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Observations after Sixers come just short of 2-win weekend, lose tight game to Pistons originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers scrapped until the final buzzer Sunday night but couldn’t complete a two-win weekend.

They dropped a 111-108 game to the Pistons at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Tyrese Maxey missed a game-tying three-point attempt at the final horn.

The Sixers are now 6-4 and Detroit is 8-2. 

Maxey led the Sixers with 33 points and seven assists. Andre Drummond scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Pistons star Cade Cunningham had 26 points and 11 assists. Jalen Duren recorded 21 points and 16 rebounds.

The following Sixers were out on the second night of the team’s back-to-back:

• Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) 
• Paul George (left knee surgery recovery)
• Dominick Barlow (right elbow laceration) 
• Johni Broome (right ankle sprain) 

Tobias Harris (right ankle sprain) was among the sidelined Pistons.

The Sixers will host the Celtics on Tuesday night. Here are observations on their loss to Detroit:

Drummond’s 1st start 

The Sixers used a starting frontcourt of Trendon Watford and Andre Drummond. 

The day after his first NBA triple-double, Watford turned 25 years old. He posted seven points, three rebounds and two assists.Drummond started his first game of the season.

The veteran center remained a very willing jump shooter. He sunk a corner three-pointer in his first stint and another in the third quarter. Drummond now sits at 4 for 10 beyond the arc on the season. 

Duren is one of a few players in the NBA with physical strength anywhere near Drummond’s. He made a couple of early driving layups and tallied eight points in the first quarter. Drummond did the same.

The Pistons went up 37-32 on a Caris LeVert three with 0.7 seconds left in the first quarter. Remarkably, Cunningham had none of those 37 points. He played through two early fouls but opened 1 for 9 from the floor. Meanwhile, Maxey started 2 for 9. 

Walker steps up, finds his shot 

The Sixers’ bench was quite impactful in the first half. 

Head coach Nick Nurse’s rotation was not what anyone would’ve predicted. Eric Gordon got his first playing time since Oct. 28. Jabari Walker received backup center minutes over Adem Bona, although Bona entered late in the first quarter and Walker then slid down to power forward. 

Walker canned a three to give the Sixers a 42-39 edge. He was certainly due for some long-range success. Until that shot, he’d been 0 for 7 as a Sixer from three-point territory.

The 23-year-old continued to crash hard for offensive rebounds and helped the Sixers hold their own on the glass with a tough, physical Pistons team. Walker scored a put-back layup and then nailed a heat-check three on the Sixers’ next possession. 

Before Sunday, his season scoring high was eight points. He had a dozen by the midpoint of the second quarter. 

Nurse brought Jared McCain in with 8:29 to go in the second and the second-year guard heard loud cheers from the home fans. Injury misfortune had kept him out 11 months. 

McCain contributed to a highlight soon after coming in, picking up a steal and then passing ahead to Maxey for a fast-break triple. With just two games under his belt, he’s obviously still rusty and growing accustomed to playing with a brace on his left knee. In nine minutes, McCain had zero points on 0-for-3 shooting.

Cunningham and Maxey duel in the clutch

Kelly Oubre Jr. built the Sixers’ lead to 62-51 with a three late in the second quarter. Oubre gave a strong, resolute defensive effort against Cunningham, staying tight to his body and making him work for everything off the dribble.

However, Cunningham snapped into a higher gear in the second half.

He led a Pistons charge late in the third quarter and hit a free throw that put Detroit up 82-81. The Sixers again had a hard time with Maxey on the bench and trailed by three points after three quarters. A Paul Reed reverse dunk was the final basket of the third period.

Cunningham expertly orchestrated Detroit’s offense early in the fourth quarter and looked plenty confident in his ability to steer the Pistons to victory. The Sixers eventually blitzed Cunningham and tried to force the ball from his hands in the closing minutes.

