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NBA Rumors
The daily league-wide NBA rumors page
By InsideHoops.comUpdated Wednesday, November 27, 2024 at 3 a.m. ET
Free agent forward Jae Crowder is close to a deal with the Sacramento Kings, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. At 8-10 and dealing with injuries, the Kings are finalizing a deal with the 13-year NBA veteran, who has made two NBA Finals appearances. Crowder worked out for the Kings in the offseason as well, sources said. - ESPN.com
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out Tuesday's 106-103 win over the Heat because of swelling in his left knee. Antetokounmpo, who had been probable on the team's injury report leading up to Tuesday's game despite being listed with a calf strain, went through shootaround Tuesday morning and did his pregame warmup routine before he felt the discomfort in his knee. Bucks coach Doc Rivers was told about an hour before the game that Antetokounmpo was out, then huddled with coaches and adjusted the game plan accordingly. Even after the game, Rivers still wasn't clear on what had happened and what flared with Antetokounmpo's knee. - ESPN.com
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In his first game since helping the Celtics win the NBA championship five months ago, Kristaps Porzingis picked up where he left off. The 7-foot-3 center, making his season debut after undergoing offseason leg surgery, finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steals and 2 blocked shots in 23 minutes for Boston, as the Celtics led by 29 points at halftime en route to a 126-94 victory over the LA Clippers at TD Garden on Monday night. "I felt great," Porzingis said with a smile. "It was a long rehab, and I was itching to get back out there with this team after winning a championship. It was a good beginning, good first game back." It was certainly that, as Boston jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, turning the final 24 minutes into an extended celebration of Porzingis' return. - ESPN.com
Phoenix Suns stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal plan to return against the Los Angeles Lakers in Tuesday's NBA Cup game, sources told ESPN on Monday. Durant has been sidelined since Nov. 8 with a left calf strain, the same injury he dealt with in the offseason ahead of helping lead USA Basketball to an Olympic gold medal in Paris. Beal suffered his calf injury on Nov. 12 against the Utah Jazz. Both Durant and Beal completed consecutive days of full practices before Tuesday's game. - ESPN.com
Rockets guard Fred VanVleet was fined $50,000 by the NBA on Monday "for confronting and directing profane language toward the officiating staff" in the waning moments of Houston's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. VanVleet, whistled for an offensive foul with the Rockets trailing by five points with 4.3 seconds remaining, directed his ire at all three officials while walking off the floor, leading to a technical foul and his ejection. - ESPN.com
Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, whose family is in the middle of selling its controlling stake in the franchise, said Thursday that not only does he continue to plan to run the team for the next three years, but he believes it could repeat as champions this season. "It's underway. There's a lot of interest," Grousbeck said of the sale on a conference call with reporters after a ceremony with President Joe Biden on the White House's South Lawn to celebrate the team's record-setting 18th NBA championship. "That is one comment, I guess. I would like to limit it to that, but I would say that the plan is that I will stay [in charge] for three more years. That's what's laid out. We'll go from there. "Having said that, I think I'd just rather talk about this team that we have in front of us, with us right now, that has the capacity to contend again. I think we're contenders this year, and we can be contenders in the future, and that's what I'm most excited about." - ESPN.com
The NBA's new four-team tournament-style format for the 2025 All-Star Game is expected to have two semifinal games played up to 40 points, with the winners advancing to the final match up to 25 points, sources told ESPN. The first-of-its-kind event is expected to serve as a quick-burst competition that resembles pickup games where the winner moves to the championship round in single-elimination play. Sources told ESPN last week that the NBA was in serious discussions to have three All-Star teams of eight players each and the winner of the Rising Stars game take part in an All-Star Game tournament. - ESPN.com
The Atlanta Hawks are honoring Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo on Monday with a handful of neat tributes. A new court decal of Mutombo's silhouette doing his signature finger wag will be added to the sideline at State Farm Arena for the game against the Dallas Mavericks. It coincides with a special floor that matches Atlanta's blue and white City Edition uniforms. Players will wear special pregame shooting shirts featuring Mutombo's finger wag, and each time a Hawks player records a block, the center's iconic "No, No, No" will be played throughout the arena. - ESPN.com
