ICYMI: 

Most of the fireworks on Friday night happened in Houston in an absolute shoot-out between the Rockets and Atlanta Hawks. Trae Young and Dejounte Murray combined for 83 points, but it wasn’t enough. After leading by as much as 16 points in the third quarter, Atlanta squandered the lead, and the Rockets surged late to capture their fourth win of the season, 128-122.

Despite Murray scoring a career-high 39 points and making a career-high eight threes, the Hawks couldn’t get the job done. A big reason for this was their performance on the boards in the absence of Clint Capela, who was out due to dental pain. Houston outrebounded Atlanta 59-28. This included a 22-6 drubbing on the offensive boards and a 37-22 advantage on the defensive boards.

Most of the headlines after the game were about the aftermath of a third-quarter scrum between each team’s respective backcourt. Young and Murray did plenty of showboating on the way to scoring a combined 83 points, and you get the sense that Green and Kevin Porter Jr. didn’t like it one bit. Green and Porter took to Instagram to mock Young following the game. Green waved goodbye to the Hawks after their 18-point fourth quarter. 

Ja Morant messed around and dropped a triple-double in Madison Square Garden, dropping 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 dimes. He’s been highly productive during Desmond Bane, who suffered a sprained big toe injury on Nov. 15 and won’t be back for at least another week.

Postgame, Morant credited New York Knicks point guard and Chicago/Memphis legend Derrick Rose for paving the way for hyper-athletic guards by saying; 

“He really made it to where people believe in guys like me,” Morant told the Commercial Appeal. “Coming in, athletic guards, I felt like he was pretty much the one who kind of made it more famous. With how acrobatic his finish is, his touch around the rim, and how explosive he was. Coming in, he was my comparison. It’s crazy to be out there on the floor sharing a court with him.”

Klay Thompson was off to a rough start on the offensive side of the ball to begin the season, but he’s beginning to get on track. He shot 61.5 percent from the field in Sunday’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Golden State scored 47 points in the first quarter and never really looked back. They had crisp offensive execution the entire game. 

The Boston Celtics continued their winning ways. They have won 12 of their last 13 games. They are a League-best 16-4 on the season. Jaylen Brown had 36 points in their most recent win sans Jayson Tatum against the Washington Wizards. The Celtics are poised for a return to the NBA Finals if they keep playing the way they’re playing. 

Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and the Brooklyn Nets are now only a single game under .500 following their 111-97 win against the Trail Blazers on Sunday night. Seth Curry was a big factor in the win against his former squad, with 29 points on 11-15 shooting. 

Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox has been playing out of his mind and is turning some heads. Fox has been shooting a career-high 53 percent from the field, helping him average 25.1 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game.

Fox has the Kings sitting in sixth place in a jammed Western Conference with a record of 10-8. Fox’s play has been so good that this past weekend, he inked a deal with one of the biggest and most well-known sports agencies in basketball Klutch Sports. For Sacramento, Fox’s recent play and lead role in the Kings’ resurgence could be just what the team needs to end their 16-year playoff drought.

The Kings have the talent and youth to be very disruptive if given a postseason opportunity. The team’s additions of Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk (in addition to Fox’s play) have been a great fit. Hopefully, Fox and the team can continue this momentum.

Over the weekend, the Lakers played the San Antonio Spurs for the third time in their last four games. During the third quarter of Saturday’s game, Russell Westbrook was going up for a layup after previously grabbing a rebound and was fouled on the way up by Spurs center Zach Collins. When Westbrook rose up from the ground heated from the foul, you could see that he had a cut and was visibly bleeding from his forehead.

The two teams got together for what seemed like a couple of seconds after the foul, but everyone was calmly escorted to their respective benches. Westbrook, who was fuming for a good reason, was taken away by LeBron James, who quickly compressed Westbrook’s head wound with a towel and walked him over to the bench to be further examined by the Lakers team doctors.

Once the situation calmed down, a Flagrant 2 foul was given the Collins, and a tech was given to Westbrook. Postgame, James commented on the altercation, saying;

“I saw where the cut was immediately. It was just common sense to put pressure on the cut right away. Don’t let it continue to go. Before we became teammates, we’ve always been like brothers and cool and things of that nature. His health is more important than the game of basketball. We were just trying to stop that and let the training staff do their job after we got him over to the bench.”

Miami center Bam Adebayo has had a quiet yet phenomenal stretch over the Heat’s last six games averaging 25.5 points per game and 10.2 rebounds on 52 percent shooting from the field. However, in Adebayo’s last two games, he has scored over 30 points and has been a key contributor toward the end of games on both the defensive and offensive sides.

The Heat are currently on a three-game win streak led by Adebayo’s diverse and consistent play, and the team looks to carry that momentum into their Wednesday matchup with the 2022 Eastern Conference Champion Celtics. 

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND:

Ja Morant’s father asked for his son’s jersey for the first time in Morant’s career. Morant stated that it was “special” for him to get a triple-double in the Garden and that it was a place that he always had a special feeling for.

Morant admitted after Sunday’s game that MSG was special for him to have a triple-double since it was a place he watched in so many games on television as a kid — which was why his father made the unusual request for his jersey.

“It’s just the bright lights, man,” Morant told ESPN post-game. “Having a triple-double in the Garden is crazy. Growing up actually watching teams come here and play, watching the Knicks play — everybody loves the Garden. We really called it the bright lights. Everybody is watching. So for me to be able to go out and play like I played tonight was big-time for me.”

The post ICYMI: We Got You Covered With Thanksgiving Weekend News appeared first on SLAM.

It didn’t take KD long to get his offense rolling for yet another scoring explosion. He scored seemingly from everywhere on the court. He started the game with a jumper over Josh Hart in a one-on-one matchup.

Wasting no time pic.twitter.com/rImYYldIoa

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 18, 2022

Then he showed how dangerous a threat he is playing off the ball and letting things develop within the offense.

Dangerous on and off the ball pic.twitter.com/ekbtAYTrjW

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 18, 2022

But despite 13 early points from Durant, the Blazers ran off to a first-half lead by knocking down nine of their first 12 shots and used a 42-point second quarter to grab a 75-62 at the break. But finally, after Portland extended the lead to 82-64 in the third quarter, thanks to KD and some timely shots from Seth Curry, Brooklyn outscored the Blazers 39-26 to even it at 101, heading to the final quarter.

Even with Durant’s 38 points with six rebounds and six assists, he praised Curry for sparking a 10-0 spurt with two triples to give Brooklyn a 111-101 lead while he was on the bench.

back in front pic.twitter.com/mrGDAxTL4T

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 19, 2022

“We needed that, and good to see him back out there,” Durant said via ESPN. “He missed a few games with that ankle, but I’m glad he’s getting better, and he was able to come out here and play, and we needed all those points tonight.”

The Nets will need more of the same Monday night as they take on the Utah Jazz at home.

The post Kevin Durant’s 38 Points Spark A Huge Brooklyn Nets Comeback appeared first on SLAM.

But his teammate on both the 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets, Seth Curry, told ESPN’s Nick Friedell that Simmons shouldn’t have to apologize to Philly fans.

“Business is business,” Curry told ESPN after Thursday’s shootaround. “I said from day [one], even when he was out early in the season, people were asking me if I feel like, if Ben comes back, should he apologize to us or whatever? I understand the business; he doesn’t need to apologize to anybody. When he’s on the court, I know he’s going to do his job and he’s going to do what he does. So I understand the business. He was doing what he felt was best for himself business-wise and personal-wise.”

Simmons has yet to play a game this season, last suiting up for the 76ers in the 2021 playoffs, after refusing to play for Philadelphia this year and demanding a trade. Simmons got his wish at the trade deadline and was shipped off the Nets along with Curry and Andre Drummond and draft picks in exchange for James Harden and Paul Millsap.

Simmons has yet to play for Brooklyn either, with Nets Coach Steve Nash stating it’s unlikely he will return before the Nets and 76ers’ matchup in Philadelphia on March 10 due to conditioning issues via the New York Post.

Before this season, Simmons had already established himself as a star in the NBA. He is a three-time All-Star, two-time All-Defensive team selection, and earned a 2019-20 All-NBA team nomination. This has resulted in Simmons having career averages of 15.9 points, 7.7 assists, and 8.1 rebounds per game over his career.

The Nets and 76ers are still in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race, with Philadelphia (35-23) in third place and Brooklyn (31-29) in eighth place.

The post Seth Curry on Ben Simmons’ 76ers Exit: ‘He Doesn’t Need to Apologize’ appeared first on SLAM.

According to NBA Insider Shams Charania, the Nets are flipping the Beard and Paul Millsap for Ben Simmons and 76ers sharpshooter Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and draft capital.

BREAKING: The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers are finalizing trade sending James Harden for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and draft picks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 10, 2022

There was a will-they-won’t-they vibe coming from the Nets as they’ve suffered through a nine-game losing streak after Kevin Durant went down with an MCL sprain, and Harden has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury. They’ve also been contending with Kyrie Irving, who remains unvaccinated but, as a part-time player, gets to play games on the road.

The same goes for the 76ers, who received a trade request from Ben Simmons after being heavily criticized by Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid after the 6ers lost to the Hawks in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. 

Since then, reports have flip-flopped on Harden wanting to leave Brooklyn, only for ESPN to confirm that the Beard does want to leave but is wary of the backlash that’ll come with making a trade request from his second team in as many years. 

Simmons’ trade request also boils down to his reported mental health issues after hearing his coach and long-time teammate publicly question what’s behind his struggles to deliver a title to the 76ers. Before Thursday’s blockbuster trade between the 76ers and Nets, Simmons was linked to the Timberwolves, Kings, Trail Blazers, and the Hawks.

They were asked to essentially sell the house just to acquire Simmons, forcing the Kings out of the Simmons Sweepstakes.

The Nets play the Wizards on Thursday, and the 76ers play the Thunder on Friday.

The post REPORT: James Harden Traded to the 76ers appeared first on SLAM.

Morey’s tweet-in-question is a screenshot of Warriors star point guard Stephen Curry’s Instagram post congratulating his brother Seth Curry for his 30 point performance against the Washington Wizards. Accompanying the photo, Morey tweeted out “join ‘em:” a not-so-subliminal message to Stephen that if he can’t beat the 76ers, the next best option would be to make the city of brotherly love a permanent destination. The tweet racked up over 16,000 likes.

join ’em pic.twitter.com/ta2mxXO92O

— Daryl MorΞy (@dmorey) June 3, 2021

Morey defended the post in a subsequent tweet, asserting that he was simply noting that he was thrilled that Seth Curry is on the 76ers (Curry was one of Morey’s first acquisitions upon joining the 76er’s front office).

“My goodness folks I am talking about the fact that we are all thrilled @sdotcurry is here with the @sixers — nothing else!” Morey then tweeted.

The League, however, seemed to disagree.

$75,000 fine from the league for Daryl Morey’s tweet involving Steph Curry the other day pic.twitter.com/zkXJCwV4XE

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) June 7, 2021

This is not the first time Morey has been the target of a tampering fine from the League; in December 2020, he was fined $50,000 for reposting an old photo celebrating James Harden breaking the Houston Rockets franchise assist record (at that time, the trade market for Harden was in full swing, and many believed the 76ers to be front runners). Morey claimed the tweet was automated, and not intentional.

Stephen Curry is slated to become a free agent after the end of next season.

The post Daryl Morey, Sixers Fined $75,000 For Stephen Curry Tampering Tweet appeared first on SLAM.

Headed to Philadelphia in the swap is sharpshooting combo guard Seth Curry.

The Mavs will additionally received pick No. 36, which they’ve used on Colorado forward Tyler Bey.

The move gives Dallas a defensively-oriented wing and a prospect while trimming approximately three million off Philly’s books. The Sixers, of course, add one of the league’s elite deep threats in Seth Curry.

There is a familiar tie to the deal as well, Curry is married to recently hired Sixers head coach Doc Rivers’ daughter.

The post Dallas to Acquire Josh Richardson in Exchange For Seth Curry appeared first on SLAM.

