標籤: bucket

As a rookie last season, Bronny James’ plan was always to spend plenty of time with the South Bay affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers in the G League.

Now in his second year in the NBA, it’s been a similar story for him. James played in 18 games for South Bay last season, and he’s tied for 18 games this year with less than a month left in the regular season.

Based on the Lakers’ depth chart, there doesn’t appear to be much room in the rotation for the second-year guard. It always made sense that he was going to get more opportunities to develop his game in the G League.

As Bronny James juggles the shuffle between the Lakers and South Bay, one of the things he’s working on is trying to find a balance between finding his shot and being a playmaker for his teammates. At the urging of both Lakers head coach JJ Redick and South Bay head coach Zach Guthrie, James has focused on finding his shot when the opportunity arises.

“They always tell me they want me to be as aggressive as possible and try to score,” James told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “That’s been my mentality all the time now. If they give it to me, I’ll take a bucket. If not, just put it back in space and make a play. Not really thinking too much and just playing basketball.”

This work is in progress. As a point guard, James has a natural penchant for moving the ball and getting his teammates involved. Last year, he averaged 4.6 assists per game while in the G League. This season, he has slightly less than four assists. During his first two games with South Bay, he posted back-to-back games of eight assists.

This was followed by a streak of seven games where he averaged 5.3 assists per game. With the Lakers, James has had two games with six assists this season. He walks a good path for all players trying to become a successful guard in the NBA. It’s all about finding your shot, and finding the right balance between keeping the offense humming and getting scoring opportunities to your teammates.

“I think it’s just staying aggressive. I’m looking for my shot first and if the defender comes in front of me, I make the pass,” James said. “Just play your game and experience the defense while the game is going on.”

Bronny James’s G League development with South Bay

While opportunities with the Lakers are few and far between, there is ample playing time available for James in the G League. By mid-March, he had appeared in 18 games with South Bay, equal to his total appearances from the previous season.

His average has been 13.3 points, which is less than 18.6 points a year ago. Their total number has decreased slightly; 3.0 rebounds compared to 4.4 and 3.8 assists compared to 4.6. But their efficiency has improved. James is shooting 48.7 percent from the field, up from 41.9 percent last year. And his 3-point efficiency has gone from 33.6 percent to 34.4 percent.

It’s a balanced approach for James, which is a byproduct of the game being slow for him, as well as playing with a talented South Bay team.

“Yeah, I would say so. We have a lot of talent on our team so it’s an easy job for me,” James said. “I’m trying to do everything I can to win, whether it’s getting buckets or facilitating or playing defense.”

One way James’ time with South Bay has helped his development is the chance to play with his ‘be ready’ Lakers teammates in live game action. He has suited up with Edou Thirou, Dalton Knecht, Kobe Bufkin, Drew Timme, Chris Mannon and Nick Smith Jr. This group often scrimmages against each other in ‘Be Ready’ games after Lakers practice.

This is a group that doesn’t often see the court on a regular basis in the NBA, but playing together with South Bay gives them an opportunity to build togetherness and implement what the Lakers’ coaching staff wants to see from their development.

“I like to get my teammates involved because they’re all really talented and they can get buckets,” James said. “So I don’t have to be the only one trying to score the whole game. It’s definitely an easier job when I’m playing with them.”

Bronny James’ outlook on the rest of the season

While the Lakers certainly aspire to make a strong showing in the NBA playoffs, South Bay has emerged as a contender itself once the G League postseason begins. They recently set a franchise record of 12 consecutive wins, and they hold sole possession of first place in the G League’s Western Conference standings.

James is likely to play a much bigger role in South Bay’s postseason run than the Lakers, provided he is deployed when the G League playoffs begin at the end of the month. He’s already looking forward to a possible partnership with the group.

“We’re ranked No. 1 in the Western Conference right now,” James said. “We’re on a winning streak, and I think we can go very far in the playoffs. Do whatever it takes to win. I think it’s good for my development.”

The G League Finals are set to conclude just before the NBA Playoffs begin. Should South Bay get that far, it’s probably safe to assume James will be on the roster. And then he’ll be back in time for a potential playoff run with the Lakers.

And no matter which team he is with, he will bring his same winning mentality.

“I think it’s just coming out and doing whatever the coach needs. If I came back to the Lakers, it would be the same thing,” James said. “Just playing a role and excelling at it. I have different roles on both of my teams, so whatever it is, just doing it at a high level.”

Sacramento Kings vet DeMar DeRozan isn’t one of the greatest bucket-getters of his generation. He is one of the best players ever and the statistics speak for themselves.

On Wednesday night, DeRozan once again moved up one spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, passing former San Antonio Spurs superstar big man Tim Duncan for 18th. DeRozan entered Wednesday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento with the league leading 26,466 career points, 30 points behind Duncan.

Six-time NBA All-Star DeRozan scored 39 points against the Hornets and surpassed Duncan in scoring by dropping 39 points on the Hornets.

DeRozan got by Duncan with a jumper with less than three minutes remaining in the third period.

And it is on this basket that…

DeMar DeRozan has passed Tim Duncan in the all-time leading scorer rankings!!!

26’497…and counting!

