The Golden State Warriors have put together their teams through a variety of ways over the years, yet few approaches have proven as successful as the NBA draft. More than anything else, the most talented players to represent the Warriors have arrived in Golden State either by being selected directly in the annual draft or through trades executed on that same night.

The Golden State Warriors have taken many of their top stars through the draft, but have also landed a number of notable players over the years as well. From tiny colleges to blue blood programs, these alumni have contributed significantly to the team’s roster over the years. So, we chose to take a closer look at which Dubs came from which schools over the years.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at every player who has been drafted by the Warriors out of Benedictine College.

Ben Peters – forward

Draft year and position: third round (third pick, 21st overall), 1954 NBA Draft

Seasons at Benedictine College: unknown

Seasons played with Warriors: did not make the team

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Every Benedictine College player drafted by the Warriors

TORONTO (AP) — RJ Barrett scored 26 points, Scottie Barnes had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his ninth career triple-double, and the Toronto Raptors clinched their first playoff berth in four seasons by beating the Brooklyn Nets 136-101 on Sunday in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Atlanta’s loss to Miami and Orlando’s loss at Boston gave Toronto the fifth seed in the East and a first-round matchup with fourth-seeded Cleveland.

The Raptors and Hawks both finished 46-36 but Toronto swept the season series 4-0.

Toronto went 3-0 against the Cavaliers this season but the teams haven’t played since Nov. 24.

Barnes shot 8 for 11 in his third triple-double of the season. He’s the first player in Raptors history to have three triple-doubles in multiple seasons.

Brandon Ingram scored 25 points, Ja’Kobe Walter and Jakob Poeltl each had 11 and AJ Lawson had 10 points as the Raptors posted their best record since going 48-34 and placing fifth in the East in 2021-22. That season also saw Toronto’s most recent playoff appearance, a six-game defeat to Philadelphia in the first round.

Tyson Etienne led the Nets with 20 points, E.J. Liddell scored 17 points, Chaney Johnson had 16 points and 13 rebounds and Ben Saraf scored 15 points.

Brooklyn (20-62) lost three straight to finish their worst season since posting the same record in 2016-17.

The Nets, who went 26-56 last season, have lost four consecutive season finales.

The Nets were without 10 players due to injury, a group that included Nic Claxton (sprained finger), Noah Clowney (left ankle), Egor Demin (left foot), Josh Minot (left ankle), Michael Porter Jr. (left hamstring) and Ziaire Williams (left foot).

Up next

Toronto will be on the road at Cleveland next weekend to begin the playoffs.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The Atlanta Dream has championship aspirations, and they believe Angel Reese can help get them over the finish line. In a new statement, the organization’s general manager and head coach opened up about their trade with the Chicago Sky and how plugging Reese onto their already stacked roster made perfect sense for them.

Atlanta Dream General Manager Says Acquiring Angel Reese Was A ‘No Brainer’ For Them

According to The Blast, Reese was traded to the Atlanta Dream from the Chicago Sky on Monday, April 6.

“This trade is designed to achieve roster balance and represents a great opportunity for all parties,” Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said in a statement. “Angel has achieved many record-breaking milestones in her first two years in the WNBA and has been a competitive force for the Sky. We are thankful for her many important contributions to this league and this game, and we know she will continue to have a big impact on the court and beyond.”

Speaking with Meghan Hall from USA Today, Dream general manager Dan Padover shared his thoughts on the stunning deal, saying acquiring Reese when she became available was a “no brainer for us.”

Reese finished her second year in the WNBA, averaging 14.7 PPG and 12.6 RPG.

Atlanta Dream Head Coach Calls Angel Reese A ‘Special Talent,’ Praises Her Skills Ahead Of Training Camp

Reese also led the league in rebounds, something Dream head coach Karl Smesko believes will help put his team over the edge.

“Angel’s [Reese] a special talent. I mean, everybody’s aware that she’s the best rebounder and the most relentless rebounder in the league,” he said. “But I also appreciate the other skills that she brings the team, from competitiveness to being able to handle the ball. She’s somebody that can grab and go, she can be on either side of a pick and roll. I think that versatility just makes her kind of a unique talent.”

Reese is looking forward to her time in the A, saying she’s “focused on continuing to grow my game, competing at the highest level, connecting with the fans, and giving everything I’ve got to the Dream.”

Carmelo Anthony Says Trading Angel Reese To Atlanta Was The Right Move

Big names have spoken out about the trade, including Shannon Sharpe, Joe Johnson, and NBA legend Carmelo Anthony.

According to The Blast, Anthony believes Chicago made the right decision trading Reese to the Dream, saying the switch was “needed” before citing the Sky’s troubled history with big stars. “Angel was getting too big, as far as her brand, for the organization in a sense,” he said.