Curry had a career year for the Mavs back in 2016-17 but missed the entire 2017-18 campaign with an injury an eventually moved on to Oregon. In that lone season with Dallas, however, he averaged 12.8 points per game while shooting .427 from beyond the arc.

Curry ended up improving upon that mark, hitting .450 from three in 2018-19 with Portland.

The post Seth Curry To Sign With Dallas Mavericks appeared first on SLAM.

Steph wore the “International Boulevard” colorway of the 6 en route to a game-high 37 points while Seth rocked a black/red Blazers colorway as he finished with 16 points including a three-pointer in the fourth which put Portland briefly up with a little over a minute to play.

Andre Iguodala had on the “90s Kid” Nike KD 12 as he came up with a clutch strip of Damian Lillard in the final seconds to seal Golden State’s 114-111 victory.

The rest of Game 2’s best kicks are just below.

Photos via Getty Images

The post NBA Playoff Kicks of the Night appeared first on SLAM.

Lillard says he understands that referees weren’t going to step in and determine the outcome at that point, and credited the veteran forward for a great defensive play.

Iggy told reporters he took a calculated risk going for the steal on Dame—who finished with 23 points (on 6-of-16 shooting) and 10 assists—and helped give the Golden State Warriors a 2-0 series lead with a dramatic 114-111 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Per NBC Sports Northwest:

“You know, I got the ball,” Lillard said. “I think they knew we needed a three. I think it was under 10 seconds by the time I got a catch, and a quick two – we didn’t have any timeouts left. I don’t think that would have done much for us.

“We knew we were going to go for the three, so I was just trying to get space to get a three up. I know it’s a tough position for the referees to be in to make a call at that point of the game. I tried to get a little bit of space the first time and he grabbed my arm and I lost the ball a little bit. I regained it and I was going to shoot it again.

“But he got his hand on the ball. For me, as the offensive player, I felt like it was contact. There was a lot of contact. But obviously, the ref is not going to decide the game or jump in at that point. You know, so they – good defensive play.”

Iguodala explained his side of the play:

“Well, you look at the time and situation, up three, so the one thing that you don’t want to do is give up a three. You actually can take risks outside the three-point line and be extra aggressive. The key is not to give that up. If the guy drives by you, then you still have the lead. When you look at it that way, it wasn’t that good of a play. I just take odds on what you want to do and if the odds are in your favor, then for something like that to happen outside the three-point line.”

Related ‘We Stole That Game’: Warriors Take 2-0 Series Lead Against Portland

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The elder Curry’s 37 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists led the Golden State Warriors to a dramatic 114-111 victory over the Trail Blazers, overcoming a 16-points, 4-steal performance from Seth.

Portland now heads back home down 2-0 in the series, and still without any answers for Steph and the Dubs.

Per ESPN:

“It worked out perfectly tonight,” Stephen Curry joked after the game. “He played well, and we won.” The room laughed. It was the perfect older brother thing to say. But damn it, Seth Curry wanted this one. And Sonya wanted it for him, too.

“You know what my prayers have been?” she said, looking over at her younger son. “For Seth to steal the ball from Stephen, go down and hit a shot and lift his arms up.”

Seth actually did that Thursday. In fact, three of his four steals in the game came at the expense of his older brother.

“I feel like I’ve seen every Warrior game over the last 10 years,” Seth Curry said. “Every Steph game. So I feel like I know some of the things they like to do and some of the things he likes to do.”

Related ‘Seth Really Feels Like He’s Better Than Steph’: Curry Brothers Ready for Battle

The post Stephen Curry Outduels Seth Curry in Game 2 appeared first on SLAM.

“They outplayed us the majority of the night,” Kerr told reporters following the win, which included a 17-point comeback from the Warriors.

Stephen Curry (37 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists) outdueled his brother Seth (16 points, 4 steals), and Damian Lillard had his pocket picked by Andre Iguodala with time running out and a chance to tie the game from beyond the arc.

Per The San Fran Chronicle:

“We stole that game,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after his team overcame a 17-point, second-half deficit to seize a 2-0 series lead at Oracle Arena. “I thought they outplayed us the majority of the night.”

Portland guard Damian Lillard — the Oakland native who has led the Blazers to the West finals for the first time in 19 years — went up for a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left, only for Golden State forward Andre Iguodala to knock the ball out of his hands. Iguodala passed the ball to Stephen Curry, who launched it into the air to run out the clock. Curry then found Iguodala next to the Warriors’ bench and, grinning, high-fived Iguodala three times.

This was a celebration befitting a nationally televised larceny.

“They played like a championship team would at home,” Portland head coach Terry Stotts said of the Warriors. “They made plays in the last three minutes and we didn’t. They’ve been at this a long time. There isn’t much they haven’t seen.”

Related Post Up: Curry Bros Shine as Warriors Complete 17-Point Comeback

The post ‘We Stole That Game’: Warriors Take 2-0 Series Lead Against Portland appeared first on SLAM.

The night was all about the Curry Brothers as Steph (37 points, eight rebounds, eight assists) and Seth (16 points, four steals, game-high +13 plus-minus) went head-to-head in Oakland.

Portland led by as many as 17 in the second quarter, but a 39-point third quarter by Golden State sent both sides tied heading into the final frame.

Damian Lillard (23 points, 10 assists) had a chance to tie in Portland’s final possession, but Andre Iguodala stripped the ball away before he could get a shot off.

Draymond Green played a key role, stuffing the stat sheet with 16 blocks, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks.

The post Post Up: Curry Bros Shine as Warriors Complete 17-Point Comeback appeared first on SLAM.

And according to Chris Strachan, a longtime family friend, “Seth really feels like he’s better than Steph. He’s always felt that way.”

The elder Curry brother’s Golden State Warriors will host the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday night.

Per The Athletic:

“Steph was making everything,” Strachan recalled [having watched the brothers play 1-on-1 in the summer of 2013] on Monday. “Seth even blocked a couple of shots and they went in because he blocked them. Seth famously says, ‘Steph is the luckiest dude in the whole world.’ Seth really feels like he’s better than Steph. He’s always felt that way.”

This is a big part of who they are, why they work so well together. Steph and Strachan have the same fervor rooting for Seth. And when Steph is on the court, Seth and Strachan root hard for Steph.

“So many years I watched Steph playing in the Western Conference finals, the NBA Finals, being in the crowd,” Seth told reporters this week.

“So it’s going to be fun to be out there on the court, competing to get to (the Finals). It’s a dream come true for us two.”

Related Damian Lillard: Blazers ‘Really Confident’ vs Golden State

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The Blazers and Nuggets have been neck and neck all series, and with Portland pulling away 104-90 late in Game 6, things got heated between the two teams. Will Barton and Seth Curry shoved each other, culminating in Barton sticking his finger in Curry’s eye.

Safe to say the encounter did not sit well with Seth, who called it “really sassy.”

Curry has performed respectably in this bloodbath of a series, especially in Game 4, when he drained 4-6 threes off the bench for 16 points.

Barton has had a similar impact for the Nuggets. When he scored over 9 points, the Nuggets have gone 3-1 in the series. But when he fails to reach that threshold, Denver has been beaten both times.

Game 7 is Sunday. Grab your popcorn. And your eye patches.

RELATED: Damian Lillard Pushes Blazers to Game 7 vs Denver

The post Seth Curry: Nuggets ‘Got A Few Sassy Dudes Over There’ appeared first on SLAM.

Lillard is unfazed by the fact that he’ll be going up against Stephen Curry and his younger brother Seth.

“I’m shooting against the Curry’s in they hometown… I’m going to win, I’m in there to win.” — @Dame_Lillard

— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) January 29, 2019

Dame plans on beating the sharp-shooting brothers “in their hometown” of Charlotte.

Per The Oregonian:

“I’m going to win,” Lillard said after practice on Tuesday. “I’m in there to win so of course I think I’m going to win.”

Lillard confirmed reports last weekend that he and teammate Seth Curry will participate in the event during NBA All-Star weekend next month (Feb. 15-17).

“We’re going to be in there together, that’s confirmed,” Lillard said. “I know he’s in and I’m in. I’m shooting against the Currys, in their hometown.”

This year will give Lillard — who attempts eight triples per game and is eighth in the NBA in threes made this season with 142 — another chance at the three-point crown after coming up short in 2014 under the East vs. West format.

“I’m coming back for it this year.”

The post ‘I’m Going to Win’: Damian Lillard Predicts Three-Point Contest Victory appeared first on SLAM.

Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry will have season-ending surgery on his left tibia, league sources tell ESPN. Recovery process is expected to take 12-14 weeks, and Curry is expected to be fully recovered and on the court by the start of July 1 free agency.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2018

The 27-year-old Curry has not played this season and will hit free agency over the summer. He averaged 12.8 points per game in the 2016-17 campaign.

RELATED
Seth Curry Says He Thinks He’s A Better Shooter Than Stephen Curry

The post Report: Seth Curry To Have Season-Ending Surgery appeared first on SLAM.

Today at 6pm PST, the last day of the SC30 Camp, Under Armour will host the first ever Select HS Showcase at the Kezar Pavillion in San Francisco. The game will be broadcasted live on ESPNU. It’s open to the public and admission is free.

Put in work. #DubNation come @StephenCurry30 and the 's top HS players at the #SC30Select Showcase Game Tues, Aug. 8 at Kezar Pavillion. pic.twitter.com/9aCPJTCiWJ

— Under Armour Basketball (@UAbasketball) August 8, 2017

Related
Stephen Curry Debuts The Under Armour Curry 4
Dennis Smith Jr Agrees To Three Year Deal With Under Armour
Under Armor Announces First SC30 Select HS Showcase

h/t Ballislife

The post Steph Curry Teams Up With JellyFam At SC30 Select Camp appeared first on SLAM.

There’s some natural gifts in there, and playing ball with his father and brother his whole life has certainly helped, but one of Steph’s go-to training methods to improve his hand-eye coordination and thought process is the FITLIGHT Trainer.

Curry uses FITLIGHT to gain the mental edge on his opponents by overloading his brain while he trains.

FITLIGHT’s trying to improve lives by providing new training methods. Their mission is to “Move, Measure and Motivate.”

They make people move with their innovative FITLIGHTS. As each one goes off, he has to turn them off by either waving his hand over them or hitting them. His overall reaction time and his reaction time for each light is recorded.

When the FITLIGHT Trainer crew brought the lights into our office, we set up four of them on the floor. Using the Dashboard Tablet, we customized how we wanted to train. We went for the randomized program and decided to try our luck with just waving our hands over the lights, rather than having to hit the lights.

It was showtime. The lights started blinking right away, showing no mercy. They quickly changed and the 10-second trial run was a wrap too quickly. It was addicting. Needed another shot.

We went back to the Tablet and readjusted the settings, speeding up the activation time of the lights.

That’s not the only thing that can be customized, though. There are endless combinations of how many lights you use, how much time you to have hit them, which order they light up in and so much more. The Raptors have a wall with 50 FITLIGHTS on it. Curry, Nick Young, DeMar DeRozan and other hoopers use anywhere from 12 to 24 lights at a time. Curry puts them on a pole, while Young dives on the floor to use them.

After we were moving, it was time to measure our stats on the Tablet. We had set the reaction time between each light to a blazing fast 1.5 seconds and for all four of them, we were under that mark. In total, hitting the four lights in succession took just under 6 seconds, which looked a whole better than the rest of the times we recorded.

But we weren’t dribbling a basketball. We weren’t running around. We weren’t trying to catch a tennis ball and then turn those lights off.

FITLIGHT is all about motivation. You can share your stats with your friends, like Stephen does with his brother Seth. Stephen can see where Seth’s at and try to one-up him. Or if you’re just trying to get your own mind to react a little bit faster, you can easily compete with your friends by just tapping a few buttons on the Tablets. Move enough, motivate yourself, put in enough work and you could be cooking like the Chef.

Related
WATCH: Stephen Curry Explains His Basketball ‘Dominance’

—

Find out more about FITLIGHT on their website. 

The post Cookin’ Like the Chef appeared first on SLAM.

