Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry has been ruled out for the remainder of Wednesday night's matchup with the Indiana Pacers after suffering a shoulder injury. Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters he would be undergoing an MRI on the shoulder on Thursday, and was in "good spirits" after the game.

The two-time league MVP immediately grabbed his left shoulder after reaching for the ball while the Pacers' Jalen Smith drove to the basket. Curry exited the game with 38 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Curry has posted 29.6 points on 49.7 percent shooting (43.2 percent from three-point range), 6.8 assists and 6.6 rebounds this year.

The ex-Davidson star averaged a team-high 25.5 points for the Warriors en route to leading the squad to its fourth NBA title since 2015 last season. He capped off the year with the NBA Finals MVP award.

Obviously, losing the two-time NBA MVP and eight-time All-Star for any amount of time is a significant blow to Golden State.

The Warriors were a far better team with him in 2021-22, going 45-19 with Curry on the court and 8-10 otherwise. He notably missed the final 12 regular-season games with a sprained ligament in his left foot but returned for the team's championship run.

Two years before, Curry nearly missed the entire 2019-20 season with a broken second metacarpal bone. The Warriors went a league-worst 15-50.

This Warriors team is far better equipped to handle missing Curry, but it will still be tough to go without him.

Sans Curry, the onus will be on Jordan Poole to run the point alongside backcourt mate Klay Thompson. In 2021-22, Poole notably averaged 25.9 points starting the final 15 regular-season games, 12 of which were without Curry. Donte DiVincenzo should also see more playing time.

Expect Draymond Green to do more facilitating as well.

Basketball took something of a back seat Tuesday when Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green had a fan removed from Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum during a game against the Bucks.

Green explained after the game that he took such actions because the fan threatened his life, per C.J. Holmes of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Bucks released a statement following the game that said they are "investigating the situation and we're conferring with the NBA," per Kendra Andrews of ESPN.

A fan first started jawing at Green when Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the free-throw line in the third quarter, and the Michigan State product then had that person removed when Stephen Curry was on the line during the next stoppage in play.

"There are no real consequences," Green said of fans' behavior. "Yeah, you can't come back to the game, or even if you get arrested, nothing really happens ... you just hope it gets to a point where these leagues can work with legislators to implement laws, because that's the only thing that's really going to correct the issue."

The comments and latest incident came after the NBA fined the four-time All-Star $25,000 earlier this month for the language he used toward a fan during a game against the Dallas Mavericks.

As for Tuesday's contest, the Bucks won 128-111 and improved to 20-7 on the campaign.

Green finished with just two points on 1-of-3 shooting from the field but impacted the game in other ways with seven assists and six rebounds.

Golden State has dealt with some inconsistency to start the season and fell to just 14-14 overall and 1-3 in the last four. It was the first contest of a six-game Eastern Conference road trip for the reigning champions, who will be in Indiana to face the Pacers on Wednesday.

The Golden State Warriors are an experienced team used to overcoming adversity, so seeing the reigning NBA champions lose their composure isn't a typical occurrence.

However, that's exactly what happened to the Warriors in Tuesday's 128-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Golden State grew frustrated with the referees early in the game and never recovered, trailing by as many as 26 in the blowout.

The whistles started flying early and often, as the Warriors were called for three technical fouls in the first quarter alone. Golden State was unhappy with the free throw disparity, as none of its players made it to the line until late in the second quarter.

The Warriors shot just 19 free throws on the night, while Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo shot 17 by himself on his way to a game-high 30 points.

Warriors star point guard Stephen Curry was among those to receive a technical foul when he surprisingly let his anger get the better of him after a referee didn't call what he thought was an obvious foul on a three-pointer. Golden State finished with five techs, while three were called on Milwaukee.

Fans online called out the Warriors for letting the referees throw them off their game in what was supposed to be an exciting matchup against an Eastern Conference powerhouse:

At 14-14, Golden State has struggled to find consistency this season. Perhaps the slow start is just a championship hangover, but at this point, it's starting to become concerning.

The Warriors have the expectations of contending for a title once again, but there are multiple issues they need to fix if they want to achieve their goal.

Golden State will look to bounce back in the second matchup of its six-game road trip on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers (14-14).

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green had a fan removed during his team's 128-111 road loss against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday evening.

Green explained to reporters what happened after the game.

