Category: NBA

Boston Celtics (9-2)  at  Toronto Raptors (5-5)
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
7:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #12, Road Game #7
TV: NBCSB, TSN, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, TSN 1050, Sirius XM
Scotiabank Arena

The Celtics close out their 4 game road trip with the 1st of 4 games against the Toronto Raptors. They will play in Toronto again on January 31 and twice in Boston on January 25 and February 14. The Celtics won all 4 games against the Raptors last season. They are 77-43 overall, all time, against the Raptors and they are 32-26 all time in games played at Toronto. The Celtics have won their last 5 games against Toronto.

The Celtics are playing in the 2nd of back to back games, having played at Philadelphia on Tuesday night. This is the third of 16 back to back sets for the Celtics this season. The Celtics were good in back to back games last season and hopefully, with their depth, it will carry through to this season. They are 1-1 so far on the second night of back to back games. They beat Brooklyn at home in the first and lost to Houston on the road in the second.

With their win over the 76ers on Tuesday, the Celtics now are 1st in the East, half a game ahead of Philly. They are 4-2 on the road and 9-1 in their last 10 games. They are 3-0 against Atlantic Division teams. They have won their last 4 games. The Raptors are 6th in the East, 3.5 games behind the Celtics. They are 2-2 at home and 5-5 in their last 10 games. This is their first game against an Atlantic Division rival. They are coming off a loss in their last game.

The Raptors made several moves in the offseason. They added Kyle Anderson to the main roster as a free agent and they added Kevin McCullar, Jr, Nate Bittle, and Malachi Smith as 2-Way players. They traded for Kawhi Leonard and they drafted Allen Graves with the 19th pick and Jaden Bradley with the 50th pick. They lost Gradey Dick, Chucky Hepburn, Brandon Ingram, AJ Lawson, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jonathan Mogbo and Garrett Temple.

After this game, the Celtics will return home to face Dallas and Orlando before a West coast trip that takes them through Denver, Sacramento, Golden State, and Washington. They then play one game at home against Atlanta before playing at San Antonio and Dallas. Then it’s home against Charlotte before a game at Brooklyn. Next they have a 7 game home stand against Washington twice, Utah, Detroit, Portland, Miami and Cleveland.

After this game at home, the Raptors play at Philadelphia then home for two games against New York and one against Washington. Then they play one game at Detroit before 3 games at home against Milwaukee, Brooklyn, and Denver. Next they have a 4 game road trip against Houston, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Charlotte before a 3 game home stand against San Antonio, Golden State, and Houston.

Predicting the starting lineup for this game is tough. The Celtics have been changing the 5th starter on a regular basis and there is no telling who they will start from game to game. In this one, it’s even harder since they are playing in back to back games and Paul George will be out. I’ve listed a possible starting lineup for them with Sam Hauser in place of PG13, but it will likely change. For the Raptors, they have 3 possible starters questionable who are listed as a game time decision so I’ve listed the starters from their game notes, but that may also change.

After his big game against the 76ers, Paul George was listed as out for this game due to an illness. The Raptors have 6 players on their injury report at this time. Immanuel Quickley (hamstring) and Collin Murray-Boyles (illness) are listed as questionable and will be a game time decision. Kawhi Leonard (knee), Scottie Barnes (groin), Trayce Jackson-Davis (illnerss), and Nate Bittle (foot) are listed as out.

Possible Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Jamal Shead

SG: Jordan Walsh vs RJ Barrett

SF: Sam Hauser vs Ja’Kobe Walter

PF: Jayson Tatum vs Collin Murray Boyles

C: Neemias Queta vs Jakob Poeltl

Celtics Reserves
Chris Cenac, Jr
Mike Conley, Jr
Luka Garza
Hugo Gonzalez
Ron Harper, Jr
Payton Pritchard
Mitchell Robinson
Baylor Scheierman

Two Way Players
Devin Carter
Dillon Mitchell
Amari Williams

Injuries/Out
Paul George (illness) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Raptors Reserves
Kyle Anderson
Jamison Battle
Jaden Bradley
Allen Graves
Alijah Martin

2-Way Players
Nate Bittle
Kevin McCullar, Jr
Malachi Smith

Injuries/out
Immanuel Quickley  (hamstring) questionable
Collin Murray-Boyles (illness)  questionable
Trayce Jackson-Davis (illness) out
Scottie Barnes (groin) out
Kawhi Leonard (knee) out
Nate Bittle (foot)  out

Head Coach
Darko Rajakovic

Key Matchups
Jordan Walsh vs RJ Barrett
Barrett is averaging 21.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He is shooting 45.7% from the field and 27.8% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics he is averaging 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists over his career. He has been struggling from the perimeter, but if left open he is very capable of hitting threes so the Celtics need to defend him both in the paint and on the perimeter.

Sam Hauser vs Ja’Kobe Walter
Walter is averaging 11 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game.  He is shooting 38.7% from the field and 32.8% from beyond the arc.  Over his career against the Celtics, he is averaging 8.5 points 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists.  I’m guessing that Hauser gets the start in place of Paul George.

Honorable Mention
Neemias Queta vs Jakob Poeltl
Poeltl is averaging 8.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.  He is shooting 64.6% from the field with no 3 pointers. Since he isn’t a threat from the perimeter, the Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards. 

Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is the most important key to winning. The Celtics are 4th in the league with a defensive rating of 106.3. The Raptors are 14th with a defensive rating of 112.4. The Celtics have played good defense for the most part, but there have been times when they let up on the defensive end and allowed teams to come back from big deficits.   They must stay committed to playing tough, lock down defense, especially against a Raptors team that plays good defense themselves.  The Celtics must especially defend in the paint as the Raptors are 4th in the league with 52.2 points in the paint per game.