Little brother Seth Curry was on Fox Sports 1’s Undisputed this morning and was asked if he was a better shooter than Steph and replied “I think so.”

Are you a better shooter than Steph?
"I think so." — @sdotcurry@StephenCurry30: 46.8 FG%
Seth Curry: 48.1 FG% pic.twitter.com/6czOoDjeLK

— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 23, 2017

Seth also said that he and his brother split one-on-one games and shooting games “50-50” in the backyard when they were kids. This past season, the younger Curry shot a higher percentage from three than his older bro. But Stephen hit an NBA-high 324 long-distance shots, while Seth made 137.

Only way to settle this one is with a three-point contest at All-Star Weekend.

Related
Best Sneakers Of 2016-17: Under Armour Curry 3

The post Seth Curry Says He Thinks He’s A Better Shooter Than Stephen Curry appeared first on SLAM.

While they were floating around the court this season, they were wearing the Under Armour Curry 3. It was the first Curry sneaker to feature UA’s Threadborne technology. Designer Kort Neumann incorporated the high-tension threads to help the Curry 3 stay adaptive and responsive.

“The level of how you can customize [Threadborne] is amazing,” Neumann told us before the ’16-’17 season started. “There’s so many different variations of how you can apply it that it really took us a little while to figure out how to get the best of both worlds, in terms of performance and aesthetics. Depending on category, the Threadborne can look different because of the different performance attributes that are needed.”

Throughout the season, the Curry brothers wore multiple colorways of the 3. While Seth went with clean, simple looks for his Mavs colorways, Steph had several meaningful ‘ways. There was the “Back2Back,” which honored President Obama, the “Oakland Strong” version to help those who had been devastated by the fires that were raging back in December and the “Dubfetti” joints that celebrated the two-time MVP’s 29th birthday. The brothers also laced up a special “Family Business” colorway when they matched up against each other in March.

Seth’s Mavs team didn’t make the playoffs, but Steph is currently wearing the Curry 3ZER0 during his postseason run. Scroll through the gallery above to see the brothers dancin’ on fools in the best colors of the Curry 3.

Photos courtesy of Getty Images

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The “Family Business” Curry 3s feature a shade of blue that both the Mavs and Dubs uniforms share and an insole that reads “SHOTGUN!” That’s a reference to their backyard one-on-one battles, where the winner got to sit in the front seat when they rode to Charlotte Hornets games with their dad, Dell. The “Family Business” joints also have a blue to white gradient and clear outsole.

Check out pictures of the low and mid versions in the gallery above.

Photos courtesy of NiceKicks

The post Under Armour Curry 3 ‘Family Business’ appeared first on SLAM.

DeMar DeRozan‘s 42 points topped Jimmy Butler‘s 37, as the Raptors rallied with a late 16-0 run to claim an OT victory. Rajon Rondo had his best performance of the season, netting 24 points with eight dimes. The loss represented the latest blow to Chicago’s playoff chances, as the Bulls now sit two games behind Miami for the eighth see of the Eastern Conference.

What’s likely to generate conversation around the league, however, was Robin Lopez & Serge Ibaka‘s third quarter brawl. Each man appeared to throw punches during the altercation, which may result in fines/penalties.

Robin Lopez and Serge Ibaka got into it (via @NBAOfficial) pic.twitter.com/cEu5WA34F1

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 22, 2017

Nets 98 (14-56), Pistons 96 (34-37)

In what’s been a trying season for the Nets (to put it lightly), Brook Lopez hit a game-winner at the buzzer to send the fans home happy. Lopez recorded 29 on the night, to go with 15 from Caris LeVert and 10 from 10-day signee Archie Goodwin. The Pistons are one game out of the playoff chase with Tuesday’s loss, and Stan an Gundy isn’t happy with his team’s performance.

“The team that played harder and with more energy won the game,” Van Gundy said. “Ish Smith came into the locker room and said, ‘I knew that was going in when he shot it.’ He said it coming down the hallway. I don’t know if I believe in karma. We didn’t deserve to win tonight, they did deserve to win tonight.”

Heat 112 (35-36), Suns 97 (22-49)

After dropping 23 points with 14 boards, Hassan Whiteside had to depart last night’s game to get 13 stitches on his right hand. While Erik Spoelstra and the Heat are obviously concerned for Whiteside’s health, they claimed sole possession of the eighth seed thanks to 17 points from Tyler Johnson and 16 from Goran Dragic. The Suns weren’t without solid performances- Marquese Chriss scored a team-high 24 points- but Phoenix is in full-blown tank mode.

Pelicans 95 (30-41), Grizzlies 82 (40-31)

True, the Pelicans topped a struggling Grizzlies team (now 4-6 over their last 10), but the Boogie/Brow pairing certainly seems improved since their rocky start. AD dropped 19p/13r while Cousins went off for 41 points/17 boards. The Pels still have just a 2% chance of making the playoffs, per Five Thirty Eight, but a nice late season run could incentive Boogie to re-sign in NOLA.

Warriors 112 (57-14), Mavericks 87 (30-40)

What was billed as a family competition between the Curry brothers quickly turned into a rout, as Golden State outscored Dallas 63-41 between the second and third quarters. Klay Thompson led all scorers with 23 points, Stephen Curry added 17, and Ian Clark recorded 18 off the bench. Dallas’ swoon continued with Tuesday’s loss, as the Mavs have now lost by 20+ in three of their last five games.

Spurs 100 (54-16), Timberwolves 93 (28-42)

The end result was closer than the Spurs would have liked, but San Antonio has now gone 7-3 over their last 10, in prime position to clinch the second seed while resting their starters down the stretch. LaMarcus Aldridge went for a team-high 26 points, Kawhi Leonard added 22, and vets Pau Gasol and Manu Ginobili scored 11 apiece. If nothing else, Andrew Wiggins gave the Wolves a highlight by dunking all over Gasol.

My GOODNESS, @22wiggins pic.twitter.com/GVvFNJfkMB

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 22, 2017

Bucks 93 (35-35), Trail Blazers 90 (32-38)

Damian Lillard had a game-high 31 points (and claimed John Henson’s ankles), but Khris Middleton‘s 26 points carried Milwaukee to a much-needed win. Giannis Antetokounpo scored 22 points with eight boards while Greg Monroe had 9p/9r. The loss drops Portland to one game behind Denver for the eighth seed, while Milwaukee moved past Miami into the seventh seed.

Clippers 133 (43-29), Lakers 109 (20-51)

This one got out of hand early for the Lakers, as the Clippers entered halftime with a 70-40 lead. Chris Paul and J.J. Redick scored 27 and 24 points, respectively, while Austin Rivers scored 18 off the bench. With the W, Doc Rivers and the Clippers are up two games on OKC for the fifth seed of the Western Conference.

The post Post Up: Playoff Implications appeared first on SLAM.

Trailing by as much as 17, the Raptors fought their way back at Madison Square Garden, thanks in large part to the play of DeMar DeRozan. The fifth leading scorer in the League dropped a cool 37 points on 13/25 shooting, and hit the game-winner. Melo had a chance to steal the spotlight, but couldn’t get his last second attempt to fall:

Goodbye, headband pic.twitter.com/aYHPhV84pT

— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) February 28, 2017

Toronto has now won four games in a row.

Warriors 119 (5o-9), 76ers 108 (22-37)

It was a rough night for Stephen Curry, as the two-time reigning MVP shot a career-worst 0-11 from three-point range. KD helped pick up the slack, dropping 27 points and grabbing 8 boards.

Durant doing work. pic.twitter.com/yR2K7e0gc7

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 28, 2017

With the double-digit victory, Golden State reached the 50-win mark for the fourth straight season. The bright spot for Philly was rookie Dario Saric: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists.

Cavaliers 102 (41-17), Bucks 95 (26-32)

After battling strep throat, LeBron suited up tonight and posted 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. His teammate Kyrie did his thing as well, pitching in 25 and 9 dimes.

Uncle Drew alert pic.twitter.com/ZT411wMuB0

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 28, 2017

Giannis just couldn’t get anything going for Milwaukee. He scored nine points on 4/13 from the field. Malcolm Brogdon impressed, however, notching 20 points in 31 minutes off the bench.

Hawks 114 (33-26), Celtics 98 (38-22)

After picking up two technicals, Dwight Howard was forced to leave this one early, but not before the big fella recorded 17 points and 12 boards. He also trolled a Celtics fan on his way out.

That’s cold, Dwight (via @ESPNNBA) pic.twitter.com/EKwKRQP1At

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 28, 2017

Dennis Schroder led all scorers with 21. Isaiah Thomas had 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, but shot just 4/21 from the field. The one positive for the Cs: Avery Bradley returned after missing 22 of the last 23 games with an Achilles injury. He had 6 points in 15 minutes of action.

Mavericks 96 (24-35), Heat 89 (27-33)

On a night where Stephen Curry couldn’t buy a bucket, Seth Curry was on fire. The sharpshooter scored 29 points on 10/17 from the field and 5/7 from deep, helping to hand the Heat just their third loss in 19 games. Goran Dragic (24 points) and Hassan Whiteside (19p/19r) did work for Miami.

Pacers 117 (31-29), Rockets 108 (42-19)

Down by 11 after the first quarter, Indiana used an impressive second (39-27) to get back into this one. Though Paul George struggled to get buckets (only 5/16), the Pacers managed to shoot 43% from deep and score 117 points. Jeff Teague led the way with 25, and Stuckey added 17 off the bench. In just his third game with the Rockets, Louis Williams dropped 28 points in 28 minutes and had a number of big plays in the fourth quarter. Looks like it was a solid mid-season acquisition for Houston.

LOU WILL. (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/WDoilEUojB

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) February 28, 2017

Timberwolves 102 (24-36), Kings 88 (25-36)

KAT went off in this one, posting 29 points and 17 rebounds on 13/19. Andrew Wiggins contributed 27 as well. No one scored more than 14 for the Kings, with six guys reaching double figures (Koufos, Cauley-Stein, Collison, Lawson, McLemore, and Evans). Minnesota has won three of their last four, while the Kings have dropped their last two.

The post Post Up: DeMar’s Masterpiece appeared first on SLAM.

Check out the best of the Curry’s night above.

Related
Kevin Durant Told Stephen Curry to “Get In His Bag and Be Aggressive”

The post WATCH: Stephen, Seth and Dell Curry Have a Big Night appeared first on SLAM.

For the first time in 66 years (Jan. 23, 1951), the Knicks played in a quadruple overtime game. It seemed this one would never end, as guys hit clutch bucket after clutch bucket.

Courtney Lee drills the clutch three. We are heading to TRIPLE OVERTIME. pic.twitter.com/u5Azq3uGS3

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) January 29, 2017

Overall, the marathon lasted nearly four hours, with five players (including Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Dwight Howard) fouling out. Paul Millsap became just the 16th player since 1983 to log 60+ minutes, posting 37 points, 19 rebounds, and 7 assists. Melo did work before picking up his sixth foul in the second overtime, scoring 45 points. It was the first time since Nov. 2014 that Anthony dropped 40+. What a game.

Cavaliers 107 (32-14), Thunder 91 (28-20)

Cleveland got off to a slow start in this one but came alive in the second quarter, winning the period 37-21. They never look back from there, cruising to their 32nd victory of the season. Kyrie Irving dropped 29 and had a few ridiculous moves. The King had 25, 14 boards, and 8 assists. For OKC, Russ notched his 24th triple-double of the season (20p/12r/10a) but shot poorly from the field (7/26). The Cavs have won two straight after a rough stretch.

Pacers 120 (25-22), Rockets 101 (35-16)

Indiana won their third game in a row behind 33 points and 9 rebounds from Paul George, including one poster slam. It was the fourth consecutive outing that George topped the 30-point mark. Harden really struggled to get going, scoring just 15 points on 3/17 shooting and turning the ball over eight times.

Wizards 107 (27-20), Pelicans 94 (19-29)

John Wall did work in New Orleans, dropping 18 points and dishing out a career-high 19 assists. His backcourt mate, Bradley Beal, pitched in 27 points on 11/16 shooting. Anthony Davis had a monster game (36p/17r) for the Pels. The Wizards have won four in a row.