The Sky went 10-34 last year, something Reese was visibly upset by toward the end of the season, which she made known during a press conference.

Anthony seemed to understand her frustration, noting that playing with athletes who aren’t as eager to win can be challenging.

“Her level of play is going to rise with the level of competition and what you surrounded with,” Anthony said. “If you’re surrounded with people who not thinking like you and don’t have the competitive nature you have, that sh-t can be draining. So, now you’re going to a team who has championsip aspirations.”

Reese Is Ready To ‘Win Again’ In Atlanta

Reese’s trade to Atlanta will see the LSU alum playing alongside All-Stars Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, and Brionna Jones.

Days after the trade, Reese was all smiles at the Coach Story Sessions in Los Angeles and said she felt really good about the upcoming season.

“Transferring from Maryland and going to LSU and winning a championship, it feels like deja vu right now,” Reese said. “And I get chills right now because being a part of Chicago my first two years and going to Atlanta, I just feel that urge right now that I’m going to win again.”

Chicago Sky Is Building A Roster

Since trading Reese, the Sky have made some notable moves, including acquiring Skylar Diggins and Azura Stevens.

“I’m truly excited to be coming home to join the Chicago Sky,” Stevens said about the upcoming season. “This city means everything to me. The culture, the people, the passion for the game. To have the opportunity to come back to Chicago is amazing. I’m ready to get to work, embrace the moment, and give everything I have. Let’s work.”

Today, the organization also announced its new additions in DiJonai Carrington and Rickea Jackson.

According to ESPN, the Sky also re-signed the injured Courtney Vandersloot, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury last year.

“I truly believe the Sky are building something special, which made it a no-brainer to sign back,” she told the outlet. “Finishing last season with an injury was disappointing, but I’m eager to be back on the court.”

The Atlanta Dream GM Says Acquiring Angel Reese Was A ‘No Brainer’ first appeared on The Blast

With Bayern Munich’s comprehensive 5-0 win at St. Pauli and Borussia Dortmund’s loss to Bayer Leverkusen over the weekend, the Bundesliga title is essentially wrapped up. The German Rekordmeister have been in the top spot of the league table virtually all season and will be more than deserving of lifting yet another Meisterschale next month.

There’s still other silverware to win, though, and Bayern have the small matter of winning a second leg against Real Madrid at the Allianz Arena to secure advancement to the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2023/24 season, where it was the La Liga giants that knocked them out over the course of two legs and beat Dortmund in the final at Wembley.

With the evidence on display from the first leg that Bayern won 2-1 at the Bernabéu, there’s no reason to suggest that Vincent Kompany’s men can’t get the job done in Munich, as they very easily could’ve scored more than twice. However, it was a world class performance from Manuel Neuer that held Alvaro Arbeloa’s side to only one goal and former club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has warned Bayern not to bee too overconfident of the second leg.

After the win at the Millerntor-Stadion vs. St. Pauli on Saturday, Leon Goretzka offered a reply to Rummenigge’s call for wariness. “We don’t need to be warned. We know exactly who we’re playing against and what kind of game it is. We saw in the first leg how quickly they can create chances. So nobody needs to warn us. We’re aware of that ourselves,” the scorer of Bayern’s record-breaking 102nd goal of the season confidently told Bild (via @iMiaSanMia).

Goretzka and Bayern will be more than well aware of the threats that Madrid pose, particularly on the counter attack, where they found most of their joy in the first leg through Vinícius Junior and Kylian Mbappé. Arbeloa will also be without Aurélien Tchouaméni for the second leg through cumulative yellow cards suspension, and Bayern will remember how much more of a foothold Madrid were able to have in the second half of leg one when Jude Bellingham and Éder Militão entered proceedings, the former of which replaced Thiago Pinar, but could start in place of Tchouaméni Tuesday night.

Either way, it’s incredibly hard to argue against Bayern’s current form and momentum, despite the history this fixture holds and Real Madrid’s uncanny ability to produce remarkable remontadas. It’s all to play for and both teams don’t need extra explaining of what’s at stake.

Just over a month ago, the New York Islanders were comfortably in a playoff spot. Even after a rough road trip out to California, a concerning stretch for sure, it still didn’t seem like the season was in any real peril. And then…

Everyone else in the Metro started surging while the Islanders floundered, going 7-10 to this point, including losing 6 of their last 7 games. The scoring went cold, while the defense fell apart and Ilya Sorokin started to look mortal, his Vezina bid likely slipping away in the process.

And all of that led to Patrick Roy’s dismissal. Mathieu Darche brought in Peter DeBoer with eyes towards next season. If everything worked out, he’d right the ship, go 4-0 in these games, and the Isles would earn a playoff bid in Matthew Schaefer’s first season.