After two Sixers offensive rebounds, Maxey drained a three to lift the Sixers to a 101-100 lead. He and Cunningham traded huge plays in the clutch.

Cunningham’s monstrous and-one slam put Detroit up 109-104. Maxey then scored the next four points, jamming in a fierce dunk of his own and hitting two free throws.

Ultimately, Cunningham had the last word. He navigated into the paint and made a difficult fadeaway jumper to give the Pistons a three-point lead with 16.9 seconds to play.

The Sixers couldn’t generate a good look on their final possession and ended up having to hope that Maxey’s tightly contested shot would send the game to overtime. He couldn’t force five extra minutes.

What we learned as Warriors' team effort gets job done in win vs. Pacers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – Boring can be beautiful. That sure wasn’t the scene Sunday night at Chase Center. 

The Indiana Pacers’ injury report was longer than a receipt from CVS. Their only win of the 2025-26 NBA season was a short-handed victory against a Warriors team looking for revenge. Plus, the Pacers were on the second night of a back-to-back after playing the Nuggets in Denver the previous night. 

The Warriors’ response was sleepwalking in front of their home fans until the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth. 

While the final score was a 114-83 Warriors win, the results weren’t pretty. The Warriors outscored a run-down Pacers squad 39-18 in the fourth quarter.

Jimmy Butler was the Warriors’ offense, and he nearly put together a triple-double. Butler was a plus-19 in 30 minutes, scoring 21 points with nine rebounds and seven assists.

Steph was loving Jimmy's crossover 👏 pic.twitter.com/YifQ72Qpji

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 10, 2025

Al Horford had his best game with the Warriors. The 39-year-old center hadn’t made a three in the first week-plus of November, going 0 of 7 in his last game and 0 of 2 in the Warriors’ loss to the Pacers to open the month. Sunday night against the same team, Horford finally found a rhythm. 

He missed his first attempt but made his final four of five, scoring 12 points – all threes – in 18 minutes off the bench. Horford also had four rebounds and blocked three shots. 

You can call him Al 🕺 pic.twitter.com/3ujdl1rEoQ

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 10, 2025

Steph Curry missed his third straight game due to an illness. He went through a workout on the Warriors’ practice court and will have another Monday morning before the team’s flight to Oklahoma City in hopes of playing the Thunder on Tuesday night to start off a tough six-game road trip.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ win to snap a two-game losing streak.

Where’s The Offense? 

Sitting on the bench in street clothes. 

It was a good sign to see Curry back around his teammates after not traveling to Sacramento or Denver. But it was a bad sign to once again see the Warriors look lost without him. The first quarter was a hard watch, and it didn’t get much better as the game went on. 

The Warriors opened the game on a 13-4 run, but once coach Steve Kerr called on his bench, the tides began to turn in the Pacers’ favor. From the 7:34 mark of the first quarter when Brandin Podziemski made a 3-foot floater, the Warriors didn’t make another shot until an Horford three with a minute and a half left. The only other points they made in that span were two free throws from Jonathan Kuminga.

There were signs of life when the Warriors went on an 11-0 run at the end of the second quarter before the Pacers closed it with the final five points of the first half. For the most part, that was largely because of Butler getting the ball in his hands and taking over for spurts.

A scrappy Pacers team that never lacks fight took the lead from the Warriors in the third quarter, and Golden State didn’t get it back until two Buddy Hield free throws with under three minutes left sparked a 10-0 run. The Warriors never trailed again. 

Give The Ball To Jimmy 

Speaking of offense, the Warriors’ best game plan was simple and straight to the point. Give the ball to Butler and get out of the way.

There were far too many possessions where he wasn’t involved in multiple trips down the court. Especially in another game without Curry. The system doesn’t have to drastically change. Understanding what’s needed from said game does. 

This was a game where it needed to be Butler and Co., and mostly just him. Butler in the first half was the only player to score in double digits (10 points). He then dropped seven points with five rebounds in the third, and had four points and three assists in the first three and a half minutes of the fourth to put the Warriors ahead by 14 points. 