Magic 114 (19-30), Raptors 113 (29-19)

DeMar DeRozan returned for the Raps, but their struggles continued. Orlando shot 53% from the field and 44% from deep and snapped a three-game skid. Vucevic led the way with 25 points and 10 boards. Lowry had 33 and 8 assists. Toronto has lost six of their last seven.

Bulls 121 (24-25), 76ers 108 (17-29)

Chicago bounced back from a rough week on and off the court with a 13-point victory over Philly. Jimmy got buckets (28p) and Robin Lopez had a season-high 21. D-Wade had the highlight of the game, however:

Got em. pic.twitter.com/9JEAtJeaAW

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) January 30, 2017

Ersan Ilyasova had a season-high 31 points for the Sixers.

Mavericks 105 (17-30), Spurs 101 (36-11)

This was the Seth Curry show, as the solidified starter recorded a career-high 24 points and dished out 10 assists en route to an upset, come-from-behind win. The Mavs had lost their previous 12 games in San Antonio. Kawhi Leonard had 24 to lead the Spurs.

Warriors 113 (41-7), Trail Blazers 111 (21-28)

The Blazers refused to give up in this one, fighting their way back a number of times. Stephen Curry sat out with the stomach flu, but Kevin Durant (33p/10r) and Klay Thompson (27p/6r) proved too much to overcome. CJ McCollum posted 25 points for Portland, and made the defense look silly on this play:

CJ showing out. pic.twitter.com/nIqd5AxbJ9

— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) January 30, 2017

Golden State has won 10 of their last 11.

The post Post Up: The Marathon Game appeared first on SLAM.

That game—and a handful of others late last season, when few were watching—transformed Curry’s career.

“I knew I had it in me,” he says of his sizzling stretch. “During the year, I wasn’t playing consistently, but when I got in, I played well. I’d play five minutes here, six minutes here, 12 minutes—but I felt like I was effective, that I could help the team out.”

In July, Curry, 26, parlayed a nice run into a two-year deal with the Mavericks for $6 million. It is not a sexy contract (in a summer full of them), but it is two guaranteed years with one of the League’s steadiest franchises. That’s a big deal for Curry, who has spent the past three seasons bouncing between the East and West, the majors and minors. All the while, of course, his career has existed in the minds of many as a sort of footnote to that of his brother, Stephen. We have viewed Seth’s game with our Steph Goggles on: Wow! Sweet play! He almost looked like his brother there! Maybe that’s inescapable at this point. Or maybe it’ll change when Seth breaks through.

“I showed a lot at the end of last season with Sacramento—that I can play on the ball and make plays,” says Seth. Over seven games in April, playing both guard spots, he averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 dimes and 3 boards per. His sharp-shooting (3.3 threes at 49 percent) and his low turnover rate suggest he can truly compete (and thrive) at the NBA level.

“Obviously, people know me for my shooting. But [head coach Rick Carlisle] was talking about being versatile here. The good thing about this system is that he never really labels his guys point guards or shooting guards. He just plays guards who can do a lot of different things.”

A combo guard himself, Curry makes for an easy fit with the Mavs, a team eternally starved for young talent. Dallas has a fairly crowded backcourt, as Deron Williams, JJ Barea, Devin Harris and Wesley Matthews will return this season. But Williams, Barea and Harris are all 32 or 33 years old, and none is a particularly good three-point shooter. Beyond some flashes from Justin Anderson’s rookie campaign, there is little depth behind Matthews on the wing. This is a dream scenario for an up-and-comer with some polished skills.

Says Carlisle, “We have to get younger, and he’s the right age where we feel like he’s young enough to still take a quantum leap, and he’s experienced enough to help us now.”

That sort of faith in Curry is new. Three years ago, he went undrafted out of Duke. Golden State signed him to play for its D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz. Memphis picked him up, then cut him. Cleveland picked him up, then sent him to the D-League’s Erie Bayhawks. Orlando picked him up, then waived him. Phoenix picked him up for 10 days to play a total of eight minutes.

“Every time I was let go, I was disappointed because I felt like I never got on the floor to show what I could do,” Curry says. “It’s tough coming into a team that you weren’t with in training camp, trying to establish yourself on a 10-day contract situation when there’s a lot of odds against you. I don’t blame them for not giving me those chances, but I felt like I deserved them.”

Even last year, on a guaranteed (minimum) deal in Sacramento, Curry dealt with major problems. DeMarcus Cousins and George Karl feuded in November. The Kings nearly fired Karl midseason, then didn’t—a non-move that Caron Butler called “deflating.” Rondo labeled it the most tense locker room he’d ever seen. The team won just 33 games. On July 3, Sacramento effectively cut Curry to make room for Matt Barnes.

But Curry just kept his head up, focusing on the good stuff.

“It was a great learning experience,” he says of his time in Sacramento. “I liked everybody in the locker room as a person—there were just some headlines and some problems. But that taught me a lot about professionalism. Being around Caron was huge. Even at this point in his career, he’s still in the gym with me early in the morning, getting his work in, putting the time in, staying positive. Whether you’re getting minutes or not, you gotta go in and do your job and play for the fans.”

That shouldn’t be difficult to do in Dallas, where Curry will finally find stability.

“The past few years I’ve been in the League, I’ve really noticed how important that structure and direction is for a team,” Curry says. “Going to a place that’s already established, where I can just come in and get better and keep doing things the right way, it’s gonna make it a lot easier to win. I don’t want to take what I did last year and then take a step back. I want to move forward, grow from it and be a consistent NBA player.”

—

Leo Sepkowitz is an Editorial Assistant at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @LeoSepkowitz. Photo via Getty Images.

The post My Time appeared first on SLAM.

Over the summer, Stephen Curry’s younger brother Seth signed a two-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. And last night, the 26-year-old guard went 7-13 from the field and dropped a casual 20, leading his team to a preseason victory over the Hornets.

Per ESPN‘s Tim MacMahon, Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle had high praise for his new acquisition: “He can get it going quick. I love his aggression, and he’s shown he can play both guard positions. Lot of positives, and he’s gearing up his posture and disposition on defense. He’s been picked on for a couple years — and I’ve talked to him a lot about it, our coaches have. He’s making a stronger stand defensively, and I think he’s going to keep getting stronger.”

Check out the highlight video from the game above.

Report
Seth Curry to Reportedly Sign Two-Year, $6 Million Deal With Dallas
WATCH: Seth Curry 2015-16 Season Highlights

The post WATCH: Seth Curry Drops 20 In Mavericks Win appeared first on SLAM.

Curry, 25, did well coming off the bench for the Sacramento Kings last season.

Sources: Seth Curry finalizing two-year, $6 million deal with Mavericks. @WojVerticalNBA report on @TheVertical. https://t.co/Op90f5nCeE

— The Vertical (@TheVertical) July 5, 2016

The Kings rescinded their qualifying offer for Stephen Curry’s younger brother on Sunday, thus making him an unrestricted free agent.

Per Yahoo:

The Mavericks made strides in filling out their roster Monday, trading for Golden State center Andrew Bogut and reaching agreement with forward Harrison Barnes on a four-year, $94 million max contract, league sources said.

 

The Kings reached an agreement on a three-year deal with free-agent guard Garrett Temple on Sunday, pushing their roster even deeper with guards. Seth Curry had been a restricted free agent, which means the Kings could’ve matched any offer sheet for him within a three-day waiting period.

 

Curry, 25, had the best season of his young NBA career with the Kings, including a stretch starting games late in the season and averaging 14 points. Curry chose to opt out of the second year of a two-year, $2 million contract this summer. […] Curry had brief 10-day contract stops with Phoenix, Cleveland and Memphis between trips to the NBA Development League since going unselected in the 2013 NBA draft.

Keep up with the latest signings during the July free-agency period by following our 2016 NBA Free Agent Tracker.

The post Seth Curry to Reportedly Sign Two-Year, $6 Million Deal With Dallas appeared first on SLAM.

The Kings PG finally got a chance to play consistent minutes during the final three weeks of the 2015-16 regular season, and showed incredible range and good court vision.

Curry averaged 29.7 minutes per game in the final 11 games, putting up averages of 15.2 points and 3.8 assists while making 2.8 threes on 48.4 percent shooting from outside.

The post WATCH: Seth Curry 2015-16 Season Highlights appeared first on SLAM.

Cleveland snapped a two-game losing streak to secure the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference behind Kyrie Irving’s 35 points and LeBron James’ 34 points (13-16 shooting).

Bucks 98 (33-48), Magic 107 (35-46)

Starting for an injured Victor Oladipo, rookie Mario Hezonja recorded 19 points, 7 assists and 5 steals to help Orlando finish the season 5-1 at home.

Hornets 114 (47-34), Celtics 100 (47-34)

Jeremy Lin led Charlotte on a 31-3 run over the final eight minutes of the second quarter and finished with a game-high 25 points.

Wizards 120 (40-41), Nets 111 (21-60)

Washington rolled without John Wall and Bradley Beal. Wizards rookie Kelly Oubre had a nice moment to end the first half with this three-ball:

https://vine.co/v/iTj9Oj51TOP

Rockets 129 (40-41), T-Wolves 116 (28-53)

The Rockets rolled past the Wolves to keep their playoff hopes alive. James Harden finished with 34 points and was able to sit the entire fourth quarter. The Rockets now control their playoff chances in their final game of the regular season on Wednesday vs Sacramento.

Bulls 121 (41-40), Pelicans 116 (30-51)

Jimmy Butler scored 12 of his 23 points in the last six minutes to help Chicago pull off the win. Tim Frazier led the Pels with 20 points and 11 assists.

Lakers 79 (16-65), Thunder 112 (55-26)

OKC trounced the Lakers in final road game of Kobe’s career. Kevin Durant scored 34 points in 27 minutes and Russell Westbrook is the first player to get a triple-double in the first half since 1997. Kobe Bryant scored all 13 of his points in the first quarter.

Respect. pic.twitter.com/PwgQhu8M8P

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 12, 2016

Mavs 101 (42-39), Jazz 92 (40-41)

Dirk Nowitzki recorded a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Dallas’ 101-92 win over Utah to clinch a playoff spot. Rudy Gobert left the game in the second quarter with a right ankle injury.

Kings 105 (33-48), Suns 101 (22-59)

It was the Seth Curry show as he led the Kings with 20 points, 15 assists and some silky smooth plays.

https://vine.co/v/iTTu3r7raPr

https://vine.co/v/iTTbMLYwmwM

The post Post Up: Playoff-Bound Mavs appeared first on SLAM.

It may have been a meaningless game in Phoenix, but Seth Curry put on a show against the Suns on Monday night.

Curry, drawing his eighth start of the season, recorded his first career double-double by the third quarter and drained an impressive array of shots, including the three-pointer in the video above.

The post WATCH: Seth Curry Fakes Defender, Drains Three-Pointer appeared first on SLAM.

The Grizzlies may have given Golden State a run for their money, but the Warriors are still in pursuit of their record 73rd victory. Facing a 10-point deficit halfway through the fourth quarter, Golden State staged a late run to hand Memphis a devastating one-point defeat. While Memphis had their chances to knot the game up, a late no-call on Draymond Green would prove to be a defining moment in Saturday’s contest. What do you think- did Green get away with excessive contact on Vince Carter?