That didn’t happen, though, and now Darche, DeBoer, and the Islanders will have a long offseason to start to set this team up for long-term success. That will probably be without some long time Islanders, but with an aging core and young talent along the way (Bridgeport made the AHL playoffs!), it’s time to make some difficult decisions.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

First Period

Anthony Duclair came into the lineup for Ondrej Palat, and hopefully that was a hint that Palat won’t be part of this team going forward.

The Islanders went to an early power play after Josh Anderson was called for high sticking Carson Soucy, but unsurprisingly, they couldn’t convert on the power play. Jacob Fowler made a good save on Kyle MacLean after the power play expired.

Mat Barzal put a shot off Fowler’s mask, which was the other big chance for the Islanders that period.

Then, Emil Heineman was called for tripping Ivan Demidov, and on that power play, Juraj Slafkovsky whiffed in front of an empty net, and Ilya Sorokin made a big save on Nick Suzuki, the sharpest he’s looked in a few games now.

Second Period

Anthony Duclair shot the puck high over the net while pressured in front.

Scott Mayfield was boarded by Arber Xhekaj, with no call for that. Brayden Schenn came in on Xhekaj, and both of them got roughing penalties. Neither team converted on the 4 on 4, but Mayfield left the game after that hit.

He did return a few minutes later.

Anderson got a breakaway but missed high.

Nick Suzuki then scored to make it 1-0 for the Canadiens. On that play, Matthew Schaefer took a four minute double minor for high sticking, so the Canadiens also picked up a two-minute power play after that as well. And on that power play, Demidov made it 2-0.

And then Alex Newhook made it 3-0 less than 30 seconds later.

Xhekaj was called for roughing, sending the Islanders to the power play, which would continue on into the third period.

Third Period

The Canadiens killed that power play despite one good look from the Islanders.

With 11 minutes left, Casey Cizikas tipped a Mayfield shot past Fowler to make it 3-1.

That gave the Islanders some life, but they couldn’t get anything past Fowler before pulling Sorokin for the extra skater. They couldn’t convert with the net empty, and then Zack Bolduc scored late with Sorokin back in to make it 4-1.

Up Next

Next, the New York Islanders will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, April 14, the last game of the season and Fan Appreciation Night. All eyes will be on whether Matthew Schaefer will break Brian Leetch’s rookie scoring record.

BOSTON (AP) — Baylor Scheierman scored a career-high 30 points, Luka Garza added 27, including a key 3-pointer with 31.6 seconds left, and the Boston Celtics’ reserves defeated Orlando 113-108 on Sunday night, sending the Magic into a road play-in tournament game.

Ron Harper Jr. had a career-best 27 points for Boston, and Garza grabbed 12 rebounds.

Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 23 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, and Jalen Suggs scored 23 points.

The Magic (45-37) had won five straight and seemed ready to lock up a home game as the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed before the loss. They entered tied with Toronto for sixth, but fell to eighth and will face Philadelphia.

Boston sat eight of its regular rotation players, including stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Playing most of the season without Tatum, who was recovering from Achilles tendon surgery, the Celtics (56-26) turned in a better-than-expected season by earning the East’s No. 2 seed.

Wendell Carter Jr’s free throw cut Boston’s lead to 108-105 with 1:37 remaining and Suggs’ right-wing 3 tied it before Garza collected a pass off an in-bounds, turned and hit his 3-pointer.

The Celtics led 101-85 early in the final quarter before the Magic cut the deficit to five points on Banchero’s layup with just under four minutes left.

Mainly behind Harper and Scheierman, Boston’s reserves hung around early, falling behind by double digits midway into the second quarter and then rallying behind a 3-point shooting barrage (9 of 16) in the third quarter to outscore the Magic 42-20 in the period and open a 94-81 lead.

The Celtics hit four 3-pointers in a 1:48 span — two by Scheierman — during a 12-2 spurt that pulled them ahead.

Up next

Magic: Travel to No. 7 Philadelphia for a play-in game.

Celtics: Await their first-round playoff opponent.

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AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA

BOSTON (AP) — Baylor Scheierman scored a career-high 30 points, Luka Garza added 27, including a key 3-pointer with 31.6 seconds left, and the Boston Celtics’ reserves defeated Orlando 113-108 on Sunday night, sending the Magic into a road play-in tournament game.

Ron Harper Jr. had a career-best 27 points for Boston, and Garza grabbed 12 rebounds.

Paolo Banchero led Orlando with 23 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, and Jalen Suggs scored 23 points.

The Magic (45-37) had won five straight and seemed ready to lock up a home game as the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed before the loss. They entered tied with Toronto for sixth, but fell to eighth and will face Philadelphia.

Boston sat eight of its regular rotation players, including stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Playing most of the season without Tatum, who was recovering from Achilles tendon surgery, the Celtics (56-26) turned in a better-than-expected season by earning the East’s No. 2 seed.

