March 2025

There were 1,679 posts published in March 2025 (this is page 47 of 168).

Warriors take ‘bad loss,’ in Draymond Green’s words, to Hawks behind Trae Young’s 25 points

The Golden State Warriors are battling to hold the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference standings and avoid the play-in tournament. But a 124-115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night leaves them only a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Stephen Curry was out for the Warriors after suffering a pelvic contusion in Thursday’s win over the Toronto Raptors. He had returned to Golden State’s lineup after sitting out Tuesday’s victory against the Milwaukee Bucks for rest. 

“Bad loss,” Green told reporters afterwards, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “It’s a terrible loss. When you’re in a position we’re in, we’ve got a chance to compete for something.”

“Eleven games left with everything to play for, you shouldn’t have a loss like this,” he added. “Too much on the line. Got to win the games you’re supposed to win. Obviously, Steph’s out. Still a game we should win. So, it’s a terrible loss.”

The Hawks were led by Trae Young‘s 25 points and 10 assists. Georges Niang added 23, shooting 6-for-9 on 3-pointers, followed by 22 points, 12 rebounds and six assists from Onyeka Okongwu. Atlanta also got 11 rebounds and three steals from Dyson Daniels, strengthening his case for NBA defensive player of the year honors.

The win was an important one for the Hawks to stay 1.5 games ahead of the Orlando Magic for the No. 7 spot in the East. Atlanta led 107-85 with 8:35 left in the fourth quarter, but let the Warriors whittle the deficit down to eight points with a minute remaining. Young hit a floater with 25 seconds left to clinch the win. 

In Curry’s absence, Jimmy Butler scored 25 points with eight assists, followed by Moses Moody with 20. Brandin Podziemski added 19 points, hitting 5-of-8 3-pointers. 

Up next for the Warriors is a visit to Miami on Tuesday, with Butler facing the team that traded him after a contentious summer and first four months of the season. Butler dismissed the notion that playing the Heat will be a big game amid whatever narratives will develop beforehand.

“Yeah, I was traded from there, yada, yada, yada,” Butler said after Saturday’s game, via ESPN.com. “Yeah, it didn’t end the way that people wanted to, yada yada yada.

“But that’s so far behind me now. I don’t even think about it,” he continued. “I don’t pay attention to nothing except for the trajectory of this squad.”

Butler is arguably in a better position with the Warriors now. They’ll make the playoffs and still have an opportunity to move up in the standings. Meanwhile, the Heat are still in the Eastern Conference play-in mix, holding the No. 10 seed. But they’ve lost 10 consecutive games and 11 of 12. 

Golden State Warriors jersey history – No. 8 – Nemanja Bjelica (2021-22)

The Golden State Warriors have had over 600 players don the more than 60 jersey numbers used by their players over the more than 75 years of existence the team has enjoyed in its rich and storied history.

Founded in 1946 during the Basketball Association of America (BAA — a precursor league of the NBA) era, the team has called home the cities of Philadelphia, San Francisco, Oakland, and even San Diego.

 To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Warriors Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. For this article, we begin with the 10th of 12 players who wore the No. 8 jersey for the Warriors.

That player would be Golden State big man alum Nemanja Bjelica. After starting his pro career abroad, Bjelica was picked up with the 35th overall selection of the 2010 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards.

The Belgrade, Serbia native played 5 more seasons abroad before joining the Minnesota Timberwolves after having had his rights dealt there by the Wizards. Bjelica would also have stints with the Sacramento Kings and Miami Heat before he signed with the Dubs for his final season in the league.

During his time suiting up for the Warriors, Bjelica wore only jersey No. 8 and put up 6.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.

This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors jersey history – No. 8 – Nemanja Bjelica (2021-22)

OKC Thunder jersey history No. 22 – Lars Hansen (1978-79)

The Oklahoma City Thunder (and the Seattle Supersonics before them) have 51 jersey numbers worn by the players who have suited up for the franchise since its founding at the start of the 1967-68 season. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Thunder Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.

And while those Supersonics jerseys may not remain part of the franchise history should a new team be established in Seattle as was the case with the return of the Charlotte Hornets, they are part of the Thunder’s history today.

For this article, we continue with the 24th jersey number in the series, jersey No. 22, with 20 players in total having donned the jersey in the history of the franchise.

The first of those players did so in the Seattle SuperSonics era, big man alum Lars Hansen. After ending his college career at Washington, Hansen was drafted in both the 1976 and 1977, but elected to stay abroad. He’d make the leap to the NBA in 1978, signing with the SuperSonics.

It was his sole season in the league, the Copenhagen, Denmark native returning to Europe to play afterward.

During his time suiting up for the Sonics, Hansen wore only jersey No. 22 and put up 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Thunder jersey history No. 22 – Lars Hansen (1978-79)

Brooklyn Nets jersey history No. 11 – Mark Jones (1983)

The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the “New Jersey Americans”.

Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today.

To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise’s jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. The 13th of those 52 different numbers is jersey No. 11 which has has had a total of 19 players wear the number in the history of the team.