Celtics 107 (47-33), Hawks 118 (48-32)

A huge night from Paul Millsap helped Atlanta claim sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference. Jeff Teague and Kent Bazemore combined for 45 points, while Dennis Schroder added 15 off the bench. Teague put the game away for good with this late steal:

Cavaliers 102 (56-24), Bulls 105 (40-40)

LeBron James dropped 33 points with seven boards on Chicago, but the Bulls would ultimately prevail to keep their playoff hopes alive for another day. Jimmy Butler scored 21, and Chicago received 16 points from an unlikely source; 23-year-old Cristiano Felicio, who entered the contest averaging just 2.4 points per game.

https://vine.co/v/iTq9w69WEDu

Suns 121 (22-58), Pelicans 100 (30-50)

Mirza Teletovic and Archie Goodwin, two mainstays of Phoenix’s rotation this season, combined for 46 points in a lopsided win for the Suns. While Toney Douglas led NOLA’s offense with 23 points, recent 10-day contract signing James Ennis added 18 in his audition for a roster spot next season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvEJTakcMAE&ab_channel=DownToBuck

Timberwolves 106 (28-52), Trail Blazers 105 (43-38)

The Timberwolves won their third straight thanks to 27 points from Karl-Anthony Towns, 23 from Andrew Wiggins, and a double-double from Nemanja Bjelica. Damian Lillard ignited the arena with an improbable four-point play, but Towns ended the game with this floater:

Karl-Anthony Towns closing the show in Portland:https://t.co/xiaSPqv6Yg

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 10, 2016

Kings 114 (32-48), Thunder 112 (54-26)

Talk about a fitting send-off! In Sacramento’s final game played at the Sleep Train Arena, the Kings (listed as three-to-one underdogs) pulled off a huge upset at OKC’s expense. Seth Curry, Rudy Gay, and Darren Collison all scored at least 20 points, overcoming a night of 48.1 percent shooting from the Thunder. In honor of the landmark night, the Kings brought some familiar faces back to Sacramento.

Bibby and Peja! #SacramentoProud @SacramentoKings pic.twitter.com/4LBiQoZ9cE

— NBA (@NBA) April 10, 2016

The post Post Up: Closer to 73 appeared first on SLAM.

Seth Curry (5/7 3PT at the half) is now shooting better from downtown this season (45.8%) than Steph (45.2%).

— Alex Kramers (@alexkramers) April 10, 2016

The post Seth Curry Torches OKC with Five First Half Three-Pointers (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

The post WATCH: Seth Curry Hits Willie Cauley-Stein with No-Look Oop appeared first on SLAM.

The T-Wolves haven’t been able to produce a successful 2015-16 campaign on the whole, but the team’s young talent played to their potential in a back-and-forth 2OT victory over Washington. Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine combined for 52 points, while Gorgui Dieng hit a game-tying trey in a win that bumped the Wizards to 3.5 games behind the eighth seed of the Eastern Conference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKM_rnjJINI&ab_channel=NBAHighlights

Despite an impressive 22-point, 16-assist night from John Wall, and 26 points from Bradley Beal, this may be remembered as the loss that (unofficially) eliminated the Wizards from playoff contention.

“Pretty devastating,” Wall said of the loss. “We know how important it was. Probably the game of the year.”

“It’s a horrible loss, just plain and simple,” Beal said. “There’s no explanation about it. We shouldn’t have lost that game.”

Mavericks 120 (35-37), Warriors 128 (65-7)

Stephen Curry and the Warriors presented David Lee with his 2014-15 championship ring before the game, showing respect to the role player who averaged 7.9 points with 5.2 rebounds last season in Golden State.

Congrats to @Dlee042 on getting his #DALatGSWhttps://t.co/rg4wznXYS5

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) March 26, 2016

Once the game started, however, it was business as usual for the Warriors, as Klay Thompson lit up Dallas for 40 points while Steph Curry (33 points, eight rebounds, eight assists) did Steph Curry things. With the W, Golden State has now set the all-time NBA record for most three-pointers (934) in a season.

Stephen Curry at the buzzer https://t.co/3LGfyme237

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 26, 2016

Nuggets 116 (31-42), Lakers 105 (15-57)

The Lakers weren’t without moral victories in Friday’s defeat. Julius Randle posted an improbable triple-double, recording 13 points with 18 boards and 10 dimes. What’s more, Kobe Bryant looked his old self, adding 28 points on 45.4 percent shooting. The Nuggets’ second unit poured it on, however, as Will Barton, Jusuf Nurkic, and D.J. Augustin combined for 54 points in Denver’s second consecutive W. D’Angelo Russell, who departed the game with an apparent ankle injury, may not miss time due to the ailment.

D’Angelo Russell has a moderate sprain of his right ankle. X-Rays were negative. He’s out for tonight, will be re-evaluated tomorrow.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 26, 2016

Hornets 105 (41-31), Pistons 112 (39-34)

The Pistons maintained their grasp on the eighth seed of the Eastern Conference, riding Marcus Morris and KCP’s combined 41 points to their fifth-straight W. Forgoing a conventional rotation, Charlotte head coach Steve Clifford gave minutes to each of his 13 players, yielding mixed results. Kemba Walker dropped 29 points, but the team shot 39.8 percent overall while getting out-rebounded 62-42.

Fun tidbit from Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy:

(Stanley ill-advised jumper)
Fan: "Get him outta there Stan!"
SVG: "He's comin out."#Pistons up 23 5:23 to go

— Jake Chapman (@JakeChapmanOM) March 26, 2016

Magic 97 (29-43), Heat 108 (42-30)

Goran Dragic completed his first dunk as a member of the Heat, capturing the imagination of those in attendance at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Meanwhile, Hassan Whiteside continues to make a case for a max contract, as the big man notched 26 points with 12 boards off the bench, helping Miami improve to a 3-1 mark over their last four games.

Bucks 90 (30-43), Hawks 101 (43-40)

The Hawks were seemingly dunking at will against the scuffling Bucks, as Milwaukee fell to a dismal 9-29 on the road this season. Jeff Teague’s 12 fourth quarter points helped solidify Atlanta’s second straight victory.

Mike Scott dropping the hammer on this one-handed slam!https://t.co/p3x9m6JsHo

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 26, 2016

Raptors 109 (48-23), Rockets 112 (36-37)

NBA officials showed birthday boy Kyle Lowry no love, ejecting the two-time All-Star in the final moments of the fourth quarter. The Rockets narrowly held on to victory despite a triple-double from James Harden and a 21-point showing from Michael Beasley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O31LqmSNk_Q&ab_channel=DownToBuck

Grizzlies 104 (41-32), Spurs 110 (61-11)

Another night, another Spurs victory at home. Coach Gregg Popovich’s squad remained perfect at the AT&T Center despite 20 points from JaMychal Green and 17 from Lance Stephenson. With Patty Mills and Danny Green each receiving nights of rest, Kyle Anderson and Kevin Martin each received extended looks.

33-year-old Kevin Martin is the youngest player on the court right now for the Spurs.

— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) March 26, 2016

Suns 94 (20-52), Kings 116 (28-44)

DeMarcus Cousins led the way in Sacramento’s rout of the Suns, as Boogie totaled 29 points with 11 boards while Willie Cauley-Stein pitched in with a career-high 26 points. Seth Curry scored 12 points, including this smooth floater early on:

Seth Curry with the smooth floater: https://t.co/I7UGWdBGLH

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 26, 2016

Alan Williams, a 23-year-old undrafted rookie who signed a multi-year deal with Phoenix, recorded his first NBA field goal after making four previous appearances for the Suns. Congrats, Alan!

Great to see @alantwilliams get his first FG for the team he grew up watching. #SunsAtKings

— Matt Petersen (@TheMattPetersen) March 26, 2016

The post Post Up: Hungry Wolves appeared first on SLAM.

They rank 22nd in points allowed per possession and give up a League worst 10.3 three-pointers per game.

While the numbers may not exactly back him up, George Karl said that Seth Curry has been the team’s best-on ball defender, and that’s earned him more playing time recently.

“Seth is a guy that—I didn’t think I’d be saying [this] a month ago—is our best defensive player,” Karl said. “But I give him credit that in the Dallas game he stayed on the court because he was the one guy who could control the ball.”

Curry, who lit up Summer League for 24.3 ppg on 45.9 percent shooting, played a career-high 36 minutes against the Mavs because he, according to Karl, “was the one guy who could control the ball.”

After Sacramento blew a 27-point lead to the Lakers on Thursday, the Kings are looking to establish a defensive identity. Curry’s play on the other side of the ball, oddly enough, may be earning him more playing time.

The post George Karl Says Seth Curry Is The Kings’ Best Defensive Player appeared first on SLAM.

The old man makes it clear to Steph that despite his MVP pedigree, Dell remains the king of his castle.

Steph Curry might be the reigning MVP in the NBA, but not in Dell Curry's house. WATCH: http://t.co/zcjKibJJk3

— ESPN (@espn) October 14, 2015

The post WATCH: Dell, Seth and Stephen Curry Star in ‘SportsCenter’ Ad appeared first on SLAM.

Curry, 25, ended up signing a two-year deal with the Sacramento Kings and is looking forward to getting out from under his MVP sibling’s considerable shadow.

Despite numerous setbacks during his basketball odyssey, the third Curry to make into the NBA says his older bro’s unexpected success kept his own dream alive: “I played against this guy my whole life,” he thought. “I can make that league.”

Per SI:

Steph’s story is a fairy tale. Seth’s is the reality play of an undersized and underrecruited combo guard, with excellent genes and awful luck. He put up more points in a season than anybody in the history of Charlotte Christian High—including the 2015 NBA MVP. He was the top-scoring freshman in the nation at Liberty. He transferred to Duke, where he averaged 17.5 points as a senior, despite wearing a walking boot at every practice because of a stress fracture in his right shin. “He’s going to be as good or better than I am,” Steph predicted in ’08. But 6’2″, 185-pound snipers are never a sure thing, regardless of the name on the back of their jersey. Seth went undrafted in ’13.

 

Over the past two years Seth dominated the NBA Development League, scoring 23.8 points per game last season for the Erie BayHawks and sinking 46.7% of his threes. He went on binges, like the time he reeled off 25 points against Delaware in the fourth quarter and overtime. And he shook off slumps, like the time he started 0 for 10 against Sioux Falls and emerged from the bench to nail the game-winner. He has a scoop shot and a step-back jumper, same as his brother, and he bounds around screens and finds open spaces, same as his father. But the blend is all his own. So why, given his dynamic skills and famous bloodline, did it take so long for a team to claim him? “I’ve heard people say I’m a Curry and that helped me get where I am,” Seth says. “Sometimes I think it’s the opposite.”

 

The Kings made the strongest offer on July 21—the day after Summer League ended—but not the only one. The Pelicans, Hornets and Warriors jumped in as well. “I didn’t want to go to Golden State,” Seth says. “I didn’t want to go back in Steph’s shadow.” He will come off the bench in Sacramento, as a backup to point guards Rajon Rondo and Darren Collison, and a complement to both in smaller lineups. Seth and Rondo could form a particularly intriguing pair, since Seth can space the floor with his shooting and Rondo cannot. “I know that people compared him to Steph, and that may have hurt him before, but I will not do that,” Divac says. “I’m just looking for Seth. He is my guy.”

The post Seth Curry Rejected Warriors’ Offer to Avoid ‘Steph’s Shadow’ appeared first on SLAM.

Photos via Getty Images

Previously:
Week of July 10 – July 16
Week of June 19 – June 25

The post NBA and WNBA Photos Of The Week appeared first on SLAM.

Let’s goooooo! He’s been patient and worked so hard to get here. @sdotcurry got his Foot in the door now it’s time to go! Love you bro!

— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) July 22, 2015

The younger Curry, 24, led all scorers with a 25-point average during Summer League while hooping for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Per Yahoo! Sports:

Curry will have a player option on the 2016-17 season, sources said. This gives Curry two fully guaranteed seasons with the Kings.

 

Curry, the young brother of Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, has shuttled between the NBA Development League and 10-day contracts in Cleveland, Memphis and Phoenix over the past two seasons.

 

Curry’s ability to shoot the ball made him an increasingly attractive bench scoring option for several teams, including New Orleans and Charlotte, league sources said.

The post Seth Curry Inks 2-Year Deal With the Sacramento Kings appeared first on SLAM.

The post Seth Curry Drops 24 Points, 7 Rebounds, 5 Assists to Beat Warriors (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

As a Clevelander, the former Virginia Cavalier has scattered 99 points over 35 NBA appearances. He’s shooting 38 percent from three-point range, and logged at least 19 minutes for the Cavs during nine games. The 23-year-old sharpshooter from Chelan, WA, has also made one start for a Cleveland team that continues to appear like an NBA championship contender in the Eastern Conference.