Rebound – As with defense, rebounding will always be a key to winning every game.  The Celtics are 10th with 45.0 rebounds per game.  The Raptors are 25th with 41.4 rebounds per game.   The Celtics will need to rebound as a team with players crashing the boards from every position.  The Celtics can’t score without the ball and rebounding is a great way to get the ball and to get extra possessions and to also deny the Raptors extra possessions.  The Raptors are best in the league with 20.7 second chance points per game.  The Celtics need to deny them rebounds to limit those points. 

Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics are at their best when the ball moves and they make the extra pass. When the ball sticks and players try to do too much, the Celtics struggle.  But they have to make careful passes and not get sloppy because the Raptors average 22.3 points off turnovers (2nd) and 16.2 fast break points per game.  The Celtics need to be careful with their passes and ball handling because if they aren’t the Raptors will make them pay.   

Play with Energy and Focus for 48 Minutes – The Celtics must play with effort and energy and they have to play harder than the Raptors for all 4 quarters.  The team that plays the hardest and with more energy will usually get the win.  They also must stay focused on taking good shots and making them.  If the 3’s are falling, they are tough to beat. But, if the 3’s aren’t falling, it can get ugly and so the Celtics need to focus on taking the best shots, whether that means shooting more 3’s or taking the ball into the paint if they aren’t falling.   

X-Factors
On the Road and Fatigue – The Celtics are on the road for the 4th straight game and have to deal with the distractions of travel and going through customs along with playing on an unfamiliar court and in front of hostile fans.  They are also playing in the second of back to back games and in the 3rd game in 4 nights.  Fatigue may come into play down the stretch. 

Last Game of Road Trip –  This is the final game of a tough 4 game road trip and the 3rd game in 4 nights as well as being the second of back to back games. All of that has a lot going against the Celtics. The final game of a road trip is always a tough game. The Celtics will be tired and looking forward to going home. Also they will be coming down off the high of their emotional win in Philly the night before. Hopefully they can shake all of that off and play well in this game.

Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game.  They did a good job of overcoming a 28-5 free throw disadvantage against the 76ers.  The Celtics also have to be aware of the new points of emphasis for this season and try to avoid flopping (although Embiid seemed to get away with it), off‑arm push‑offs, reckless closeouts, delays before free throws, and illegal screens. They have been especially calling flops and push offs and so the Celtics need to avoid doing both.

The Utah Jazz hoped to be part of the Western Conference playoff race this season after years of rebuilding. But those plans have gone horribly awry during the opening few weeks of the 2026-27 NBA campaign, and getting back on track just became even more difficult after a sobering update involving star Lauri Markkanen.

Markkanen is expected to miss at least a month of action, the Jazz announced on Nov. 11, after suffering a right hand injury during the team's loss to the Dallas Mavericks last Friday. Markkanen is the latest key Jazz player to be sidelined, and the mounting absences have left Utah tied for the NBA's worst record at 1-10 entering Wednesday's matchup against the Orlando Magic.

Here's more on Markkanen's injury status and what it means for the Jazz's hopes of reaching the postseason.

NBA: Kon Knueppel's latest injury setback could be crushing blow for Hornets

Lauri Markkanen injury update

Markkanen has been diagnosed with two nondisplaced fractures in his right hand and will be re-evaluated in four weeks. The good news is a nondisplaced fracture is considered less severe than a displaced fracture, in which the bones are no longer in proper alignment. A non-displaced fracture generally doesn't require surgery.

The 29-year-old forward had already been playing through a sprained right wrist as the Jazz were hit hard with injuries during the first month of the NBA season. An initial X-ray did not reveal the fracture, according to ESPN, but Markkanen underwent scans that revealed more damage after returning to Utah in recent days.

Why Lauri Markkanen's injury could be devastating for Jazz

The Jazz were already teetering to start the 2026-27 season because of injuries, and they've lost 10 of their first 11 games. Utah watched Jaren Jackson Jr. go down for at least two months with a knee injury, while center Jusuf Nurkic has yet to appear in a game this season because of a toe injury. Guard Keyonte George has also been dealing with a sprained ankle and did not play in Tuesday's loss to the Miami Heat.

That leaves rookie Darryn Peterson as the only player from the Jazz's expected Opening Night starting lineup currently available entering Wednesday.

Utah was already struggling with Markkanen in the lineup, and losing its most reliable offensive weapon only makes an uphill climb steeper. His ability to score at all three levels, stretch defenses and create matchup problems is central to everything the Jazz want to do offensively. The timing is just brutal. A team that entered the season hoping to take a step forward is suddenly staring at the possibility of another year buried near the bottom of the Western Conference.

The injury could also create bigger-picture questions for the franchise. The Jazz resisted opportunities to trade Markkanen when his value was arguably at its peak, believing he would be the centerpiece of their return to contention. Now, with Utah off to a disastrous start and its roster ravaged by injuries, the mission is simply to keep the season from slipping away before Markkanen can return.

If this season ends as disastrously as it has started, the Jazz could revisit assumptions that have guided their moves to this point, including whether their current timeline and roster construction around Markkanen remain the right path forward.

Lauri Markkanen stats

Markkanen was averaging 18 points and 6.8 rebounds per game through eight games for the Jazz this season. He was shooting just 38.9% from the floor, which is the worst mark of his career. Markkanen averaged 26.7 points on 47.7% shooting during the 2025-26 season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lauri Markkanen injury update could have major fallout for Utah Jazz

Another day, another addition to the injury report for the Utah Jazz.

Shams Charania reported that Lauri Markkanen “has sustained a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and will be sidelined for at least a month”

Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen has sustained a non-displaced fracture in his right hand and will be sidelined for at least one month, sources tell me and @BannedMacMahon. pic.twitter.com/UcXV8E9H4y

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 11, 2026

You can read more about it here from Tim MacMahon.