ESPN's Kendra Andrews provided more context on the interaction between the fan and Green prior to the ejection, which occurred while Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo shot free throws.

The TNT broadcast showed Green emphatically going to the officials and pointing to the fan in question. Security was then seen speaking with the fan, who then left the seat.

Green previously had an interaction with a fan at a Nov. 29 road game against the Dallas Mavericks, and it led to a $25,000 fine.

The fan, Alykhan Rehmatullah, told Green on Twitter that he would match $25,000 to charity.

"You don't see that happen," Green told Andrews about the match, which he also called "a cool gesture."

Green, a four-time All-Star and NBA champion, has been in the NBA for 11 seasons.

The Golden State Warriors were once an NBA laughingstock.

Now they're the class of the league.

Sportico released its NBA franchise valuations Tuesday, and the Warriors are by far the most valuable team at $7.56 billion. That marks a 25 percent increase from 2021 and puts them nearly $1 billion ahead of the New York Knicks.

1. Golden State Warriors ($7.56 billion)
2. New York Knicks ($6.58 billion)
3. Los Angeles Lakers ($6.44 billion)
4. Chicago Bulls ($4.09 billion)
5. Boston Celtics ($3.92 billion)
6. Brooklyn Nets ($3.86 billion)
7. Los Angeles Clippers ($3.73 billion)
8. Toronto Raptors ($3.34 billion)
9. Houston Rockets ($3.3 billion)
10. Dallas Mavericks ($3.26 billion)

This is the first time the Knicks have fallen to the second spot in the team valuation rankings. Despite having not won a championship in nearly 50 years and being mismanaged by governor James Dolan, the Knicks remain consistently relevant thanks to their prime New York City location and the aura of Madison Square Garden.

The Warriors' ascent to the top spot is a testament to a strong ownership group and a generational superstar.

Joe Lacob's group of investors bought the Warriors 12 years ago for $450 million. The franchise was largely ignored on the national scale and had made the playoffs just once since 1994.

A few strokes of drafting genius from the front office, highlighted by the arrival of Stephen Curry, combined with the bustling Bay Area tech community turned the Warriors into an NBA juggernaut. The Warriors are worth about 17 times what Lacob paid for them, and he could likely get even more on the open market if the franchise came up for sale.

Franchise valuations across sports have long undersold their actual sale price, as the combination of safety of investment and scarcity drives up bidding.

The Golden State Warriors finally started looking like defending NBA champions on Saturday night.

Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for 66 points and the Warriors locked in on defense for a 123-107 win over the Boston Celtics.

"Especially the way they've played this year, they've just been so good, so dominant. I thought we needed a game like that," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "We've been a bit stuck in the mud. It feels like we've gotten better, but not a whole lot to show for it. This was an important win for us."

The Celtics are off to a blistering 21-6 start and look like favorites to repeat as Eastern Conference champions.

Meanwhile, it's been a slog both on and off the court for the Warriors. Their title defense began with Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole in the face during a preseason practice, and a malaise has followed Golden State to a 14-13 start. Thompson is playing the worst basketball of his career as he continues his journey back from a pair of devastating leg injuries, and Poole has been disappointing since signing a four-year, $128 million extension.

Golden State has just a 2-11 record in away games this season, which is typically a pretty good barometer of a team's togetherness.

Kerr and Curry said they're hopeful Saturday's win over the Celtics will help spark a turnaround.

"It just gives you the recipe on the intensity and focus you have to have to beat a team like that," Curry said. "Knowing how hard it is to win on the road, we haven't done it well at all this season. ... We want to feel good about ourselves getting on the plane ... and figure out how to really take advantage of the opportunity in front of us."

The Splash Bros. cooked all night en route to leading the Golden State Warriors to a 123-107 home win over the Boston Celtics in an NBA Finals rematch on Saturday.

Klay Thompson dropped 24 first-half points and finished with a game-high 34, and Stephen Curry added 32. They combined to score 66 points on 26-of-47 shooting while knocking down 10 three-pointers. Curry added seven assists and six rebounds and finished plus-20 on the evening.

The Celtics simply couldn't keep up with the duo in part because of an off-night from MVP candidate Jayson Tatum, who shot just 6-of-21 for 18 points and was bothered by Thompson's defense. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 31 points.

This win was arguably one of the most impressive victories any NBA team has registered this year.