Two nights before the win over Philly, Harris continued his professional voyage in Canton during a game with the Cavaliers D-League affiliate. Playing 29 minutes for the Charge, Harris offered a well-rounded performance while competing at the defensive end throughout the contest. He finished with 13 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds, while helping Alex Kirk (game-high 14 rebounds, 2 blocked shots) and Stephen Holt (team-high 18 points, 3-6 from three) lead Canton to the 101-84 victory over Seth Curry and the Erie Bayhawks.

“I’m coming down here with the goal of just trying to help the team win games,” Harris told SLAM following the victory over Erie. “That’s the main priority. The league itself is used for developmental purposes to help guys get to the next level, or get opportunities elsewhere. But overall, it’s for us to come down here and win games. That’s what gives everybody down here the best opportunity to go and play somewhere else. Winning teams is the common denominator, whether it’s college, high school or whatever, guys get picked up to go to the next level when they win. So that’s what I’m coming down here to help the team do, win games and try to improve on all aspects of my game in the process.”

In addition to the 35 NBA appearances, Harris has also made four more D-League starts for the Canton Charge this season. He’s averaging 18.8 points and 6 rebounds, while helping push Canton (15-14) over the .500 mark with the Bayhawks victory. After starring at Virginia for four seasons, Harris has welcomed the opportunity to continue developing his game while adding what he’s learned thus far from practicing alongside LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving during live-game situations.

“What’s beneficial for a rookie in my position is that I’m also able to get into a rhythm of actually playing full games,” Harris said. “As of late, up in Cleveland, I haven’t had the opportunity to actually play more than 10 minutes or anything like that. So for me to come down here and have a chance to play 35-40 minutes, and actually get into a rhythm of a basketball game—you can’t simulate that in a practice. You can’t simulate that in one-on-one drills with your coaches, or with your player development guys. So this is the best workout or practice I can get when I’m not able to play significant minutes for the Cavs.”

Harris may be playing 75 minutes south of Cavaliers headquarters on the nights he suits up for the Charge, but he’s far from an afterthought in the NBA locker room. Following the Cavs’ 101-90 win over the Sacramento Kings, Brendan Haywood could be heard over the scrum of media inquiring about how ‘Joe’ did in a D-League game for Canton to anyone within earshot. From a few feet away, as a collection of reporters and recording devices surrounded Kevin Love’s locker and all adjacent space, Damon Jones offered a response.

“He scored 26 and had a tough cover defensively,” the 38-year-old shooting expert who spent 10 years in the NBA told Haywood. The 35-year-old 7-footer from North Carolina, who won a Championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, nodded in approval upon absorbing the news.

“There’s close ties between Canton and Cleveland,” Harris said. “It’s not like just because we’re the D-League team there’s a separation between the two. They mesh well together; there are guys who have been affiliated with Canton that are now with the Cavs and vice versa.

“Brendan [Haywood], he’s a little bit more aware because I spent a lot of time with Brendan during training camp and with our pre-game workouts. And just from our time on the bench, too, joking around about being the bench mob, that sort of stuff. So it makes sense that he’d be asking. And Damon, DJ has come down here a couple times with me. My first couple games that I had he was accompanying me back and forth to Cleveland. So it’s like, even though I’m coming down, the guys up in Cleveland with the Cavs are very cognizant of what’s going on. But it’s been like that well before I started playing here.”

On the same night of the highly anticipated college basketball matchup between Duke and Virginia, two proud alums of each program crossed paths at the Canton Civic Center. Neither Harris, nor Curry, guarded each other at any point in the contest. But the competitive respect is shared by each of the ACC legends currently in pursuit of their first big job after college.

“I don’t really know him too well off the court,” Curry said of Harris. “But we knew it was always going to be a challenge playing against them (Virginia) and him (Harris), specifically, every time we played them. They got us once when I was there, but it’s always fun to play against him. I always respected his game, and still do.”

Seth Curry, younger brother of Steph—the leading vote-getter for the 2015 All-Star game—and son of accomplished pro Dell Curry, has spent time with the Memphis Grizzlies and Cleveland Cavaliers at the NBA level. He has also played for the Santa Cruz Warriors and Erie Bayhawks since beginning his professional career in 2013.

During the loss in Canton, Curry finished with a game-best 27 points on 10-19 shooting from the floor. He also connected on five of the 10 three-pointers he attempted, and averages 24 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists on the season. Curry is also shooting 49 percent from three-point range, while ranking second in the D-League overall in total threes made (102).

“Offensively, I’m working on just creating different shots with and without the ball. Finding different ways to get my shot,” Curry noted. “Then the main thing is defensively, just trying to make plays with my hands. Being very active defensively, and just trying to be the best defender I can be. I’m focusing on the small things we do every day to win games, just playing hard and getting better in every practice.”

While signing on for the duration of an NBA season is every D-Leaguer’s eventual goal, it isn’t a thought that Curry keeps in top-mind status. His focus is on taking the necessary steps each day to become the best player possible, and then allowing the proverbial chips to fall out wherever from there.

“The getting signed part, I don’t even focus on that,” Curry admits. “I just focus on what I need to do every day to help my team win basketball games and keep getting better. I feel good right now, defenses are keying on me so my thing is to find different ways to get open looks. I’m trying to get the best shot possible for my team on a consistent basis and not take bad shots. But I feel good, whenever I let it go, it feels like it’s going in. The biggest thing is just trying to find good shots.”

Superstar lineage aside, every player who steps on to the D-League court is under constant scrutiny from NBA talent scouts, coaches and general managers. Among those in the house to watch Harris clash with Curry was Cavs GM David Griffin.

“For me, individually, I know that part of the reason my minutes went down in Cleveland was just little things,” Harris added. “Mental miscues, being in the right position defensively. There are a lot of different nuances and things you’re not familiar with transitioning from college to the NBA right away. It takes a little bit to get a grasp on some of those details, to fully pick them up. So coming down here really gives me a chance to improve those areas, play continuously through mistakes. That’s what’s going to give everybody in this league a chance to play elsewhere, focusing on the little things.”

Photo credit and special thanks to Tammy Henry for all images featured in this article. For more from Henry, check out her website tammy-henry.com and follow on Twitter @Tam_Henry.

The post A Night In The D-League appeared first on SLAM.

all photos via Getty/NBAE

Basketball is finally ba-ack!

Nearly four months after the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs became the final teams to embark on vacations, the 2013-14 NBA season officially kicked off last week with media day, training camp and exhibition games. To mark the joyous occasion, and to commemorate off-season moves, jersey alterations and notable photo poses, we put together 15 of our favorite snap shots from the opening salvo of the season. We see you, Coach Shaw, Mr. Mayo, Curry and Morris bros, Sammy D, Andrew Bynum, Kyle O, Doc, Z-Bo and more.

The post Best of NBA Training Camps (PHOTOS) appeared first on SLAM.

Steph Curry’s younger brother, Seth, is reportedly getting a training camp invite from the Golden State Warriors. Per the Contra Costa Times: “Duke star Seth Curry will sign a non-guaranteed contract with Golden State on Friday. He chose the Warriors over playing in Barcelona because he has a good bead on a roster spot in Golden State’s backcourt. If not, the younger Curry is intrigued by the Warriors’ D-League team, which had built a reputation for developing players and getting them into the league. Playing with his brother was previously thought to be a long shot. Seth Curry, who went undrafted, had talks with San Antonio, Chicago and Charlotte – places that seemed to have better opportunity available. But those talks never panned out.”

The post Golden State Warriors to Sign Seth Curry appeared first on SLAM.

His older brother, Steph, once said the same thing (before he became a hero in The Bay, and fell madly in love with the Warriors’ fanbase). Now, former Duke standout Seth Curry — who went unpicked in the 2013 NBA Draft — is claiming he’d like to play for his hometown Charlotte Bobcats. Per the Sporting News: “For Seth Curry, son of a former Hornets sharpshooter, nothing would be better than to stay in Charlotte and play for the hometown Bobcats. ‘It’s my home,’ Curry said. ‘This is where I grew up. I would love to come back here and play.’ Although his preference is obvious, there is no certainty Curry will end up with the Bobcats, who will become the Hornets again in 2014-15. Curry is set to workout for the Bobcats in August, after passing up their Summer League offer and missing draft workouts because of a stress fracture in his right shin that required surgery. He already has training camp invites from the Wolves, Spurs and Warriors. […] Charlotte could certainly use someone who plays Curry’s brand of basketball. The Bobcats shot 33.5 percent from the 3-point line as a team, and Ben Gordon was the only full-time player to average better than 35 percent, at 38.7 percent. Gerald Henderson, also a former Duke player, is more of a slasher and midrange shooter. He attempted only 102 3-point shots in his first three NBA seasons combined. While he nearly matched that total with 100 attempts in 2012-13, he only shot 33.0 percent from three, which is below average for a starting NBA shooting guard. ‘They have a lot of guys who can slash and create,’ Curry said of the Bobcats. ‘They have a few shooters, guys who can not down shots consistently, but I think they need more shooters. I can fill that role and be a guard who comes off the bench and scores.’ Curry created offense in his senior season at Duke with a shin injury so serious he even considered redshirting, something he called a ‘last resort.’ Coach Mike Krzyzewski allowed Curry to miss practices so he would be fresh for games. It worked. Curry played out a successful senior season that ended with an Elite Eight loss to Louisville.”

The post Seth Curry Wants to Play for the Charlotte Bobcats appeared first on SLAM.

Trailing 61-41 with 11:33 remaining in the second half, No. 5 Duke closed the game on a 37-12 run to stun North Carolina State, 78-73.

It seemed as though the Wolfpack was poised for its first win in Durham against a Mike Krzyzewski coached team since 1988. But it took less than 10 minutes for the Blue Devils to erase that 20-point hole, as Austin Rivers’ three-pointer with 2:29 remaining put Duke up for good.

Sparking the rally was junior guard Seth Curry. During those final 11:13, Curry scored 16 of Duke’s 37 points. He finished the game with 26 points, the most he’s scored since transferring to Duke.

The Blue Devils have made a habit of coming from behind this season.

From The Charlotte Observer:

“It was amazing, but we’ve got to stop doing this to ourselves,” Rivers said. “It’s a bad win, but at the same time, it’s a great win.”

For North Carolina State, its a devastating loss for its NCAA tournament chances. Despite being 18-8 overall and 7-4 in conference, the Wolfpack lacks a marquee win. It is is 0-5 against ranked teams this season after falling to Duke. North Carolina State will have two more chances coming up as it hosts No. 20 Florida State and No. 8 North Carolina in its next two games.

The post No. 5 Duke Rallies From 20 Down to Beat NC St. appeared first on SLAM.

Avoid it if you must, but there’s no questioning social media’s transformational impact on how we experience basketball—as fans, media, players or coaches.

Before a game even tips off, fans have already checked-in on Foursquare, uploaded a picture of their seated vantage point to Facebook and perhaps tweeted about the ever-increasing price of concessions.

The media are sharing anecdotes and sound bites from their courtside perches, and receiving immediate feedback on their post-game stories. Fans can quickly share these recaps, advance the dialogue or Stumble it to websurfers with similar interests.

Immediately following the final post-game exchange with a reporter, players take to Twitter to thank fans, talk about their performance or provide a glimpse of access into their transient and often-envied lives via Tout or other video tools.

Coaches can diagram plays or describe, demonstrate and drill on YouTube. They can network on LinkedIn or share a motivational quote on Google+. They may even remind a player what time practice is the next day via Instant Messenger or the team’s Ning site.

The options are endless, the reasons are plentiful and the landscape is changing every day. No matter which way you shake it, social media is enhancing how we watch, analyze and interact with the game of basketball.

But don’t take it from us. We canvassed a cadre of bloggers, media, coaches and players to hear exactly how social media’s impacted their experience:

Players/Coaches

Anthony Davis, @AntDavis23, Freshman Forward at the University of Kentucky: “It connects me with a lot of different people; whether it be former teammates or guys who are in the League now—guys who are at the level where I’ve dreamed of being at.”