Butler’s 21 points came on 10-of-15 shooting, dominating around the rim at his own pace. The longest shot Butler took was a 19-foot turnaround in the final second of the second quarter that got blocked. Everything else was a layup, floater or short jumper in the paint. 

His seven assists also led to 19 points for the Warriors.

Podz, JK Struggle Again

At least Moody brought the required effort and energy needed for a get-right game ahead of the impending road trip. Moody’s outstretched arms on defense disrupted the Pacers, and he scored some highly important points in the third quarter. 

Moses Moody from deep 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bTpmbanjFg

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 10, 2025

Coming out of halftime, Moody only had two points off the bench as a minus-4 in nine minutes. He then was a plus-9 with eight points and two steals in the third quarter, highlighted by a wild four-point play. He also made a three earlier in the quarter with four minutes remaining that put the Warriors back ahead by two points. 

This Moses Moody four-point play 😱 pic.twitter.com/zpXFrA1v5Y

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 10, 2025

Moody’s plus-22 with 13 points had a much different feel than Podziemski being a plus-22 with 14 points, even though they each were 4 of 11 from the field. 

Through three quarters, Podziemski was a plus-5 with seven points on 2-of-8 shooting and was 0 of 4 from 3-point range with one assist and two turnovers. He then scored seven points in eight minutes in the fourth quarter. Kuminga, however, was the lone Warriors player who didn’t see any action in the fourth. 

It wasn’t his night, again. Kuminga did grab eight rebounds, a continued improvement for him. But he scored just five points on 1-of-9 shooting and missed all five 3-point shots. In the past two games, Kuminga has scored 11 points on 4 of 19 from the field, and has missed all seven of his shots from deep.

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Steph Curry out for third consecutive game with illness as Warriors host Pacers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry will miss his third consecutive game when the Warriors host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday at Chase Center.

The 37-year-old has been out due to an illness, and not coincidentally, Golden State has lost the past two contests without its best player.

Curry has been playing at an elite level this season, averaging 26.8 points on 45.4 percent shooting from the field and 38.9 percent from 3-point range.

The Warriors, with Curry in the lineup last Saturday, lost to the injury-ravaged Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

A week later, the Pacers have a staggering 10 players listed as out for Sunday’s game, including forward Pascal Siakam (rest).

Curry’s illness came at a bad time for the Warriors, who are trying to build consistency and good habits.

The Warriors hope Curry will be well-rested as they brace for a grueling six-game road trip to Oklahoma City, San Antonio (twice), New Orleans, Orlando and Miami.

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With the Lakers down by 20 in the third quarter at Atlanta, the only sound coming from their bench was Nick Smith Jr.’s hollow claps of encouragement. The rest of the Lakers sat with slumped shoulders on the bench or loitered with blank faces in a semicircle waiting for their coaches to join.

There wasn’t much that could be said.

The Lakers’ five-game winning streak ended in a blowout as the Hawks dominated 122-102 on Saturday at State Farm Arena.

Playing a third consecutive game without Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic tried to keep the Lakers (7-3) in it with 22 points, 11 assists and five rebounds, but all his points came in the first half and he came out after only 27 minutes as the Hawks built a 25-point lead by the middle of the third quarter. Forward Jake LaRavia had 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, and Jarred Vanderbilt had 18 rebounds, one shy of his career high.

“This isn’t the identity of this team,” LaRavia said. “This game was an outlier of the first 10 games that we played. [We have to] just not let it break us and be ready to play the next game.”

The Lakers, who won their first four road games, started their five-game trip on a sour note and now need to bounce back when play Charlotte on Monday. 

Read more:Bronny James shows his improvement for shorthanded Lakers

The Hawks (5-5) were playing the second game of a home back-to-back after losing to the Toronto Raptors on Friday. They had four of five starters sidelined, including Trae Young (knee), Kristaps Porzingis (rest) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (back).