The 10th of those players wearing No. 11 played in the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets era, guard alum Mark Jones. After ending his college career at St. Bonaventure, Jones was picked up with the 82nd overall selection (there were many more rounds in that era of the draft) of the 1983 NBA draft by the New York Knicks.

The Rochester, New York native played his sole season in the NBA with New Jersey, however, after being cut by the Knicks and signed by their now-crosstown rivals.

During his time suiting up for the Nets, Jones wore only jersey No. 11 and put up 1.2 points per game.

This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Nets jersey history No. 11 – Mark Jones (1983)

Blackhawks’ Patrick Maroon, a 3-time Stanley Cup champion, says he’s retiring after the season

COLUMBUS, OHIO – FEBRUARY 22: Patrick Maroon #77 of the Chicago Blackhawks warms up prior to a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on February 22, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images)

Getty Images

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Maroon said he is retiring after this season.

Maroon, who turns 37 next month, made the announcement in a pregame television interview before he and the Chicago Blackhawks played at his hometown St. Louis Blues.

“I’ve done everything I could in this league,” an emotional Maroon said discussing his decision after St. Louis defeated Chicago 4-1 Saturday. “I have no regrets.”

Maroon was given a loud ovation during a break in the second period after a montage of highlights of his time with the Blues was shown on the videoboard.

“I was shocked what the Blues did for me tonight,” Maroon said. “They didn’t have to do that. I was just playing a hockey game. I couldn’t have written a better script on how it all transpired today.”

Maroon fought Tyler Tucker in the third period. His mother, father, two brothers and his wife were in attendance. Afterward, Maroon was named the first star of the game.

“I had the good fortune of coaching Pat Maroon in Boston last year and in the playoffs,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “He is an exemplary and great teammate and he’s an incredibly intelligent hockey mind and player. He’s very underrated about how well he understands the game.”

Maroon said he was at peace with his decision, adding it had been “the back of my head all year.” Being in St. Louis was the place to make the announcement.

“I’ve given everything I have. I wanted to go out on my own terms,” Maroon said. “I don’t want to be scratching and crawling for a contract and them telling me I’m out.”

Maroon got a fitting sendoff by the Blues, former teammate Brayden Schenn said.

“I don’t love seeing him in that jersey, I’m not going to lie, ”Schenn said. “(I) talked to him after. When you win with guys, you care about guys quite a bit. Nice to see him and get a good salute tonight by the crowd and nice tribute.”

In an interview before the game, Maroon explained his reasoning on retiring.

“Sometimes you’ve got to give up everything you know and everything you dreamed of your whole life,” Maroon told Darren Pang on Chicago Sports Network. “I just know it’s time for me and it’s time for my family to go start a new chapter in our lives.”

Maroon helped the Blues win their first championship in franchise history in 2019. He then joined the Tampa Bay Lightning and won back to back in 2020 and ’21.

“I played 352 games in the minors and 840 games in the NHL right now,” Maroon said. “Who would have thought that? I’m happy I got to win in my hometown and I got to go and win two more.”

Maroon became the fourth player in NHL history and first since 1964 to win the Cup three years in a row with two different teams. It was not a coincidence he revealed that he’s calling it a career while in St. Louis with family in attendance.

“It’s tough,” Maroon said. “It’s hard to go through things like this. You can’t really process it, but I think it’s special for me and my family to go start a new chapter.”

Maroon has played 1,002 regular-season and playoff games with Anaheim, Edmonton, New Jersey, St. Louis, Minnesota, Boston and Chicago after getting drafted in the sixth round in 2007 by Philadelphia.

Maroon “deserved all the respect and applause he got here,” Blackhawks interim head coach Anders Sorensen said.

“I thought he’s had a helluva career,” Sorensen said. “He’s brought a lot of different elements to the team this year. On the ice is one thing. With the younger guys, he’s awesome. He’s a good human being.”

Maroon said he will keep playing for the rest of the season.

“I’m just going to finish hard. I play between the whistles as hard as I can,” Maroon said. “Every time I go over the boards, it’s like my last shift ever. I will continue to do that.”

FSU earns official visit, still chasing Georgia for Rivals100 RB Jae Lamar

Rivals100 RB Jae Lamar has been hitting the recruiting trail hard in the last few weeks.

In between a visit to Ohio State on Friday and a visit to Clemson on Sunday, Lamar squeezed in a short visit to Florida State to check in on the Seminoles’ coaching staff during the Legacy Weekend event.

“Because they were one of the first teams to show me interest,” Lamar said on why he decided to squeeze in a visit. “Just being here is real, it’s real around here. You get the same thing every time you come here with Coach Norvell, Coach Gus (Malzahn) and Coach YAC (David Johnson).”

“I came by to talk to the coaches. I had to come by, fill them in and get a good feel with them. Catch up with them,” he added later.

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The Seminoles are one of the primary schools attempting to move Lamar off of Georgia. While not being committed to the Bulldogs, Lamar has been open about the fact that Georgia is his dream school and they sit in pole position in his recruitment.