Chris Mack, @CoachChrisMack, Head Coach of Xavier University: “I try not to take it too seriously. It’s a lighthearted thing for me. If I find something funny, I’ll tweet it.  I try to let people see my personality.”

Tristan Thompson, @RealTristan13, Rookie Forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers: “I don’t have a Facebook, but Twitter is a good way to stay connected to the fans and show them we appreciate them—without them, we are nothing.”

Iman Shumpert, @_IAM_Iman, Rookie Guard for the New York Knicks: “Social media has enhanced my basketball experience tremendously this summer by giving fans and critics insight on what I’m doing to stay prepared when the lockout is over. Building my brand was my goal this summer and I feel that I have done so by being able to give video and blog updates on Facebook, Twitter, and now updates in the NY Post!”

Jimmer Fredette, @JimmerFredette, Rookie Guard for the Sacramento Kings: “It really hasn’t changed my basketball on the court but off the court it has been good for building my brand and getting in touch with all of the college basketball fans. They’ve been great and social media has just enhanced it all.”

Austin Rivers, @AustinRivers25, Freshman Guard at Duke University: “It’s allowed me to interact with the fans more, especially with them being able to ask me questions. I enjoy the back and forth with our supporters.”

Ashton Gibbs, @AshtonGibbs12, Senior Guard at Pittsburgh University: “Twitter is easy communication with the world. Being an athlete, it’s good to have news on the go because we’re always moving. I think twitter is good as long as it’s positive news.”

Andre Barrett, @DreDay3Gs, Point Guard for Roanne, France: “If I had it when I was younger I think I would have definitely enjoyed it. I did the SLAM diary for one summer and everybody loved it because they got to know me as a person—but you had to go and buy the magazine.”

Perry Jones, @PerryJones3, Forward at Baylor University: “Just being able to communicate with other people that play basketball. If I don’t have their number or anything, I can hit them up on Twitter…also, other players who play high school basketball, college, and NBA—it has enhanced it and i can see how other people view basketball.”

Ramon Moore, @MoneMoore, Senior Guard at Temple University: “It helps you interact with your fans, friends, family and connects you to different people. Following professional athletes, you learn about the right things to say and if a fan says something you don’t agree then you carry yourself in mature way.”

Andre Dawkins, @dre_day20, Junior Guard at Duke University: “It helps us to interact with the fans. A lot of the fans follow us on Twitter, and they get a look into our lives and know what we do on a daily basis so they get a better appreciation for what we do.”

Sean Kilpatrick, @SK23_ESPN, Red-shirt Sophomore Guard at University of Cincinnati: “When you watch me on TV, that’s just the regular Sean you see—the basketball Sean. Not everyone gets to know the other side of Sean, so that’s the reason why I have it.”

Seth Curry, @sdotcurry, Junior Guard at Duke University: “The biggest thing social media has done is let me connect with the fans on a daily basis. They get to see what we’re like off the court, our sense of humor, and it’s a better way for us to interact with them.”

Aaron Brown, @2ABeezy2, Sophomore Shooting Guard at Temple University: “It’s good to stay in touch with friends, family, and fans. It’s also a good way to stay in touch with my favorite athletes and is just a great networking opportunity overall.”

Danny Jennings, @Mr_Jennings30, Red-shirt Junior at Long Beach State: “The media just shows you as a basketball player, but I just want people to follow me to see what type of person I am. The more people that know about it, the more people that don’t just know Danny the basketball player, but Danny the person.”

Durand Scott, @DScott_1, Junior Combo Guard at the University of Miami: “A lot. Twitter users are the ones who publicize me and it gives people who haven’t watched my games a glimpse of what I’m doing. I guess without them there wouldn’t be as much publicity as you would like there to be.”

Tyler Harris, @TylerHarris34, Freshman SG/SF at NC State: “Social media has given me the chance to learn about other players in the basketball world and for them to learn about at me. It’s always good to know who you are competing against.”

Media

Ben Osborne, @Bosborne17, Editor-in-Chief of SLAM Magazine (@SLAMOnline): “Personally, Twitter has made it possible to feel like I’m watching a big game with friends even if I’m alone at a bar or at home. And business-wise, it has been an incredible tool for SLAM to reach our readers with links, contests, etc.”

Bomani Jones, @Bomani_Jones, BomaniJones.com: “The thing is that most of us are stuck at our houses watching basketball games. With Twitter, all of a sudden it puts you inside of a bar—except you can hear yourself think.”

Andy Glockner, @AndyGlockner, Writer for SI.com: “I think the biggest thing is if you cultivate a smart group of followers, you realize their collective wisdom is unbelievable. Whenever I watch a game, there’s not a play or scenario that can’t be discussed, debated and analyzed in amazing fashion. You always end up with clarification or an answer you didn’t know or better perspective as a fan and as a writer.”

Ian Begley, @IanBegley, Sportswriter for @ESPNNewYork: “Great to follow some of the top basketball writers in the country on twitter and get a sampling of their viewpoints in real time.”

Nate Jones, @JonesOnTheNBA, Digital Marketing and Pro Athlete Marketing @GoodwinSports: “Social media has enhanced my basketball experience by bringing smart fans from all over the globe together to comment on hoops real-time.”

Tas Melas, @TasMelas, The Score/The Basketball Jones: “Only medium that can make a Bobcats-Raptors Blowout bearable. Jokes. Insights. Brilliant ideas from both the famous and just plain old fans.”

J.E. Skeets, @JESkeets, The Score/The Basketball Jones: “Pre-Twitter, watching some meaningless late-night Pacers-Kings game made me feel sad and lonely. Now, it’s an orgy of NBA awesomeness.”

Chad Babel, @ChadBabel, Director @TheHoopGroup: “The biggest thing that social media has done has been to decentralize peoples opinions. You know what people are thinking right when they tweet it, which makes their opinion more genuine and gives you a look into their thought process.”

Jeff Borzello, @JeffBorzello, Writer for CBSSports.com: “First, prob wouldn’t have my job w/o it. My news comes from it, I’ve met BBall people and it’s a great audience. Plus, I’m verified, so…”

Matt Norlander, @MattNorlander, Writer for CBSSports.com: “The entire process of watching—or, sometimes in my case, attending—games has been drastically altered because of Twitter. You get widespread, immediate reaction, and Twitter’s the absolute best during big games. I’ve heard someone say Twitter’s the best sports bar ever, and it really is. There’s this communal, instant reaction, and it’s great.”

Jonathan Givony, @DraftExpress, Founder/Owner of DraftExpress.com: “It’s fun. I think a lot of times when your watching a game—the NCAA Tournament, the NBA Playoffs, or whatever it may be—it’s a lot more entertaining to see what people have to say on Twitter instead of listening to the broadcasters on TV.”

Peter Robert Casey is the community manager for fivestarbasketball.com, former social media specialist for the New York Knicks and first media-credentialed microblogger in college basketball history. Email: Peter@PeterRobertCasey.com.

Jeremy Bauman is the associate community manager for fivestarbasketball.com, an IU Alum and basketball aficionado who blogs about everything basketball at SLAMonline.com. If you have any inquiry at all, he can be reached by email at jsbauman13@gmail.com.

The post Social Savviness appeared first on SLAM.

With his mentor and former record holder Bob Knight in the building, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski picked up win No. 903 on Tuesday night to become the winningest coach in Division I history. The historic win came at Madison Square in the first game of the Champions Classic, Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils defeated Michigan State, 74-69.

While the unranked Spartans kept things close for the first 20 minutes, 26 points from Andre Dawkins and 20 points from Seth Curry were enough to bury Tom Izzo’s crew.

But even with the strong performance from the Blue Devils backcourt, the night was all about their coach. Krzyzewski’s 903 wins, which include stints at Army and Duke, include four national titles and 11 Final Four appearances. The Duke head coach played for Knight at Army, and after the game the two legendary coaches shared a moment together.

From The Washington Post:

“I just told Coach I love him,” Krzyzewski said. “I wouldn’t be in this position without him. It’s a moment shared. I know he’s very proud and I’m very proud to have been somebody who’s worked under him and studied him and tried to be like him.”

Krzyzewski’s resume doesn’t just stop with the 903 victories. He was elected into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and led Team USA to a gold medal in 2008. The only men’s or women’s coach with more wins in Division I history is Tennessee’s Pat Summit, who has 1,071.

The post Coach K Sets Divison I Wins Record appeared first on SLAM.

We just announced Chris Paul’s “CP3 Elite Guard Camp” college roster (high school to follow next week) for his event in Winston-Salem, NC next weekend (June 10-12).

The post CP3 Elite Guard Camp College Roster Announced appeared first on SLAM.

A signature win was exactly what Virginia Tech needed to avoid being on the outside looking in for yet another NCAA tournament, and on Saturday night that is exactly what it got with a 64-60 win against Duke.

Feeding off the energy of a raucous crowd, the Hokies used a 12-2 run late in the second half to seize the lead for good. All five Virginia Tech starters were in double figures and were led by 18 points and 15 rebounds from Jeff Allen.

For Duke, the spotlight was on Seth Curry, who was playing his first game on the campus where his father, Dell, made a name for himself. The younger Curry, though, looked nothing his father once did as he failed to score before fouling out in just 15 minutes of action.

However, shutting down Curry was a mere afterthought for the Hokies following the game.

From The Washington Post:

With less than two seconds remaining, Allen stood at the free throw line with a four-point lead – icing a victory but also trying to savor a moment that’s been a long time coming for Virginia Tech’s players and fans alike.

“You just beat the number one team in the nation; there’s a lot of going through your mind,” Allen said. “It was a struggle. It was not easy at all. They hit us with a run; we hit them back with a run. We just didn’t give up.”

The win tremendously improves Virginia Tech’s chances of making the NCAA tournament. In a year where the bubble is so soft, the Hokies are one of very few teams that have a signature win to hang their hats on. Wins over Boston College and Clemson in their final two games would almost solidify a spot in the Big Dance.

The post No. 1 Duke Falls to Virginia Tech appeared first on SLAM.

With a 14-point lead over Duke at halftime, it looked like North Carolina would be making a statement to the rest of college basketball that the Tar Heels were back. But that statement would have to wait for another day, as Duke outscored North Carolina 50-30 in the second half for a 79-73 victory.

Leading the charge for the Blue Devils was Nolan Smith, who scored a career-high 34 points, including 22 after intermission, on Wednesday. Reserve guard Seth Curry’s 22 points also helped Duke avoid the upset on its home floor.

The Blue Devils 33 straight wins at home is the longest active win streak in the nation. In fact, North Carolina is the only team in the last 64 games to beat Duke in Durham, doing it twice.

While North Carolina didn’t get the win, it did enough to make the rivalry between the two schools relevant again.

From FoxSports.com:

“You talk about vintage Duke and North Carolina games, that was one of them,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said after the win.

Just a little different than last season’s 82-50 thrashing in Durham on March 6 in the regular-season finale.

“There’s no question this rivalry is good for the sport,” Singler said.

The two teams will meet again on March 5 in Chapel Hill, potentially with the ACC regular season title on the line. With so much young talent for the Tar Heels, it’s unclear which half of basketball showed the team’s true identity. Nevertheless, this is not last year’s North Carolina team again, and it will be back where it belongs in March.

The post Duke Rallies to Knock off North Carolina appeared first on SLAM.

Year after year, people can always count on the Big Ten/ACC Challenge to provide viewers with dramatic, exciting, and quality games. This year is no exception, as one of the best early season match-ups thus far pits Coach Izzo against Coach K on Wednesday night in Durham. As Virginia showed against Minnesota last night, anything can happen in this “tournament” that pits conference pride on the line with every showdown.

