Category: Sports

When Andre Iguodala signed with the Golden Warriors in 2013, there was no guarantee that he’d be part of a dynasty. Stephen Curry was not yet an All-Star, and Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were just starting their careers.

As it turned out, Iguodala’s sacrifices and foresight contributed to four championships, highlighted by an NBA Finals MVP win in 2015, when he led the Warriors to their first title in four decades.

On Sunday, they honored Iguodala by retiring his No. 9 and raising his jersey to the rafters at Chase Center.

“It’s been a wild journey, but it’s been a beautiful blessing,” Iguodala said in his speech.

Iguodala became the seventh player to have his number retired by the franchise. He joined Rick Barry (24), Wilt Chamberlain (13), Nate Thurmond (42), Al Attles (16), Chris Mullin (17) and Tom Meschery (14)

Iguodala already had an accomplished career before joining the Warriors. He had established himself as a defensive stalwart and everyday starter over nine seasons. In Golden State, he assumed the role of providing veteran leadership, recognizing the talent he had around him.

“You sacrificed ego for excellence,” Curry said during Sunday’s ceremony.

Curry said Iguodala unlocked confidence, intelligence and maturity for an up-and-coming team, adding that he went from being the face of the franchise with the Philadelphia 76ers to the “glue” with the Warriors that “made it all work.”

“He wanted to join what was happening, because he saw how special it was,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before Sunday’s 126-102 win over the Dallas Mavericks. “That was a coup. I mean, the Warriors weren’t exactly getting a lot of free agents. So to sign Andre was obviously one of the key moves to this whole thing.”

Iguodala was 30 in his first season with the Warriors and had never come off the bench in 10 seasons. When Kerr took over the team the following year, Iguodala agreed to take a bench role. He called it a “great, unique situation” and said that Curry, Thompson and Green made it easy on him

“It’s rare in professional sports to see a guy that’s kind of still in his prime kind of take a back seat, or actually willingly move out the way for the up-and-coming guys,” The 41-year-old Iguodala said before the game.

That resulted in a championship run in 2015, with Iguodala becoming the first player to win NBA Finals MVP after not starting every game in the series. It was Kerr who trusted Iguodala to perform on the big stage and moved him into the starting lineup trailing 2-1 to the Cavaliers in the 2015 Finals and gave him the assignment of guarding then-Cleveland star LeBron James.

He averaged 16.3 points, 4.0 assists and 5.8 rebounds as the Warriors beat the Cavaliers in six games.

“That was the ultimate validation of everything I’ve always believed in the game, and I do think other people recognize that,” Kerr said. “It wasn’t lost on anyone, the sacrifice and the success and everything that kind of happened together.”

Iguodala was the No. 9 pick in the 2004 NBA Draft out of Arizona and played in 1,231 career games. He spent eight seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, one in Denver, six with the Warriors, two in Miami and returned to Golden State for his last two seasons. He was part of NBA championships in 2015, ’17, ’18 and 2022.

Iguodala said the Warriors’ core had a drive to keep going, especially after winning the first championship.

“When we won the first one, it was almost like we had to do it again to prove that it wasn’t a fluke,” Iguodala said. “And then, once you win the second one, you’re like, ’Alright, we’ve got to do it again because nobody can touch us. And we’ve got to do it again because we’re supposed to do it again.’”

He added: “That’s just the unique characteristics of great athletes, the ones who are never satisfied. That was in the DNA of every individual, and it just bred into the fabric of the organization.” NBA

It was a vintage Virat Kohli who Pakistan had to deal with in Dubai during their Champions Trophy match against India, and the 36-year-old batted them out of the game with his 51st ODI century. Kohli paced his innings perfectly and helped India chase down a target of 242 with six wickets and 45 balls to spare. The contest boiled down to whether he could get his century before India completed their chase, but Kohli did both, hitting the winning runs with a four and finishing unbeaten on 100 off 111 balls.

The wickets came a bit too late for Pakistan, as, despite Shreyas Iyer’s departure, India were always on course to register a win. Shaheen Afridi bowled a few wides which made it tricky for Virat Kohli to get to his 51st ODI century before India finish off the chase.