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has undergone multiple treatments on his left hamstring and is not close to a return to action, sources told ESPN on Friday. Williamson, who has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring strain on Nov. 6, will be out for an extended period of time longer, sources said. The Pelicans have been bracing for Williamson to be sidelined for at least four to six weeks, which places him out through mid-December, but his absence could extend beyond that as he rehabilitates a body part that has sustained multiple strains over the past few years. - ESPN.com
At the start of the third quarter of what ultimately became a 113-98 victory for the 76ers over Brooklyn, Philadelphia announced that star center Joel Embiid is dealing with swelling in his left knee and, in addition to missing the Nets game, will sit out Sunday against the LA Clippers. "He was dealing with some swelling in his knee today, got to the arena and was ruled out," 76ers coach Nick Nurse said after the win, one that snapped a five-game Sixers losing streak. "They're gonna treat it all weekend, so he'll be out for Sunday as well. "Hopefully on Monday, we'll give you an update on where we're at, and hopefully he'll be in good shape." - ESPN.com
In recent years, a striking parallel has emerged between two West Coast icons: the Golden State Warriors and Compton's own Kendrick Lamar. (Cue "California Love" by 2Pac ft. Dr. Dre) Every time Lamar drops an album, the Warriors seem to drop championship banners. The team's four NBA championships (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) perfectly align with Lamar's past four releases: "To Pimp a Butterfly," "DAMN," "Black Panther: The Album" and "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers." - ESPN.com
Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George suffered a hyperextended left knee early in the second half of Wednesday night's 117-111 loss at the Memphis Grizzlies, and he did not return. Sixers officials said further testing will be done Thursday. It was the same knee that George hyperextended in the preseason, forcing him to miss the first five games of the regular season. Asked if he could rule out structural damage to George's knee, head coach Nick Nurse said, "I think so." - ESPN.com
Golden State Warriors guard De'Anthony Melton will undergo surgery on his left ACL and miss the remainder of the season, the team announced Wednesday. Melton missed two games because of an ACL sprain and underwent further testing before it was determined he would undergo surgery. The Warriors were excited about signing Melton to a one-year, $12.8 million deal on the midlevel exception in free agency. Golden State liked Melton's fit as a two-way player in coach Steve Kerr's 12-man rotation. - ESPN.com
Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams will miss at least the next week as the team waits for inflammation in his surgically repaired foot to calm down, coach Billy Donovan said Wednesday. Williams was limited to 43 games last season before undergoing season-ending surgery on his foot in February. He first appeared on this season's injury report Monday, but played 31 minutes in a win over the Detroit Pistons in the second game of a back-to-back. "In the game [Monday], he mentioned he was feeling [discomfort] more at halftime," Donovan said before the Bulls played the Bucks in Milwaukee. "After the game, he started to feel a lot more pain than he was feeling beforehand." - ESPN.com
The Oklahoma City Thunder's stint without a center ended Wednesday night with the debut of 7-footer Isaiah Hartenstein. Hartenstein came off the bench for Wednesday's home game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He was sidelined for the first 15 games of the season because of a broken left (shooting) hand suffered in the preseason finale. - ESPN.com
Point guard Elfrid Payton has agreed to a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, his agent, Darrell Comer of Tandem, told ESPN. Payton, the No. 10 pick in the 2014 draft, went to training camp with the Pelicans and rejoins the team after recent injuries to starting guards Dejounte Murray (fractured hand) and CJ McCollum (right adductor soreness). The Pelicans are without Murray, McCollum, Zion Williamson, Jose Alvarado, Jordan Hawkins and Herb Jones as they enter Wednesday night's game at the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have lost of eight of their past nine games. - ESPN.com
After Lakers guard Dalton Knecht tied an NBA rookie record with nine 3-pointers en route to 37 points in a 124-118 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, LeBron James wanted to clarify just how Knecht landed in L.A. It wasn't so much the Lakers' superb scouting department that identified the 6-foot-6, 215-pound wing after an All-American senior season at the University of Tennessee as the ideal prospect to select with the No. 17 pick. It was all the other teams who passed on him. "They didn't 'find' DK," James (26 points, 12 assists) said. "The other 16 teams f---ed it up. Did anybody watch him? S---. They just didn't f--- it up. You don't 'find' a SEC player of the year." - ESPN.com
Darius Garland scored 25 points, Ty Jerome matched his career high with 24 in place of Donovan Mitchell, and the Cleveland Cavaliers stayed unbeaten with a 128-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. The Cavs are the fourth team to start 15-0 and are tied for the second-best start to a season in NBA history, trailing only the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (24-0). The Warriors set the league record by winning their first 24 games on the way to a 73-9 season. The 2015-16 Warriors, 1993-94 Houston Rockets (started 15-0) and 1948-49 Washington Capitols (15-0) all made the NBA Finals. - ESPN.com