The Celtics rolled into San Francisco with a league-best 21-5 record as winners of 18 of their last 20 games. They sport the league's top offensive rating and sit 10th in defensive rating, per Basketball Reference.

But they couldn't handle the Warriors backcourt's firepower, which allowed Golden State to lead by as many as 20 points. Boston's last lead came with 6:12 left in the first quarter. It was an impressive result, especially with Andrew Wiggins (right adductor tightness) out.

This ultimately was a masterclass performance from Curry and Thompson, who have routinely torched teams in their combined 26 NBA seasons. The four-time champions have endured an uneven 14-13 start, but they showed what they're capable of at their peak on Saturday.

Twitter gave the duo its deserved credit.

The road doesn't get any easier for the Warriors, though, as they will face another tough task Tuesday when they visit Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Golden State Warriors are exploring new contracts for head coach Steve Kerr and general manager Bob Myers.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Warriors have "broached the concept" of an extension with Kerr.

Myers, whose current deal is set to expire after this season, and the Warriors have had talks about a new contract, but they "appear to be on hiatus" right now.

Myers most recently signed an extension with the Warriors in June 2019. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed at the time, but Wojnarowski reported Saturday it's believed his current contract expires at the end of June.

There would seem to be more urgency for the Warriors to get a deal done with Myers than Kerr.

Kerr has two years left on his current deal, according to Wojnarowski. The 57-year-old has been Golden State's head coach since May 2014.

The Warriors have built the closest thing to a modern-day dynasty thanks to their core group of Thompson, Green and Stephen Curry. They are spending massive amounts of money to keep them together and field a roster around them.

Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, Golden State's combined payroll and luxury-tax payment for the 2023-24 season already projects to be $483 million with just 12 players under contract if Green opts in to his deal.

Myers began his professional career as an agent before moving into the front office. He has only worked for the Warriors since being hired as assistant general manager in April 2011.

After Larry Riley was demoted from his post as general manager in April 2012, Myers was promoted to the job. He helped build the roster that has led the Warriors to four NBA titles in the past eight seasons.

Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes, Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole are among the notable Golden State draft picks since Myers joined the front office 11 years ago.

Myers was also the general manager when the Warriors signed Kevin Durant in July 2016.

Golden State has gotten off to an inconsistent start this season. Its 13-13 record entering Saturday ranks 11th in the Western Conference, but it's only 4.5 games behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the top spot.

The Boston Celtics have put their loss to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals behind them and are fully focused on lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2023.

That loss still stings, but the Celtics have shown much improvement since being defeated in the Finals, and they will get the opportunity to show the Warriors what they're made of when they match up for the first time this season on Saturday.

Golden State isn't taking Boston lightly, either, with head coach Steve Kerr telling reporters Friday that the Celtics, led by the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, have undeniably been the best team in the league this year.

"I'm sure the motivation from last year is there and is driving them," Kerr said. "They've been, by far, the best team in the league."

In last season's Finals, the Celtics fell to the Warriors in six games and saw their offense sputter. Boston averaged 100.8 points against Golden State, down from the 105.0 points they averaged in the Eastern Conference Finals and the 111.8 from the regular season.

Reeling from that loss, the Celtics have turned their disappointment into meaningful success this season, and they're reaping the benefits.

While Boston's defense hasn't been nearly as good, the team currently has the best offense in the NBA with a 119.9 offensive rating. The next-closest team is the Phoenix Suns, which have a 116.3 offensive rating.

The Celtics have also greatly improve their shooting. Last season, they shot 46.6 percent from the floor and 35.6 percent from deep. This year, they're shooting 49.3 percent from the field and a league-best 40 percent from beyond the arc.

The meteoric rises of both Tatum and Brown have certainly contributed to Boston's offensive success, but the addition of Malcolm Brogdon and the improvement of players like Grant Williams have helped propel the C's this year.

Beyond shooting, the Celtics have also improved their spacing and off-ball movement. Additionally, they're committing far fewer turnovers this year, averaging just 13.8 turnovers, which is the sixth-best mark in the NBA.

A lot of the team's success can be attributed to interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, who appears to have taken this team to its potential.

The Celtics enter Saturday's game against the 13-13 Warriors with a 21-5 record, and they'll be looking to capture one of their biggest wins of the season.