Warriors' Steve Kerr talks defensive woes, fatigue after loss vs. Giannis-less Bucks
The Golden State Warriors failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity to continue their dominant opening to the 2025-26 NBA season on Thursday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Milwaukee's 2-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was revealed to be a
With the 2021 Finals MVP sidelined, the Warriors were still handed a deflating 120-110 defeat by Milwaukee, as ex-Warriors guard Ryan Rollins torched his former team for 32 points and eight assists while knocking down five of his seven attempts from three-point range.
Following the contest, Golden State's head coach Steve Kerr spoke with ESPN's Anthony Slater about the team's clear lack of energy and failure to execute on the defensive end.
"It looked to me like fatigue," Kerr told Slater late Thursday night.
"Mental and physical fatigue. It did not look like our team out there."
"We didn't handle our switching very well. Our defense struggled tonight , they were small so we went to an all-switching coverage and lineup."
"We'll have to watch the tape, but I didn't feel like they did a great job there."
When Milwaukee's floor-spacing, shot-blocking center Myles Turner took a seat on the bench, Golden State struggled to combat their various combinations of small-ball lineups consisting of Rollins, Cole Anthony, Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, AJ Green, Kyle Kuzma, Amir Coffey and sixth man extraordinaire Bobby Portis.
Aside from Rollins' career night, Turner and Anthony combined for an efficient 33 points, and the Bucks boasted eight double-digit scorers for the game.
Even the Warriors' most versatile defensive talents, such as Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler and Brandin Podziemski struggled to contain Milwaukee's drive-and-kick offensive style and increased pace.
After all, Golden State's jam-packed schedule to begin the new season must not have helped with their energy levels, as the bout against Milwaukee on Thursday night was their sixth game in ten days.
Curry tried his best to help the sluggish Warriors pull out a come-from-behind victory, but his 27 points on 40.0% shooting from distance was not enough to get the job done.
Ex-Celtics Guard Hires Trump Lawyer to Fight NBA Gambling Charges
Former Boston Celtics guard and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups has hired one of the nation’s most prominent defense attorneys to battle federal gambling charges that have rocked the NBA — and tied three former Celtics to the league’s biggest integrity scandal in years.
According to The Athletic, Billups has hired Marc Mukasey, a high-profile trial lawyer who has represented former U.S. President Donald Trump, to handle his defense against wire-fraud and money-laundering conspiracy charges.
Billups Turns to Prominent White-Collar Defense Attorney
Mukasey, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and the son of ex-U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, is widely regarded as one of America’s top courtroom strategists in financial and corporate cases.
According to The Athletic report, Mukasey previously defended Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murder in 2019, and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during sentencing in his multibillion-dollar fraud case. Mukasey also served as a legal adviser to Rudy Giuliani’s 2007 presidential campaign and represented Joe Sanberg, co-founder of fintech firm Aspiration, in an NBA-related salary-cap case involving Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. Sanberg later pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud after admitting to defrauding investors of $248 million.
Now, Mukasey is representing Billups — the 2004 NBA Finals MVP and current Portland Trail Blazers head coach — as he faces potentially career-defining criminal charges.
Federal Allegations and Celtics Connection
In the indictments reviewed by
The 49-year-old coach, arrested in Oregon, has been placed on administrative leave by the Trail Blazers while the case proceeds. His former attorney, Chris Heywood, said last week that Billups “would not jeopardize” his Hall-of-Fame legacy, his reputation and freedom.
Two other former Celtics — Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones — are also implicated in the widening probe. Prosecutors allege Rozier shared private injury information with a friend who then profited from insider bets, while Jones allegedly helped facilitate the illegal gambling ring.
From Boston Lottery Pick to Hall of Fame Player
Getty 25 Jun 1997: Guard Chauncey Billups of the Boston Celtics shakes hands with NBA Commissioner David Stern during the NBA Draft at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Billups began his NBA career in Boston, drafted third overall by the Celtics in 1997, before going on to win a championship with the Detroit Pistons and earning the nickname “Mr. Big Shot.” He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield in 2024, a crowning moment for one of the league’s most respected figures.
Rozier, beloved by Celtics fans from 2015 to 2019, helped Boston reach the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, while Jones had a brief stint with the franchise during the 1998–99 season. Their shared ties to Boston have given the scandal an unsettling familiarity for local fans.
Badminton Betting Ban Mirrors NBA Investigation
The NBA’s ongoing gambling scandal comes as other global sports face similar integrity challenges. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) recently banned former Danish player and coach Joachim Persson for four years after he was filmed placing live bets courtside during a 2023 Japan Open match, according to
The similarities between the two cases are striking. Both involve allegations that individuals used insider access and confidential information for betting purposes. The incidents highlight the mounting challenge of maintaining sports integrity amid the rapid expansion of legalized gambling worldwide.
A Hall-of-Fame Legacy Under Scrutiny
For Billups, who spent part of his formative NBA years in Boston, the charges threaten to overshadow a Hall-of-Fame career defined by leadership and professionalism.
If convicted, Billups could face up to 20 years in prison per count, along with the potential loss of his coaching position and damage to his legacy.
The NBA continues to cooperate with federal authorities as the investigation broadens — with Boston fans watching uneasily as three familiar names fight to protect their reputations.