The Lakers should know the dangers of a desperate, shorthanded team. Only five days ago they ended Portland’s three-game winning streak without Reaves, Doncic or LeBron James. Coach JJ Redick said he would reiterate the lesson before Saturday’s game to avoid a letdown.

Then the Lakers fell behind by 13 in the first quarter. Their deficit ballooned to 26 after three quarters. Redick began sitting his starters by the middle of the third.  

“Just not a lot to like tonight,” Redick said matter-of-factly.

Facing a cross-country trip, the Lakers arrived in Atlanta on Thursday and scheduled a practice Friday with a team-bonding activity that night. They held a shootaround in the arena Saturday morning. 

Yet even with the extra time to prepare, Redick could tell within the first two minutes that the team didn’t have the necessary energy to win. What did the coach see during that fateful stretch? 

“Nothing,” Redick said. 

It was the final word of his news conference, which lasted 100 seconds. 

Doncic helped lead a quick third-quarter surge, assisting on three consecutive baskets in a 7-0 run that cut the lead to nine, but the Hawks responded by scoring seven unanswered points and forcing two turnovers. Center Deandre Ayton subbed out for the last time with 8:49 to go in the third. 

“They played phenomenal,” said Ayton, who had 11 points on five-for-five shooting and five rebounds. “But us not even damn near competing in a sense, it looks bad on paper and it looks bad on film. This is one of them games where yeah, food's going to taste bad tonight.”

Doncic and Marcus Smart, another veteran leader, were not made available to reporters after the game. 

Atlanta’s Mouhamed Gueye torched the Lakers for 21 points on eight-for-12 shooting and made four three-pointers. The Lakers, who had credited their connection and chemistry for carrying them through long stints without their stars, suddenly fell silent when faced with a large deficit in front of a rowdy crowd.

With most of Atlanta’s fans streaming toward the exits in the final two minutes, the Hawks' most dedicated fan group, the “404 Crew,” echoed through the mostly empty arena with a final chant: “Where is LeBron?”

The superstar has yet to play a single minute this season because of a bout with sciatica.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The play brought the entire Lakers bench to its feet. Austin Reaves’ sky-high lob pass and Bronny James’ two-handed dunk brought a roar from the crowd.

The emphatic dunk against Miami was James' first points of the season, but he saw them as just two more in what he hopes will be a long NBA journey.

“It was just a regular moment for me,” James said, not even having to conceal a smile after the Lakers’ shootaround Saturday, almost a week after the highlight. “... I want to continue to do that, but I just have to keep giving my all, keep playing hard, running in transition and getting stops on the defensive end for my team.”

James is trying to make his contributions, both big and small, regular occurrences for the shorthanded Lakers as they continue to dig into their bench.

Reaves will miss his third consecutive game Saturday as the Lakers begin a five-game road trip against the Atlanta Hawks. Imaging revealed a mild strain in Reaves’ right groin, coach JJ Redick said Saturday, but the guard’s pain is “really low,” and the team continues to hold him out as a precaution. Reaves is with the team on the road — and has a golf outing planned with James and Redick for an upcoming off day — and could return during the trip. 

James has played in each of the last three games with Reaves out, including 19 and 20 minutes in wins over Miami and Portland, respectively. He was trusted in pressure fourth-quarter situations in both victories and finished with three steals against the Heat. He delivered six assists with no turnovers the following night against the Trail Blazers while also scoring five points as the Lakers won without Reaves, LeBron James or Luka Doncic.

Read more:How the Lakers use Japanese slideshow presentations to build chemistry

“Ready to take advantage of the times that I get when our guys are out,” James said. “I'm going to stay aggressive.”

Each appearance is a step as the 21-year-old fights to become a regular rotation player. To get there, Redick said the former USC guard needs to start by pushing himself physically, being a disruptive defender and developing as a confident spot-up shooter.