Wendell Carter Jr’s free throw cut Boston’s lead to 108-105 with 1:37 remaining and Suggs’ right-wing 3 tied it before Garza collected a pass off an in-bounds, turned and hit his 3-pointer.

The Celtics led 101-85 early in the final quarter before the Magic cut the deficit to five points on Banchero’s layup with just under four minutes left.

Mainly behind Harper and Scheierman, Boston’s reserves hung around early, falling behind by double digits midway into the second quarter and then rallying behind a 3-point shooting barrage (9 of 16) in the third quarter to outscore the Magic 42-20 in the period and open a 94-81 lead.

The Celtics hit four 3-pointers in a 1:48 span — two by Scheierman — during a 12-2 spurt that pulled them ahead.

Up next

Magic: Travel to No. 7 Philadelphia for a play-in game.

Celtics: Await their first-round playoff opponent.

___

AP NBA: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NBA

With a tap into the hole, a look to the sky and a release of emotion, another chapter of golfing history was complete.

A year on from his first Augusta triumph, Rory McIlroy became only the fourth man to defend the Masters title.

He joins esteemed company in Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods, who also donned the Green Jacket in successive years.

But what were the key shots that helped the Northern Irishman on his way to consecutive victories at Augusta National?

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• McIlroy holds nerve to win second successive Masters

First day roll

McIlroy opened his Masters bid with an opening round of 67, and the highlight was a run of three birdies on the bounce on the back nine that put him in the joint lead with American Sam Burns.

After picking up shots on the 13th and 14th holes, McIlroy took on the par-five 15th and while his third shot to 29 feet wasn’t the strongest set-up shot of his round, what followed was perfection.

The ball curled beautifully from left to right and fell into the hole, which prompted a muted raised fist from McIlroy.

He would end the day joint-top of the standings.

Chip-in magic

There is just something special about watching an athlete at the top of their game around one of the sport’s most iconic venues.

That’s exactly what happened on the back nine of McIlroy’s second round on Friday, with six birdies in seven holes in a scintillating performance.

The highlight was undoubtedly his chip in on the 17th, after missing the green off to the right by some distance.

However, with a delicate touch and the flag on the far side of the green, his near 30-yard effort was perfection, taking a bounce on the putting surface before rolling straight into the cup.

This time the celebration wasn’t as muted as he raised his arm aloft, club still in hand, as the crowd went into raptures.

Another birdie would follow on the final hole, and his second round of 65 gave him a Masters record six-stroke lead after 36 holes.

Down to a tee

Just 24 hours after his record round, McIlroy’s advantage was eradicated as he toiled on Saturday to a one-over 73.

His hopes looked like they were fading further on Sunday with a double bogey and bogey in the first six holes, but McIlroy rallied and started to work his way back up the leaderboard.

The turning point came on the 12th at Amen Corner, when the 36-year-old nailed his tee shot on the 155-yard par three to just under seven feet from the hole.

No other player got as close to the pin all day, and he duly holed the putt to take a two-stroke lead, as Cameron Young missed his effort to keep pace.

McIlroy would not look back from there, and another birdie followed at 13. Amen Corner was tamed, and McIlroy was on the home straight.

Shot reminiscent of Woods

A late charge from world number one Scottie Scheffler – a two-time major champion – put pressure on McIlroy at the top of the leaderboard, moving within two shots.

McIlroy, with the adrenaline pumping, hammered his tee shot on the 170-yard par three 16th beyond the pin and off the back of the green.

It was not quite as far off target as Tiger Woods was in 2005 when he chipped in on his way to victory but the parallels were clear to see.

McIlroy opted to putt and hit a beautifully paced shot onto the green and allowed the contours to guide the ball down towards the flag.

He judged it to almost perfection, the ball stopping a foot from the hole. Moments later he tapped in for a crucial par that maintained his two-shot lead with two holes to play.

After an 11-year wait between his previous two major titles, a second in the space of a year was within his grasp.

The winning moment

It will arguably be the best bogey of McIlroy’s career.

With a two-shot lead on the 18th tee the job was almost done but McIlroy had a wild swipe and his ball flew to the right and into trees.

Hearts were suddenly racing again.

After what seemed like an eternity, as he tried to usher thousands of spectators away from his intended line of attack to the green, he thrashed his ball out of the pine straw and into a greenside bunker.

It was a key moment. Another poor swing could easily have led to a double bogey and a play-off with Scheffler.

He backed that with a strong shot from the sand to 12 feet and with two putts for the title, took both of them.

The final stroke, from seven inches, was the length that all players dream of to win a major.

There was a huge release of emotion. McIlroy hugged his caddie Harry Diamond, looked to the sky and let out a roar as he raised him arms aloft – his sixth major title cementing his place as one of the sport’s greats.