Dallas guard Kyrie Irving sat out the Mavericks' 115-113 loss Thursday night to the Utah Jazz because of a strained right shoulder. - ESPN.com
It wasn't easy, but the Cleveland Cavaliers saw their season-opening winning streak hit a baker's dozen Wednesday night. Thanks to Donovan Mitchell pouring in 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers became the sixth team in NBA history to win at least 13 consecutive games to begin a season by claiming a 114-106 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, who were without All-Stars Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid. "We're just sticking together," said Darius Garland, who led Cleveland with 25 points. "Just taking it game by game. We know we've got a target on our back, so we've got to come in with that aggressiveness and that confidence that we're going to win every game, and that's what we've been doing. Even though like I said, long nights, not a lot of sleep, but we've got to stay together and just continue just to be great. That's what we're trying to do." - ESPN.com
LeBron James recorded the 40th 30-point triple-double of his career Wednesday, a month before his 40th birthday, in the Los Angeles Lakers' 128-123 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. "He's mastered the game, and we don't win that game, obviously, without him," Redick said after James finished with 35 points on 13-for-22 shooting (4-of-7 from 3), 14 assists and 12 rebounds. It was James' fourth triple-double of the season through 11 games to bring his career regular-season total up to 116. And it was his third straight, all coming in wins during L.A.'s 3-0 homestand. The Lakers are 6-0 at home to start the season for the first time since 2010-11. The triple-double streak is tied for the longest of James' 22-year career, matching the three he had from Nov. 1 to 5, 2019; Dec. 14 to 17, 2017; and March 7 to 12, 2009. At age 39, he is the oldest player in NBA history to record three straight triple-doubles. - ESPN.com
Three players -- Victor Wembanyama, Karl-Anthony Towns and Giannis Antetokounmpo -- scored at least 45 points. Antetokounmpo had the highest total (59 points), and Wembanyama set a career high (50) for the San Antonio Spurs. The three 45-plus-point games tied for the most in a single day in NBA history with seven other instances. March 14, 2022, is the last time it happened when Towns (60), Trae Young (46) and Stephen Curry (47) each dropped more than 45. - ESPN.com
Kings guard DeMar DeRozan was ruled out of Wednesday night's 127-104 win over the Suns because of lower back tightness, the team said. There's hope that with treatment over the next two days, DeRozan will be available for Friday's NBA Cup game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, a source told ESPN. After the game, Kings coach Mike Brown said he hadn't spoken to DeRozan. DeRozan left the arena immediately after the game finished. - ESPN.com
The Cavaliers improved to 12-0 on Monday night with a 119-113 victory over the Bulls, making Cleveland the eighth team in NBA history to begin a season undefeated in its first 12 games. Cleveland is the first team to rack up this many wins to start the season since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who went an NBA-record 24-0 to begin that campaign, which they finished 73-9, also a record. "It's great to be part of history," said Cavs star Donovan Mitchell, who had a season-high 36 points against Chicago. "I never want to take those things for granted along the road when we're doing it in various ways. We're doing it in ways where we are blowing out teams. We're winning from behind. We're winning close games. And it's somebody different every night leading the charge. It's always a group effort." - ESPN.com
After having the best scoring game of his pro career, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't feel like it was that special of a night. In the Oklahoma City Thunder's first game since losing Chet Holmgren for at least two months because of a hip fracture, Gilgeous-Alexander poured in a career-high 45 points, 9 assists and 5 steals to lift his club to a 134-126 win over the LA Clippers before 17,430 at Paycom Center. "It didn't feel special," Gilgeous-Alexander said of his 14th career 40-point game. "It didn't feel like I did something I'd never done before. Just felt like another basketball game. I felt like I should have had more, missed some easy shots, but [that's] the game." Perhaps the career outing didn't feel extraordinary because Gilgeous-Alexander is fixated on a more important goal. After reaching the second round but losing to the Dallas Mavericks as the top seed in the Western Conference, Gilgeous-Alexander has been focused on getting the Thunder (9-2) and his young teammates better prepared for a deeper run in the playoffs. - ESPN.com
