James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo named Players of the Week

Who better to speak to the man’s greatness than someone who’s been in the mud with, and against Harden all these years. “(I have) the utmost respect and appreciation for who he is as a player and as a person,” said Curry. He continued, “We go way back to even our college days, when we were All-Americans… Been around since 09’, to know all the battles we had, there’s a lot of love and a lot of respect for what (Harden) has done his entire career, and the levels he’s pushed it to. It’s kind of cool to keep having opportunities (to go head-to-head) in 2025.” -via The Sporting Tribune / April 14, 2025

Jorge Sierra: Only nine players have been to the playoffs more times than James Harden: Karl Malone, John Stockton, Tim Duncan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Clifford Robinson, Tony Parker, Shaquille O’Neal, Jason Kidd -via Twitter @hoopshype / April 13, 2025

Two players who have long haunted the Bay Area franchise sent the Warriors to the play-in with a 124-119 overtime defeat. Kawhi Leonard, six years after leading the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title over Golden State, showcased a vintage collection of mid-range jumpers, strong drives and unarguable isolation moves to score 33 points. Then James Harden, who battled the Warriors for years as the Rockets’ superstar, put in 12 during overtime to help shut the door on the Warriors. -via East Bay Times / April 13, 2025

StatMuse: Pat Connaughton vs Detroit: 43 PTS (career-high) 11 REB 5 AST 2 STL Joins Giannis, Khris, and Kareem as the only Bucks with a 40/10/5 game. pic.x.com/FuiGg08Hlq -via Twitter @statmuse / April 13, 2025

Damian Lillard: I think with me and (Giannis Antetokounmpo), it was a matter of getting to know each other as men. A lot of times, people say, ‘They need to work out together,’ and all that. And yeah, that can be helpful. But really—he is who he is as a player. I am who I am as a player. So do we need to work that out? I mean—we can. But for me and him, I know how to play the game. He knows how to play the game. It’s a matter of trust. He wants to be dominant and do what he does. I want to be dominant and do what I do. But we’ve got to trust that we both want that for each other—so we can coexist. Like, if I’m bringing the ball up, he’s got to trust that he can run, and I’ll get it to him. If he sets the screen and his man steps up, I’m going to hit him in the pocket. -via YouTube / April 12, 2025

Damian Lillard: Because it’s different. It’s not like playing with Khris Middleton or Brook [Lopez] or Bobby [Portis]—you know, guys where it’s still all built around him. He’s never played with a player of my caliber. Even Jrue—Jrue’s a big-time guard. But Jrue’s not a seven-time All-NBA, eight-time All-Star. You know what I mean? Jrue’s great at a lot of different things. In some ways, I think his simplicity might have helped. Because Jrue didn’t care if he averaged 8 or 10 points. Jrue would get a rebound, and if Giannis is clapping for it, he just throws it ahead. Last year in Boston, Jrue was even in the dunker spot. But I’m a guy averaging 30 points a game. It’s a different ballclub. It was a big adjustment for both of us. Especially for me—going into a whole new environment, right? That was a big thing too.” -via YouTube / April 12, 2025