Florida State has been good about getting Lamar on campus and getting him back (even if for a short time) this spring, which is notable. It’s not the last time he plans to be back either.

“I’m going to try and hit up a spring practice so I can come out and watch. Sit in on their meetings and things like that. I want to see it all in action,” Lamar said.

Lamar has also set up an official visit with Florida State for June 20. Auburn, Miami and of course Georgia make up the rest of his official visit slate at the moment.

What would it take for one of those schools to contend and beat out the Bulldogs?

“They just need to keep being themselves. I’m asking God to lead me to the right path and lead me to where I need to go. God will make that decision for me … One thing about FSU that I like is that they are not pressing me about my recruitment. I feel like they are doing a great job with it. Just the fact that they are checking up on me, calling me, and being in touch with the head coach. I can just hit them up whenever I need anything. I feel like that’s crucial in a recruitment process,” Lamar said.

The Seminoles will be getting Lamar back at an undetermined date for a spring practice, the next step as Florida State contends for one of the nations’ best running backs.

MSU expert columnist predicts Spartans-Lobos game in NCAA Tournament

Will Michigan State basketball move on to the Sweet 16 on Sunday night? Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal has some thoughts on that and how this second round NCAA Tournament matchup between the Spartans and Lobos will play out.

Michigan State will battle No. 10 seed New Mexico in a second round NCAA Tournament matchup from Cleveland on Sunday night. The game is scheduled to tip off around 8:40 p.m. ET, with the winner moving on to the Sweet 16.

The Spartans relatively handled No. 15 seed Bryant in their first round matchup on Friday, winning the game by more than 20 points in the end. New Mexico used a dominant second half effort to upset No. 7 seed Marquette in their first round matchup.

As far as New Mexico goes, Couch believes the Lobos possess arguably the best player on the floor in this matchup. New Mexico star guard Donovan Dent is a game-changer and is who Couch focused his Lobos analysis on — see a bit of that below:

“Dent makes the Lobos go. The ball is in his hands a lot — he has one of the higher usage rates in college basketball — but it’s for good reason. He’s a multi-level scorer and shot-maker, and 40% 3-point shooter who only takes about two per game. He does a lot of his work getting to his spots inside the arc and getting downhill and to the rim. He operates one of the most uptempo offenses in college basketball, though it didn’t look like it against Marquette.”

As far as the game goes and how Michigan State can handle Dent, here’s what Couch had to say:

“The Spartans’ were overly amped for their first-round game and it showed with some wild missed shots and missed assignments early on. That should be out of their system. I like this matchup for MSU. Dent is a terrific guard, but MSU has a lot to throw at him.”

How does Couch ultimately see this game playing out in the end? Does he like Michigan State to move on to the Sweet 16 or their season come to a close on Sunday? See his full analysis and prediction on the Lansing State Journal.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onFacebookto follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.

This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: MSU-New Mexico Prediction, Matchup Analysis from LSJ’s Graham Couch

Loons fearing worst on Hassani Dotson’s right knee injury in L.A. draw Saturday

Minnesota United is fearing the worst on Hassani Dotson’s first-half injury in a 2-2 draw with Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday.

Head coach Eric Ramsay said he would “reserve judgement” but “doesn’t think it’s looking great.

“Until we have that scanned and confirmed, we certainly hold out all hope in the world for him,” Ramsay added. “We’ll revisit that one on Monday.”

The Loons’ starting central midfielder went to ground and grabbed his right knee after contact from Galaxy forward Gabriel Pec in the 34th minute at Allianz Field. Dotson was in pain for moments, but remained in the game.

“I know he had some discomfort after an incident that was close to the bench, and it was something he wasn’t able to shake off,” Ramsay continued. “You know how Hassani is. He is a tough guy. He is an all-action player and one that is desperate to stay on the pitch. You assume that if he wasn’t able to do so, then there is certainly something there.”

Less than 10 minute later, Dotson jumped, didn’t receive contact and seemed to land wrong on that right leg. He grabbed the same knee and was subbed out in favor of new defensive midfielder Owen Gene.

It’s the same knee Dotson suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in during an indoor practice in spring 2022.

The Loons have some depth in midfield, with Will Trapp, Joaquin Pereyra, Robin Lod, Hoyeon Jung and Gene. But Dotson has been first choice, starting all five games this season.

Dotson has played 374 out of 450 total minutes this season. The free agent to be at the end of the season scored a stunning goal, his first of the year, on a volley from outside the box in the 3-3 draw with Sporting Kansas City last week.

After Saturday’s draw, players were discussing Dotson’s injury in the locker room.

“So unfortunate,” said Kelvin Yeboah, who scored two goals Saturday. “He is a great player, a great asset for the team and for the squad. He has such an important role. He’s our engine in a sense.”

Ramsay said Gene “did a good job” in his 48-minute shift.

“(He’s) is probably less offensive-minded than Hassani,” Ramsay said of Gene. “He can certainly handle the ball and he can certainly run and break play up. He can help you launch counterattacks in the middle third in the way he intercepts and the way he presses, so I was more than happy with that performance.”