James said his main focus is on “going out until I’m dead tired.” He earned Redick’s approval for playing hard.

When James first joined the Lakers last year as their second-round pick, Redick recalled the rookie would receive a pass during pickup games, pause, dribble or attempt unnecessary moves. It was “the opposite of point-five mentality,” Redick said, referencing the idea that players should decide to shoot, dribble or pass within 0.5 seconds of receiving the ball.

“He's now developed where he's got a great point-five mentality,” Redick said before the Lakers played Portland Nov. 3. “He's catch-and-shoot ready at all times.”

James made a critical three in the fourth quarter against Portland to put the Lakers up by five. He credited his time with the South Bay Lakers and working with player development coach Ty Abbott for helping him get comfortable with split-second decisions.

With fellow point guard Nick Smith Jr. on a two-way contract, it’s likely that Smith will handle more on-ball responsibilities during G League assignments this season, Redick said, giving James chances to develop his off-ball game.

That’s only if James, who is on a standard contract, ever goes to South Bay. The injured Lakers might need him more on their bench.

Guard Gabe Vincent has missed seven games because of a sprained ankle, but is progressing during on-court work with assistant coach Lindsey Harding. Vincent has not worked through contact or one-on-one drills; he was projected to be out for two to four weeks, but Redick estimated he will be out for closer to three, which could put him on track to return after the five-game trip wraps in Milwaukee on Nov. 15.

LeBron James will be reevaluated in one to two weeks after progressing to contact activity, beginning with one-on-one work with coaches. The 40-year-old did not join the team on the road for the start of the trip that next winds through Charlotte, Oklahoma City, New Orleans and Milwuakee.

South Bay roster set

The Lakers' G League team set its roster Saturday for opening night, featuring two-way players Smith, who scored 25 points in the victory over the Trail Blazers last week, Christian Koloko and Chris Mañon. Also on the squad are Jace Carter, Jarron Cumberland, RJ Davis, Luke Goode, Tevian Jones, Arthur Kaluma, Augustas Marčiulionis, Drew Timme and Anton Watson.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Observations after Watford's 1st triple-double helps Sixers top Raptors  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers brought back their black jerseys and returned to winning ways Saturday night. 

The team earned a 130-120 victory over the Raptors at Xfinity Mobile Arena in the debut of its throwback uniforms honoring the 2000-01 Eastern Conference champion team.

The Sixers now sit at 6-3. Toronto is 5-5. 

Six Sixers scored in double figures. Trendon Watford recorded his first career triple-double with a tremendous performance, putting up 20 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists. Tyrese Maxey had 31 points and seven assists. Joel Embiid tallied 29 points in 26 minutes.

The Sixers remained without Paul George (left knee surgery recovery) and Dominick Barlow (right elbow laceration). Johni Broome was unavailable because of a right ankle sprain. 

The Sixers will host the Pistons on Sunday night. Here are observations on their win over the Raptors:

Watford shines as starter 

Watford made his first start as a Sixer and scored the team’s first basket on a slam assisted by VJ Edgecombe. 

The Raptors and Immanuel Quickley were ultra-hot out of the gates. Toronto started 6 for 6 from floor and took a 15-7 lead on Quickley’s pull-up three-pointer.. 

The Sixers replied with a 13-0 run spurred by forced turnovers and open-floor attacks. Edgecombe and Maxey nabbed early steals. Watford jammed in a put-back dunk and assisted a Maxey corner three. 

Watford had been excellent as a backup point guard Wednesday in the Sixers’ loss the Cavs. He was awfully strong as a very versatile starting forward against Toronto. 

The Sixers ran tons of pitch actions with Watford on the court in the first quarter. Their perimeter players were often able to get a downhill head of steam off of both dribble handoffs and fake handoffs. Watford’s ability to read the defense and react sharply was a major help.

He posted 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting, three rebounds (two offensive) and two assists in the first period. 

