free throw

Marcus Smart couldn’t believe the stat line. Five steals and two blocks for who?

“Lukaaaaa,” Smart said, elongating Luka Doncic’s name while smiling toward his star teammate who was sitting with his feet in an ice bucket with ice bags wrapped around his knees.

Doncic matched his career high for steals in a regular-season game Wednesday. The guard averaging 40 points per game claimed his defense was the only thing he did well on a night when he finished one rebound short of a triple-double. While collecting 35 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, he was an inefficient nine-for-27 from the field and four-for-11 from three. He missed four free throws, turned the ball over four times and, after picking up his fifth foul with 7:58 remaining in the fourth, nearly fouled out.

The last fact took Rui Hachimura by surprise.

“I’ve never seen him like that,” Hachimura said. “But you know, he’s trying to be more aggressive [on defense] and that’s what we need from him, too.”

Redick said Doncic had a few games when he started slow defensively in terms of physicality and engagement, but has been overall “really good” this season. Even when he was switched on to Spurs star Victor Wembanyama or point guard Stephon Castle, Doncic still competed well.

“There wasn’t matador defense,” Redick said. “He still guarded. And that was huge. The reason we won the game is because we guarded in the fourth quarter. Our fourth-quarter defense was the No. 1 reason we won the game.”

The Lakers limited the Spurs to 36.8% shooting from the field during the fourth quarter while forcing six turnovers. Wembanyama was held to 19 points on labored five-for-14 shooting with eight rebounds. He was nine-for-11 on free throws and fouled out with 1:40 remaining when he bowled over Hachimura.

Michael Jordan was nervous.

All he had to do was sink a free throw, but a lot was riding on that one shot.

It had nothing to do with a championship or a scoring title or the outcome of any meaningful game.

It had everything to do with being Michael Jordan, the man considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time.

In his new role as a special contributor to NBC’s coverage of the NBA — which returned to the network Tuesday night after a 23-year absence — Jordan was interviewed by Mike Tirico in a segment called “MJ: Insights to Excellence.”

In it, the six-time NBA champion who is still the league’s all-time leader in points per game made a somewhat startling admission.

“I haven’t picked up a ball in years,” Jordan said.

Pressed on the matter by a stunned Tirico, Jordan said he was last persuaded to shoot a ball when he was renting a house during the Ryder Cup (he did not specify that it was the most recent edition of biennial event that took place last month in Farmingdale, N.Y.).

The house had a basketball court, and the home owner wanted his grandchildren to see the legendary player in action. Jordan agreed to attempt one free throw.

“When I stepped up to shoot your free throw, it’s the most nervous I’ve been in years,” Jordan said. “The reason being is those kids heard the stories of the parents about what I did 30 years ago. So the expectation is 30 years prior, and I haven’t touched the basketball.”

But this is Air Jordan we’re talking about.

He swished it, right?

Right???

“Absolutely,” Jordan said. “The most gratifying event that made my whole week is that is that I was able to please that kid, not knowing if I could.”

Jordan retired as a player for the third and final time in 2003. Since then, he has become a highly successful businessman — he was the controlling owner of the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets from 2010-2023 (he still retains a minority ownership in the team) and is the controlling owner of the NASCAR Cup Series team 23XI Racing — with a net worth of close to $4 billion.

In addition to his business pursuits, Jordan told Tirico, he strives to spend as much time as possible with his family.

“You never really know when you in the prime of your career how much time you really do not have for family,” Jordan said. “That’s what I have time to do now. I mean, the most valuable asset I have is time. So that’s probably why you don’t see enough of me, because that time I’m trying to spend with family members and things that I’ve been missing out on for such a long time.”

All that said, however, Jordan admits he still loves basketball and does wish he could be out there on the court playing at his peak.

“In all honesty, I wish I could take a magic pill, put on shorts and go out and play the game of basketball today,” Jordan said. “Because that’s who I am. That type of competition, that type of competitiveness is what I live for, and I miss it. I miss that aspect of playing the game of basketball, being able to challenge myself against what people see as great basketball.

“But it’s better for me to be sitting here talking to you, as opposed to popping my Achilles and I’m in a wheelchair for a while, but it’s nice to be able to share the things that can still make the game great going forward.”

The Sparks won a critical game Sunday, defeating the Washington Mystics 81-78 to keep their slim playoff hopes alive heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.

Washington hit a trio of three-pointers in the final minute, but Dearica Hamby‘s jumper in the paint and Kelsey Plum‘s two free throws in the final 20 seconds were enough to seal a Sparks win.

Hamby led the Sparks with 20 points and 12 rebounds, recording her 11th double-double of the season. Plum added 18 points, four rebounds and six assists. Rickea Jackson contributed 16 points and Azurá Stevens had 12 rebounds.

“Dearica was just a beast on the boards and finishing in traffic with those-and-ones,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “She’s just so strong and athletic,”

It was a critical win for a ninth-place Sparks team that is three wins behind the Indiana Fever for the final playoff spot.

The Sparks (18-20) likely will need to win a majority of their remaining games to have a chance at the postseason. Their final six-game slate includes two tests against Atlanta this week and games against Phoenix and Las Vegas to close the regular season.

They also need the Valkyries, Fever and Seattle Storm to lose. Golden State, which beat Indiana on Sunday night to move ahead of Seattle and into sixth, also owns the playoff tiebreaker after winning the season series against the Sparks.

The Sparks could help their cause with a road win over Seattle (22-19) on Monday night.

Before Sunday’s win, Roberts wanted to see better pacing from her team. She got that, along with better shot execution. Unfortunately, 13 turnovers allowed the Mystics to stay on the Sparks’ heels most of the game.

The Sparks came out strong in the first quarter, building a double-digit lead of 13 points.