ESPN story on more bad news for the injury-ravaged Jazz: https://t.co/ocXYOkHeWuhttps://t.co/k5Jqj2icw6

— Tim MacMahon (@BannedMacMahon) November 11, 2026

According to MacMahon, Markkanen suffered the injury in the loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Initial X-rays didn’t reveal the fracture but additional scans in Utah showed cracks.

It’s a blow to the Jazz’s depth that has obviously derailed their season. Utah was without four starters in their game against the Heat and they’re struggling each game to overcome it.

Utah’s bench hasn’t stepped up as much as they’ve needed in the wake of injuries to Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jusuf Nurkic, plus not having Keyonte George last night. The play of Svi Mykhailiuk, Isaiah Collier, and Brice Sensabaugh has been nowhere near good enough. It’s hard to criticize the Jazz too much this season. Had they not signed Jaxson Hayes, Josh Okogie, and Josh Green, the team would be embarrassingly bad. Utah’s record is horrendous, but they’ve had two overtime games and multiple single-digit games.

All the Jazz can hope for now is for Keyonte George to come back soon from his ankle sprain and grind out some wins. It’s a long season, and the play-in is still in the picture.

After an impressive Rookie of the Year campaign in the 2025-2026 season, Cooper Flagg entered this year looking to polish his offensive game and bring the Dallas Mavericks back to relevance. So far, he’s exceeded expectations in both.

Through 11 games, the Mavericks are 7-4 and have faced one of the league’s tougher schedules. Flagg has played in 10 of those games and is averaging 25.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. He’s 19 years old. He joins a short list of only Luka Doncic and LeBron James as one of the youngest players in NBA history to average at least 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. At 20 years old, Doncic averaged 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game, while James, at 20, averaged 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists.

What’s been most impressive about his leap is Flagg’s shooting. He’s knocking down 50.0% of his shots, on 61.2% true shooting. He’s also been excellent at the free-throw line, shooting 90.3% there. Put those numbers together, and you get a player whose scoring efficiency is looking much more advanced than you might expect from a 19-year-old. Let’s take a deeper dive into the numbers.

He’s getting into the paint

Flagg has attempted 42 shots at the rim (in the restricted area), making 28 of them for 66.7%. That’s roughly 22% of his total attempts. It’s not an enormous portion of his shot diet, but he can get there whenever he wants. Flagg often uses his size and athleticism to his advantage.  At 6-foot-9, he can finish with ease over smaller defenders but also has the finesse to finish around larger ones. That combination makes his drives difficult to contain. Unlike some young perimeter players who settle for difficult jumpers when their initial attack gets cut off, Flagg has multiple ways he can beat you off the dribble.

Flagg has taken 47 shots in the portion of the paint outside of the restricted area, the most of any zone on the floor. He’s made 27 of them, giving him a 57.4% shooting percentage. That’s roughly 26% of all his field-goal attempts. The non-restricted-area paint has become something of a sweet spot for Flagg because it allows him to use his size and touch without having to completely beat the defense to the rim. It’s also a shot that can be available when a defense successfully cuts off his initial drive. His comfortability to get to this part of the floor and shoot over defenders has proven to be his bread and butter.

Nearly half of Flagg’s shot attempts come inside the paint, and he’s incredibly efficient, shooting 61.7% on those attempts, 55-89. A teenager being this comfortable living in the paint is pretty rare, especially in today’s NBA, where outside shooting rules. Once Flagg expands his game beyond the three-point arc, he’ll be unstoppable.

He loves the midrange

Flagg has Kevin Durant-like capabilities in his mid-range game. He has attempted 43 mid-range shots, second only to his 47 attempts in the non-restricted-area paint. He’s made 21, good for 48.8%. That’s an important number because the mid-range is often treated as something players should eliminate from their offensive diet. For Flagg, that’s not necessarily the case. Use Durant as the example, who is currently fifth on the all-time NBA scoring leaders list, as he approaches 33,000 points.

At nearly 49%, Flagg is making enough of these shots to justify taking them — particularly because many of them are self-created. If a defender backs up to protect the drive, Flagg can shoot. If the defender presses up, he can attack. If the help defender steps into the lane, he can stop short. That puts a lot of pressure on the defense and leaves them with no real solution in guarding him.

There’s a tendency in modern basketball analysis to look at a player’s shot chart and immediately identify mid-range attempts as something that needs to be reduced. That isn’t necessarily true for Flagg. An efficient mid-range shooter who can also get to the rim, shoot threes and create for teammates is a completely different proposition than a player who lives in the mid-range because he can’t do anything else. Flagg is not that player. The mid-range is one part of his offensive toolkit, and right now, it’s a pretty good one.

One blemish: 3-point shooting

Now for the part nobody needs to sugarcoat – 29.2% from three isn’t good, making 14 of 48. The shot-chart data shows that almost all of Flagg’s three-point attempts are coming above the break. He has attempted 42 above-the-break threes and made only 10, good for 23.8%. That’s the biggest blemish on his shooting profile. The good news is that he’s actually been excellent from the corners. Flagg has attempted just six corner threes, but he’s made four of them for 66.7%. Obviously, that’s an extremely small sample, but worth noting. But it does reinforce an important point: the problem isn’t that Flagg can’t physically make a three. It’s consistency, particularly on higher-volume, above-the-break attempts.

One thing not to lose in the discussion about his three-point percentage is the fact that Flagg is willing to take them. He’s attempted 48 total threes. That’s enough volume to matter. He’s not hiding from the shot. He’s not passing up every open look. He’s taking the shots defenses are giving him. If he can get this percentage to 34-36%, Flagg will enter 30 points per game territory.