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama produced his 12th career 30-point game -- and his first this season -- in leading his team to a 116-96 win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday. Wembanyama registered 34 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks in his 82nd career NBA game to become the sixth player in league history to rack up 1,700-plus points, 800-plus rebounds and 300-plus assists over his first 82 contests, joining Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sidney Wicks, Larry Bird and Blake Griffin in the feat. "He makes shots every day," Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said. "He missed really good shots to start the year, and I understand why it's a talking point. But I don't think we ever waivered on him not making shots. I think it is just the percentages evening out at this point." - ESPN.com
Thunder star Chet Holmgren left Sunday's 127-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors because of injury, and the team later announced he suffered a pelvic fracture. The Thunder detailed the injury as a right iliac wing fracture and said an update on Holmgren's status will be provided in eight to 10 weeks. The team said Holmgren is expected to return this season. Holmgren took a hard fall when he went to challenge an Andrew Wiggins drive midway through the first quarter. After a midair collision, Holmgren fell on his right side. - ESPN.com
Memphis Grizzlies superstar guard Ja Morant is considered week-to-week after imaging revealed a posterior hip subluxation along with multiple associated Grade 1 pelvic muscle strains, the team announced Saturday. Morant sustained the injuries when he attempted to catch a lob pass during the third quarter of Wednesday's win over the Los Angeles Lakers. - ESPN.com
Lakers forward Anthony Davis left Sunday night's 123-103 win over the Toronto Raptors because of a left eye injury. Davis went to the locker room midway through the third quarter after getting hit in the face while blocking a dunk attempt by Toronto center Jakob Poeltl. Davis made a one-handed block of Poeltl's dunk attempt in the lane, but Poeltl's off hand hit Davis in the face and eyes. - ESPN.com
Detroit Pistons guard/forward Ausar Thompson has been cleared to play by the NBA's fitness panel, sources told ESPN. Thompson, the No. 5 pick in the 2023 NBA draft, has been sidelined since March by a blood clot issue and will now begin ramping up, participating in full-contact practices for the first time in eight months and preparing to make his season debut in the near future. - ESPN.com
Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant suffered a left calf strain and will be reevaluated in two weeks, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Durant suffered the injury in Friday's 114-113 win over the Dallas Mavericks, a game he finished with 26 points in 37 minutes. - ESPN.com
It took Bronny James just 43 seconds to score his first G League points -- canning a 17-foot jumper along the baseline. "I was just getting a bucket," James said after the game. "It got to me, and I just ... yeah. I didn't miss." He finished with 6 points on 2-for-9 shooting (0-for-4 from 3), 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block and 5 turnovers in 31 minutes -- loosely mirroring his production as a freshman at USC (4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists) and during the Lakers' preseason (4.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists). Lakers two-way guard Quincy Olivari, who led South Bay with 28 points and assisted on Bronny's first basket, credited the rookie's performance, despite the relatively pedestrian statistical line. - ESPN.com
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama couldn't believe it. "Really? I've never made six 3s in a game?" he asked. Wembanyama shook off his 3-point shooting slump in a major way Saturday, connecting on a career-high six 3-pointers, in addition to producing his second game this season with seven blocks in San Antonio's 111-110 loss to the Utah Jazz. Wembanyama was 6-of-9 from deep and 8-of-15 from the field. "He made shots that he's missed earlier [this season]," Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said. "So, there's not a reaction either way. He's a phenomenal shooter. We want him shooting all those shots." - ESPN.com
After a victory against the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers on opening night, the Bucks dropped six straight games, before finally snapping their losing streak with a 123-100 win on Thursday against the rebuilding Utah Jazz. Still, the Bucks are off to their worst start since 2013-14, Antetokounmpo's rookie season. Winning only one of their first seven games put the Bucks in a hole only a few teams have ever successfully climbed out of. Over the past 25 seasons, only three teams have started 1-6 or worse and made the playoffs: the 2021-22 New Orleans Pelicans, the 2004-05 Chicago Bulls and the 2003-04 Miami Heat, according to ESPN Research. - ESPN.com
"We will make the playoffs," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after Monday's loss in Cleveland. "I'm not worried about that." Simply making the playoffs is not the goal for a Bucks team that is four seasons removed from winning a championship. But they've won only a single playoff series since, despite having Antetokounmpo -- one of the most dominant forces in the NBA -- in his prime. The 29-year-old forward is averaging 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists on 63% shooting, even better numbers than those from when he won his two MVP awards. - ESPN.com