Washington (16-25) responded in the second quarter and tied the game 24-24. Plum then split a pair of free throws to put the Sparks ahead and they pulled away to take a 40-31 lead by halftime.

The Sparks continued to stay ahead in the third quarter, but six points from Kiki Iriafen coupled with a Stefanie Dolson three-pointer gave Washington a 56-55 lead with 8:21 left. The Sparks retook the lead before a Sonia Citron three-pointer tied the score at 61-61 with 5:35 remaining.

Hamby then made a couple of free throws and scored on a two-foot layup to put the Sparks ahead for good.

Iriafren finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, securing her 15th double-double of the season. Shakira Austin added 11 points and seven rebounds. Citron chipped in 12 points.

With some much at stake in days ahead, Stevens knows the Sparks can’t afford to lose their focus.

“We know the circumstances, but all we can control is the next possession.” Stevens said, “Just taking it day by day and really focusing on us, our defense, our rebounding, our pace on offense.”

Roberts also would like to see more from her players Monday night against Seattle.

“We’ve got to be better at putting teams away and not making it a close game, but we took care of business [tonight],” Roberts said.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Kelsey Plum scored 28 points, Dearica Hamby had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the Sparks held on to beat the Dallas Wings 97-96 on Friday night after Paige Bueckers missed a potential winning three-pointer.

Plum gave the Sparks a 95-82 lead with 4:25 remaining in the fourth quarter before Dallas closed on a 14-2 run.

Plum made the Sparks’ next basket at the 1:03 mark for a 97-91 lead. Bueckers answered with a quick layup to pull within four and the Sparks turned it over at the other end.

JJ Quinerly sank a three-pointer from the corner with 15 seconds left for a one-point deficit. Plum missed two free throws and Dallas took over possession after a jump ball.

Bueckers raced up the floor for a contested three-pointer that rolled off the rim as time expired.

Azurá Stevens and Rickea Jackson each added 15 points for the Sparks (16-17). Julie Allemand had 12 points, 10 assists and four steals. Plum reached 4,000 career points in the first half. Hamby had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds for the sixth time this season.

Bueckers finished with 29 points on 12-of-21 shooting for Dallas (9-25). The No. 1 pick in the draft became the fastest player in franchise history to score 500 points. Maddy Siegrist added 15 points, Quinerly had 11 points and nine assists, and Aziaha James scored 10 points.

The Sparks led 53-50 at halftime behind double-digit scoring by Hamby, Jackson and Plum.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Lakers dropped their first game of the California Classic at Chase Center to the Golden State Warriors 89-84 on Saturday after leading by double digits in the first half.

The Lakers struggled defensively in the second half, giving up 30 points in the third quarter, when they trailed for the first time.

Bronny James traveled with the team but did not suit up.

Darius Bazley was the Lakers’ only constant on defense, switching on the perimeter while contesting shots at the rim. Perimeter defense was a clear struggle for L.A., forcing late challenges by bigs leading to 25 free throws.

Cole Swider was a bright spot all game for the Lakers, using his ability to shoot from deep to tally a game-high 24 points on seven-for-10 shooting, including, six of eight from three. Swider, entering his fifth year in the NBA, played seven games for the Lakers his rookie season.

DJ Steward also stood out, scoring 20 points on seven-for-10 shooting. Steward’s ability to get to the rim and draw fouls allowed for catch-and-shoot threes for teammates.

“This is a good opportunity to be myself,” Steward said. “There’s a lot of things [the coaching staff] wants me to hone in on, controlling the controllables, picking up 94 feet, communicating, and getting guys involved.”

In his fifth summer league appearance, Steward was the game’s second-leading scorer and assist co-leader with six.

Steward said he will push for a win when the Lakers play their next game on Sunday.

“We got to get the guys together to go out there and play harder than we did today,” Steward said. “We have to make sure we’re picking up 94 feet and being more physical.”

The Lakers’ first round draft pick last season, Dalton Knecht, looked a bit rusty scoring only 10 points on three-for-13 shooting, missing all six shots from deep. Knecht is coming off a season for the Lakers where he averaged 9.1 points on 46.1 % shooting in 78 games.

“It took a while for me to get going; I didn’t get going at all,” Knecht said reflecting on his performance. “I just have to come out ready to play better tomorrow and shake off the rust. My teammates were great, they came out competing, picking up full court, rebounding and crashing the glass, so I’m proud of my team.”

The California Classic will continue tomorrow when the Lakers take on the Miami Heat. Tip off will be at 1:30 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS — Azurá Stevens scored 23 points, Kelsey Plum had 21 points and six assists and the Sparks ended a four-game losing streak by beating the short-handed Indiana Fever 85-75 on Thursday night.

Indiana played without Caitlin Clark who was out because of a groin injury. Clark had recently returned from a quad injury that kept her sidelined for five games. She returned on June 14 and scored 32 points to help the Fever to a 102-88 victory against the Liberty.

Plum made a three-pointer with 4:13 left to give the Sparks a 67-66 lead, its first since the opening minute of the second quarter. She added two free throws on their next possession to cap a 21-8 run spanning the third-quarter break.

Los Angeles sealed it by grabbing two offensive rebounds with under a minute to play. Dearica Hamby was fouled while making a layup to give the Sparks a 79-75 lead. She missed the free throw but Stevens grabbed it and completed a three-point play to make it 81-75 with 49 seconds left.

Hamby and Rickea Jackson each scored 14 points for the Sparks (5-11).

Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana (7-8) with 20 points and Aliyah Boston had 12 points, 10 rebounds and five steals.

Indiana led 31-22 before the Sparks went on an 8-0 run, capped by Shey Peddy‘s three-pointer to get within one. Sophie Cunningham answered with a three-pointer and the Fever led 34-30 at the break after forcing 15 turnovers.