The verdict through 11 games

It’s too early to call Flagg a great shooter, but at 19 he is a great scorer. Shooting wasn’t his calling card coming into the NBA, but it’s evolving. Being an efficient scorer in today’s NBA without a reliable three-point shot (yet), bodes well for Flagg. As he continues to work on his outside shooting and that three-point percentage creeps northward, he will become one of the most unstoppable forces in the NBA. The three-point shot isn’t the foundation of Cooper Flagg’s offensive game. It’s the potential multiplier.

Flagg arrived on the heels of Luka Doncic’s departure to Los Angeles. And despite the weight of seismic expectations and a tumultuous situation when he arrived, Flagg has largely exceeded expectations. These numbers aren’t normal for a teenager. They point to something much larger – the next generational superstar.

Tuesdays’ big-stage matchup between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers saw no shortage of storylines. Buried beneath the Jaylen Brown vs. Jayson Tatum, Celtics vs. Sixers rivalry, and the battle of the uncs, Mitchell Robinson quietly entered his first real measuring stick game.

What did he have for Boston as they matched up against Joel Embiid (alongside four other massive names)?

Adding Robinson over the summer came with plenty of luxrious hypotheticals. That’s all great. More than anything, Boston clearly needed some extra frontcourt help after their previous rotation of Neemias Queta, Nikola Vucevic, and Luka Garza had no answer for post-appendectomy Embiid in the playoffs last spring.

Queta spent much of the series in foul trouble, while neither Vucevic nor Garza was strong enough to keep the former NBA MVP away from the basket. Buckets came easy for The Process and so did the wins.

Embiid dominated the Celtics in Games 5-7 to help lead the Sixers to a 3-1 comeback in what was their first playoff series win over Boston in 44 years.

Big Mitch hasn’t quite met the expectations surrounding his arrival just yet. He hasn’t been the same nuisance on the offensive glass as he was seemingly everytime he’d play Boston as a member of the New York Knicks. He’s looked out of shape. His quickness and defensive playmaking have remained hidden talents.

Plus, the “Sheets FC” analytics nerd portion of the fanbase would tell you that those numbers don’t favor Celtics Mitch just yet.

You wouldn’t have been able to guess all that if you just watched him for the first time on Tuesday. Robinson clearly understood the assignment.

It’s not always easy to notice defense when you watch a game live. Sometimes you’re just watching the ball. Others, the fundamental, non-highlight-worthy defense doesn’t jump off the screen at you. The experience is a little different when Embiid catches the ball in the post and you get war flashbacks to the spring.

You just kind of expect him to take a few power dribbles and work his was to the rim.

That didn’t happen.

Instead, Robinson consistently held his ground and forced the longtime 76er to work further from the basket. He also remained under control while getting physical — an important skill when guarding one of the league’s most profound grifters. Like, Embiid averages more free-throws per game this season than field-goal attempts.

Look it up.

So, the fact that Mitch was able to defend him without fouling (except for when he decided to sloppily closeout on a three-point attempt for some reason, despite Embiid shooting 10% from deep entering the game) was huge.

The Louisiana native guarded the seven-foot-two center on 24.3 partial possessions, held him to five points on 1-3 from the field, and forced a turnover. Embiid couldn’t move him. It was like watching him try to back down one of Mitch’s monster trucks.

For perspective, Queta guarded Embiid on 18.1 partial possessions in Boston’s Game 7 loss to Philly back in May. Embiid scored 14 points on Queta while shooting an efficient 6-11 from the floor.

The Portuguese big man was much better Tuesday, in fairness. Queta limited Embiid to just three points on 17 partial possessions.

Both his play, and Robinson’s as his backup, were a clear step in the right direction. There’s a lot of season left. Robinson has to continue to uphold a defensive standard. But, if he looks the way he did against Embiid and the 76ers, then Boston will have aptly plugged the hole that sank their ship last spring.

They say hindsight is 20/20, but was there anything more obvious — or perhaps anything more Sixers — than the night that was supposed to centered around Jaylen Brown vs. Jayson Tatum being dominated by the salary the Sixers sent out to Boston to acquire Brown?

Paul George’s 36 points led a Celtics three-point onslaught that allowed them to defeat the Sixers by 22 points in Brown’s first game against his old team since the blockbuster trade in the summer. While emotions were running high for a lot of the night’s participants, George didn’t feel any extra need to make a statement against the team he spent the last two seasons with.

“My job was just to come in and support JT and be the best version that I could be for him,” George said after the game. “That was my only focus.”

There really doesn’t get much better support than going 6-of-11 from three-point range. The Sixers were frustrated with their inability to stop George getting open from behind the arc, especially his former teammates who know him well.

“He played within the game too, that’s what Paul does. He plays within the game, he takes what the defense gives him, and we gave him too many open looks tonight,” Tyrese Maxey said. “For him to even be able to get up 11 threes, that’s the issue. We know what PG does, we shouldn’t even been allowing him to get up 11 threes, and that’s on us.”

Maxey, along with several other Sixers, were happy to reconnect with a teammate they got along with well during his time. The sting of what PG had just done to them on the floor was still on their minds when asked what it was like to see him again though.

“It’s good to see Paul,” Maxey said. “I didn’t want to see Paul get six threes, 30 points. I love him, love his family, I didn’t care less, I wanted him to score zero points.”

As someone who went through similar injury struggles, Joel Embiid always seemed to have a good relationship with George. He detailed that while in classic Embiid fashion, trolling Tatum a little bit in the process.

