#point-guards

#point-guards

For Boston, it's really just finding out the rhythm of the team now, of the other guys, when you insert a guy like JT. I don't want to say it seems out of whack, but their shooting has gone down since he's been here.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had scored 20 or more points in 124 consecutive games, just two off tying the NBA standard set by former Warrior Wilt Chamberlain in 1963. If one takes a quick flip through the NBA record book, they have a high probability of encountering Chamberlain's name, regardless of which page they land upon. So anytime a player is in position to usurp one of the former Warrior's records from the league's early days, it is worthy of note.

The fans never got an opportunity to give a grateful goodbye, Pat Riley resigning on an early summer afternoon 36 years ago after the end of a lost season. Everyone will have that chance now. When Riley left town at the wrong end of grumblings from players and fans, he was the greatest coach not only in Lakers history but also in basketball history, his .730 winning percentage and 102 playoff victories both NBA records at the time. Everyone will understand now.

The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder will open the post-break portion of the schedule without injured stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain) will be re-evaluated in approximately one week and Williams (right hamstring strain) in approximately two weeks, the team announced Thursday. Key reserve guard Ajay Mitchell, who sprained his left ankle over the All-Star break while rehabbing from an abdominal strain, will also be re-evaluated in approximately one week.

"I was definitely hyped," Allen told ESPN. "I had Paul Pierce in my ear telling me, 'Get ready! You stick me every day [in practice]. You should be ready. Let's go! That's Kobe Bryant!'" The No. 25 pick in the 2004 draft was trying to soak everything in and get himself in the right frame of mind for the 54th game of his young NBA career.

After an up-and-down start to this season, the Warriors appeared to unlock something similar with Butler leading the second unit. They were 12-4 in their past 16 games, including a 135-112 win Monday after Butler exited in the third quarter. Their recent play elevated them out of the play-in and within 3 games of the No. 4 seed. They were rumored to exploring ways to supplement their roster ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.

When Kuminga removed his sweats, walked to the scorer's table and checked in to begin the second quarter Tuesday night, a murmur grew into a modest standing ovation as the fans inside Chase Center realized what was happening. It turned into a furor by the end of his first playing time in nearly a month. JK's going to factor in here again, coach Steve Kerr said afterward.

De'Anthony Melton knows that every backcourt partner of Steph Curry will, fairly or not, be compared to the Golden State standard set by Klay Thompson. The five-time All-Star was the starting shooting guard next to Curry for all four of the team's modern-day titles, providing defense and the perfect off-ball complement to Curry's dynamism. Melton, who is rounding into form after missing an entire year rehabbing from left ACL surgery, had plenty of time to study Thompson as he rehabbed.

SAN FRANCISCO Steph Curry will be a starter for February's 15th's 2026 NBA All-Star game at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, the league announced on Monday morning. The Warriors' superstar joins Luka Doncic, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama in the West's starting lineup. It is Curry's 12th All-Star nod and 11th start, making him one of only 17 players to earn a dozen appearances in the game with a single franchise.

"Some teams, when it gets that bad, they just let the wheels fall off," Harden said. "I had interviews where people were asking me, 'How do you find confidence?' and I'm like, 'The confidence is there. The losses are frustrating, but the confidence is still there.'"

The Golden State Warriors are now at the center of that shift. Jimmy Butler III' s season-ending torn ACL comes just as Golden State had found momentum, winning 12 of its last 16 games and posting its best on-court plus-minus with Butler as the connective piece. His absence removes more than just scoring, stripping the team of structure, late-game decision-making and defensive stability.