18th best scorer in historypic.twitter.com/dmmzAkgOGw

– 50 Nuances 🇺🇸🏀 (@50NuancesDeNBA) 12 March 2026

The 36-year-old DeRozan did most of the damage, where he always does. He made 17 of 22 shots from the field, and all but one of those attempts came from behind the arc. DeRozan also hit all five of his free throws.

Unfortunately for DeRozan, his big scoring night was ruined in a 117–109 loss. He couldn’t beat Charlotte alone, four Hornets scored at least 20 points, led by LaMelo Ball, who had 24. While the Kings shot just 8-for-25 from deep, the Hornets drained 19 3-pointers on 40 attempts.

The loss put Sacramento back in the loss column after enjoying a two-game winning streak.

At 16-51, the Kings don’t have to plan for the NBA Playoffs, but that won’t stop DeRozan from going to work and scoring points, as he has done throughout his career.

DeRozan and the Kings next match up this Saturday in Inglewood against Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The LA Clippers entered Monday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors hoping to win their second consecutive game. However, more importantly, the Clippers were preparing for the debut of new guard Darius Garland.

Acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers at the NBA trade deadline in a blockbuster trade that sent James Harden to the Cavs, Garland has been out since January 16 with a sprained right toe. After undergoing evaluation with his new team, the Clippers decided to hold Darius Garland out during the 2025 offseason due to some residual pain in his surgically repaired left foot.

The Clippers only had two games in the last week of February, giving them three practice days. Those days were used to scrimmage and push forward Darius Garland into five-on-five action with his new teammates.

With 3:20 remaining in the first half of his first game with the Clippers, Darius Garland came off the bench and scored his first bucket. Pull-up three-pointer Going left.

Darius Garland’s first basket as a member of the LA Clippers. pic.twitter.com/sMRLqhLBKg

– Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) 3 March 2026

Garland finished the first half with five points, one assist and three turnovers, while shooting 1-of-3 from the field, all three-pointers and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.

The Warriors led 56-42 at halftime. Brandin Podziemski led the way for the Warriors with 20 points, four rebounds and one assist on 8 of 12 shooting from the field. Moses Moody was the only other player in the game in double-figure scoring with 10 points.

Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with eight points, five rebounds and two assists, while Kris Dunn added seven points and three rebounds.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey continues his progression as one of the NBA’s deadliest players, and at the rate he’s progressing, he may find himself rewriting the record books.

The 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 114-98 on Sunday at TD Garden. Nevertheless, Maxi once again performed exceptionally well and scored a game-high 33 points. He also had three rebounds, six assists and two blocks.

In the fourth quarter, he made a fallaway jumper to keep them safe. In the process, he also reached an impressive feat. he did his calculations 65th game With at least 30 points and five assists, he surpassed 76ers legend Wilt Chamberlain for fourth most in team history.

With this bucket, Tyrese Maxey recorded his 65th game with 30+ PTS and 5+ AST, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain (64) for the fourth most in 76ers history! pic.twitter.com/jnyOkgGYxs

– NBA (@NBA) 2 March 2026

Whenever you surpass Chamberlain on any list, you know you’re doing something excellent.

Chamberlain, who led Philadelphia to a title in 1967, was very talented in his heyday. Maxi would be honored to know that he has succeeded the late Hall of Famer.

The 25-year-old Maxi had to carry the heavy load for the 76ers against the Celtics, as Joel Embiid sat out again with an oblique injury. Embiid has already missed 27 games this season.

Maxey received support from VJ Edgecombe, who recorded 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Andre Drummond, who started in Embiid’s place, contributed 10 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals. However, their efforts were not enough to overthrow the Celtics.

Philadelphia’s three-game winning streak was snapped and it dropped to 33–27, while Boston improved to 40–20.

The Sixers will take on the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.

Portland Trail Blazers fans are accustomed to seeing Yang Hansen and Donovan Clingan working together to clog up the paint at Moda Center. However, Friday night’s NBA Rising Stars game forced the Twin Towers into a rare confrontation, which left Klingon on the wrong side of a viral moment.

The energy inside the building soared as the two giants faced off, turning a friendly exhibition into a massive battle for bragging rights in the locker room.

The highlight of the night came when Hansen was isolated against the Klingons at the top of the Keys. Hansen, China’s 7-foot-3 skilled center, gave a quick shoulder shimmy before selling a fake jump shot that completely fooled his teammates.

Teammate on teammate crime!

Yang Hansen fakes Donovan Clingan for inside bucket

pic.twitter.com/Gw4YBup6Lo

– ClutchPoints (@clutchpoints) 14 February 2026

Klingon made things a little more difficult to pass, moving to the perimeter while Hansen calmly slid past him to the rim. Henson finished the game with an easy bucket and a cheeky smile, and clearly enjoyed the chance to put his fellow rookie on the highlight reel.

Henson finished as the high-point man for Team Austin, scoring 10 points and one rebound while going 4 of 5 from the free-throw line. Team Melo ultimately won 65–60, but Henson’s offensive versatility was the talk of the field.

Clingan, on the other hand, proved why he is a defensive threat by recording 3 rebounds, although those defensive stats may not be enough to nullify the pump fake just yet.

The game reached its climax when Dylan Harper hit the game-winning shot over his brother Ron Harper Jr., but the Trail Blazers’ internal rivalry provided the most entertaining subplot of the evening.

Portland has invested heavily in its frontcourt, and seeing both players flourish on the national stage confirms that the franchise is moving in the right direction.