“Off the court, we have a special relationship. Families are close, especially both of our kids,” Embiid said. “I’m extremely happy for him. You know, he’s healthy. He’s playing well. He’s been … the start of the season, you see what he did tonight. You can kind of say he’s been the best player on some level.”

George seemed happy to reunite with old teammates as well, referring to them as brothers throughout the night, but his return was never going to elicit the same emotion as lamb chops and gravy. That might have been different if he had been a Sixer longer, but as he told reporters at shoot around before the game, he was only in Philadelphia for two years.

The Sixer crowd didn’t give him the same level of venom that’s typically gone to star players since departing, James Harden in particular has really heard it from Sixers’ crowds each time he’s come back. Most of the crowd’s animosity was aimed at Tatum, but George still had to deal with some rotten fan behavior. Towards the end of the game, the Sixers called a timeout after another Celtics three and George was seen giving the middle finger towards the crowd.

Looks like Paul George may have also flipped out a fan (or someone) after that three pic.twitter.com/LecXldKldE

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) November 11, 2026

It turns out that despite being a Celtic, George was pretty justified in that response.

“There was a fan being an asshole. Ball rolled to him, he looked me dead in my eyes, dropped the ball on the ground as if, I’m a dog to go fetch or go get it, instead of passing the ball to me like a normal fan would do,” George said, “so then I rolled him a middle finger in return.”

An unfortunate interaction between a fan and Paul George 🫣 pic.twitter.com/7YOQrSRjXk

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) November 11, 2026

Despite all the new exciting parts of this team, a max player coming back to light up the Sixers in his return to South Philadelphia is a story all too familiar.

At least George isn’t the type of guy to scream “Jaylen Brown over me??!!” down the tunnel after doing so.

Two days before playing his former team for the first time since being traded this summer, Philadelphia 76ers star Jaylen Brown told reporters he had “nothing to talk about” with ex-teammate Jayson Tatum.

Apparently he meant it — and it might have had something to do with lamb chops. Figuratively speaking.

Before Tuesday’s game at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena, Tatum approached Brown and gave him a tap on the arm and a few on the chest. Brown wouldn’t even look in the direction of the player with whom he won an NBA championship, made two NBA Finals appearances and played in five Eastern Conference championship series during nine seasons as Celtics teammates.

The pregame moment between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

📺 NBA on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/P4iclUnqZ5

— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) November 11, 2026

After the game, a 123-101 Celtics win, Brown implied to reporters that he didn’t notice Tatum’s attempt to interact with him.

“I’m just focused on coming out and doing what’s best for my team,” Brown said when asked about the apparent snub. “Everything else was just — to be honest, I wasn’t paying attention. But credit to Jayson, he played well tonight. Credit to the Celtics, they executed, they shot the hell out of the ball, and they were the better team tonight.”

Read more:Jaylen Brown video sparks furor over how Beverly Hills police treat Black people

Tatum also dismissed the pregame non-encounter as no big deal.

“No headlines about anything like that,” Tatum told reporters. “I was just getting ready for the game, ready for jump ball, go out there and compete, have some fun and try to get a win.”

Still, things have been a bit frosty between the two players in the aftermath of a July 6 trade that sent Brown to Philadelphia — after spending his first 10 NBA seasons in Boston — in exchange for Paul George, two first-round draft picks and two second-round picks.

In October, Bleacher Report posted a clip on Instagram of Tatum saying he was “caught off guard” by the trade. Brown responded in the comment section of that post with a blue hat emoji, which is often used to represent the word “cap” when being used as slang for “lie.”

Asked about the situation during an Oct. 23 news conference, Tatum insisted “there’s no beef” between the two players.

A day later, Brown agreed — kind of.

Read more:LeBron James says 'family is safe' after arrest of alleged stalker outside Brentwood home

“I think he’s right. There’s no beef,” Brown told reporters. “Jason comes from a wonderful family. We’ve accomplished some great things. He’s a hell of a basketball player. He’s got a great PR team. There’s no beef but, you know, it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy, you know what I mean? He should stay ready at all times.”

Asked why he would say that, Brown responded: “Just, you know, that’s what it is. No beef. It should never ever be that. It’s just basketball. We’re both blessed, but it might be a little lamb chop. We’ll be all right.”

Brown was then asked if he had been suggesting that Tatum was being untruthful about the trade situation.

Read more:What we’ve learned about the first-place Lakers

“Hey, look, like I said, it’s no beef,” Brown said. “The PR and all that type stuff is it is what it is, but I think we’re just both focused on what’s in front of us.”

George was the leading scorer in Tuesday’s game, with 36 points, while Tatum added 21 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. Brown netted 13 points, his lowest output in 11 games with the 76ers.

“I was looking forward to this,” Brown said after the game. “I was looking forward to playing well, but you know, s— happens. You just get ready for the next one, I guess.”

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

TORONTO — The Celtics and Raptors will each miss key players as they meet on Wednesday night.

For the Celtics, Paul George is out with an illness; the star is just a day removed from a 36-point performance against his former squad, the Philadelphia 76ers. Everyone else on the Celtics will play on the second night of a road back-to-back; the team flew from Philadelphia to Toronto late Tuesday night, and Mitchell Robinson and Jayson Tatum, both of whom have gotten one rest game this season, are among them.

George has been the Celtics’ second-leading scorer so far this season; he’s averaging 22 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. He’s also been the team’s most efficient scorer, shooting 48.8% from the field and 44% from three. The Celtics are 0-1 without him so far this season; they lost by 16 to the Houston Rockets last Monday.

The Raptors could be significantly shorthanded; Scottie Barnes (left groin strain) and Kawhi Leonard (left knee injury management) are both out, while Trayce Jackson-Davis (illness), Colin Murray-Boyles (illness), and Immanuel Quickley (right hamstring injury management) are all questionable.