Kohli celebrated 14,000 runs in ODI cricket to anchor India’s chase of 242 against Pakistan in Dubai, and in the process, became the fastest Indian batter to reach the milestone, going past the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. More importantly, Kohli and Shreyas Iyer put on a century partnership to ensure India didn’t stumble after Shubman Gill’s dismissal.

Gill’s carnage was ended by Abrar Ahmed, who produced a ball that pitched on middle-leg and crashed onto the top of the off stump. Gill’s assault on Shaheen Afridi wiped the happiness of Rohit Sharma’s wicket off the face of Pakistan bowlers. Pakistan had their moment. Gill hit the ball to Khushdil Shah at mid-wicket, but he made an absolute meal of it. Shaheen buried his face, while Haris Rauf held his head. Mohammad Rizwan couldn’t believe it either. India rolling along nicely with Gill after Rohit Sharma was out for 20.

Pakistan went through several ebbs and flow in the game to be bowled out for 241 inside 50 overs against India in Dubai. After losing two wickets in 10 overs, Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel added a century partnership. They struggled initially but got the job done, breaking the shackles timely. However, just when Pakistan seemed to be wrestling back control, the collective efforts of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya derailed their progress. Had it not been for Khushdil Shah’s 39, even 200 looked tough for Pakistan. Kuldeep was the best Indian bowler on show, picking 3/40, and Hardik returning figures of 2/31 in 8 overs.

Virat Kohli completed the 157th catch of his ODI career, thus becoming India’s most successful catcher in the format. India gave nothing away since Kuldeep dismissed Salman Agha and Shaheen Afridi to be placed on a hat-trick. Axar, Hardik and Jadeja collectively chipped in to add to Pakistan’s woes as the defending champions lost Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel and Tayyab Tahir in a space of three overs. Harshit Rana dropped Rizwan on 44, letting go of a golden opportunity for India to break the partnership. But the Men in Blue didn’t need to wait longer though, as Axar cleaned up the Pakistan captain in the very next over.

After losing Babar Azam after a promising start and then Imam-ul-Haq to a fabulous direct hit from Axar, Pakistan desperately needed a partnership, and Rizwan and Shakeel provided exactly that. After a long period of being stuck, Rizwan and Shakeel found their flow, scoring a flurry of boundaries before India broke through. The Pakistan innings was gaining some serious steam, with Shakeel raising his 4th ODI half-century. Rizwan had also picked up pace, nearing a fifty of his own.

With time running out, Rizwan and Saud finally cut loose. After almost 50 balls without a boundary, Pakistan have hit four in three overs to get going in this partnership of 50-plus. This happened after the boundaries dried up, and dot balls increased. Rizwan had played almost 50 balls with a strike rate of 40.91 and Shakeel was not better. Their approach had left broadcasters and commentators baffled as India continue to speed through overs, tying down Pakistan’s run-rate.

Rohit Sharma had gone off the field briefly, and in his absence, Shubman Gill had taken over as India captain. And boy, what a job he did. It took Pakistan 32 balls to score their first boundary since the last one, a testament to how tight Axar and Hardik bowled. Earlier, India endured an injury scare when Mohammed Shami bowled just 2 overs before the India pacer complained of pain in his leg. After the physio took a good look at him, Shami completed the over but left the field to get some treatment. This was after he opened the proceedings for India with an 11-ball over, giving away 5 wides. Hindustan Times

New Zealand pay-TV heavyweight Sky has snapped up rights to all bilateral international cricket played in the country between the 2026-27 and 2031-32 seasons.

Through a six-year tie-up between Sky NZ and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced earlier today, Sky will cover all home games played by the country’s Black Caps (men’s) and White Ferns (women’s) national sides during that cycle.

This deal represents a return to the Sky fold for NZC, with the last deal between the two parties having expired in early 2020. Rights were then held for three years by the Spark Sport service before that network shut down in mid-2023 and rights were transferred to the TVNZ public-service free-to-air broadcaster (which had been showing a slice of games since early 2020).

TVNZ will hold rights for the 2025-26 season, but they will then transfer back to Sky.

This new tie-up covers all home internationals played by the men’s and women’s New Zealand sides, but not the domestic Super Smash Twenty20 club tournaments, which may well stay free to air in the next cycle.