Stars lead Sixers’ push back 

Despite that big run, the Sixers still had a rough overall start defensively. Toronto poured in 43 first-quarter points and had a 10-point advantage after 12 minutes.

The Raptors went up 51-37 early in the second quarter on a Ja’Kobe Walter corner three. They began a scorching 10 for 12 beyond the arc. 

Ultimately, Toronto’s shooters cooled off and the Sixers’ defense was much better in the second quarter. Embiid also played good, aggressive basketball in his second stint. A Watford high-low feed set Embiid up for a layup that cut the Sixers’ deficit to two points. Eventually, a short jumper from Kelly Oubre Jr. (19 points) gave the Sixers a 58-56 edge. 

With Embiid sitting, Maxey was stellar late in the second quarter. His lefty scoop layup with 1.9 seconds left in the first half put the Sixers up 68-63. 

Saving Embiid for the home stretch

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse used five players off the bench. Surprisingly, Jared McCain was not among them. The second-year guard was available to play (with limited minutes) for the second time since returning from a right thumb UCL tear. 

The Sixers’ starters had a few defensive lapses early in the third quarter. Brandon Ingram’s mid-range jumper knotted the game at 78-all. 

Watford and Maxey then fueled a fantastic stretch. Both played zealous defense, hustling back into plays to contest and block shots. They were also in the middle of fluid, highly effective offense. Watford dished a between-the-legs assist to Maxey, whose three put the Sixers up 94-82.

The Sixers fared badly with Maxey out late in the third quarter. Edgecombe had his third consecutive subpar shooting game, going 5 for 15 from the floor. A Quickley runner early in the fourth trimmed the Raptors’ deficit to 102-101.

Although the Sixers made an immediate 7-0 run, Toronto hung around. Nurse saved Embiid for the final minutes, calling timeout and subbing him in with the Sixers up 119-116 and 3:16 to go.

The tide swiftly turned.

Edgecombe converted a driving layup, Oubre slammed in a second-chance dunk and Embiid tipped in his own miss. Handling Embiid’s minutes restriction is often tricky, but having him on the floor down the stretch tends to make plenty of sense.

Steve Kerr reveals Warriors' ‘adapt-or-die' mentality in ever-changing NBA originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

At 5-5 on the 2025-26 NBA season following a 4-1 start, the .500 Warriors have some work to do if they want to contend in the Western Conference.

But despite the steep road ahead, coach Steve Kerr explained why there’s no point in feeling a sense of urgency at the beginning of a long campaign — especially in a league that now is so fast-paced, focusing on the little things is more important than ever.

“We’ve given a couple games away for sure, and there’s absolutely a focus on that,” Kerr told 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” on Thursday, one day before Golden State’s blowout NBA Cup loss to the Denver Nuggets. “But you can’t just say, you know, ‘Hey, we got to get urgent here.’ There has to be a process that leads to the execution, that leads to the wins. And so right now, the focus is on the process. Take care of the damn ball, and we can help you with that as coaches with spacing and our offensive scheming, what we’re doing, that’s a collaboration.

“But ultimately, you know — adapt or die. I mean, the league has changed, and everyone’s playing with pace and 3-point shooting. I would say, seven or eight years ago, we could turn it over 18 times, and it didn’t matter, because we were going to shoot threes and play fast and out-talent people. Now you can play one of the worst teams in the league, and they will beat you by shooting, making 20 threes and playing really fast if you turn it over.”

The Warriors haven’t done a great job at taking care of the ball so far this season — they rank No. 20 in the league in turnovers per game with 16.0 and No. 22 in turnovers per possession (15.5 percent). In consecutive losses to the Sacramento Kings and Nuggets this week, Golden State allowed 28 points off 31 turnovers and has turned the ball over 15 or more times in seven of their 10 total games.