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said he and his teammates expect Gregg Popovich to return soon after a health issue caused the longtime coach to miss four games, including Thursday night's 118-105 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. "We don't hear a lot from Pop," Wembanyama said after the game. "They keep us informed as much as we're allowed to know. So, I'm not worried about him. I know he's going to come back soon." Popovich experienced an undisclosed medical episode last Saturday, about 2½ hours before the Spurs' home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. - ESPN.com
Stephen Curry scored 24 points in 24 minutes in his return from an ankle injury to help Golden State win its fourth straight game with a 125-112 victory over the Washington Wizards. After sitting out the previous three games because of a strained left peroneal in his ankle, Curry made 7 of 15 shots from the field, including four 3-pointers, to go with six assists to help the Warriors improve to 6-1. Curry said afterward his ankle felt good and that his minutes restriction should be increased when the Warriors have a rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Wednesday. - ESPN.com
The Los Angeles Lakers' perfect 3-0 start to the season already seems like a long time ago. Monday's 115-103 loss to the Detroit Pistons dropped L.A. to 4-3 overall and 1-3 on their five-game road trip. Making matters worse, Anthony Davis, who scored 37 against Detroit to up his lead-leading average to 32.6 points per game, was examined after aggravating a left foot injury in the fourth quarter. "I'll talk to my trainer and just kind of figure out what exactly is going on," Davis said after the game. "I've been managing it since this summer, honestly, and my goal for every game is to be on the floor. And I just kind of landed directly on the spot that's been killing me. So, we'll figure it out." Davis has not been ruled out of the Lakers' game at the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday to conclude the trip, sources told ESPN. However, those sources cautioned, with the foot issue plaguing the All-Star big man from the end of last season through the Paris Olympics, it will be a day-to-day situation. - ESPN.com
Paul George is back, this time with the Philadelphia 76ers. He scored 15 points in his return from a left knee injury Monday night and called his performance in his regular-season debut "rusty." "The good thing about it is I was able to go out there and compete, free of any thoughts of my body holding up. I felt completely fine," George said after playing 32 minutes in a 118-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns. - AP via ESPN.com
Joel Embiid was involved in an altercation with a Philadelphia columnist in the locker room after the 76ers' 124-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, shouting at him during an exchange of words before eventually shoving him. "We are aware of reports of an incident in the Sixers locker room this evening and are commencing an investigation," an NBA spokesman said in a statement. Embiid took issue with a recent column by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes. In it, Hayes mentioned Embiid's son and late brother -- both named Arthur -- while questioning Embiid's professionalism and effort to stay in shape. - ESPN.com
Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George is expected to make his season debut Monday at the Phoenix Suns, barring any setbacks, sources told ESPN on Sunday. George, a nine-time NBA All-Star, has been out since suffering a bone bruise in his left knee on Oct. 14, when his knee buckled on a defensive play in the second quarter of a preseason game at the Atlanta Hawks. Tests showed no structural damage. - ESPN.com
Andrew Wiggins had been waiting to make that statement for a while. He missed 56 games over the past two seasons as he cared for his ailing father, Mitchell, who died in July. And when he was able to play, he struggled through two of the worst seasons of his career. So Wiggins spent the summer traveling between Houston and San Francisco, working with a personal trainer and Warriors assistant coach Jacob Rubin. He practiced ballhandling, shooting, closeout shots and driving and finishing at the rim. Wiggins and Rubin worked out seven days a week for about two hours each day. Some days, it was workouts with four to five other coaches playing with them. Other days, it was focusing on technique and skill development. "It was really just about polishing up everything I know I can already do," Wiggins told ESPN. - ESPN.com
Anthony Edwards has been bombs away from downtown this season, and just over a week in he is making more 3-pointers than any other player in the league. Can he maintain that pace and be the 3-point king of the league this season? According to ESPN BET, Edwards is up to the second-shortest odds to lead the league in 3-pointers made per game at +750. He's still a significant underdog to odds-on favorite Stephen Curry (-120), but his odds are a lot shorter on Friday than they were on Tuesday (+2000). So, if you believe the Ant Man can do it, now is the time to get in. - ESPN.com