After blowing out the 76ers on Tuesday night, the Celtics lead the Eastern Conference at 9-2. The Raptors have the 6th-best record in the East at 5-5. The Celtics have won four straight; the Raptors are coming off a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Jayson Tatum will once again play on the second night of a back-to-back

The Celtics are in the middle of their third back-to-back of the season, and Jayson Tatum has played in every single back-to-back game so far.

But last week in Charlotte, he said he’s receptive to conversations around his rest management.

“It’s my 10th year, so I understand the balance of wanting to play every game, and rest, and back-to-backs, three-in-fours, five-in-sevens,” Tatum said. “It’s always a conversation. We talk about it. We have a plan. I don’t really like sitting out on away games, but we just kind of figure it out as we go.”

Tatum said he does not like missing road games, and that has factored into his decision to play on the second nights of multiple back-to-backs this season.

Jayson Tatum explained that part of why he played in the back-to-backs was to go through the mental process:

"I used to always play back-to-backs… it was an opportunity for me to test myself out, to see how I felt."

"I felt really good." pic.twitter.com/F07VhLDD2d

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) November 7, 2026

“[That’s] part of it, and just kind of the mental aspect of it,” he said. “I used to always play back-to-backs, and obviously health is most important, and how I’m feeling physically. But it was an opportunity for me to test myself out, to see how I felt playing the back-to-backs, traveling, getting in at a certain time, and see how I felt after that. I kind of just really wanted to go through that for myself, and I felt really good.”

Celtics-Raptors will tip off at 7pm ET.

The Utah Jazz have officially lost 9 straight games. The team is getting close and closer to a win, but that still eludes them. 1-10 overall and 1-5 at home, Utah may be able to pull this one out after a gutsy comeback against the Miami Heat last night.

The good news is that Darryn Peterson is slowly breaking out. After scoring 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists yesterday, Jazz fans expect to see even more continue growth from their 2nd overall pick. He truly does look like a future star, with Ace Bailey very much looking the part of a do-it-all forward that is sorely needed in SLC.

But this team just can’t seem to get a win. Although it was an okay 4th quarter for both Svi and Isaiah Collier, the bench overall has been having a horrific season. Brice Sensabaugh has yet to show up, Kyle Filipowski continues to struggle with a back injury, and the injuries are mounting for this team. Once a promising season, this year has gotten out of hand quickly. The Jazz NEED a win and tonight against the Orlando Magic is a great chance.

The Orlando Magic are having a rough season themselves, sitting at 3-7 and seeing numerous injuries themselves. Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs have been out, Tristan de Silva missed last game, and a few of their younger guys in Izaiyah Nelson and Noah Penda have been struggling with injuries as well.

Much of the season has been placed on the shoulders of Franz Wagner, who has yet to truly find his outside shot, shooting 22.9% on the year. Desmond Bane has shot inconsistently, but Anthony Black has been a bright spot. It could be a competitive one tonight at the Delta Center.

Start Time and TV Schedule

Who: Utah Jazz vs Orlando Magic

When: November 11, 7:00 MT

Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT

How to watch: KJZZ, Jazz+

Injury Report

Jazz Injury Report (as of 11/10)

OUT – Trey Alexander (G League – Two-Way)

OUT – Keyonte George (Right Ankle; Sprain)

OUT – Harrison Ingram (G League – Two-Way)

OUT – Jaren Jackson Jr. (Right Knee; MCL Tear)

OUT – Jusuf Nurkic (Right foot; 2nd Plantar Plate Tear)

When the Knicks lost Mitchell Robinson in the offseason, there was not only a sense of mourning for losing the services of the longest-tenured Knick right after a championship, but also in the sense of what he provided on the court.

Even with his injury-prone nature, Robinson was a premier rim protector and an anchor for the Knicks’ defense whenever he was on the court, which would be enough of an asset on his own, but the biggest asset he provided was something entirely different.

As we all came to know and love, he is simply the best offensive rebounder of this generation and one of the best rebounders, period, in the NBA. His innate ability to gobble up boards helped turbocharge an offense that already had plenty of offensive weapons, but would sometimes struggle with inefficiency.

For several years now, the Knicks have built their offense around the expectation of extra possessions. They’ve game-planned to win games by simply getting more opportunities to score than their opponents by grabbing more rebounds and committing fewer turnovers. With Robinson gone, the former was in serious danger, even if the team signed Andre Drummond to bandage it.

Through 10 games this season, though, they seem to have not missed a beat.

The Knicks are impressively the No. 1 rebounding team in basketball so far. That’s powered by Drummond not missing a beat with his usual rebounding prowess, but also an elevation in the team’s process and scheme.

Karl-Anthony Towns, historically a great rebounding center, leads the NBA with a staggering 13.8 rebounds per game. While his defensive strides have been the most encouraging part of the start of this season, he’s been a huge part of winning the possession battle by hitting another level with a 36.6 DREB%, which also leads the league.

As a team, the Knicks have hauled in 55.5 percent of available rebounds, 73 percent of defensive rebounds, and 38.8 percent of offensive rebounds, all leading the NBA. They’ve done this despite routinely having smaller lineups on the court.

Over the last two years, the Knicks were an elite rebounding team, especially thanks to double-big lineups and versatility. They’ve gradually gotten smaller as a team, have played zero minutes with more than one player taller than 6’8” on the court, and are still dominating on the glass.

Towns, Drummond, and Josh Hart have combined to do a bulk of the rebounding on both ends, but it’s also been a group effort. OG Anunoby has been much more active on the glass, averaging 1.7 OREB/g. Mikal Bridges and Jordan Clarkson are grabbing more rebounds on a rate basis. Even Jalen Brunson is averaging a career high in offensive rebounds.