If the Warriors can limit their turnovers, Kerr believes the sky is the limit. But as he said, it’s truly do or die in an NBA that isn’t slowing down any time soon.

“And so our entire team needs to understand this message,” Kerr continued. “And obviously, I’ve given them that message. I’m not sharing it with you guys without sharing it with them, but I want them to hear this too on the radio like, you know, we have to adapt to what the league is doing right now, and that means take care of the ball, handle transition at both ends.

“And if we do that, I love our team. I think we’re going to go places.”

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With Cam Thomas sidelined due to a hamstring strain for the next three to four weeks, the Nets will need other young players to step up and fill the scoring void.

Insert third-year forward Noah Clowney, who came through with 19 points in Friday's 125-107 loss to the Detroit Pistons. It was Clowney's third straight 15-plus point game, as the 21-year-old has started the past three contests for head coach Jordi Fernandez.

After the game, Fernandez spoke highly of Clowney's recent stretch, while acknowledging there is still room for improvement, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

"Noah always takes positive steps. I need him to be better defensively and he knows it," Fernandez said. "His voice needs to grow, embracing the contact, they're playing with the two bigs. Whether you're the low man, whether your communication is on or off the ball, all those things. 

"He's really smart, he's about the right things, he knows it. Like everybody else, need to grow into that fast. I know he will. I like his aggressiveness, how he shot the ball. Got to keep taking, like I said, positive steps."

Clowney went 5 of 13 shooting on Friday night, including 4 of 8 from three-point range with all four makes coming in the first quarter. Across his three recent starts (31 minutes per game), the Alabama product is averaging 17.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game on 44.4 percent shooting from the field, 40 percent from three, and 75 percent from the foul line.

The scoring is a big jump from what he was doing off the bench across the Nets' first six games. Clowney had scored just a total of 26 points (4.3 points per game) over 20 minutes per night prior to starting the past three games.

His hot stretch has also been helpful for rookie guard Egor Demin, who assisted on three of Clowney's four triples. The No. 8 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft believes Clowney can continue being a reliable option with his strong shooting.

"I love him. I think it's really important for me, personally, and for the team, to make sure that he has this confidence to keep shooting, and everybody knows that he can shoot the ball extremely well, as he did today," Demin said.

The Nets will need Clowney to continue scoring at the rate he has as they search for their second win of the season. Brooklyn will take on the crosstown rival Knicks on Sunday evening at MSG in the first of four matchups between the Atlantic Division two teams.

NEW YORK (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 34 points and 10 assists, Jalen Duren added 30 points and 11 rebounds and the Detroit Pistons beat the Brooklyn Nets 125-107 on Friday night in an NBA Cup group opener.

Cunningham was 13 for 18 from the field and made all six of his free throws to help lead Detroit to its fifth straight victory and a 7-2 record. The All-Star point guard has averaged 29.8 points and 11.2 assists while shooting 54 percent from the field during the streak.

Ausar Thompson had 14 points, and Caris Levert added 10 for the Pistons. They have won their last four meetings against Brooklyn.

Michael Porter Jr. scored 28 points for Brooklyn, and Noah Clowney added 19 as the Nets fell to 1-8. They were without Cam Thomas because of a strained left hamstring. He will be reevaluated in three to four weeks.

Detroit fell behind by 10 points in the first quarter and led by five at halftime before Cunningham took over in the third with 14 points as the Pistons had a 34-19 edge in the period.

Cunningham led a 7-0 run with five points to extend the lead to 72-57 with 9:05 left in the period as the Nets called a timeout. He then ignited another 7-0 run with a basket and a free throw before Duren’s dunk capped the spurt to make it 82-65 with 4:04 remaining in the quarter.

Up next

Pistons: At Philadelphia on Sunday night.

Nets: At New York on Sunday night.

 

JJ Redick was already preaching one type of Japanese philosophy, harping to his team about the concept of “kaizen” to improve each day. Off the court, the head coach found inspiration in another Japanese phrase.