The Nuggets have an ownership group that has historically avoided paying luxury taxes and a front office hard-capped by the NBA's restrictive collective bargaining agreement. They've lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Reggie Jackson from the 2022-23 championship roster -- a role-player talent drain that has strained the relationship between head coach Michael Malone and a front office financially limited in what it can do. "There was this urge to compete, especially from the players and the coaches and even myself," Booth told ESPN. "You want to win, especially coming off the heels of winning the championship. And that's probably where the tension started. "What are you guys trying to do? Are you trying to win? Are you trying to develop? I think everybody had the best intent going in. There was buy-in. But I think competition and the focus on that can distract you from the buy-in." - ESPN.com
Victor Wembanyama had the second 5x5 game of his career while leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 106-88 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. Wembanyama had 25 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals and 5 blocks, giving him at least five in five categories. He also had a 5x5 game in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 23. His performance Thursday night made him the third player with multiple 5x5 games all time, joining Hakeem Olajuwon (six) and Andrei Kirilenko (three). - ESPN.com
And this time, he got his first NBA bucket. Bronny scored on a 14-foot step-back jumper from the left wing over Jaylon Tyson with 2:03 remaining in the fourth quarter, causing the wave of fans that stuck around to see the moment to stand up and show appreciation for the hometown product. "It was insane," Bronny said of the reception after finishing with 2 points, 2 assists and 1 steal in five minutes. "Much more than I anticipated for sure. But it's all love. It was insane. It was a nice moment. The chants really got me. I was straight-faced, but I felt it and it felt really good, especially coming from here. "Yeah, it was a special moment for me for sure." - ESPN.com
Chet Holmgren led a suffocating defensive effort by the Oklahoma City Thunder in their 105-93 win Wednesday over the San Antonio Spurs. Yet in immediate aftermath, the 22-year-old found himself downplaying the budding rivalry with Spurs 7-footer Victor Wembanyama. Asked about the spectacle of the matchup with Wembanyama, who unanimously won NBA Rookie of the Year last season, Holmgren, the runner-up, chalked it all up to promotion. "Because the NBA is a business, and the league has been built around players playing basketball," Holmgren said. "It's about getting people to come and watch the games. That's one of the ways they do it: by advertising the players. I just see it as a form of advertisement. It doesn't change what our mission is. We're trying to win the basketball games. The NBA is gonna handle the business around it." - ESPN.com
In only his fourth game with the Knicks, Towns went wild -- 44 points, by far the most by any New York player in this still-young season, leading his club to a 116-107 win over the Heat. He might be a perfect fit into the decades-long Knicks-Heat rivalry. Towns averages 25.4 points in his career in games at Miami, his second-highest road average against any opponent. He averages 25.8 points in games at Indiana. "The weather," Towns told MSG Network after the game, when asked why he likes games in Miami so much. "I was in Minnesota. It's cold. It's hot here. I like that." Towns, traded by Minnesota to New York as camps were opening about a month ago in the deal that sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves, wasn't off to a bad start to the season by any measure. His first three games: 12 points, 21 points and 13 points, with two double-doubles. Not eyepopping, but not bad, either. - ESPN.com
Retired Heat legends Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem have made it known for the past few years that they view center Bam Adebayo as the next face of the franchise. But Wade made that point loud and clear in recent days while in Miami to celebrate the unveiling of his bronze statue in front of Kaseya Center. “To be able to be here with who is the future face of this organization, Bam, it means everything because he gets it, he understands it,” Wade said to a crowd during a community event Thursday, teaming up with Adebayo to show off a new and improved basketball court at Chapman Partnership in downtown Miami that was originally donated by Wade years ago and Adebayo recently revamped. - Miami Herald
When the NBA schedule comes out each summer, LeBron James has several dates he immediately zeroes in on. Playing on Christmas Day is a given -- this year he will play in the signature holiday game for the 19th time, already a record. Then there's his birthday, Dec. 30, a day he's played and thrived on dating back to high school. One of the most memorable birthdays was just two years ago in 2022, the day he turned 38, when he scored 47 points in a win against the Atlanta Hawks. But there are two more dates he circles. The first is Halloween, James' favorite holiday since he was a child. A lifelong fan of scary movies, James has helped make dressing up as an adult cool over the past two decades. His elaborate costumes often go viral and become the centerpieces of lavish parties he throws for teammates and friends. - ESPN.com