During the 2025-26 home cricket season, New Zealand’s men’s team is currently due to host West Indies for a multi-format series while short tours by Australia and England are also scheduled. The 2026-27 campaign, meanwhile, is at this point expected to feature home series against India and Sri Lanka.

The last deal between Sky and NZC ran between mid-2014 and the start of 2020.

In terms of potential free-to-air coverage during the next cycle, notwithstanding this Sky deal, NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said: “We have an amazing relationship with TVNZ and we’re looking forward to continuing and developing that relationship over the balance of our agreement, and potentially after that in respect of free-to-air T20Is and the Super Smash.”

In terms of other major cricket rights held by Sky, the broadcaster has a deal in place with the International Cricket Council through 2028 (it is currently showing the men’s ICC Champions Trophy through this deal), while it also shows international cricket held in India.

In addition, earlier this month the pay-TV heavyweight snapped up rights to Twenty20 cricket’s Women’s Premier League (WPL) and Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise competitions in India.

Outside of cricket, meanwhile, Sky NZ also holds a range of major rights across sports including rugby, soccer, and golf.

New Zealand won their first game of the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this week, beating hosts Pakistan in Karachi. Sportcal

The National Sports Club of India (NSCI), the country’s first club established over 70 years ago by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for the 1951 Asian Games, later transforming into a leisure and recreation hub for the elite, is now embroiled in a massive financial irregularities scandal. Current NSCI President Pankaj Khandelwal has written to the Economic Offence Wing of the Delhi Police, alleging significant misappropriation of funds by the club’s current office bearers.

NSCI, once frequented by royals like the Maharaja of Patiala, Vizianagaram, and Navanagar, the Nawab of Pataudi, General K. M. Cariappa, G. D. Birla, Naval Tata, President Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Prime Minister Nehru, and former Maharashtra Chief Minister YB Chavan, is now reeling under heavy financial losses, amounting to hundreds of crores despite having 30,000 affluent members who have paid several lakhs annually for decades. NSCI owns nearly 50 acres of prime property in Mumbai and New Delhi, frequently leased out, earning the club hundreds of crores each year.

In a letter dated 15th February, which has been obtained by the BW correspondent, Khandelwal claims that more than Rs 550 crores from the Capital Fund were siphoned off through fraudulent expenses reported by the committee members. Additionally, there is an overdraft of more than Rs 30 crores and unpaid taxes nearing Rs 100 crores, Khandelwal stated. Despite the club’s assets potentially amounting to thousands of crores, only Rs 143 crores remain in the fund. Khandelwal further pointed out that there are no records for liquor stock worth several crores, and a list of bogus expenses is extensive.

“The Annual Financial Statement, which includes the Income & Expenditure Account, Balance Sheet, and Auditor’s Report for FY 2023-24, reveals a shocking story of deceit and financial manipulation, leading to huge losses and erosion of the Capital Fund, contributed by the club’s members. Organized crime has been committed by NSCI’s Executive and Regional Committees, with members misappropriating funds to the tune of hundreds of crores,” Khandelwal told the Delhi Police.

Khandelwal has named prominent personalities, including NSCI General Secretary Atul Maru, former President Viren Shah, Vice Chairman Dilip Burad, Chairman Amit Menda, Treasurer Sandeep Mehta, Joint Secretary Abhiraj Barfiwala, Ashok Barmecha, and Ajay Bansal, as the key accused. According to Khandelwal, Viren Shah suppressed a KPMG audit report from the club members. NSCI has nearly 30,000 members and serves over a lakh people who are dependents of the club’s members.

Misuse of Funds:
NSCI’s sprawling 30-acre sea-facing property in Mumbai’s posh Worli area is today worth billions. The property houses a fully air-conditioned dome stadium with a seating capacity of 5,000, a basement with space for over 1,000 cars, three banquet halls (including a palace hall with a capacity for 3,000-4,000 people), a theater, departmental store, and more. Despite renting out this massive space in the heart of Mumbai, the club is incurring losses, according to Khandelwal.

NSCI recorded a decline in its Capital Fund from Rs 696 crores to Rs 310 crores and suffered a loss of Rs 27 crores in the Bombay Region for FY 2023-24.