Besides the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, there are also a handful of other games that are more than worthy of keeping an eye on for the avid college basketball fan. Here’s your guide of what to watch for from Tuesday through Thursday this week.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30

Ole Miss Rebels (3-1) @ Miami Hurricanes (4-2) 7 p.m.: This match-up of SEC and the ACC teams will display two teams with quick and dominant guard play in the backcourt. Miami is led by junior Malcolm Grant, who is lightning in a bottle with the basketball but has a tendency to take ill-advised shots all too often (though he is a tough shot maker at times). 6-4 sophomore Durand Scott, who does most of the ball-handling for the Hurricanes, is more than capable of scoring his own points. His ability to create quality looks for his teammates will be crucial against the Ole Miss backcourt. Ole Miss has shown a deep and balanced scoring attack from guards Chris Warren (lighting quick scoring point guard), Nick Williams (powerful scoring guard), Trevor Gaskins (shooter), and Zach Graham (do-it-all guard). Importantly for them, even when Chris Warren struggled (10 points, 5 assists, 6 turnovers against Murray State), the other guards lifted the team to a 77-61 win. The key to this game, though, should be on the interior where the Hurricanes 6-10 Reggie Johnson should be able to take advantage of his massive size and abilities. His 10.5 rebounds per game average are nearly double that of any player on Ole Miss (highest average is 5.5 rpg for any player). The guard play will be crucial, but in the end it might come down to post play in this one.

Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) @ Florida State Seminoles (5-1), Big Ten/ACC Challenge, 7:30 p.m.: Early this summer, I was talking to a high-major division one assistant, and he made the claim that Jared Sullinger has a good chance of winning Big Ten Player of the Year. At first, the claim seemed a little too much for me, but that day I realized that this coach was right. Sullinger has played well so far, netting over 15 points and grabbing over 8 rebounds per game. Sharpshooters Jon Diebler and all-purpose guard David Lighty add the necessary perimeter game for the Buckeyes, and fellow freshmen Deshaun Thomas continues to keep his “man amongst boys” status rolling. If anyone has a say in the Buckeyes dominance in Tallahassee, it will need to come from Florida State’s Mr. Everything: Chris Singleton. Sporting almost a double-double so far this year (9.8 rebounds/game), Singleton has the ability to single handedly keep the Seminoles in this game. The X-factor for the Seminoles might end up being 3-point specialist Michael Snaer. If Snaer can toss in a few triples and break up the Buckeye’s momentum, the Seminoles can stick around for a while. Also, look for William Buford to raise his intensity level a notch this game. Buford has all the tools to take over this game and causes a match-up problem on the court. If Buford plays to his potential the Buckeyes can be scary good this season.

Georgetown Hoyas (6-0) vs. Missouri Tigers (5-0) (Kansas City), 9 p.m.: Big East vs. Big 12. Slow-it-down vs. speed-it-up. Both the Hoyas and the Tigers have gotten off to phenomenal starts this year after narrowly surviving their season opener’s against supposedly unthreatening schools. Through Feast Week it has been smooth sailing, but one of these teams will have to go home with an L. Georgetown plays their trademark disciplined, pick-you-apart offense coupled with stingy half-court man defense, which has held their opponents to just 62 ppg. Chris Wright provides the Hoyas with a dose of creativity at the point guard position, while Austin Freeman has simply been on fire, scoring 20.2 ppg this year. Missouri, on the other hand, looks to speed the tempo up with their vaunted pressure that, just a few seasons ago, almost landed them in the Final Four. Their rotation of ten players with at least 10 mpg so far this year ensures that all five players on the court are always fresh and ready to run at a breakneck tempo. All of the Tigers have played proficiently this year, but junior transfer power forward Ricardo Ratliffe (ironically from DC), junior power Laurence Bowers have been especially consistent on the interior while upperclassmen guards Marcus Denmon and Kim English have provided a scoring punch from the backcourt. The key to this game is likely to come in the turnover department. If Georgetown can win this battle, they have a chance. If not, the Tigers should prove too much to handle.

North Carolina Tar Heels (4-2) @ Illinois Fighting Illini (6-1), Big Ten/ACC Challenge, 9:30 p.m.: A senior-heavy starting Illinois lineup will give the Fighting Illini the much needed experience and toughness that many experts claim they have been lacking since Deron Williams and company left a few years ago. Demetri McCamey, learning from some of last year’s blunders, should bring a new sense of leadership to the table. McCamey has been the lifeblood of the Figting Illini for the past two seasons. When he plays well, they can compete with anyone in the country. Coming to his aid will be super sophomores DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul, plus senior forward Mike Davis. But, unlike a few other freshmen around the nation, Harrison Barnes has yet to have his coming out party. Considered by almost every media outlet to be the top freshmen in the country, Barnes is capable of breaking out at any minute. Throw improving big man John Henson and scoring-machine Reggie Bullock into the mix and you have a dangerous Tar Heel team. One major match-up that fans need to pay attention to lies in the hands of 7-1 Mike Tisdale. If Tisdale can control Tyler Zeller in the paint, the Illini’s battle to protect Assembly Hall just got a lot easier.

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Last night’s dominating 82-68 win over No. 4 Kansas State for No. 1 Duke confirmed what many already suspected: The Blue Devils are really, really good.

Already, this year’s squad looks even better than the one that won the national title last year. Kyrie Irving has flawlessly transitioned to the college level, Mason Plumlee and Andre Dawkins have taken the next step in their sophomore seasons and Seth Curry is making his case for the nation’s best Sixth Man. Returning seniors Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith aren’t too bad either.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s team is far and away looking like the country’s best right now, and although it’s only November, it is time to start bringing up the possibility of an undefeated season.

Aside from great talent, the Blue Devils schedule also works in their favor. Home games against No. 2 Michigan State (who are sure to drop after a loss to unranked UConn) and No. 21 Temple are the only ranked opponents left on Duke’s non-conference schedule.

Meanwhile, the ACC looks poised for a down year. No. 25 North Carolina is the only other team ranked, and Georgia Tech, Boston College and Wake Forest have already lost to mid-major opponents. Virgina Tech, the preseason pick to finish second in the conference, lost by 16 to the same Kansas State team Duke just dismantled.

After being on the other end of Tuesday’s loss, count Kansas State Head Coach Frank Martin as one of those who believes Duke is a special team.

From The Topeka Capital-Journal:

“They knocked the living (heck) out of us,” coach Frank Martin said. “If there’s one better than them, I don’t want to play them.”

The Blue Devils might just be 5-0, but they look like one of the elite teams in recent memory. So it’s time to start the undefeated talk because last night’s performance suggests it’s no longer enough to say Duke is just good. This team could be something more than that.

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Seth Curry won’t be in a Duke uniform until October ’10, but every minute of anticipation will be well-worth it for Duke fans. Take a peek at the 18-year-old Big South Freshman of the Year’s work from the past season. The natural 2-guard dropped 26 (four threes) at UVA, 24 (six threes) at Clemson and 22 (three threes) in a win against George Mason. Much like his brother Stephen, a projected 2009 NBA lottery pick, Seth has the uncanny ability to shoot the ball. But Seth also faces some of the same issues as his brother as well. Can he play defense? Is he comfortable taking the ball to the rim? No matter how you twist it, Duke will at least have a dead-eye shooting guard coming off the bench.

Curry will come into 2010 with at least one five-star caliber player in Andre Dawkins and two top-50 true freshmen in Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston. Despite Duke’s early out in the Tourney, there’s plenty of reason to be positive in Durham.

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A little over two and a half years ago when David Stern decided to enact an age minimum for the NBA there was very little question that it would have a significant impact on the landscape of college basketball. With two full years of the rule in tow and a third building steam, the changes to the game have been great for the fan and less than perfect for coaches.

For the casual college observer, what hasn’t been great about the age limit? Think of all the stellar amateur careers that would have never been if not for Stern’s concern with youngsters getting themselves in too deep with the League: Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Mike Conley, Brandon Wright, Spencer Hawes, Thaddeus Young, Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love, Eric Gordon, Jerryd Bayless…you get the point.

On the flip side, college coaches may be worse off now than during the days of the brightest prep stars taking their game to the biggest stage and bypassing higher learning all together. In the past when a blue chip recruit bolted for the NBA it was a loss for the school, but no one could hold it against a coach for losing out to the guarantee of millions of dollars. Now with the flurry of one-and-done superstars, coaches at major programs find themselves scrambling to continually replenish the talent well in order to remain competitive. Case and point: Ohio State’s “fall” from national runner up on ’07 to NIT champ in ’08. Thad Mata reaped the benefits of the greatest recruiting class in Buckeye history, but after a short-lived ride had to say goodbye to Oden, Conley and Daequan Cook.

So that brings us to the present day where the big question is, Where are the freshman? The Big 12 and Pac-10 have been captivated by newcomers each of the last two seasons. The Final Four has been chock full of bright eyed rookies in recent years. All-American lists have been flooded with players who just became old enough to go see an R-rated movie. Yet all around the country this season what are we privy to? Upper classmen and a smattering of sophomores are dominating the college game again. What an outrage!

That isn’t to say that the entire freshman class has been a let down—far from it. Georgetown’s Greg Monroe has quieted the critics who said he dogged it in high school. Willie Warren has done a stellar job pacing Oklahoma’s offense in its non-conference schedule and can lay early claim to being the top backcourt performer in his class. Of course, Al-Farouq Aminu can’t be overlooked either as the gangly forward is making his presence felt around the basket.

So why does it feel like this year’s crop of newbies is underachieving? For starters, there has been the lack of star power. Who is this year’s Kevin Durant? Where is the Michael Beasley or the Derrick Rose from this group? The answer is there is none. The three previously mentioned players all took the college game by storm and dominated from opening night all the way to the end of the season. In Rose’s case, that meant taking his phenomenal play to within a few seconds of hoisting a national championship trophy. This year, despite several freshman playing integral roles on teams vying for the top of the polls, none of them is emerging as a force to be reckoned with.

North Carolina is stacked with future talent in Ed Davis, Larry Drew and the injured Tyler Zeller. Let’s get real though, that team belongs to two guys named Hansbrough and Lawson. Connecticut has gladly welcomed the play of speedster Kemba Walker, but A.J. Price and Hasheem Thabeet run the show in Stoors. In fact, of all the teams ranked in the Top 25 that welcomed highly recruited freshman to their programs this year, only Samardo Samuels of Louisville is leading his respective team in scoring.

Surely the fact that only a few freshmen have achieved early success can’t be the only reason the class of 2012 seems to be lagging, can it? In 2007, Sports Illustrated declared that season to be the “Year of the Freshman” despite the fact that Kevin Durant was the only truly dominating force that season (due in large part of Greg Oden missing part of the season). There is more to the equation. The players that were expected to perform well from the outset haven’t done so.

Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley, Derrick Rose and O.J. Mayo were all big names before they ever step foot on a college campus. They lived up to their billing once they got on the court. This year, players like Demar DeRozan, B.J. Mullens and Jrue Holiday who were expected to be the next crop of great freshman, have largely disappointed. DeRozan’s highlight real athleticism hasn’t translated into production, Mullens has been taking baby steps for OSU and Holiday has yet to show the ability that made him arguably the best prospect out west last year.

When the marquee names aren’t performing, it seems to drag everyone else down as well. Has anyone noticed that Seth Curry (aka Baby Steph) has quietly been dropping nearly 20 points per game for Liberty? How about the highest scoring freshman in the ACC; no one would guess that it’s Virginia’s Sylven Landesberg. Maybe we’re just spoiled; maybe we took the last two years for granted. Was it fair to expect a third straight season with a Big 12 freshman averaging better than 20 and 10 or another dynamic point guard (or three) to emerge this season? Probably not.

Believe it or not, this is how things are supposed to work in college basketball. Each year talented freshmen arrive on the scene and provide a solid boost to their respective schools and can emerge as viable weapons as the season progresses. Ultimately, though, the star power lies with the upperclassmen that have been there before, have more refined skills and a better understanding of the game. Ten, 20 maybe even 30 years from now, people will still be talking about the freshman class of 2008 as one of the greatest of all time. Basketball historians will still look at Kevin Durant’s 2007 campaign as one of the best ever compiled by a first year player.

So while it may have been nice to continue the trend of complete dominance by the new kids on the block, let’s not forget that we have been blessed to witness two of the greatest freshman classes of all time back-to-back. Now, like the rest of the country, we’ll just have to ride out the recession.

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