Wembanyama and Holmgren are multifaceted, extreme examples of a modern big-man archetype: 7-footers who protect the rim on defense and can space the floor as 3-point threats offensively. They impact the most valuable real estate in basketball -- the paint -- on both ends of the floor, clogging that territory as elite shot blockers and opening driving and cutting lanes for teammates simply by standing 25-plus feet from the hoop. These two face off again on Wednesday as the Thunder host the Spurs (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). "If you can play defense and shoot the ball, you can pretty much play on any court anywhere," Holmgren told ESPN. "Those are two things that are always needed on the basketball court, and that's kind of where the foundation of my game started." - ESPN.com
Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen is day-to-day with lower back spasms that forced him to exit Utah's 113-96 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Markkanen logged 17 minutes against Sacramento before missing the entire the second half, when the Kings broke open the game with a 14-2 run to end the third period. "His back pretty much locked up," Jazz coach Will Hardy told reporters. "He got treatment throughout halftime, and with about a minute left on the clock, was still on the table, not really able to move. So it was my decision, and our medical team's decision, to hold him out." - ESPN.com
Utah Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks is expected to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle in Monday's 110-102 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, sources told ESPN. The Jazz confirmed the nature of Hendricks' injuries after the game. The second-year player was to return to Utah with the team for further testing Tuesday, coach Will Hardy said. "That's hard to stomach," Hardy said of Hendricks' injury. "He's put in a lot of hard work. He's a great kid, and so we're really just trying to focus on him, his health, keeping him up, his spirits up as he begins the road of his recovery. But these are the moments in sports that suck." - ESPN.com
When Sam Hauser went down with the back injury that’s now sidelined him for three straight games, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said the plan to replace one of his top reserves would vary each night. On Monday, it included Boston’s youngest player for the first time. Jordan Walsh saw the biggest minutes of his NBA career against the Milwaukee Bucks and earned applause for his performance in a 119-108 win at TD Garden. “I thought Jordan played great,” Jaylen Brown said. “His minutes were exceptional for our team. He made some big-time offensive rebounds, had some big defensive possessions. Credit to him being ready. Big game, big moment for a young player playing against a potential playoff matchup. I thought he added and contributed to us getting a win tonight.” - Boston Herald
Warriors guard Stephen Curry was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Sunday evening for a left ankle sprain that forced him to exit Golden State's 112-104 loss to the LA Clippers early in the fourth quarter. Coach Steve Kerr said Curry described the injury as "mild or moderate" after the game. However, there is a level of concern for the veteran, as he has suffered multiple sprains on that ankle. The team is bracing for Curry to miss time, possibly several games, sources told ESPN. - ESPN.com
Jordi Fernandez kept the game ball from his first NBA win as a head coach, which he said will be a reminder of where he came from and where he hopes his career will lead. "I'm going to put it in my office," Fernandez said, "because my wife does a great job decorating the house and she doesn't want my basketball stuff there." The rookie head coach earned the victory in his third game Sunday when the Brooklyn Nets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 115-102. Fernandez, a native of Badalona, Spain, said his wife and kids were at the game, along with his parents, friends and extended family. - ESPN.com
Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to score 29,000 career points, reaching the mark Saturday night as his Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks 114-102. Durant joins an elite list of players who have reached the 29,000-point plateau, headlined by LeBron James, the NBA's career scoring leader with 40,543 points. Behind James are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain and Durant. - ESPN.com
The 28-year-old Brunson raised eyebrows across the league in July, when he signed a team-friendly four-year, $156.5 million extension when he could have waited until next summer to secure a far more lucrative five-year deal. The choice -- which gave the Knicks' front office coveted salary cap flexibility under the dreaded second apron -- was in line with athletes such as Jeter, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, superstars who all took less money to bolster the rosters around them. Aside from the $40 million per year he'll earn through the 2027-28 season, New York has invested heavily in Brunson's future. - ESPN.com
Playing a total of 39.8 minutes in two of San Antonio's five preseason outings, Victor Wembanyama acknowledged the team's 120-109 season-opening loss Thursday to the Dallas Mavericks proved "a little hard conditioning-wise." Wembanyama played 28 minutes and finished with 17 points on 5-of-18 shooting with 9 rebounds, 1 assist and a game-high-tying 4 turnovers. "Some moments felt great," Wembanyama said. "A little hard conditioning-wise at first, of course [as] I expected. But I think we had some good basketball moments and some really bad ones." Wembanyama played a role in generating one of San Antonio's few positive opening-half highlights late in the second quarter, when he pointed his left index finger skyward, signaling for point guard Chris Paul to let it fly. - ESPN.com
