Latest news with #DNPs
New York Post
28-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Why Cam Payne crashed out of Knicks rotation as bench expanded
Looking for a spark, Tom Thibodeau expanded his Knicks rotation the last two games. But that meant Cam Payne went tumbling out of the mix. Advertisement Thibodeau gave Delon Wright and Landry Shamet their first significant minutes of the postseason in Games 3 and 4 on the Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers. Precious Achiuwa even got some playing time Tuesday night. After playing in each of the Knicks' first 14 postseason games while averaging 7.2 minutes, though, Payne collected DNPs in Games 3 and 4.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Steve Kerr Was "Incensed" After Jonathan Kuminga Passed Up Stephen Curry
As the Golden State Warriors end a hard-fought season, a story is brewing behind the scenes regarding young swingman Jonathan Kuminga. According to the latest intel out of San Francisco, head coach Steve Kerr and Kuminga are at odds over his habit of overlooking Stephen Curry (and other Warriors teammates) in favor of creating his own shot. 'Despite his talent, Kuminga's propensity to look for his shot at the expense of the flow of Golden State's offense has irked the coaching staff. During a late-season game against the Blazers, team sources say Kerr was incensed after several instances in which Kuminga looked off Curry to create his own offense," wrote The Ringer's Logan Murdock. "Kuminga subsequently received DNPs in the Warriors' regular-season finale against the Clippers and then again in their play-in matchup against the Grizzlies. By the start of the playoffs, many within the organization wondered whether Kuminga, who is eligible for an extension, had played his last game as a Warrior.' Advertisement As the seventh overall pick in the 2021 Draft, Jonathan Kuminga came in with big expectations, and he's been struggling to meet them. This season, his fourth in the league, he saw a dip in his scoring and minutes with averages of 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 45.4% shooting. Throughout his career, Kuminga has been in and out of the Warriors' rotation, but things hit a new low in this postseason when he allegedly started overlooking the Warriors' best player in franchise history. In response to Kuminga's mistakes, Kerr pulled him from the rotation for multiple playoff games, starting with Game 4 against the Rockets. Kuminga Looks Ahead To Uncertain Future With The Warriors Since Stephen Curry went down against Minnesota, the Warriors have had to fall back on Kuminga, and he's come through for them. Over the previous three games without Curry, the young forward averaged 23.7 points on 60.0% shooting. According to Kuminga, his newfound success is long overdue, but he knows that his journey has only just begun. Advertisement 'I don't know how the future will look, but I just try to cancel out the noise and focus on getting better. If it's going to be there, it's going to be there. If it's not going to be there, somebody at least, it's going to be there for somebody else," said Kuminga. "That's not my main focus. My main focus is to just keep looking up. There's always going to be ups and downs in life. The more you keep getting better every day, just starting again, anything is possible.' With his contract set to expire at the end of this season, it's possible that the Kuminga experiment could be over in Golden State, marking the end of a short-lived young core with him and former lottery pick James Wiseman. As Steve Kerr has made clear, the Warriors are Stephen Curry's team, and anyone who is unwilling to defer will be cast out. In the case of Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors would rather not give up on one of their own, but letting him go could end up being the best path to improvement in the West. Jimmy Butler's arrival has made Kuminga more expendable than ever, and unless he pulls off something special in this postseason, the Warriors will almost surely look the other way when it's time to negotiate a new contract. Related: Warriors May Acquire 'Almost Laker' 7ft Star And Proven Defender In A Trade Deal For Jonathan Kuminga
New York Times
24-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Nikola Jović's broken hand adds new blow to tough Heat season
A challenging season for the Miami Heat (26-29) keeps experiencing new layers. En route to another blown double-digit lead on Sunday, the Heat lost a key rotation piece as third-year forward Nikola Jović suffered a broken hand against the Milwaukee Bucks, disappointing teammates and coaches who routinely laud the 21-year-old's versatile contributions as he experiences his own ups-and-downs in the NBA. Advertisement Jović started Miami's first eight games of the season before being moved to the bench on Nov. 10 and suffering a broken nose against the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 12. Those moments preceded a string of DNPs that didn't dim Miami's belief in Jović eventually finding his way back into the rotation. In fact, from Dec. 23 to Feb. 5, he played arguably the finest basketball of his career, averaging 13.6 points on 48.2 percent shooting from the field and making 42.1 percent of his 3-point attempts. He added 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists over that 23-game stretch, which included 