Khandelwal referenced an audit report showing that the club suffered losses of Rs 9.69 crores in the catering department, Rs 9.64 crores in the SVP indoor stadium, Rs 3.19 crores in the new bar, Rs 1.74 crores in the health club, Rs 1.5 crores in the swimming pool, Rs 74.35 lakhs in the cards room, Rs 78.16 lakhs in the tennis court, Rs 2.92 crores in the old sports complex, Rs 62.34 lakhs in the badminton court, Rs 1.63 crores in the old chambers, Rs 5.88 crores in the new chambers, Rs 13.35 lakhs in the consumer store, Rs 28.18 lakhs in the bar department, Rs 73.49 lakhs in the billiards department, Rs 54.30 lakhs in the auditorium, Rs 21.25 lakhs in the table tennis department, Rs 1.02 lakhs in the squash court, and Rs 20.73 lakhs in the Viceroy Restaurant.

“The Auditors’ Report on the financial statement for the Bombay region of the club shows a damning indictment of the management,” said Khandelwal.

Outstanding Liabilities:
The club’s liabilities have ballooned to over Rs 73 crores, including a Rs 30 crore bank loan. However, its Fixed Deposits now total only Rs 92 crores, with details of these deposits remaining undisclosed in the financial reports, Khandelwal added.

Unaccounted Liabilities:
An estimated Rs 62 crores in municipal taxes have not been accounted for, raising concerns about financial transparency.

Unpaid Taxes:
The club has unpaid income tax liabilities of Rs 91 crores (as of June 2022) and Rs 75,444 crores (as of September 2021).

Provident Fund Violations:
The club has failed to deposit employees’ provident fund (PF) contributions despite having deducted it from the member contributions.

Service Tax Non-Payment:
The club has an outstanding service tax demand of Rs 2.37 crores for the period from October 2014 to June 2017, with no appeal filed. GST payments are pending.

According to Khandelwal, the Annual Financial Report, which reflects the club’s financial health, is usually sent to members before the Annual Election of the Club. However, this year, the Annual Financial Statement for FY 2023-24, although ready by 4th December 2024, was deliberately withheld until after the elections.

A forensic audit was conducted by the club in 2018 when Viren Shah was the Treasurer to address member protests regarding irregularities committed by the office bearers. However, despite the club spending a significant amount on professional fees for the audit, no action was taken against those found guilty. The KPMG report named the then-office bearers, including Atul Maru, for gross financial irregularities. However, no action has been initiated against him to date. On the contrary, Maru has continued in his role as Regional Secretary in FY 2023-24, Khandelwal said.

Khandelwal also expressed fears for his safety, stating that he has been receiving persistent threats from office bearer Ajay Bansal. Khandelwal has attached the KPMG forensic audit report and other financial statements of the club, which reveal the ongoing financial scandal. Businessworld

Warriors star Steph Curry is all in on teammate Draymond Green’s declaration that Golden State will win the NBA Finals this season.

After Green made the vow on TNT’s “NBA All-Star Tip-Off” before Sunday’s big game, a motivated Curry responded on the postgame show following his MVP-worthy performance that gave Shaq’s OGs the victory.

“We love pressure,” Curry told Ernie Johnson when asked what he thought about Green’s promise. “We love expectations. You know that. He’s smart. He knows what he’s saying.”

“It’s what we do here,” Green added.

Curry and Green know a thing or two about exceeding expectations, having won the Finals in 2022 when everyone thought the Warriors dynasty was over during an inconsistent season. Sound familiar?

At 28-27 with plenty of time left to play, Golden State sits at No. 10 in the Western Conference and has some momentum after acquiring Jimmy Butler at the Feb. 6 trade deadline — a move that sparked Green’s bold prediction.

Curry is feeling confident as ever, too, he told reporters after the All-Star Game.

“I’m excited,” Curry said. “I got Draymond on the telecast guaranteeing we’re winning a championship. I love the expectations and having something to play for. He’s lighting a fire, for sure.

“But all jokes aside, I think we finished the last four games 3-1 and we have a lot to figure out still, and I think 27 games or so left to make a push. All we want is just to get into a playoff series and have a fighting chance to be a tough out against anybody in the West, and we have a good opportunity in front of us to do that.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge. It’s basically a playoff game every single night, and that usually brings the best out of you.”

