this is a logical decision to sit him for Game 4. The series is over. Allow him to hopefully come back completely fresh, mentally and physically, for training camp and the start of next season, when Brooklyn can hopefully see some return on the massive investment it made in Simmons.
Nets vs. Celtics Game 4: Stream, lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for Monday
The Brooklyn Nets‘ season is on the line in Game 4 on Monday night, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.
The Celtics hold a 3-0 series lead and can complete a sweep in the Barclays Center, where Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combined for just 32 points in a Game 3 loss.
Buy Nets TicketsThe Nets won’t be getting any help from Ben Simmons in the most important game of the season, either. Despite a week of reports that Simmons planned to make his Nets debut in Game 4, Brooklyn has listed Simmons as out in the official injury report.
Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Nets’ win-or-go-home Game 4 against the Boston Celtics.
Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:
Celtics: No players are listed.
Nets: Ben Simmons (back soreness) and Joe Harris (ankle surgery) are out.
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
4/25 Game 4 Preview: Celtics at Nets
Before encountering this version of the Boston Celtics' defense, a healthy Kevin Durant never averaged less than 24.5 points in any postseason series.
The ability to effectively defend Durant and limit the superstar's impact are among the reasons the Celtics hold a 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series. Boston can complete the sweep of the best-of-seven set on Monday night when they visit the Brooklyn Nets.
The Celtics, who possessed the NBA's top-ranked defense during the regular season, won each game in different ways. If they cannot close out the series Monday, Game 5 is Wednesday in Boston.
Boston received a buzzer-beating shot from Jayson Tatum in the series opener and overcame a 17-point deficit in Game 2. In Game 3 on Saturday, the Celtics seized the lead for good late in the first quarter and moved to the verge of the sweep with a 109-103 victory.
While each of those games were won differently, a theme is Boston's ability to contain Durant. He is averaging 22.0 points on 36.5 percent shooting against Boston.
"Clearly they're loading up on him, sending bodies to him, being physical with him," Nets coach Steve Nash said.
On Saturday, Durant's impact was so minimal that he scored 16 points and took 11 shots -- his fewest attempts in a playoff game since taking 10 in Game 2 of the 2017 Western Conference finals against San Antonio. That followed up an 0-for-10 effort in the second half in Game 2.
Following Saturday's game, Durant conceded Boston's defense was causing him to overthink things.
"I was just thinking too much to be honest, this whole series," Durant said. "Like how I approach the game. We got another game to play, another opportunity, and I'm looking forward to that."
While Durant's struggles are a key factor, so is the performance of Tatum. Tatum scored 39 points Saturday and is averaging 29.7 points in the series.
"I'm not trying to make it a one-on-one thing or a matchup thing. For me, trying to go out there and play as hard as I possibly can, give it everything I got on both ends, and do whatever I can to ensure that we get a win on any given night," Tatum said. "And everybody on our team is doing that, sacrificing, competing, being on the same page."
Tatum also is getting plenty of help as Jaylen Brown is averaging 22.7 on 50.9 percent from the field. Brown had 23 points and Marcus Smart added 14 on Saturday for the Celtics, who shot 50 percent from the floor.
The Nets are getting productive showings from Bruce Brown, who scored 26 points Saturday and is averaging 18.0 in the series. Brown's showing is occurring as Kyrie Irving was limited to 26 points in the past two games after getting 39 in the series opener.
Brooklyn will not be able to unveil Ben Simmons in Game 4, as it had originally hoped.
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