17 double-figure scoring performances and four 20-point outings. Over that span, the Heat posted a 12-11 record as Jović's presence improved their net rating by a team-best 7.3 points per 100 possessions (676 minutes). Since then, though, Jović's production regressed as the Heat carried a four-game losing streak into the All-Star break and have split their two games since returning. Prior to his latest injury, he shot only 37.7 percent overall in six games since scoring a season-high 23 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 5, but he remained a net positive for the Heat on defense. His 33 contested shots trailed only the newly-acquired Andrew Wiggins (43) and rookie center Kel'el Ware (34) for the team lead over that time. According to opponents shot only 41.3 percent when guarded by Jović during that six-game stretch. In short, his latest injury is unfortunate. It's not hard to find Heat coaches and teammates ready to echo that sentiment. 'I feel for Niko. I know how much he's put into this,' Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said on Sunday. 'He's had a couple injuries previously. This has nothing to do with it. He's not snakebitten or anything like that. … I was shocked by the prognosis on it, but we'll see how long it'll take. In the meantime, other guys will have to step up, but I really feel for Niko.' Advertisement During his aforementioned shooting slump, Jović expressed gratitude for teammates carrying him on offense and hoped to return the favor by being more efficient on that end. He's also routinely mentioned a desire to continuously improve his defensive communication and focus with off-ball coverage. A key to Jović's development has been his impressive self-awareness with knowing where his game is lacking and heeding tutelage from teammates and the coaching staff. Throughout the season, Spoelstra has lauded Jović's ability to stack productive days despite experiencing peaks and valleys. But that's been the theme of Miami's season, which, for the time being, will continue without a valuable player who aids margin for error. By cutting the Heat's 14 blown double-digit leads even in half, this season would take on a totally different identity, especially in the East. As matters stand, though, the Heat are as close to the conference's final playoff berth as they are to the last Play-In spot. It's the ultimate middle ground for a team consistently searching for a positive direction. With or without Jović in the lineup, team captain Bam Adebayo has grown weary of Miami's pattern of blowing sizable leads and preaching the value of not giving up extended runs to opponents, whether they're contenders, playoff hopefuls or lottery-bound cellar dwellers. He recognizes the team needs Jović on the court but also knows Miami will need to trust the next man up in the interim. It's how the game goes. 'You lose a guy like that — young guy, ambitious, trying to make something of himself in this league — we want that for him,' Adebayo said of Jović. 'It's just, for him, a minor setback for a major comeback. When we get him back, we'll be happy to see him in the lineup.' Last week, Herro preached about the importance of Miami locking into this final stretch of the season, but the team must improve its record during his 40-point performances (0-3 this season) to truly maximize everything its leading scorer provides, for the rest of this season and in the long term. After Miami's loss to Milwaukee on Sunday, which included a 37-23 lead after the first quarter, Herro reiterated the task at hand as games progress and opportunity to climb the East standings shrinks – for the time being, they'll face that task without a key cog in the operation. Advertisement 'Obviously, we want to win. That's what we're out there to do, is win games,' Herro said. 'Just gotta continue to be aggressive, watch the film. … Obviously, no one wants to lose, and that's where we're at right now. We're just continuing to find consistency at this point of the season where we can try to stack these wins right now.' Jović's development is vital to the Heat's future because his versatility on both sides of the ball can carve out a crucial element in the team's long-term identity. It's hard to find valuable wings in the NBA, especially for a team that recently traded one of the league's best to quell a season's worth of drama. Until (or if) Jović returns this season, the Heat will continue needing to get creative with making the most of a challenging campaign. Nobody – even Herro himself – is expecting this team to contend for a championship this season, but Miami's new leading man did consider Jović to be one of its most vital pieces to creating a new future, whether that includes a strong finish this season or carrying over positive signs into the next. At this point, though, the Heat will take whatever they can as they aim to simply keep their postseason hopes alive and cap this season with some optimism. 'We're going to have to stick with it,' Spoelstra said after Sunday's loss, which included Miami being outscored 65-48 in the second half. 'We're going to have to dig deep and fight through this frustration right now to get a breakthrough on the road, and find a way to get it done in the moments of truth.'
CBS News
07-02-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Why are the Boston Celtics struggling at home this season?
BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics hung a new banner at TD Garden back in October, but the team hasn't looked like a championship bunch on their home court this season. The Celtics put up another stinker in front of their home fans on Thursday night, losing 127-120 to an undermanned Dallas Mavericks team. Thursday night was no NBA Finals rematch in Boston, since Luka Doncic is now in Los Angeles. The Mavs didn't even have new addition Anthony Davis, who isn't making his Dallas debut until this weekend, and were also without regulars Dereck Lively II and P.J. Washington. It appears once news of all those DNPs reached the Celtics, they decided to coast. Again. It led to yet another disappointing loss on the TD Garden floor. The Celtics have now lost three of their last five games at home and six of their last 11. So you can understand why green teamers were miffed as the team fell behind by as many as 24 points in the second half. Boston led for just 13 seconds against the Mavs, and it was in the opening minute of the tilt. It was just another disappointing night at TD Garden for the defending champs, which has become an unfortunate trend for the Celtics.. Celtics lost to Mavs because of their defense Focus and effort were the big issues for Boston right from the jump Thursday night. The Celtics turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter, including two each by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. It let the Mavericks gain early momentum, which they didn't cede until Joe Mazzulla benched his starters with 9:35 left in the game. Boston's 14 turnovers on the night were a product of the team's lack of focus. But the Celtics were smoked on defense because of their lack of effort. The Celtics were lethargic and slow on defense all night, and gave Dallas shooters little resistance when getting to their spots. Klay Thompson erupted for 10 points in the first quarter and dropped 25 on Boston for the night, hitting 11 of his 17 shots for his best game in a Dallas uniform. The Mavericks scored 67 points in the first half, knocking down 58.3 percent of their shots overall and 41.2 percent from three. Usually when the Celtics are hitting their shots from downtown, the team wins. Boston hit half of its threes in the first half, going 9-of-18, and 43.2 percent for the night. But the Celtics let the Mavs do just about whatever they wanted on the offensive end, and Dallas shot a blistering 55.7 percent overall and 45.5 percent from three-point land. Kyrie Irving scored 19 on his former team, while Dante Exum scored 15 points off 4-of-6 shooting from three. Spencer Dinwiddie feasted on Boston's disjointed defense, hitting seven of his 10 shots (going 3-of-5 from three) for 22 points off the bench. Naji Marshall put in 20 points over his 29 minutes, as he hit nine of his 15 shots. Dallas newcomer Max Christie fit right in with his new team, adding 15 points off the pine. Defense is all about effort. Celtics fans saw none of that on Thursday night, and players were hit with a smattering of boos as they walked off the floor down 21 points at the end of the third quarter. "Defensively, we haven't been as strong as we need to be," Brown said after the loss. "Part of that is on me as a captain. But we've just got to be better to close the break, and then reassess to start the second half of the season." Boston Celtics home struggles Maybe the Celtics are just in a lull before the All-Star break, as Brown alluded to. But that doesn't explain why they're such a good team on the road -- an NBA-best 20-6 -- and so mid in their own building. Thursday night's loss followed a strong road trip by the Celtics, which is another developing trend this season. Thursday night marked the fourth time this season the Celtics have returned from a road trip of at least three games and lost their first game back on their home court. Boston went 3-1 on its first extended road trip of the season, only to return home and lose a much-anticipated battle with Steve Kerr and the Warriors. The Celtics went 3-1 on their first Western Conference road trip of the season, and then returned home to lay an egg against the Sacramento Kings. After another 3-1 trip through the West, they blew a fourth-quarter lead to the Houston Rockets when they got back to TD Garden. Thursday's loss followed a 3-0 trip that concluded with a solid win against the top-seeded Cavaliers in their house. But any momentum from that victory was left in Cleveland, as the Celtics were embarrassed by a Mavs team playing without three of its starters. For whatever reason, the Celtics' home cooking has been nearly inedible the last few months. They've been much more prone to take their foot off the gas at home than on the road, sporting a 111.8 defensive rating at TD Garden (10th in the NBA) and a 108.2 defensive rating (second in the NBA) away from it. "That's something we've got to fix," said Payton Pritchard, who scored 21 points off the Boston bench. "I don't know if it's just like the effort side of things or something. They played good basketball." The Celtics were 37-4 at home last season and 32-9 the season before. They are just 16-10 at TD Garden this season, losing games to the likes of the Bulls, the 76ers (in blowout fashion on Christmas Day), and twice to the Hawks. A midseason malaise isn't uncommon for a defending champ. The Celtics are playing with a giant target on their backs and get an opponent's best effort every night. It's a struggle to match that intensity over an 82-game season, especially in these middle months of the season. It should also be noted that the Celtics were 7-1 on the road in the playoffs last season en route to their title. But losing at home makes life a lot harder for a team trying to add another banner, and a lot more frustrating to the fans that go out to see them in action. It'd be nice if the Celtics can reverse this trend and get back to their home dominance ahead of the postseason.