Curry is right — the Warriors must play every game with a playoff-like mindset moving forward. And Dub Nation certainly hopes they make good on Green’s word. Sports.Yahoo

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to begin on February 19, featuring the top eight ODI teams.

The tournament will take place in Pakistan and the UAE, with India playing its matches in Dubai due to political reasons. Cricket fans across India can watch the tournament live on Star Sports channels.

In this article, we’ll provide details on the full tournament schedule, participating teams, match venues, and how you can watch the games live.

ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Broadcast Channel Numbers
Cricket fans can easily find the channels broadcasting the ICC Champions Trophy matches on various DTH platforms in India.

The tournament kicks off on February 19, and viewers can watch the matches in multiple languages, including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

Here’s the list of the various DTHs on which the Star Sports Channel is available.

Where to Watch ICC Champions Trophy 2025?
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the broadcast details for the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, where eight teams will compete over 19 days in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

The high-stakes tournament begins on February 19, with hosts Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the opening match, while the final is set for March 9, where the winning team will don the iconic white jackets.

Through its direct partnerships with top broadcasters, the ICC will bring the excitement of this 15-match, two-week tournament to cricket fans worldwide. Jagran Josh

SURJ Sports Investments, the sports arm of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) sovereign wealth investment vehicle, has finalized a major investment into international sports-focus streaming service DAZN.

Reported to be worth $1 billion in exchange for a 10% stake in the business, SURJ’s investment will see the creation of a media joint venture, DAZN MENA, centered around the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The joint venture will be an “official streaming and broadcast partner” for Saudi sports events broadcast both live and on-demand.

Speaking on the announcement, SURJ Sports Investment chief executive Danny Townsend stated: “SURJ supports the leadership of DAZN, and our partnership will accelerate the growth of DAZN and capitalize on the significant and growing demand for high-quality sports broadcasting.

“This investment will help SURJ achieve its mandate of driving fan engagement, encouraging sports participation and unlocking game-changing opportunities, and further showcasing the region as a destination for world-class sports.”

Shay Segev, DAZN chief executive, added: “As part of the DAZN MENA joint venture with SURJ, DAZN is committed to maximizing the reach and accessibility of sports, while delivering the best entertainment experience to a global community of passionate fans.

“This is a milestone partnership for the group, which is bound to transform the sports entertainment landscape in Saudi Arabia and the wider region.”

Rumors had been circling regarding the PIF’s interest in DAZN since October 2024 – although that same month the PIF publicly stated it had no interest in DAZN.

DAZN has a good relationship with authorities in the Kingdom and in October 2024 agreed a major multi-year broadcast partnership with the Riyadh Season brand of sporting and entertainment events from the Saudi capital, becoming the exclusive global broadcaster of its events (excluding the Middle East and North Africa).

The broadcaster is also a significant rights-holder for the Saudi Pro League soccer competition, while earlier this year it provided coverage of the Esports World Cup from Riyadh, as well.

In addition, the ties between the country and DAZN were strengthened in September when the streaming platform announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Saudi Arabian soccer side Al-Hilal for the establishment of a new global channel – backed by Riyadh Season – on the service.

This partnership was much needed for DAZN, which in the calendar year 2023 posted yet another hefty loss despite the continued investment of owner Len Blavatnik.

Over that year DAZN posted a pre-tax loss of $1.43 billion (up from the loss of $1.2 billion in 2022) despite a growth in revenue year-on-year from $2.19 billion to $2.86 billion.

DAZN’s user base grew in the year, as did its paid subscription tier, but that was still not enough to offset its operational costs, mostly composed of spiraling accumulated rights fees.

Rights costs for DAZN in 2023 amounted to $3.1 billion, up by 32% ($757 million) on the $2.4 billion it paid across 2022.

The service still has $9.4 billion in sports rights fees it has committed to pay across the coming years, and will likely still add more as it looks to compete with the likes of Amazon Prime Video and new sports rights entrant Netflix.

