Stephen Jackson occasionally smoked marijuana before playing in games in the NBA.

"I just gotta be real, you know, it's been a couple games where I smoked before games and had great games," Jackson said on the podcast, which was posted Friday. "It's been some games where I smoked before the game and was on the bench after three minutes sitting on the sideline, 'Please calm down. This high has to calm down' -- I done shot three shots that went over the backboard, like, I'm going to be honest, like, 'Ahh, I gotta calm down.'"

Jackson also said on the podcast that Don Nelson, his coach while with the Golden State Warriors, knew that he smoked marijuana.

"We're in Utah, and the [league's] drug test people are around, you know, to get our last drug test so we can smoke, right? Don Nelson, we talked about weed all the time. He was cool with talking about weed. We got our last test in Utah, right? So me and [teammate] Baron [Davis] are coming out the locker room just screaming, excited with our last pink slip saying we could smoke for the rest of the season, and Don Nelson hauls ass down there giving us high-fives, like, 'Yeah, we can smoke now!'" Jackson recalled. "It was cool, the fact that he knows what's going on off the court with his players, which was great, man. We enjoyed it. That's why we were a great team."

Kevin Durant noticed Stephen Curry wasn't himself during the Golden State Warriors' first 30 or so games this season.

While the Warriors worked to incorporate Durant into their team, Curry's MVP form of the past two seasons trailed off.

Durant decided to engage in a series of routine chats with Curry over the next few weeks. Durant and Curry spoke at practices, games and while away from the game.

Durant conveyed the message to Curry that he should get back to being himself and Durant would adapt.

"I just said to him, 'Don't worry about me,'" Durant told ESPN of his ongoing dialogue with Curry. "I said, 'Just play your game. I'll figure it out. I'll figure it out around you. You're the engine of this team, and I know that. I'm not trying to come over and feel like everything just revolves around me. Just do you, man. I'm going to play around you. I've played this game long enough. I know how to score. I know how to find the ball. Just go out there and play your game.' And that's what he's been doing."

Curry scored 43 points on 15 of 23 shooting in the Warriors' 144-98 win over the Clippers on Saturday.

"For lack of a better term, he said I need to get in my bag and be aggressive," Curry told ESPN of Durant's message. "That back-and-forth dialogue is where you build chemistry and camaraderie to get through the season. You understand what each other needs to hear. It was not a come-to-Jesus meeting; it's just being locked in, observing what's going on and having each other's back. You need that encouragement along the way."

Curry said Durant didn't have to reach out and encourage him, but he's glad he did.

"It didn't hurt," Curry said to ESPN. "I feel like I'm self-motivated enough to figure it out; but along the way, if you get in your own head, you need an outside perspective of what other people see, especially a guy that invests a lot in the game, just like I do. It didn't hurt, for sure. That's what we're going to need going forward, as well."

David West will be out at least two weeks with a fractured left thumb.

West didn’t return after leaving the game midway through the fourth quarter. 

West is the primary backup for the Golden State Warriors at center behind Zaza Pachulia.

“It’s a big loss,” Steve Kerr said. “David has been fantastic, he’s playing so well. He’s really a big part of our second unit.”

The Golden State Warriors will contend with the free agencies of both Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry this offseason.

“I have no angst whatsoever (about re-signing Durant and Curry),” Joe Lacob said. “I totally am positive (that) I think those guys are going to sign. They’re both free agents. They have a right to do whatever they want. They’ve earned it, and I respect that. If they don’t sign with us for some reason, then shame on me and us. I take responsibility for that. But I don’t see that happening.”

Durant attended the Warriors' groundbreaking this week for the Chase Center and was asked about his future in a public forum. Durant was asked again about his future by the USA Today.

“I’m liking it here,” Durant said. “I’m liking everything that’s going on. I know what my contract says, but I didn’t plan on coming here for just a year. I’m in it right now, and I’m also just focusing on day by day.

“I know it’s cliché, and you hear that all the time, but I’m seriously just not thinking about it because I’m like – I’m just in it for the long haul.”

Russell Westbrook is promising revenge on Zaza Pachulia for the hard foul he took in the second quarter of the Golden State Warriors' 121-100 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

With time ticking down before the half, Pachulia knocked Westbrook down, appearing to push the ball into Westbrook's face. Westbrook remained on the floor holding his face while Pachulia stood over him.

"He hit me kind of hard," Westbrook said. "But it's all right. I'm gonna get his ass back. Straight up."

Pachulia was handed a flagrant foul 1 for the play, following a review by the officials.