Everyone is feeding off each other. Of the Knicks’ 10 most-used lineups, nine of them have an elite rebounding percentage, with the lone exception being a shocker: the starting five (47.5%).

Their early-season struggles, particularly on offense, are worth monitoring, but some positive regression is due whenever Hart returns from his ankle/illness ailments, especially in the rebounding department. The team as a whole played poorly through five games and has only started to pick it up recently.

The synergy has allowed them to just take the soul out of teams in recent games, something that’s been pivotal to their success in recent years. Just look at last night’s game against Milwaukee, where, despite the plucky Bucks chopping a 26-point lead down to 11, they couldn’t overcome a 59-32 rebounding disadvantage.

Against Cleveland on Saturday, the Knicks took advantage of no Jarrett Allen to outrebound the Cavs, 49-40, to help stretch their second-half cushion. In the blowout of the Bulls last week, it was another 57-34 bludgeoning.

It even makes you think: was it the system that made Mitchell Robinson who he was, or was he just a superpowered cog in the wheel?

Let’s slow down. Robinson was always a generational rebounder, as evidenced by his work under previous head coaches, but his early struggles in Boston are notable.

As long as Towns continues to be consistent defensively and the team keeps rebounding like this… will they even miss him that much?

Embiid and James listed as questionable for Sixers vs. Raptors  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers listed both Joel Embiid and LeBron James as questionable for their Thursday night game vs. the Raptors.

As has been the case on previous early-season injury reports, James’ official listing was “low back/sciatica management” and Embiid’s was “right foot plantar fascia injury management.” 

While Thursday’s contest isn’t part of a back-to-back, it’s the sort of situation in which the Sixers have load management matters in mind for the 32-year-old Embiid and 41-year-old James. They’ll host the Pacers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET and then visit the Nets the following night.

James logged 29 minutes Tuesday in the 9-3 Sixers’ loss to the Celtics and Embiid went 31. Embiid said postgame that he rolled his ankle late in the second quarter, but he was fine to play the second half. 

With the Raptors facing Boston on Wednesday night, Toronto’s complete injury report won’t be available until Thursday afternoon. The Raptors announced Tuesday that superstar Kawhi Leonard will be sidelined for at least one more week because of his left knee injury.

Adem Bona (cervical spine sprain), Dominick Barlow (lower back stress reaction) and Ariel Hukporti (right Achilles tendon tear) will all remain out for the Sixers against the Raptors. 

About every 10 games this season, I’ll pulse my top-3 candidates in each of eight categories. This one comes on the heels of an easy Suns win, their third in the last four games, as they continue to work on undoing a rough 1-5 start. All of these will be debatable, so have at it in the chat. 

Most Valuable Sun

1. Devin Booker
2. Luke Kennard
3. Oso Ighodaro

Booker has had a key role in each of the Suns’ wins thus far. The losses may be more about the pieces around him not fitting, or playing well enough. Kennard has provided much-needed shooting and playmaking with incredible efficiency (see below) and is second in net rating. Oso has been far from perfect thus far, but his presence in the starting lineup provided significantly better flow to the offense and smarter defensive rotation.

Rising Suns

1. Ryan Dunn
2. Khaman Maluach
3. Jordan Goodwin

Dunn’s stock is on fire. He has a true shooting percentage of 63%; see more below on his defense. Maluach is developing and getting valuable experience reps. Shows occasional flashes, be it a dominant block or hitting a three. The hands and defensive rotation need to improve to keep him on the rise. After last night’s game, I moved Goodwin up to the third slot.  He’s becoming much more than hustle, rebounding and defense. He’s hit 3 or more three-pointers in each of his last three full game appearances, hitting 13 of 22 (59%) over that span.

Setting Suns

1. Jalen Green
2. Rasheer Fleming
3. Backup point guards (Jamaree Bouyea, Pat Spencer)

Green has been a lightning rod for frustration so far. He gives good effort most of the time, and seems to be trying to do his assigned role – assists up slightly in recent games – but it seems unnatural. As a result, his value is declining. Fleming has battled health issues, but fell out of the rotation before that. Bouyea and Spencer are just not getting any minutes; I thought there was a role to be had here, on occasions when a change of pace is necessary.

Suns Scorers

1. Devin Booker
2. Luke Kennard
3. Dillon Brooks

Booker’s overall ability to get shots, draw fouls (34% free throw rate), and make free throws (94%) has him leading the team at over 25 points per night. He also plays his usual facilitation role with a 23% assist%. Kennard has a 74% true shooting percentage at 49% from three-point range, and has a 6.5 assist-to-turnover ratio. Brooks is at 42% from downtown, and still has that mid-post game.

Sun Blockers

1. Ryan Dunn
2. Oso Ighodaro
3. Collin Gillespie

Disclaimer on this category: the team’s defense has been subpar. Dunn’s defensive rating of 99 is 10 points better than the second-best Sun, Ighodaro, who provides defensive versatility. Gillespie is third in the NBA at 3.0 steals per 36 minutes.

Outworking the Sunrise

1. Ryan Dunn
2. Jordan Goodwin
3. Collin Gillespie

Dunn also shows up here, seemingly going all-out during his limited minutes. Goodwin is so good at hustling that I have him on here despite playing only 5 ½ games of the 10 games due to a calf injury. Gillespie is always hustling, moving the most distance per minute of any Phoenix player and at a team-topping average speed of 4.73 mph.

Most Likely to Leave Suns’ Orbit

1. Jalen Green
2. Rasheer Fleming
3. Dillon Brooks

Despite his athleticism, Green has not met the expectations of his contract thus far in Phoenix. He is a popular fan target for a trade shakeup. I hope not right now, as his value is at a low. I’m hoping they get him into a sixth-man-type role where maybe he could cook. Fleming has size and a skill set that showed flashes last season. I could see other teams wanting him as part of a deal. The wild card: Brooks. If the season spirals, a contender desiring a toughness element may value him, and the Suns should consider it for the right younger piece.