Its struggle, however, is competing against diversified media businesses that offer entertainment such as film and TV along with other benefits alongside their sports programming whereas DAZN, solely sports-focused with a heavy priority in boxing (globally) and soccer (in certain markets), charges a similar if not larger fee for what is a less expansive offering. Sportcal

The NBA rolled out a new format with four teams, each coached by a legend, competing in a single-elimination tournament as two semi-finals and a championship game.

Curry, 36, scored 12 points in the final to seal a 41-25 victory against Chuck’s Global Stars.

“I had a lot of fun,” Curry said.

“The intensity was definitely different than last year, a step in the right direction. It’s something new, everybody is still trying to figure it out.”

Four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal coached the winning team, with two-time NBA winner Kenny Smith, 11-time All-Star Charles Barkley and three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker in charge of the other three sides.

Curry ended the competition with 20 points in total, having scored eight points in the 42-35 semi-final win against Candace’s Rising Stars was named MVP.

The Golden State Warriors point guard is the 15th player in NBA history to win the All-Star MVP on more than one occasion.

New format receives mixed reviews
The 2024 All-Star game drew criticism with both teams combining to score 397 points in Indianapolis and organisers were hoping a new format might help to bring back a competitive edge.

Aside from making it a mini-tournament with semi-finals and final, one of the key changes was games being played on a first-to-40-points basis rather than across four quarters.

MVP Curry was among those to praise the NBA for trying something new.

“I think it was a good step in the right direction to reinvigorate the game in some way,” Curry said.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard was also on the winning side and echoed the thoughts of Curry.

“I think they’re just looking for a more competitive game and trying to find ways to create that and it was a little bit more competitive than they have been the last few years,” Lillard said.

“That’s the number one thing, to provide the entertainment and competitiveness on the floor, and I thought it was a little bit more of that.”

However, Curry’s Golden State Warriors team-mate Draymond Green, who was working as a television analyst for the event, was critical of change.

Asked to rate it on a scale, Green said, “Ten being the best? A zero. It sucks. Awful.”

“You work all year to be an All-Star and you get to play up to 40 (points) and then you’re done,’” Green added on TNT. BBC

The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced an expansion of its existing content partnership with YouTube that will see NBA games and marquee events live-streamed to fans in India on the NBA’s global YouTube channel through the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

Live coverage will include weekly regular-season games, NBA All-Star 2025, a selection of NBA Playoff games, and the 2025 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV.

The NBA will also collaborate with top YouTube creators by having select games and events live-streamed on their YouTube channels, starting with popular creator duo Jordindian for the All-Star Saturday Night on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 7:00 a.m. IST.

“Expanding our collaboration with YouTube to live-stream NBA games and events in India reflects our commitment to making the excitement of NBA basketball more accessible to the millions of fans across the country,” said NBA India Business Head of Global Partnerships and Media Sunny Malik.

“YouTube’s significant reach and innovative, localized offerings will help us better engage fans nationwide and deepen their connection with their favorite NBA teams and players.” News18

The Golden State Warriors entered their Wednesday night contest against the Dallas Mavericks a perfect 2-0 in the Jimmy Butler era after acquiring the former All-Star from the Miami Heat before the NBA trade deadline. Going up against a shorthanded Mavericks team without several key bigs, it seems as if Golden State could walk into Dallas and win the game with size.

However, Golden State’s advantage on the glass and points in the paint wasn’t enough, as Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving scored 42 points and led Dallas to a 111-107 victory over the Warriors. Golden State still has one game remaining against the Houston Rockets before beginning the All-Star break, as Warriors head coach Steve Kerr expressed his frustration with the league post-game.

“That’s what makes this loss more frustrating,” Kerr said. “We’re gonna get into Houston at [3:00 AM] because the NBA in its infinite wisdom makes us play an 8:45 game. They clearly don’t care about rest or player health it’s just ratings and all that stuff, so I get it.”

Kerr mentioned that the team might opt not to bring veterans like Steph Curry to Houston due to the fatigue it will cause playing two games so close to one another. Golden State’s three oldest players all played 32 or more minutes in Wednesday’s loss.

Regardless of who plays, Golden State takes their one-game lead over the 11th-seed Phoenix Suns to Houston for a matchup against the fourth-seeded Rockets, with tip-off scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST. Si