"No, I didn't see that until just now, but I don't play that game," a clearly agitated Westbrook said. "I'm gonna get his ass back. Whenever that is, I don't know what it's going to be, but I don't play that game."

The Warriors visit the Thunder on Feb. 11.

"I thought it was a good steal, honestly, because I had the ball in my hands," Pachulia said. "Officials called a foul; there's nothing you can do. A foul is a foul. If it was a hard foul, it was a hard foul. There is nothing you can do. So you just move on. If he got hurt, that's fine too. It's part of the game."

Pachulia said he is not concerned with Westbrook's comments, instead focusing on what the Warriors have in front of them.

"We're thinking about this team and staying healthy moving forward and, better, getting into the playoffs and playing for the championship. That's what I'm thinking about," Pachulia said. "I'm not thinking about these kind of comments. That team is not there, so they might be thinking about other stuff, like getting back. So, you know, OK, you can get me back.

"But this is my 14th year. We all know what my game is, to play hard. Not dirty, but play hard. If it was a hard foul, it was a foul. It wasn't dirty at all, so I'm not worried about this."

Kevin Durant reflected back this week on how special the Oklahoma City Thunder were earlier in his career playing beside fellow MVP candidates Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

The Thunder traded away Harden in 2012.

“It’s easy to say we were supposed to be together for the rest of our careers, but it didn’t play out like that,” Durant said. “I think all three of us will have memorable careers. And it’ll be a journey we’ll always remember, something that’s different and unique, playing with two different guys who are doing incredible things in the league right now. But when you look back, think about the fun times instead of what could’ve been.”

Durant and Westbrook were only 23 when they reached The Finals, while Harden was 22. Oklahoma City staying together is one of the greatest what-ifs in NBA history.

“No. We never looked at it that way, like we could be best of all-time,” Durant said. “It was really AAU basketball, man. We were just having fun. We weren’t listening to anyone on the outside, media, none of that. It was just pure fun. When we did hear something about the group, it was like, what is this? That was so foreign to us because we never paid attention to it.”

Durant believes Harden could have remained Oklahoma City's Sixth Man.

“I think he’d have stayed in that role. I think so,” Durant said. “He’d have still been a really great player. You look at it, a lot of people wouldn’t have looked at him as a Sixth Man. He’d have been better. I think he’d have been better. Obviously I’m sure he loves what he’s doing now, but if we would’ve won a championship, I think the perception of him would’ve just been as a great player. ‘He’s the heart, he’s what makes us go.’ That’s what his label would’ve been, instead of just Sixth Man. He would’ve probably been the best Sixth Man that ever was.”

Durant paused, looking frustrated at himself for even entertaining the question.

“But don’t even worry about that,” he said. “I don’t even want to talk about that.”

The New Orleans Pelicans internally discussed using all of their 2016 cap space on Harrison Barnes before deciding to split it up among E'Twaun Moore, Solomon Hill and others.

Barnes confirmed this week he would have considered the Pelicans had they pursued him.

Barnes instead signed a four-year, $95 million max contract with the Dallas Mavericks.

The Pelicans thought they needed to move on the available market and not wait on Kevin Durant to make his decision, which was tying up Barnes from moving forward.

Draymond Green was called for a flagrant foul 1 after a hard collision with LeBron James during the second quarter of the Golden State Warriors' 126-91 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James was in a full sprint in transition when Green tried to cut him off near half court. Green ran shoulder-first into James' chest area, and James then fell to the floor upon contact.

Teammates from both sides converged on the incident, and words were exchanged. After the officials reviewed the play, Green was assessed the flagrant 1.

LeBron and Draymond collide near halfcourt. https://t.co/EkSDAg1YuT

— RealGM (@RealGM) January 17, 2017

The Cleveland Cavaliers briefly considered sitting LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love for Monday's game against the Golden State Warriors.

The Cavaliers have won four straight against the Warriors and sitting the trio would have meant they'd still have that winning streak essentially intact if they meet in The Finals in June.

The Cavs ultimately decided "the desire to improve and gain valuable repetition against one of the NBA's elite teams trumped that logic."

Cleveland beat the Warriors on Christmas Day in a come from behind victory.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have won four straight games against the Golden State Warriors, dating back to Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals.

On average, Cleveland is scoring 111.8 points per 100 possessions during the streak against 102.9 for Golden State.

Points per 100 Possessions (CLE/GSW)
June 13 (Game 5): 113.2 / 98.0
June 16 (Game 6): 122.5 / 107.5
June 19 (Game 7): 102.5 / 98.1
Dec. 25, 2016: 108.9 / 107.9