Klay Thompson's takeoff with his new franchise was pretty impressive, too. He scored 22 points in 26 minutes during Dallas' season-opening 120-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night. He was 7-of-13 from the floor and 6-of-10 from 3-point range, setting a record for 3s made in a Mavericks debut. He contributed in the gritty aspects of the game as well, grabbing seven rebounds and three steals. "He was great, man," Mavs superstar Luka Doncic said. "Just knocking down a lot of shots and he was moving out there. He played great defense, too." - ESPN.com
"Yeah, it was crazy," Durant said of The Wall. "I was just staring at it the whole time. You're not used to that." It has 51 uninterrupted rows of seats, but the first 13 rows are filled with Clippers die-hard fans whose fandom is vetted by the franchise beforehand. The fans in those first 13 rows are expected to stand and chant for the entire game and create an atmosphere similar to a college student section. This was Clippers owner Steve Ballmer's vision when he went over designs for the $2 billion arena. He wanted a home-court advantage unlike any other in the NBA, and it nearly helped the Clippers pull out their first win in the state-of-the-art building. The Wall and the high-tech 4K Halo board -- the largest double-sided halo display in an arena setting, and almost a full acre long -- are perhaps the two biggest features that make Intuit Dome unlike any other NBA arena. - ESPN.com
"This is as deep of a team as I've ever coached, and we've got to lean into that," Kerr said after the Warriors' 139-104 win. "I've never played 12 before, but we're going to do it. "I was thinking, well, maybe I'll just play 10 and we'll have to tell two of these guys that they're going to sit. But I just couldn't justify that." Golden State started a lineup of Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis, a group Kerr said he'd like to be the starting five this season. Buddy Hield was the first off the bench, followed by Kevon Looney and Brandin Podziemski. Next were Melton and Anderson and then Moody. - ESPN.com
For Zaccharie Risacher, it was the perfect start to an NBA career of such promise. A wide-open look from outside the 3-point stripe. Nothing but net. But the French teenager quickly learned what a steep learning curve he faces in his rookie season with the Atlanta Hawks. Risacher, the league's No. 1 draft pick, missed his next six shots and finished the night with seven points on 2-of-8 shooting. Still, he was all smiles after the Hawks held on against the Brooklyn Nets for a 120-116 victory in the season opener Wednesday. - ESPN.com
Days before what he considers to be the true grand opening of the Intuit Dome, Steve Ballmer pondered if anything in the LA Clippers' new $2 billion stadium could've turned out better. "The sinks aren't quite as deep as I wanted them to be," Ballmer said, sitting in his personal lounge just a few steps away from the court. He demonstrated how he likes to shake his hands dry after washing them. "That's where you need a deep sink ... I just don't like it when the bathrooms get wet on the floor." The richest owner in the NBA spared no expense when designing the NBA's newest arena. No detail was too small for Ballmer, from the amount of toilets in the building to leg space for each seat, to the exact width of entrance doors. Intuit Dome officially opened on Aug. 15 when musician Bruno Mars took the stage, and other performers like Billy Joel and Usher have since utilized the space, which played host to its first Clippers preseason game on Oct. 14. But for Ballmer, those were like dress rehearsals for Wednesday's grand opening. - ESPN.com
When the LA Clippers open their new Intuit Dome on Wednesday, they will honor and celebrate Jerry West's legendary life and connection to the franchise with a "JW" court decal and a memorial seat where he sat during Clippers games behind the basket near the team's home bench, sources told ESPN. The memorial seat -- which will have West's signature accompanied by "The Logo" -- and decal will be at Intuit Dome throughout the 2024-25 season. The Clippers have also prepared a celebration of life video for West when they play their first regular-season game at the Intuit Dome against the Phoenix Suns (10 p.m. ET on ESPN). - ESPN.com
The Philadelphia 76ers announced that Joel Embiid and Paul George will both miss Wednesday's season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks. Embiid, who didn't play in the preseason for what the team called left knee injury management, will miss not just Wednesday's game but also Friday's game in Toronto and Sunday's game in Indiana. The 76ers said Embiid is "responding well to his individualized plan" and will ramp up his return-to-play activities this week, including going through scrimmages. George will be reevaluated later this week after he suffered a hyperextended left knee that left him with a bone bruise Oct. 14 against the Atlanta Hawks. - ESPN.com
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