Best Suns Win

1. Nov 7 – Houston 99, Phoenix 102
2. Nov 10 – LA Clippers 110, Phoenix 133
3. Nov 5 – Orlando 104, Phoenix 117

Saturday’s win over the Rockets easily tops this list now. Positive signs began to show in the Magic win, but last night’s dominant win over the Clippers moves into the #2 slot.

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The Sixers got their asses handed to them by the Celtics on Tuesday night, to put it bluntly. They fell into a double-digit hole early in the second quarter, managed to claw their way back to tie the game late in the third, then got buried by an avalanche of three-pointers and called it a night.

While the beef and/or lamb chops and gravy between Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum took center stage Tuesday night, the real story of the game was that the Sixers and Celtics came into it with the two best records in the Eastern Conference. This was the first of four matchups between two legitimate title hopefuls, one with no shortage of bad blood on either side (as much as the Celtics try to deny it).

The result raised two glaring red flags for the Sixers, ones which have been prevalent throughout this early start to the season. Their lack of three-point shooting and lack of rim protection behind Joel Embiid once again came back to bite them, and this time, they weren’t able to muster a second-half rally via lockdown defense.

Sixers losing the math game

Through their first 12 games, the Sixers are 24th in the league in made threes per game, 26th in three-point attempts and 21st in three-point percentage. In the 22-point loss to Boston, they got outscored by 33 points from deep.

The Celtics have been one of the NBA’s highest-volume three-point shooting teams under Joe Mazzulla, and that hasn’t changed this year. After Tuesday’s avalanche of triples, they’re now second in the league in three-point makes, fifth in attempts and third in long-range shooting percentage.

Even though the Sixers drew 28 free-throw attempts compared to only five for the Celtics, they weren’t able to overcome the math advantage from Boston’s three-point barrage.

“We weren’t aggressive enough defensively, and they got loose,” Tyrese Maxey said after the game. “For them to get up 50 threes is, you know… the way they got them up, too. The catch-and-shoot threes, the open threes. We know their game plan is to get up threes. But we can’t give up the catch-and-shoot threes to this team because the result is this right here.”

Three-point shooting loomed as a legitimate concern for the Sixers heading into the season. Maxey is the only plus long-range shooter in their starting lineup. All four of their other starters can knock down triples as well, but they aren’t particularly reliable from deep. Opponents will happily concede those shots, particularly if they’re contested, if that allows them to wall off the paint and prevent easy looks at the basket.

The one silver lining to Tuesday’s game is that Joel Embiid, who was mired in a brutal 0-of-19 three-point slump over his previous seven games, finally knocked one down at the beginning of the second half.

“I think you can see it, as soon as I made a three, the next shot that I had in the short corner on the right side, I didn’t even think about it, I just shot it, let it fly. And I made it,” Embiid said after the game. “Probably if I hadn’t made a three, I probably would have been in my mind and would have thought about it.”

Head coach Nick Nurse doesn’t seem particularly concerned about the Sixers’ three-point woes in the early going.

“I think that we’ve got some guys that are obviously shooting much lower percentages than their last season or their career average, almost a handful of guys,” he said after Tuesday’s game. “And I don’t think it’s because they’re shooting fall-away, totally contested ones. I think they’re shots that we want them to take. So I think we’re going to continue to take them, and I’m pretty sure those will even out into their career averages.”

In particular, Nurse highlighted Dean Wade—a low-volume, above-average three-point shooter—as someone who can help fix the problem.

“We certainly feel like there are shots that he turned down in the first half-dozen games, for sure,” Nurse said. “But again, I don’t think he’s quite in the mindset to take them. We just keep showing him. We need his spacing. It’s obviously why we signed him. He’s a spacing big, and we need that, for sure.”

Too-small small-ball?

Ariel Hukporti is out for the year with an Achilles tear. Dominick Barlow has yet to make his season debut because of a back injury. And Adem Bona suffered a cervical spine sprain against the Detroit Pistons and has missed the Sixers’ past three games. That’s left the Sixers woefully shorthanded in the frontcourt behind Embiid.

Jabari Walker has been filling in as the nominal backup 5, but he’s only 6’7″. When Embiid has been off the floor in recent games, opponents have started attacking the basket with aplomb knowing the Sixers don’t have a rim protector lurking to swat their shots away.

After the Celtics game, Nurse told reporters that he might have to switch up their defensive strategy whenever they go with a small-ball 5.

“I think we need to just check on it schematically to see if there isn’t something we can do different when we’re small,” he said. “Maybe we can do a little more switching, maybe we can do a little more blitzing, things like that. As you know, we kinda used to use certain coverages, and when Bona would check in, we’d go to some other coverages. We haven’t gotten to as much of that this year, but that’s probably where we’re heading.”  

On a related note: What’s the point in having Tacko Fall signed to a two-way contract if he can’t get on the floor even with the frontcourt this depleted? That isn’t to suggest that he would have stemmed the bleeding against the Celtics—if anything, they likely would have picked him apart in drop coverage—but the Sixers may need to reevaluate how they’re using their two-way spots to add more frontcourt insurance until they get healthier.

The Sixers’ schedule considerably softens up over the next few games, which should help deter any Chicken Littles from screaming about how much the sky is falling. But despite their early-season success, the Sixers are still clearly a ways away from being a legitimate title threat this year. The loss to Boston underscored two glaring weaknesses that opponents will happily exploit in the playoffs if the Sixers can’t fix them before then.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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