Lakers players and coaches have used PechaKucha presentations to facilitate team bonding this season. The slideshows, which come from the Japanese word for chitchat, could be a secret to the team’s hot start as the Lakers (7-2) have won five consecutive games entering a five-game road that starts Saturday in Atlanta at 5 p.m. PST against the Hawks.

The Lakers have pieced together one of the NBA’s most efficient offenses despite injuries keeping LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic in and out of the lineup, relying on a strong team bond that’s developed quickly through an even faster form of communication.

PechaKucha presentations are traditionally 20 slides, each with a photo. The speaker has 20 seconds to explain each slide for a total presentation time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The Lakers' version consists of five slides: where you’re from; favorite basketball memory; person, event or thing that has impacted your life; your non-basketball happy place; and dealer’s choice.

“A lot of times most of the interactions you'll have with your teammates is on the basketball court,” forward Jake LaRavia said. “So it's good to just kind of either learn some stuff about them outside of basketball, like hobbies and stuff like that, where they come from. And that just helps you kind of understand who the person is a little bit better."

Read more:Lakers takeaways: Luka Doncic's defense (yes, defense) helps hold off Spurs

Assistant coach Scott Brooks started his presentation with a photo of a walnut, symbolizing the walnut farm he worked on during the weekends to help his family make ends meet. LaRavia showed a photo of his driveway as the origin of his basketball journey. Doncic spoke about how his daughter Gabriela changed his life.

One coach and one player present, and then they each nominate the next coach or player to go. With about half of the players and coaches left, Redick said he’s already noticing the holdouts actively planning their presentations before their nominations.

“We're just constantly encouraging and empowering our guys to get connected,” Redick said. “I believe if you're connected off the floor, you're connected on the floor. You need buy-in to that. I'm not trying to take credit for my staff here. It's the guys on the team, they're bought into that.”

Doncic, for one, isn’t sold. He deadpanned that he doesn’t think the exercise helps.

Just the fact that Doncic made the joke meant it’s working.

Settled after last season’s jarring trade, the 26-year-old’s personality has started to emerge among his teammates. He is a sarcastic jokester who expresses love for his teammates by threading passes to them through pinhole-sized gaps in the defense and then trash talking them right soon after.

Doncic’s smiling antics, whether he’s trying to sit on Austin Reaves’ lap on the sideline or swishing halfcourt shots in a contest with Reaves, Maxi Kleber and staff members, show just how connected the superstar feels to the team.

“Honestly, the feeling is I'm enjoying, very much, playing with these guys,” Doncic said. “AR [Reaves] can’t play. We're still missing LeBron. So this team has a big potential. But everybody who steps on court, gives maximum, man, everybody. So it's very enjoyable to play.”

Reaves is present on the road trip but will miss a third consecutive game Saturday. The Lakers ruled him out after practice Friday as his right groin injury progressed to a strain after previously being categorized simply as soreness.

James did not make the trip to Atlanta. He progressed to on-court basketball activities this week after missing four weeks because of a sciatica on his right side. He was playing one-on-one with coaches, Redick said. A stint with the South Bay Lakers is on the table, but no decision has been made.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer hasn’t played a single minute for the Lakers yet. Reaves, averaging 31.1 points and 9.3 assists, has missed the last two wins, and Doncic has played in only half of the games. But the Lakers are still fifth in the NBA in offensive rating.

“It shows how professional we are,” guard Marcus Smart said of the team’s chemistry despite constantly changing personnel. “I think a lot of people, especially who aren't in the brotherhood, they forget that you build a relationship with guys, and then one guy or a couple guys, you get traded and you got to rebuild another one. You don’t understand how tough that is, how much of a toll that takes.”

Just as Smart spoke, Doncic appeared behind the group of reporters, clapping loudly. Then Doncic made sure to put on the record that he would beat Smart at a team-building competition that night. Both smiled as they walked away.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.